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🚨You Asked, We Listened: The 2026 PALM T-Shirt Is Here 🚨

Fresh drop, PALM style.

👕 Front

Clean, bold, and Michigan proud—capturing the spirit of the ride.

🔁 Back

All the stops. All the stories. All the bragging rights.

🎯 Why You Want It

  • Looks good on and off the bike
  • Your official “I did that” badge
  • Guaranteed to spark conversations (and maybe a little envy)

⚠️ Quick Heads-Up

After May 10th, pricing goes up—and the rad t-shirt is no longer available..


👉 Get Yours

Register, lock it in, and ride in style: palmbiketour.org


Warning: May cause excessive smiling and repeat registrations.

PALM Tour Update: Lock It In (and Score the Shirt) By May 10th to Save 💸

If PALM is on your summer roadmap, here’s the headline: rates increase on May 11th—and so does the opportunity cost. Wait, and you’ll pay more and miss out on one of the best perks.

Registration for the Pedal Across Lower Michigan (PALM) is about to move to the next pricing tier. And once that switch flips, the RAD PALM t-shirt is no longer included. Yes—this is your limited-time, wearable bragging rights.

What’s at stake:

  • Price goes up after May 10th. Same ride, higher buy-in.
  • No shirt after May 10th. The iconic PALM tee is an early-bird perk—miss the date, miss the gear.
  • Spots are capped. PALM keeps it intentionally limited for safety, support, and that signature community vibe.

Why act now (besides saving money and scoring the shirt):

  • You help a 100% volunteer crew plan routes, SAG coverage, host sites, and rider support with precision.
  • You lock in six days of scenic riding, water stops, watermelon (and yes, licorice), on-route mechanics, and a community that shows up.

Your move:

  1. Register before May 10 to secure current pricing and the RAD t-shirt.
  2. Block your calendar and start your training ramp.
  3. Recruit your crew—this ride is better together.

Bottom line: After May 10, you’ll pay more and ride without the shirt. By May 10, you’re saving money and rolling in style.

Make the smart play. Register now. 🚴‍♀️

Registration begins in 2 days!

PALM XLIII REGISTRATION 
OPENS JAN. 1, 2026

www.bikesignup.com/palm

2026 DATES: Saturday, June 20 – Friday, June 26, 2026

2026 SITES: Pentwater, Montague, White Cloud, Evart, Houghton Lake, Hale, Oscoda

Our low cost includes: SAG (support and gear) service, overnight facility use for tent camping with showers and bathrooms, transport of luggage between sites, road markings and GPS cues for routes, daily watermelon stop, bicycle education, and children’s activities!

Optional add-ons available! See website for details about the cafeteria meal plan and bus transportation options.

MISSION STATEMENT:
Pedal Across Lower Michigan (PALM) is a non-profit group dedicated to encouraging family bicycling and the promotion of bicycling safety.

PALM XLII Epilogue

More new friends — more connections to our communities!

— friends that become family, found on PALM —

This year we had 438 participants, from under 1 to 87 years young! A 9 year old was the youngest rider to complete the ride on their own bike. 

Mother Nature gave us some challenges this year, but great memories were made along the route. We would love to hear from riders as they reflect on their trip across this great state and encourage them to reach out with stories, comments and ideas.

We invite any alumni who wishes to submit a route proposal to do so by email or at the annual volunteer staff picnic in September. Details will be on our Facebook Page, or contact us using the PALM email. Please include estimated daily mileage and any pertinent details (stayed there previously, swimming access, special events) to proposed routes. 

Thank you all for a great year, and I look forward to seeing new and familiar faces in September.

Jess
PALM Chair

One month to PALM XLII

If you haven’t reviewed Packing for PALM this is a good time to do so!

Uh-oh … did registration slip your mind?
You can still join us on PALM, but optional add-ons may not be available.

Everyone who registered for bus transportation on Saturday or Friday should have received arrival and parking instructions.

Routes are available for review on Ride with GPS.
Always attend the evening meetings for any changes due to unexpected closures.

Two months to PALM XLII

SOCIAL MEDIA TAKEOVER!

Please join us in a 24-hour promotion by changing your profile pic on your preferred social network to one of our PALM XLII graphics — grab one here! Canva users can customize the graphic here: template

APRIL 26

This will be the last newsletter before add-ons may become unavailable (May 10) so if you want to add the cafeteria meal plan or bus transportation from the end to the start (Saturday or Friday) to your registration, visit the ADD-ONs page for details.

Check out the Downloads page for new color flyers you can save and print. Topics include:

  • Before Registration
  • After Registration
  • Preparing for PALM
  • Packing for PALM
  • Pedal Safely
  • Host Sites
  • A Day on PALM

So, what will you be riding? Tell us about your bike, trike, tandem, recumbent, e-bike or custom built ride in the comments!

Three months to PALM XLII

A Day on PALM

The most common questions we get from those who have never been on an organized bike tour is how it all works! We’ve put together a typical day on the Pedal Across Lower Michigan family bicycle tour to help answer these questions.

What did we miss? Leave a comment on the website under this post.

Tell your PALM story

PALM memories last long after the annual tour concludes. Check out Frank‘s story. Do you have a PALM story you’d like to share? Send it to us with a photo or two.

We may select it for promotional purposes on the PALM website and social media.

OUR 2025 SITES:

• Saturday, June 21 we arrive at Stevensville for check-in.
• Sunday, June 22 we pedal to Dowagiac.
• Monday, June 23 we pedal to Sturgis.
• Tuesday, June 24 we pedal to Coldwater.
• Wednesday, June 25 we pedal to Addison.
• Thursday, June 26 we pedal to Dundee.
• Friday, June 27 we pedal to Luna Pier.

If you need the address of a site, check out Transportation under the Add-ons page.

Upcoming issues:
Two months to PALM XLII — April 21
One month to PALM XLII — May 21

Contact us!

Four months to PALM XLII

FROM THE CHAIR: Many of you know me, some for many years. I am Jess Rasmussen; a granddaughter, daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, niece and cousin of PALM riders. It is my honor to be the volunteer ride chair again this year for the 2025 PALM. PALM is a tour that is so very dear to my heart. PALM is my favorite tour, not because it was my first multi-day traveling bicycle tour, but because it has some of the most kind and genuine people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The volunteers and riders on PALM are what make it a truly unique ride. Newcomers who join the PALM community quickly become family. We have watched families grow together, watched generations of riders share in this wonderful tradition, mourned losses together and celebrated incredible joys together. I eagerly await seeing everyone for our yearly family reunion, and look forward to welcoming our new members to the family. 

REMEMBER: Quiet Adventures Symposium will be March 1 at the MSU Pavilion, and we will be there! Staff volunteer Shawn Towsley will be a presenter.

We have a new sticker for the first 100 visitors to our PALM booth!

Five months to PALM XLII

Questions coming in to the PALM email and phone can mostly be answered here: PALM 2025

Tour cost is the same as last year — $195 for adults, plus processing fees. As always, lower rates for youths 17 and under.

Our cafeteria meal plan may be added to your registration for $108. This is breakfast and dinner only, starting with Sunday breakfast and ending with Friday breakfast.

Transportation from the last site to the first site can be added to your registration for $70. Be sure to choose only the Saturday bus or the Friday bus! Your bike(s) will travel on a truck.

Comfy Campers will be returning to provide optional tent service. This is separate from PALM registration. Follow instructions on their website to book services.

We will be at Quiet Adventures Symposium on March 1. Hope to see you there!

Everything you ever wanted to know about PALM can be found here:
https://palmbiketour.org/all-about-palm/

PALM XLI Epilogue

This is not goodbye, but “See you next year!”

This year, we welcomed participants from less than one year old to 85 years young! About three-quarters of our riders were 50+ and almost 10% were under 18. Almost a quarter of our participants traveled from outside Michigan to join us, with 25 other states and Canada represented.

Hope to see you in June 2025! We start planning in September at the annual volunteer staff picnic. Details are on our Facebook Page.