Tour de Possum, Texarkana

September 2008

About 10 members of our local club attended the 2008 Tour de Possum. There were a total of 75 riders including at least 6 recumbents, which was a surprise at such a small event. Attendance may have been greater if the date had not been shared with the Cotton Patch Classic. The weather was perfect and winds were low. The ride was well organized for a small event. I pre-registered but registration was very simple. We got maps of the course and the turns were marked with signs and paint on the pavement. Rest stops were adequate given the size of this event with cookies, bananas, sports drink, and ice cold bottled water, plus at least one bathroom per stop. The course had both flat roads and a few rollers with several climbs that made your legs burn and your heart pound. SAG support consisted of several trucks patrolling the route. They fed us burgers, chips, cookies and banana pudding after the ride and passed out over 25 door prizes including bicycle computers and cash money. I'll consider this ride again next year.

September 23, 2006

This is the second time I have ridden this ride. Only complaint is this ride seems to always fall on a windy day. This year winds reached 20 MPH for most of the ride. Made it very challenging. I rode the 100K and was very exhausted at the end. Route was very well marked with both signs and directions painted on the rode. None of the rodes had much traffic. Good mixture of flat and hills. Sag support was abundant, even had a ambulance that drove around constantly. Rest areas were manned by boy scout troops. Not only did you get a t-shirt & goody bag but you got a free burger meals from one of the best burger joints in east texas which just happened to be across the rode from the start/end of the race.