2003 RAW Wrap-Up

The Brushy Mountain Cyclists Club's tenth annual Rides Around Wilkes (RAW) drew a record 115 riders to the back roads of the Brushy Mountains Saturday, May 3rd, 2003.

That's about 25 percent more riders than the next best attended RAW, ride director Steve Britton reports. The healthy participation puts the RAW back on the map after just 27 riders participated in a cold and soggy RAW in 2002.

Mother Nature was more cooperative in 2003, with a mix of sun and clouds and a high near 70. A few riders at the end of the 70 miler got wet as storms rolled over the Brushies, but everyone got back before hail pelted the area.

Riders in the 70 miler were quite spread out. The first finishers came in after three hours and 15 minutes, averaging nearly 22 m.p.h. over the hilly course. The last rider to master the 4,300 feet of hills came in over three hours later.

 Riders praise RAW route, support

Riders raved about the 2003 RAW:

"The RAW ride was great," Winston-Salem rider Jeff McNeal reported to members of Team Paceline in a May 3rd e-mail. "My personal opinion is that the (70 mile) route was one of the best I have ever ridden. This was a great event: super folks and a sweet route."

Ride director Steve Britton also got an appreciative note from Winston-Salem rider Bill Burger. "I would like to thank you and the BMCC for putting on a fantastic ride, " Bill wrote. "Great scenery, great roads, great support. Better than many other organized and much larger multi-day rides we have been a part of. I would like to offer a special note of thanks - I was the last rider in! Your folks were more than supportive and gracious, and for being as physically drained as I was upon hitting the last hill, your concern and knowing the SAG van was behind me coming down the mountain in low light and the pouring rain made a substantial difference."

The RAW gave a boost to the athletes of the Blue Ridge Senior Games. $400 of the proceeds from RAW 2003 went to the local Senior Games organization. Senior Games participants staffed rest stops and the tent at the start/finish.

<Riders on the 40 and 70 mile route roll along Windy Gap Road.

The old store rest stop was popular.

<Who says there weren't spectators at the RAW?

Parker's Produce Stand was a sweet sight, as it meant the end of the ride's longest climb.

<A long downhill off Brushy Mountain feeds that need for speed.

Bikin' by the buttercups

 Picture this! BMCC members ride in the RAW!

Ride director Steve Britton addresses the riders just before the start of the tenth annual RAW.

 Bruce Watts and John Slate (right) roll out.

 Mike Smithey (left) masters the back of the Brushies.

Brandon Eller (above) nears the top.

 Richard Fink (left) crests the Brushies.

  Jeff Mc Neal (in red) atop the Brushies

One enthusiastic soul added a special touch to the route, painting Tour de France style exhortations on the pavement of the Windy Gap climb. We assume "Pepe" and "Bruce the Moose" know who they are!