10th Annual Gold Star 500
About this race
Ride for a reason on a once in a lifetime journey experiencing the challenge of cycling over great distances and at the same time, encounter amazing Gold Star Family members and others in the community as they share stories of the lives of our Illinois Fallen Military Service Members.
On September 22, 2026 cyclists will begin a 500-mile bicycle journey, known as the Gold Star 500, through communities starting in Chester, Granite City, St Louis, Edwardsville, Staunton, Litchfield, Carlinville, Virden, Chatham, Springfield, Williamsville, Atlanta, Bloomington, Lexington, Pontiac, Dwight, Joliet, Plainfield, Aurora, St Charles, Sycamore, Hampshire, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, and end the ride in Schaumburg.. This is our 10th Annual Gold Star 500 which works to preserve the legacy and honor of those military service men and service women from Illinois who have made the ultimate sacrifice in support of service to this great nation. In addition to the 5 day, 500-mile ride, we are keeping the options for 1-day and 3-day rides. All proceeds go to fund scholarships and our Fallen Hero History Project Videos honoring the lives of our Fallen Military Service Members, thus preserving their legacy forever.
This ride raises funds through event registration, fund raising, corporate & business sponsors and grants, and generous individual donations. As an all volunteer organization, over 95% of all funds are used to carry on the names and the stories of the Fallen Military Service Members. Wanting a small taste of what it is like to be on the ride, watch this video.
https://youtu.be/XfqgzE_uJEA
Come and join our mission.
www.goldstarmission.org
The 10th Annual Gold Star 500 brings an exciting Ultra to Springfield, Illinois on September 1, 2020. Don't miss this beautiful event!
Pick your distance
Running
Virtual Gold Star 500
The Virtual Gold Star 500 is aimed to provide riders an alternate cycling event to our Gold Star 500 and still honor the service and sacrifice of service members and servicewomen who gave their lives in service in honor of our great nation. The Virtual GS 500 takes place in September ending on Gold Star Mother’s Day (the last Sunday in September). The virtual ride will provide riders the opportunity to accomplish the 500 miles at a more relaxed pace, it will still require some effort to accomplish the overall distance of 500 miles over the span of September. It is still our desire for this ride to convey a message of self-determination, sacrifice, and resolution, representing, to a small degree, the spirit of those honored. You will be able to ride on your own, ride with friends, or even create a team to accomplish the miles together also exemplifying the military mentality of accomplishing the mission through teamwork. Conditions permitting, we hope to establish some interactive events in the same communities from the GS 500 route. These events (most likely on the weekend) will provide an opportunity to ride elsewhere and have a chance to meet some of our Gold Star Families and friends of our Fallen Service Members. We will be able to share stories, eat, and enjoy the community. A little competition not normally found on the GS 500. The Virtual GS 500 will incorporate a Tour de France jersey style competition. Jerseys will have a distinctive design and will be awarded for the following individual performance categories: Gold Jersey Top five fastest 500 mile times Green Jersey Top five fastest 100 mile in a single ride Gold Star on Red Jersey Top five elevation climbs (feet) in 500 miles Gold Star on White Jersey For each rider who raises $1000 in donations Efforts to compete for a jersey will be verified at the end of the Virtual GS 500. We will contact the winners for correct jersey size and presented/shipped at a later date. Accomplishing and tracking the mileage? Riders will have to accomplish the miles on their own, team performances are not eligible for jerseys. You can utilize your own routes and trails to accumulate the mileage. We strongly recommend that riders utilize the STRAVA app to record their mileage. The Gold Star Mission has established a club on STRAVA called the Gold Star Mission Club, located in Springfield, IL. You can join the club and sync your bike computer or phone app to STRAVA. In your STRAVA account profile, you will have to select that your mileage be shared to the club. Once selected the mileage will automatically be recorded to the club. Once you have accumulated the 500 miles, we ask that you notify the Gold Star Mission to confirm completion. Teams – Being a part of team is great to share in the accomplishment of riding 500 miles and honoring our Fallen Service Members. Get with family, friends, or co-workers to accomplish the 500 miles and raise some donations. Use the Virtual Ride to count for work volunteer hours if it meets volunteer criteria. Note: Only individual performances will count for the jersey competitions. (Example: if you are on a team and as an individual complete one of the top five fastest 100 mile times, you will be eligible for one of the Green Jerseys. But you cannot combine efforts to compete for fastest times, elevations or fund raising to qualify for a jersey.) Safety Riders will adhere to all local, state and federal laws and guidelines that apply to their area just as they would on a non-virtual event ride. Please adhere to all safety precautions that you would normally utilize to ensure the safest experience supporting our Fallen Service Members. We always recommend that you wear a helmet when riding. What does the registration fee cover for the rider? Due to costs associated with the ride, each rider’s registration fee includes registration website transaction fee, purchasing and shipping costs for the rider jersey and t-shirt, printing and shipping of Fallen Hero Cards and other minor costs associated with the ride. Once you have signed up and paid the registration fee you will be contacted by operations@goldstarmission.org and given a link to order (which is covered in cost): 1 bike jersey and 1 t-shirt. Each registered rider will receive a jersey (similar to this design) that will bear unique Gold Star Mission markings. All GSM jerseys will have 34 gold stars recognizing our original mission to honor the 34 Illinois National Guard Fallen Service Members since 2001. The right sleeve will have the backwards American Flag replicating the flag that all service members wear on their uniform. Flags displayed on moving vehicles (bicycles) will be displayed with the blue-star field always towards the front of the vehicle. In this way, the flag appears to be blowing in the wind as the vehicle travels forward. If the flag were not reversed on the right hand side of the moving vehicle, the vehicle might appear to be moving backwards (or "retreating"). Also you will find our tribute slogan of Always Remember – Never Forget! Scholarship Donations This is a charity ride. Each rider is expected to make the effort to raise enough donations to provide one scholarship ($1,000) in honor of our Fallen Service Members. If a rider raises $1,000 in donations, their registration fee will be reimbursed. This can be accomplished through various means including the Gold Star 500 registration website (BikeSignUp) donation tools, Gold Star Mission website Donate Page, Facebook fundraising (rider will be expected to provide proof of Facebook fundraising efforts), and cash donations collected and turned into GSM.
Cycling
Gold Star 500
The Gold Star 500 is an endurance cycling event which honors the service and sacrifice of service members and servicewomen who gave their lives in service in honor of our great nation. The very idea of cycling 500 miles is difficult to comprehend fully, for each day, the riders will average 90-125 miles a day. The ride will be difficult and arduous. Each day the riders can expect to experience the extreme discomfort of cycling over great distances. However, this discomfort will be a reminder of the pain and suffering endured by the service members, the Gold Star families, their teammates, and their community. The rider’s pain will pale in comparison to the unimaginable pain felt by those who knew these Soldiers and Airman. However, our desire is for this ride to convey a message of self-determination, sacrifice, and resolution, representing, to a small degree, the spirit of those honored. The riders will start together, the riders will finish together, and the riders will experience pain and joy together, thus exemplifying the military mentality of teamwork. Riders who cannot keep up with the pace and who begin to slow the pack will, out of respect for the group’s schedule, take a break from riding and get in a support truck until they are ready to rejoin the group at the group’s pace. Riders must be physically capable of completing the ride and riding in challenging conditions (hills, wind, rain, and heat). Due to safety concerns, riders who need repeated assistance from other riders will not be allowed to continue the ride. Due to safety, we do not allow day riders. Because we may have to limit the number of riders, it is imperative that you train and are prepared to ride the entire distance. Occasionally, due to hills, climbs and rider performance, the riding group may spread out. However, for safety, we will resume our pack riding as soon as possible. For the safety of the group, riders who break away from the group, either faster or slower, will be asked to adjust their riding or will ride in the support truck. Each day will include schedule breaks every 20-25 miles. At each break, riders will have an opportunity to refill bottles and stock up on nourishment. They will also be briefed on any upcoming destinations, including the expected route, distance, conditions, etc. Due to costs associated with the ride, each rider will pay a $470 registration fee before being accepted on the ride. This is a charity ride. Each rider is expected to make the effort to raise enough donations/sponsorships to provide one scholarship ($1,000) in honor of our Fallen Service Members. This can be accomplished through various means including the Gold Star 500 registration website (BikeSignUp) donation tools, Gold Star Mission website Donate Page, Facebook fundraising (rider will be expected to provide proof of Facebook fundraising efforts), and cash donations collected and turned into GSM. What does the registration fee cover for the rider? All costs associated with lodging rental each night, fuel costs for each support vehicles, food costs (breakfast, lunch and dinner provided) including rest stop nourishment, rider jerseys (all riders are expected to bring their own black shorts or bibs), and other minor costs associated with the ride. The 2020 route is programmed for just over 500 miles. 23 Sep 19 – Pre-ride orientation and safety meeting at Marseilles Training Center. Time: TBD *MANDATORY ATTENDANCE* Ride Day 1 – 24 Sep 19 - Marseilles to Pontiac will be approximately 116 miles Ride Day 2 – 25 Sep 19 - Pontiac to Peoria will be approximately 88 miles Ride Day 3 – 26 Sep 19 - Peoria to Quad Cities will be approximately 93 miles Ride Day 4 – 27 Sep 19 - Quad Cities to Rockford will be approximately 126 miles Ride Day 5 – 28 Sep - We will end in West Chicago suburbs after riding approximately 80 miles. Once you have signed up and paid the $450.00 you will be contacted by operations@goldstarmission.org and given a link to order (which is covered in cost): 2 bike jerseys, and choice of cycle bib. www.goldstarmission.org
Weather Overview
These values reflect historical conditions on the race dates in Springfield in 2020, from Open-Meteo archive data.
About Springfield
10th Annual Gold Star 500 takes place in Springfield, Illinois, United States. The local timezone is America/Chicago.
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Race information has been sourced from the event's official website and other publicly available resources. For the most up-to-date details, please refer to the official website directly. If you notice any incorrect or missing information, don't hesitate to reach out to us by email.
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