Tour de Marco Turns Sweet 16

Tour de Marco, scheduled for Sunday, February 22 at the Marco Y, turns 16 this year. You could say it’s Sweet 16 and never been missed for the island’s popular bicycle tour. Here’s what we mean.

Tour de Marco Five was in its planning phase back in 2015 when it was decided to put the tour on hold for a year. The Y was deeply involved in constructing its Youth Development Center in the space where Tour de Marco is annually staged.

When Naples cyclist and Tour de Marco regular Les Horwitz got wind of the cancellation, he pleaded in a letter to the editor for organizers to reconsider. He emphasized how important it is to keep annual events annual. And there was some fear that at the tender age of five, the Tour de Marco might be folded altogether if it took a year off. So, an “underground” version of Tour de Marco was organized, much to the dismay of the Marco Police, who took umbrage with the word “underground." Eventually, 50-some cyclists gathered at the foot of the Stan Gober Memorial Bridge for a grassroots, DIY version of the cycling event. Two police cruisers, blue lights flashing, were waiting for the cyclists when they showed up at the bridge at sunrise. 

Tour de Marco Five ran without incident, and the Tour has continued as an annual event ever since, even during the COVID years. In 2022, the Tour became a memorial ride, honoring Chuck Thomas. Family of the beloved Marco Y board member fly in to participate in the event every year. And this year is no exception.

“Sue Thomas will be here,” said tour director Reilly Smith, "I believe all of his daughters will be here, too. They will be doing a little speech before the 15-mile and the 30-mile rides.”

Last year’s tour drew 225 participants and Smith expects another good crowd.

“We're expecting about the same number or even higher this year,” she said. “We're very excited. We're hoping the weather warms up a little bit. We’d like to have some good sunshine to bring a good crowd out.”

The route for both the 15 and 30-mile rides is changing this year because of road construction at the intersection of Barfield Dr. and Collier Blvd.

“We are going to avoid that area,” Smith said. "We are still looking at the specifics of both the 15 and 30-mile routes. They will both be affected. We are looking for a detour up in the area on the north part of the island. We'll be releasing the new routes as soon as possible."

This is Smith’s fourth Tour de Marco, and her second in charge. She said there’s a lot to like about Tour de Marco.

"I like that it engages a lot of people in the community,” she said. “It engages our active members of the community. Those that are really avid bikers are going on the 30-mile route. The 15-mile route engages those that are not as active. It also really engages community members who are volunteering. We engage the Key Club from Marco Island Academy and the Civitan Club. We engage a lot of our staff members to collaborate. Some of my lifeguards and fitness instructors are getting involved. A lot of people are just stepping up to volunteer, and even some of our Y members are volunteering. So, a lot of people are just coming together to put on a great event for the community and for the Chuck Thomas Memorial.”

Two Y employees will be leading the tours.

"We have Stacy Witthoff,” Smith said. "She'll be a good point person. She’s familiar with the route and will help guide people. One of our lifeguards, Tom Rota, will be riding for people to follow, so that'll be helpful. We're hoping to have Island Bike Shop here, providing helmets for anyone that needs a helmet.” 

E-bikes are welcome at Tour de Marco.

“We are allowing any pedal-assist bikes,” Smith said. “But they do need to follow the rules of the road like everyone else. There have been e-bikes before and some people have been inquiring about them.”

Online registration is open at www.ymcacollier.org. Entry fee is $45 per rider.

“We have day-of registration for anyone who misses the  online registration,” she said. "We will close online registration on February 20, two days before the tour. If you miss the deadline, you can come the morning of and register then, but you will not be guaranteed a t-shirt. We'll have light refreshments and snacks, like fruit, juice, and granola bars, before and after the event. We'll have some water stations along the route. We'll have police guiding traffic. We'll have people at the bigger intersections holding large signs, but there will also be directional signs along the entire route, guiding you where to go. The map, which is not updated, is on the website for people to look at beforehand. We'll put the updated one there soon.”