After a week spent rolling through the heart of Illinois, a group of cyclists will pedal into Joliet Saturday completing an almost 400-mile journey along historic Route 66.
Bicycle Illinois’ new Route 66 Centennial Ride began Sept. 19 in St. Louis, giving riders seven days to experience the Mother Road from two wheels as it winds through some of the most iconic communities along the entire length of The Mother Road. The fully supported tour follows the original Route 66 alignments as much as possible, taking cyclists through Litchfield, Springfield, Lincoln, Bloomington and Pontiac before reaching its final destination in Joliet.
The final day, Saturday, also will be the longest. Riders will leave Pontiac for an 84.9-mile journey that includes stops in Odell, Dwight, South Wilmington and Symerton before arriving at the Quality Inn in Joliet, the final stopping point of the tour – traversing the lion’s share of The First Hundred Miles route.
For anyone watching the riders make their way into Joliet, it will be the culmination of a week that has taken them through the landscapes and communities that define Illinois’ stretch of the Mother Road. Route 66 is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and Bicycle Illinois created this tour as a way to mark the occasion, combining the nostalgia of the historic highway with the slower pace of bicycle travel.
The ride has been designed around the attractions that make Route 66 special, with historic sites, diners, gas stations, museums and other roadside destinations incorporated into the route and rest stops. The itinerary also has been planned to favor roads that are safe and enjoyable for cyclists, rather than attempting to follow every original mile of the highway where modern traffic makes that impractical.
By the time the riders reach Joliet Saturday afternoon, they will have traveled about 400 miles from their departure point in St. Louis. Along the way, Bicycle Illinois is providing hotel lodging, baggage transportation, breakfast, navigation through the Ride With GPS app, mechanical support availability and an on-call support and gear vehicle.
Joliet makes a fitting place to finish the journey. The city has been welcoming Route 66 travelers for generations and offers plenty of opportunities for riders to keep exploring once the bikes are parked. The Joliet Area Historical Museum and Official Route 66 Welcome Center, at 204 N. Ottawa St., provides an introduction to the city’s history and its connection to the Mother Road, while downtown offers new centennial offerings like the photo-op worthy, and Route 66-themed, Joliet City Square
The timing makes the arrival especially appropriate. Communities along The First Hundred Miles, the stretch of Route 66 connecting Chicago with Joliet, Wilmington, Braidwood, Dwight and Pontiac, have spent 2026 celebrating the highway’s centennial with even more attractions, events and experiences for travelers.
The Bicycle Illinois Route 66 tour ends today in Joliet, but the Mother Road continues north toward Chicago’s official starting market at Navy Pier. The organization said continuing the ride to downtown Chicago could become an option in future years.
For more information on upcoming tours, visit: www.bicycleillinois.com.
