Derral and
Larry’s
Most Excellent Adventure
Four AM might sound early to get up to
travel 700 miles to ride a bike in a circle, but to and Derral Idleman and I, it was the end of almost of year of wishing and
hoping the event would get here. It was the
day to leave for the Brickyard fundraiser for Diabetes.
It is billed as the smoothest ride in the world.
With the help of a few friends and
complete strangers, the necessary donations were raised. That was the hardest part of the
trip, asking for donations.
We arrived in Indianapolis around 4:30
PM, got our hotel room and headed out to see and ride their trail system. That was another adventure that will be shared at
another time. I will say however that after
riding the trail system in Indianapolis, I might be tempted to throw rocks at our paltry
systems of trails and paths. Their trail
system is rated one of the top 10 in the country and we could see why, but I digress. The story here is about the day the two recumbent
kids rode on the great Indianapolis Speedway.
After
a hearty breakfast we headed to the Brickyard. To
ride this event on the track you have to sign a liability waiver and promise you
won’t exceed 30 MPH. A 12K ride began at
7:30 AM, the track ride at 8:30. I opted to
take the 12K ride to warm up for the big time on the track, which turned out to be another
adventure in itself.
The
pre-ride was going well until I had to move over for a car and got into some stones and
glass, got a flat, and the fun started, I lost contact with the group. An Okie should never be turned loose in a strange
town without a map. They gave me a map but I
thought I had lost it while changing tires. I
finally found a course marker and with in a few miles had caught some of the folks on the
ride.
A rest stop was provided with all kinds
of neat goodies, except for 2 things: maps and someone that could give good direction. I ended up going from about 5 miles west of the
speedway to 8 miles east of the speedway in an area not recommended by the local chamber
of commerce. I found a policeman who told me
I was not in a good area and to get down “that” street as fast as I could go. Finally after a 25K ride that ended up close to 25
miles I arrived at the Speedway an hour late, but ready for my big day on the track.
Derral had already made several laps
around the track and told me what to see, There were several fully fared bent bikes on the
track. One rider was disappointed last year
that he didn’t do the 100 miles in less than 4 hours; it had taken him 4:06
There were bikes and riders of all
types and conditions, from homemade bents to 4 seat tandems, including a cruiser bike that
defied description.. Some riders were in
super shape and cruised easily around the track, others were hoping to live for one lap. .
To those who have never been to the
speedway the first thought when you see that place is "AWESOME". I went to my first Indy 500 when I was 5 yrs old
and ever since have wanted to do something on that track.
Indy and May was a family tradition when I was growing up back in Ohio. To those who like racing it is the event of the
year. To quote Al Unser Jr. "You just
don’t understand. It’s Indy.
I
took a few laps around the track to warm up, got my picture taking out of the way and got
down to some serious riding. It is hard to
appreciate the enormity of the place until you see it first hand and ride it. The track is super smooth, no potholes, dogs or
traffic to contend with.
I met several other bent riders that
have been communicating with me in a web newsgroup. We rode many laps together.
The ride is well supported; you are
never more than one turn away from a rest stop that was well furnished. Medical people continually circle the track to
check on the riders. The temp was in the
90’s and by noon most of the riders had left the track to cool off in the dinner
tent. Most of the folks weren’t used to riding in that kind of heat. I was only too glad to tell them about a little
ride in Texas called the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred. They
were amazed that many people would even consider starting in a ride like that, let lone
finish that distance.
We were treated to all you could eat
pizza, fruit and drink in one of the sponsor tents. A
band played while we ate. Door prizes were
handed out, Derral won a pair of socks.
After the short break for lunch we
headed back onto the track for more laps. We
rode until the pace car and aid truck started to sweep the track of riders. It was with tired,
but happy hearts and bodies that we made the final turn to the pit road area and left the
track. The day was fun and worthwhile. I would enjoy doing it again, even with the almost
1500 mile drive.
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Oklahoma Bicycle Society:
Derral & Larry
created by John Wente
last modified:
February 17, 2007
URL: http://www.OklahomaBicycleSociety.com