Garrettsville – The 6th annual Road Apple Roubaix has come (Boy, did it!) and gone (After a great ride-around covering a scenic slice of Portage & Geauga counties), having pretty much filled the center of town( and rocked Main Street–thanks to DJ Jason Adkins) for a good chunk of the day–a bright, sunny, chilly day, great for a ride.
After hearing a welcome from Mayor Rick Patrick, a rendition of the National Anthem by Mary Chesla and following Ranger Doug Shepard of the Portage County Park District in his ecologically-correct patrol car, some three-hundred-and-seventy-five riders took off for a “fur piece” or two. Plenty of fluorescence and Spandex were in evidence, all the latest in tights/leggings, bike boots & spats, helmets and gloves and jackets. All–or nearly all–returned with a fine patina of mud and dirt (No road apples that I know of) as well as broad grins, before they retired to Slim & Jumbo’s to enjoy great quantities of chili and adult beverages and rehashing every twist and turn, bump and puddle of their shared adventure. Not sure what the folks in the Amish buggy down at the stoplight thought of it all–not their scene–but all of the riders seemed to have enjoyed the day. The finish line moved into tech territory this year with a photo finish set-up, so everyone can see how muddy they looked coming home; just what anyone wants to see.
Following the ride, there were opportunities to win some raffle prizes–Chinese auction-style–laid out on the flat surfaces inside Slim & Jumbo’s–a ton of stuff. One could win a couple of big baskets full of bike goodies, socks, gloves, hats, energy fare, miscellaneous bike paraphernalia, a massage session (definitely worth a shot), shoes, jackets, shirts, bags, mugs & glasses, coffee and wine. Spiffy new-design sweatshirts were available, as were cool T-shirts. There were quite a number of sponsors for the event, even some support vans out front on Main Street; the names were pretty self-explanatory–Bike Hub, Dirty River Bicycle Works, Pro Community Pro Bike +Run; these folks were not here to engage in competitive quilting. Bright yellow, bright orange, reflective tape on all sorts of things, helmets with their own little flashing red tail lights–it was a happy crowd and an orderly one. There were activities like arm wrestling after the food was devoured and a big screen TV just like home…only bigger. After all of the fun stuff has been paid for, donations will be going to local organizations, including an introduction to biking for youth in the area–doing good while having a good time is the way to go. Sponsors will get their innings in another issue for supporting this worthy endeavor. Thanks.
Kudos to the organizers–a couple of Garfield grads & their recruits–for putting together an excellent event. We’ll look for you next year. Somebody start making the weather arrangements NOW!
