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June 1, 2026
SUAMICO – Fast speeds, tight courses and spectator-friendly layouts define the action at the Tour of America’s Dairyland (TOAD), a multi-day cycling series held each June across Wisconsin.
The TOAD series – which, according to its website (tourofamericasdairyland.com), is considered the largest competitive road cycling series in the United States – features 11 straight days of criterium racing in different Wisconsin communities.
With De Pere and Manitowoc among its recent host communities, TOAD – now in its 17th year – will visit Suamico’s historic Vickery Village for the first time on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, marking its northernmost stop in the state this season.
Per the website, a criterium – “crit,” for short – is a fast-paced bike race held on a short, closed-loop course, usually about a mile long, through downtown streets or neighborhoods.
The spectator-friendly format features riders completing multiple laps at speeds exceeding 35 mph.
Stacy Ryan and Laura Grovogel, both members of the committee who helped bring TOAD to Suamico, said it’s a big honor for the village to host one of the 11 days.
“The official name of the event is the Downtown Suamico Cycling Loop,” Ryan said. “We are two of the five committee members, who are made up of local business owners. I’ve run the TOAD race in Manitowoc before, so when Laura told me it was coming to Suamico, I wanted to get involved. I’ve taken the lead on what needs to be done and how to do it.”
Ryan said TOAD doesn’t just randomly throw darts at a Wisconsin map and pick communities to host the event.
She said communities must prove they can host a race in the series.
“It’s not just on a whim,” she said. “TOAD seeks out locations, but you also have to apply. When the Village of Suamico and Vickery Village met with TOAD, it was deemed a good fit. We also had to fork over a decent amount of money to host, so after that was done, we were approved.”
Grovogel – who co-owns Suamico Bike Company with Matt Fischer – said that with De Pere set to host Monday, June 22, TOAD sought another nearby community to add an extra day in the area.
“It really took a joint effort from the village and Dr. Jon Henry from Vickery Village,” she said. “We are in the process of raising funds to essentially pay back the investors who footed the bill to host. That would be our goal this year and every year after – assuming TOAD and the village want to keep doing this.”
Ryan said outside costs associated with TOAD include signage, road closures, detours and communication.
Calling it a “huge undertaking,” she said the committee helps work to offset those expenses.
“Now that Suamico has been awarded this event, we would be able to host it every year on that first Sunday of the race series – as long as all parties want to keep moving forward,” she said. “In the future, if we want the day, it would be ours – there would be no negotiations needed.”
Ryan said working with TOAD organizers, who she described as “wonderful to work with,” was a major reason she joined the committee.
“The community of TOAD people is fun, patient, resourceful, knowledgeable and has a good understanding of communication,” she said. “Our job is huge to make sure people know about the event and come out, but TOAD does all the rest.”
Though not normally open on Sundays, Fisher said Suamico Bike will staff the shop for race day since it sits along the course.
“I think we’ll focus more on the party/recreational side of things outside the shop,” he said. “There might be some limited availability inside the shop, but our commitment is going to be more outside.”
From TOAD’s perspective
TOAD Executive Director Bill Koch said everything came together “perfectly” when the organization looked to add another Northeast Wisconsin host community, in this case, Suamico.
He said De Pere hosted two consecutive days of racing last year – one on each side of the river – but will return to a single day this year now that Suamico has stepped in.
“One of the first things we look for is enthusiasm,” he said. “And let me tell you – Suamico has rewritten the book on enthusiasm.”
Koch said a conversation with Dan Lindstrom – director of development services with the City of De Pere – led to an introduction to Suamico Administrator Alex Kaker.
Lindstrom, Koch said, suggested Suamico would be a strong fit as a “great place to have a race.”
“When I chatted with Alex, he was very positive about the whole thing,” he said. “He thought it was something Suamico would be interested in doing if they could find a course, and he suggested I attend a council meeting.”
Koch said he made the snowy drive from Milwaukee to a council meeting, where officials approved TOAD within minutes.
“I guess they liked what I said, because 15 minutes later, they voted ‘yes,’ and I was on my way back to Milwaukee,” he laughed. “I wish [finding a host city] were always this easy. Suamico and all the people we’ve worked with have been amazing.”
Koch said a key factor in bringing TOAD to Suamico was the presence of a nearby host in De Pere.
He said the series will be in Kenosha the day prior (June 20) – which is about three hours south of Northeast Wisconsin.
“It would be really hard to justify coming this far north in the state if we didn’t have at least two host cities nearby one another,” he said. “There is a lot of setup and take-down, so it’s not really feasible to come up to this area for only one day of racing.”
More than bike races
Because it falls on Father’s Day, Ryan said they are promoting the event “as a Father’s Day celebration.”
“From a food and beverage perspective, everyone on the course here will be involved,” she said. “For example, Pelkin’s is selling a Tour de Brat and will have a BBQ food truck on-site. All the businesses will have bicycle-themed food or drink – the racers will love that and will feel super welcomed.”
Ryan said Paramount Performance is sponsoring the day’s “Community Hour,” which runs from 4:30-5:20 p.m.
She said the physical therapy company will use the 50-minute block to host Father’s Day-themed activities.
“I think it will be super entertaining for families and fans,” she said. “That takes place right before the Pro Women and Pro Men races. Typically, spectators and families just come when it’s most convenient for them, but there will be activities and fun all day.”
Ryan said parking is often a challenge in Vickery Village during major events, prompting the committee to work to ease those issues.
She said details on parking will soon be available on the event page.
“All of the outside area businesses said we can use their parking lots for free,” she said. “We will have designated parking places for spectators, so I don’t think it will be an issue.”
Ryan said a Q&A session for those seeking more information will be held at Station 1 Brewing Company, 1745 Riverside Drive, from 6-7 p.m. June 10.
“The committee will be there answering any last-minute questions and concerns,” she said. “Everyone should already be in the know, but this is kind of a last chance for any clarification needed.”
The course
Grovogel said the eight-tenths-of-a-mile course features strong vantage points for spectators, noting that crit racing allows fans to see riders zoom past every few minutes.
According to TOAD’s website, the start/finish line will be in front of Suamico Bike, where Grovogel said a livestream video – available on YouTube – will also be set up.
The posted course map shows racers making a hard right onto Velp Avenue heading north, then turning right on School Lane at the roundabout before taking an immediate right onto Side Street.
Participants will turn right onto Riverside Drive to complete the lap.
Grovogel said the races are timed, so the number of laps completed will vary.
“The road surface is phenomenal,” she said. “I’d venture to guess it’s one of the better surfaces the riders will see in their 11 days. From a participant’s perspective, cyclists love good road surfaces. If they like the course and surface, they want to come back.”
Koch said Suamico stands out from other locations because it is not located in the “middle of a city.”
He said though the area is less populated, the course features an appealing commercial stretch along Riverside Drive.
“Because it’s a little more rural, it also doesn’t have a ton of residential on the course – it’s mostly commercial, so it’s a perfect layout,” he said. “The course doesn’t really infringe on very many people. It’s really a dream venue.”
Ryan said the course’s more rural setting helps ease road closure logistics, with the route closed to vehicle traffic from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
She said the extended closure is needed for crews to install barricades, prepare the course before racing and complete teardown after the Pro Men’s race.
Racing action, Ryan said, begins at 11:35 a.m.
“Racers come from all over the world,” she said. “This is a big deal.”
For more information, head to the Downtown Suamico Cycling Loop events page, which can be found on Suamico’s Parks and Recreation page on Facebook.
Held rain or shine, the order of races includes:
- 11:35 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Men Novice
- 12:15-12:45 p.m. Women Novice
- 12:55-1:35 p.m. Men Cat 3/4
- 1:45-2:25 p.m. Women Cat 3/4
- 2:35-3:25 p.m. Men Cat 2/3
- 3:35-4:25 p.m. Masters 40+/50+ Cat 1/2/3
- 4:30-5:20 p.m. Community Hour
- 5:30-6:45 p.m. Women Pro/1/2
- 7-8:15 p.m. Men Pro/1/2
