Melon Patch Tour

August 7, 2010

Ok cyclists heads up, brakes on & take a minute to read this. What is wrong with ya'll, you'll drive over 2 hrs to do various rallies thru-out the metroplex but your really missing one of the best rallies around. The Melon Patch rally rest stops for refreshments & food even out does the HHH - gatorade aid, water, ice, pickle juice, frozen fruit bars, peanuts, bananas, oranges, cookies, wet clothes, watermelon etc. etc. etc. Plenty of SAG support visible thru-out the ride. Great dinner after that is available for a small cost if your interested, door prizes, lots of huge watermelons for riders to take home after also. Roads are in good condition with very little traffic. Some cyclists had set up some tents on Friday evening & some others took their campers down, myself I made that drive & again wasn't disappointed @ all. CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved in the planning & all the volunteers who were so generous to help us cyclist enjoy our day of cycling through your beautiful country down there. Ya'll did a A+++++ job. So looking forward to my 2 hr drive down there next year. Hopefully I'll be able to bring a few more cycling buddies with me. Again thank you, GREAT JOB!!!!!

I enjoyed this ride. The distance of 71 miles was a great training course for the HHH. The rest stops were well equiped and frequent. SAG was seen often & that was a relief in the heat. I only wish that there would have been a few more chairs to sit in at rest stops. I look forward to putting this on my do not miss rides list.

Great ride! Very challenging with good rolling hills and pretty scenery. Well organized. Registration was great and the rest stops were well stocked and well manned with terrific people. Very little traffic except the last long section coming down 6. Maybe they could find a couple of roads (CR 358/CR 321?) to avoid some of that traffic. Other than the traffic on 6, this was an outstanding ride.

have wanted to participate in this ride for several years and it was worth the wait. The roads are the best of any ride we have done, the rolling countryside is not difficult and the rest stops are frequent and well stocked. I appreciate the cold items-popsicles and frozen peaches especially. I think this is the ideal family or beginner ride due to the roads, lack of traffic and hills, frequent SAG support and easy routes. I can not recommend this ride enough-truly a quality experience all the way around!

What a great ride!!! A hidden gem!!! Well worth the scenic drive from the metroplex. Stayed friday night in Stephenville at the new Holiday Inn Express Suites and was given a reduced rate for riding in the Melon Tour. Had a wonderful dinner that night at the Fiddle Creek Steakhouse (Stephenville) and then decided to drive over to De Leon to register for bike ride. Several kind people were there working till past 10:00 PM which is about when we arrived. Picked up my packet and drove back to Stephenville for a good nights rest. Marvelled at the carnival and tractor pull event going on that night in De Leon as we passed through. Might have to add that carnival event to our list for next year. Next morning enjoyed a hot breakfast at the hotel and then left for De leon (22 miles). Arrived to find lots of cyclists getting ready, great 80's workout music playing and tons of watermelons being carried around!!! MC did a great job with the pre-ride announcements!!! Pre-ride refreshements/snacks were available. Finished the 41.5 mile ride with a big grin on my face as the MC called out all the names and home towns of riders as they finished (wear that ride number). Scenic ride amoung Pecan groves, various crops and a couple river valleys. All the rest stops along the way were outstanding and had more food than I could burn off between them (every 8 miles or less)! Great route signs/spotters and SAG was right there with us the whole way (nice job to the guy with motorcycle that ran his bottom off keeping an eye on us throughout the route). Chip seal was the smoothe, well worn variety and other road damage was minimal. What more can I say you all earned an A++++++++ job! Alas one minor niggle, you must add start location information next year, we fumbled around town for 20 minutes trying to find somebody that knew where to go for the registration/start location! An address would be fine for us GPS folks to enter! See y'all next year!

I was looking for a ride to practice for the HHH and found this 71 mile route on the internet on Friday evening. It was well worth the 2 hour drive out to De Leon. The ride was extremely well run, the volunteers were so friendly, supportive, and the signage and rest stops were great! All the rest stops were very good but the Boy Scouts were so energetic and awesome! The frozen fruit bars were a very welcome treat at mile 50 and 100+ temps, thank you! We’ll definitely put this ride on our schedule again next summer, thank you for a nice ride!

August 8, 2009

This was our first experience with the Melon Patch Tour. My husband and I rode the 42 mile stretch. We had a great time. This was by far my favorite ride this year. We spent the night in Stephenville and ate our carbs at Pastafina. I would highly recommend this place to riders for next year. Both the food and the service were outstanding. We drove down to DeLeon Friday night to get registered. They had everything very well organized and ready to go. The ride: the roads were great, some chip seal, but overall, very nice. There were some challenging rolling Texas hills, but most of the ride was fairly flat or long, steady inclines. The rest stops were the best I’ve seen. They even had Blue Bell ice cream! All the turns were very well marked and manned. Traffic was light and very courteous to the riders. The scenery was beautiful. I could not have asked for a better experience. They even had a finish line! Speaking of the finish line, the guy on the mic was calling out our names and home towns as we crossed. That was fun. Great idea. I would ask that the organizers add a route between the 42 and 71 (something like 100K / 62 miles). This was too nice a ride not to have enjoyed longer. I will be back every year they have it. It was WELL worth the drive from the metroplex!

Great support organization fabulous rest stops don't miss this one worth the drive from wherever.

The organizers of the Melon Patch Tour need to be commended for providing a quality experience for the participants. I did the 71 mile ride – lots of rolling hills, good roads and excellent support. SAG support was consistently visible throughout the 71 miles. Volunteers were great. I agree with the first review, spend the night in Stephenville and eat some good pasta and Pastafina. This is an easy drive from the Metroplex. The showers afterwards were great and soap, shampoo and towels were provided. This ride should be on everyone’s to do list for next year.

My husband and I went to De Leon, TX this past weekend for our first ever Melon Patch Tour (42 mile) and we have declared it our favorite ride ever! The support was amazing (extremely friendly people, well stocked stops (they even had kids with ice cold paper towels), pickle juice, loads of snacks of every variety, ice and powerade a-plenty. The route was so well marked - we just could get over it (color coded as well as route mile indicators (in case you forget your color). We especially liked the "1 mile till the next rest stop" signs - that was an extra nice touch. The ride itsef was not hard at all. Long rolling hills (nothing too steep) and beautiful scenery (pastures and mostly quiet roads with mindful drivers). There were folks at every turn and police at the somewhat busier intersections. This is a terrific town and well worth the drive. We'll def be doing this ride again next year! ---- Thanks again!!!

August 9, 2008

This is the second time we have ridden this ride and this time I brought my daughter and son-in-law that are basically inexperienced riders. I felt confident that this ride would show them what a good ride looked like and I wasn't disappointed. It was what I remembered it to be. It had a ton of volunteers from the registration to the rest stops. There was nothing lacking there. It was very well organized and it showed. The roads were very well marked, one of my pet peeves and they were even marked a mile before the next rest stop, a very nice touch. It gives you that added incentive that you might need. There is nothing I can complain about this ride. There was some chip and seal roads but you can't ride in Texas without these type of roads. That's a shame. Thanks De Leon for another great ride.

Anyone who didn't attend the Melon Patch Rally all I can say is I'M SORRY!!! This rally is more than worth the drive to Deleon. Registration is fast, you receive a tickett where you take it to see if you won 1 of the many door prizes that they already have a record to know if you won saving you time looking thru everything. Prior to the start they are giving out a emergency number to call should you need help. SAG support was everywhere & very easily marked. Rest stops had everything & then some, bananas, oranges, gatorade, bottled water, plenty of ice, peanuts, trail mix, cookies, crackers & peanut butter, frozen bars - strawberry, snicker bars, frozen peaches in small bags that you could carry with you. All the rest stops had plenty of port a potties & plenty of shade. There was more than enough volunteers at each stop. One of the best things about this rally that alot of other rallies could take note of was that they had fluid stations between rest stops. If you thought a rest stop was a little to busy you could go on a few miles & stop & get your fluids & be on your way. Each fluid stop had 1 port a pottie. On the 42 mile route the roads were in great shape with little to no traffic, the scenery was beautiful along with the quietness. Really folks this is one of the Texas Bicycle Rallies best kept secret, if you haven't tried it in the past make sure that you mark your calendars for next year. Lastly I'd like to thank all the volunteers who put on such a spectacular rally a A++++, also thank you to your community for those sitting out & clapping/cheering everyone on. Ya'll really make us feel welcome to your community!!! We'll be back next year for sure!!!

"Excellent signage; helpful, friendly volunteers; well stocked full rest stops and fluid stops along the way. (The fluid stops are a brilliant idea). Just about anything you could want, they had. Yes there is some chip seal from time to time, but it's Texas. More climbing than you might think for west central Texas which makes it a great warm up for the HHH. We took home a watermelon and two big bags of peanuts as door prizes.
This is the second time my wife and I have done this ride and we will be back."

August 11, 2007

Well it seems the fairly cool summer we have had in Tx this summer has ended. The Melon patch ride was a hot one this year! But the ride was beautiful. Great roads,rest stops,and nice people running things made for a nice day.If you like hills and rollers like I do, this is the ride for you.None of the hills are what you would call a killer hill that stops you in your tracks,but there are lots of long hills and very little flat straight roads.I really like the 71mi.route.And there seemed to be rest stops everywhere.If you ran out of water or food it was YOUR FAULT, cause it was provided.As the temps started rising, the melon patch people had stops set up with ice cold water bottles handed to you on the run. Love it! So, what didn't I like? After the ride, riders were crammed into any shade they could find. I saw this and left. A big tent with misters or port a coolers would have really helped alot. It also gives riders a chance to talk.Alot of times these talks are what brings riders back the following year.But other than that it was a really nice ride put on by some really nice people.

71 mile route was great with the rolling hills...had virtually no traffic till hwy 6. Man those popsicle's at the rest stops were fantastic! Thanks for the use of the showers after the ride. See ya next year.

First and only time I did this rally was '99; I always rode "Hot Rocks" in Rockwall instead. Getting a little disappointed with H.R. (bad roads, horrible traffic), thought I'd get out in the country. LOVED IT! Just like Tour d' Paris, NO traffic, beautiful scenery, FRIENDLY volunteers! Most folks driving in opposite direction would give you a wave. Showers available post-ride was a blessing (it's a long drive home)! If y'all are getting tired of Hot Rocks, do consider coming to Melon Patch. Stay the night at one of several chain motels, and drive about 25 miles to DeLeon in the morning. I'll be back next year! Thanks to all organizers and volunteers!

August 12, 2006

Congratulations to the Deleon Melon Patch 2006 ride....the rest stops were evenly distributed thru-out the ride with a couple of hydration only points between rest stops closer to the end, awesome idea...plenty of sag vehicles, rest stops stocked with everything you could imagine and then some, volunteers very, very friendly, the misters were excellent idea, well marked routes, registrations went well, started on time, the coffee mugs along with the t-shirts are again awesome, the themed rest stops were great and fun also, there is only 1 thing that we'd like changed for next year and that is the 15 miles of ROUGH chip n seal road on the 72 mile ride, is there anyway that we could find another road other than that one for next year....This was the first year for the Melon Patch ride for me and we'll be definitely back next year with hopefully some friends in tow....Thank you Melon Patch for all your hard work.

The Melon Patch Tour  was my husband"s and my first bike ride.  We have just begun to ride our bikes and ride approximately 7 miles twice a week. We chose the 18 mile ride.  It was great.....The route was plainly marked,
people were friendly, and the rest stops were great.  We will be back.

To all that made the ride a success- THANK YOU!! Really nice ride and the rest stops were well stocked. Thank you for the pickles.More rides are starting to realize that pickles bring a riders salt level back up and this reduces the chance of bonking. Hot wheather organizers take note of this ! !
I do alot of rides in the season and this one was just flawless and smooth.If there were any problems I certainly wasn't aware of it. The only problem I see with this ride is that you guys are gonna need another place to stage the event in the future. If it grows ( hope so ! ) you will have a huge parking and facilities problem. Wichita Falls figured it out and I'm sure you guys will too. They also had to figure out what to do with the several million dollars generated by us cyclists. That's something to think about.
See ya next year,
Joe Giustiniani
Abilene Tx

August 6, 2005

This ride is rather far from Dallas, so riders were given the option  to camp out at the starting place, a little league baseball field. There was registration the night before the ride, along with a live concert with Sonny Burgess. You were able to make a meal out of the peanut products being featured including grilled chicken with peanut sauce, grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut cakes and of course, all you can eat peanuts. 
Although delayed by rain, the concert was very enjoyable. So was the camping. They turned out the lights at the baseball field and everything was very peaceful and quiet. I slept very well.
The morning of the ride the ride director at the start described the route for you so thoroughly that at that point you felt as if you had done the ride already and didn't, in fact, have to ride at all. Since there was fantastic signage, both on signs and painted onto the road, as well as maps given out with the ride packets, he needn't have bothered. There were also volunteers at the intersections telling you where you had to go.
On this ride the rest stops are almost too well stocked. As well as the obligatory gator aid, there was watermelon, oranges, bananas, and more than enough home made cookies, as well as peanuts. This is a ride where you will probably actually gain a few pounds. The volunteers, both young and old, were very friendly and helpful. 
My only complaint is that they do not offer a T-shirt in small size. My tiny 4'9" wife can only use a medium T-shirt as a nightie or mini-dress. They need to offer a T-shirt in small size.

This year's Melon Patch tour was next to perfect---road markings were great, the route was challenging but not over tough, there were plenty of Sag vehicles, and the volunteers were cheerful and friendly. I can't think of a single thing that could be improved! Whoever had the idea of alternating "full" rest stops with "liquid only" rest stops is a genius! This simple idea kept the rest stops from being overcrowded. As usual, the Melon Patch has the BEST rest stops of any event. There were plenty of watermelons during the ride and at the finish line. The showers were wonderful on such a hot day. Every other ride coordinator should go to DeLeon and learn from them.

My husband and I did this ride, for the first time, this last weekend and were thoroughly pleased with it. Our route was marked well with arrows on the road and/or people at the intersections. The rest stops were placed just far enough apart to really enjoy them. The registration and packet pick up took absolutely no time and was extremely easy. You could tell that the people putting on the ride wanted you there and were trying to do everything possible to make your experience with them a good one. We will definitely be back. Good job.

This was my first trip to ride at De Leon TX. Overall review, a great ride. From last minute sign in, which was fast and smooth (they still had T-shirts) to an easy start of the ride. Plenty of portable rest room to choose from. No waiting lines like the Peach Pedal. There was a lot of talk, talk, talk before the start but they finally got the ride under way about 8 AM. The ride out of town was very nice and controlled and the local town folks seemed to be glad to see us as we passed through the downtown area. The start is more down hill for the first few miles making for a fast average during the first 20 miles of the ride.
Rest Stops. They were everywhere in the beginning of the ride. It seemed like every 5 to 10 miles there was a rest stop. I was not sure if I was going to ride the 71 mile route or the 42 mile. I left with the 71 milers and the lead group broke away pretty quick. The other groups were nearly as fast, to fast for me as I had to drop back at every hill I hit. Later I did catch up with a friend I came down with and at the 42 and 71 split he offered to help me ride the 71 mile route if I felt like it. So off we went on the longer route. Later we meet up with the other rider in our group who was fixing his second flat of the day. With both of my friends riding out front of me the ride went much easier for me. The longest mile came close to Carbon when we saw a REST STOP sign 1 MILE. At 50 miles out I was ready. The problem was the rest stop had been moved to a new location about 4 miles farther down the road. That was the longest mile of the whole ride. From Carbon to De Leon is mostly down hill from 1600 ft elevation down to 1325 ft near De Leon. With my legs trying to cramp at every hill the rest stops were a welcome sight all the way back to De Leon. Great ride, approx 1490 ft. of elev. climb on the 71 mile route but no Killer hills. The REST STOPS were all well stocked with a variety of home made cookies, fresh peaches and many other good choices. The roads were clean and the grass green from recent rains. I will be back next year. PS The Gorman Peanut ride uses almost the same route so either ride works well. David in Azle.

August 7, 2004

In 2001 I rode in the Melon Patch Tour and my only gripe was the lack of information about other events in the town during the day. This time, the organizers had put together an information page about events, locations, and timing. A person could spend the entire day (and night) taking part in all of the festival's activities. As in 2001, the volunteers were cheerful and helpful, the fabulous cookies were home made, and the route markings were superb. I had no trouble finding a parking spot and registering on the morning of the ride. The route was carefully thought out and for the most part on sparsely driven roads with good surfaces which didn't get slick during the rain. My only complaint was that the gym showers were not available this year. I had driven 92 miles from Fort Worth for the tour and was soaking wet after the 1 1/2 hour's rain that day. Please, folks, bring back the showers! As for the ride, this is one of the best!

This was my second year riding the Melon Patch. I think this year's ride was better than last year's. The routes were marked with HUGE color-coded numbers and arrows. If you missed the turn-off going to Okra (on the 71 mile route) there was a large sign that told you were going the wrong way. Great idea ! The pre-ride ceremonies were kept to a tolerable length.
The announcer did a good job telling us about the other activities that were available after the ride. I actually stayed and watched a little bit of the garden tractor pull. Uh.. interesting activity, but, I couldn't stand too much of it. Maybe if they had a "huffy toss" or a "walgoose" bash?
The rest stops were stocked with frozen peaches, food bars and a good mix ratio of whatever sports drink that was. That free watermelon at the finish sure hit the spot after riding all those miles. All the volunteers were friendly and helpful. The DeLeon ride seems to be growing in attendance. I saw people who came from as far away as Dallas and Plano coming out for this here lil' ol' ride in the country. The roads are great for cycling. I don't think there were any rude drivers out there at all (unlike other rides closer to the big cities). Even the guys in the duallies pulling their produce trailers seemed tolerant and gave you plenty of room when they passed you.
See ya'll again next year, De Leon.

I rode the 72 mile course of the Melon Patch Tour, and found it to be a  thoroughly enjoyable ride. The starting location was easy to find,  parking  was plentiful, and the 8:00 a.m. start time was perfect for those of us  that  had a long ride in from the city. The relatively cool morning, with  overcast  skies made for nearly perfect riding conditions. The route was nicely  chosen, with minimal traffic in either direction. All the rest stops that  I  visited were staffed with cheerful people who seemed genuinely happy to  meet  and help you out. All rest stops had refreshments, even towards the end  of  the riding day (I was one of the last ones in). Even the rain on the one north bound stretch did not detract from the ride. Visiting the town  festival after the ride was very nice as well. This tour is worth the time it takes to get there from the city, and for sure, I'll return next year.
Great job everyone.

I am the Ride Director for the Melon Patch Tour in De Leon, TX.
This year's event will be held on August 6, 2005.
Our brochures are being printed and we plan on sending them to the bike shops across Texas and past participants by the beginning of June.
We are excited about the 2005 ride and have some new ideas for this year's event.
Currently, one of our sponsors (Texas Peanut Producers Board) is hosting a reception with singer/songwriter Sonny Burgess on Friday, August 5. The reception will be 6-8 p.m. at the De Leon Senior Citizens Building (Start/Finish area) and is open to the public.
Come enjoy our hospitality during this premier event. 
The Melon Patch Tour offers routes that fit most anyone's endurance and skill level  with routes of 8, 18, 29, 42, and 71 miles. 
Arrangements have been made with The Bike Peddler out of Brownwood to set up at the S/F area to help with minor repairs and tube replacements. Prizes will be awarded before the start of the ride for the following pre-registered riders: 1st pre-registered rider, youngest pre-registered rider, oldest pre-registered rider, 1st pre-registered tandem, most pre-registered members in a family and the pre-registered rider who is furthest from home.
P. Jordan
Ride Director
The Melon Patch Tour
P.O. Box 64
De Leon, TX 76444
54-893-1360 voicemail
ride@themelonpatchtour.com 
^{www.themelonpatchtour.com}

August 9, 2003

The Melon Patch Tour has been around for ten years now. It has be labeled as the ride with the best rest stops, sag support, support staff; but most of all the Best Rest stops. A person use to be able to hit Rest Stop 1 and not leave for the next until he had "sampled" at least 4 or 5 varieties of Home Made Cookies. Store bought cookies were not to be found. Those who remember the "Good ole Days" may also remember the many different varieties of peanuts, fruits (this includes the Frozen Peach Slices), and pop cycles. This use to be a ride you would want to stay away from if you was on a diet, because this ride could send anyone into an "Eating Frenzy". Back in the good ole days, each rest stop never seemed to run out of supplies. It did not matter if you were the first to stop or the last at the rest stop. The "Good ole Days" are gone!!!
On my way to Deleon (Friday Afternoon), I got lost. I called the hotline number mentioned on the brochure. I got a machine telling me to check out the web site or send an e-mail. This was not a solution to being lost. Shortly after arriving, I started seeking ICE. None available
On Saturday, the ride got started almost on time (8:05 on my clock) I didn't think the announcer would ever shut up. At rest stop #1, all cookies had the taste of Store Bought. Only one variety of peanuts. Rest stop #2, no frozen peaches. Rest stop #3, no cookies (of any kind). By this time, I determined I had seen enough, so took a right turn to cut my ride short. Later, I encountered a rest stop that did not have a "draw box" (Draw Boxes were used to draw for prizes. All rest stops had them except one. The excuse given as it was already "all drawn out").
On a good note, the sag support was everywhere. AT ALL intersections, there was always someone there pointing the way. This has been in place ever since I have started riding this ride, and it hasn't change.yet.
In the Good ole days, this was a ride I would always look forward to. Not any more. Next year, I will go somewhere else (of stay home).

The best part of this ride was the coffee cup, the bag of peanuts, and the Dobie Scrubbing Pad (yes, complete with 10 cent price tag.) This was my first year to do the Melon Patch and I was really looking forward to it because I've heard so many positive comments about it being a fun & memorable ride, but now I'm not sure what to think except that I doubt I'll be back next year. This ride had some positive qualities, such as the enthusiastic registration processing, the MC was one of the best, the sag support, cleanliness of the roads & intersections, the quality of some of the roads & the beauty of some of the countryside, the Dublin Dr. Pepper, yogurt Popsicles, frozen peaches, and the homemade chocolate chip cookies at the 45 mile rest stop - my girlfriend doesn't normally eat cookies but she scarfed down three of them, as did I, and she said they were the best ever of any ride she's done! Another standout thing about this ride was the friendly enthusiasm of many of the riders we met on the road, especially during the rain and headwind. The Melon Patch 03 also had some negative things, such as the parking (love those thorns in the freshly cut grass), the staging area was far too congested with vehicles, pedestrians, and bikers, much of the parking was not convenient to the registration area, the men's & women's restrooms were filthy (by far the nastiest restrooms we've ever encountered at the staging area of a tour), most of the rest stop volunteers were NOT enthusiastic (maybe it was the rain.), the blue arrows for the 71 mile ride were almost invisible against the black background of the signs, the rest stop volunteers seemed to be hiding the frozen peaches, peanuts were only available at one of the two rest stops that we visited, the Gatorade was watered down almost to the point of tasting like water, only one rest stop had prize slips to draw, and last but not least, salt was not available to put on the watermelon at the end of the ride (yes I know I'm nitpicking - LOL). Interestingly enough, not one rest stop had any watermelon, which I thought a bit odd since it is the Melon Patch tour. Another oddity of this tour is the non-availability of local hotel rooms due to the concurrent Peach & Melon Festival. Despite the wind and rain, my girlfriend had a PB for the 100k portion of the 71 mile ride, but we expected more for a four hour round trip drive from the Metroplex. It wouldn't take too much to significantly improve this tour, in my humble opinion the rest stops make or break a tour like this; better luck next year.

I didn't want the "whiner" that sent in the first review have a negative impact on a very good ride. I have done a ride every weekend in the area and I have to say DeLeon is one of the best. The volunteers were some of the friendliest and the rest stops were great. We didn't have any trouble finding the frozen peaches and home-made treats.
How can you get lost if you've been a regular on past rides? The announcer was doing his job making sure each distance knew where to go. He (the announcer) even stayed around at the end of the ride greeting riders to make sure they had a good ride. The opening flag raising ceremony was very good with a trumpet duet playing the Star Spangled Banner. Made you proud to be an American. What other rides set up a concession stand and give out free cups of coffee and a full complement of fruit and snacks? DeLeon was my daughter and son-in-law's first rally and DeLeon did not disappoint them. As riders, we need to make sure we go out of our way to thank the many volunteers that donate their time to make sure we have a safe and enjoyable ride. How may rides this past year have been cancelled for lack of volunteers? We will definitely be back next year. "Thanks DeLeon" for a great ride and the weather could not have been better.

This was my MPT and I will have to say that it won't be my last. This was a one of the most organized ride that I have been on. The SAG was great, the rest stops were great, and the people both on and off the ride were some of the friendliest that I has met. I drove up to De Leon the day of the ride and found that parking was congested but not horribly. Registration was found after asking someone where it was. One of the things that I liked about registering was that the route maps were the same color as the route markers. This made remembering my route very easy. The MC did a very good job of explaining the routes and even told us why watermelon wasn't going to be at the rest stops (not really fun to have a stomach full of watermelon on a ride). While some thought that he was an annoyance, I thought that he did a good job on entertaining us until the start of the ride. The staggered start was also a good idea that eased some of the starting congestion that I have experienced on other rides. When it came to the rest stops they were great! At the first true rest stop (they had fluid stops in between), I don't think I was even off my bike yet before a boy scout offered me a cup of iced Gatorade. Then when I wanted to refill my bottle, they happily too it and filled it with ice cold Gatorade or water. The fair was the usual but with a homemade kick. The cookies were homemade for the most part, and were awesome. They also had bananas, frozen peaches (complete with ice crystals), peanuts, bite size snickers, ice, water and multiple flavors of Gatorade made per instructions. One of the nice little treats at the rest stops were prize boxes where you could win stuff. It kind of broke up the monotony of riding. One rest stop even had a mister that would have been really nice if the weather had been "normal" August weather. The people at the stops were just great. Nice and helpful. Plus, the ride in and of itself was great. Nice rolling hills that weren't too bad and lots of wonderful scenery. I can't wait to do this ride again next year. I give this ride a 90%.-CT

I want to comment about the Melon Patch Tour 03. I would like to say Job well done and please don't judge this ride by the comments of just one or two riders. Myself and two children attended this years event as we've done the past couple of years. The first mentioned that they had gotten lost and couldn't find Deleon. This contradicts what was said later in their statement "The good ole days' and " this has been in place ever since I have started riding this ride". Hello!!!
Once you've come to a town this small how in the world can you not find it again. It sounds as if they just want to complain about something. The rest stop volunteers were great as was everyone else involved. The registration was tops, they had their stuff together. The routes were marked although the # may not have been visible to those with poor vision. I was among some of the last to finish and I found no problems finding the frozen peaches and the like. As for the watermelon at the rest stop who wants to be riding feeling bloated on the stuff. There was certainly plenty at the finish line. Keep up the good work and we'll be there next year.

I've done the MPT before and it was not as good as in years past. I've ridden almost 200 tours over the last 15 years and on a scale of 1-10 this years MPT was a 6 or a 7 to me. Registration was easy, the men's restroom was dirty, the Mayor did a great job, the flag ceremony was heartwarming, the roads were in OK condition, the 71 mile arrows on the signs were difficult to read and I have 20-10 vision, the rest stops were not nearly as adequate as in previous tours but I attribute that to the rain, the quality of the food and goodies at the rest stops didn't seem as good as in prior MP tours and was not consistent from rest stop to rest stop, the SAG support was about the best I've seen, and the friendly cheer by the Mayor at the finish line was a nice way to finish this years MPT. I really can't disagree with the criticisms in the other reviews except to say the turnout this year seemed to be smaller when compared to prior MP tours and I did hear a moderate amount of displeasure from fellow 71 milers that the MPT 2003 seemed to be missing something this year. It may have been a better ride for the short distance riders. There's room for improvement on the MPT and plenty of time to do it for the MPT 2004.

I am the ride director for the Melon Patch Tour 2003-04 and wanted to say that we had another great ride and the weather couldn't have been better. This year we had 729 registered riders which is an increase of 16 from last year.
We are getting the rider response cards back and the comments are Positive ( GREAT ) to be exact.
We have riders from all over the state who attend our event and many of whom return year after year.
We added a mobile unit ( SAG that was equipped with all of the same food and drink as a full rest stop ) this year in order to replenish a rest stop if they became low on supplies.
We received some comments as to the sign marking ( Blue on Black ) and we will be addressing that problem at our next meeting. Two comment cards that we've received have asked if we could have a start time of 7:30am. We will be looking into this and see if more riders make similar suggestions. Our volunteers comment year after year about the over all manners of the bicyclists. Whether your working a rest stop, manning an intersection or offering sag support we here plenty of THANK YOU comments from each one participating. Our goal is to provide an enjoyable ride for cyclists of all ages and endurance levels and we look forward to having them return year after year.
Thank you,
P. Jordan
MPT Chairman 2003-04

The Melon Patch Tour at DeLeon, Texas was one of the best rides I've ridden this year. Registration was quick and easy, the T-shirts were bright and colorful. The rest stops were at every 10 miles or so. (I did the 42 mile route). The roads were really good with very few rough shoulders with little or no traffic. It was a good overall ride. Not too hilly, but the the wind was awful the last 10 miles, which no one can control in Texas! Workers were very friendly and helpful. All the rest stops were well equipped with lots of bananas, oranges, peaches, power bars, peanuts, juice Popsicles and home made cookies. Wet clothes were provided and they drew for prizes at all the stops. Lots of snacks and goodies at the end of the ride also. Will definitely try to ride this one again next year. It was GREAT!

We're new to bikes (at least as adults) and this was our first rally. It also ranks as at the top of the list of rides taken thus far. Needless to say we will return.