DJJD: Jesse James Bike Tour—A Team Effort

While thousands of people are drawn to Northfield’s Defeat of Jesse James Days to experience the sights and sounds of the re-enactment of the , more than a thousand people come to Northfield to experience a ride of another kind—the Jesse James Bike Tour.

Celebrating its 30th year, the JJBT is sponsored by The Northfield Rotary Club and is the group’s largest fundraiser. Proceeds from last year totaled more than $20,000 and went back into the Northfield community to support projects like the Mill Towns Trail and Northfield’s Safe Routes to School program. 

The tour is a team effort, said JJBT Chair Mark Thacher. 

“It goes without saying, but the ride wouldn’t be pulled off without volunteers,” said Thacher.

Weeks before the ride, volunteer coordinator and Rotarian Peggy Prowe recruits and organizes 150 volunteers from the Rotary Club and the community to help run the JJBT. 

Mary Auge has helped with the tour for many years.

“I support anything to do with biking," said Auge, an avid bicyclist. "I just want everyone to like biking as much as I do. It’s a nice healthy activity.” 

Starting at 5 a.m. the day of the ride, volunteers arrive at , the ride’s starting and ending point. From registering riders to handing out snacks at aid stations to driving support vehicles, volunteers will work all day until the last bicyclist finishes and the middle school is swept clean.

Most of the bicyclists are from the Twin Cities area but some come from quite a distance.

“There’s someone who signs up every year from Arizona,” said former JJBT Chair Jack Hoschouer. “Last year we had some from Massachusetts.” 

People come from all over because the JJBT has a reputation for being well-organized and supported, a direct result of the hard work of the many volunteers. 

The bike tour is also popular because there are five scenic ride options ranging from the 10-mile “Townsfolk” ride to the 100-mile “Get Away” route that winds through Nerstrand, Faribault, Lonsdale, the rolling hills of Sogn Valley and scenic Big Woods State Park.

Nearly 1,300 bicyclists participated in the event in 2010.

Thacher hopes to see more riders this year but, like other , attendance will depend on the weather. The JJBT takes place rain or shine, however, and volunteers will be hard at work no matter the number of riders. 

Interested in participating in the Jesse James Bike Tour?
Find information about registration, routes and rates at the JJBT website. Pre-registration is encouraged but riders can register the morning of the ride as well. Riders under 18 accompanied by an adult ride for free, thanks to .