WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — The annual Tour de Whatcom is the reason why 100s of bicyclists will be rolling through many parts of Whatcom County tomorrow, July 17th.
There are four different routes available to Tour de Whatcom cyclists, each with different distances. Riders will begin at different times for each course between 7:30am and 10am.
According to the event website, the course is marked with “Dan Henry Arrows” on the pavement and signs at major turns. Organizers also remind cyclists they are expected to obey the rules of the road and including stop signs and electronic traffic signals along the route.
Potential traffic impacts due to the heavier than normal cyclist traffic include:
- Downtown Bellingham as cyclists head out via Dupont Street and Broadway
- Eldridge Avenue and Marine Drive to Ferndale Road with limited or no shoulder in places
- Slater Road at Ferndale Road as cyclists cross Slater Road at the stop sign
- E Badger Road at Benson Road as cyclists cross E Badger Road at the stop sign
- E Badger Road at Van Buren Road as cyclists cross E Badger Road at the stop sign
- W Main Street and Everson Road as cyclists make their way through downtown Everson
- Everson-Goshen Road at E Hemmi Road as cyclists cross Everson-Goshen Road at the stop sign
- Main Street/Mountain View Road as cyclists make their way through downtown Ferndale
- Hannegan Road at Ten Mile Road as cyclists cross Hannegan Road at the stop sign
As with a similar recent event that brought runners through Whatcom County, drivers should take extra caution as not all cyclists will be familiar with the roads through Whatcom County and some riders may be children as there is no minimum age for participants.