TOMRV Returns After Two-Year Hiatus

Registration is now open for the Tour of the Mississippi River Valley, a popular and iconic ride sponsored by the Quad Cities Bicycle Club (QCBC). It returns this year, following a two-year hiatus.

The ride, known as TOMRV (pronounced TOM-Rahv), will take place the weekend of June 7-8, 2025. Riders will start the ride on June 7 from one of two locations: The Isle Casino Hotel in Bettendorf, IA, and Northeast High School in Goose Lake, IA. The route will take cyclists up and down both sides of the Mississippi River, with an overnight stop in Dubuque, IA.

TOMRV photo

The Tour of the Mississippi River Valley began in 1978 in the form of a two-day ride on a July weekend between Davenport, IA and Burlington, IA. The ride shifted upriver to Dubuque, IA the following year, and its dates later moved to June on the weekend before Father’s Day. It soon proved very popular and attracted riders from around the Midwest. At TOMRV’s peak, more than 1,000 cyclists took to the roads on the ride.

TOMRV continued annually until 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. A scaled-back ride with no overnight stop was held in 2021. TOMRV 45 in 2022 followed a more traditional format. However, the QCBC Board decided that TOMRV could not be held in 2023. This difficult decision was made for several reasons, including unfilled vacancies in the ride’s leadership positions.

In 2024, Laura Pfab, a business analyst and consultant with extensive experience in coordinating large events, was brought in as TOMRV Ride Director, enabling the ride to resume. Steve Miller, an avid cyclist who’s ridden TOMRV many times in the past, has volunteered to serve as an assistant. More volunteers from the club and the community will be needed to assure the success of TOMRV in 2025.