|
A bit
of Club History
Friends,
Take a minute to
read the history
of the Fast
Girls and Slow
Guys Cycling
Club. The
history below is
written by our
esteemed club
founder, Yale D.
Funk.
Today, we have
almost 200
members and our
rides range from
10 to 60
riders. We
have beginner,
intermediate and
advanced riders.
We have
recreational
riders, racers,
runners,
Triathletes and
everything in
between.
Our slogan says
it all:
Fun, friendly
and serious
cycling for
everyone.
My Dad started
this club in
1995. The name
of the group has
changed from
time to time and
has had names
like Bike N
Breakfast and
Becca's Bike
Bunch.
The way this
came about is a
funny story.
Back in 1995,
each Sunday
morning a group
of about twenty
beginners would
meet at O. D.
Funk Mfg, Inc.
in Brushy
Island, Arkansas
for a ride. The
average age of
the group was
above fifty and
they started out
throwing around
names like the
050 Club. The
problem was you
had to be over
fifty to feel
like you were a
part of the
group. The
slogan at that
time was "you
have to be over
fifty or
planning to get
there by riding
your bike". No
one really liked
the name but we
didn't think of
another one
until a year
later.
For motivation,
each Sunday, we
would pick a
restaurant we
wanted to eat at
for breakfast.
We picked the
Community Bakery
in downtown
Little Rock, The
Starlite Diner
in NLR, and the
river market
were popular
choices. It gave
us
about a thirty
mile round trip
and we got to
eat! On one of
the rides my
sister made the
statement that
we should be
called the Bike
N Breakfast
Club. From that
point, everyone
pitched in and
we came up with
the slogan "We
ride to eat &
eat to ride"
which fit the
group. We were
all well rounded
and we all like
to ride and eat!
Anyway, in 1996
my dad showed up
on my doorstep
on a Thursday
evening without
any notice and
asked me if I
wanted to go on
a bike ride. He
had the owner of
J&P bike shop
and my Uncle
Charlie with
him. I thought
he was
kidding but he
said he had
heard about this
great bike ride
in Wichita
Falls, TX called
Hotter N Hell.
10,000 riders
show up to ride
100 miles in 100
degree
temperatures. I
got my bike,
jumped in the
truck, and the
four
of us took off
for Hotter N
Hell. We didn't
have a hotel, we
had not signed
up for the bike
ride, and we
didn't know
anything about
how to ride a
hundred miles in
a day. You have
to realize,
thirty miles was
it for us at the
time and we took
a good two hours
to stop and have
breakfast in
between our
rides.
We drove all
night and got in
to Wichita
Falls, TX at 2am
that morning.
The only hotel
we could find
was a motel and
they rented by
the hour. It was
a dump! We went
over on Friday
and visited the
trade show,
signed up for
the ride, and
watched the pro
bike races. We
were pumped up
to do the ride.
We stopped at
every rest stop
and it took us
all day to do
that first ride.
When we finally
arrived at the
finish line, it
was almost dark,
and there wasn't
anyone at the
finish line.
Just
us...everyone
else had gone
home! We were so
worn out we
couldn't sleep
so we just drove
back to Little
Rock that
same night. We
couldn't make it
all the way so
we parked our
truck in a truck
stop and slept
for an hour or
two and headed
on in to the
rock.
That was the
beginning of the
Hotter N Hell
trips. Over the
last ten years,
we've made them
all except for
2000 & 2001. I
took off for the
birth of my son
and to gain some
weight for
motivation. In
2002 Becca
McIntyre and I
joined forces to
revive the club
and start the
training rides
and the trip
over to Hotter N
Hell. We started
meeting four
years ago at
Cooks Landing
every Tuesday
and Thursday at
6pm for our Hell
Training rides.
Wayne Cartwright
showed up a year
later and that's
when things
really took off.
I bet we have
had fifty people
come and go
through the
training rides
and half of them
make the trip to
Hotter N Hell.
The training
rides and the
experience we
have gained over
the last ten
years sure makes
it a better trip
for the first
timers. We used
to go over and
race to see who
was the fastest.
We would have
one winner and a
bunch of folks
who got sick
pushing too
hard. We
implemented the
team approach
the last several
years and
everyone that
has trained and
traveled with
the team has
successfully
finished the
ride.
This is what we
have learned
about the Hotter
N Hell:
1. It is much
more fun for the
team if we
finish it
together.
Everybody wins
and nobody
looses.
2. Try to get as
much mileage in
before the sun
comes out. That
is where race to
the third rest
stop and wait
for the
team to regroup
then pace line
to Hell's Gate
came from.
3. Try to
maintain a pace
line that
everyone can
maintain.
4. Will was
right...Pickles
do help!
Yale D. |
