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Spring Rally 2026 — Wausau, WI

May 15 - May 17

COWs Spring Rally – May 15-16-17, 2026 – in the Wausau, WI area

Join us in the Wausau area for three fun days of bicycling through the beautiful north central Wisconsin region. Wausau is known as Wisconsin’s Base Camp for its four seasons of outdoor activities, festivals and more.

Tickets for the Spring Rally Banquet are no longer available, but any club members are still welcome to attend the Spring Rally and participate in our rides. Just let us know if you’ll be attending the rally when purchasing your club membership.

Join or Renew Membership

Routes:

Friday. Friday’s Downtown route will take you via paved trails, bike lanes and city streets into downtown Wausau’s 400 Block and riverfront trail system. There you will have several choices for coffee, ice cream, and/or restaurants. There are several unique shops in Wausau that you won’t want to miss! Friday’s Short route takes you on primarily bike trails and bike lanes to your choice of ice cream shops and restaurants. For both routes, there will be an opportunity to bike up Rib Mountains and enjoy the fantastic views from the observation tower.

Saturday. We would like all COWs to participate in the Mass Start from the Holiday Inn & Suites for the drone photography. On Saturday’s Long and Medium routes, we will travel southwest on lightly traveled county roads into the Big/Little Eau Pleine Rivers, Wisconsin River and Lake DuBay areas. The Short Route will start from the Lake DuBay Lions Club Park and enjoy scenic views of the Wisconsin River and Lake DuBay regions. As you bike, you may see bald eagles, pelicans, sandhill cranes and more. On the way back, stop at the Mullin’s Cheese Store for some freshly made cheeses including cheese curds. Lunch is on your own and we recommend the Knowlton House Distillery or Mullin’s Cheese for on-route choices.

Sunday. Sunday’s routes will take you along and across the Wisconsin River. Enjoy scenic views of Rib Mountain, and rolling farmland. The Long Route will include approximately 6 miles of premium Wisconsin red granite gravel roads on our way to Nine Mile County Forest and Big Eau Pleine County Park (tires of 700×28 or greater are recommended). The Medium route circles Rib Mountain and offers beautiful views of the Mountain from all sides. The Short route is primarily on bike trails and bike lanes. All routes will have multiple breakfast/lunch restaurants to choose from.

Please download each day’s routes to your Garmin or similar device. Or print the map/cue sheet prior to arriving at the COWs Spring Rally. We will not be providing paper maps/cue sheets. Also, do not depend on any roads being marked.

RideWithGPS Routes

Printable maps/cue sheets (PDF):

Schedule of Events
Dining & Shopping Recommendations

Hotel:

Host Hotel is the Holiday Inn & Suites, Rothschild, WI. Holiday Inn & Suites will allow tandems in your rooms and/or we have arranged for tandem storage on-site.

Group Rate is $149.00/night (+ taxes) and includes a light breakfast. The Block Cut Off Date is 4/15/2026.

Call 715-355-1111 and reference block code COW or block name is COW Wheels Spring Rally.

Or, make reservations online here. Please put block code COW in preference dropdown group rate.

Camping:

We have two options for Camping

Primary Option 

DuBay County Park.  Within the loop with sites 14-24.  $25 per site per night, $8 for electricity.

Reservations (DuBay County Park)

This campground is about 20 minutes from the host hotel.  Electricity is available and there are showers and flush toilets; beach and boat launch across the street.

Secondary Option

Shores of Lake DuBay.  $55 per site per night ($30 non-refundable deposit due at time of reservation)

Reservations (http://www.dubayshores.com/)

There are showers, flush toilets, water and electric at each site.  There is a swimming area and boat launch area, great for kayaking.

Camping Questions?  Contact Laurie Frey at 630-244-1870 or slfrey88@yahoo.com.

Note: The deadline has passed for purchasing tickets to the banquet.

COWs Spring Rally Banquet and Annual Meeting:

The COWs 2026 Banquet and Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, May 16th at the Holiday Inn & Suites Imperial Ballroom from 5pm to 9pm. Happy Hour from 5-6pm (cash bar), Dinner at 6pm with the Annual Meeting immediately following dinner.

Each plated dinner option will include House Salad, Fresh Baked Rolls w/ Butter and Dessert. Your choice of the following:

Chicken Saltimbocca
with Prosciutto, Sage, Asparagus and Roasted Tomato Orzo, Aged Balsamic, Mozzarella, and Bone Broth Chicken Veloute

Chili Glazed Salmon
With Forbidden Black Rice, Cipollini Onions, Wok-Fired Green Beans and Ponzu

Frenched Pork Chop
With Maple Glazed Brussel Sprouts, Roasted Fingerlings, and Cherry Bordelaise

Mushroom Fettuccini
With Garlic Cremini, Brandy Mushroom Cream, Parmesan, and Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Questions about the Spring Rally, contact Pat & Margaret Donnelly at bike150wi@gmail.com

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