Questions, answered

No. If you can ride a bike and paddle a boat for a few hours a day without crying, you're qualified. This is not a race, nobody is timing you, and the only prize for going fast is spending more time alone.

In 2026 a 72-year-old did the whole thing. To be fair, she's a badass. Here's what she said about it:

"I've done similar trips without support but, at age 72, am losing my companions. Knowing there were people around (and that they would schlep stuff I didn't need) was a big comfort."Karen, 2026

Nope. We provide it. This is the single most common surprise: you do not need to own a boat. Bring your bike and your camping setup and we'll handle the floating.

We move it for you. You hand it over at Sauk Prairie and it's waiting for you at the Wisconsin Riverside Resort. It gets there faster than you do.

Safe-ish. It's an adventure, so there's real weather and a real river.

The route is beginner-friendly, transitions are supported, there's a bike mechanic on site, and our team is out on the route all weekend if you need them. We won't hold your hand, but we'll do our best to keep you out of the hospital.

You'll be fine. The Wisconsin River is wide, slow and forgiving, a genuinely beginner-friendly stretch of water, and there's support at both transitions.

Yes, and loads of people do. Plenty of others register as pairs. Both are completely normal here. If you come alone you won't stay alone; that's sort of the whole thing.

"They, and all the other participants, definitely make new people feel welcomed."Bryan, first-timer 2026

No, and this is the part people don't expect. The transition points are fixed and so is the finish. How you get between them is entirely up to you.

Take the flat way, take every hill in the county, detour eleven miles because somebody mentioned a supper club. Camp or book a hotel. Two groups leaving the same launch end up having completely different Saturdays.

Which is what makes the run-ins so good: you crest a hill you're regretting, roll into some bar in the middle of nowhere, and four people from the Drifty are already outside with a head start on you.

Bring one you like, or rent through one of our partners. Gravel bike, mountain bike, hybrid, a beach cruiser with a basket. All of them have finished this event.

Yes to all three. Just tell us before the event so we can plan around it. It changes what we need at the launch and what the rig is carrying, and both are much easier to sort out in advance than on a Friday morning at Sauk Prairie.

Only if you want to, and plenty of people do. If you'd like to bikepack the whole thing self-supported, this route rewards it and we'll be cheering.

If you'd rather not, the rig meets you at all four points on the route and if it fits in the truck it goes in the truck: camping setup, cooler, an inflatable kayak, a regular kayak, a paddle you made in your garage, a unicorn floatie the size of a loveseat. We haul it either way. All we ask is that you throw a few bucks at Adaptive Adventures when you hand it over, because raising money for them is the whole reason this exists.

Moving your bike between the paddle and the ride is included too. Nobody is checking receipts at the truck.

Friday is the sandbar night. You pull your boat up onto a sandbar in the middle of the Wisconsin River and camp there. It's the part people won't shut up about afterwards.

Saturday is up to you. Nobody rides all the way to Madison on Saturday, so you stop somewhere along the way: a campground, a hotel, an Airbnb. Blue Mounds is the perennial favourite. We'll send suggestions before you come.

More than the number suggests, which is fair feedback we've had. Your registration covers:

• The canoe or kayak
• Thursday night's campsite. We rent the whole of Token Creek Campground, so your first night is sorted before you arrive
• The welcome party: food truck, DJ, local beer on tap, plenty that isn't beer, and a tarot reading
• Breakfast on the start morning
• A full bike tune-up, three times: at the start line and at both transitions
• The logistics. Boats waiting at the launch, and your bike moved from Sauk Prairie to the Riverside Resort while you're on the water
• Friday's sandbar camping
• A rider shirt
• Your DriftyFest ticket. Working Draft put on the food and drinks
• Sponsor swag, usually. LMNT drink mix most years, though it varies year to year and we won't promise a specific item
• Hauling any gear you'd rather not carry. The rig takes it either way. We just ask you throw a few bucks at the cause when you hand it over

The tune-ups are the part people underestimate. It's not air in your tires. A mechanic goes through the whole bike, three times across the weekend, and one of those runs $50 to $100 at a shop.

Not included: food between the parties, and Saturday night's bed.

And the reason the event exists at all is to raise money for Adaptive Adventures.

Some of it. There's food at the Thursday kick-off party and at DriftyFest at the finish, and breakfast on the morning you set off: coffee, donuts, the sort of thing you can eat standing next to a bike.

Everything in between is on you. Most people pack light for the river and stop at local spots along the bike route. The bars along the way are half the point.

Loads. Bars, supper clubs, cheese shops, a bait-and-tackle place with a sign worth the detour on its own. Half the stories from any given year start with somebody stopping somewhere they hadn't planned to.

We put together a list of the good ones and send it out before the event. You are under no obligation to visit all of them, and every year somebody tries.

Ideally at home. The best car is no car. We know that isn't realistic for everyone, so there are a few options and most people use Dane County Airport, which is paid but simple.

For 2027 we're working on a parking arrangement we think you'll like a lot better. Not ready to announce yet. We'll tell you before you need to decide.

Yes, and most people do. Register as a pair and you share a canoe.

Come as a bigger group and you split across boats: two of you in a canoe, everyone else in kayaks, all of you on the same sandbar that night. There's no limit on how many friends you bring.

The only limit is two to a canoe. Three in one is genuinely a lot, and we'd rather you found that out here than on the river.

We roll with Wisconsin. Light rain is part of the experience. Severe storms may change parts of the route, because we'd rather adjust than explain to your mother what happened.

There are no refunds, but give us enough notice and we'll transfer your spot, to a friend or to another Lost Travel trip. Tell us as early as you can and it's usually straightforward.

If it's already crunch time and there's nothing to be done, your registration goes to Adaptive Adventures. You still did a good thing. Pat yourself on the back and come next year.