Tour De Argyle, Argyle, TX

October 4, 2008

Rode the 43 mile route. The rest stops were great. Indoor toilets at every stop, and ample supplies of a variety of drinks, fruit and goodies. Seemed like I was pedaling uphill the majority of the ride, a few times in granny gear. A mix of rough, semi-smooth and smooth roads. One ultra-smooth asphalt road where speeds in the mid 20s could be maintained in the flats (wind assist?). It was fun. Great scenery. Finished the route with a several mile long slow ride down the shoulder of Hwy 377 into a stiff wind. Not fun. Next year, I recommend the organizers furnish page-size, colored route maps on their website showing the direction of travel for each route.  J.G.

Excellent support and organization for a second year ride. EVERY urban intersection was supported by either police officers or volunteers directing traffic.

Registration was satisfactory. There was no separate tandem registration. For those who pre-registered, the T-Shirts were neatly prepared in bags with the rider’s names on them.
The ride now starts at the high school . Parking is adequate. There was not a line in the restroom when I used it.
There was mechanical SAG at the start of the ride that really salvaged the day for me, as my tire had swelled up alarmingly and probably would have burst after 5 miles. I was provided with a new tire free of charge.
The rest stops were adequately stocked with a variety of snacks.
The biggest complaint about this ride this year was the route. I have been riding in North Texas rallies for 5 years and this was the most brain dead route I ever encountered. There was nothing wrong with the route per se, it was the way it was organized.
First of all, the maps posted on the internet were not detailed enough to show what part of the route was ridden when. Second, no maps were distributed before the ride with the packets.
The 43 mile route included a portion west of U.S. highway 377. There is nothing wrong with this, except that that part of the route should have been ridden first. I was flabbergasted when we all started out together and then turned right on Hilltop. The large loop east of 377 was OK, there were police at some of the intersections, but by no means all of them. The most notable deficiency was the northern crossing of Cross Timbers Road and Shiloh road, you were entirely on your own at this dangerous intersection.
Then the route took you back to the start at the High School, and the 43 milers then had to do the idiot loop west of 377. The only problem was, it wasn’t marked where you were supposed to turn off. Granted, there were two signs that said “Caution, Bike Ride” with arrows pointing left, but up until then the routes had been color coded with arrows on the pavement, and these were no where to be seen, with the result that the vast majority of the 43 milers continued north on 377. There was also no volunteers at this critical intersection either. We were finally told at the turn off to the 62 mile route that we had missed the turn, and had to go back and do this loop backwards.
The loop west of 377 should have been done at the start of the ride. There should have been adequate markings on the road for the turn, along with volunteers shouting “43 left, all others straight..” Then the 43 milers would have finished back at the high school without having to do the idiot loop at the end of the ride. It is difficult to see what hardship this logical and sensible change would have placed on the organizers of the ride.
I certainly hope that next year there will be improvements made in the route.

This year's route was a vast improvement over last year's. While there were a couple of odd loops at the end to top off the mileage for 43 and 62 miles, they made sense to me. I believe the organizers want to get the ride through Flower Mound early before traffic gets so bad, and then take the routes west and north into less heavily traveled parts of the county. The start is really fast now with that initial stretch of 377, but like last year Hilltop Rd. breaks the pack up fast. I found either police or ride marshalls at every major intersection, except for that crucial left turn off of 377 onto Old Justin that began the 43-mile loop. I saw several confused riders there. I believe more than a few 62-milers missed that turn as I spoke with several riders at the finish whose computers showed around 50 miles.

I’m sure that it was hard to plan a bike rally in the middle of the urban jungle. The organizers did a great job with the rolling terrain and challenging course. It was a fun ride even with the wind. The rest stops were great especially the one at the school which was decorated for Halloween and had stored bought treats as well as the usual fare. I can say however that my biggest complaint was basically being turned off at the 43 mile maker trying to continue on the 62 mile course with course marshals saying that the ride was no longer supported after 11 o’clock on the 62 mile course. I’ve never seen a ride do this that early or with out notice and I wasn’t about to ride on for 20 more miles with out additional water and course support considering the traffic. Next year please state if your going to be closing off routes due to time constraints and you let us know ahead of time so we can prepare for it.

Okay, I had to get on here and post my opinion! Those of you griping about the wind. Believe it or not, the organizers can't control mother nature!! Bring on the wind...makes us all stronger. Second...this was a darned good ride..well organized, lots of food at the stops, friendly people, excellent crossing control. The police were extremely helpful and appreciated. The roads were a bit rough from time to time, but again, suck it up and enjoy the weather and scenery!! I had my doubts about doing this one because it's so new, but I was wrong!! Loved the ride and I WILL be back next year!!!

Good start, well marked except for the second go around on 377 where the ride turned left across 377. There was no marshal indicating where to turn. NO MAPS. I did not like riding through Flower Mound. I would have preferred riding west, away from the urban settings. Good stops and mechanical support at the start. Otherwise a good ride. I can't say I will be back if the route continues through Flower Mound.

Inagural Ride October 6, 2007

Argyle is to be commended, the inaugural ride went off without a major snafu. While the route seemed to be one continuous hill on quiet country roads, there were no monster hills. I never once felt threatened by big gravel trucks or their brethren . There was one major road we had to cross without protection and a kind motorist stopped to let us go across. There may have been policethere earlier but I was sorta in the rear. - J.S.

What a terrific first try at this bike rally! Parking was easy and there were either volunteers or police at *almost* every turn or intersection. Beautiful scenery among rolling hills, palatial homes and ranches and smooth roads made this a ride not to miss in future years. Could have used two more porto potties at the beginning. One per 100 people is not quite enough, but other than that, I give two thumbs up and will surely put this ride on my calendar for next year!

What a pleasant surprise of a ride! This inaugural rally was cobbled together very quickly, and with great results! At registration, I spoke with one of the organizers (a cyclist) and it was clear his knowledge of rallies (and that of his fellow organizers, also cyclists) made this one successful.
Great t-shirt, very nice route (37-miles), excellent signage and pavement markings, good police and flagger coverage at many intersections, decent rest stops (GO Girl Scouts!). A lot of other cyclists, not on this rally (going opposite direction) attest to good riding area. Only tiny downside was no supplies at registration......need at least water and ice here, but items were available there post-ride. All in all, a very good morning......let's do this again next year! Thanks, y'all! Kathy Duck

The 100K route may have been a bit convoluted; going out and coming back near the start; going out again a different direction, doing a loop twice, crossing Hwy 377 a few times, but I gotta tell ya, the organizers did a great job with the details. Given the suburban sprawl of the DFW area, there is almost no way to have a rally that is a simple, non-stop, low-traffic loop without having to drive way out into the country. I found the route well marked by both upright signs and colored arrows on the road. Almost all intersections were attended, with police directing traffic at the busiest (Hwy 377, etc.). Attempts were also made to highlight potholes and pavement cracks with spray paint. The rest stops were well placed, stocked and manned. I'm told even the port-a-potties were nice and new, complete with hand sanitizer dispensers. A few more at the start would have been nice. The route had challenging enough rollers, with no killer hills - which for a tandem is just fine with me. I also noticed ride support vehicles cruising around. The ride was successful for us, I hope it was enough of a success for the organizers they will do it again next year with the same attention to detail.

The folks in Argyle did a fantastic job of putting on their inaugural tour.  That was the best first time ride I've participated in.  Highlights include: a very well marked course using painted arrows and signs, road hazards were marked, police at the major intersections, and volunteers at most of the rest (but not all).  The course was mostly rolling hills with lots of corners and the traffic was generally light. There were a few places with rough roads, and a few miles of chip seal.  I didn't stop at any of the rest stops, but they looked appropriate for the amount of riders.  One concern is that if this ride grows, they may have parking issues.