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Bike the Border 2010 route

June 18: Lignite to Ray-80 miles

- Lignite to Columbus-11 miles

- Columbus to Noonan-10 miles

- Noonan to Crosby-15 miles

- Crosby to Ray-44 miles

June 19: Ray to Powers Lake-69 miles

- Ray to Stanley-37 miles

- Stanley to Powers Lake-32 miles

June 20: Powers Lake to Lignite-64 miles

- Powers Lake to Bowbells-40 miles

- Bowbells to Flaxton-14 miles

- Flaxton to Lignite-10 miles

The route is subject to change due to unforeseen road construction.

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MOHALL - Brown patches of grass are starting to poke through the snowy covering across the North Dakota plains and cyclists are looking at the calendar in anticipation of one of the most enjoyable and friendly bicycle tours in North Dakota.

Bike the Border will enter its sixth year in June and shows no signs of slowing down. Donna Cook, secretary of the Bike the Border board of directors, said the tour, which originally started out in Mohall, will stop over in two new towns this year - Ray and Lignite.

The tour will start in Lignite this year and run 213 miles over three days with overnight camping in Ray, Powers Lake and Lignite. Registration is $75 for the full three-day tour per adult, $50 for youth ages 17 and under, and $200 per family, which includes both parents and all children ages 17 and under. All youth must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to authorize medical treatment as required.

For day-riders who only want to ride for a day or two, registration is $25 per day.

There is no fee for registered non-riders, who must be part of a family or group. Registration is recommended for anyone affiliated with a rider in order to obtain identification required to enter campsites, parking areas and for meals.

Day-riders and non-riders who would like the T-shirt that comes with registration for the full tour must pay an additional $15 per T-shirt.

The deadline for registration is June 1. For more information visit the Web site (www.biketheborder.com) or e-mail biketheborder@yahoo.com.

The route changes every year, and having two new towns host overnight stops is one of the ways the committee tries to keep the tour fresh and interesting.

"The committee tries to get together and they plan different routes and then they check it out and make sure that it's going to be fun," Cook said. "It's going to be a long ride but it'll be fun."

Rory Schell of Val's Cyclery will once again haul the SAG wagon up and down the course each day looking for cyclists who need assistance. While Schell can take care of any minor mechanical difficulties that a rider might encounter, such as a flat tire or broken chain, he can also help out in other ways by giving exhausted riders a lift.

"If you get tired or if you don't want to ride anymore, they'll take you to the next campsite if you want," Cook said. "Or they'll even take you down a few miles until you get rested up and then you can start off again. So that makes it nice."

Along with fixing bikes, the SAG wagon is also used to haul camping equipment for the bikers from one site to the next.

There is even a shower unit for riders to use at the end of the day so they don't have to leave all the comforts of home while on the tour.

One thing Cook really likes about Bike the Border is the easy-going attitude of all the riders. The point of Bike the Border is to take a relaxed ride through beautiful countryside in the company of family and friends. Riders can go as fast or slow as they like, as this is definitely not a race.

"It's for all ages who want to come and there's no pressure, it's just a leisurely ride. Some people are practicing for ... CANDISC, and there's other people like me that just takes a leisurely ride," Cook said.

She said 91 people rode in the tour this past year, and they are hoping to top 100 for the first time this year.

"Every year there gets to be more people," Cook said, noting the first person to register is always Archie Hoffer, a 72-year-old cyclist who hasn't missed a Bike the Border yet.

As a veteran of past tours, Cook said some essentials people should bring, besides their bike, would be a raincoat because you never know what the weather is going to do, a sleeping bag and tent for overnight camping, and comfortable clothes to ride in. Sunglasses are also recommended, and helmets are required for all riders.

Cook said along with the rolling countryside riders are treated to, there have also been sightings of deer and even some moose along the road. A leisurely pace that literally allows riders to stop and smell the roses, or whatever flowers they happen to find, is what makes Bike the Border an experience the entire family can enjoy - whether by bike as a rider or by car as a supporter.

"It's a good family get-together, and it's just fun," Cook said. "And people like to do it for the exercise and just to have something to do."