Goatneck 100, Cleburne, TX

July 28, 2007

This year's Goat Neck seemed like another success. I hear there were more riders than last year. Again, the route was marked well with signs and painted arrows on the road. All the rest stops I stopped at were well stocked, had plenty of volunteers, and were well placed. Parking was easy. SAG support seemed to be everywhere on the 72 mile course. I did not pre-register and thought it would be a drag to register because the lines were long, but I got registered within about 5 minutes of getting in line. All the volunteers were very friendly and enthusiastic. This is really encouraging to the riders, especially when you pull into a rest area all beat up(as the Goat Neck can do to a cyclist). The Goat Neck is a ride by which all other rides should be measured. Thank-you to the city of Cleburne, Glen Rose, the surrounding communities and counties, most of the drivers who were patient while the cyclists clogged the roads, and all the great volunteers!!! One thing I did not like was the amount of cyclists who still think it is ok to wear, headphones, ear buds, ipods, etc while they ride with a large crowd. You are a danger to yourself and all of us who are riding with you and around you. I know many of you think you are experienced enough to do this, but many other riders you are with are not. Do everyone a favor and leave the personal devices at home. Is there any way for sag wagons, ride officials, or anyone else in charge to remove a rider from the course who insists on doing this??? All in all, the Goat Neck continues to be an excellent ride with great support.

With the exception of being guided to the back way to the parking lot (very slow), a decent day. A good showing of participants, well-stocked rest stops with friendly volunteers and a nice goody bag with a great-colored T-shirt (although I'd prefer the "Goatman" design on the front). Feeling a little under the weather and only able to ride the 27-mile route, had a good time anyway.

I do this ride every year - good routes and support. Due to my schedule, I often don't know whether I can do a ride until a few days before and am a frequent "race day registrant." For the last two years I get to the Goatneck one hour early and they are always out of T shirts - and it's a fun shirt. C'mon people - it's not a surprise all these people show up. This is bad planning - next year if it happens I'll just leave the registration table and ride as a bandit.

The volunteers and organizers did an excellent job this yr at the Goatneck. Intersections were controlled, rest stops were well stocked and the hazards on the roads were well marked. Good color for the t-shirt! I noticed there seemed to be more traffic this year, especially the semis! The only gripe I have is with the other bikers. I wish that people would physically move off the road at the rest stops!

This ride is one of my favorites. Rest stops are awesome, SAG vehicles are GREAT and the staff/volunteers are wonderful. Because of the popularity, I think the organizers should consider a few suggestions. First, in the registration packet, give some instructions that if you start with the 100k (or any other distance with experienced riders) then instruct them on riding on the right side if they find themselves being passed by everyone. This caused a serious accident not too far from the start when two riders were riding on the left side of the lane and doing about 10mph. Second, I suggest that the organizers negotiate with the local "roughnecks" working the construction and oil/gas wells to simply slow down. It was ridiculous how fast these semi's loaded with tons of equipment were driving on very narrow roads. They don't have to close the roads, just have them slow down. The accident after the Rock and Roll rest stop was almost made worse after a "water truck" from one of the wells came flying over the hill to see the firetruck and ambulance assisting a crash victim.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the bicyclist that was hit by a red pickup at the last intersection. I was very impressed by the police officers immediate reaction and actions when this accident happened. They deserve a huge "Thank YOU" for all they do on this ride.

This was my second year to ride the Goatneck 100K. Big Thanks To the organizers for putting on a great event. All of your volunteers were extremely nice and helpful. Registration was great, t shirts are great, all the rest stops and sag were top notch as well. I will be back next year. A little note to anyone riding one of these events. When coming upon a rest stop if you are stopping please get to the side of the road. Also, when leaving a rest stop watch for cyclists that are coming by. I almost ran over two people as I was passing through a rest stop area because these people just pulled out in front of me. I had even slowed down to watch for this and I was glad that I did.

Congratulations to the Goatneck and all it's volunteers for another successful rally. I loved that the rest stops were approx. every 5 miles apart. The SAG support was everywhere. The finish line area was fun but would love to hear more cowbells maybe at the rest stops also. My suggestions for the rider who mentioned no ipods etc. would be, "You've got to be kidding us! How about worrying about more important stuff like the rider who rode without a helmet!!! or the semi trucks that didn't want to share the road or the pelatons that after the 1st few riders pasted you they started to move closer to you without any consideration on how close you were already to the shoulder of the road, come guys share the road." I'm sure that you don't use your cell phone when you are driving either. The Goatneck is a ride that everyone should plan on attending for next year!!!! Again thank you to everyone involved, you did a GREAT JOB!

As usual one of the best rides of the year. Weather conditions were ideal for a fast ride - Contrary to prior comment, I experienced little if any auto traffic, this ride seldom has much if any traffic except for a few short stretches.

As always a great ride. I was late so I didn't get a t-shirt. Maybe organizers should offer a discount once the shirts are gone? Also, please find a way to prohibit iPods etc. They are a danger to everyone out there. The rest stops are fantastic, especially #4. Thanks to all of the volunteers who make this a great ride.

Awesome event! The route and staff were excellent, the rest stops were well spaced and supported, and the scenery was beautiful. The weather helped out by not being a typical hot July day and the course was tough but fun. This was my first Goatneck and I will definitely be back next year.

This was my first time out to this ride, driving down from Collin County. The drive was quick and easily doable on ride day even coming from all the way across the Metroplex. There was great traffic control and coordination of the available lots to get everybody in and parked for the ride. Registration and packet pick-up on ride day was a breeze. Bathroom facilities were scattered well away from the high school, except for a few stalls in one of the locker rooms adjacent to registration. There were a lot of folks who queued up like lemmings to use those with no idea that the main row of porta-potties was just outside on the grounds but well up towards the start line, with more indoor facilities also available in a field house also located away from the registration area. These facilities were easy to miss unless you headed out away from the registration area to search for them, especially early before the sun came up or for those who were directed to park back behind the high school. A little more signage and direction towards those would have helped. More porta-potties out by those other parking lots wouldn’t be a bad thing either. I also was surprised that the ride doesn’t use rider bib numbers for the back of your jersey. Those make great mementos and this is the only rally that I have ever come across who doesn’t use them. You’ve got the coolest logo and rally name in this part of Texas! Why not spring for printing these up for your riders? That’s why God made rally sponsors! You got your goodie bags from Bicycling Magazine; RoadID will provide these for bib numbers for free if you want to go that route. The music, national anthem and staggered send off at the start were well done. The routes were well chosen and clearly marked for the riders. There were a few huge tank-trap pot holes along the routes that while encircled with spray paint warranted some addition heads-up and painted warnings in advance of them so that riders could be aware and steer to the side before coming upon them. At speed or even creeping in a group of several hundred riders, these suckers are hard to see and avoid once you are only a few feet from them. The rally area was relatively free of traffic and the scenery was beautiful. I have to agree though that the heavy trucks in the area weren’t always the best at accommodating the visiting riders. I did appreciate the portable signs that the rally organizers had used along the route to warn the truckers to be alert and mindful of the cyclists. All of the rest stops were shaded, stocked to the tops of the tent poles and staffed with volunteers who clearly wanted to make this a great day for everyone. Sag and emergency vehicles were everywhere and ever-present along the ride routes. I loved the way that the finish area was set up complete with a finish line, a cheering section for the riders as they came in, and an inviting post-ride music and party area complete with seating for family and friends who came out to watch. I will do this one again. Kudos and many thanks to all who were a part of putting this rally together! Thank you sponsors and thank you Cleburne!

TERRIFIC Ride; MANY THANKS to the ORGANIZERS(JAYCEES) AND THE VOLUNTEERS. Kinda new to the organized tours, but the rest stops(sorry, only partook of R7 and R9) were GREAT!!!!. Great markers. Hills were everything promised(that means they kicked my tail enough that I couldn’t worry too much about the tractor rigs.) Smooth registration. Am kinda curious as to the height of the shower heads in the boys locker room!!

The 07 Goatneck 100 was a stellar ride. Thanks to all the volunteers as well as Police and Fire for a maximum effort. A rider in front of me on FM1434 (100K) was clipped by a big water truck. The moron truck driver swung his trailer into us after attempting an unsafe pass. Fortunately, the accident happened during a low speed climb and the downed rider was not seriously hurt and I was able to dismount in time to not crash on top of her. Preserving myself and aiding the downed rider prevented me from getting the truck's ID and reporting the hit and run to the police. This jerk should not be driving a big rig! My guess is that there will be much more oil/gas support vehicle traffic by next year. Perhaps the oil companies involved might be persuaded to suspend vehicle operations along the route until after 12 PM next year.

the 72 mile course. The scenery was beautiful (especially the terrain in Glen Rose along the Brazos river) and the roads were generally maintained and very well marked. The number of enthusiastic volunteers was impressive. SAG support was available anytime if necessary and all of the rest stops were well-stocked. I noticed an added benefit of the increased number of SAG support vehicles in that traffic was forced to travel at fairly safe speeds for much of the ride. The city of Cleburne and Glen Rose (and surrounding areas) did an outstanding job with this ride. Thank you!
A side note... I noticed a rider's review that indicated he was unhappy with the riders wearing headphones, ear buds, i-pods, etc. I am one of those folks (I-pod user). I agree that it can be dangerous to wear anything that covers both ears. I think it is also inconsiderate to other riders to have music playing loud enough that others have to endure it. In an effort to be safe and courteous, I leave the right earpiece in and left earpiece tucked in my jersey so that I am aware of other riders. I also don't have the volume up so high that I cannot hear a rider communicating with me at a conversational level. I have noticed ride marshals enforce both of these things on some of the rides. Again, great Job with the Goatneck!!!

Excellent ride. Very well organized. One of the best rides in this area. Outstanding course control; the best I’ve ever seen for any ride in this area. Every intersection had 2 to 4 people controlling traffic with lots of signs and “flaggers” giving you plenty of warning about upcoming intersections and turns.
Course (69.5 mile) was scenic with plenty of challenging hills plus good, fast downhills. Lots of rest stops along the route; all well stocked with food, water and ice. Could have used a few more port-a-potties at the 40 mile stop. Enjoyed going thru Glen Rose.
Registration was well organized and seemed to move pretty quickly. Ride started right on time with a wide start to accommodate a mass of riders very well. Having (50?) big American flags lining the street as you approached the Finish was a superb, patriotic touch as a finale for the ride. Really appreciated the effort that went into the race. Definitely will ride in this race again next year.

What a great ride! So far it was the best we've done. Great weather, great scenery, good roads, challenging hills, lots of visible sag support and Rest Stops were fully stocked, with plenty of food water and Gatorade. Rest stop 9 even had peanut-butter sandwiches! There were a few intersections that were not controlled very well. I suggest I few extra port-o-pots at the first few rest stops. But the Cleburne Jaycees and all of the volunteers deserve a huge round of applause. Can't wait to do it again next year.

What a fantastic ride as always. Great location, organization, packet pick-up, rest stops and the ability to shower once done. I always look forward to this ride, and it would be hard to top the weather this year. The one thing I looked forward to and didn’t see this year was the booth for Smoothies at the finish. I hope they bring them back. See ya’ll next year

July 29, 2006

This was my first Goatneck experience. Thank you, Goatneckers, for separating yourself from every other ride in the DFW area. Among the many highlights:1. A shirt I'm actually willing to wear for something other than mowing the lawn
2. A sturdy water bottle that I'll actually use
3. A route that gently introduces you to the countryside, then challenges you with some rolling hills, then pushes you home with a nice tailwind
4. Route markings and volunteers that make it virtually impossible to get lost, and smooth, low traffic roads
5. Rest stops with plenty of ice, and volunteers doing everything they can to make sure you're satisfied
Cheers, Goatneckers, and see ya next year!

Excellent ride today in Cleburne. Organization was excellent. Volunteers everywhere. Well stocked rest stops. Can't wait for next yr!

Another great ride for the Goatneck. Even though the route is the same year to year, it never ceases to challenge. This ride has become one of the premier rides in/near the Metroplex. It is on par with the Hotter 'n Hell for being well organized, well supported, and challenging. Thank-you to all the hardworking volunteers. We really do appreciate you being out there offering your help and support for the riders. Thank-you to the volunteers from Cleburn Bible Church for allowing us to park on there future church site and for the free hot dogs and lemonade after the ride. That really hit the spot. See you next year!!

This was my first time riding the Tour de Goatneck and I am not affiliated with the ride or its sponsors. I rode the 65 mile route. I had no problems with “Day of” registration and I signed up for a raffle of a Discovery jersey signed by George Hincapie. There were 2350 riders in all and they had staggered starts for different distances following a prayer and Star-Spangled Banner. The course was marked with BIG color-coded paint arrows on the roadway. There were flaggers at almost every turn and police stopping traffic at all stop signs and stop lights. There were about 20 SAG vehicles patrolling the course and I think I saw one about every 5 mins over the entire route. The route was very hilly with about 2100 feet of ascent, but roads were relatively smooth. All rest stops were well supplied with ice, sports drink, water, bananas, oranges, pretzels, cookies, and in one case (55 mile stop), sliced pickles!!! All volunteers were very helpful and friendly. I don’t know if it was the pickles or the tailwind, but after that rest stop I felt like a rejuvenated man and kicked butt all the way to the finish line. I hope other rides adopt a “pickle” stop somewhere in the middle of the ride. At the finish area, they had a PA encouraging finishers, music, sports drink, water, ice, hot dogs for free and smoothies and massages you could pay for. There was shaded seating under tents, but I wish they could have opened up the High School to help cool off riders. They used it for registration. Why not for the after ride festivities, too? Overall, it was one of the best supported rides I’ve been on this year. I highly recommend this ride if you are conditioned to ride all the hills. I will definitely do this ride again next year.

Second year to ride the Goatneck. Several improvements made on what is already one of the premier rides in North Texas. This year the route seemed to be more clearly marked with more direction arrows painted on the road, and better signage. All intersections were well manned with volunteers making it impossible to get lost. The ride took a cue from the other great ride in the area, the Mesquite Rodeo Ride, and identified the rough spots in the roadways with spray paint. Hats off to the great aid stations – lots of goodies, including fruit, wet paper towels and water misters to keep us cool because this was a hot one! Make sure you fit this ride into your top rides to do for the summer. It’s one of the best!

One of the best rides - excellent trafic control - very few cars - out in middle of no where with beuatifull countryside. very courtious help at the one rest stop

The standard by which all other rides can be compared. Well organized, great parking, the best route marking, the best traffic monitoring, the best sag, and very scenic, low traffic routes.

This was my first Tour de Goatneck ride (2006). I rode just to get the cool shirt. I did the 27 miles and my husband the 100K. The whole Goatneck experience from parking to the finish line was easy and totally catered to the riders. The roads were very well marked for trouble spots and directions. The route coordinated painted arrows were a good touch. Great routes through rolling hills with plenty of scenery. The Tour had a little something for everyone - hills, distance, speed and flat terrain. A wonderful salute to all the volunteers that were on the course in the heat to help out the riders with directions and a great thank you to all the rest stop volunteers. All the stops had plenty of cool drinks, restrooms and encouraging smiles. The major intersections had police helping out which is wonderful. This is a must do ride for next year. I only hope that the organizers next year would consider starting a little earlier to "help" beat the heat (Let the HHH take the glory for the heat). The Tour 2006 was very thought out and well executed. I will be back.

1st and for most, thanks to all the volunteers at the rest stops and cross streets, made for a safe and pleasant ride. Thank you, to the local business that supported the event, especially the auto dealers for supplying the 20+ SAG vehicles. Kudos to the organization staff for the staggered start times and nice touch with the prayer for a safe ride at the beginning. The announcer at the finish line was encouraging and helped cheer tired riders to cross the line. Rest stops were organized and well stocked. The festivities at the end were very nice and so were the available massages. Another nice touch was the distance between stops, if you wanted to go on it was manageable to the next stop. When it got hot in the 90-95' range the distance was prefect where I felt confident hydration would not be an issue. The pickle Juice and water mister was also a nice touch. The route was well marked and challenging, and beautiful country side.Over all this is one of the top rides in North Texas. Keep up the good work, and we will see you next year....

I was impressed by three specific things at this year’s Goatneck. First, the abundance of SAG wagons was astounding. Not only were they everywhere along the route, they were clearly marked as SAGs. Most of the time, when we shouted “car back”, it was a SAG. Very impressive. Second, the traffic control and help to the riders in the last 3 miles was unmistakable. The volunteers and the police officers obviously had the safety of the riders in the forefront of their minds. Good job! Third, I was impressed at the warnings along the route, especially in town, that motorists should expect delays because of the riders. It certainly helps to let the motorists know we’re there. Applause to the Goatneck organizers. Well done!

This was a great ride this past weekend. I did the 41 miler and I really felt those hills! As everyone mentioned, the ride was great, but I really want to give it up for the sage support. The sag support deserves raving reviews--Bill from Fort Worth Cycling and Fitness spent 30 minutes out in the heat after I managed to get my chain impossibly wedged between the cassette and spokes of my tire fixing that mess. He was so determined to get the chain fixed and even broke the chain to get it apart, when most sags would have thrown up their hands in defeat. I totally expected that he was just going to send me home only 18 miles into the ride, but he worked away at that and got me back on the road!
The rest stops were great-- I loved the rock and roll rest stop with the music and PB&J sandwiches! Good stuff!
Despite it getting hot during the ride, I had loads of fun and am ready to get out there next year and do it all again! Way to go Cleburne for putting on a classy ride!

This was my third organized event ever and did the 41 mile course. Outstanding support in all areas and a great route. Showers at the finish and I couldn't ask for more. I'll be back.

I was a rookie Goatnecker, and what an introduction. I did the 69 mile course stopping twice. Very well organized, and a tough challenge of hills. I'll take pride in wearing my Goatneck tee. I earned this one.

We did The Goatneck this past weekend and it was fantastic! Nice route, good road surfaces, MORE than enough rest stops....in short, a great ride! We did the 41 because a couple of our regulars couldn't make it and we hooked up with a couple of young riders that had never done an organized ride before. Next year this will be on the list of FOR SURE rides to do and we'll do the longer route. These were the best rest stops of ANY ride I've ever done.....tons of food and drinks and way more than enough helpers to make riders stops comfortable and efficient. The hills were nice, no where near as tough as we have been told but perhaps adding the extra miles to our ride would have brought us into tougher terrain....mostly rollers with a couple of bigger climbs thrown in but lots of recovery time. If you don't do this ride in the future it's your loss! NOT as hilly as the Beauty and the Beast out of Tyler but just as pretty AND smother riding. Mike

I am a pretty harsh critic of bike rides. I have no patience for poorly supported rides or rides that provide little return for the money….no matter how noble the cause . I pay to ride and to be supported. I'd have to rate this ride an 8 of 10. This was by far one of the most enjoyable and rewarding rides of the season. I have about 2000 miles under my belt this season and I have given some bad reviews of some of the other rides so I am not someone just enjoying the sunshine on a ride. When I ride, I ride hard and I want to know that what I pay for (support, protected routes) is provided. The group running this event was top notch. Here are my ratings (out of 10): Support - 7, Rest Stops - 9, Route - 9, Road Surface - 8, Post Ride Social - 8, Post Ride Food - 8 (Only Mesquite Rodeo was better in food), Estimated Attendance: 2000+, Overall Rating - 8+++. Keep up the good work. Thanks for a great ride!!!! I will be back with more folks next year. Suggestion: add 100 mile route, put signs at the end for where folks should go for showers, food…etc. Again…thanks for encouraging me that TX bike rides can be worth the trip and the money.

This was an awesome ride. The Cleburne Jaycees put on one helluva bike ride. This is far and away the best supported ride in the DFW area. Everything from the check-in to intersection control was outstanding. All of the rest stops were well stocked and supported by friendly volunteers. I rode the 100K which was actually 71 miles (which was advertised). The 100K ride was challenging – 95% of the ride was rolling hills with several challenging climbs. The roads are in good shape and the course was scenic and lightly traveled. This is a must ride if you live in the DFW area.

July 30, 2005

The 2005 Tour de Goatneck was absolutely fabulous. We had 2,125 riders with many first time Goatneckers. Thanks to all of you for your support and participation. Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated. As you can tell from your experience in the ride and the reviews, the town continues to embrace this ride and we continue to look for ways to make the ride better. This year we had more sags, flaggers, officers and volunteers than ever before. We will continue to provide that level of support so that the you the riders can have a safe, enjoyable ride each time you ride the Goatneck. Any area that needs to be improved, will be before next year's ride which is scheduled for July 29, 2006. Please come back and tell all of your friends to come as well. Many of you have wondered how the name came about. Here is your answer. C.A. Pierce, one of the early settlers of the area, was asked to describe the piece of land for one of the legal documents necessary to the transfer. According to legend, he said, "It's just a little ol' goat's neck out in the cedar brakes along the river." The name stuck, and goat's neck eventually became Goat Neck." Steve Bell Johnson County History Book. 

This was a great ride. The reviews have been very good for several years, but they outdid themselves this year. The directions were great. Traffic control at intersections and turns was fantastic. The rest stops were very well stocked with a variety of items and placed well. The cold towels at rest stop 8 were really great. The t-shirt is really nice. I appreciate something other than white. Thanks to the Cleburne Jaycees and all the support workers for a great ride. I'll be back.

Hey a great ride as usual. But...WHERE THE HELL WAS THE PIZZA! I was all set to hog down a half dozen pieces after the ride...but was told that somehow Domino's had not arrived? Bad mojo. An hour after the finish...still no pizza. Hey folks...if you say "Pizza" in the brochure then figure out some way to make it happen.
Otherwise say "Cookies and watermellon slices". Oh yes...there was a vender "SELLING" hot dogs. Again...bad mojo. Otherwise if you didn't ride this one...shame on you, it's one of the best of the season. Now if there had only been Pizza...

I had Pizza - John.

he Tour de Goatneck was a fabulous ride - beautiful scenery, great roads, challenging hills but not too challenging, GREAT volunteers, aid stations and SAG support. Race directors did a great job of incorporating rider feedback from last year's race. Loved going through the old part of Glen Rose and over the rivers. This ride might be in a position to challenge the Hotter n Hell as the best ride in North Texas, due to its beautiful course, close proximity to Dallas/Ft Worth, nice mix of hills and great volunteers (and of course, great name). Would love to see it continue to grow and eventually add a 100 mile route. I agree with an earlier review re: coordinating with Glen Rose on this ride in order to expand your options.

Excellent ride - one of the best

Great ride - well organized, routes well-marked and very good rest stops! Great volunteer placement, easy in-out of start/finish and out of town as well. Hills were just enough. Had never done this ride before, but it is definitely worth the drive out to Cleburne to do in the future !

This is a fantastic ride. It was well organized, with clean, air-conditioned facilities and post-ride showers. The roads were exceptionally good, and the 69.5 mile ride had only about 3 miles of chip-seal. There were course directors with flags at every turn, with police directing traffic for us at all major intersections. What few road hazards existed were well-marked. Rest areas were every 7 miles or so, and were well-stocked. This is quite possibly the best ride in North Texas. Now, if they only had a 100-mile route.

This is one great ride! This was my second year at the Goatneck and I think it is simply one of the best bike rallies in North Texas. We are fortunate to have many good rides in our area but the Goatneck really stands out and sets the bar high. The route is great - very low auto traffic, very little rough road, lots of beautiful scenery and a good mix of flat terrain and challenging hills. The ride organizers, sponsors and volunteers did another outstanding job this year. Pre-registered packet pickup was very fast. The rest stops were well stocked with everything you could ever want - Clif bars, fruit, water, ice, sports drink, cookies and water misters to cool you down. RS8 even had PB&J sandwiches and Hersey's chocolate bars with PB on them (top that!). I've never seen so many SAG wagons. SAG was everywhere. And so were the cheerleaders - signs and people shouting and waving encouragement throughout the route and especially at the finish line. Too cool! The only problem I had the entire day was getting into the parking lot. I didn't see any reason for the slow traffic. The area I parked in was wide open with no obstructions. There just seemed to be a lot of slow moving people arriving all at once. It didn't appear to be organization problem. Kudos to all the great folks that put on the Goatneck. It exceeded my already high expectations and I can't wait for next year's ride. Well done!!

In my opinion, the best route of all the rallies within the DFW area. Plenty of hills and having a 69-70 mile route in lieu of just 60 makes for a better route also. The start area that allows riders plenty of road to warm up is also a plus. The volunteers out on the road did a great job and everything was well marked. The tents and food at the end were also a plus. 

Great ride, as usual. Many different things make this ride the best in North Texas: Traffic control is perfect. Not one uncontrolled intersection. I hate pay rides that make me stop at stoplights. I can do that on my Saturday group rides. Great volunteers. Great rest stops, with a wide variety of snacks. Great registration process. (I got there at 7:15, and it only took me 3 minutes inside the building to register, so I actually made the 7:30 start.) The T-shirts are good this year, after a bad experiment with quick-shrinking cheapies last year. And I love shirts that are something besides white. The route is excellent. It's so nice to get outside the city and ride some roads with little traffic. Only thing they could improve would be the parking setup - it was bad this year, probably a factor of the growth, but lots of people were stuck getting into the parking area. Oh, and they could add a 100-mile route. There are far too few of those in the area, and lots of us would be all over a 100-mile Goatneck. Some other rides, like Aledo, are putting up a good challenge, but the Goatneck remains the best ride in North Texas.

Helmets off to the Goatneck ! It was a great ride with decent road conditions and excellent traffic control. This was my 6th Texas rally  this year and had not faced a hill that could beat me as yet, well, the ones in this ride did. I went for the 100K ride but had to walk part of the big hill after the end of the newer chip seal section. Half way up the Goatneck I finally threw in the towel and had to sag in the rest of the way. Heat exhaustion was creeping up slowly. Heck, I am 58 ! Nevertheless, I  truly enjoyed this ride. Going thru Glen Rose was pretty cool, the two  bridges across the Brazos, kids swimming in the rivers, the rest stops, the volunteers, the sag support... all great!. I'll be back next year with  a lighter road bike and an extra low gear.

Experienced my first Goatneck this past Saturday. The course was challenging. Rest stops were plentiful and everyone was very nice. Don't
remember the stop number, but there was ice cold sliced watermelon and misting sprayers to cool off. That hit the spot. All the turns and road crossings were manned. Usually with police that  had the traffic stopped. We will be back next year.

I agree that the Goatneck was the best ride this summer!!!!! The scenery was absolutely beautiful, every rest stop out did themselves, cross roads, turns etc. were excellently managed, package pickup and entries were very organized, what can we say other than we will be back again next year and ya'll deserve the GOLD MEDAL of Bike Rallies this summer!!!! GREAT JOB PEOPLE!!!

My congratulations to The Goatneck staff, volunteers and supporters for another job well done. This was my second "goat" and this event has definitely moved to the top of my list of rides to do in the DFW metroplex. However, Saturday's event was nearly marred by tragedy. A late model white Ford pickup (a 2005?) truck blew past us eastbound on FM 200 (we think) with the oversized mirrors coming within inches of our heads. We watched breathlessly as the truck proceeded eastbound at a moderate rate of speed buzzing other riders. The other lane was clear, but the driver did not show any intent of crossing over the center stripe and safely passing other riders strung out ahead of us. Unfortunately we were so surprised that we failed to get a tag number, but we did notice that the back window had horse head figures with the name of a ranch boldly displayed. Did anybody get a better description or a tag number?

Can you say HILLS? I heard the stories about this one and I mustered up the courage to try it out. I rode the 70 mile route and had a blast!! I met a lot of great people along the way. The rest stops were very well stocked. The traffic control was on top of the situation. No worries whatsoever. I did hear a lot of people complaining about cramping. I hope they all got to feeling better. I, however, had no problems in that regard. My biggest challenge was getting up those darn hills. If there is a complaint, it would be that you had to pay for all the snacks at the end of the ride. Oh well, not a big deal. You have to remember it is supporting the local community. I bought a smoothie and enjoyed some more watermelon and ate when I got home. I will definitely be back for this one.

What a great ride. Excellent support, great routes, best marked ride of the year. Will be back next year! Excellent in every way!

July 31, 2004

Please make plans to attend the 2005 Goatneck Bike Ride on Saturday, July 30, 2005. We are shooting for 2,000 riders for this year. Help us reach our goal. The following is a list of the changes for this year's ride:
No more red Powerade. This year we will be serving Lemon Lime Gatorade ENDURANCE FORMULA.
The number of porta johns have been increased again.
Pizza will be available at the start/finish line.
Sag wagons are being increased from 12 to 20 and each sag will have bike pumps to assist you.

WOW! What a ride we had this year. We are honored by your continued  participation in our ride and are appreciative of all the first time  riders we had this year. Our ride grew once again with over 1,700 riders  participating. We have already begun work on next year's ride, which  will be July 30, 2005. We will work even harder than in the past to  keep this ride as one of your favorites and one of the premier rides of  the year. Please tell a friend as you are our best source of  advertising. Thanks again. The Cleburne Jaycees.

One of the best rides of the year. The route with the hills makes this  a very challenging and very worthwhile ride. The weather conditions made  the ride a lot easier than last year, cooler temps and light wind. I did  the 70 mile only stopped briefly at two rest stops and they were very friendly  and well stocked. Showers were available at the end. The spaghetti after  the ride was good. No complaints what so ever. Will be back next year.

Great ride, its my third year and this is one I always look forward to. the support is good with a great attitude very helpful lots of munchies and fruit, some of the best laid signs on the road and in the dirt. these guys put a lot of time and effort into this ride and it shows at every turn. I will be back for a fourth ride next year!!! olson

This ride could be an example to most of the other rides out there on  rest stops and quantity of sag vehicles. In the rest stops I  saw water, power aid, bananas, oranges, cookies, pretzels, goldfish,  peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, chocolate bars,  watermelon, and three different types of energy bars, whew! The rest  stops were very evenly spaced and two I stopped at  had misters, one was an entire misting tent with a big fan to really  cool you off. Cold towels were provided at some. The roads  were generally good with only one really bad section where the top  surface was coming off. The hills were even more  challenging than Stephenville's Firecracker. Sag support was  everywhere, although for some reason they didn't even carry air  pumps etc. Everything the ride director promised for this year was  there with the possible exception of shirts, didn't get one as  they were out the morning of the ride, bummer. Will be riding this  again next year!

Just FYI, They guaranteed 1,500 t-shirts this year and ordered and extra 175 to be on the safe side bringing it up to 1,675. they had 1,746 riders.

Another great year for the Goatneck. Great course and perfect weather this year. I rode the 70 mile route. Some of the roads were a little rougher than I remembered from last year, probably just due to another year of wear and tear but no big deal. My computer registered about 2200 feet of climbing. It also indicated that the steepest hills ranged from 3% grade to 5.5% grade and were each generally 0.2 to 0.3 miles in length. This ride is somewhat more difficult than the Peach Pedal which has almost as much climbing but less steep hills. This ride, however is not quite as difficult as Muenster which really has some tough hills. I didn't stop at any rest stops but there was plenty of food and fruit at the finish line. I live just east of Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall and this ride is well worth the drive and waking up at O dark thirty in the morning.

The 2004 Goatneck was fabulous! I did the 70 mile ride. This is the second time I have done this ride and as last year, I was very impressed with the organization, the course, and general overall feel of the ride. This ride is growing as one of larger rides in the area. All turns are well marked with people waving flags at many of the major turns along the ride. The first 30 miles going generally downhill can be brutally fast as the second half of the ride feeds you back all the downhill runs from the first half, only in reverse. (kind of!) The 2 biggest climbs of this ride really get your attention. The first one was pretty "in your face", you see it just waiting there, just glistening in the sun sayin' "come and get me". The second one is a little more dangerous with many of the riders from the shorter routes packed on the right of the road and occasionally forcing you to vear to the left.. I can't comment on the rest stops so I won't. The showers afterward brought me back to life after this one. The spaghetti at the school afterwards was a nice addition since last year. It would have been nice to see more of the riders drop in afterwards though. The rides I like most are the ones that feed ya afterwards. :-P

I want to say a big thanks to everyone involved in staging this ride. The volunteers were great, the rest stops were well stocked, the traffic control was outstanding and the yellow t-shirts are a nice change from plain white. This ride IS hilly but we only had to go into granny gear on our tandem a couple of times - not toooo bad.
Be back next yr!

First class ride.

Cleburne was awesome! Just enough hills for a challenge, great rest stops along the way. I am a beginner and felt very comfortable and safe on the course. The countryside was full of beautiful scenery, and the buffalo peacefully grazing in a pasture were an extra nice bonus. Porta-john's in the shade would be nice for next year. And a few more wouldn't hurt. Thank you Cleburne for putting on a great ride! Dee Kelley, Aledo

This was my first Goatneck. Great ride. The hills were tough for fat boys like me. Great job SAG. I never felt alone. See you next year.

It is hard to imagine a better ride than the Goatneck on 7/31/04. Perfect weather with no wind and cooler than average temps. The rest stops were perfectly placed, well-stocked, and the people were very friendly. The amount of SAG vehicles was the most I have seen. The course was well marked and offered good variety. The 100K starts off deceptively easy, with about a 4-mile downhill coming early. But you pay that back in the second half of the ride with some really challenging hills. The "Goatneck Climb" (they name the big hills) was particularly long. Definitely one of the more challenging 100K rides in these parts. Nice scenery, with the Brazos and Paluxy rivers being featured in the route. Virtually no traffic to deal with, as they stay on smaller roads. No question that the Goatneck will be one of my rides every year from now on.

In my opinion, the best route of all the north Texas rallies with the only exception being the HHH. Plenty of hills and having a 69.5 mile route in lieu of just 60 makes for a better route also. The start area that allows riders plenty of road to warm up is also a plus. I'll have to disagree with some other comments regarding the steepest hills. The steepest one i checked was a good 7% grade with a short area of about 30yds at 8%. The volunteers out on the road did a great job and everything appeared to be well marked.

Great Ride! I did the 100K (I showed a little over 71 miles - but, hey, we're Americans and we don't have to understand the metric system). Great climbs, fast downhills and nice scenery. They do a great job with all aspects of this ride's organization. The routes are well marked, great traffic control (BTW - much less traffic then Peach Pedal), and the two rest stops I visited were well stocked and friendly. I especially liked the people who shouted encouragement to me as I passed the other rest stops. That's a VERY nice touch. Thanks for a great ride. I will be back for this one.

The Goatneck 2004 - I just wanted to let you know that I road the Goatneck for the first time (the 27 mile route) and I'll be back next year to try the 41 or 62 mile route. You put on a great rally. Everyone was very friendly, the rest stops were all well stocked with a wide variety of snacks ... I think I gained 4 pounds! The cold Hershey chocolate bar at the end of the ride gave me a real boost. The watermelon was fabulous, too!
I do a bike rally every month and yours stands out as one of the best this year so far!! Thanks....and I love the snarling goat t-shirt, too. That is what drew me to the event to begin with. I'm hoping to get a group together from the office next year and make a party of it. We stayed at the Best Western and what a pleasant surprise that it was only a mile from the start/finish line. We were able to ride our bikes straight from the motel and back! Very convenient!

I rode the 70 mile loop. I have to say this ride really lives up to all the hype. The run from Cleburne down to Glen Rose was a blast and very  fast. A good portion of it is down hill; that makes hard to hold back and not  go fast. I was a little worried about the hills on the return leg--but  there really wasn't more than one hill that I would consider very steep. But  the Goatneck hill was very long ! Just when you start thinking "oh that  wasn't so bad" then you realize that you still have more to go. Would I do this ride again ? You bet ! Having done most of the rallies in North Texas; I would have to say that this is one of the best. My only complaint was that there was very little shade at the rest stops.. The roads were smooth  and there was very little traffic. But the best thing is THERE WAS NOT ANY HIGHWAY SHOULDERS___IT WAS ALL FARM TO MARKET ROADS. That last comment  was for all those ride organizers who think routing a bike rally along the shoulder of SH 377 is a good idea ( uhhh--its not ). I have to wonder  why the Glen Rose folks don't flip flop this route---it would be fun to finish a 70 with that run into Glen Rose !

Just started road biking a couple of months ago and this was my third ride. The Goatneck is the best experience I've had so far which is saying something. My first two rides were great ones with great organization and support - this one just outdid them. I did the 100K and hit several rest stops. All were extremely well stocked with great munchies of all kinds, water, sport drink and lots of ice. Several stops had mist stations to cool you down. The volunteers were fantastic. Lots of good folks (young and old) taking great care of the riders. SAG support seemed to be everywhere (or maybe they were just following me due to the buzzards circling overhead). Traffic wasn't an issue at all and all the cutoffs were well marked and staffed. The hills were named and marked with signs to encourage you as you started the climb. Simply outstanding in all respects. Thanks to all the sponsors and volunteers. I'll be back!

A good, very well-organized ride, as always. I think this is one of the best-organized rides in North Texas. The hill signs were kind of fun this year, and the water bottles are always a nice giveaway. The course, as usual, is fairly challenging for this area, but I really enjoyed it. Some suggestions for further improvement:
1) Stop calling the 70-mile route a 100K. It's 70 miles. Call it that. 100K=62.14 miles.
2) The rest stops were great, but could you get PowerAde to send over some flavor other than that horrible red stuff? I don't know any athletes who voluntarily drink that flavor, although my kids love it. Maybe they do sponsorships with the stuff they can't sell?

Other people have remarked about the volunteers, road markings and hills, so I just wanted to emphasize the great snacks. Whoever had the idea of putting trail mix, pretzels, or goldfish crackers into baggies should be applauded. A salty snack was a relief from all the sugar at most rest stops. The people who put this ride on are simply the best at organizing a bicycle tour. Everything goes like clockwork. It's truly the premier ride of north Texas!

July 26, 2003

You have spoken and we have listened. Here is a list of improvements for this year(2004):
More shirts will be ordered to take into account the growth of our ride
50% increase in the number of porta johns
Pitchers to assist in pouring at each rest stop
Bike pumps at each rest stop
First aid kits at each rest stop
Salty snacks at each rest stop
Some of our more challenging hills will have names and statistics (grade, length, etc)
Massages available for a small fee at start/finish line
We look forward to your continued support this year.

There was a large turnout this year and I understand some people behind me didn't get T-shirts. Bummer. They ought to make more next year because they really have had good attendance due to the races popularity and reputation. These people are organized and experienced. Good job Cleburne. Felt very safe at crossings, tons of SAG support. One rest stop I went to had pitchers of sports drink ready for people to fill their bottles quickly. A great idea, but not all did that. Some of the stops didn't have cookies! (sniff) Are we spoiled? I say this about most of the rallies here, but I wish they would have salty snacks too, like pretzels. (Paris had Goldfish, that was good). All of the volunteers were super friendly and helpful. I liked having music and people at the end to cheer for you. And I really enjoyed the showers afterwards! That way I felt I could stop at a restaurants in town and have a nice lunch. Maybe some of the restaurants should give people who wear their Goatneck T-shirts a discount! One last thing: There were some serious hills on the 100k course! Very scenic ride too. Be back next year!

This is our first time to do the Goatneck and we were pleasantly impressed with the quality of the event, it was a very enjoyable and fun ride with hills, heat, hills, humidity, and hills. I don't think this ride was as hilly as the Firecracker in Stephenville or the Peach Pedal in Weatherford, but the 70 mile route was every bit as challenging as any ride since the Keller Library ride last year. The location of the event was easy to find, with lots of parking, an easy registration process, and lots of room at the start line to warm up and stage. The roads and the scenery are as good as one can find in this part of North Texas and I only saw two people who flatted, which indicates excellent pre-ride road prep. Having done many rides in and around Johnson County I was completely surprised that I was not accosted by nary one foam-at-the-mouth dog or pickup truck driver and surprised by the lack of vehicles on the roads throughout! The route through Glen Rose was a nice change and lots of fun. I was very happy with the three rest stops we did, especially the watermelon and ice cold neck towels at the 50 mile rest stop and the misters and overhead water at the 62 mile rest stop. The availability of shower facilities at the finish line was a nice touch, next year we'll remember to bring soap. Kudos' to EVERYBODY involved with the Goatneck - GREAT JOB - we'll be back next year!

Excellent and well organized ride, very friendly rest stops, all well stocked with bananas, oranges and watermelons. The route was very well marked, volunteers at all the turns pointing the right direction. The route was very - very hilly, not for wimps. The last 15 miles was similar to the Collin County ride with the hills from Gunter to Weston - AND THAT WAS THE FLAT PART OF THIS RIDE. Wish the ride directors could have done something with the still south wind. I will definitely be back next year. The turnout of 1,100 - 1,200 is a tribute to a well organized ride.

Another great year for the "Goat". This ride rivals Stephenville for challenge of the hills. It was a great day for a ride. Exceptional organization that paid off throughout ride. The 100k route was awesome. I arrived late and missed first three rest stops, but the rest were fine. Outstanding signage. SAG support was evident throughout ride. I had a flat between stops three and four. SAG took me on to four and called for support...FT Worth Cycle and Fitness to the rescue. In order to lighten my load up the hills, I left my water bottles, which were filled with tire tools, two tubes, and compressed CO2, in my truck .Ft Worth Cycle and Fitness had me on the road again in minutes. They even refused to take my money, even to cover the cost of a tube. My helmet goes off to them. Cool Ts and nice jerseys for sale, too. The superb organization and friendly folks make this a must do ride. It was good training for the HHH...lots of heat. All in all, a fantastic ride for those who love the hills. I will definitely be back next year. Roadkill.

This ride just gets better every year. I didn't get a t-shirt but they only promised t-shirts to the first 1,000 riders and I showed up late so it's my fault. They said they would give away more shirts next year. They had lots of volunteers and great rest stops. I always love the hills. I will disagree with an earlier reviewer and say that this ride has more and harder hills than any other ride around North Texas. I will definitely be back next year. Good job Cleburne. Keep up the good work.

I dread hills, but not the hills on the Goatneck, they were fun. The 4 mile downhill to the lime plant was a blast.  John

Excellent, well organized ride. I rode the 70 mile route. The road markings were some of the easiest to follow that I have seen on any of the rides in which I have participated. The road surfaces were also excellent for cycling. There was more climbing on this route than indicated by the route profile on the Goatneck website. Based on the website's route profile, I anticipated approximately 1250 feet of total climbing. The altimeter on my bicycle computer registered approximately 2400 feet of total climbing. In the rides I have participated in this year, the average climbing rate (ft/mile) is second only to the Germanfest Ride in Muenster. The two most difficult hills were approximately 3.3% grade at 0.9 miles long and 5.3% grade at 0.3 miles long. Thank goodness for the strong tailwind the last 15 or 20 miles. I hope to be back next year.

I am a member of the Cleburne Jaycees that host this ride. Last year was the first time we broke through the 1,000 rider mark with 1,070. Thanks to your support and participation and the hard work of many volunteers our ride grew to 1,334 riders this year. With the growing number of riders, we will make adjustments to the number of t-shirts, port a johns and food for next year (and yes, we will add salty snacks to the list) so that we can continue to spoil our riders. We gave away 1,100 shirts and all pre-registered riders received them this year. We take a lot of pride in our ride and it is our goal to provide you with the most enjoyable, safe and challenging ride you participate in each year. As a result we already have a list of things that we believe will make our ride an even better ride next year. Please mark your calendars as the GOAT will ride again on July 30, 2004.

I won't repeat what has already been stated, but I can't agree more with all of the positive feedback from the other riders below. This was our first time to do the Goat and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The hills were not too bad and the heat wasn't horrible either. I like hills and I will definitely be back next year to ride the 70 instead of the 41. I was one of those who did not get a shirt but I'm not complaining. It is good to see the ride doing so well and attracting so many riders. When you treat riders the way the Goat does you deserve a great turnout. I especially like the pb&j sandwiches at the stop after the limestone mill and the salty chips they had there. No complaints at all about this ride. If you are reading this and you haven't ridden the Goat, go sign up next year!

Wanted to thank you for a GREAT ride! The tour of the Goatneck was just what I needed. I am stationed in Virginia and here at the beach we don't ride hills, the closest we can get is an overpass in a headwind. The Tour of the Goat was my first experience with a ride in Texas and being from Texas I have to affirm that everything is bigger and better in Texas. The community and the sponsors pulled together to bring a totally perfect riding event. Hat off to the staff that put the Tour of the Goat together and as we sail the seas this fall protecting democracy I will dream of another day riding the Goatneck!

I rode the 100 K course again this year. What a blast!
This was by far the best Goat Neck Tour I have done.
I have ridden your ride about 5 or 6 times now.
Every one was very friendly and helpful.
All the rest stops were supplied adequately.
I stayed overnight in town at the Delux Inn. It was clean and nice.
Cleburne is a nice "small" town.
PS the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the 50 mile rest stop were
much appreciated.