4:30 AM Sunday May 18, 2008 it was raining. Was this foreshadowing that the May Madness ride was going to be rained  out?

 

Thankfully this was not the case; but, the rest of the day was a typical Indiana spring day. The temperature rose slowly from 44 degrees to almost 60. The sun made an occasional appearance. What was constant was the wind. Was it really coming out of the West?  The conscientious consensus was that no matter what direction you turned it was coming right into your face. With gusts of 20+ mph, the wind helped to make the ride a memorable happening.

 

 

After a 2 year absence 125+ riders helped welcome back the 3RVS May Madness Ride...the youngest was 8 and the old- est...well we won’t tell. They chose routes from 14, 34 or 54 miles, which took them over scenic secondary country roads thru Huntington County.

Wind… did any one mention the wind?

The sag at Hires Park in Huntington was the stopping point for the 34 and 54 mile routes. Here the riders were treated to chex & trail mixes, mini bagels, cream cheese and jelly and the traditional PB&J, bananas and grapes. Everyone had to refuel to go back out and face the elements. But the real treats came at  the end of the ride…homemade cookies …. chocolate chips, peanut butter…rice crispy treats just to name a few. The children and the adults had difficulty choosing just one...so most riders had a selection.  

Wind… did any one mention the wind?

The ride could not have taken place had it not been for the volunteers. Thank you ….  to the ladies that resurrected the ride (and made the cookies): Jan Dickson, Nancy Lambright, Sara Landrum, Cindy Nolot and Linda South. The volunteers for the 14 mile loop were Luke Ballinger and Diana Schowe. While at Hires Park there were: Catherine Sallaz and her daughter, Rich Wismer, Leslie Davis, Erna Vanhelfteren, Joe Kennedy, Cheryl Mathews, Mark and Marsha Timbers, Rob Nolot and Dick Kyro. The roving sag support was furnished by Luis deVeyra, Chuck South, Kevin Truelove and Ernie Williamson. Tim Landrum and Tim Dickson helped their wives paint the route with  paint donated by George Juergens from Juergens Paint and Hardware in Huntington Indiana. Thanks also to Kathy Boling for making and printing the route maps.

And special thanks to Mr. Roth who so graciously agreed to let 3RVS club use the Roanoke Elementary School for the ride. I hope that everyone that did the ride had a marvelous time (despite the Indiana spring winds) and will return next year.