GRABAAWR
Updates

General Company Wide Updates

GRABAAWR Specific Updates for the 2023 Season

1/19/23

• If you register using a paper registration form:
  • You can now submit your payment through Zelle.
  • We no longer have incoming fax service so you can't send us a copy of your completed form this way any more.

12/22/22

• We will now hove both the indoor and outdoor camping available directly the Moravian church in Wisconsin Rapids and only showers will be available at the YMCA. Click Here for more information.

12/19/22

• Showers in Eagle River will be available at the Hi-Pines campground until 8:00 pm. Click Here for more information.

12/15/22

• The Wisconsin Rapids hotel does not have any double bed rooms available online, only single bed ones. If you would like to reserve a double bed room please call the hotel directly to see if they have any available. If they do not, we do have a couple of safety stock double bed rooms reserved in our name that we can transfer to you if necessary. If you would like to reserve a single bed room please go ahead and make your reservation as normal. If the hotel does end up completely filling up later, we will either set up additional rooms at another one or completely change our supported hotel as necessary. Click Here for more information about the Wisconsin Rapids hotel.

12/10/22

• There will now be two separate route options if you want to ride an optional century (100 miles) on Sunday. Click Here for more information about the Eagle River to Tomahawk century options.
  • One option will start from Land O' Lakes, WI. If you want to ride this option you will need to pre-register and pay for our Land O' Lakes Century Option Transportation Service.
  • The other option will be to ride from Eagle River up to our rest stop in Phelps, turn around, and then ride the same route back to the Eagle River main lodging site.
  • We will no longer be able to support anyone who also wants to ride a double metric century between Eagle River, Phelps, and Land O' Lakes due to manpower, vehicle, and route timing constraints.

12/7/22

• Registration is now open for GRABAAWR 2023! Click Here to register!
• Web site updated with 2023 dates and stopping towns!
  • GRABAAWR will occur on June 10th - 17th, 2023.
• Due to skyrocketing prices for fuel, food, coach busses, and many other tour services the regular registration price of the full tour has increased by $50.00, each riding day of a partial day tour has increased by $10.00 per day for all participant types (rider, non-rider, and volunteer), and the price of the transportation service from Prairie du Chien to Eagle River before the start of the tour has increased by $30.00 from $139.00 to $169.00. Click Here for more information about our pricing schedule.
• The late registration fee has increased by $25.00 from $125.00 to $150.00 for full tour riders and by $5.00 from $25.00 to $30.00 per day for all partial day tour riders. The late fees for non-riders has not changed.
• We have added "e-bike" as an additional option for the type of bike you will be transporting and there will be an additional $30.00 fee to transport e-bikes. This is because e-bikes generally require special handling and care since they are are typically heavier and/or take up more room in our vehicles than standard upright bicycles and therefore cannot be transported on any outside roof racks and must be transported inside a support vehicle.
• The fee to transport bicycles that require special handling and care (recumbents, e-bikes, tandems, etc.) has increased by $5.00 from $25.00 to $30.00.
• Our new main lodging site in Eagle River is St. Peter the Fisherman church. Unfortunately we will not be able to stay at the Trees for Tomorrow facility in Eagle River again due to scheduling conflicts. All stopping route information has been updated. Click Here for more information.
• We will be returning to Mauston as our stopping town this year again on a regular basis instead of Adams-Friendship. All information has been updated as appropriate. Click Here for more information.
• This year, the city of Prairie du Chien will be holding the "Marquette & Jolliet 350th Expedition Celebration" the weekend we return to Prairie du Chien, and both outdoor tent and indoor sleeping bag and air mattress camping will be available at the Prairie du Chien main lodging site on the Saturday after the end of the tour! Click Here for more information.
• The price of many merchandise items has increased:
  • The price of Bicycle Illinois jerseys has increased by $10.00 from $79.99 to $89.99 ea.
  • The price of Bike Wisconsin and Bicycle Illinois water bottles has increased by $2.00 from $9.99 to $11.99 ea.
  • The price of Bike Wisconsin Baseball Hats has increased by $2.00 from $23.99 to $25.99 ea.
  • The price of Bicycle Illinois Baseball Hats has increased by $2.00 from $15.99 to $17.99 ea.
  • The price of Extra Bike Wisconsin and Bicycle Illinois T-Shirts has increased by $2.00 from $14.99 to $16.99 ea.
    • The additional price of oversized t-shirts (size XXL and XXXL) are still $2.00 extra.
  • The price of Bike Wisconsin and Bicycle Illinois Polo Shirts has increased by $2.00 from $23.99 to $25.99 ea.
    • The additional price of oversized polo shirts (size XXL and XXXL) has increased by $0.50 from $2.50 to $3.00 extra.
  • The price of Bike Wisconsin patches has not changed.
• The price of the following extra services has not changed:
  • Towel rental
  • Standard and jumbo tent rental
  • Chair rental
  • Mechanical support plan

Major Previous GRABAAWR Specific Updates

• You will now be required to agree to the Wisconsin Rapids Woodson YMCA Participant Waiver as part of tour registration.
• We will not provide hotel baggage service in Prairie du Chien. Instead, you should bring your baggage to the main lodging site yourself when you park there long term during the tour.
• If you sign up for the Mechanical Support Plan, you will need to specifically request the pre-ride inspection yourself as we will not be able to search out each participant individually to provide it.
• We will have separate indoor and outdoor lodging locations in Wisconsin Rapids that are only 0.2 miles apart. The showers will be at the outdoor lodging location. Click Here for more information.
• The price of the towel service also increased by $1.00 from $6.00 to $7.00 per day.
• Because our business is now based in Dane County, Wisconsin (previously Chicago, Illinois) we must now charge every participant Wisconsin sales tax on all Bike Wisconsin event services and merchandise. Accordingly, we will no longer have separate registration forms or charge separate taxes for Wisconsin and non-Wisconsin residents.
• We will no longer plan on on changing the route or stopping towns on an regular expected basis every year. Moving forward the nightly stopping towns will remain Eagle River, Tomahawk, Mosinee, Wisconsin Rapids, Mauston, Baraboo, Muscoda, and Prairie du Chien and all rest stop locations will also remain the same, unless there is a specific reason to change them. Click Here for more information about changes to our events.
• Registration procedures for postponed 2020 participants posted. Unfortunately, we can only allow postponed 2020 participants to register for an event at the original 2020 pricing schedule one time. Click Here for more information.
• The number of days you register for the optional Towel Service, Tent Rental, Chair Rental, and Mechanical Support Plan must be the same as the number of days you will attend the event. For example you cannot register to ride for six days but only register for two days of the Mechanical Support Plan.
• No refunds will be issued in the event we are unable to run an event due to circumstances beyond our control. These circumstances include but are not limited to disasters (natural and/or manmade), pandemics, war, acts of terrorism, government regulations, strikes, civil disorder, curtailment of transportation facilities, or acts of God. (Force Majure)
• Only online registration will be available after regular registration closes four weeks before the start of the tour in order to assure that we receive all of your information and payment in a timely manner due to laspes in mail service. This deadline also corresponds to the regular registration deadline. Click Here for more information.
• We have changed our online registration service provider to RaceRoster.com!
• Bike Wisconsin patches added to extra merchandise items!
• The route will open and route support services will begin at 6:30 am.
• WE NO LONGER ISSUE ANY REFUNDS AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON. If you do not participate and would like a refund you MUST purchase an individual travel insurance plan, which will reimburse you according to the plan coverage. Click Here for more information about our refund policy.
• You will need make sure to bring your own floor pumps with you. We will not be providing floor pumps for general participant use in the morning. Click Here for more information about our floor pump policy.
• We will provide hotel baggage delivery service for free if you stay at one of our supported hotels in each stopping town! Click Here for more information.