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Tour de Stooges: A Look Back

As I was driving home Saturday, May 7, from the Tour de Stooges, I thought about what we accomplished on the ride. We drew about 500 riders, doubling the attendance record for the ride. The folks at McKendree worked hard, but they fed all the riders. Most people were pleased with the scenic routes, the way we marked the route and the food and drink we provided at the rest stops.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

We finally did it. The Tour de Stooges met the goals I set for the ride when Ken Kibort and I created the ride in 1997.

I had a feeling we were in for a special day when we had more than 200 people pre-register for the ride. And when the forecast called for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 80s, I knew it was going to be a special day.

But I was stunned when I returned to McKendree College from delivering food and water jugs to the first rest stop, the Troy Knights of Columbus. It was barely 8 a.m. and the main parking lot at the Melvin Price Convocation Center was already three-quarters full. Registration didn't officially open until 8:30.

The volunteers at registration adjusted well to the flood of people and moved people through quickly. Before 9 a.m., the main lot and the smaller lot next to the Price Center were full, and our parking volunteers made the right adjustments so everyone could find a spot.

The vast majority of the people really enjoyed the flat-to-rolling routes we used and commented about the lack of vehicular traffic on them. They also found the routes were very well marked, and I'm grateful for that. No matter how many arrows you paint or how large you make them, someone is going to complain. But I figure if only one or two people complain, we've done our job.

That's not to say everything was perfect. There was an unforeseen problem at the Highland rest stop. We were not aware of the plumbing problems at Spindler Park, the site of the second rest stop, until it was too late to make alternative arrangements with the City of Highland.

The woman who manned the second rest stop, Dawn Weber, has coordinated many bike rides and biathlons for Touring Cyclist. When Dawn realized the situation, she took it upon herself to ask a convenience store a block away from the park whether she could refill the water jugs there and whether riders could use the restrooms. The only times when that stop was unmanned and out of water was when she was traveling to the store to refill the jugs. Under the circumstances, I thought Dawn did an exemplary job!

The other rest stop where there were water jug problems was the New Baden stop (the third stop). Had we known we were going to have about 500 people on this ride, I would have had someone man that stop. Normally, I would have refilled the jugs, but our SAG drivers were buying additional cookies for the other rest stops and taking care of other problems on the road. The New Baden rest stop was in a park with more than ample water. There was a water faucet less than 10 feet from where I had set up the jugs and the food. Yes, it would have been better if the jugs had been filled, but there was water to be had.

Also, there were problems with some people riding more than two abreast on the roads, a violation of Illinois law. We need to continue our efforts to teach people about the rules of the road for their safety and so we remain welcome in the communities, townships and counties where the routes go.

So, what are we going to do different for 2006? We're going to correct the problems we had, first of all. We're also considering having more activities at some of the rest stops, such as pie-throwing contests or live music.

Again, thanks to all you who attended the Tour de Stooges! We hope you enjoyed the ride, and we hope to see you again in 2006.

Roger 0 comments 3:00 PM