Bike Elkhart Century
Distance - 100 miles
Elevation - 3,000 feet
Ride description - Ready to see it all?! Tour some of the best areas of Elkhart County with the Bike Elkhart Century! Riders will leave Essenhaus heading north, on-road, and wind their way west to their first SAG stop at Studebaker Park in Elkhart. From there, the route turns south, taking a mix of paved trails and scenic country roads, down to the communities of Wakarusa and Nappanee. After leaving the second SAG stop in Nappanee, riders will head east towards New Paris, where they will join the Mt. Wawasee Metric course just before passing historic Mt. Wawasee (the site of the first public ski slope in Indiana). All riders will then wind their way back north, through a mix of rolling farmland and small towns, past railroad infrastructure and Shipshewana Lake, and eventually hop onto the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail for the final push to the finish at Essenhaus.
SAG Information - Riders taking on the B.E.C. will have access to four SAG support stops with an option to revisit SAG 4 when they loop back past on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail:
- SAG 1 - Studebaker Park - mile 22
- SAG 2 - McCormick Creek Golf Course, Nappanee - mile 46
- SAG 3 - Benton Elementary - mile 65
- SAG 4 - Meadowlark School on CR 1150 - mile 85 (and optional revisit at mile 94)
All SAG stops will have water and Gatorade available, along with a mix of snacks and other food. Gluten-free and nut-free options are available.
Navigation - The route will be marked with pavement markings, but riders are strongly encouraged to use a GPS-enabled device or phone for navigation.
Click on the map above for SAG open hours and location information.
Route marking - Road routes will be marked with a combination of painted on-road markings at every intersection and occasional yard signs for SAG stops or special notices. The painted road markings will be Dan Henry style, as depicted below.
