North Texas Classic - Saginaw, TX

April 10, 2008

Where do I begin!  This ride pretty was pretty much crap from start to finish!  First off, I couldn't find signs on the highway leading to the starting area.  Second, the announcer did alot of advertising (the sponsors, HIS newspaper ) but not much "thanks for being here".  I really just didn't feel the love!  Next, the signage was not horrible, just not much good. The signs were WAY too close to the actual turns and I was never really confident that I was on the right road!!!  I saw many people turning around because they missed the turns.  The rest stops are hard to describe...I've seen worse, but many rides are MUCH better.  Some rest stops were very good..the people were VERY helpful and friendly.  On the other hand, some rest stops were manned by zombies....all sitting there with a spaced out look on their faces.  They DID have the important stuff there..bananas, oranges, gatorade, and water.
The roads...sometimes we were on good roads, not much traffic..and then you have the stretch from Boyd to Newark and then back to Saginaw...plain old sucky. Lots of gravel, lots of traffic, not alot of shoulder. 
Sag...didn't see sag until the last 8 miles.  I really felt like I was "on my own" on this ride...something I could've done without paying?  I really don't think that the organizers have ever ridden a bike..they need to go on some of the good rides to learn what it takes...that is, if they ever want this one to succeed.  Will I ride this one next year..probably not...I should've done the cedar hill ride?!
PS... please don't give us socks instead of a shirt, then try to sell last year's shirts for $5 at the end of the race.  Tacky to say the least!

This was my first rally so i have nothing to compare it to but it seemed to be run well. I did the 60 mile route and it had well stocked rest stops and pretty good help on the road. The sag wagon was there and even asked me if i was ok once ( i bonked from starting to strong). The route was a good one and the roads were pretty good as well. Over all it was a good time that i will repeat.

The North TX Classic 2008 had another successful year. Registration went smoothly, we rec'd socks instead of T-shirts, a nice change and touch. Started on time, all roads were well marked and in good condition. Rest stops were well supplied with plenty of volunteers. Thank you to the SAG support and motorcycles out assisting riders. The all you can eat subway sandwiches, chips, drinks were great. Everyone needs to put this rally on your calendar for next year. We'll be back!!

I went to the North Texas Classic ride is Saginaw and it was a fun ride. But any day riding is fun. I thought is was good for a small ride and the parking and amenities where fine. I can’t comment on the rest stops as I generally don’t stop and the people are volinteers so I am just glad they are there at all.
If I had to complain it would be that the turn onto BO BO road was not well marked.
I was leading the 40 mile and had no one to follow. I missed the turn and went 6-7 miles out of the way but I did get to ride into Boyd and stop at the gas station for directions and chat with the locals.
After getting back on track I finished the ride a little disappointed that I lost my position; but Its all good.
The roads for the most part where good and the traffic was not bad. I was glad the police where there to escort at the end and also block streets in busy intersections. I had a good time but when your leading It would be nice to make the correct turn. Chit happens.
I would do the ride again and will next year. Thanks to all who supported it!!

We rode the 40 mile route (43 actually). The folks in Saginaw can't seem to get this one right. Although there was very good traffic control at major turns and the signage and rest stops were fine, route selection was poor at best. The first 10 miles was great, lots of rollers and low traffic roads. Turning North on the West side of the lake you are on a 4 lane high speed road with good shoulders but lots of uncontrolled intersections for several miles. Saw too many riders blowing through red lights. Middle portion of the route was also good but the last 20 miles were as bad as I 've seen. From Boyd back to 287 the road is 2 lane, 70 mph traffic with a 2 foot cracked and busted shoulder. I'm surprised there were not riders among the roadkill. At the last rest stop at the 287 turn there was a guy selling rugs out of his van and was offing 25% discounts to riders for "today only". If they had been flying carpets I would have taken him up on the offer if only to avoid the jagged chip seal, gravel, and glass all the way into Saginaw. Coupled with the headwinds over the last 20 miles I was glad to get out of there. With the current route it is doubtful we will do this ride again.

I skipped this ride last year because of the reviews. I really wish I would have skipped it again this year. Total waste of time and money. I could have gone out on my own and done a ride and had a better time. Question: Was the guy doing the announcing a Kiwanis Member? I missed the intro but IF you do this ride again, please replace him. You never thanked the riders for a) spending their money with you and b) coming out to your ride when there are MUCH better rides on the same day. Chip seal is a fact of life these days, but do any of you ride a bike? You could probably get with a local bike club and have them help review the routes. I can't believe that in an area that is bicycled by lots of people you would choose these routes without checking them out. Yes the turn signs AGAIN were way too close (another hint that no bicyclist reviewed this ride).
Finally, (I almost bought a rug :) ) if you're going to put on a ride, at least act like you are happy to have it going on. At the end, I overheard one of the Kiwanis people say "I hope we don't do this again". Well, based on this years ride, maybe you should go back to some other fund raising. It wouldn't hurt to have kids helping and both kids and adults show some excitement and gratitude towards the riders. You probably don't care, but we're pumping our darned legs off and to have a friendly smile and nice discussion while at a rest stop goes a long way.

April 12, 2007

I was reluctant to do this ride after reading the past reviews. However, this must be a great example of learning from your past mistakes. I did the 60 mile route and for the most part it was on nice, low traffic roads. Not all of it was perfect but you are never going to get a ride this close to the metroplex to be perfect. The good part was there was ample traffic control and no problems on the roads or at any intersections. Some of the roads were really pretty. The roads were well marked with arrows and signs and we were also given a very accurate cue sheet listing all the turns. I only stopped at a few rest stops but the ones I did stop at were well stocked with lots of food (oranges, bananas, cookies, variety of chips, cheese crackers and pickles) and they had plenty of ice water and Gatorade. There were also at least 2 porta-pots at each rest stop. There were a lot of friendly volunteers helping with this ride and it was very well organized. For those of you that took it off your list last year, you need to come back and give them a try next year. This was only their third year and now they have definitely gotten it right. It was a great ride!

This was my first bike ride. I've been riding for about 3 weeks, so I didn't have any idea what to expect. I rode the 20 mile route. I thought everything seemed well organized from start to finish. The intersections on the 20 mile route were all manned either by a volunteer worker or police. With this being my first ride, I don't have anything else to compare it to but I thought it was awesome! A few places along the shoulders were dirty with pebbles and small rocks but I would think that's fairly common. All in all I thought it was a well put-together event and I really enjoyed it. I would go back in 2008!

This was our third year and each year is better than the last. Routes were well marked and rest stops well stocked, overall a good job. Hope they keep up the good work and numbers increase for next year. One thing I noticed was the rest stop at Peadon & Boat Club Road needed a covered area for riders and staff as the weather heated up. That was a major rest stop in both directions.

Much better than last year! More sponsors, volunteers, supplies (gotta be careful with green bananas, though!) NOTE TO RIDE ORGANIZERS: Keep this 20 mile route same! With the exception of Hwy 281, tremendous improvement from 2006. However, turn off 281 to (I think) Saginaw Road: mark pavement with paint. I blinked and almost missed turn-off because of sign in high weeds, and saw some riders going straight down 281. A shame attendance was low due to our Dallas-area cycling bretheren riding at Cedar Hill event; however, this is an OK option to us Tarrant County folks.

April 13, 2006

This was my second year to do this ride and this is the second anniversary of the North Texas Classic held in Saginaw TX.  The registration was smooth and staff/volunteers were enthusiastic and helpful.  They do need a louder speaker system, you could not hear any of the instructions and the actual start caught many of us by surprise (could not hear the instructions).  I rode in the 100K and I liked the stagger start.  I do have a couple of complaints about the route.  The route did take us up several high traffic areas.  The shoulders were wide, but we still had to negotiate our way through several stop signs, stop lights, etc.  Some of the intersection did have people to stop traffic but not all of them.  I will not complain about the chip-seal, because if you want to ride in Texas, you must deal with the chip-seal.  I must say that only about 1/2 the route was on chip-seal.  I only stopped once and the rest stop had plenty of Gatorade and water.  There was plenty of bananas, oranges and cookies.  The rest stop was staffed with enthusiastic and helpful volunteers (they held your bike up so you did not have to lay on the ground - very nice touch).  My only complaint was the lack of rest room facilities.  At the rest stop I stopped at there was no port-o-potties.  They made us cross the street to use the facilities at a convenience store.  There is room for improvement - I would look for roads less traveled by the car driving public and I would add at least 2 port-o-potties at each rest stop.  I will be back next year, kudos goes out to the Saginaw Kiwanis.

I rode this ride in 2005 and now in 2006. The overall summary is this ride has turned into a money grabbing event that should be banned as a bicycle ride. I don't know what happened in 12 months, but this was the worst ride I have ever ridden and I will not take my family back next year. Let's begin with the start. The check in tables were on grass! Don't you know that the shoes we wear don't like loose dirt and mud? The speaker system was horrible and you couldn't hear what the guy was saying and all of a sudden the ride had started with several riders still in the parking lot. The organizers obviously didn't listen to last years comments about signs and intersection/turn support. On the 60 and 20 mile route, the signs were placed too close to the actual turn. When you're clipping along at 15 to 20 mph, it's hard to make a turn in 30 feet! Plus, what happened to putting the turns on the street with paint? The Kiwanis is very lucky someone didn't get killed at Boat Club Road and Azle Avenue. There were no police to assist like last year. Who's bright idea was it to have the 20 milers on 199? I had my wife do this route and as I watched the turn signs, I couldn't believe that they would put beginners and children on 199, not to mention the 20 mile route was the hardest route with all the hills and the road heading back east (Roberts cutoff) was again VERY dangerous and obviously had not been ridden by any member of the Kiwanis. Folks, there is not a shoulder on this road and you had children riding it AND crossing Boat Club Road! I hope you have good liability insurance in the future. Back to the 60 mile route, went by the first rest stop which was on the side of the road, bad idea because there was no place to get off the road and NO facilities. Think about the women on your ride next time, do you really want them lowering their shorts to relieve themselves? Went by the second rest stop, NO facilities which by the second rest stop, is HIGHLY recommended. The rest stop people simply shrugged shoulders and said you'd have to use a business close by. Hey Kiwanis, how would you feel about pulling up to a place and leaving your bicycle outside (yes some are a couple thousand dollars) and walking in where you can't watch your bicycle? There was no support for any of the intersections in Azle and on 730. There weren't enough signs on 730 that gave you a comfort feeling that you were going the right way. Went by the 3rd and 4th rest stop and guess what? NO facilities! It was about this time that I realized that there also had not been any support vehicles to help with the multitude of flats. The organizers obviously left that out this year as well. There was no intersection support in Newark which had a left turn. If you're going to do this ride correct, you must have help on left turns or tell everyone at the beginning that they are on their own (of course, why pay for it if this is the case). The signs in Rhome were atrocious, but not as bad as the intersection at the last rest stop. This intersection was an accident waiting to happen. Between the traffic, and the screaming dirt haulers, we took our lives into our own hands here. Once again, no facilities. the only good thing about this ride was the shower at the end (of course it was in a dark room I guess they hadn't coordinated that either with the school). I had several friends ride this ride and usually on a ride I hear the complainers from a few. You got 100% on this ride. 100% dissatisfaction from everyone we talked to. So, in summary, No support at intersections, No facilities, bad locations for rest stops, poor sign locations. The only thing we got from this ride was fruit, water and gatorade. Are we going to have to buy that next year from the gas stations?

I did the 40 mile route on Saturday. I really enjoyed the ride, lots of volunteers, happy faces all around. I was alittle skittish about some of the roads we were on, but with the light traffic, there were no problems. I found the same problems as the previous post. The rest stops need work for next year. 1st, you need more than 2 stops on a 40 mile ride. 2nd, port-a-pots at the rest stops would be nice. 3rd, and this is for all rides, not just this one, please have ice at the rest stops. There was plenty of Gatorade, bananas, cookies ,and apples(which was a new one on me), but no ice. I'm sure I was not the only one to notice this.
All in all, its a great ride, and for a 2nd year outing, they did a good job. I will be back next year.

The course after the first few miles (10 or so), was AWESOME! Rolling hills that weren’t too steep, but were just right, traffic that was basically friendly, and great support (I know – I was in one of the sag wagons from mile 30 on…
That leads to the comment – myself and two clubmates, as well as several other people, flatted on the railroad crossing at the 30-mile mark (Rhome?). It cracked my carbon wheel and it was a painful experience. They probably didn’t know it was so sharp, but a little asphalt could go a looooong way towards fixing that next year. Also, there were some unmarked corners, and then finally, some of the stops weren’t controlled by traffic monitors or flag wavers.
ther than that, it was a great course on a great day. Thanks for hosting it, and we’ll definitely be back!!

My first time on this rally; saw last year's review and thought "what the heck". Only did the 20 mile route, but good grief! Pretty hilly...didn't think I needed to stop at the 6 mile stop (asked for ice, didn't have any, left immediately), but if I knew the next stop wouldn't be until 15 miles from start with many more hills, I would have. Both large water bottles were empty before I got there. The 15 mile stop also had no ice (deadly on a very hot day) and was hidden behind a church. Lots of beginner cyclists on this rally, so they seemed to be struggling a great deal with the hills/distance between stops.
Signage to direct to high school was completely absent. Only because I had a friend who lives nearby was I able to find it, and even then I took a wrong turn. Organizers need to put out at least a one-page cheap flier for directions.
However, great enthusiasm from the volunteers, and they seemed genuinely concerned to make this a better ride next year. Wraps and drinks at finish were greatly appreciated! Kathy the "Duck"

The worst ride I have been on. I'm surprised no one was killed or seriously injured. No volunteers at major intersections. No volunteers at turns. No painted arrows. Small, hard to spot signs, too close to the turns. My 40 miles ended up being 32 miles as the group I was with missed the Pederon turn. My wife says the 20 mile route was poor and dangerous. I thought last year was bad when we all had to wait 20 minutes for a train. This was the pits. On the good side, the registration was OK, but only one crowded and smelly bathroom. The volunteers at rest stop 5 were very nice and helpful. It's a shame there isn't a decent ride in the area this time of the year when the weather is beautiful. My wife and I won't be back to the "Classic".

I did this ride last year and enjoyed it very much. This year's ride was still a lot of fun. The weather was great as was the support and the route. I also had an experience I would like to share. I rode the 40 mile route and, as usual, I was passed by many 60 milers. Especially notable was the passage of the ride leaders. In other rides, this has portended rude comments or, at the very least, feeling that I'm about to be run over. This was not the case today. As the lead car passed me, the driver informed me that the lead 60 milers were on their way. OK. I cringed and moved as far to the right as possible, preparing for the worst. Imagine my surprise when, as I was passed, I heard comments like "Thanks", "Way to go", "You're doing great, keep it up." It was easy to see why these folks were the "leaders." Thanks, guys.

This was my first year riding in the North Texas Classic and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The staff was helpful and enthusiastic. I had little trouble finding my way over the 60 mile course and, except for the ever-present chip-seal, found the route pleasant. That, taken together with the abnormally low wind speed made for a very enjoyable ride. Yes, there might have been a portapottie or two along the way but I was fortunate enough to not require one and found their absence to not be a problem (under other conditions, though, I could see that it would be an issue). All-in-all, this was one of the most pleasant rides that I've ridden in the last couple of years.

I rode this ride in 2005 and it was a good, but tough ride. For 2006, I'm not sure what happened but it was a very dangerous ride. There was absolutely no intersection support at VERY dangerous intersections such as the Exxon at the last rest stop on the 60 mile route. It is a shame that no porta potties were available for the women of the ride. I wonder how many of the volunteers at the start/finish went to the bushes to relieve themselves during the day. This was a huge oversight and probably a killer for this ride in the future. I wonder if the parents of the teenage girls would have appreciated the guys taking a leak in the bushes at the rest stop north of Azle? Did anyone ever see a SAG vehicle? I saw several flats and a couple of busted bikes but no support. And the poor guy that crashed and had to ride his bike back to the school because even the rest stops couldn't get in touch with and support. The signs were a joke and on 730 you had to get the Energizer Bunny attitude and keep going, and going and going. I heard complaints about the hills, but honestly, where is there land that is flat around the metroplex. It's the hilly, dangerous, no support and no facilities that killed this ride. If a lot of people have good memories, they will be lucky to get 50 riders next year.

May14, 2005

Very good first effort and worth the 1 1/2 hour drive. Saginaw High School was easy to find and the ride sponsors were well set-up and organized which made registration very easy. I'd recommend that they have actual copies of maps to hand out though, not just a table to view them. The ride course itself (I rode the 60 mile which turned out to be 58.62 miles) was advertised to be one that an experienced rally cyclist laid out, and for the most part that was apparent. Most surfaces were good, but there were some "bumpy" sections and the course did put us on some high traffic routes, albeit ones with wide enough shoulders. The previous evening's thunder storms "washed out" some of the main route and we were diverted onto some less than adequate surfaces, but I'll assume this was a one-time occurrence. The signage was good, but the ride directors definitely need to have signs that pre-warn of pending turns...most of the signs were right at the turns and I did end up missing one of them. Traffic control was above average...all the major intersections were manned, but we did have to stop at a periodic traffic light or stop sign along the way. I can't comment on the rest stops, but they appeared to be well manned and placed. I'd estimate that we had over 150 riders and I'll bet that it grows when word gets out...overall a good effort and one that I'll definitely do again next year

For their first annual ride, the Saginaw Kiwanas did a fine job. Everything was well-organized and ran very smoothly. Although the weather looked foreboding on the drive over, the sky cleared just in time for the ride. The 40 mile route was just the right combination of hills and flats. Really enjoyed the section through the military base. This ride is definitely worth a return trip next year.

Just finished the 1st annual North Texas Classic in Saginaw....kudo's to all the volunteers, you did a great job. The ride started on time, intersections well covered on busy roads, rest stops well supplied with sports drinks, food, music and especially enjoy rest stop #1....after the ride the subs, ice cream and red bull was also great....Keep up the good work and thank you to all who made this day memorable, we'll be back...

Gee, I hate to be a wet blanket, but I thought the ride was terrible. My wife and I did the 40-mile route. Rough streets with lots of traffic. Minimal support at the rest stops (no cookies). I know this was their first time, and growing pains are to be expected, but I don't see much hope for this ride as long as it starts and stops at the same place. It's just too busy an area to expect decent routes. Move everything north ten miles and I'll try it again.