Muenster Metric Century, Muenster, TX

April 26, 2008

Rode the 100k SS with 42/19 gearing. A nice course. The first half of the last 15 miles had a couple of tough climbs. Difficulty rating for SS 7 out of 10. Great support, good roads, and plenty of parking down by the stadium. The start was jam packed with people - pretty nifty. Fast downhills. I will return.

You won't find a prettier ride in N. Texas than the Muenster 100k. There some pretty countryside in that area. The roads were decent (except in St. Jo) and the rest stops were well stocked. The only complaint I have is with the number of porta potties available. I only stopped in St. Jo and there was only one porta potty with a looooong line. Surely the Germanfest can spare a few of theirs?? Oh yeah, signage was good and love the T!

Ride Review - Muenster 2008: This ride just gets better and better each year! I think the weather this year was probably the warmest of all the many years I've ridden Muenster. The registration was much more efficient than in previous years, and there was no shortage of bike shops or tech assistance at the registration area. The ride kicked off smoothly and the southbound leg was pretty much a huge pack until the 1st rest stop, then things started to thin out a bit. The rest stops were well stocked and enthusiastically staffed; the oranges were the juiciest I've ever had on a ride! The SAG support was plentiful and necessary due to the heat, hills, and headwinds which took a toll on many riders. The headwind on the eastbound leg was a challenge but our group had plenty of energy at the finish line, and even more on the dance floor at the picnic grounds! Like I said in my review last year; if you don't have a BLAST on this ride or at the event after the ride, you have no clue about what cycling is about. GREAT job again Muenster, we'll be back next year to cuss the hills and scoot a boot on the dance floor!

Große Fahrt, lausig Abgang. This is German for "great ride, lousy finish" (per Google translate). This was my first time to do the Muenster ride. Based on the prior year reviews I expected problems finding a place to park, but I had no problem. Granted, you may have had to park two or three blocks from registration, but it is a small town. Registration went smoothly and they seemed to have plenty of t-shirts (liked the design). It was a beautiful day for riding, even with the stronger than forecast winds. I have to say the start was a little dangerous. I got the impression this was to be a staggered start (if not, it should be) based on how we were lined up. The problem was all the cyclists, on a decline, and being funneled into a narrow road. Experienced cyclists are more used to riding in large groups as this. Novice cyclists, for the most part, are not, and focus on the riders in front of them, forgetting about the riders to the side and behind them. I don't think there was any incidents, but I saw a few close calls. As for the route, I did the 65k. The roads were in good condition, very few rough spots, but boy do they have some hills. Above I mentioned it was a lousy finish. To be more accurate, there was NO finish at all. You rode back into town (if you were lucky, you didn't get stopped at Hwy 82) to no finish line, no water, no Gatorade nor food of any type. I guess since there was a festival going on there would be a little more hoopla at the end. That being said, having the admission tickets and drink tickets for the Germanfest, included in the goodie bag, made for a great to check it out. Auf Wiedersehen.

The 100K ride was a blast! Could use pickles at the St. Jo stop. Good job Muensterites!

Oh My Goodness!! This ride is perfect!
Bad parking?? Huh? Ride your bike to registration, after all you do intend to ride a little today, right?!
No hoopla at the end? I don't get this one?! Do you realize how spread out the finishers are in a rally, especially one of this size? How long do you expect the revelrie to last? Finish first and I bet there will be cheering!!! In fact I heard of a ride in July that finishes in Paris, France with a TON of cheering!!!! Try it out sometime!
This ride was well organized, well supported, boasts some of the best roads I have ever ridden on in a rally, Less chip-seal than any rally I have done in N. Texas, and I have done most. The climbing is about perfect...oh and this ride is finished off with a great German Festival... Free admission and 2 free beers to boot!! This is a must-do ride for me. Thanks Muenster.

April 28, 2007

Parking sucks, get there early or don't go.

FINALLY!! Decent weather for Muenster. It was a beautiful day w the scenery to match. Did the 100k on the Strada and it was quite a workout. The roads were in decent shape w mostly worn chipseal. The rest stops were well stocked although I do remember one on a downhill that I almost blew right by. Wildflowers were out in force too. Hope we have good weather next yr.

The weather relented overnight and we had a beautiful day for riding. Hardly a cloud could be found all day. This ride is very well supported- even when there were close to 25% more riders than expected. We had nearly 2000! There were sag wagons very visible, and lots of help for anyone needed it on the route. There was a rest stop just inside every 10 miles by my odometer. I rode the 65K route. It was a blast up to the split with the 100 K riders. The next 5 miles were a series of long steep hills. There is a lot of climbing on this ride. My wife and half our club rode the 100 k and they were worn out at the finish! Almost 2500 feet of climbs on that route! But the roads were fantastic. Several of the roads were newly paved and not chip/seal. The volunteers at the rest stops kept the crowd of rides in PowerAde, water, bananas, cookies and pickles. They are awesome and hustling. My first time to ride this one. I am a recovering mountain bike rider. This was my wife's 6th time. After the ride you have to go to the German fest. My club did and had a really good time together. Thanks for the free beer coupons and free pass! This is my favorite ride in North Texas now.

Parking sucks? Thanks for the in-depth review. I'll have to admit that you need to attend the Muenster ride a few times in order to know where to park. You might have to ride your bike to registration a bit, but so what? Just do it. Don't whine. My only complaints is the ride starts too late (11 am) and that there isn't much "celebration" at the end for the 40 and 20 milers. I wonder if this is true for the 100k riders.
As far as the routes and support, Muenster has done a very good job. There were lots of people on the side of the road cheering and waving as you climbed your way out of Muenster. SAG support was visible and active. Rest stops seemed well-manned and plentiful. The volunteers were very nice and helpful. I didn't run into or hear of any kind of trouble with the local residents.
With your packet, you get a free ticket for the Germanfest Fair grounds. There's also a credit towards two free tickets for beer or a soft drink with your packet. The roads and routes were good, but very hilly and challenging at times. So overall, Muenster gets an "A" for support and routes, another "A" for the free tickets, and a "D" for a dull finish line for the 40's and 20's.
I'll ride again next year.

I still say the parking could use a lot of work. There is a high school statium there. Where do they park the football crowd? Maybe in the large gravel field next to the stadium. BUT in the spring the gravel field is overgrown with weeds. They didn't bother to mow it. They didn't bother to have anyone there with a flag. They just didn't bother. This ride appears to be going on autopilot. - John

Muenster 2007: I’ve done this ride a dozen times and the weather is often as challenging as the hills; it's usually cold, wet, and windy with decent crowds of riders. I checked the weather forecast early Saturday morning and figured I better arrive 30 minutes sooner than normal due to the exceptionally good weather and am glad I did! Everything went smooth as buttah at registration and the ride started close enough to the posted time of 11:00. The course was in excellent condition and well marked. I did the 100k route and only made one brief pit stop at the Saint Jo location, which was well stocked with all the necessary goodies by enthusiastic volunteers. One thing that sets this ride apart from most others is the large numbers of enthusiastic volunteers ready to give you a hand off as you pass by their rest stop – the only other ride that does it this well is the Mesquite Rodeo Ride. The other thing the sets this ride apart from almost all others, except the Red Bud in OKC, is the festival after the ride! Great weather, great ride, great roads, great rest stops, and great people watching at the festival after the ride – what else could one ask for in a bike ride? If you can’t have a blast doing this ride you have no clue about the essence of cycling.

Muenster is a very small town with a population of less than 2000. I don't think they anticipated the parking needs of 1800 riders plus the 1000's that came just for the Germanfest. Tiny towns don't have mall-sized parking lots available...you have to get there early.
I drove in from out-of-state and stayed in Gainesville so I was able to get eat at IHOP and get to town by 8:30. I parked very close to the registration area. Their main parking lot was reserved but there was a gravel parking lot by the stadium. Most folks sought parking on the streets. I pre-registered and packet pickup was a breeze. I wish they had handed out sunscreen packets instead of linament! There were 3 one-lane bridges under construction on the 66K route we were adequately warned about them. Law-enforcement personnel were available where needed and stopped traffic for us several times.
There was a staged start and getting going wasn't that bad. Most of the rest areas were good but they didn't have enough potties and the very last stop didn't have a bathroom. There were many enthusiastic volunteers and cheerful children to help. The roads were good and the first section was like riding on glass. The 100K route had lots of long and/or steep ascents and several screaming descents. My fastest speed was 45 and I won't mention how slowly I had to go to get up a few of those hills. I'm glad I paid attention to several folks who warned me to save my energy for the climb back out of the valley!
I didn't stay for the festivities but managed to get some tasty Muenster goodies to take back home.

PART of the parking problem was due to a funeral at the Catholic Church. First time ride for me. What a great ride and day to ride. Will ride it every year.

The largest Ride I've ever been on, best supported, and beutiful weather.

Most of the 100k route has no shoulder and the oil/gas field service trucks along with the dirt bike trailers were extremely impatient. A disaster waiting to happen.

The 2007 Muenster ride was a fun ride with lots of hills. Parking was not that bad—much easier than finding a place at the HH100. However, the real PROBLEM was the finish line or lack of it. C’mon, we have ridden for 100K and are looking forward to a finish line with someone there, possibly an MC with a PA and microphone. I saw many riders getting caught in traffic and wandering around the town looking for the finish and their cars. Once you got to town, there was a sign off to the side of the road that said “FINISH,” but nothing else. Take a lesson from the Lancaster Ride or the HH100 -- a finish line reaffirms that you just did something special and gives you closure. Plus, it should bring you back to where you started so you can find your car quickly.

Came down from NW Arkansas for the Germanfest Bike Rally in Muenster. What a treat! Spectacular weather and a beautiful, hilly (yet never miserable) course. The event is also a bargain if you consider that you get $12 of your $20 fee back in Germanfest admission ($6 value) and two beer tix ($6 again!) in addition to getting a t-shirt. This event was larger than I expected for a small town cycling event. Don’t know the rider total, but 1,000 wouldn’t surprise me. Everyone was helpful and friendly. Aid stations were nothing to write home about, though, with basics only (bananas, cookies, and water, mostly). They should raise the price a couple of bucks and increase the quality of aid stops to make it the PERFECT offering.

I rode the 65K and found the route to be exhilarating and challenging. I was disappointed with the wait time for the less than ample porta potties at the two rest stops I used but did enjoy some nice conversation with other riders while waiting. Although there was no cheering or fanfair at the finish there was plenty of cheering along the way. The scenery and weather were beautiful and I was able to look around and be thankful for what a beautiful world I get to enjoy. Oh yeah, and who can beat working your hiney off and then being able to reward yourself with awesome sausage with kraut and beer!!!

April 29, 2006

The rain and the wind and the ride start ALL started at the same time. It was like a war zone with hundereds of bikers struggeling at six miles per hour thru a driving rain and dozens of refugees turning tail and heading back. If you turned back, you missed a great ride.
I know a lot of bikers who refuse to do this ride because of the 11:00 a.m. start time. "Usually by eleven I am finishing up a ride, not starting" Maybe it is just as well because the start is crowded enough already. I wonder if an open start might spread out the riders and make for a safer start. There could have been a few more ports-potties at rest stop one and two.

This was my first Muenster ride, and it definitely won't be my last (next year though, I'll be prepared with a long-sleeve jersey in case needed). Other than the weather that stirred up right at starting time (cold pelting rain and 25-30mph wind gusts), the ride was awesome! But hey, North Texas weather is always unpredictable around this time of year (they had a tornado in nearby Gainesville just the night before), so you just have to expect the unexpected. Because of the rain, slick streets and maybe 2000+ bikes, quite a number of us delayed our start 45-50 minutes until the rain subsided and it was safer and more comfortable. We still experienced excellent rest stops, patrol by numerous support vehicles, plus well-marked, manned major turn points ... not to mention good roads and a very picturesque route. This ride was one of the most challenging I've ever encountered, largely due to the strong headwinds for most of the distance combined with hill after hill after hill (several of them could have been "small mountains"), but then I love good hills. Germanfest at the finish line was a great finale with plenty of food, drink and family activities. For those of us driving from the D/FW area, the 11:00 start time is ideal ... you don't have to drive up the night before and you still have plenty of time to enjoy Germanfest after the ride. With very few exceptions, the local traffic was polite and courteous to bicyclists, even way out on the country roads. Kudos to the ride organizers, volunteers, local law enforcement officials and everyone else for an excellent job! Sehr gut durchgeführt, Muenster!

This was my first Muenster 100 ride. Rain and wind at the beginning aside, this was a scenic, well organized, but tough ride. I rode the 100 k, which turned out to be 60 miles by my odometer. Road surfaces were good throughout the ride. No chip seal that I recall. Route was well planned and easy to navigate. Lots of sag support and well manned intersections. There were lots of hills, which made for some tough ascents, but rewarded riders with some incredible vistas of the surrounding countryside and some screaming descents. I particularly liked the rest stop set up in the downtown square of the quaint town of Saint Jo. Also I’m a BIG fan of the 11:00 am start. I wish more races outside the DFW area would start later in order to make it easier for DFW riders to ride. My only complaint was the finish line. There was nothing but a banner hanging the side of the road to indicate we had finished the 100 k ride. Kind of a letdown. But this was a minor complaint. I’ll definitely be back next year.

Always a great ride. The treacherous weather with rain and 40mph gusts at the start made for some interesting, defensive cycling but was over soon enough. The sun was out long enough to brighten the whole ride and even though it was again sprinkling at the end, that wasn’t enough to dampen the effect of a well organized rally. These folks out-do themselves. Even though I didn’t stop at a single rest stop on the 100k course, I shouted a thank you nonetheless. The road surfaces on this course are great the entire distance. Most rallies have at least one or two areas of bad road but this one doesn’t. I love the 11am start as well. Me and a friend drove up early to get in extra miles before the start to make a century out of it. And, it doesn’t get much better with the food/drink selection after the ride at the Germanfest. Even the free shuttle from the church was an added bonus. This rally is great on all accounts in my book.

This was my first ever rally and rode the 22 mile course, loved it despite the weather. Just one comment: Perhaps a staggered start makes sense as there is a bottleneck on the steep hill about 1km from the start and that would help string out the pack and let people get some speed up. Other than that, great!

This ride was truly a great event and workout for all ages and levels of bikers. Plenty of great hills, beautiful scenery, dogs distanced, well marked signs, great sag support, well-spaced rest stops, traffic controlled at major intersections, all for a good cause. A little cold at the start, but provided great sun protection and prevention of heat casualties; too bad so many people seemed to turn around and leave so early. My Polar 625 showed a total ascent of a tremendous 2400 ft of climbing (+/- 100 for drift) with multiple 4% to 6.3% grade hills for the 100k ride compared to Aledo’s 100k ride of around 1300 ft of total ascent. They still, however, need to put rest stop # 6 probably on top of the hill versus at the bottom to warn bikers of possibly dangerous down hill speeds related to the 8.3% grade drop of almost 1 mile (what a ride up that would be!) I’m sure they were probably put on the bottom of the hill for optimal observational shooting bike gazing and they would call the EMS if one fell to earth too hard. Muenster Texas looks almost as beautiful as the Muenster Germany, with one exception, in Muenster Germany they use bikes for 48% of everyday travel; but you can see this innate German thinking, as this Texas town has unusual 4-lane wide residential streets, which could easily be converted to exclusive bike safety lanes like Germany’s. The Muenster festival was nice, but the coke tickets were useless if you don’t like beer and the food vendors wouldn’t redeem them this year (coke booth was closed as last year); a food vendor tried to short change my 20 to a 10 while using distractive shuffling of a wad of money, but he was pleasant upon confrontation by apologizing; It’s was hard to find 10 good people in Sodom and Gomorra (or Detroit) and it is probably just as hard to find 10 really bad people in towns like Muenstr.
See the Polar HR data

This was my third year doing the Muenster ride. I took a friend who brought his small son along (riding tandom) and I was concerned for their safety so we wound up being one of the many that turned around. After reading the other reviews, I sure wish we would have hung in there but there is always next year. We did dry off and go to the Germanfest and had a great time there. If anyone found a Cateye bike computer, please let me know. My fiend tried to clear his at the start of the ride and it shot off his handlebar. With the massive start, coupled with the wind and rain, he didn’t feel it was safe to stop and retrieve it and when we got back to the start, it was gone. Contact number is 972-874-6345.

April 23, 2005

It's been said before, but I'll say it again: This is a great ride! The folks in Muenster have got it figured out. Pre-ride, everything from parking through registration to the start went without a hitch. The ride itself offers as much challenge as anyone could ask for. The 100K route has lots of long and/or steep ascents and several screaming descents. The road surfaces are mostly smooth with very little chip seal (seriously - nothing like Edgewood), and the route itself is well laid out through some beautiful terrain. The rest stops were well staffed with friendly/helpful volunteers and stocked with all the essentials and then some. The wind was howling out of the north this year at upwards of 20mph, so the back side of the route was a real bitch. But once we made the last turn for home, the tail wind made it all worth it. And finally, at the end, there's German Fest. What a terrific event this is, and each rider gets free admission and two free drink tickets. I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday -- ride my bike hard on the hills of Muenster and then sit down with friends to enjoy some beer, brauts, and kraut. I'll keep coming back to this one 'til I can't ride no more! --Patrick Milliken

Beer drinkin' bubbas win. Not sure I'm gonna ride this ride anymore and I know of some others who are definitely out. It seems yesterday was a bad day for cyclists. I saw one car / bike accident. I saw a bubba in a red truck, speeding by a rest stop only to get pelted with fruit and water bottles, then he got out of his truck and charge at the cyclists at a rest stop like he was gonna to do something, and; A friend of mine saw a girl get seriously injured in another car / bike collision. Rumor has it that the driver was drunk. At first I thought I liked the late 11:00 start but now I think it gives the beer drinkin' bubbas a head start, and by noon thirty, they're drunk and ready to go to Germanfest endangering everyone on the roads. Maybe they should rethink the start time and move it up a couple of hours.
All this drama ruined what was otherwise a well run, enjoyable event. I always enjoy riding Muenster and the fair grounds afterward. Other than the wind (which was always a headwind), the ride was great. The volunteers at the rest stops were great and the kids holding out bananas were sweet. I rode the forty and really enjoyed the ride. I'll be back next year only if they promise the riders more security somehow or move up the start time. I don't know why it never dawned on me that having a German beer festival and a late starting bicycle rally might be a recipe for disaster. Am I alone on this? And does anyone know how the girl is doing?

My first ride at Muenster TX. April 23, 2005. I heard about this ride for years but never made to the ride before now. A good friend and I drove up to try out the ride. The late start of 11 AM is so riders from the Ft. Worth, Dallas area and other surrounding cities can make the drive to Muenster. The warmer weather had all blown away with the cold front over night and it was refreshingly cool (about 50*) as we signed in. I really like the start, down hill with a good tail wind. The first 11 miles were mostly downhill and with the 20 to 25 mph tailwind and very fast. That may have had something to do with a crash before the first rest stop. Bad things happen to good people and I always say an extra prayer for any down riders. Just a mile or two past the rest stop (on a down hill again) was another crash with a rider down in a neck brace about to be loaded. This was the only part of the ride that went bad. Accidents happen so fast you never have time to avoid them. After these two accidents I did not see anymore problems and we were able to enjoy the ride and the beautiful countryside. The flowers were in full bloom (the Indian Paint Brush the most dominate ) and the rolling hills offered plenty of challenges. The rolling hills just kept coming and coming. As we headed back into the wind I had my Buddy to hide behind and the wind still wore me out. My friend (who turns 60 soon) lead me all the way. All the rest stops had plenty of goods and drinks. The people were all friendly and willing to help. I saw more kids helping at the rest stops than ever before and that was good. The tee shirt was really nice but the tee shirt, a free ticket and pins were the only thing in the bag at sign in( I like more suprises). My friend and I choose to ride the 65 K instead of the 100K because of the strong wind and the hilly terrain. I still think that was a good decision. We were both tired but not wasted at the end of the ride. The ride was good and we will be back next year. I still would like to know about the riders that crashed, are they going to be OK? David in Azle.

The Muenster Metric Century was an excellent ride. We started late but I guess that happens from time to time. The route was well marked and very challenging due to the wind and the hills. I rode the 65K and had a blast even with the hills. I have 2 gripes about this ride. After all these years of putting on this rally, the organizers should know to put the rest stops well off the road so there is room for all to get off the road. The tables at one of the rest steps was less than 5 feet off the road. The other gripe is is geared toward my fellow riders. I have never seen so many inconsiderate cyclists in all my years of riding. Ambulances were dispatched for the 2 accidents at the start of the ride. When the ambulances left with sirens blaring MANY cyclists refused to yield the right of way and continued to ride 2, 3, and 4 abreast instead of going single file to let the ambulance pass. There was also issues at the rest stops. Cyclists leaving their bikes in the road and standing in the road. There was barely room for others to ride by much less for vehicle traffic. It's no wonder we are hated by so many motorists!

We did the 22 mile ride this year and felt that it was a great ride! There could be a few more porta potties at the first rest stop. That's my only complaint except the wind which was out of the north at approx.73.56 mph.

April 24, 2004

No doubt the weather kept the numbers down for this edition of the Muenster Germanfest Metric Century. I always enjoy the challenge of this ride and the hills. Rest stops were well stocked, SAG Wagons were ever present and having the Germanfest at the city park afterward is a big plus to stick around and enjoy the music. The T-Shirt is the best I've seen so far this year. Can't wait until next year.

My first time for this ride since it is usually on the same weekend as the Tyler Beauty & the Beast. Glad to see they coordinated these two great rides on different weekends. The ride more than met my expectations. Very unique experience combining the bike ride with the Germanfest. Everything about this ride was great except two things but they were not really a factor this year. The starting time of 11:00 worked just fine this year due to the cool wet weather but that usually is not the case at the end of April. The 2nd thing was that there were only 3 porta-toilet out in front of registration. They have been running this ride for 28 yrs so either not enough people have complained or bicyclists overlook these because the experience is so positive. It is difficult to say negative things about this ride! There are not many rides that are truely a family affair but this one definitely is. The route is challenging for any level of bicyclists and the Germanfest has something for the whole family- food(authentic German), live entertainment for kids, live music, shopping. I would recommend using the bus to get to and from the Germanfest unless you feel like walking 6 to 8 blocks after you ride. I will put this on my calendar for next year.

The ride was well supported, plenty of power aide and fruits and plenty of volunteers handing it out. Very enthusiastic support by the staff. Cool t-shirt, too. Pre-rally packet pick up was a breeze. Roads were okay, a little rough for my liking but I've ridden worse. Understand this: this ride is nothing but hills. Just hills. That's it. We were lucky we only got drizzle and no wind this year. I can't imagine trying to climb those hills into the wind. If you know beforehand that you're going to be doing hill work for the ENTIRE RIDE, you'll be okay. Just be prepared for it.

To those who stayed at home, you missed a good one. This was my first time to the ride and what a challenge. This is a good training ride for Beauty & the Beast. Some of these hills will make you say "sheisa" going up and down. Rest stops were placed so wonderfully. Every 30 minutes by my clock. Virtually no traffic at all and the roads couldn't have been better. One improvement.direct the riders to the fest. At the end of the ride, I cleaned up and had no idea where to go.

This was my first time to ride Muenster and I can hardly add to the comments from previous posts from past years. I just want to thank all the volunteers that came out on this cold and crappy day to take care of us riders. Because of its many difficult hills I approached Muenster as a personal milestone ride. I'm a very large guy who wasn't at all confident that I could handle so many hills. Truth is I didn't -- I bailed out on the two big hills at 30m and 50m and walked to the last grade to the crest. I figure I could have made it up each, but I decided the energy trade off needed to reach the crest might keep me from my ultimate goal of finishing the 100k. Even so, I rode many challenging hills and now feel much more confident in my ability to take on challenging rides. I say bring on them stinkin hills ;-) Oh yeah, one more thing... for the second week in a row I was the last rider to finish the route. I'm starting to consider finishing last a very definite honor. Thank You Muenster. You put on a class act!