June 8, 1982

By ROB KERBY
Of the World Staff

BARNSDALL - Veteran bicyclist Rod Bruckdorfer learned how to ride a bicycle Oklahoma style Monday as hundreds of riders pedaled 77 miles on the longest day of FreeWheel '82.

The Broken Arrow chemist and 10-year veteran of "serious bicycling" made buddies with a couple of FreeWheel veterans and discovered that Free Wheel riding is much more that traditional pedal pushing.

"You have to stop at every lemonade stand," explained Wayne Hollecker, 41. "And you stop whenever there is any other good excuse."

Thus, 77 miles of rolling prairie turned into a day-long munch.

Rod carries his sleeping bag, tent and gear on his bike. His conversation is filled with specifics of bicycle equipment, tricks of Italian racing and the merits of legendary bicycle brands. Hollecker sends his gear ahead in the family RV with his non-riding wife Beverly and occasionally riding son, Phillip, 10. Most of the other riders put their baggage on a big semi-turck provided by Tulsa corporation Facet Enterprises. Rod didn't pick up with Hollecker and friends until late morning. So, he missed out on sampling the wares at all the south Ponca City restaurants with big signs welcoming riders.

He didn't get to assist Boy Scouts Jim Hiatt and Brian Thomason, both 15, as they punctured three inner tubes trying to fix their own flat.

But he did get to pause at the day's first lemonade stand, where at 8 a.m. Glenda Short and Angie Stell, both 13, had already depleted their stock of 17 bottles of Gatorade and grape drink.

He joined the throng at Burbank, where Wagoner restaurant owner Jim "Big Un" Stauss served 1,500 sandwiches before running out of wheat bread.

"This is fun. I wouldn't miss it for anything," exclaimed three-year FreeWheel veteran Stauss, after buying all the white bread in Burbanks' only business, Lois' Grocery.

There, Mrs. Lois Lieber declared she was having the best business in years - selling all the junk foods, fruits and soft drinks she had stocked for the occasion.

"This is the biggest thing that has happened here in 20 years," said Mrs. Lieber.

Just down the street, Cookson Culp, Tim Roberts and Darrell Stevenson, all 9 and members of the First Baptist Church's Royal Ambassadors class, were flagging down riders in the middle of the street and giving away free lemonade.

And Rod learned to slow down and smell the honeysuckle on the long, dry, 20-mile stretch to Tom's Welding Shop.

"I'm really glad I started riding with you guys," Rod began repeating. "I was riding fast and just trying to get there."

It was at Tom's Welding, near Pawhuska, that John Hull, 11, was serving a variety of fruit-flavored drinks.

"I think I served 300-400 people," said John. Then, he was told that the main body of riders had not yet arrived.

Actually, there are about 600 riders remaining on the route.

"I'm riding next year," volunteered John. "This lemonade stand is paying for next year."

Just down the hill from his booming business another stand was not doing so well. Pawhuska High School cheerleaders and members of the hospital auxiliary stood on the U.S. 60 shoulder and touted hot dogs, soft drinks and other snacks. But riders had stuffed themselves at Jonh's stand.

For a lemonade stand do draw a crowd, it needs to locate about 5 miles down from any other lemonade stand, grocery store or cafe. Riders meander slowly- and five miles represents time enough to work up an appetite.

Then, at the Sportsman's Hut outside Pawhuska, riders paused for soft drinks and beer that the Hut had advertised with hand-painted signs for 10 miles.

In Pawhuska, signs in front of restaurants greeted riders and offered specials, In front of the Ha-pah-shu-tse Indian Food Restaurant, not one but two wooden Indians held a sign luring riders and praising "our own Jenna Hague," a Pawhuska rider. Throughout town, signs from the Heeka Club wished riders well.

But Wayne, Rod and friends were getting too tired to eat. The wind had shifted at least three times since they had started riding at dawn - firs coming out of the southwest, then turning into their faces from the northeast and then to the south. Incredibly, rain storms that peppered the area missed the bike riders.

But outside Pawhuska, they checked out a stand run by Tracy Kelly, 10, Jennifer Tinsley, 12 and Steve Maxey, 15.

"We were at the bottom of the hill," said Tracy. "But we found out real quick that riders won't brake to stop. Up here at the top of the hill, we're doing great."

Just inside Barnsdall - a mile or so from the night's campgrounds - cousins Jimmy Scully, 11 and Bobby Kelly, 10, waved down riders with free water and were amazed when an empty cup began filling with donations.

"We thought water would be better for you guys. But, gee, we didn't expect money," said Bobby, son of Barnsdall Chamber of Commerce Secretary Linda Kelly.

At the hilltop campgrounds, Mrs. Kelly was helping chamber President Clarence "Pappy" Alexander dish up beans, cole slaw and heaping beef sandwiches dripping with barbecue sauce - with proceeds benefiting the city health clinic.

| Next | Previous | Back to 1982 Home |