Texas - Richardson Wild Ride!

Yeah! Who's in on this one?
http://richardsonregional.com/wps/portal/%21ut/p/c1/hY7LDoIwEEU_aaYtDGWJ8qoxIAkisCGNIdiEhwtj4t9b4sYNOrM8585caMHurJ9m0A-zzHqEGlrqSvIrL045SpeHyKN4L6ksRK5cyxvqspyfY0cxJiliyCl1dsdKYRKKP-nL-u_LyFnoW-OQMFUFQjLx4b_urxw3JkDI0mXqoYHW2-wREDRjP-jrC-5TjeZ0K970TCkk/dl2/d1/L0lJSklna21BL0lKakFBTXlBQkVSQ0pBISEvWUZOQTFOSTUwLTVGd0EhIS83X1Q2OVY3RkgyMDg1MkQwMkVGQzg2VFEzT0E2L0xf X19fNA%21%21/?WCM_PORTLET=PC_7_T69V7FH20852D02EFC86TQ3OA6_WCM&WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/public+web+site/RRMC/AboutUs/Departments/RichardsonRegionalFoundation/WildRide%21+Bike+Rally/

Yep in for the 64 mile got my packet today

Would I get frowned upon if I showed up wearing one of these (http://www.thesharkguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/beerhat-772303.jpg) instead of a helmet? Or if I wore cut off blue jeans instead of dem thar tight biker shorts? And I guess a Styrofoam ice chest bungeed to my bike would be out of the question. :rolleyes:

All kidding aside, I would love to join, but I think I not fit enough just yet.:o

Hey omni, no such thing as not fit enough. You do not have to do the 60 mile route. There is a 16 mile or 40 mile.

My wife and I will be there. She is planning on doing more than the 16 mile, but less than 40. I want to do 60.

I wear cotton shorts, none of the slicky pants myself. I have discovered that absolutely nobody cares. Nobody would care about an ice chest for that matter, although you might get some funny looks and/or arrested if you got hammered out there. The helmet technically wouldn't meet their rules, not for silliness, but because it doesn't meet the impact requirements for helmets. I think it's a fair bet nobody would bother to say anything, though. The can holders are fine, but you run the risk of being picked up for DUI or whatever if you have beer in them. They'll usually have police directing traffic here and there, though they're not in a good position to pick up scofflaws that pass by. That helmet is ideal for unicycling, by the way, no bottle holders on a unicycle. They'll have drinks and snacks every ten miles or so, so 1-bottle of gatorade will normally do me for a ride.

I kinda wondered what would be expected. IE, rules and such. I know I asked in a silly way but I am curious since I've never participated in such an event. I don't normally wear my helmet for the neighborhood rides, but I don't have a problem putting it on if they require it.

In a few months I'll probably have more time for these rides. This weekend I'm doing time trials at my bike club.

Helmet requirements are more up to city laws than the ride's organizers. I have not seen anything about helmets being required.

However, I wear my helmet in rides like this, because when you are riding in a large group, you cannot always predict or prevent what other riders are going to do.

Howdy, new member here.
Almost all T-shirt charity rides have a helmet claus in the wavier you sign when registering. Personally, I never ride without one. I saw my brother fall the first year we got back into riding. He hit on the back of his head, split his Bell helmet right up the center. He was lucky.

Slo

As far as I know, the City of Dallas is the only local city with a helmet law for adults. I think some of the suburbs have helmet laws for teens. But as stated above, practically any organized ride will require bicycle helmets, and they're normally used. And people are normally behaving themselves at these things.

However, I wear my helmet in rides like this, because when you are riding in a large group, you cannot always predict or prevent what other riders are going to do.

I'm thinking the same thing. I have to assume not everybody attending is an expert rider.... including myself. :o

Is there an expected pace to be kept?

No, there is no expected pace. However fast (or slow) you are, there will more than likely be someone faster (or slower).

As stated, I always wear a helmet on these rides. Most of the rides, if you check the verbage, simply say that they "Strongly recommend a helmet". The MS rides are the only ones I have seen recently that specifically state a helmet is required.

As StephenH stated, Dallas is the only locality in the metroplex (that I know of) with a helmet ordinance on the books. (except for teens and kids).

The girlfriend and I will be there too!

Ride it every year.
http://home.swbell.net/hebert11/wildride_photo

Last year's Wildride, Elizabeth Steeger, VP of patient care, Ron Boring, CEO, me (director of lab), EW Williams MD.

I helped design a limited run of the jersey last year. While we were taking that picture, a dog owned by the Jim Hoyt (owner of Bikemart) pee'd on Elizabeth handlebars. Funniest thing I've seen in a long time. :)

There's really not an expected pace. There's usually an implied maximum time ("course closes at 3:00" or some wording like that), so if you're super slow, you might need to avoid the longest route. I usually average around 14 mph, and that'll put me in with quite a few other people. I've ridden a lot slower and still passed people, and a lot of people will be going faster than that, too.

I did the 100K last year, and it was a blast, but $40 on ride day?? Looks like they went up for this year.

It seems that some of our local "Charity" rides are being organized by people who do it for a living. The Granbury ride this year was cancelled due to loss of sponsership. A friend of my has a business in Granbury and was recently approached by someone wanting the friend to be a sponser for a rescheduled ride. After noticing a $30.00 ride fee,the friend asked a few questions and found out that this person was indeed being paid to organize the ride. Now I don't really have a issue with this process, but if it is being advertised as a fundraiser for local needs, I hate to see the fees go up to pay an organizer. One reason I pass on Flower Mound is the $30.00 fee. I now wonder if they have paid organizers.

What is wrong with a non-profit hiring someone to organize an event - like a bike rally?

These things are very, very difficult to organize, and since the professional organizers ahve the experience and the contacts to do so more easily, what's the problem?

Ride fees go up. How much is actually going to local organizations?

Oh well. Better than sitting around the house. :)

I think these are organized (or disorganized) every which way. If you'll notice on the "Tour Dallas" website, Bikin' Mike said something on the website about "our designated charity this year is.."- in other words, he's the constant, and the charity changes from time to time. On the other hand, with the Jackrabbit Stampede in Forney, you get the distinct impression there's not a professional organizer involved. Whatever works.

I so wanted to do this ride this year!
I'll be in Wisconsin instead...watching my son graduate. I'd be nice if I didn't have to entertain family up there in Madison. There's some good ridin' round them parts.

I so wanted to do this ride this year!
I'll be in Wisconsin instead...watching my son graduate. I'd be nice if I didn't have to entertain family up there in Madison. There's some good ridin' round them parts.


Not to mention some dang good deals on used bicycles with school getting out!

To Stephen H: Egg-Zachary!

And Bikin' Mike is the paid organizer for Tour Dallas (you don't really think he does it for free, do you?)

As someone said, Ride Fees go up...yep, fact of life. So does the price of milk and eggs, and gasoline.

I ride because I love it. I could do free rides, but I would rather ride in some different places, collect my myriad "free" t-shirts, and pay someone to tkae all of the hassles out of arranging logistics. That way all I have to do is take my self and my bike, and follow the arrows. But, YMMV!

And I guess a Styrofoam ice chest bungeed to my bike would be out of the question. :rolleyes:



Some dude on the HHH last year was pulling a BOB trailer loaded with a cooler, with beer in it. But he looked to be mid-20's or so. I could drink and pedal when I was that young also.

Not to mention some dang good deals on used bicycles with school getting out!

Ah...but getting them back home....

raining right now (4am)....hope we get a break in the weather.....

Me too. I was planning to ride to the ride, and it's still drizzling. I'll wait till 7:00 then drive on up and see what it's like.

Last night, I checked the hour-by-hour weather at about midnight, and they showed rain around 4-5 then not any more until noonish. Now the same hour-by-hour forecast is showing rain right through the morning. Grrr. I'll be up there anyway.

Oh well, still raining. Not going to make the ride this year. Enjoy if you go!

Well, I went, I rode, I enjoyed, I got rained upon.

I drove on up there, and there was a light rain, so I just rode anyway. The temperature was just right, so I didn't get chilled or boiled, just wet. I made the 65 mile route. That was the first time I had been over the dam there at Lake Lavon, that was pretty neat. The rain varied from barely sprinkling to light rain, never heavy, but definitely there. Saw John Sadowski, the www.bicycle-stuff.com (http://www.bicycle-stuff.com) guy. He passed me going down a little hill, I passed him going up the next one, and didn't see him after that. Not sure if he was taking pictures or not. There were a fair number of people riding, not anything like the normal crowd, though.

Finished the 65 miles as well, cold and wet but fun, only saw 1 person slip on a wet corner

I showed up got the T-shirt and went home. Just thought I would be cold and wet. Good job riding today.

Just curious, what percentage of the crowd showed up compared to last year?

Hard to say, I'd guess may 10% of last years crowd- maybe a couple of hundred riders were out.

My wife and I rode. We only ended up doing the 16 mi route (this was her first organized ride).

She finished, only stopped once.
It was wet, but the rodes were relatively clean.