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Tour Da Yoop Eh: Lions Help Cyclists Raise Childhood Cancer Funds

(Carol Hendriksen photos) Members of the Vulcan Norway Loretto Lions Club relax while helping at the Hermansville hydration station for riders in the 2023 Tour da Yoop, eh cycling event that raises money for childhood cancer. From left are Rich Larson, Matt Doney, Ron Hendriksen, Sharon and Ray Hewlett and Terry Backlund. The 2024 event, a 1,203-mile cycling loop around the Upper Peninsula, starts Friday morning in Manistique.

MANISTIQUE — The Tour da Yoop, eh cycling event is set to kick off Friday morning, with Iron Mountain slated to be the second overnight stop on the 10-stage ride around the Upper Peninsula to raise money for childhood cancer.

The 1,203-mile tour will start at 8:15 a.M. Eastern time Friday in downtown Manistique. It's broken up into 10 stages that average 120 miles per day. Participants can choose to do as many or as few stages as they wish, said James Studinger, founder of Tour da Yoop, eh.

The event usually has about 40 riders a day, Studinger said. This year, 32 have indicated they plan to do the entire tour, considered to be the longest loop event route in the country, he said.

For comparison, the Manistique native said if he set out from his current home in Bloomingfield Hills, Michigan, he'd be able to reach Disneyworld in Florida — a daunting distance.

Yet 80 people have managed to earn the "plaid jersey" and been inducted into the event's Hall of Plaid for completing all 10 stages since Studinger established the tour in 2018.

Some of the 2023 Tour da Yoop, eh cyclists take a break at the Vulcan Norway Loretto Lions Club hydration station in Hermansville while making the roughly 120-mile stage ride to Iron Mountain. In back is Gary Perala, in the yellow vest safety vest to the left, who is with the Lions Club of Negaunee and helps coordinate the 10-day event around the Upper Peninsula.

"What I'm hearing from people is they're identifying it as a lifetime achievement goal," Studinger said of riders who are "chasing the plaid."

Other just want to see the Upper Peninsula, perhaps for the first time. The Tour da Yoop, eh has drawn riders from across the country, even as far away as Germany.

Iron Mountain will host the group Saturday night, with the other overnight stops to include Escanaba, Ironwood, Houghton, Marquette, Grand Marias, Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace. Tour organizers have support staff that transport participants' equipment and other personal items to each city.

The cyclists stay in each community for one night and usually start out early the next morning for the next segment, organizers said.

The route deliberately uses more rural roads that offer not just northwoods and Great Lakes scenery but safety as well, Studinger said. One of the reasons for establishing Tour da Yoop eh was to emphasize the safe biking available in the Upper Peninsula due to its smaller population, he said.

By going off the busier highways, too, the event takes cyclists to places even Yoopers might not have seen, he added.

Riders who experience Tour da Yoop eh often return with more family members and friends, Studinger said. "It's really expanding the exposure for the U.P., for non-bikers as well as bikers," he said.

But the tour's main mission is to raise money for the Lions Pediatric Cancer Program. Tour da Yoop, eh partnered with the Lions four years ago to assist kids and families in the Upper Peninsula with expenses while being treated, such as for travel, food and lodging.

Their goal this year is $149,000, almost triple the amount from the first year, with $110,000 already contributed

"The money we've raised these past few years has been to help families throughout the Upper Peninsula and we've been able to lend a tremendous hand," Studinger said.

Ron and Carol Henriksen of the Vulcan Norway Loretto Lions Club said they and others members again will have a hydration station set up in Hermansville for the Tour da Yoop, eh riders as they travel Saturday from Escanaba to Iron Mountain.

Carol was busy Tuesday baking cookies for the event, which Ron said is the Lions' top fundraiser for childhood cancer.

"We do this for the families," Ron said, noting that Upper Peninsula residents with cancer often have to go elsewhere to get the right treatment, though the new Marshfield Medical Center-Dickinson Regional Cancer Center that opened earlier this month should provide more care options locally.

To donate to Tour da Yoop, eh, go to https://www.Tourdayoopeh.Com/childhood-cancer.

Betsy Bloom can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 240, or bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.Com.

(Carol Hendriksen photos) Members of the Vulcan Norway Loretto Lions Club relax while helping at the Hermansville hydration station for riders in the 2023 Tour da Yoop, eh cycling event that raises money for childhood cancer. From left are Rich Larson, Matt Doney, Ron Hendriksen, Sharon and Ray Hewlett and Terry Backlund. The 2024 event, a 1,203-mile cycling loop around the Upper Peninsula, starts Friday morning in Manistique. Some of the 2023 Tour da Yoop, eh cyclists take a break at the Vulcan Norway Loretto Lions Club hydration station in Hermansville while making the roughly 120-mile stage ride to Iron Mountain. In back is Gary Perala, in the yellow vest safety vest to the left, who is with the Lions Club of Negaunee and helps coordinate the 10-day event around the Upper Peninsula.

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Swarm Of Taylor Swift Fans Force German Police To Close Off Singer's Hotel Ahead Of Hamburg Eras Tour Show

Police officers arrived at Taylor Swift's hotel in Hamburg, Germany, as Swifties swarmed the area ahead of her Eras Tour show. Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Police officers flocked to Taylor Swift's hotel in Germany after Swifties swarmed the entrance ahead of her highly-anticipated Eras Tour show.

Photos obtained by Page Six Tuesday showed a crowd of eager fans outside the Hamburg hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop star as police assumably arrived to control the scene.

According to a local news outlet, 300 fans were present but there was no sight of the "Lover" songstress as she reportedly entered and left the hotel through an underground car garage.

Pics obtained by Page Six showed cops arriving to the scene as fans lined around the hotel entrance. Action Press/Shutterstock Several officers were on foot. Action Press/Shutterstock

Swift, 34, took the stage at Volksparkstadion stadium on Tuesday evening, where she will also perform on Wednesday before heading to Germany's capital, Munich, over the weekend.

German police have been on high alert as the 14-time Grammy winner has taken over the country this past week.

Last week, one of her stalkers was arrested in Gelsenkirchen after allegedly making threats toward her and her beau, Travis Kelce.

Others were in parked cars near the entryway. Action Press/Shutterstock Per a local news outlet, there were 300 fans present. Action Press/Shutterstock Swift is assumed to have left the hotel through an underground exit. Action Press/Shutterstock Want more celebrity and pop culture news?

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The unidentified 34-year-old male was cuffed at the entry check of the Veltins-Arena as Swift prepared to take the stage.

He allegedly made threats against the A-list couple online and event organizers warned local authorities.

Kelce, 34, supported the "Cruel Summer" singer at two out of three nights she performed in Gelsenkirchen as he proudly wrapped his arm around her shoulder when they left the venue on Thursday.

The "Lover" songstress will perform in Hamburg on Tuesday and Wednesday. Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Meanwhile, Travis Kelce is back in Kansas City, Mo., for the Kansas City Chiefs' training camp. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

The Kansas City Chiefs star has spent his summer adventuring throughout Europe with Swift as he's supported her at 14 shows to date.

It might be a while until the NFL hunk is spotted at another concert as he returned to Kansas City, Mo., for the Chiefs training camp on Sunday.

The Chiefs' football season kicks off on September 5 with a match against the Baltimore Ravens while Swift's record-breaking tour ends in December.

2 Injured After Sun Valley Tour De Force Crash

The high-speed Sun Valley Tour de Force event was halted Saturday morning after a participating vehicle crashed, injuring a driver and passenger.

A race car runs along Highway 75 during the Sun Valley Tour de Force in 2019.

TIMES-NEWS FILE PHOTO

The fundraiser's main event involves the closure of a 3.2-mile stretch of Idaho Highway 75. Participants pay thousands of dollars to drive their souped-up vehicles without worrying about the speed limits during the time-trial runs.

Video posted on social shows a crash of a black Porsche near the finish line, flipping end over end. Witnesses said the car was traveling close to 200 mph. Some posters on social media said it appeared a tire blew.

"Yesterday was a difficult day for all involved in Sun Valley Tour de Force," said a press release from organizers, who said they are in communication with the injured participants "and are sending loving thoughts and prayers to their family and friends."

Since its first year in 2018, Sun Valley Tour de Force has donated over $1.9 million dollars to programs supporting the local nonprofits in Blaine County, including The Hunger Coalition, its website says.

To date, the fastest speed on record is a Bugatti Chiron achieving 253.01 mph.

"Drivers come from all over the country and beyond for what is truly an experience of a lifetime," the website said.

People who have video of the crash were asked to submit it to the Blaine County Sheriff's Office.

Future NASCAR events might feature a quieter sound on the track, as the motorsport company introduced its new electric race car prototype.

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