Kane County residents complete 10-Day, 1,100-mile biking adventure around Lake Michigan

A group of six Kane County residents embarked on a 10-day biking journey around Lake Michigan, traveling nearly 1,100 miles and stopping at a variety of breweries along the way.

This adventure was one of Jason Schoenfelder’s “Tour de Brew” trips, a series of biking expeditions he organizes. In attendance were St. Charles residents Dan Craychee, Jon Burmeister, Cavin McKinley and Schoenfelder, along with Brian Scott of Geneva and Nick Jett of Batavia.

“Four of us did the full lap,” Schoenfelder said. “The other two guys [Jett and Craychee] dropped out [on] day two and met up with us on the other side of the lake.”

The group began their journey around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6, from Schoenfelder’s house, and returned Friday, July 12, at Art History Brewery in Geneva. Schoenfelder had planned the trip in fall 2023 by studying maps to determine the route, potential stops and overnight accommodations.

“You know, when somebody comes up with a crazy idea like this, you kind of just have to say yes to it because, you know, who gets the chance to do this sort of thing?

—   Cavin McKinley, Tour To Brew participant

“I planned others of these, but they were smaller,” Schoenfelder said. “I did a four-day trip a couple [of] years back, and then last year, I did a three-day trip. I just had the idea of doing something this big in my head for a while.”

At night, the group stayed in hotels. They also stopped at an estimated 20 or more breweries, McKinley said.

“You know, when somebody comes up with a crazy idea like this, you kind of just have to say yes to it because, you know, who gets the chance to do this sort of thing?” McKinley said.

This trip was McKinley’s second; he attended a three-day expedition planned by Schoenfelder in which they took an Amtrak to Springfield and biked back. The group mentioned riding again next year, but no concrete plans are set, McKinley said.

“I did a three-day ride last year with Jason, but for me, I had no idea how I would feel in 10 days,” McKinley said. “It was kind of [the] weirdest thing; it’s like, the first day was the hardest, and the second day was a little bit easier, and by the end of [day] 10, we finished, and I felt pretty good.”

McKinley built his own bike for the trip. He spent an estimated $1,300 building it within a few months. It was a steel bike with older parts made for comfort and a lighter riding experience.

“I love bikes just for the machine, and it’s a beautiful machine, so it was kind of an excuse to not just go ride my bike for 10 days, but to actually build it,” McKinley said. “Building it was at least half of the fun.”

While riding, the group used any available bike trails and open roads, aiming to avoid large roads whenever trails and smaller dirt roads were accessible. They managed to steer clear of bad weather and enjoyed a variety of scenery while spending time together, Schoenfelder said.

“We talked and laughed and joked for hours on end,” Schoenfelder said. “It was nice not being on our phones and not being at work. We just appreciated hanging out with each other. We were looking at scenery and stuff like that, so that kind of general fun was a big part of it. We also met lots of nice people.”

One of the most memorable moments on the trip was when the group was leaving Milwaukee and heading west into St. Charles. They saw Lake Michigan for the last time and decided to go in, Schoenfelder said.

“It’s all about the adventure,” Schoenfelder said. “When you’re riding that far, there’s moments where everyone’s having a bad moment. We had very few of those times; most of the time, we were just having fun.”