About the St. Louis Cycling Club/Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society

The St. Louis Cycling Club is the oldest continuous bicycle club in the United States. The club had its beginnings in June 1887 at the Lindell Hotel in downtown St. Louis. The St. Louis Cycling Club was organized around the pursuit of friendship and togetherness through the sport of cycling, and had well-attended club "runs" into the surrounding counties each weekend. In the early days, the club was primarily a touring club, although it included a few who also raced.

The Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society, more commonly known as the B.A.B.E.S., is a loosely organized bicycling group that conducts bicycle rides near Belleville, Ill. Most of our rides are on lightly traveled rural roads in St. Clair, Madison, Clinton and Monroe counties.

Our primary ride is the Wednesday Evening Ride, which we do weekly from April until mid-September. We usually have two or three routes ranging from 12-25 miles. After the ride, we go to a nearby restaurant for dinner. This is how we earned our name! We also have a variety of other rides throughout the year, including our popular Winery Ride, which are based at Southwestern Illinois wineries.

While our rides are open to members we currently welcome male and female cyclists of every skill level to give us a try, and we do our best to make sure no one is left behind.

Where does the money go?

Proceeds for the Tour de Stooges go to promote cycling in the St. Louis area, in particular to support activities of the St. Louis Cycling Club/Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society. Our long-term goals include:

• Supporting bicycle advocacy groups that serve the St. Louis area.
• Supporting bicycling projects in the St. Louis area, especially in Southwestern Illinois.