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July 13, 2008

Cyclists say bike tour as rough as promised; long, rugged route helped raise funds for Red Cross

By Joe Hadsall

jhadsall@joplinglobe.com

Newt Sharp, of Joplin, was roughed up pretty well on Saturday.

“How would I describe my legs,” Sharp said on Sunday. “It feels like someone beat me up. I’m pretty toasted.”

Sharp was one of more than 500 riders who participated in the Much MO Bettah Tornado Alley 110, held Saturday. The riders came from as far away as Florida, Maryland and Wisconsin to ride.

The ride was not for the faint-of-heart, organizer Steve Cooper said. A Web site advertised the route as “hillier, hotter and harder” than last year’s inaugural event.

“Some of the riders told us they had never ridden such an arduous course,” Cooper said. “There were some good hills there, especially around Joplin and Seneca, and around Grand Lake.”

The 110-mile route started at Schifferdecker Park in Joplin and went through hills and valleys south of Joplin and across four states. It dipped into Arkansas south of Southwest City, then snaked northwestward across Grand Lake in Oklahoma on its way back to Schifferdecker Park.

The beginning of the route offered an extra challenge. Riders could tackle an extra-hilly route through McClelland Park, across the Low Water Bridge and near Grand Falls if they chose.

Larry Spriggs said the route was as rough as advertised.

“That was one of the most grueling rides I’ve been on,” said Spriggs, of Galena. “My 14-year-old son went with me, and he’s really feeling it today.”

Making the ride tougher, Sharp said, were high temperatures, a south wind and rain.

“Most of the time, you hope you don’t get rained on,” Sharp said. “At that point, nothing could have gotten any worse, so we didn’t mind the rain.”

Organizers with the bike tour say riders from around the country helped raise around $2,000 for the American Red Cross. Cooper said the actual amount raised won’t be known for about two weeks, until expenses are paid.

Cooper said the route also went through areas damaged by the May 10 tornado. Riders saw damage along Bethel Road in Newton County.

“Some of the money is going for tornado relief,” Cooper said. “We wanted our riders to see what the money was going toward.”

Sharp said the route added meaning to the ride.

“I’ve been on that road several times, and every time I go down it, the damage still gets to me,” Sharp said. “We heard riders from out of town, saying that this really was a tornado alley ride. It added meaning.”

About 60 volunteers helped stage the event, Cooper said. Riders paid $30 to $40 in registration fees.

Spriggs said though the ride was tough, he’d do it again.

“That ride was a class act,” Spriggs said. “The event sponsors went above and beyond, and I didn’t think they could top last year’s event. I’ll do this every year until I can’t anymore.”

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