Blackjack 100 - Cumby, TX

May 8, 2004

I've done the Blackjack 100 for several years now and the Cumby VFD still puts on a good ride. This is their main fundraiser and it's a shame more people don't know about it. I never heard a ride count but I don't think it was over 200. I know the Wild Ride! was the same day in Richardson, but I'll take riding in the country over the suburbs anytime!
I have two suggestions for next year....
It would be nice if the bicycle theme could be incorporated back into the T-shirts.
I only wish we could get off of (or not even get onto) the I-30 access road sooner. Perhaps the access road is used because the county roads are not kept up??? -just speculation on my part.
The scenery on the latter half of the ride is great and practically no hills!

Ride attendance was down this year. They do a good job but the last two years have been obsessed with service road routes for I-30! Why when this area has lots of nice routes without the service roads. I know because we ride around Cumby area during the year. Nice group of people who run this ride and very good cause. Always enjoy sitting around the back of the firehouse with the south wind blowing through the building while cooling down. I will always come back because of how close the ride is to my home. I wish they would consult more with the Sulphur Springs, Paris and Greenville ride directors, to make this a more successful ride.

The Black Jack 100 was a wonderful event as usual. The Cumby Volunteer Fire Dept. was out in full force manning every intersection and sag support. The signs were large and well constructed (not the kind that would blow away). The rest stops were well placed and stocked with plenty of fruit and drinks. The ride consisted of fairly flat rural roads with very little traffic to contend with. The Cumby Fire Dept. has been putting this event on for 14 years and their experience shows. After the ride the town puts on a small fair with food and arts & crafts for sale.

This is a nice ride with friendly folks donating their time for a nice rally. Even a trophy for the first place finisher of the 100k. My third straight year of doing this ride, but this year the turnout was lower due to another ride in the Dallas area. A plea to the organizers, if you've read our reviews the last few years then you know that too much of the route is on the I-30 service roads. Please take the route further south if possible and reduce the east-west portion on the service roads.

Was my first time to ride in the Cumby Blackjack 100 and I enjoyed it. The CUMBY VFD does a great job and they want cyclist to enjoy themselves. The 50k route was actually closer to 58K but that wasn't a bad thing. Its always nice to have the ride finish with the prevailing winds. County roods have rough surfaces, especially the service roads, but I enjoyed the ride.

May 2003

Just finished my first ride at the Blackjack 100, and man we really loved it. This is truly one of the best-kept secrets in rally's going on today. The town is small, which, was nice considering we came from Dallas. The people were so friendly you felt like you've known them all along. The T-shirts were really great, and the graphics were fantastic. One suggestion, I would lock up those old outdated porta-poties behind the fire station if you were not going to keep it stocked with toilet paper. Several people got stranded in them with no paper. One guy came out with one less sock on (get it). Now the course! There was a good readable sign at every turn; no need to keep you head down looking for stupid arrows painted on the ground (man I hate them). The roads were excellent overall with a little roughness here and there due to the type of pavement surface, not one single pothole and barely any traffic, no train tracks and even the dogs were friendly. The course was mostly flat (great for new riders or going for a personal best) with a few easily manageable hills. There was a good 20mph+ headwind on the southern leg, but the course was so wonderful it made up for the wind. The rest stops were also great. The volunteers were very friendly and cordial. They tried so hard to please everyone that they failed to cut any of the oranges because people complained last year of critters landing on the peeled bananas. I told them it was OK to quarter the oranges and leave the skin on (the bananas were left whole). This was for a great cause, helping the fire department and this community is what it's all about, it's a part of why we ride. Not very many riders showed up (a couple of hundred or so), so next year lets get more riders involved in Cumby cause I know they will come away with the same satisfied feeling that we did. By the way I rode with my wife in the 50K (cause I promised I would) and we had a great time. This was a personal distance record for her, I wanted to turn off at the 100k split so bad, but I did my "hubby" duty and stayed with her for mother's day. We will most definitely be back next year, and I will spread the word around about the friendly little town of Cumby and the Blackjack 100. By the way, you guys that did not go across the street to the little carnival really missed out on some good ole home cooking. We had chicken, and beef stew with all the "fixins," and some of the best homemade coconut and pecan pie you ever ate. The little ladies that cooked really reminded me of back home. So next time don't just get off of you bikes and load them up and head for home. Stop and smell the flowers!

Cumby is a great little town, and the folks couldn't be friendlier. I like this ride because it's small, and the folks supporting it really care. For the most part, the route is OK. I did the 100K, and I'm glad they changed the route so we don't have to do a double loop, but overall, we spent at least half of the time on the I-30 access road. There's got to be a way to design this route so we spend more time in the country and less time on the access road. The country side around Cumby is really very nice. Also, the rest stops are a little weak. At one stop, one of the guys said, "I've got some oranges," and I asked, "Are they sliced," and he said, "No, but I got a pocket knife." Nothing really wrong with the rest stops, just a little more attention to detail would be nice. Overall, it's a good ride, and I'll be back. Hopefully, next year they can keep the winds below 25 MPH :-)

This is always a nice little ride. As mentioned earlier, the wind was very strong this year but the small town atmosphere is tough to beat. I would also agree that the loop course in the past would be better than spending half the time on a rough noisy I-30 service road-no exaggeration. Our group rides in this area fairly regular, there are many nice areas to ride other than the service road. We will try to communicate to the Cumby Fire Dept some other options that they might consider for next year. This is a fun little ride for a very good cause and it is one of flatter rides in north Texas.

May 12, 2002

They had 251 riders this year.

A beautiful spring day in Cumby.  It was a bit windy, but the lack of killer hills compensated for that.  The people in this quaint East Texas town are very friendly.  The T-shirts are great.  Only complaint was the third rest stop, where they were already out of Gatorade and the bananas were already peeled with flies all over them (had to pass on those).  Also, some ice at all the rest stops would be helpful.  The town's volunteer fire chief starts the race from the fire engine with a few words, a moment of silence for the FDNY fallen victims, and then a blast from the engine's siren.  Plenty of food available afterwards, as a festival was taking place on the town's square.  The area is scenic East Texas farm land.  A lot of asphalt/gravel roads that are a little rough, but all in all, fairly smooth sailing.  I did the 50 km and will definitely be back next year.

It was a new route this year and it was a little rougher than before. The  rest stops are a little weak but I must say this is one of the best rides around. The people in this great town appreciate you and it shows. I love the flat route and the dogs were even friendly this year. The Fire Department does and excellent job and are to be commended. 

This was the first year to ride The Blackjack 100. I rode the 100k route and due to TX-DOT, ride organizer had to change the route and cut down on the miles. It turned out to be around 45 miles. The roads were lightly traveled and scenic. The most road surface were a little rough in spots, but other than that not bad. There were hardly any tough hills to climb, but the wind made up for it. The rest stops could use some improvements. There were plenty of rest stops , 8-10 miles apart. Which was nice Did not see any ice at the stops. Most of stops had Gatorade and a fair amount of fruits. Next year please do not peel the oranges and bananas. Most of the water was warm, but luckily I had enough ice my CamelBak to last throughout the ride. The t-shirt design was great, one of the best one I seen in years. Not sure, but looked like only around 200 riders. After the second rest stop, already saw any other riders, which made it kinda lonely out there. Did see several sag vehicle, not sure, but did not see a bike repair truck.. Could have used more or better layout for parking at the start. All in all, for a small town ride, sponsored by the Volunteer Fire Department, it was a good ride. Better than some I ridden in and a few items, could use some improvement. This ride sure beats riding 50-100k around White Rock Lake.

A few more people realized what a enjoyable ride this is.  They had double the turn out they usually have (from 100+ to 250 this year).  The roads are typical for East Texas for those of us who ride in the area.  They had great door prizes this year.  Great cause for some very friendly people.  These people don't hardly advertise, cyclist word of mouth is what brings people back to Cumby each year. 

Another great ride at Cumby! Although the shortened 100K was a disappointment (the roads were still under construction), the cooler temperature, scenery, newly paved roads, and the FRIENDLIEST folks I've ever met more than made up for it. The rally is the Volunteer Fire Department's only major source of income, so to say they appreciate the turnout is an understatement. For being so close to Dallas (only 1.5 hours away) and held so early in the year, this is an ideal cycling season starter! I will definitely ride again next year! 

May 12, 2001 - Blackjack 100 - Cumby, TX

Some of the faster riders do not like the double loop but they never look at the scenery anyway.  I myself, like the double loop I get to see what is coming up when I am tired towards the end of the ride.  I could not have asked for a more beautiful day.  The roads were a little rough in places but that is because there is no traffic to smooth them out. There were 109 riders this year.  

This is the ideal Spring ride!  I do the 50K (32 miles) every year and love it; what's the rush?  I'll work my way up to 100K in June.  The people of Cumby are friendly, the roads are decent, the countryside is...well...pretty - on average, better kept up than what you see on some Texas rides, and we raise money for the Cumby Volunteer Fire Department..  Even the weather was perfect this year.  The maniacal former tennis player types disappear off the front quickly (I guess they enjoy themselves) and the rest of us have a thoroughly delightful bike ride.  Then we get to enjoy lunch at the town fair after the ride. We need to do some word of mouth and get another 50-100 riders (but no more!) to this rally to make sure it continues. 

What a ride!!. It's for a good cause and the people are great. The routes are well patrolled and marked. I never stopped so I can't attest to the rest stops but the finish line activities are great. They also have a drawing for free prizes for all riders which I wish more rides would do it. I'll be back

We thought this was a very well supported ride. The Fire Chief was overjoyed at the amount who participated (they had lost their mailing  list). The ride was well supported with constant help in view. The rest stops tried hard to make it work the stop, if one thing could be better it  was the port potty thing, stop 1 was on a trailer that rocked. I would  recommend putting it on something solid next time. The shirts were the best of  the season so far. Lets talk this one up for next year--it is worth the  trip.

May 13, 2000 - Blackjack 100, Cumby, TX

• Such a pleasant ride with such a poor turnout! In this town of some 650 people, there's no reason the number of riders should not exceed the number of citizens. But apparently there was some problem getting the word out, so less than 100 riders (as best I could see) showed up for the 50K and 100K rides. (The 100K ride was just twice around the 50K route). While the day started a bit cloudy, it quickly cleared and turned into a gorgeous day for riding (except, perhaps, for the persistent headwind on the way back into town). For once, a route advertised as mostly flat with a few rolling hills really was. Much of the ride was on the kind of blacktop roads you get out in the country - not particularly smooth, but it was lightly traveled throughout. Even those sections with high speed limits were fairly safe because there simply wasn't that much traffic. And what traffic there was seemed patient and gave me plenty of room when they pulled out to pass. The route was well marked with small signs that held up in the wind and nearly every turn had someone there to make sure you didn't miss it. The rest stops were small (just one or two "hosts" at each), but well stocked with fresh fruit, sports drink, bottled water and cookies. Once we got started on the ride, I quickly moved into last place and was shadowed for the first couple of miles by an MICU unit. This was a little odd and started to get a little bit intimidating. But just when I thought I would have to take the entire ride with this ambulance right behind me (about 2 miles into the loop), the driver moved on to other duties (like helping mark turns in the route and making sure no one needed medical assistance). I was glad to have the tail end of the pack to myself. And I was pleased that only three riders on the 100K ride managed to pass me on their second lap before I finished my first. A small victory, to be sure, but a victory nonetheless. This is a ride I will do again and I hope an improved marketing campaign will bring more riders to Cumby next year (even if that does diminish my chances of winning one of the door prizes).
• This was a great ride. I was surprised that less than 100 showed up on such a great day. The ride was well marked and heavily manned. The dogs were even friendly with one lone exception. I rode the 50K route and never stopped so I can't speak to the rest areas but enjoyed the roads and light traffic. The door prizes were a very nice touch and the downtown festival was in full swing right were you finished. This was well worth the 65 mile drive from Dallas and I will be back next year with out a doubt.

BlackJack 100, Cumby, TX May 8

• I am slow and have been followed by the Sag wagon before but this is the first time I was followed by the Porta-Potty. The folks at Cumby go to such great lengths to make this rally a good ride.  Even the rednecks in their pickups pulled over to the side. Also once again the t-shirt was beautiful.