Comanche Cyclone" Bicycle Tour -Comanche, TX

June 2008

This ride was the same great route as last year. The rest stops are staffed with typical West Texas folks who are the friendliest anywhere. I don't know if it was the wind or the gas prices, but they only had 80 or so riders which is a shame. This is a great ride with almost no traffic. Now the wind did make an interesting trek to the north and only the last 15 miles or so were into the wind so several of us got in a pace line and had some fun (I know I'm sick). Rumor has it that the winery might do dinner Saturday night which will be great fun if they do. Overall, a great ride in the country with fantastic rest stops. Oh, I almost forgot. At the end, they give out door prizes and the famous Comanche Coney Dog which is a regular hot dog, chili, cheese, onions AND roasted pecans!

June 2, 2007

Another year,and another thumbs up after doing the "Cyclone" ride in Comanche Tx. Turnout was a little lower than last year,but weather and the price of gas may have had a lot to do with it.I think the gas issue is going to sting alot of events in Texas this year. And the issue was raised at my house as well,but the way the folks in Comanche treat cyclists won out.You just can't ask for any better. And considering that the city of Comanche is not very large,they put on their ride event in a way that larger cities should follow. Great course,well marked,rest stops that are run by nice friendly people. And the courses are set in nice scenery. Several times during the ride I backed off the fast pace just to take in the beutiful view.In my opinion this is the essence of cycling.After the ride a chilli hotdog deal was dished out. I enjoyed the food,but enjoyed the after the ride talk with the volunteers who made it all happen.And they asked what could be done to make the ride better. I like it just the way it is. It's just a fun ride that challenges your skills as a cyclist and leaves you in a good mood the rest of the day. I'll be back.

One of the top 3 rides in north central Texas.  Back country, low traffic, scenic routes (I rode the 55).  Plenty of SAG and more wildflowers than any other ride.  This is a must ride.

WOW, all I can say is "I'm impressed". This was the first year that a group of us did this ride and it was fantastic. Starting with registration the night before: I stood in line for 30 seconds MAX! Pretty cool t-shirts as well! The ride started and even with the rain the night before, the roads were great. Yes we had a couple of 1/4" water crossings but they were NOTHING! So what was at the rest stops? Fig Newtons (and strawberry ones as well), cookies, pickles, gaterade, water, oranges, bananas AND absolutely the friendliest folks you could meet! The sag vehicles were everywhere. The most I have seen on ANY ride. The route was great and the roads were very nice.
No traffic (like we see in the metroplex) on any road. Overall, these folks did a great job. If you want a weekend away, I'd highly recommend doing this ride, visiting the winery and eating at Yumms!

In its 3rd year, the Comanche Cyclone is one of the best rides around. The organization, SAG support and spirit of the volunteers is flawless.
I rode the 42 mile route and found it to be very challenging in the final 15 miles. All the routes finish on the same inbound road back up to Comanche.
Save your strength for this final stretch because it's a lot of long, long gradual climbs. Any downhill relief on this stretch just doesn't last long enough. The roads are great, fairly smooth with very little traffic. The turnout seemed a little low, but I'm sure it was because of the heavy rains that morning. By the time the start came around, the sun was out and the roads were drying. Still I met several riders who drove in all the way from the Fort Worth and Arlington area. If you can make your way out to Comanche, this ride is highly recommended.

June 3, 2006

One of the best. Country back-roads, no traffic, and very scenic. Total opposite of Mesquite

I just completed the 2006 Comanche Cyclone. Very good ride with some of the friendliest people around. I missed last year, but it will be a definite ride on future schedules. A big thanks to all the volunteers who made this ride so enjoyable. See you next June.

My first time to ride this rally. Parking and registration are as easy as it gets. They served chili dogs and chips at the finish. From registration to rest stops, everything was great. I only needed water and ice but, noticed that the two rest stops I stopped at were stuffed with the usual gatoraide, bananas, oranges, pickels,fig newtons, etc. Sag patrol and support seemed to be everywhere. Most importantly though, the route was well marked, good traffic control and good road surfaces on the 100K route. I would recommend this ride and will go back next year.

June 4, 2005

his was the Comanche Cyclone's first bike rally and they did a fantastic job planning the route and maintaining excellent SAG.  Route markings were absolutely wonderful. It would've been extremely difficult to miss ANY turn. Large numbers on the pavement and route  signs posted along the way. The roads were way better than I expected. Wide shoulders on Hwy 36 on the way out and lightly traveled farm roads on the way back in made for a pace that was higher than my usual average. The wind was from the South, but it was hardly a factor until the last 16 miles, but even then, it didn't seem like it was blowing all that hard. For those who can make it out that there, you need to put the Cyclone on your list for next year. Thanks to the folks from the DeLeon ride who helped out. And thanks to the cyclists who were on the steering committee for coming up withan excellent, scenic and fairly challenging route. I'm looking forward tonext year's ride already.