Tour Da Yoop, Eh cycling event rolls through Iron River Sunday

Iron River will be on the route Sunday when Tour Da Yoop, Eh sends cyclists through town as part of a 10-day, 1,200-mile loop around the Upper Peninsula that is built as much for families as for endurance.

The ride is set to begin Friday, July 24, in Manistique and finish there on Sunday, Aug. 2, after crossing the U.P. and hitting communities including Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Iron River, Ironwood, Houghton, Copper Harbor, Marquette, Grand Marais, Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace. For Iron County, the stop matters because the event does not just pass nearby on a map. It rolls straight through Iron River on Sunday, July 26, putting the county directly into one of the region’s most visible summer fundraisers.

Tour Da Yoop, Eh is pushing a bigger mission than a bike challenge. The event partners with UP Lions Serve Childhood Cancer to raise money and awareness for bike safety and for families dealing with pediatric cancer. Organizers say the partnership has raised more than $430,000 over the past five years, and the 2026 fundraising goal is $100,000.

That money is aimed at practical help. UP Lions Serve says families in the Upper Peninsula often have to travel downstate or to Wisconsin for treatment, adding hotel stays, fuel, meals and other household expenses on top of medical stress. The program, which began in 2020, has expanded quickly as more families have turned to it for financial assistance, emotional support and related resources.

James Studinger, the event’s founder, has framed the ride around purpose rather than miles. The structure reflects that mission: riders can sign up for one day, three days, five days or the full 10-day route. Each participant also gets a personal pledge page, and riders can launch their own fundraising campaigns, turning every mile into a direct appeal for support.

The logistics are built to keep the group moving across the U.P. A SAG team, hydration stations every 30 to 35 miles and volunteers along the route will support the riders as they cross some of the state’s toughest and most scenic terrain. The daily rhythm is meant to turn strangers into a traveling crew, with shared miles, early starts and end-of-day gatherings carrying the group from one community to the next.

For Iron River, the event’s value is both symbolic and practical. The cyclists will bring a visible surge of activity into town, but the larger point is that the ride turns the region’s geography into a fundraising tool for families facing some of the hardest days imaginable. On Sunday, Iron County will be part of that mission as Tour Da Yoop, Eh heads west through the heart of the U.P.