Disco Bike Rally. Gainesville, TX

October 8, 2011

We rode the 62-mile route at the Disco Bike Rally in Gainesville, Texas last weekend, 10/8/2011. The route is hilly, so you may want to select your distance accordingly. The day we rode it was fairly windy as well. The volunteers at the rest stops were terrific! They were all friendly and helpful, and wore hilarious disco costumes. The pavement was pretty smooth. The ride was exactly 62 miles as advertised. Although there was quite a bit of truck traffic on the route, I've never seen such courteous drivers- all of the trucks and cars waited patiently to pass us, then gave us room as they passed. The medals at the end of the ride were a nice touch. I look forward to doing this ride next year!

While I agree that the rest stops were outstanding, and the people wonderful, I have to disagree about the roads and traffic. I did not enjoy this bike ride. Two lane roads with high car speed limits and no shoulders are not a good riding environment. I felt like I had big trucks roaring right past me all day. The first few miles had a fairly rough shoulder, but the rest of the ride did not. Lots of sections of very rough road surface. Registration was a bit of a mess. Webpage said they would open at 6:00, but when I got there at 6:15, the gate to the park wasn't even open yet. People were driving around the gate to get in, but when I got to the registration area, nothing seemed set up nor ready to go. Not great parking.