Rain or Shine, Tour de Donut Pedals On for 36th Year
Participants gather at the start and finish line in Staunton City Park before the 36th annual Tour de Donut race, ready to take on the 34-mile course.
By MELISSA LYNN
Enquirer~Democrat Reporter
Hundreds of cyclists didn’t let the rainy weather stand in the way of the 36th annual Tour de Donut on Saturday, July 11. More than 800 participants traveled near and far, including riders from out-of-state, to take part in the unique cycling tradition.
Despite the rain, participants gathered at Staunton City Park before the ride for pre-race festivities. A donut mascot greeted riders, many stopping for photos, bringing some extra fun to the morning before cyclists lined up for the start of the race.
A steady downpour delayed the start of the race by about 15 minutes, but the delay did not slow the excitement. Once the whistle blew, riders rolled out of Staunton City Park and onto rural Macoupin County roads.
Held annually since 1988, Tour de Donut is a lighthearted spoof of the world-famous Tour de France, where eating donuts can be just as important as pedaling fast.
The 34-mile timed course takes riders from Staunton, through Mt. Olive, Lake Ka-Ho, Eagarville, Benld, and White City before tackling a series of rolling hills on the final stretch back to Staunton. Along the way, participants stop twice for donuts. The first stop is at mile seven in Mt. Olive, and the second stop is at mile 25 in Eagarville. For every donut eaten, riders earn a five-minute time credit that is subtracted from their overall race time, meaning the rider who crosses the finish line first isn’t always the overall winner.
A shorter, untimed 12-mile “Donut Hole” ride is also offered and includes one donut stop.
The St. Louis-area Boeing Employees’ Bicycle Club, one of the event’s longtime sponsors, supplied the donuts at both stops, delivering thousands of pastries to each stop in a U-Haul truck.
The donut stations were anything but quiet.
Read the full story and view more photos in the July 23, 2026 issue of the Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat.
