Registration is Open

General Info 2026

BAM will be held August 13-16, 2026. The tour starts and ends in Detroit Lakes.  

Terrain: 

The terrain in this part of west-central Minnesota is a gently rolling/rolling lake-country landscape shaped by ancient glaciers. You’ll find gentle rises and dips, long sweeps of open views, and a steady rhythm of wooded hills, farmsteads, and sparkling blue lakes tucked between them

Helmets:  Helmets are required and must be worn at all times when riding.  

Food and rest stops:  Your registration includes breakfast and dinner each day (no dinner on the final day), one lunch, and BAM-supported rest stops on days when lunch is not provided. This approach reflects rider survey feedback showing a preference for choosing lunch independently along the route or at the end of the day—without the pressure of arriving at a scheduled lunch time. It also allows BAM to better support the local communities we ride through and visit. Meals are served by a combination of local community and civic groups, caterers, and restaurants.  BAM will offer vegan and gluten-free options.  When registering for the ride, you will be asked for your meal choice.  You will need to honor that choice throughout the duration of the tour (i.e. no bouncing back and forth between menus based on what looks good that day.)  BAM will publish the menus for each meal before the tour begins. 

In addition to lunch or BAM-supported rest stops, there will be opportunities every 15 to 25 miles to stop in small towns for rest and to purchase snacks at local convenience stores and other establishments.  

Lodging

BAM offers several lodging options, as follows:  

Camping: BAM is primarily a tent-camping tour. Camping locations are the hub of BAM activities and are within walking distance of the downtown. No indoor camping is available. A Pork Belly Ventures shower truck is available onsite or nearby with private stalls, hot water and free towel service. Free coffee is available each morning for all riders as well.

Pork Belly Ventures Camping and Cabin on Wheels:
If you prefer to avoid the hassle of setting up and taking down your own tent or don’t want to sleep in a tent but still want to be at camp so as to not miss any of the fun, we’ve partnered with Pork Belly Ventures to provide two options:

  • Tent service:  For $295, Pork Belly Ventures will provide a tent, foam sleeping pad, full setup and takedown, and delivery of bags to and from the luggage truck each day. A second foam sleeping pad is available at no cost.  Click here for more information and to sign up for this service.  
  • Cabin on wheels!   Each air-conditioned knotty pine cabin (termed “PHAT Rooms” by Pork Belly Ventures) sleeps up to 5, is equipped with electrical outlets, has a small deck and chairs, is set up right at the campground so you don’t miss any of the fun, and moves with you throughout the tour.  No need to pack up each day!  Don’t have others to share lodging with?  Simply contact Pork Belly Ventures and they will maintain a list of others who are interested in sharing accommodations and attempt to match people up.  Check out this short video!  Click here for more information and to sign up for this service.

Hotels:  BAM transports luggage to and from the hotels listed here.  Riders who choose to stay in hotels during the tour are responsible for making their own room reservations and getting themselves to and from the hotels, meals, and town activities.  BAM does not vet hotels.

These are the only hotels that BAM services. Riders who wish to stay elsewhere will be responsible for getting themselves and their luggage to and from their lodging property. One option is to bring a small backpack to carry what you need for your overnight stay and bike to your lodging property. We close the luggage truck at night and you can leave your luggage bag on the truck at night. Bags left in the luggage truck overnight will be taken out first thing in the morning so that they are accessible.  

Due to safety and state regulations, RVs are not allowed at the campsites or on the route. 

Luggage Transport: A vehicle will transport your luggage each day to the next overnight town. Riders who camp are allowed two soft-sided bags, limited to 35 pounds each. Riders who stay in BAM-designated hotels are allowed one soft-sided bag, limited to 35 pounds. Please be sure all items fit inside your bag(s); no tie-ons allowed. All bags will be weighed prior to being loaded onto the luggage truck. Bags that don’t meet the weight requirements will not be loaded. 

Massages and Yoga:  Each afternoon, yoga will be provided at the campsite. Massages are also available for a fee to soothe your tired muscles.

Conditioning: To enjoy BAM to its fullest, you will need to be in good riding condition. Plan training rides for as many miles as you can—the more the better. Short rides won’t do as much good as the longer ones. It is important to ride several days a week. Add some long rides on weekends of 40 to 70 miles. At minimum, you should be able to ride 30 miles in 3 hours or less. 

BAM riders should be able to change their own tire. Please have your bicycle in good working order before the ride; consider having a tune-up at Freewheel Bike or your local bicycle shop.

SAG (Support and Gear) Support:

SAG support will be provided to help keep everyone safe, provide tools and bike support; it is for riders who have mechanical issues that cannot be repaired on the road or are injured. SAG support will not be available as a transport mechanism for tired riders. Please be prepared to bike the distances indicated on the Routes page. 

Mechanical Support: We are fortunate to once again have mechanical support provided by Freewheel Bike, so know you will be in great hands if mechanical issues arise. Service is free, but you will need to pay for parts, etc. Please be sure to have your bike tuned up before the ride and carry a spare tube, tire levers and pump or CO2 with you on the ride.  

Electronic Device Charging:  Ample electronic device charging is available at each of the campsites. 

E-Bike Policy:  BAM’s e-bike policy is as follows:  

  • Only Class 1 and Class 3 pedal assist e-bikes are allowed on the tour.  No e-bikes with a throttle are allowed.
  • Due to the rapid expansion of e-bike offerings and the specific resources required to repair this technology, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to repair all e-bikes.  
  • Charging will be available at the campsite each night only for an additional fee of $40 for the duration of the tour.  There will be no mid-ride charging services.   Please register using the E-Bike Rider option which adds an additional $40 to the tour to cover the costs of providing e-bike charging at the campsites. 
  • E-bike riders are responsible for charging their own batteries and should be aware of the range and capacity of their battery and conserve use throughout the day as needed. E-bike riders may want to carry an extra charged battery with them on the route.
  • E-bike riders will need to bring their own charging cables, cords, extra batteries and other equipment to keep their bikes charged for each day’s ride. 
  • E-bike riders must be able to lift their own bike into the SAG vehicles if they require mechanical support. Please know the weight of your bike; not all SAG vehicles will be equipped to accommodate heavy e-bikes. A depleted battery is not an acceptable reason for requesting SAG support. 
  • The BAM tour is intended for experienced cyclists who are self-sufficient on a multi-day tour and require limited support. Riding an e-bike is not a substitute for riding experience. The BAM e-bike policy is intended to allow experienced riders who are looking for a little extra assistance to continue to enjoy their sport. For these riders, the pedal assist is normally used occasionally on a ride to get up a big hill or against a strong wind. 

Non-riders: BAM will allow up to 10 non-rider participants on the tour. A non-rider participant is defined as someone (such as a friend or spouse of a rider) who participates in BAM but chooses to drive a vehicle instead of ride. Non-rider participants are subject to the same policies as riders.  

Support vehicles by non-riders are also prohibited on the route. Non-riders participating on the tour must use an alternative route. 

Minors: The ride is limited to persons 16 years of age or older. Riders 16-17 years of age must be accompanied by an adult, preferably a parent or guardian. This adult must provide a signed medical-release form, and the minor must have it in his or her possession at all times during BAM. Without the release form, there could be delays in any necessary medical treatment.

Pet Policy: Pets are not permitted. Participants who bring animals will be excused from the ride, with no refunds.

Public Health Policy:  Your safety, the safety of other riders and the safety of the communities in which we stay is our highest priority. BAM will require participants to follow federal, state and local public health laws and guidelines as deemed appropriate by government officials, insurance requirements and/or BAM Ride board and staff including but not limited to camping permits, sanitation requirements, food preparation and infectious disease protocols. 

It is the shared responsibility of both the organizers and participants to maintain a sanitary and healthy environment during BAM. If you feel sick at any time during the event, immediately notify a BAM staff member and isolate yourself from others. Stay home if you test positive for, or are recovering from, COVID-19, the flu or other contagious illness.  

Cost:  $655 through June 1; $695 after June 1. Registrations received by March 1 will receive a super-soft, lightweight BAM t-shirt. BikeMN members receive $20 off their registration fee. There is an additional charge of $40 for e-bike riders. Registration processing fees apply.

Your registration includes four nights of camping, daily baggage transport to the campgrounds or BAM-designated hotels, daily Ride with GPS (RWGPS) maps and app, SAG support, mechanical support, activities along the route, breakfast and dinner each day (no dinner on the final day), one lunch, and BAM-supported rest stops on days when lunch is not provided. All other fees and expenses are your responsibility. We do not offer group discounts.

Cancellations:  

We strongly recommend you purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself. 

Cancellations and Transfers by Rider (this is the official cancellation policy of BAM and supersedes any others): 
Cancellations by Rider:

Riders who request a refund by June 1st 2026 at 11:59 pm central time via Eventbrite will be refunded the ride fee, minus $100.00 non-refundable deposit. Riders who wish to cancel between June 2nd and July 31st 2026 will be refunded the ride fee, minus $250.00 non-refundable deposit. Riders who opt to cancel after July 31st 2026 will forfeit their entire ride fee. BAM will not cover or refund any foreign exchange fees or exchange rate differences due to cancellations.

Rider Transfers:

Riders are welcome to find a replacement if they are not able to attend to avoid losing all rider fees including the non-refundable deposit. Transfer requests must be submitted to bamregister@bikemn.org before 11:59 pm CT on July 31st 2026 including the replacement rider contact information. Riders must work out payment exchanges amongst themselves. NOTE: Merchandise purchases will not be refunded or altered (size, style, etc) after June 1, 2026. Items must be picked up at check-in.

No ride registrations, cancellations or transfers will be processed after July 31, 2026.

BAM does not process cancellations or transfers for any add-on services from third-parties (Phat-trailers, tent concierge services, hotels, etc). Rider is responsible to contact third-parties directly.

Cancellations by BAM:  

Bicycling Around Minnesota-BAM may cancel or reroute the tour due to the occurrence of any force major event or credible threat thereof, including but not limited to any Act of God, government action or inaction, fire, earthquake, acts of civil or military authority, casualty, weather, flood, war, terrorist attack, epidemic, pandemic, public emergencies, insurrection, civil unrest, strikes or other labor activities, environmental conditions or any other similar cause beyond the reasonable control of BAM  (“Force Major Event”). BAM will attempt to refund as much of the ride fee as possible, which may mean $0.  The closer it is to the date of the ride, the less BAM will be able to refund.  BAM will not cover or refund any foreign exchange fees or exchange rate differences due to cancellations.  

Waiver:  Click here for a copy of the waiver language you will be required to sign upon registering for the ride.