Well, shucks, folks.
In the past weeks, we’ve really, really tried. We’ve prayed. We’ve gotten frustrated. We’ve even shed a few tears.
And working with our great friends at the City of East Prairie, the EP Chamber of Commerce and local health officials, we have delayed this decision as long as possible — hopeful that curves would flatten even more, health care and essential workers could get a break, and (most importantly) people, businesses, and our
world could heal quickly and get back to “normal”. But we are at a critical time when our far-away travelers and partners need to make or break plans.
We know our hundreds of volunteers and support team — whom we believe are the friendliest and most hospitable folks around — will be fewer this year due to many being in higher-risk groups. So we recognize that we can no longer responsibly nor safely execute a major cycling event during this situation; one that could logistically adhere to social distancing guidelines and that wouldn’t potentially put hundreds of volunteers and 1000+ riders at an increased risk .
If you’re already registered, Casidy from registration@tourdecorn.com will be reaching out to you in the coming week to offer you a full refund on your registration/merchandise or an opportunity to roll it over to the 2021 ride.
So we’re sad, but we’re going to choose instead to think of each of you riding out this storm with us. We absolutely love welcoming visitors from across the U.S. (and even abroad) to our little part of the world. We love sharing stories about our families, swapping riding tips and energy bar recipes, and laughing about how that headwind on the Century nearly did us in. But we most love being reminded each year that if you’re coming from New Jersey or New Mexico or just down the road in New Madrid, we’re all pretty similar and we’re connected in this Tour de Corn family regardless of where we park our bikes that evening.
So we’ll take a break this year. We’ll send you pics from the corn fields. We’ll regroup, and we’ll heal. And we’ll be back in 2021 stronger than ever. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for additional ways to be part of Tour de Corn this year and stay corn-nected. Be well, friends!
The rest stop and road marking were clear. Every person who was helping at the stops registration tables, etc. were some of the best mannered people. So to sum this AWESOME JOB.
--- Brad Davis
Tour de Corn was highly recommended by some friends in the area. I had this crazy idea that I wanted to do a century on a fat bike and everyone said this was the place to do it. I have no idea where to begin, everything about the experience was absolutely amazing! The townsfolk go the extra mile, celebrating the event with the riders. The Friday night festivities were a blast and EVERYONE is so friendly. The routes were the best marked routes I have ever seen, I didn’t use a map and there was never any doubt about which way I needed to go. The SAG stops were perfectly spaced, manned by incredibly friendly people and well stocked with everything we needed to make the ride. Please give my THANKS to the farmers that had their sprinkler systems spraying the road - what a huge boost that was, and it felt amazing! During my 100.5 miles I was passed by at least 20 sag vehicles. They were constantly patrolling and supporting riders. I thought maybe they were circling me because I was on a fat bike and they were ready to evacuate me, lol. Law enforcement was present and patrolling the routes as well. Even on the open highway commuters all waved and moved well away from the riders. You have planned and executed an amazing event. It is very clear your community rally’s around and wholeheartedly supports this event. I can’t wait to return, and I will tell everyone that I can this event needs to be on their calendar. Thank you so much for all you did - your entire community is amazing and it meant so much to me to see how they embraced this event! I finished 100.5 miles on the fat bike! Many of my friends are blown away that I did, I’m very proud of the achievement, and your incredible community and amazingly well organized event will always be part of my story.
--- Brad Hicks
