Missouri Life Magazine’s Big BAM (Bicycle Across Missouri) will ride for the first time in Southeast Missouri in 2020. The upcoming sixth annual five-day recreational ride across our state will be hosted by the following overnight towns: Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Farmington, and Ste. Genevieve.
Riders will start on June 1 in Poplar Bluff and ramble through the flat, open country of the Mississippi Delta past fields of cotton and rice on their way to Sikeston. The next day, June 2, the routes climb out of Delta country to Crowley’s Ridge and into the edge of the Ozarks as riders approach Cape Girardeau, our third overnight town. The next day, June 3, the route passes by Bollinger Mill State Historic Site and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial on our way to Perryville. On June 4, the ride traverses Mark Twain National Forest before entering Farmington. Our last day of riding, June 5, we pass several wineries and breweries on our way to Ste. Genevieve, one of the first towns west of the Mississippi and retaining its French Colonial charm.
“We’ll be riding through some of the most scenic and diverse terrain in Missouri. Our longer ride days are mostly flat, and the climbing days are shorter mileage days,” says Greg Wood, Big Bam Director.
The ride through the heart of Southeast Missouri will include samplings of local food and locally produced wine, beer and distilled products. Cyclists will be stopping at restaurants and other establishments along the way, and Big BAM encourages local citizens and groups to come out and raise funds for their nonprofit groups with food and refreshment stands. Big BAM has typically attracted about 500 riders from more than 30 states and other countries.
Big BAM is a fully supported ride, which includes a camping area each night, gear transport, hot showers, water and relief stations every 10 to 15 miles, SAG support, and bicycle mechanics. Plus, there is a concert every night that is free and open to the public.
For more information, visit the Big Bam website.
