Almost
80 men and women strapped on their helmets for the
Texas Bicycle Coalition's first
"Texas Torture Test", held Saturday, January
3. The 97-mile mountain bike race was a fundraiser
for the Texas Bicycle Coalition's Subaru/BikeTexas
Trail Doctors program, a Texas-wide roving crew funded
by Texas Parks and Wildlife and Subaru of America.
The Subaru/BikeTexas Trail Doctors have helped communities
build and rehabilitate multi-use dirt trails statewide.
The Trail Doctors, Ryan Spates and Dr. Susan Stormer,
organized the Texas Torture Test. "For the first
Texas Torture Test we wanted to hold it in Warda.
Many of these racers will be back to visit the area
and patronize local businesses." said Warda resident,
Dr. Stormer.
Torture Tested-riders included Texans
from Austin, Houston, and other cities, and one
Oklahoman, who spent upwards of eight hours passing
over nearly 100 miles of singletrack, dirt roads,
and paved roads. At 6:30 a.m. the race began in
Warda at the Bluff Creek Ranch, owned by Dr. Paul
and Susan Nolan -- then proceeded on to the Bike
Ranch at Rocky Hill in Smithville. Signs posted
along the route, and rest stops manned by friendly
TBC volunteers, helped keep riders from getting
lost. By and large, locals proved to be warm and
supportive of the test. The only problems of the
day occurred at an intersection, where directional
signs kept disappearing. A Torture Test volunteer
agreed to stand guard to make sure signs stayed
in place.
In
the womens category, Bonnie Casteel beat out two
competitors to win in nearly 8-and-a-half hours;
Jack Talton won among solo men cyclists, beating
64 others in only six hours. Ten riders did not
finish the test, but were considered winners anyway.
An awards ceremony at Rose's Warda Store followed
the test, making for a fun and friendly first ride
of the new year.
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