Crusin' de Hood - Granbury, TX

April 19, 2008

The organizers announced approximately 600 riders for this year's version and they said that was a record since the ride started five years ago. It is hard for me to believe this ride doesn't draw significantly more riders. I can think of no negatives. They do a great job. This ride along with Paluxy Pedal (Glen Rose) and Krazy Kicker (Mineral Wells/Palo Pinto) in the fall are about the three most scenic and challenging routes available in the DFW area. Along with the great route, you get the customary t-shirt and the most food of any rally at the end (burgers, hot dogs, pizza, cookies, fruit etc) for your entry fee. I last did this one in 2006 and I think the start time was 8:00 a.m that year. This year the ride started at 9:00 a.m. and I appreciated the extra hour as I drove from Rockwall.

Cruisin' de Hood in Granbury is one of the fastest and smoothest rides around. At the start, you head south into the moderate Texas winds on a rolling climb uphill towards Glen Rose. After mile 30 you turn back North and it's almost literally "all downhill" from there. Even on the climbs, you have a South wind pushing you up the hills. It could hardly be a better route. Big kudos to the organizers! Before the start of the ride, we were treated to a local barber shop quartet that did a magnificent job singing the Star Spangled Banner. Bravo, bravo !!! After the ride, pizza and Subway sandwiches !! Great food, cold drinks and lots of Texas wind to cool you off. The organizers have this ride nailed right. I can't think of a single thing that could make it better. A top ride in it's fourth year and apparently the word's gotten out because the parking lot was full ! Come Cruisin' de Hood next year. You'll love it!

What a fantastic ride--well-organized, beautiful scenery, and fine roads (for the most part). The SAG and motorcycle support were friendly and helpful without being pests. Some of the motorcycle riders would cruise along with cyclists and chat--very friendly. There are some very challenging hills and some nice, flat stretches. Great ride, and worth the drive down to Granbury to do it.

My wife and I rode the 100K route on our tandem and it was a well run ride. This is a smaller ride with friendly volunteers. Rest stops are small but adequate and the course is well marked.

A huge thank you to all the organizers, volunteers etc. for another Great Rally!!! Everyone should attend this spring rally as it's getting better every year. Thank you for the 9 AM start! I can't find anything negative to say. The food bananas, donuts, cookies early in the AM was greatly appreciated along with the great meal afterwards, barbequed hotdogs, hamburgers, pizza, cookies, bags of chips, donuts, drinks etc. I don't think that anyone went home without the opportunity of getting something good to eat! We'll be back next year and try and bring some others with us, Thank you again!!!

I just rejected a review because it was triple spaced.

What a great ride! This was the 5th year of the ride and my first time to ride it. The Optimist Club had all their ducks in a row on this one. Well organized, plenty of volunteers. Rest areas were well stocked. Roads were marked and routes were easy to navigate. The countryside was just beautiful and the weather was perfect. Lunch was provided and there was plenty to eat. They even announced that if they ran out of food before all the riders made it in they knew where the grocery stores were and were willing to make a run to the store to ensure everyone was fed.
This is a great early season ride. I encourage everyone to put it on their calendar for next year.

Rode the 100K SS 42/18. Moderate climbing out of Granbury until the 30 mile mark then you cruise in. Good stops, good food, good support. Need to mark the left hand turn on the next to last rest stop with a sign. A couple of people missed that turn - I spoke with them. Save some hamburgers for the 100k people. Overall all this rides gets an 8 out of 10. Perfect for SS. Onto Muenster for a SS attempt.

Rode the 100K SS 42/18. Moderate climbing out of Granbury until the 30 mile mark then you cruise in. Good stops, good food, good support. Need to mark the left hand turn on the next to last rest stop with a sign. A couple of people missed that turn - I spoke with them. Save some hamburgers for the 100k people. Overall all this rides gets an 8 out of 10. Perfect for SS. Onto Muenster for a SS attempt.

*BEST* *RIDE* *EVER*
This ride could not be improved on in any way. Better organization than any other ride. Better (AND A TON MORE) Food/Snacks/Drinks than any other ride. Beautiful scenery with a TON of wildflowers. Hills. Dales. Rivers. Views. Log Cabins!!Everything you could ever want in an organized ride. HECK, THEY EVEN PLAYED LYLE LOVETT AT THE FINISH!! ('Cute as a bug!') Greatness all around. Do not miss this one next year.

Another great ride. My third year in a row to do this ride. I rank it with the Paluxy Pedal and Melon Patch Tour as rides I schedule every year.
Volunteers are great and you know at the end of the ride they will take care of you with food and drink. Thanks to everyone involved.

What an excellent ride! Thanks to everyone involved. First class all the way. A quartet singing our National Anthem, the pledge of allegiance, a prayer of safety for all (I never saw a Barnett Shale semi-truck the whole way) and plenty of friendly faces directing the riders along the correct route. I also liked the optional ride part way up Comanche Peak. Nice view overlooking the routes just taken. If there was a “negative” it was all the tables full of food before during and after the ride. See you in 2009!

If there is a rally I haven't been to before, I will read reviews on this site, from prior years, to help me decide whether or not to attend. I have to say, the past reviews were right on. This is a wonderful ride. My wife and I drove from Mesquite and, like the review above stated, it was nice to have the 9:00am start. There was plenty of parking and many friendly volunteers. I rode the 37 mile route and my wife rode the 23. For the most part, the roads are smooth, with some worn chip/seal. There was a volunteer or police at every intersection, plus volunteers to warn us about uneven tracks. There are a lot of hills, and the stiff headwind made it a challenge going out, but it was sure nice to have the tailwind coming in. I rode Lancaster the prior week and was under whelmed by the finish line and they could learn a lesson from Granbury. There was music playing, someone on the microphone welcoming all the riders, and there was plenty of food (hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, chips, fruit, cookies, drinks, etc.). All in all, the people who put this ride together should be proud of their efforts. I intend to return next year.

Wheee !! What a finish this route has! Fast fast fast on smooth shoulder with a South tailwind pushing you downhill !! Absolutely a delight to ride !
This year's weather was the best in a while. It seemed like the South headwind began a little early. Or maybe it just seemed that way because of the later start at 9 am. This ride only improves with each year. The volunteers are fantastic, the announcer is very clear about road conditions and route changes. The roads are probably one of the best in Texas (considering all the chip seal you get on other rides). The signage and presence of flaggers on the route is top notch. I heard rumor that Cruisin' de Hood may fall by the wayside next year if no one else wants to take up the reins of Ride Director. It would be a shame to lose this ride. Write a letter to the organizers. Tell them how great the ride is. Keep Cruisin'.

April 21, 2007

Well organized. Great routes. Plenty of food at the end. Top 5 ride.

I am a novice who just started riding to try and lose the gut, so this is only my second ride (Tour Dallas 07 being first) and I am working my way to The Hotter Than Hell 100. This is #4 for them and I think it was a great ride. The start of the ride had as smooth a road surface as you could aver ask for and when you turn off and get on to the back roads they are just that Texas back roads and except for one rail road crossing I don’t think it could be any better, and that crossing they give you plenty of notification that its coming up. Pizza and subway at the finish. Sag riders on Motorcycles so you never went to far without seeing one of them come by, and one guy was great because he would go by and ask everyone how they were doing remind you to get fluids, etc... he was great. I think they knocked it out of the ballpark and have no idea what they could do to improve this ride...

The 2007 Cruisin de Hood was great and I highly recommend this ride. The routes were very scenic and the hills were challenging but not too grueling. The traffic was light and the excellent support provided by the friendly volunteers also contributed to the success of this ride.

April 22, 2006

I arrived 20 mins late for this one. I estimated about 300 riders as I was parking the car. It appeared to be a mass start for all riders (23, 38 and 63 mile). (Late) registration was smooth. Didn't get a map when I registered and had to go back for one. They gave out a water bottle and bandana instead of t-shirts. They used color-coded paper cards with wire ties instead of traditional jersey numbers. I didn't think it would last and I was right. Wind ripped it off my bike in the first 15 miles. First 10 miles were roller coaster hills with 5% grades on some, but the views from the tops of them were excellent. Course was marked with painted arrows (color-coded to your card) on the road and on some signs. They also had an actual person to point out almost every major turn or hazard (bumpy low water bridge after short steep decent). There was also visible police, sheriff, highway patrol presence during the first half of the course directing and slowing down traffic. (Excellent) I stopped at the 20 mile and 40 mile rest stops. Both were very friendly and well supplied with fruit, cookies, peanut bars or powerade, even for us late comers. I think they only had one porta-potty per stop. The roadways and right-of-ways were the smoothest I've ridden all year!!! Even a lot of the chip and seal on the back roads was worn down. :-D Middle part of the ride had several long, straight, gradual climbs and descents. I maxed out at 36.6 mph on one with a tailwind. Woo hoo! Didn't see a single "Cujo" the whole ride, either. Another woo hoo! The one thing I didn't see (maybe because I didn't need it and was enjoying the ride so much) was the SAG wagon. I'm sure they must have had one. I highly recommend this ride. Despite being a bit off the beaten path of I-20 and no t-shirt, the smooth roads, friendly folks, long, fast desents, well marked course and picturesque scenery make it a 'must do' ride.

This was my first time to ride this ride. If you plan on doing this ride in the future, there are two things you need to be sure to bring. First is your camera. This is easily the most scenic ride around. Second, be sure to bring your climbing legs. I've never ridden Muenster, (next week will be my first), but I can't imagine Muenster having any more hills than this. Estimate that there might have been 500 people at this one. I rode the 63 mile route and it was great. Great volunteers. Great roads. Even in those places where the road was chip-n-seal, it was well worn chip-n-seal, so it wasn't bad at all. A lot of the course was smooth ashphalt. For the first half of the ride, you were either going up the side of one hill or down the other. After the 30 mile break point it smoothed out a little. And then it got hilly again just before the finish. There were a couple of sections of the course that had a little too much traffic for comfort. The only thing I can complain about were a couple of the rest stops. They were really bare bones. The last rest stop, mile 50, literally had one cooler of water. That was it, nothing else, one cooler of water. But all of the other positives about this ride more than made up for a couple of spotty break points. This is the best kept secret in the DFW cycling community. Definetly on my list again for next year.

This was my first rally of the year. I did this ride in 2004 and the first review of that ride was mine. What a tremendously improved ride from year one. I arrived late and started at the end of the line, check in was quick and I only took 1 item from the packet and left it on the table....couldn't really speek for goodies but that bandana will be used.
I brought my MTB just to make it interesting and it delivered. It did get a little old after dragging up about the 40th hill of the day but I had a great time anyway. You couldn't possibly miss a turn on this ride because with exception of the a couple of the larger roads there wer folks directing traffic at every turn. I know the folks in Granbury weren't responsible for the weather but they can surely claim credit if they want to. It was a tremendously beautiful day.
I have to echo the same statement on the Tolar rest stop. I could have really used something other than water but that was all they had. Not that big a deal but a cold cup of gatorade/powerade would have really hit the spot. All I had on board was water and that was all they had as well.
Great ride though. They really did the right thing by keeping it south of 377. A great place to ride on any day.

First time for this ride. I did the 100K (63 Mile) ride. The weather was perfect for this ride - sunny, with temps around the low 60's at the start and by the end of the ride it was around 80. The wind was light 8 - 10 miles out of the south. The staff and support for this ride was outstanding. The course was well marked with volunteers at all major turns and hazards (rail road crossings). The roads where in good shape and lightly traveled. There was a mix of chip-seal and asphalt but for the most part the roads are in good shape. The course was, at least the 63 mile course was rather challenging with several good climbs (5% - 7% grade). I only did 1 stop (50 Mile Mark) and it was staffed with friendly volunteers and plenty of water and sports drink, and various PowerBar snacks. The only complaint is they need more port-of-pots at the rest stops and definitely at the start and I would recommend a stagger start. The light car traffic, the scenery, and the support makes this a good ride. I drove from North Fort Worth to Granbury and it only took an hour and well worth the drive. This is a good course with good scenery. Good job, I will be back.

I rode the Edgewood 80 last weekend, and it can learn a lot from this ride. I echo previous reviewers’ comments about the great course support, volunteers manning all of the intersections and rough spots, seamless registration process, and lots of tough hills. I thought the race distances were perfect. It appeared that most of the riders did the 63 mile route making it nice to have folks to ride with the entire ride. I disagree with the previous review concerning the need for staggered starts. Not necessary. Views are incredible! Definitely do this ride next year.

One of the best rides of the year. I missed only the event's first year. Very light traffic on scenic back-roads. Patrolled and orgainized by State Troopers. Better than Muenster, but I'd rather have a T-shirt over bandana anyday.

April 16, 2005

This is the second year for this ride and I have ridden it both times. I was not happy with riding on 51 last year but wanted to try the new route. It was a great improvement. Low traffic, very scenic, lots of wildflowers, and quite hilly. The start was well organized and I really enjoyed the quintet singing the national anthem. They were great. Also I appreciated the heads-up on the bad railroad crossings. They were bad as promised, but we were warned in advance and warned with signs painted on the road. The turns were marked with arrows in the road, signs and people directing the riders. There was no way to miss a turn on this ride. What a great bunch of volunteers and great planning and preparation. I stopped at only one rest stop but it was sell stocked and the volunteers very friendly. At the finish they had all kinds of goodies, including hot pizza and cookies. They did a great job on this one. Also, it benefits a great cause - Boys and Girls Club. This ride is on my must do list for next year.

What a wonderful rally. The weather was superb and the rally was great as well. This is a super rally to attend. The route is so gorgeous with all the wild flowers. The support was great; except I do wish the guy at the 38 mile turn off would have been a little more alert letting us riders know this is where they should turn. I know, we need to pay attention, but I get caught up in the beauty of the ride. Oh well, I will be back for sure next year!

Wow! What a great ride! If you passed this ride up this year because of your experience last year, you've missed one of the best 38 mile routes ever. I loved the scenery, the smooth roads and how about all those fast downhill runs! The support was great and very visible. It was difficult to get lost on this one. I only had time to ride the 38 mile route, but I had a blast! When the wind started kicking up from the South I was already on my way back North (as many other cyclists were, too). I couldn't believe I was hitting 30 mph coming into Tolar. That creek crossing along the backroads toward the end was a real rush. Whoo! The route coming back in was on a wide, super smooth highway shoulder. With the South wind just pushing you along it was easy hitting 30mph. Helmets off the ride director. Excellent route and a heck of an improvement over last year. Bravo !!

This was my first long ride of the year. The route was scenic (wild flowers galore), hills were long and challenging, rest stops were well stocked, & volunteers extremely helpful. I rode the 63 mile route and was one of the last riders to finish, but the support staff was there all the way. I hope the word spreads that this is a great ride. 

April 17, 2004

This is a new ride but it is a ride with some good potential. The start was a little shaky, no one knew where to turn so we did a loop around a block downtown and got back on course. The volunteers didn't seem to realize that when the riders ask which direction a shrug of the shoulders  isn't quite the answer that a couple hundred cyclists are able to interpret. With that said, the ride covered the rural area to the north of Granbury and toward Aledo and for the most part is was a very nice ride with a steady dose of rolling landscape. The signage was out there but bear in mind that 8-1/2" x 11" signs right at the turn are often hard to read and are sometimes missed completely by a group moving 20+ mph, a Thank You goes out to a few of the Moritz riders who were quite familiar with the area. The wind was a beast on this ride. It was great at your back and was formidable in your face...as usual. The end of the ride had plenty of refreshments and the folks who were volunteering were very friendly. After the ride, we spoke with one of the police officers and they intend to have this ride again next year. He also said the course will most likely go the other direction towards Glen Rose. I have faith that the organizers will have a better idea on how many riders to expect next year and plan accordingly. I will do this ride again.

As mentioned, other than the confused start, the ride went exceptionally well for a first time event. Talking with the ride coordinators after the rally, they seemed very interested in rider feedback especially ways in which to improve. Although maps were provided for each route, signs on the road were sparse and hard to see. The routes were enjoyable and challenging and simple enough to follow even without adequate markings. The coordinators seemed very interested in ways riders felt the event could be improved. One suggestion heard several times was to mark the pavement with route directions rather than depend on signs which with the wind we were dealing with were probably in Abilene. Refreshment tables seemed to run the gamut from having anything a person could want to only a bowl of oranges and water. Either way, the people were tremendously friendly and helpful. This is definitely worth doing again next year!

The ride started out to the North and that put the wind at our backs. We came back facing South into the headwinds. The ride next year is promised to start out going South so that when we head back, the wind will be at out back

This was an uneven first attempt. The ride started out to the North and that put the wind at our backs. We came back facing South into the headwinds. The ride next year is promised to start out going South so that when we head back, the wind will be at out back. Refreshments at the rest stops were mostly homemade cookies and brownies, and the end of the ride had free pizza as well as more homemade goodies. The variety was amazing! Bring your camera next year, for the wildflowers were everywhere. This ride can only grow once the cycling community hears of the scenery, the food, and the friendly folks putting the ride on.

First, I have to say this was a successful first rally by the Optimists Club of Granbury. Congratulations ! Thanks to the volunteers and the Granbury PD for all their support. For those who don't know, Granbury is in Hood County, thus the cleverly named "Cruisin' The Hood". Catchy, huh? This ride will be an excellent addition to the other rides in this area like the ones in Stephenville, Glen Rose, Weatherford and Aledo. The road conditions ranged from flat & smooth to hilly to bike frame rumbling, especially along Baker Road and Hwy 51. The bluebonnets lined the road along 3450 and provided a very nice fragrance as your legs burned on the way up that long, steep, curving climb on the way to 171. Scenic, fragrant and challenging. What a combination! My suggestions for improvement would be to increase the size of the signage (maybe color code them?) and to instruct the young volunteers to call "homebase" if they need help with supplies (like cups at the first rest stop). Overall, a good fun ride. Congrats, again, Granbury. See you, next year. - Allez Cat.