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Riding the Length of Wisconsin
Plus, a big win for Toronto Cyclists and Stats for the Nerds
Sam Westby
August 07, 2025
Welcome to the Bike Bulletin, a
—Sam Westby @samcwestby
This is a weekly newsletter about bike trips, urban cycling, and a love for two-wheeled transit. The more time you spend on a bike, the better. I share new editions every Thursday, gearing you up for the ride ahead.
Here’s what we have today.
🌍 RIDE: 430 Miles Through Wisconsin
❓ STORY: Toronto Gets to Keep Its Bike Lanes
🎥 WATCH: The King of Chaos
📰 NEWS: New funding and new bike lanes
RIDE REPORT
430 Miles Through Wisconsin
On top of Timm’s Hill, the highest point in Wisconsin at 1951 feet (595 meters)
My friend Caleb and I wrapped up our tour from the bottom of Wisconsin to the top. It was an easygoing trip.
No rain
mid-70’s (low 20’s C)
Caleb has 1 flat tire, I had none
Towns every 15 miles
Easy camping
I was pleased with how easy it was to find camping spots. For each night:
Paid for a spot at Devil’s Lake State Park
In the woods on a hill by a park in a town of 50 people
Down an unmarked path off a gravel road in some woods
In the yard of a bar and grille in a small town. We asked the owner, and he was cool with it.
At a primitive campsite on Lake Superior. It’s so nice having a picnic table in the morning
The trick for stealth camping is to find a place where no human will look for the time you’re there. Up in northern Wisconsin, that gets pretty easy. Here’s a full YouTube tutorial on Stealth Camping.
Total cost of the 5 days: about $300 total, $150 per person. We went out to eat every day. That could easily be $75 total if we cooked every meal and bought cheaper snacks.
If you need more reasons to visit Wisconsin, People For Bikes gave the state the 3rd highest rating, only behind New York and Alaska. Read about Wisco’s top cycling cities on peopleforbikes.org.
NEWSWORTHY
Toronto Keeps Its Bike Lanes (for now)
On July 30, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that the province can’t rip up the protected bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University in downtown Toronto. Last year, the province passed a bill to remove these bike lanes because they “cause traffic”.
There are higher appeals courts in Ontario, so I’m still holding my breath. This ruling is a good sign.
The judge found that removing the bike lanes would make the roads more dangerous and would violate cyclists’ Charter rights to life and security. It is one of the first Canadian decisions to link safe cycling infrastructure to constitutional protection.
Read more on Ecojustice
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Justinas is the biggest name in bikepacking. This year, he set the fastest known time for the triple crown. Tour Divide + Arizona Trail Race + The Colorado Trail all in 25 days, 5 hours, and 30 minutes. It took me 27.5 days to finish the Tour Divide, so I have a hard time comprehending how he did this.
This film follows his journey to accomplish such a massive feat.
Watch on YouTube
$20 million. The budget for an expected 14 mile (22 km) trail through Pittsburgh, PA. (WESA)
$4.2 million. The budget to repair the Marvin Braude Bike Trail in Santa Monica. It washed out in floods last year. (bikinginla.com)
Expanding. Caltrans is planning to expand the bike lane on the Bay Bridge between Oakland and San Francisco. (ABC 7 News)
Archie. the name of St. Louis’s mini bike lane sweeper. Here’s a picture, with the mayor, Cara Spencer, in the driver’s seat. (STL Magazine)
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