2025 Grand Depart July 12th, 2025 | Registration Opening December 2024
The Mishigami Challenge will take riders on an 1,121-mile (or 484-mile) self-supported odyssey around the shores of Lake Michigan. We provide the route. Your challenge is to complete the route under your own power, as fast as you safely can, with no outside assistance (except commercially available services). You are on the clock and on your own.
This course is NOT for the novice rider.
It passes through four states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan) with varying traffic and cycling laws. You’ll encounter everything from busy urban streets, highways, and suburban trails to rolling farmlands and secluded woodlands. Some sections of the course will (unavoidably) include heavy traffic; others will leave you feeling like you own the road. Surfaces will range from buttery smooth pavement to chip seal and potholes. We may even have a few miles of gravel roads thrown in for good measure.
While the terrain will vary along the way, it will generally feature flat to rolling hills. If you’re looking for epic climbs, then this is not the course for you. But, if you want epic views and to experience the many personalities and grandeur of Lake Michigan, then this is the ride you’ve been waiting for.
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You can find the 2024 course on Ride With GPS. Note that the course is subject to change as it is refined over the months leading up to the 2024 challenge. This link is updated to show the new start/end location in the Fulton Market neighborhood of Chicago.
ABOUT THE COURSE
Full Route (1,121 miles)
Not quite ready for the full 1,121 mile route? This year we are offering a new distance option: the "Mini-Gami" which will be roughly 484 miles and utilize the ferry across the lake for a short cut. The Mini-Gami route will be same until Manitowoc, WI where the riders will catch the ferry across the lake to Ludington, MI. From Ludington riders will head south and pickup the standard route through southwestern Michigan, Indiana, and to the finish in Chicago, IL.
The Mini-Gami isn't a short ride like the name suggests, but perfect for those who can't commit to a full week (or longer) away from work and home. It can be done over a long weekend and is sure to be your favorite ride of the year.
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You can find the 2024 course on Ride With GPS. Note that the course is subject to change as it is refined over the months leading up to the 2024 challenge. This link is updated to show the new start/end location in the Fulton Market neighborhood of Chicago.
