Last Saturday, I participated in the Big Dam Bridge 100, the largest biking event in Arkansas. I was one of about 3000 participants.

On Friday I went to a large vendor expo at the Convention Center in downtown Little Rock.  You could buy stuff there (I admired a $7000 bike on display), but it was also the place to pick up your packet of information for and about the ride.  I pre-ordered an event jersey and and also got my free tee shirt.  After that, I oiled my bike chain and pumped up the tires and psyched myself up, so it was ready to roll the next morning.

Early morning, all set to go!

The ride started in North Little Rock on a street next to the river. I had no trouble finding a parking spot. I got there before sunup; it was kind of strange to be riding around before daylight. But, soon before we started the ride, daylight appeared.

I was lined up and ready to go as the sun came up

The ride started at 6:35 am, but with so many riders, we couldn’t all start at once. We were staged along the street according to our predicted speed, which we estimated during registration. My group started a little after 7:00.

There were bike riders as far as you could see in either direction

I started the ride with several member of the Mello Vela biking club. It’s a local club and I know several members, although I am not a member. I rode with members of this club from time to time throughout the ride.Ready to go!

The pace was very slow at the start as we all tried to avoid running into another bike. I saw a few close calls, but nobody went down. We rode west from North Little Rock along the Arkansas River Trail to the Big Dam Bridge.

Riding over the Big Dam Bridge with many other people

It appears that I’m riding alone as I cross the Big Dam Bridge, but I can assure you I was not.  Throughout the ride I was seldom more than several feet away from another rider.

We rode across another pedestrian/biking bridge that spans the Little Maumelle River into Two Rivers Park.

 

Photographers were located along the route to photograph riders as they passed. They took 18 pictures of me, which were available for sale a couple of days after the ride. I bought a few.  (One of the photographers was my first cousin once removed, Jamie.  She said the photographers took over 30,000 photos).

One stretch of the Arkansas River Trail goes through a beautiful wooded area that we call the emerald forest.  It is very shady and dark along that stretch, and the photographer used a flash while taking pictures.

The ride took me a little over 3 hours of riding time. My average speed was 17.1 mph, not counting the time I was stopped at the rest stops. I stopped twice at rest stops to fill up my bottles with Gatorade, eat some cookies and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and drink some pickle juice (helps with leg cramps). My speed was not a world record or a personal best, but it was pretty good for me.  I rode the same course in April in another ride and averaged 16.2 mph.  I was in pretty good shape for the ride, having ridden over 1200 miles during the past 3 months.

At the finish line someone called out the names of riders as they finished. They knew our name because each rider was given a tag to attach to their bike with an embedded sensor. I suppose our name was displayed on a computer somewhere near the finish line so we could be acknowledged as we came by.

After the ride there was food (mostly hot dogs and cookies and other sweet stuff) and drinks.

There were long racks to hang our bikes on while we enjoyed the refreshments.

I drank plenty of water after I finished, but also enjoyed a couple of cold beers. I’m told beer is a good recovery drink, and I believe that to be true.

A live band added to the festive atmosphere

Each participant received a medal.

I really enjoyed this ride. It is one of my favorites.