North Texas Bicycle Rally (NTBR), Roanoke, TX

October 8, 2011

Dear North Texas Bicycle Rally Friends,
I wanted to take some time to say thanks to all of our repeat riders and welcome all of our new cyclists as well. We had a lot of participation from a lot of people even considering the wind and questionable forecast. Everyone that participated was very energetic and enthusiastic, the Public Safety Teams were outstanding, and the Volunteers were phenomenal. On a side note, I do have to apologize for the lack of the 100K Route as I was out of the country for most of the summer working in Sao Paulo, Brazil. So with that lame excuse out of the way, I want to say a special thanks to my wife Pam, all of the Route Directors and Safety Teams who filled in my shoes while I was gone. For the upcoming year we will add the promised 100K route with some additional road side experiences throughout the Alliance Airport corridor. Thanks again for all of your feedback. I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous year ahead. Each and every one of you helped us make this an AWESOME event.
Regards,
Samuel Sellers North Texas Bicycle Rally

It was another great year for the North Texas Bicycle Ride. This top notch organized event is growing every year. Registration on-line and at the site was very smooth. They had porta potties placed at the parking areas and the start line. Refreshments were at 2 locations with cheerleaders carrying trays of goodies to the cyclist at the start line. The rest stops were placed away from the roads making it safer and more convenient. Signage was easy and plentiful. The 3 sisters moved from their suburban neighborhood to a rural location and they were not as mean as they were last year. This ride is a must do. The shorter 50 mile route gave the rider the opportunity to go all out and show what they have been training for all year. NTBR wrapped it up with their signature live band, burgers and hot dogs.

This rally gets better by the year! I've done all three, and have been pleased by all. I rode the 3o mile, and route was decent, although no ice was available at either stops....good thing it was not hot. After-ride burgers courtesy of Chili's were great, intersections manned by law enforcement were plentiful. I was confused by directions to start, thanks to Mapquest. Mapquest had me arriving at Eagle Parkway/35-W, even though I typed the correct address that was printed on a flier, as well as being familiar with previous NTBR start. Not sure what happened there, but I was concerned enough for other riders that I brought it to volunteers' attention to perhaps have someone go there to redirect lost participants. A gentle suggestion to organizers: maybe another color for the T-Shirt? Third year of yellow-orange. Great cause benefitting from this rally, and I will be back next year. Good job to all!

I rode the NTBR 50 mile ride. Only in its 3rd year it is proving to be better organized and managed than many of the rides that have been around for much longer. The traffic support, just as last year, is probably the best in the DFW area. The ride, this year, wound through Roanoke, Haslet, Fort Worth, Southlake and Keller, and they managed to get public safety support even with the diverse group of municipalities. Intersections that are supported by law enforcement give the riders right of way. At the front of the ride, there was near 'race' like support. Escorts by SUVs, motorcycles and law enforcement vehicles, for the entire course and provided on each distance. The course has some small challenging hills but is not overly hilly. Packet pick up was quick and easy. Plenty of porta potties, never saw a line. The ride is nicely situated on the ride calendar between Paluxy and the Crazy Kicker (last year it was on the same week-end of Paluxy). A band at the finish line and for post ride food burgers and hot dogs. The only negative, for me is a lack of a 62 mile route, despite the promise on this page to add a 62 mile route. There is plenty of space in Haslett and Southlake/Grapevine that would allow an additional safe 12 miles to this ride. In my opinion, they are not going to draw as many riders as they could if they had a 100k ride. I live in the area, so it's a no brainer for me, but if I had an hour or more drive to this ride I would not consider it at 50 miles. Add the 62 mile distance and this could become one of the best rides in the DFW area.

Ahh the North Texas bike rally, one of my favorites. Great staging area, plenty of sag, lots of people stopping traffic. Didn't have to stop not once. Great roads, nice scenery. Awesome route. This was my second year in a row to do it and is one of my favorite rides. Great after party and they have free hamburgers and hotdogs.

Registration was a little surprising because it was cash only. I don't recall seeing this on their event website. There was no signage about keeping bikes out of the registration area but the volunteers were quick to shout out to keep bikes out of the area. Rest stops were pretty sparse with no ice and limited snacks. Overall it was a mediocre ride that I will have to think long and hard about before signing up next year.

There were over 500 riders. This is my second year to ride he NTBR and it is my favorite ride. I did the 50 mile ride and it was fantastic. It's well organized e.g., the signs, support, time of year, the course, and there is food and music at the end. The ride is also well thought out. Many thanks to Sam and Pam Sellers for organizing this ride and to the sponsors and volunteers. Thank you very much. I highly recommend it. Kevin Stanley

October 2, 2010

“Dear North Texas Bicycle Rally Friends,
Just a quick note to say thanks to all of you for participating in the Second Annual North Texas Bicycle Rally supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We had approximately 500 Cyclists that participated in the rally, nearly double the participation from our inaugural year. We took all of the suggestions from the feedback at bicycle-stuff.com and e-mails to heart. The results were excellent. We will work even harder next year to make the Bicycle Rally better. For the upcoming year we will be adding an additional 62 mile route (100K) and will be working with the various state, county, and city and public safety teams to make sure all of the routes are well protected and clearly marked for everyone. Thanks for your feedback and have a safe and prosperous New Year.”
Once again, thanks for all of your help.
Regards,
Samuel Sellers
North Texas Bicycle Rally

I rode the NTBR - Roanoke 50 mile. This ride was shorter but fun. The course was challenging but not a killer. It allowed the rider to put in extra effort and concentrate on the difficult parts of the ride not the distance endurance. The weather was perfect so I saw fewer people stopping at the rest stops. The staff and support were wonderful from the time we entered the site, they directed traffic and walked us through registration. The signage and pavement markings were well done. The police gave us ROW over the vehicles in most cases. There were extra volunteers to flag the riders at difficult intersections. We got caught at two unmanned red-lights and one train crossing. The organizers made the ride enjoyable by providing signs that poked fun at the rough roads and steep hills instead of ignoring the difficulty of those sections of the course. Suggestions: 1. Place a sign at registration area to tell the riders that food and drink are at the staging line (on the opposite side of the building). 2. Tell the riders to print their own maps since they were not provided at the registration. I will be back next year, it was a lot of fun.

Great Ride! This was my first year for the NTBR, and I tried the 50 mile ride. I thought it was great. With the exception of about 1/2 mile, the roads were very smooth and in very good shape. I thought the traffic control was outstanding, and only noticed one intersection I thought was of concern (low traffic, but blind corner) . The rest stops were frequent enough, and the after-ride band and grills looked like fun. I will definitely be back next year!

The traffic support for the NTBR was one of the best I’ve seen (just for perspective I’ve been on 16 different rides over the last two seasons). The lead group for the 50 mile ride had a police escort for the entire ride. The escort stopped traffic at every intersection. I was told that some of the shorter distances had escort support as well. For one of the newer rides in the DFW area they are very well organized. I think they could improve the ride by adding a 100k route (as they take us through Haslet it would be easy to find 12 miles with almost no traffic) which would probably attract more of the hard core riders in the area.The traffic support for the NTBR was one of the best I’ve seen (just for perspective I’ve been on 16 different rides over the last two seasons). The lead group for the 50 mile ride had a police escort for the entire ride. The escort stopped traffic at every intersection. I was told that some of the shorter distances had escort support as well. For one of the newer rides in the DFW area they are very well organized. I think they could improve the ride by adding a 100k route (as they take us through Haslet it would be easy to find 12 miles with almost no traffic) which would probably attract more of the hard core riders in the area.

October 3, 2009

My name is Sam Sellers. I am the Rally and Ride Director for the North Texas Bicycle Rally. For this years NTBR, we have worked very closely with the Public Safety Teams in the Tarrant and Denton County areas to ensure that rider safety is of paramount concern. We have modified all bicycle routes with the safety of our cyclists and support teams in mind. While planning this year's bicycle rally (2010), our goal was to address comments from friends who attended the rally, our local and regional cycling clubs, as well as the folks that support us including bicycle-stuff.com. and more importantly the additional comfort and safety of our riders. This October 2nd please join us at the North Texas Bicycle Rally as we have improved safer routes, along with Live Music and some really Good Food for all participants.

I must commend the group for their great route marking and nice rest stops. The law enforcement support was very good too. They stopped traffic for one cyclist or twenty. “brats and kraut at the end were good too. Traffic wasn’t so bad for a lot of the ride EXCEPT Trophy club, some of the roads were scary, SOOO busy and same old crabby drivers. The first 25 miles were OK, thru Haslet and ending up at the start again to head off on the second half of the ride. Let’s head off around Justin next time, good roads and less traffic. Overall I would give it a 7.5 Sweet weather too!

Turn out was ok, suspect that its due to other rides in Plano and in Glen Rose. Who ever design the T-shirt did not use the K.I.S.S. method.
The start was relocated several blocks down the road, which cause some people to show up at the wrong location. Along the 25mile route, traffic control could be better. There were some intersection that really needed someone to direct traffic.
Leading up to Haslet on 156 there were more traffic than I would have liked. The last 5-8 miles of the 25 mile ride, there were some long climbs. The rest stop were well stocked, but there were no cups for those who lost their waterbottle. After the ride, the brats and kraut were good.

I rode the 50 mile route. It was a pretty hilly course, but I expected that. One section, perhaps a mile long, was a bumpy washerboard. There was a lot of police support for multiple municipalities, so the organizers went to a lot of trouble. Good signs and road-painted markers on almost every corner, and quite a few people waving us the right direction, especially on the first half. The first few miles were on busy urban roads, and in the pack I couldn't see corner markers so I just followed the crowd. There were some intersections in the beginning where police were there but did not make it clear who had the right of way, so I stopped unnecessarily ( perhaps a hazard to those behind me who didn't expect anyone to stop). Perhaps the police need some feedback. I didn't stop at any of the rest stops to comment on them. The food at the end was nicely done ( Bratwurst and grilled chicken sandwiches were a nice surprise!). It would have been useful if the person announcing the start of the event had told everyone exactly where the Finish was located, and where the food and the rock band would be, because they were on the opposite side of a large building and not visible from the road or where everyone was parked. Not very many cyclists, maybe ~120, so the second half I was by myself. All in all, a pretty good event and close to the metroplex. I'd rate it 7 of 10.

Three years ago this was my first rally, it was also the only time I didn’t get lost on this rally. The people running it are friendly, the rest stops are run pretty well, the start and finish are done well enough, and the roads are OK, not perfect but OK. The marking for where to go needs help. They are improving some but a painted arrows on the road that are big enough that you can see it after 40 miles would really help. Only about 120 or so riders this year so they may not do it next year, a shame because the route is pretty scenic country.