Apple Blossom Bike Tour Enters 12th Year

LA CRESCENT – Whether by bike or in life, Monica Holman knows a thing or two about navigating peaks and valleys.

Holman currently chairs the Apple Blossom Bike Tour (ABBT), a charitable annual cycling event drawing riders of all ages and abilities. Now in its twelfth year, the ride features six routes of varying difficulties through the La Crescent area’s scenic passageways in eastern Houston County. 

“La Crescent is becoming a destination for cyclists,” said Holman. “In 2023, we were recognized as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists and we were chosen by USA Cycling to host the Gravel Nationals in 2025 and 2026.”

Holman says the Apple Blossom Bike Tour typically draws over 100 riders every year. Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond participated in 2016. 

With just a few weeks to go, preparations are well underway for this year’s event, held Aug. 9 beginning at 8 a.m. All routes begin and end at Veterans Park located on La Crescent’s northeast side.

There is a route for every skill level, from a free five-mile family ride to a 74-mile endurance ride. Lunch and live music in the park are provided afterward as part of the registration.

Cyclists at the starting line for the Apple Blossom Bike Tour in 2023. The tour draws riders from several states. (Photo by Ben Morrison of Morrison Media, LLC)

An idea blossoms

The Apple Blossom Bike Tour began in 2013 as part of a La Crescent Rotary Club charitable fundraising initiative. They also wanted to showcase La Crescent’s winding contours and breathtaking ridgetop views ideal for cyclists.

Eileen Krenz, a Rotary Club affiliate and former director of the La Crescent Chamber of Commerce, spearheaded the effort early on as she spotted an opportunity. 

“After attending a Minnesota Tourism conference where I heard from other bike tour organizers, I brought the idea back to our Rotary Club,” Krenz said. “I was sure bikers would be interested in coming to see the beauty of La Crescent.”

And with that, the Apple Blossom Bike Tour was born. 

Monica and Steve Holman present a nursing scholarship to Ivy Welnetz. Four scholarships were awarded in 2024. (Photo courtesy Monica Holman)

Scholarships born out of tragedy

Just as Krenz got the bike wheels rolling for the tour, tragedy struck with the devastating loss of Holman’s 25-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, to lung cancer.

Soon thereafter, Holman and her husband, Steve, teamed up with their son-in-law Matt Melde to start Living for Liz, a non-profit organization aimed at cancer research and awareness. Lizfest, their signature event, featured games, raffles and music and raised thousands of dollars. 

In 2015, the Rotary Club approached the Holmans about combining Lizfest with the Apple Blossom Bike Tour in the belief doing so would be mutually beneficial. 

“My husband and I had the desire to give back to the community that helped us launch a nonprofit, honoring the wishes of our daughter,” said Holman. 

Shawn Dunlap (right) poses with his son-in-law Bryce Kujawa and grandson Dawson prior to the 2023 bike tour. The tour consists of six routes, ranging from “family friendly” to a 74-mile endurance ride. (Photo by Ben Newman)

After several successful years, Lizfest came to an end and transformed fully into The Living for Liz Scholarship Fund, which Holman says was the goal all along.

Then, shockingly, tragedy struck again. 

Another La Crescent native, 26-year-old Erin Dunlap, died suddenly in 2018 from a pulmonary embolism. In response, her family created The Erin Dunlap Mathews Physician Assistant Scholarship Fund and joined forces with the Rotary Club and Living for Liz under the banner of the ABBT. 

“My daughter Erin loved the beauty of our La Crescent area and loved challenging herself with a family bike ride,” said Shawn Dunlap. “We ride to remember Erin, and we ride to enjoy the beauty and fellowship of everything and everyone around us.”

Since 2019, proceeds from the Apple Blossom Bike Tour are divided equally among the two scholarships and Rotary’s charitable program for polio, a project supporting immunization world-wide. In 2024, a total of four scholarships were awarded. 

Two cyclists begin a long descent with an idyllic view of the Root River in the background. One of the lures of the Apple Blossom Bike Tour is its scenic, yet challenging, course. (2024 photo by Ben Newman)

Riders near and far

With six routes to choose from, proceeds going to good causes, and a fun post-ride gathering, there is something for everyone at the Apple Blossom Bike Tour.

“I love how this event brings not only the immediate La Crescent community together, but also the surrounding areas,” said Holman. “We have cyclists that come from all over, including Colorado, Tennessee, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and beyond, to ride one of the best rides in Southeast Minnesota.”

ABBT committee member Dave Ebner agrees.

“The La Crescent area is a great place for bicycling,” said Ebner. “Through the ABBT, we’re promoting tourism and businesses in the La Crescent area and we’re supporting three great causes. I’m hopeful that more of our local riders will help us grow the event.”

Despite their success over the last dozen years, Holman believes there is room for more. 

“Our surveys reflect a lot of positive feedback, from how smooth registration went to well-marked routes,” she said. “We make improvements based on feedback as well. People love the different levels of challenge and the beauty of the area.”

Three women cyclists celebrate completion of the 2024 tour with a framed photo shoot. (Photo courtesy ABBT)

As riders gather together, some to remember, some to challenge themselves, and some simply to take in the views on a leisurely ride, perhaps Dunlap sums it up best:

“The ABBT is just an amazing way to enjoy a beautiful day, and the more riders we get, the more beautiful the day.”

Sneak Peek: Cycling enthusiasts may also want to keep an eye out for the upcoming 2025 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships, which will take place in La Crescent on Sept. 20, 2025. This prestigious event brings top gravel cyclists from around the country to compete on the scenic and challenging roads of southeastern Minnesota’s Driftless Region.