Welcome to BFK’s Fall Bike Celebration!

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO FBC 2025! Until then much of the site still mentions 2024. Stay tuned!

Ride registration for Sept. 22, 2024 is open at BikeReg* until Sept. 15 at 11:59pm. Fees are the same as 2023 and are listed on our Sunday’s Ride page. Day-of Ride registration will be open from 7:30am until noon Sunday, September 22.

BFK’s Fall Bike Celebration’s magnificent Bike Tour is always on the Sunday that falls during the third weekend Sunday of September — offering something for everyone. Ride registration is now open at BikeReg* through 11:59pm ET on Sept. 15, 2024 until the online registration limit of 200 riders is reached. After that, “no-limit” in-person registration will be offered on site on the morning of the Ride. It’s not a race, and, E-bikes & recumbents are welcome!

Journey back in time — past photogenic Vicksburg Quilt Trail paintings — while enjoying the lovingly curated Vicksburg Historic Village at the start/finish.  A delicious meal and apple cider will be served after the ride.  The Fall Bike Celebration Weekend — this year proudly presented by Opalescence Dental — offers many destination-travel worthy attractions and events in and around the charming Village of Vicksburg, MI.

Sunday’s ride is unforgettable.  It features our incomparable “ride back in time” Vicksburg-Shipshewana Century into the Amish country of northern Indiana with its horse-drawn buggies. Plus, we offer:

• Routes over the longest covered wooden bridge in Michigan – newly renovated!
• A chance to visit the historic grist mill and romantic banks of the mill pond at Scotts Mill county park
• Bragging rights for those who like to cruise through places with unusual names (yup, that would be Climax, MI)
• Family-friendly routes
• Glimpses of the photogenic Vicksburg Quilt Trail paintings. 

We offer so many routes that you can’t do them all in a day — you can return year after year and experience something different every time.  Pick your time travel portal by registering at BikeReg*.

The ride features the destination-travel worthy Vicksburg Quilt Trail – another reason our Fall Bike Celebration offers a cycling experience unlike any other.  The colorful quilt trail paintings on the sides of the barns and buildings you will pass offer one of the most extensive and best curated expressions of folk art and historical meaning in Michigan.  Experiencing the huge barn paintings in the fall while riding on the quiet rural byways of Southwest Michigan is something you’ll remember forever. 

Capture the experience by registering at BikeReg*.

All routes will start and finish on the grounds of the Vicksburg Historic Village & Depot Museum (next to the Pavilion) — a destination-travel worthy attraction in its own right.  The buildings and museum will have open hours Friday-Sunday and admission is always free. 

Want to learn more about life at the turn of the last century in a Michigan village?  Coming from out of town?  Arrive early to extend your journey back in time — make our Fall Bike Celebration your weekend travel destination — culminating in Sunday’s ride at BikeReg*!

Registering online at BikeReg has extra advantages: 

Our Ice Cream Social is Back!  Everyone who pre-registers online for Sunday’s bike tour will get a coupon for a free cyclist’s Ice Cream cone at Apple Knocker’s Ice Cream Parlor, on the shore of scenic Sunset Lake in the charming Village of Vicksburg. 

Plus, online registrants will get a coupon for 10% off at the Distant Whistle Brewhouse in the newly renovated village downtown.  The coupons will be included in packets for pre-registered riders during Advance Packet Pickup. 

Whether you choose to ride three miles or 103 (we needed those extra miles to take you by more scenic lakes), the ride of a lifetime — with all the bells and whistles — is waiting for you at BikeReg*.

The welcome mat will be out for cyclists during Sunday’s Ride…with fantastic routes through the beautiful Southwest Michigan and the Amish-Indiana countryside starting and finishing in the charming Vicksburg Historic Village.  Sunday’s Bike Tour routes range from our Vicksburg-Shipshewana Century ride across state lines to quaint Shipshewana (IN) to a 3-5 mile family trail ride.  Routes include beautiful photo-worthy views of the Vicksburg Quilt Trail.  The Ride will be supported with SAG stops, maps and clear road markings on the paved road routes — with a delicious meal at the finish! 

Register for the ride at BikeReg*.  *Bike Reg’s transaction fees are about the same as most popular rides and our own individual and family rates are very competitive, so hopefully you won’t have any sticker shock.

If you have read this far, you see that the Fall Bike Celebration Weekend offers more than Sunday’s ride.  Keep reading for quick sneak peek at other featured weekend attractions to round out your visit.

Additional featured attractions going on in Vicksburg on Friday and Saturday include a top-rated disc golf course and a Farmers Market right next to the lovingly restored Vicksburg Historic Village and a Bike Rodeo for the kids.  Can’t make it into town physically, at all?  No matter — check out the virtual overviews describing the origins and meaning of the intriguing Vicksburg Quilt Trail paintings and the $100+ million dollar Mill In Vicksburg lodging/entertainment complex renovation.

Artists, art lovers and fans of community-building take note.  In 2022 and 2023 Bike Friendly Kalamazoo’s Art Committee organized a Public Mural program aimed at expressing the joys of bicycling.  Mural progress will be recognized during Fall Bike Celebration Weekend.  Speaking of art, this cool print-worthy Fall Bike Celebration Poster captures our spirit, thanks to original artist Ludwig Betz, graphic designer Wes Garman and support from our friends at Consort Display Group.

Please consider bringing a jar of peanut butter to donate on Sunday. We will donate it to Generous Hands & South County Community Services.

Are we excited? Absolutely! Is the greater community in on our planning committee and joining in the fun? All the way!

Want to help make this weekend a great experience for everyone, and be a part of an always enthusiastic, eager-to-make-it-happen team?  Click on Volunteer and let us know who you are.  There are plenty of opportunities to build community through bicycling for Sponsors as well.

The Fall Bike Celebration is organized by Bike Friendly Kalamazoo (BFK), a 501(c)3 non-profit network of volunteers working to make our greater community even more bike friendly (see our About page).

Take advantage of our online registration benefits at BikeReg. 

Let’s make the Fall Bike Celebration a safe success.
Consult your health professional and our Health Advisories page.