BAM-Bike Around Midlothian - Midlothian, TX
July, 24 2010
For a first year ride, this was terrific! Great course, fantastic rest stops, killer hills. Only problem was some course confusion and poor markings. At one point a sign said turn left, but the volunteer told us to go straight. Could use a bit better street markings, and a couple intersections near the start were not manned. We had bicyclists going all around cars, etc… BUT, other than those couple things, which I’m sure will improve next year, this was an outstanding ride.
Good turn-out for a first time ride and nice scenery. The needs improvement: pot holes and traffic islands need to be marked as it seemed when there were markings it was from some other rally/ride that used some of the same roads; a single lane wooden bridge that is in great need of repair doesn't belong in this type of ride and seems to be to be especially negligent to have it not marked in such a way as to prevent someone doing a header into the creek and I presume broke not only his bike; the route markings need to be more visible especially in the first several miles as there were many turns as I heard of many folks going off route, missing the big hills, etc. and if there is to be a motorcycle escort they should leave at the start and stay on the course for more than 50 yards.
We did the inaugural Bike Around Midlothian. For the most part, it was well organized and the volunteers were super friendly and helpful. The only downside is that the signage needs to be improved. The 65 mile route was not particularly well marked at the beginning and a lot of the riders missed a turn close to the beginning. Towards the end, there were a few intersections where it would have been helpful to have a volunteer stationed to point out the turns. Otherwise, it was a really enjoyable experience. The rest stops were well stocked and the volunteers were as helpful as could be. Having a kid blast you with a cold water mister at one stop was a really nice touch as it got hotter. The Chick-Fil-A box lunch at the end was very welcome. We'll do this ride again. I think the sign problems are just a new ride hiccup. Some rough roads and some chip seal, but I'm not sure how much control that they have over that If they can improve the signage problems, this ride will be great. Please note---they are not kidding about some tough hills. "The Wall" really is a wall. Many cyclists had to get off and walk it. It is extremely steep--but short. I look forward to next year.
Great ride, especially considering it was the inaugural event. The accommodations at the start finish area were outstanding.The sign in and packet pick-up was staffed with many friendly and helpful volunteers which made for a great start of the day. The rest stops were very well stocked and again staffed with very friendly and helpful volunteers. The box Chick-Fil-A box lunch was a really nice treat after a long ride. The 65 mile route was challenging but fun. The "Wall" at Cedar Hill was a blast to climb ( I could feel my front wheel trying to come off the ground), and at approx mile 52 "Heart Break Hill" (I think that's its name) was also challenging and fun. These 2 features alone make a great route. Now the bad-course markings were terrible at first but improved later in the ride. More volunteers at key intersections ( there were almost none the first 20 miles). The worst problem was the fact that the Midlothian Police were late for the start of the 65 mile, not only did they put the riders in danger but they showed a total lack of respect to the City of Midlothian, the ride organizers and its sponsors (most of whom are local businesses), shameful. With a few tweeks this has the makings of a great event and I look forward to next year. Great job by all the staff and volunteers.
For an inaugural year this rally went off fairly well. The website touts that this was a rally organized by very experienced riders and ones that have done many, many rallies before. Having claimed that there were a few glaring, rookie errors. Right out from the starting gate for the 65 milers, we took a wrong turn and had to weave our way through town and back to the highway. The course was marked pretty poorly. There were many times when there was just paint on the road but you have to remember that some of these roads are used for Cedar Hill’s Head For The Hills road rally as well as one out of Waxahachie so there was paint everywhere. Out of everyone that I spoke with only one person did the 65 mile route as it was intended. I lost 7 miles from turning too early and my brother added on 3 miles somehow. The other problem was “the bridge”, which for me fell around mile 40 or so but for everyone else was around mile 47. A person had to be airlifted off the course because they took the bridge too fast and crashed. Eventually the race director started rerouting people around it but anyone that had planned that course and driven it would have realized that it was unsafe to send riders over that bridge. Especially since it was at the bottom of a small descent.
I only stopped at one aid station along the way but it was manned be very nice people who were more than happy to help but they didn’t know where they were in the grand scheme of things. The one I stopped at told me I was at mile 40 when my cyclometer told me I was at 50. Which brings me to my next point, maps in the goodie bag. We passed by a table that was saying that they had maps and went through the different maps saying “This one’s for the 10 mile route, this one’s for the 25 mile route and this one’s for the 45 mile route.” What about the 65 mile route map?
By turning too early I missed out on the climbs that are in Cedar Hill. I’ve done them before so I can tell you that “The Wall” is really short but really steep and the climb that you hit going south on Valley View at the northern most point of the ride is a long, hard grind. On what I did of the route there was only one climb that made think “this one’s a little tough”. I believe that it was “Heartbreak Hill.” Other than that there were mostly short, steep climbs and rollers that were over quickly.
The finish line was very nice. There was a large tent set up in the parking lot to give all the riders shade as well as a fantastic fan/mister that helped cool everyone down. This is the first time that I’ve seen that at a rally and thought it was a great idea. The box lunches from Chic-Fil-A were great and all the finish line volunteers were more than helpful. This is a rally that I would like to do again and hope that they take all these suggestions to heart for the planning of next year.
The 2010 BAM Rally 65 mile was exceptional. It was so well organized and publicized that I did not know it was the first year. The web site was very good. The review of the course by the designer was a plus since there was no GPS history on the web. I would recommend a course review for other sites. The riders got exactly what was described. I would have included a note on how to detour the "wall". The ridership would have increased. The route with the wooden bridge where the accident occured was shut down shortly after I passed through, that was a beautiful section. I would rate this one of the best rides of the year. I will be back in 2011. Ditto on the other reviews of food, volunteers, signage. I like the BAM pins and jars of honey handed out at the end.
I’ve just read the first review on the first annual BAM ride, and could see why they felt this was a fantastic ride because they weren’t one of the groups that got confused with the poor markings and confusing course layout. I ride just about every Saturday ride in the area leading up to HHH, and this is the first course that I’ve been on where the add on loop that separates the 45ish and 65ish rides is at the very beginning. I personally prefer courses that have the loop later in the day so you can made a decision based on how you are feeling and the conditions (heat, wind, mechanicals, etc). Aside from the loop being on the front, the course markings that were on the ground were too small and easily missed. The larger real estate like signs were posted close to the sections of the course that doubled back on itself making it even more confusing to know which way we are supposed to be going. Of course, all that would have been moot had there been race staff or police directing traffic through these intersections. The route we ended up taking was a mix between the 45 and 65 where we got to our first rest stop at mile 18.
I will say that the rest stop people were really friendly and helpful. Well stocked with fruits, bars, drinks, and pickle juice. I won’t be doing this ride again primarily because I want the option later in the day to go shorter if necessary, but once they address the issue with the course markings, then it will be a lovely ride.
Good start for a new ride, but as others have said, lack of course markings and unmanned intersections really ruined the otherwise excellent route. The first traffic light in the ride, right after the motorcycle escort turned around, was unmanned and the light was working. I've never had to stop so soon in a ride. Many more intersections were unmanned, making it hard to follow the route, and dangerous for the riders since some would obey the signs/lights and others would ride through them. The sections on highways had very narrow shoulders, with no shoulders on the bridges. Since there were no staff/police where bikes entered the highway, cars were not aware of the ride and were passing close and fast to the riders. Many intersections that had staff had them standing before the intersection showing when to turn, leaving the intersection itself unmanned. The volunteers were great at registration and at all the rest stops, good starting location with plenty of parking, and most of the route was on very nice tree-lined roads with minimal traffic. Add more signs, get more people and police in the intersections to direct traffic, and this will be a great ride. Look forward to seeing the improvements next year.
BAM! At the beginning of the race the entire 40 mile Group turned wrong following a previous rally’s arrows (which were huge and easy to see). Because we were on the wrong route there was no one at the very busy intersections. A police officer chased us down to turn us around. We went back and looked and the BAM arrows were almost to the light after the large arrows told us to turn left. Arrows for BAM on the road too small. BAM Signs too small and usually right at the turn instead of giving us a warning. There was one intersection where the sign was past the turn, on the opposite corner. Quite a few people went straight and had to turn around. I liked the ride, but please mark it bigger and move your signs. You will probably want to avoid the wooden bridge from now on too!
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