Few Discouraging Words Spoke(n) on Bicycle Route |
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June 14, 1979 By ROB KERBY LAST CHANCE - "Can I get you some water?" the little girl asked, running out to the road as bicyclists approached her grandfather's feed store in this tiny Okfuskee County town. Beaming, Carla Maddox, 8, carried armfuls of riders' plastic water bottles back and forth to an unseen spigot. "She filled my canteen so full that it weighed down my handlebar bags and rubbed my tire," recounted Bob Baker, Broken Arrow. "Where are you going?" she asked Free Wheel '79 bicyclists on their way from Seminole to Wednesday night's campground at Okmulgee Lake Recreation Area. Each told whatever they thought an eight-year-old would understand about their 431-mile Texas-to-Kansas odyssey. In other action, John Shannon, 15, rescued three turtles from the highway Wednesday as he and Sam Fullerton, 18, let the strong south wind propel them northward from Cromwell - the week-long ride's halfway point. Free Wheel '79 is sponsored by the Tulsa World and the Tulsa Wheelmen Bicycle Club. "We just loafed, letting the wind push us, stopping whenever we felt like it," said Shannon. Like most riders, he made the day's 63.7 miles in record time, coasting down long series of hills between Seminole and Okemah and on to the park. That's except for Brigid Schluneger: one of the ride's stronger riders, she got in about 20 extra miles when she missed a turn and headed off toward Henryetta. More and more road-wise, Free Wheelers adopted strategies for Wednesday: Steve Breazeal, 17, Tulsa, hit the road early - at 6:30 a.m. - with
the single goal of being the first to finish. That he did, at 10:55
a.m. Sean Kennedy, 17, felt the need for motivation, so "I got behind a couple of good-looking girls." Kevin Smith, 19, Rogers, Ark., who joined the ride after days of solo touring in Louisiana and Texas, woke up Wednesday morning to find the Seminole Municipal Park Campgrounds almost empty. "I found mine was about the only tent still standing, so I sort of hurried too much and finished the route in less than four hours. I didn't get to stop and smell the honeysuckle. "It's a lot nicer to be riding with a group and not off by yourself." Riders joined up from the Oklahoma City area Wednesday. Gene Reynolds and Candy Cody rode to Seminole from Oklahoma City Tuesday, then with Free Wheel to Okmulgee Lake Recreation Area Wednesday. Even medic aide Jeff Shouse, 13, Owasso, got to ride Wednesday, borrowing a bike from a resting rider. "I got to ride in all the worst hills," said the Explorer Scout assisting ambulance driver Dan Mallory. What about those hills, which officials said were mostly downhill? "With that wind at our backs, it was exhilarating," said Jean Kirby, 26, Muskogee, who has ridden every inch of the course. "Today was breathtaking," said Ken Shepard, 20, who at one point had carted up his bike and thrown in the towel. Riding in a sag wagon and watching everyone else apparently is good sore-knee therapy. The red-carpet treatment had been given in Seminole, where city officials intervened to provide campgrounds, free swimsuits at the city pool and warm showers for Free Wheelers. At Okmulgee State Park, six miles south of town, McDonald's Hamburgers' restaurant delivered "a break today" to riders. Park Superintendent Charles Rogers provided special arrangements including ranger presence for the night. And riders prepared for Thursday's return to Tulsa and a night at Sand Springs city golf course. Can latecomers join up for a day or two? Can they come to the campgrounds at 7-9 a.m. Friday and ride from Sand Springs golf course to Bartlesville's Johnstone Park? Can they join Thursday's route into Tulsa any time during the day? Only if they're riding a bicycle.
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