BICYCLE-STUFF REVIEWS

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Smokin' Spokes, Salado, Texas

April 1, 2006

These guys know how to put on a ride. I did the 102 mile route and that wind was a monster. 20 to 30 mph and challenging hills. My monitor said i climbed 3261 feet in all. This was my 8th century. All routes were clearly marked, very nice rest stops and everyone was so friendly at each one. All were fully stocked. Appeared to be plenty of sag support. Roads were clean, no debris. It did drizzle at first but only helped cool things down a bit. The fire department really seems to care about this event and it showed. The shirts were awsome, I have it on right now. The ride started at 8:00 and I got back at 3:30. The delicious spaghetti, rolls, sauce, salad and power ade was still there. I dont think the fireman left till dark. I will definatly do this one again. Good job guys and thanks for a great ride.< This was a challenging yet fun ride. Salado Fire & Rescue, Bell County CERT, and all the volunteers did an excellent job manning the rest stops, running traffic control, and providing SAG support. The roads were in good shape for the most part. There are a couple challenging climbs at Eagle's Nest road and Nolanville Hill. For the 70-mile route, I ended up with 3,191 feet in elevation gain. The wind was brutal as well. Between the hills and the wind, this ride offered a two-pronged attack that left me well-whipped at the end of the day. The course was well marked and as stated by a previous reviewer, the group is kept together for much of the ride. The splits for differing routes don't come until late in the ride. I had a great time and fully intend on doing it again next year. - BoP

April 3, 2004

This was a very nice ride that was well organized and well thought out. I did the 57 mile route. The organizers had all the riders doing 50+ miles start together and ride together until the split which did not occur until about mile 50. This was wonderful because it gave riders along time to decide on the distance they wanted to do - no early commitments necessary. The routes also loaded up on the hills early and then seemed to flatten out towards the end. In my opinion, this is the way it should be - hot the hills while still fresh and save the spinning and coasting for the end when tired. The route was very well marked, so much so that I plan to go back and do the ride again on another weekend and use the painted arrows as my guide. The rest stops were adequate. My complaint here is that the rest stop at the park by the lake was at the bottom of a hill and was out of water when we got there. So, not only did we not get to refill on H2O but we also had to climb the hill back out of the park to get back on the route. All in all, it was a very nice ride that I will do again. Nice job!

 

March 1, 2003

I want to thank all the participants who came out to show their support. We had just under 200 riders which we thought was a great turnout being a first year ride and with the weather conditions being what they were. We are changing the date of our ride next year (2004)  to Saturday April 3rd in hopes of finding some more agreeable weather. We are also adding an 82 and 102 mile routes this year. We hope to make this ride better and better every year, and we can only do that with your input. Thanks for your nice comments and constructive suggestions. And thanks for making our ride such a success. We hope to see you next year!!!! Email us @ saladospokes@aol.com

Kevin Reichert

Salado Smokin' Spokes Ride Director
Captain Salado Fire Department