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2911 East College Way, Suite C
Mount Vernon, WA 98273-8909		 Phone: (360) 428-3230
Fax: (360) 428-3235

Safe Kids/Group Health Tulip Pedal

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The 32nd Annual Tulip Pedal is set to take place April 20, 2013, in La Conner, Washington. Registration is now open. Go to active.com and register for our ride.
UPDATED March 6, 2013 – Maps are linked to www.mapmyride.com on the right hand side of this page.
We understand not everyone uses active.com. You also can Download Our Printable Tulip Pedal Registration Form and send in via snail mail with a check or credit card payment. Credit card payments also are accepted over the phone. Downloadable forms cannot be accepted via e-mail attachment.
Send in registration to:
Tulip Pedal
c/o Safe Kids Skagit-Island
2911 E. College Way, Suite C
Mount Vernon, WA  98273

360-428-3230 and 360-428-3236
815 Cyclists attended the 31st Annual Tulip Pedal.
Bring your friends and let’s make next year’s ride even better.
Look for updates on our Facebook page.
We have a limited number of past Tulip Pedal shirts and jerseys available for $5. Contact us at (360) 428-3230 or billc@skagitems.com to see how you can purchase one.


Riders will receive a free racing beanie (limited number), a tulip from Washington Bulb Company, snacks at our registration area and rest stops, water, and a whole lot of fun!

A reminder to our riders: registration starts at 7 a.m. and ends at noon. Course is open until 4 p.m. This means you can show up at any time in the morning and ride at your leisure. Have fun. Enjoy the scenery at your own pace. :)

Tulip Pedal offers three rides – a 20-mile course around the tulip fields between Mount Vernon and La Conner, and 40-mile and 60-mile courses that begin and end  at La Conner Middle School in beautiful La Conner, WA. The courses take riders near our famous tulip fields, and also takes cyclists past breathtaking views of Samish and Padilla bays, Mount Baker and the Cascade foothills. The 60-mile course incorporate elements of the 20 and 40-mile rides, but offers a swing around Fir Island, too!
Riders will get receive tri-fold maps of the courses. A large map will be on display to show an overview of the route. Colored arrows will mark the courses.

Rest areas are located throughout the course at McLean Road Fire Department (all courses), Edison Fire Department (60-mile course) and Conway Fire Department (40-and 60-mile courses).

We plan again on featuring live music. We’re excited to bring these musicians back to give us an excellent soundtrack for the day’s event!

2011 Tulip Pedal Photos Are Posted Below. Enjoy!


(© Linda Wright)

 

 

Tulip Pedal History

  • Since 1982, the Tulip Pedal has drawn thousands of cyclists from all over North America to raise money for various causes in Skagit County. Since 2003, Skagit County Medic One has used the proceeds from the ride for preventing unintentional injuries in children, focusing on wheeled sports and child passenger safety. Since 2009, the ride has been the sole fundraiser for Safe Kids Skagit County.
  • Tulip Pedal began as a benefit ride for Skagit Hospice. The first Tulip Pedal took place at 10:30 a.m., April 18, 1982, in La Conner. Cost was $7. Riders rode near the tulip fields on a 25-mile loop. “The money that we make from this event is going to a cause that touches us all at some point in our lives, and when it does all the other issues become secondary,” said Tulip Pedal Coordinator Paul Murray, Skagit Hospice, in the April 8, 1982, edition of the Skagit Valley Herald. Available information to date doesn’t reveal how many cyclists attended that first Tulip Pedal, but the following year had event coordinators expecting more than 500 cyclists. Were you there? Let us know.
  • The town of La Conner was named such after settler J.S. Conner renamed the three-year old settlement of Swinomish in 1870 after his wife Louisa Ann, hence the article “La”.

Be sure to check out future Group Health-sponsored bicycling events. Go to www.GroupHealthFitnessNetwork.com and check out the schedule.

This is Safe Kids Skagit County’s premier fundraiser. Every dollar from this ride goes toward injury prevention efforts in Skagit County, with emphasis placed on preventing head injuries in children who ride their bikes in our area.

2010 Tulip Pedal Photos

(© Linda Wright)

2009 Tulip Pedal Photos

(© Linda Wright)

 

Questions? Comments? E-mail Bill at billc@skagitems.com, or call (360) 428-3236.

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News!


Directions to La Conner Middle School, 503 N. 6th St., La Conner, WA, 98257

There are several ways to get to La Conner Middle School:

From Anacortes, Oak Harbor, Coupeville: Follow Highway 20 east and go to La Conner-Whitney Road. Take a right and follow La Conner-Whitney Road south four miles to the Town of La Conner. Take the roundabout and head west into town on Morris Street. Go to Sixth Street and take a right. The school complex is ahead. Watch for the Tulip Pedal signs.

From Interstate 5 Southbound: Take Exit 230 (Burlington). Follow Highway 20 west and go 7.77 miles to La Conner-Whitney Road.  Take a left at the light and follow La Conner-Whitney Road south four miles to the Town of La Conner. Take the roundabout and head west into town on Morris Street. Go to Sixth Street and take a right. The school complex is ahead. Watch for the Tulip Pedal signs.

From Interstate 5 Northbound: Take Exit 221 (Conway), and head west on Pioneer Highway then Fir-Island Road about 5 and half miles until Best Road. Follow Best Road north about 3 miles. Take a left on Chilberg Road and follow the road west to La Conner, which is about 2.5 miles ahead. Take the roundabout and head west into town on Morris Street. Go to Sixth Street and take a right. The school complex is ahead. Watch for the Tulip Pedal signs.

All participants can also take Exit 226 in Mount Vernon. This is Kincaid Street.  Follow this road west through town until 3rd Street. Take a right. Follow 3rd Street to the north. It will turn into West Division Street after the second traffic light. Go through the light and keep going west over the bridge to the traffic light on Wall Street, about a half mile ahead. Take a left here. The road becomes McLean Road. Follow this west 5.77 miles to La Conner-Whitney Road. Take a left and follow the road to La Conner, about 2 miles ahead. Take the roundabout and head west into town on Morris Street. Go to Sixth Street and take a right. The school complex is ahead. Watch for the Tulip Pedal signs.

A recommendation to all participants heading home on Interstate 5 after completing their Tulip Pedal experience:  If you are not planning on visiting Mount Vernon, take the reverse of the Exit 230  or Exit 221 routes to get back to the interstate. Traffic will be extremely heavy on McLean Road and Memorial Highway on April 20 due to the Tulip Festival and Mount Vernon Downtown Street Fair. The north and south routes should get you home faster.

2013 Tulip Pedal Maps

Maps are from www.mapmyride.com.

2013 20-mile route
2013 40-mile route
2013 metric-century route

Washington Bicycle Traffic Laws

Links

Lodging
There are many lodging options in Skagit County. Below are a few recommended motels and hotels in the area:

La Conner — La Conner Country Inn and Channel Town Lodge,
Anacortes — Islands Inn, Anaco Bay Inn
Mount Vernon — Tulip Inn, Days Inn, Cotton Tree Inn
Burlington — Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn

RV Parks
A comprehensive listing of all available RV parks in Skagit County is here: Skagit County RV Parks

Places of Interest on the Tulip Pedal Route

  • Breadfarm — The artisan bread shop in Edison is the best!
  • Golden Glen Creamery — An active dairy farm in Bow. Getting wine during the Tulip Festival? This is the place to get the cheese to go with it.
  • Padilla Bay Interpretive Center – Just north of Bay View on Bayview-Edison Road. Learn about the estuary is a diverse ecosystem and home to numerous species.
  • Bay View State Park – On Bayview-Edison Road.
  • Skagit City School – On Moore Road (40 and 60-milers) on Fir Island. If local history is your thing, visit the old Skagit City School, the only remaining link to the once largest settlement in Skagit County.

Click here for our Facebook Tulip Pedal page.