Border Raiders on last leg of historic bike tour

Weston, Mo. ? “Fun, fun, fun,” says Jim Turner of Lawrence, describing the Border Raiders tour this week as he sits in back of the U-Haul truck he uses to transport the cyclists’ luggage to each overnight stop. Turner is one of the five Lawrence Bicycling Club board members who have organized the multiday tour of historic sites that returns to Lawrence today.

“Right now it’s a bike ride,” Turner said. “We want to make it an event.”

Organizers hope to build on this year’s tour, which presented riders with a challenging and scenic route through four states, with entertainment and educational opportunities at every stop.

Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by Loren Ratzloff, will address the Border Raiders at a breakfast this morning in Leavenworth. Riders were in Weston, Mo., on Friday night, where they dined on a Civil War banquet and listened to Irish folk music at O’Malley’s 1842 Pub.

Tim Timmons of Lawrence, project manager for the ride, said he felt good about the tour.

“We’re hearing very positive feedback,” said Timmons who wants to see the ride promote local history and involve communities and charity fundraisers on the route.

According to organizers, cyclists had to climb 13,000 vertical feet in six days, and on a stretch between Fairfax, Mo., and Maryville, Mo., riders endured 90 hills – three per mile.

The Border Raiders return to Lawrence today with a 54-mile ride from Weston to Lawrence’s Free State High School.