Tour Da Yoop, Eh cyclists riding during the 2022 annual ride. Cyclists embark on the 1,200-mile adventure around the Upper Peninsula in support of bike safety and childhood cancer. (Courtesy photo)

By DREYMA BERONJA

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — Cyclists all over the country will soon embark on the “once in a lifetime” cycling ride around the Upper Peninsula.

The annual Tour Da Yoop, Eh event is a 10-day, 1,200-mile ride around the U.P. showcasing the “amazing beauty and communities” while supporting the event’s two main causes, bike safety and childhood cancer.

Tour Da Yoop, Eh will start Friday, July 28 and end on Sunday, Aug. 6. According to the event’s website, the ride starts in Manistique and moves clockwise around the U.P., ending back in Manistique.

Event Director Gary Perala said this year’s event will have the largest group with over 55 riders. This year’s event also saw an increase in female cyclists.

Tour Da Yoop, Eh Founder James Studinger created the event to raise awareness for bike safety after discovering other bikers did not know about the backroads in the U.P., according to the event’s website.

“I rode in and out of just about every community in the U.P. and became intimately aware of what it takes to make biking an incredibly safe sport,” Studinger said on the event’s website. “The U.P. had most of the pavement already laid, but there were numerous ‘connectivity’ opportunities not being explored that could make it world class.”

Studinger has also been keeping up-to-date with every bicycle crash report for the last five years and works with others to discuss bike safety, road construction and improvements that can be made.

“By keeping tabs on connectivity and problem areas, over time we can work to further improve biking in the U.P. and strive for a year when not a single person gets hurt,” Studinger said on the event’s website.

Tour Da Yoop, Eh is also giving back to the community through its rider challenge. The annual event partners with the U.P. Lions Childhood Cancer Program to raise money for U.P. kids and families coping with childhood cancer.

Lions Childhood Cancer Program Chairman Chris Smith said this is the third year in partnership with Tour Da Yoop, Eh.

“Bills can become enormous when your child is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, especially living in the U.P., where distance makes it difficult to travel to treatment,” Smith said in an email. “There are no hospitals that provide treatment for children with cancer.”

Smith said the program helps families with travel expenses, medical and household bills and any needs attributable to their child’s diagnosis.

Last year Tour Da Yoop, Eh raised more than $55,000, according to a press release. This year, the organization hopes to raise $100,000.

Perala said this year’s challenge will be a “dollar-for-dollar match”.

“Cyclists can help raise funds for important causes and provide a sense of community and camaraderie. Organizing an event like Tour Da Yoop, Eh is a great way to give back to the community and help support two meaningful causes,” Perala said in an email. “Giving back to your community and supporting a cause you are passionate about is something you will never regret and helps you grow as a person.”

Anyone wishing to make a donation toward the U.P. Lions Childhood Cancer program can go to pledgereg.com/tour-da-yoop-eh-2023. For more information on Tour Da Yoop, Eh, visit tourdayoopeh.com.

Dreyma Beronja can be reached at 906-228-2500 ext. 548. Their email address is dberonj@miningjournal.net.