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Tour de Tonka organizers brief Chaska council on Aug. 2 routes, volunteer needs and charity stop
Summary
Organizers of the Tour de Tonka told the Chaska City Council that the 20th annual ride on Aug. 2 will route dozens of riders through Chaska, where a Pioneer Park rest stop expects hundreds and organizers said they need roughly 600 volunteers. The event also raises money for the ICA food shelf.
Jenny, a Tour de Tonka organizer with Minnetonka Community Education, told the City of Chaska council on June 2 that the 20th annual Tour de Tonka is scheduled for Aug. 2 and will again route riders through Chaska.
The event, Jenny said, currently has 35 riders registered — ‘‘up 7%’’ compared with prior years — and draws participants from across the region: riders have registered from 113 Minnesota cities. ‘‘We have a hundred mile distance that often draws people,’’ she said, noting the event offers five route distances from 16 to 100 miles.
The riders’ rest stop in Chaska will be at Pioneer Park and organizers expect it to be busy: Alyssa, the route-captain coordinator for Tour de Tonka, said the rest stop typically serves the 100-mile riders and that ‘‘we expect about 600 to 700 riders to be coming through Chaska.’’ Alyssa added that the Pioneer Park rest stop will be open from about 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Organizers said the event requires a large volunteer force. ‘‘We need about 600 volunteers to make the event happen,’’ Alyssa said, describing roles that range from packet pickup to rest-stop staffing and route-captain duties.
Jenny and Alyssa also described the event’s charitable work. Since 2006, Tour de Tonka has raised ‘‘over a hundred thousand dollars’’ for the ICA Food Shelf in Minnetonka, Jenny said, and the group plans anniversary merchandise and a legacy rider photo to mark the 20th year.
The presentation included logistical details for volunteers and participants: five routes that cross roughly 25 cities depending on distance, rest-stop staffing and safety support from law enforcement and fire personnel at major intersections.
The council took no formal action; the item was a visitor presentation. Organizers asked residents interested in volunteering or signing up to use the Tour de Tonka Community Ed website, which contains registration, volunteer sign-up and route maps.
