Trolled by weather

• Nathan Diebenow | The Clifton Record A cartoon troll riding on a bicycle greets visitors to historic downtown Clifton.

For the second year in a row, the Clifton Chamber of Commerce cancelled its Tour de Bosque bicycle rally.

The cancellation occurred due to flood damage sustained to the state and county roadways along the five routes across Bosque County.

“There was no way we could do it safely,” Clifton Chamber President Paige Key said.

The 12th annual bicycle rally is one of several events that the Clifton Chamber of Commerce organizes to attract visitors to the area throughout the year.

This year, the Chamber expected just under 400 people to participate in the bicycle race; 235 people had pre-registered before the deadline, Key said.

Key noted that the 2024 rally would have drawn riders from not only Texas but also Colorado, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.

In addition, a series of Viking-and bicyclethemed movie nights was also canceled by the Bosque Film Society and the Norwegian Society of Texas – Bosque County Chapter.

Key said that the Chamber is planning to reorganize the race for next year.

About the tour

The Tour de Bosque is the second leg of the European Tour of Texas Challenge, a multi-city event that include bicycle rallies in Clifton, Italy, Muenster, and Paris, Texas.

These rallies will be held from May to July in Central and North Texas. Participants in all three rides will be eligible to receive a custom European Tour of Texas Challenge jersey upon completion of the challenge events.

The intent of the rally is to show off Bosque County’s natural beauty and welcome visitors to further explore Clifton’s cultural, historical, and commercial districts.

The 11th annual tour was cancelled because Texas Department of Transportation started a two-year road rehab project underway along the race’s four routes: 20, 40, 60 and 80 miles.

Assured that enough sections of the state highways would be completed, the Cliftonbased rally added a fifth route to attract riders with different abilities and skill levels.

In 2022, the tour attracted over 650 riders, most of whom came from across the state.

For more information about the tour, visit tourdenorway.com.

About the chamber

The Clifton Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote trade, civic improvements, positive business and consumer relationships, industrial growth, tourism and other aspects that insure the present and future growth of Clifton.

Organized in the 1970s, the Clifton Chamber sponsors several events each year, including the Bosque Tour de Norway bike rally in May, the Clifton Rodeo in June, the Big Buck contest in Fall, and the Norwegian Country Christmas Home Tour in December.

For more information on the Chamber, visit cliftontexas.org.