The Herald-Sun
Oct 26, 2004 : 9:03 am ET
Organized group bicycling events are a fun way to share your enthusiasm and curiosity about bikes with fellow cyclists. On Saturday, you have the chance to take part in welcoming two new biking events to the Triangle area.
Capitol Broadcasting and the American Tobacco Historic District are hosting the “Halloween 100,” a supported distance ride covering 100 kilometers (a little more than 62 miles) of scenic roads through Durham and Orange counties. A 100k ride, also called a metric century, is not a race. Just finishing a ride of that length is an accomplishment, so there is no reason to add the pressure of who can do it the fastest. The start and finish staging area is the American Tobacco Campus and the ride kicks off at 9 a.m.
If you’re not sure you can handle all 100 kilometers, you might try the 50k ride. Both rides are supported and begin at the same time. Support includes official escorts, planned rest stops (with food and drink), emergency medical staff on site, and a bike mechanic at the start/finish and the first rest stop. Peter Anlyan of Capitol Broadcasting says: “We encourage riders of all [abilities] to come out and ride. These supported rides offer cyclists the opportunity to take the road in as controlled an environment as possible.”
Beginning at 9:30, there is a Family Fun Ride down the American Tobacco Trail. Kids of all ages are welcome to participate and there are planned stops along the way with entertainment and, of course, candy. It wouldn’t be Halloween without it.
Most races and noncompetitive cycling events are really fund-raisers for medical research, environmental protection or charitable organizations. In keeping with this tradition, funds raised by the “Halloween 100” go to support Habitat for Humanity of Durham as well as the expansion of the American Tobacco Trail.
If you’d rather get muddy and competitive on Saturday, then head down to Sanford, where the Triangle Cyclopaths are hosting an endurance mountain bike race at the Devils Ridge mountain bike course. The 12-hour “Dance with the Devil” runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The idea behind a 12-hour mountain bike race is that racers ride in a loop, and the racer (or team) who rides the most loops in 12 hours wins. The Devils Ridge course is a 4-mile loop, so a fast rider may complete more than 20 loops during the race. Since it’s getting darker earlier, you’ll need a set of lights to finish the race.
Racing for 12 straight hours? Mountain biking in the dark? Why would I want to take part in this madness? Tammy Kaufman, an accomplished mountain bike racer from Wake Forest says, “Racing seems to provide the impetus for me to push my own personal limits, to try to achieve things that ordinarily would seem far beyond my grasp.”
But, it’s not all about winning for Kaufman. “I started racing initially just to see if I could. I still do it because I’ve made a lot of friendships with other racers,” she says.
Dave Anderson, another racer from the Triangle, adds that the spirit of endurance races is sometimes different than other cross-country mountain bike races. “I’ve noticed a lot of camaraderie in [endurance] races. Finish times are typically six to 12 hours, so people tend to help each other out a lot more.”
Both events require helmets and you need to certify that both you and your bike are in good working order. It’s standard practice for event organizers to require you to sign a waiver or release form when registering.
If you’re as busy as I am, you probably ride by yourself most of the time. Events like these are a great contrast; you’re surrounded by hundreds of cyclists who all love to ride as much as you do. Riding solo gives me an overinflated sense of my abilities; riding with others is usually a humbling experience. Racing keeps me honest.
As Tammy Kaufman says, “It also gives me the chance to be endlessly amazed at the capacity of the human body, mind and spirit, and to marvel at the wonderful beings that we truly are.”