It’s been two years in the making, but we’ve finally added Jefferson County, Wisconsin to the list of Bikeverywhere maps. With the addition of the Jefferson County Bike Map it is now possible to ride from the western edge of Dane County to the shores of Lake Michigan using Bikeverywhere maps. And you don’t have to do it all on the Glacial Drumlin State Trail. Skirt the southern edge of the county to connect to Racine or Kenosha. Visit Lake Koshkonong, then follow the Rock River until you feel like turning east again. Cut across the county at a diagonal, mix it up between bike friendly roads and the Glacial Drumlin Trail. Or make a tour of the Rock River and conquer some drumlins. Jefferson County turns out to be pretty interesting on its own, so consider making it a destination.

The Jefferson County Bike Map has been researched by Milwaukee Bike map researcher Bruce Thompson and developed to the same standards as the Milwaukee and Madison Maps. The routes are laid out on low traffic, scenic towns roads and county highways. The primary difference is that the Jefferson County Bike Map is a downloadable pdf file. That makes it a less expensive alternative to the paper maps, and you can reprint the map as often as you wish.

You can view the Jefferson County Bike Map in the Shopping Cart.

As a special introductory offer, the Jefferson County Bike Map will be reduced by $1.00 to just $5.00 from now until the end of 2009. Now’s the time to start planning that city-to-city bike trip, or a close to home get away into rural beauty of Jefferson County.

I saw them two miles into my homebound commute; father and son, fully loaded with panniers and asking directions. The guy on the street wasn’t very helpful. He only knew the autoroute to their destination. I was going that way, so I volunteered to lead them.

Before we’d ridden a mile I knew they needed more than a shop. They were tired, a bit cranky, lost and carrying camping gear, but faced with an expensive motel stay because there was no way they would get out of the city before dark. I volunteered our backyard for the night. It’s exactly the sort of thing that others had done for me on my long ago trip to Portland, Oregon.

By chance, they were riding west from Portland. their destination was a friend’s house in Vermont. Too far into the ride to carry the novelty of the adventure and too far from the end to feel the accomplishment, they were at a mental low point, and the normal tensions of parent and teenage son were heightened. It would have been great to hear travel stories of wonder and parent-child bonding, of cherished memories and life changing experiences, but that wasn’t for this night. Dad needed someone to talk with and son needed “space” and rest.

What we could offer was an ear and a respite from the road. We fed them cheese and crackers until the large pizza arrived, then followed up with a couple of large scoops of ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. They took hot showers and dried off with the thickest towels we had. We listened as Dad unloaded his travel blues while the boy slept. In the morning Dad woke up early and worked on the bikes in our basement bike shop as son continued sleeping. I made a pancake breakfast for Dad, but son chose to get another hour of sleep.

I gave Dad a copy of the “Twin Cities Bike Map,” marked the location of shops for picking up the gear he needed and highlighted the route out of town. Then I hopped my bike and went back to work. It was a small respite for the travelers and a break from the daily grind for me. For them, I hope they form that bond and settle into a close friendship as they continue their travels.

For me, I’ve made a down payment on a debt. I can never directly repay those who helped me on my cross-country trip. The best I can do is pass the favor to another traveler. I’ve done it once. I still have a couple more to go before the debt will be fully repaid.

Maps are dynamic. Bike routes change, new trails get built and old ones extended. Some trails get shut down, temporarily, because of nearby construction or because the trail itself needs an overhaul. Well post the updates here, then provide a permanent, one-top page for all of the posts within each of the metro areas covered. If you want to see what’s chqnged since your copy of a map was printed, click the links below. If you have update information that we should know about, please email us by using the contact form here.

Madison Map Updates

Milwaukee Map Updates

Twin Cities Map Updates

The Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis, Wisconsin, has never been an easy venue to bike to. There were no bike racks, no security and no official encouragement to ride to the fair. That has changed dramatically in 2008. Thanks to the efforts of Jack Hirt of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin and the enthusiasm of Kathleen O’ Leary of the State Fair, bicyclists will be welcomed with open arms this year. “Pedal to the Park,” the State Fair’s official name for the promotion, will encourage bicycling to the State Fair by offering bike parking near the north and south entrances to the park. If you are a member of the Bike Federation or on the mailing list of some bike shops in the Milwaukee area, you will soon receive an email encouraging you to “Pedal to the Park.” The email blast is expected to reach nearly 30,000 cyclists.

Bikeverywhere has helped with the promotion by producing a custom map of bike routes to the State Fair and sending out promotional materials to bike dealers in the greater Milwaukee area. This is the same assistance that we gave to Summerfest earlier this summer and similar to the custom bike route mapping Bikeverywhere did for the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts. You can download copy of the map here. Eventually the map will also be available for download on the Wisconsin State Fair website.

This year you can add a bike ride to the corn dog/Midway/animal barn experience of the Wisconsin State Fair.

It didn’t take long for alert readers to notice that I forgot to include the finished part of the Badger State Trail between Belleville and Purcell Rd. No excuses for that oversight. In the process of converting the map into GIS format I overlooked the missing trail. My apologies. Click here for a free pdf file showing the proper location of the trail on the map. Badger State Trail

Little Transport Press is now bikeverywhere! Since 1984 Little Transport Press has been publishing high quality bicycle maps and guidebooks for the upper Midwest. The goal of our publications has been to produce the most accurate, easy-to-use maps of bike friendly roads and trails in the Upper Midwest. That hasn’t changed. We keep investing in new tools for researching and developing bike maps and books and we spend endless hours on the road updating the maps and discovering new routes. What has changed is that we have expanded into new cities (Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and new products. This year we’ve introduced download-able maps.

Our new name-bikeverywhere- reflects an old philosophy. We believe that the bicycle offers unlimited opportunities: for exploring, exercise, running errands, getting to work and experiencing the world on the most versatile and efficient vehicle available to humans. Our website will reflect our broader scope as we add information and interactive opportunities that go beyond traditional publishing. Check back often. We’ve just begun.

The new 2008 Madison and Dane County Bike Map is now available. Order it from any of these bike shops. You can also order it here right now. This year we’re also offering, online only, a laminated version of the map. The thick, 3 mil, laminate makes the map sturdy enough to hang from a wall or use as a route planner. Stop by the store and take a look.

The newest edition, number 9, is printed on tear and water resistant paper so it will hold up to sweaty jersey pockets, endless folding and the wear and tear of carrying it in your panniers. Stop by your local bike dealer to pick up a copy or order it here. For more information check the Twin Cities page.