Riders relish bike-tour challenges

Big Dam Bridge 100 draws 2,900 to Arkansas River Trail

Cyclists ride Saturday along LaHarpe Boulevard near Cross Street in Little Rock during the Big Dam Bridge 100. Riders had the option of routes in lengths of 13, 20, 50, 68 and 100 miles.
Cyclists ride Saturday along LaHarpe Boulevard near Cross Street in Little Rock during the Big Dam Bridge 100. Riders had the option of routes in lengths of 13, 20, 50, 68 and 100 miles.

Nearly 2,900 people took their bicycles out Saturday to ride alongside friends over dozens of miles of the Arkansas River Trail for the ninth Big Dam Bridge 100 bike tour.

The challenge of 13, 20, 50, 68 or 100 miles in Pulaski County's woods and hills is familiar for many cyclists, who have participated in the event for several years.

Harold Thornhill, 51, is one of those people seeking a challenge and looking to meet the goals he sets for himself. But it's more than that, he said.

"I just started three years ago," Thornhill said. "My friends got me involved in it."

Since then, Thornhill has lost 90 pounds. The annual ride is a way to keep the weight off and build camaraderie with fellow cyclists.

"When you ride with a team, it makes the whole ride easier," Thornhill said.

Thornhill rode the full 100 miles Saturday with eight others from RevRock, his cycling team in central Arkansas. The crew rotated positions -- among the front, middle and back of the pack -- until the team crossed the finish line five hours and 34 minutes into the tour.

Bob Jones, 58, rode the 68-mile route with his friend Karen Call, 61.

Jones is also an Ironman competitor who swam 2.4 miles, ran 26.2 miles and cycled 112 miles in Boulder, Colo., last month.

He said he took it easy Saturday, finishing the 68 miles in five hours and 30 minutes.

"It's a little slow, but we stopped at a lot of the aid stations," said Jones, adding that he has ridden the 100-mile and 50-mile routes before and that the tour was challenging.

Jones said competing the way he does is about accomplishing something and knowing he can do it.

Bicyclists lounged around Argenta -- where the tour finished -- and drank chocolate milk, sports drinks and water before heading to the beer vendors. They chatted with cycling acquaintances and talked about their rides as the sun went behind the clouds.

"It's exhilarating and scary. You have to pay attention. You really have to pay attention to the people around you," Thornhill said. "It's really hard to go up the hill, but it's really fun going down."

He got up to about 40 mph, Thornhill said.

"It's a wonderful ride," he said.

Event director Fred Phillips said the nearly 2,900 riders were a record for the tour.

At least twice since 2012, cyclists have encountered tacks on the west Pulaski County roads that the Big Dam Bridge 100 and other bicycle tours use. The tacks have popped tires and hampered rides.

Phillips said 150 officers worked the tour this year and that the event crew had put measures in place to prevent people from placing tacks on the roads. There were no reports of tacks on the route during this year's event.

Metro on 09/28/2014

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