BICYCLE-STUFF REVIEWS

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Names or E-mails will not be posted unless requested. You don't have to write a paragraph.  One line comments are great. In fact I am getting tired of long tirades. When you send in a review, be sure to tell me which ride you are reviewing. I have no way to tell.
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Jalapeno 100 , Harlingen, TX

February 17, 2007

I just completed the 2007 version of the Jalapeno 100 ride in Harlingen, TX yesterday and I wanted to send a quick review. The weather was great with clear skies and temperatures in the mid 40’s to start and high 60’s around noon. There were distances of 25, 50, 62.5 and 100 miles. I did the 62.5 mile version, which was actually 64.0 miles by my odometer. This is a great ride with some of the best support I have seen. The rest stops were spaced every 8 to 12 miles with plenty of snacks and drinks. I believe every rest stop also had a port-a-potty. The course was very well marked and the people manning the rest stops were very friendly and supportive. Who ever organized this event got it right, this is a great ride. The course was flat with the only difficulty coming in the last 12 to 15 miles when you had to contend with a 14 mph head wind. This is a great ride to start the riding season; I highly recommend this ride to anyone looking for an early season ride with great support. I will definitely make this ride a regular on my schedule.

February 18, 2006

There were so many things wrong with this ride I don’t know where to start. I have ridden in a number of rides and this was by far the worst and most disappointing. Despite the terrible weather being in the 40’s with wind and rain the support was that much worse. The event was advertised as rest stops every 10 miles and plenty of sag wagons. I didn’t see a sag wagon from the 25th mile until the 60th mile leaving a large margin for error and many of the other riders I spoke to extremely displeased. As for the rest stops these were not every 10 miles by any means. You really had to guess when the next was, one stretch even was 20 miles with nothing marked saying that. Then when you got to the rest stop you had your choice of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Bananas, a Gatorade…..not quite the energy provider for someone going 100 miles. Lastly was the advertising of burgers and fries at the finish line. I didn’t show up at the end at all and they were shutting down the cold hamburgers. They need to rename this event to Jalapeno 25 or 50 because that’s what the majority of riders did. It was very poorly run and I would hope no one supports this until they gain some support for the event.

This was an extremely flat, easy course! There was little traffic compared to some North Texas rides, and the course markers seemed fairly idiot-proof. The weather was in the seventies the previous week, but dropped down to a drizzling 46 degrees for the ride. Improving spacing between stops and providing guidance to the volunteers regarding more rider-friendly foods will makes this a nice early season conditioning ride.

I agree with the other reviewer. The conditions were miserable. Temperature and wind only got worse during the day. What a surprise for February. Some days the term "endurance sport" means just that. Your website asks the question: "Are we spoiled?" Sounds to me that perhaps the negative remarks of the other rider were overly influenced by the bad weather or the wrong side of the bed. I, personally, did not feel that the support and organization lacked anything. I saw many sag vehicles all day long. I was surprised that this ride had so many rest stops. My experience has been that rest stops are spaced every twenty miles. The one leg where that was actually the case, had the town of Raymondville half way through. I'm sorry, if this guy missed his power bars. I took mine with me. I, personally, really enjoyed the home made cookies and peanut butter sandwiches. He didn't mention the hot coco and hot grilled cheese sandwiches provided at the birding club rest stop. They even decorated the porta potty. This guy should remember that this was a charity ride with a very cheap entrance fee. The people involved were all volunteers from many local organizations who put in many hours work before, during, and after. They stood all day in a forty five degree north wind so we riders wouldn't bonk. Frankly, I for one, don't care if this whiner comes back next year or not.