Competitive Racers on Bike Fed Board and Staff

Upon learning that both a Bike Fed board member and a staff member were going to be competing in the 2026 Tour of America’s Dairyland (ToAD), we asked each to share their personal perspective. Enjoy their stories … and perhaps gain a little inspiration along the way!

Adam Raychel

Wisconsin Bike Fed Board Treasurer, Brookfield

I have a long history with the Tour of America’s Dairyland (ToAD) having participated in
every series since 2016. Interestingly, my first exposure to ToAD was as a volunteer in
2015 at the East Troy race. I didn’t even know what criterium racing was when I got a
company-wide email asking for volunteers to help control pedestrian traffic. However, I
had a front row seat that year and was determined to race myself the following year.
Despite a busy career and active family life, ToAD has become an annual rite of
passage for my household. I even convinced one of my daughters to participate in the
past, which brought me my most proud ToAD moment of seeing her blast around the
final corner at the Downer Avenue Classic to win the girls 9-14 race.

While I am the only one in our household to race criteriums anymore, I do still get a lot
of support from my family. Each day of the series we pack up the car with all the gear
we need to spend a day at the races and we essentially make it a summer vacation for
11 days. We have grown to love how the series is embraced in each community and
what a fantastic job the organizers do at making sure everyone gets to participate in a
professional environment. The cycling community can sometimes seem small, but it’s a
diverse group and we enjoy having the ToAD series in our backyard so that we can stay
connected to everyone.

As a rider for Team Wisconsin Cycling, I participated in the Category 3/4 class this year
so that I could race with teammates. It’s probably time for me to start racing with people
my own age in the Masters category, though. I might be too old to chase these
teenagers around in circles anymore! I am thankful that I am in a place in life where I
don’t have to worry about my equipment too much and I can therefore focus on riding
my bike really fast with other like-minded competitors. I have managed to be up on the
podium many times over the years and it just adds to the overall ToAD experience. I
typically chase the Lowlands sprint jersey and have won that omnium a few times over
the years. I love those special jerseys!

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Chloe Machula

Wisconsin Bike Fed’s Dane County Education Coordinator, Madison

A few months ago, I decided to sign up for five days of racing at Tour of America’s Dairyland. I was a bit hesitant for all the reasons you might imagine: Would I crash? Would I get dropped on lap one? Would the atmosphere be welcoming to someone new to crit racing? 

But I was excited to give it a try. I’ve always believed in the importance of pushing yourself outside your comfort zone from time to time, especially as our lives become busy and settle into routines. This would definitely do that. I’d also raced a couple of Wisconsin Cycling Association events earlier in the spring and had a blast at both, so I was excited for the opportunity to learn and gain experience at a bigger race.

In the end, I had an amazing time.

Some of my fears did come true. I did crash once (I’m 100% fine, and so is my bike) and I did get dropped after only a few laps during one of the five races (my legs said no on the last day of racing). But I also stood on a podium, learned more than I could even process during the event, started making intentional race decisions rather than just holding on and trying to stay rubber side down, and formed meaningful connections with other cyclists from Wisconsin, across the country, and even riders visiting from abroad for Tour of America’s Dairyland.

In fact, the community built during ToAD will probably stand out the most in my memories of those five days. I’d recently joined the Brazen Dropouts Cycling Team and built stronger connections with my teammates. Our team also formed a coalition of sorts with other teams from southern Wisconsin–especially Gelbbrucke and Team Wisconsin. Even though we were competitors, we cheered each other on, supported one another through challenging race days, and celebrated each other’s successes. 

This year’s Wisconsin Bike Week theme was “Bikes Build Community,” and ToAD was a perfect example of that in action.

I can’t wait to continue learning, growing, racing, and connecting with the cycling community. I’ll definitely be back at the Tour of America’s Dairyland for more in 2027!

Photos of Chloe are courtesy of Jon Hayden from Gelbbrucke.