bjamison, Author at Z Tour Bike Ride

May 24, 2023

$35 price ending soon!

Get your tickets in now. You have 1 week until the prices for Z Tour 2023 go to $45.00 per rider!

As always, our riders under 12 are free!

Z Tour is on June 24th, 2023! We cannot wait to see you.

Don’t forget, if you are riding with a group of 4 or more people, email ztourinfo@gmail.com in order to inform us your group information so we can have chamber bucks ready for you to utilize on Bike Fest weekend!

Come and play early! Our town is hosting a Bike Fest on Friday, June 23rd that will include live bands!

By bjamison
In News

April 27, 2023

Bike Fest June 23rd!

Princeton is holding the First Annual Bike Fest on Friday, June 23rd – the night before Z Tour!

See the event details below:

By bjamison
In News

January 31, 2023

Registration begins at Midnight!

You can register for the 2023 Z Tour starting at Midnight tonight!

There will be special pricing of $30 for Wednesday and Thursday. Don’t miss the Early Bird Discount!

Z Tour 2023 will be held on Saturday, June 24 with the ride beginning at Zearing Park.

By bjamison
In News

July 28, 2022

Thank You!

What a successful 2022 Z Tour! We had over 300 riders after two long years off. We made over $12,000 to benefit the Zearing Child Enrichment Center for advancements to Safety and Security at the program.

We want to take a moment to thank the many people that either sponsored or helped make this ride a successful day! We could not have done it without you! We look forward to another successful ride in 2023!

Platinum Sponsors:

Heartland Bank & Trust, Princeton Chamber of Commerce

Silver Sponsors:

OSF Saint Clare, Bureau County Emergency Management Agency, Central Bank, Midland States Bank, Rich and Barb Everette, Dimond Brothers

Bronze Sponsors:

St. Margaret’s, City of Princeton

Friends:

ZCEC Staff, Family and Friends, The ZCEC Board of Directors

212 (Gregg Pearson), Bike Works in Peru, Bureau County Highway Department, Bureau County Sheriff’s Department, Bureau County Township Supervisors, Cami and Paul McMahon, Illinois Department of Transportation, Jamison Media Services, Kent Thompson, Frank Bettasso, Dennis Toth, Ernie Parr, Zig’s Station, Chad Kies, Advanced Sanitation, Princeton Park District, Princeton Police Department, Skoonerz Grill & Bar, The Bike Place, Township Road Commissioner, Princeton Public Library, Village of Tiskilwa, Tim and Judy Harris.

Thanks again,

Lauren Widmer, ZCEC Director

By bjamison
In News

June 2, 2022

Need somewhere to stay Friday and Saturday night of the Z Tour?

We would love to see you at the Friday night Street Concert in Downtown Princeton, so you need a place to stay after the event, check out the fairgrounds for a nice camping spot! Check out the link below to see more about the Down on Main Street concerts!

Concerts

The Bureau County Fairgrounds does have camping options available! See the “camping” link below for how to register!

Camping

The Campgrounds have a 2 day garage sale the weekend of Z Tour! This is going on Friday and Saturday! Think about stopping to see if there are any good finds 🙂

By bjamison
In News

March 7, 2022

2022 Registration is Live!

The 10th Annual Z Tour Bike Ride is a charity road ride, supporting the Zearing Child Enrichment Center in Princeton, which provides riders a chance to enjoy some of the finest bike riding roads that North-Central Illinois has to offer. The well marked and supported routes will incorporate hills, rolling terrain, and beautiful views of Bureau Creek and the Hennepin Canal all with minimal traffic. We have several options for routes this year. We continue to offer a family friendly 10 mile route. The Adventure Route is a 60 mile route with a challenging variety of surfaces and inclines; including pavement, gravel, and maybe a little mud, all with limited support. This route is geared towards more experienced riders looking for less traveled roads. For 2022, we will have 3 unique loops beginning and finishing at Zearing Park, these routes vary in distance and difficulty. Riders can also choose to add a 20 mile Tiskilwa loop to take in some of the more challenging hills Bureau County has to offer. All routes are available on Ridewithgps.com. Ride just one loop or take them all on. If riders elect to ride all 4 main routes, total mileage is 105 miles with nearly 3,000ft of elevation gain.

Get more information for this great ride held in Princeton, Illinois online at ztour.org. Early check-in is offered on Friday night’s “Down on Main Street” live concert Friday evening, band to be announced at a later date. Enjoy live music, food vendors and drinks as you check in for the ride. Merchandise pick-up and sales are also available during these times. Enjoy other local events such as Beef and Ag days on Saturday after your ride at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton, IL.

Back by popular demand is the Group Registration Option- Me + 3 =

1 Leader should create a catchy group name
Each individual should register under that catchy name
At least 4 riders in a group
Receive (1) $25.00 in Chamber Bucks to spend at Princeton businesses OR $25.00 on select Z Tour Merchandise!

Register your group today and join the Z Tour and city of Princeton for all the fun starting Friday evening at 5:30 pm. We will be doing check in and registering from 5:30-7:30pm. Vendors start serving at 6:00 and the concert starts at 7:00pm.

**ONLY 750 Riders this year! We strongly encourage you to get your tickets before the event!!**

Easy and really fast check-in opening at 5:45 am.
Detailed maps and cue for our loops!
Five themed rest stops supplied with nutritional food, beverages, and music. 10-mile with an optional hill challenge, Adventure Route, 3 loops to choose from with a Tiskilwa loop to add on!
Camping options at the Bureau County Fairgrounds (nominal fee).
Several Air B and B options- book early!!
Radio-dispatched SAG and support by the Bureau County EMA until 3:00 pm
Light breakfast offered from 6:00-9:00 am at Zearing Park
NEW THIS YEAR- Food Trucks from 10:30-3:00 pm at Zearing Park after the ride! Featuring La Katrina Autentica and Little Tribe Woodfire on Wheels! Please visit their FB pages for menus! There will not be an end of ride meal served this year.
Long haul riders are encouraged to start between 6:00-8:00 AM. Helmets required!
All other riders should start NO LATER than 9:00am. Helmets required!
All routes begin and end at Princeton’s beautiful Zearing Park, where volunteers will be around to greet you and welcome you back from your long adventures!
We are encouraging you to do online registration before the event!
We will have walk up registration at the Friday night street concert from 5:30-7:30 pm and Saturday morning from 5:45-8:30am with limited support. It may take longer to get through registration, please as you are able register by midnight on Thursday, June 16th. This will help speed the process up!

Download the Ride with GPS app. Some routes subject to change closer to the ride date.

MERCHANDISE!!

All Jerseys must be ordered by April 21st , in order to receive the jerseys by the ride! If ordered after that, you will have to wait to receive your jersey in the mail after the ride.

All Tshirts must be ordered by Monday, June 6th in order to receive the Tshirts by the ride! If ordered after that date, you will have to wait to receive your Tshirt in the mail after the ride.

Socks can be ordered at any time and are first come first serve based on the amount we have in stock.