Bicycle Touring The World: McLean to Rantoul, Illinois, USA

My latest bicycle touring around the world update, cycling across the USA through Illinois. McLean to Rantoul. 53 miles. It’s been hot from the get-go today, and it was already eighty degrees at seven o’clock this morning.

Early finish today. I was all finished and in a motel by midday. There didn’t look like much else for a hundred miles or so. And besides, I need to work out my route.

Until now, my route has been relatively straightforward, and I’ve only been on a couple of different roads, apart from my day of detours. But from here on, there’s no clear route.

I’m still unclear on which road to take, even after studying the map for most of the afternoon.

Good news today, I got my ID checked! I stopped at a garage to buy some beer, and the girl asked me to verify my age. In theory, or at least in my head, she must have thought I looked under twenty-one!?

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my journey around the world
• Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
• Tour page: Ride overview

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I continue to travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.

Bicycle Touring The World: Macomb to McLean, Illinois, USA

My latest bicycle touring around the world update, cycling across the USA through Illinois. Macomb to McLean. 89 miles. Well, I suppose it had to happen at some point. I’ve stopped in a dry town! There’s no beer anywhere! Not that it’s a lot of good to me, but the county had a vote a couple of months ago. And have decided to end prohibition. But the council have been dragging their heels because the vote went against them. But it might help me the next time I come this way! Mclean is on the historic Route 66, which I might cycle one day.

I was all set for a night of fizzy drinks when the girl on the reception desk said she had a friend who would drive me to the next town. The receptionist’s friend, Ben, drove me ten miles to the next town. On route, he told me that he’d never been out of the state of Illinois or even the county! And that he was proud of it! I’d heard Americans are pretty insular, but I never thought it was true.

Supper tonight was in the “Dixie Diner” and was an eat as much as you like buffet. I made sure I got my money’s worth there!

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my journey around the world
• Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
• Tour page: Ride overview

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I continue to travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.

Bicycle Touring The World: Lancaster to Macomb, Missouri, USA

My latest bicycle touring around the world update, cycling across the USA through Illinois. Lancaster to Macomb. 108 miles. After yesterday’s storm, it was very calm this morning, very humid and misty. But the mist soon burnt off.

Not a lot has happened today. I saw a skunk walking along the side of the road, which was pretty cute and had a dog that decided it wanted to follow me. I think he just wanted some company. Hopefully, he belonged to somebody and wasn’t a stray. But either way, I thought it best to lose him. Luckily, it was pretty flat, so I could get some speed up, and I soon lost him.

A Bangladeshi man runs the motel I’m staying at tonight. He’s so nice and wanted me to take his picture. It felt like I was back in Asia for a while! They have a strange law around here that means you can only buy a beer in a bar on a Sunday. Oh well, I’ll just have to sit here all night!

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my journey around the world
• Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
• Tour page: Ride overview

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I continue to travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.