Well, the eighth annual Road Apple Roubaix was a smash ! Anyone coming into town on Saturday could testify to the popularity of the event, just by observing the parking situation. The nearest comparison might be a really big night at SummerFest or the last big drawing of the long-running Queen of Hearts raffle. Cars, trucks, vans, SUV’s–any vehicle that could contain or haul a bike…maybe two…three…four– was parked around the village center and disgorging bike riders of all shapes, sizes, ages, genders to go off on a gorgeous day for a bike ride. The speakers down in front of Slim & Jumbo’s were pumping out tunes; DJ Jason Adkins was keeping folks apprised of directions and warnings(Don’t park on Main Street–you will be ticketed), invitations to pick up registration paraphernalia, general good-will announcements to keep the crowd involved and upbeat.
The hardware! Ace has nothing on this crowd. Helmets, glasses/goggles, rearview mirrors, flashing tail lights, racks to carry bikes, funny shoes that click on the sidewalk when wearers walk like ordinary pedestrians, fancy seats (which didn’t look all that comfortable to me…but what do I know?), bikes that cost more than my first automobile– all there in living color (much fluorescence in the garments, running heavily toward yellow but including at least one leopard print). There was also at least one tandem bike, maybe two. I noticed that there were, it seemed to me, more women in the crowd than had been participating before. You go, Ladies!
Also noticed more family dogs in the gathering–one charming and a little alarmed four-month-old Chihuahua (Whose caretaker was wondering where the dog basket might be positioned on the family tandem on some future event), one really, really fuzzy Husky pup which wasn’t about to go off with all of these strangers, one Standard Poodle with either a puppy cut or a summer cut–not the lion cut that one sees in the show ring–looked like a real dog, and a couple just-dog dogs enjoying the commotion.
The send-off took place after a mercifully brief message from Mayor Rick Patrick, inviting all to return to town for other reasons sometimes and wishing good luck to everyone, followed by a rendition of the National Anthem by Sydney Rainey and a few last minute reminders and directions.
And away they went! It all looked very impressive heading , en masse, up State Street hill–all that color! All those riders (almost 500)! All that ways to go! Neat! And…in a big tech advancement, the finish times were determined by chips of some sort on each bike/rider which register as the bike & rider pass the finish line. Pretty nifty.
Also nifty, the various commercial supporters of the event, some of which had vans in evidence–Eddy’s Bike Shop, The Bicycle Hub, Summit Freewheelers, for example…and an advertisement/invitation for the Red Eagle Gravel Grinder (not a race, it says, but a FONDO, which, if you look it up, is a party on wheels where cyclist compete against the clock and each other, often compared to a marathon with refreshments); it was a benefit, sounded like fun (But I won’t be attending). Go see Ashtabula County–hit the Red Eagle Distillery.
After the RAR (not quite a fondo, but close)Slim & Jumbo’s was the place to be. The place to be after visiting the Rotary-sponsored bike rinse down in front of the police station, that is.
Some of the riders really could have used a full shower for themselves, not just the bikes. When I asked one fellow how was the ride, he replied, “I’m wearing about half of it.” Contest of various sorts went on, beverages were available, ditto for food (before the event I heard discussions of prep diets which did not include any of the viands being consumed here.) There were cool goods provided by sponsors displayed for one of those raffle thingies: beverages & containers, garments–shirts, sox, hats, etc., lights, St. Patrick’s stuff. My favorite was the Mad Alchemy Embrocation, a cold weather embrocation for cycling between 35 and 65 degrees, “specifically engineered for providing a feeling of long term warmth to legs, back and neck.” It also comes in other temperature ranges. I just love the term “embrocation”, don’t you? Look it up. And the topper was the “Mystery Box”, which could have held just about anything short of an actual bike. I was forced to go home with a T-shirt ( Guns & Roses theme, 2020) featuring a skull, barbed wire and the phrase “Grinders-N-Rouleurs”. Totally classy, dontcha know. This year’s theme had something to do with Brittney Spears. I’m not in her league. Or her size.
Great time. Come back next year.
Better yet, come back even sooner and see everything IN town.
