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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2008 - 8:44 AM |
The 2008 BRAN Tour of Excellence June 8-14, 2008 came to a close last week, including a stop in Shelby for the night on Friday, June 13th. The nearly 600 BRAN riders enjoyed the food, activities and fellowship the citizens of Shelby had to offer their guests.
BRAN stands for Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska. This marked the 28th year for the week long tour, which provides an up-close and personal journey through the unheralded beauty and charm of Nebraska.
The 454-mile BRAN tour started in Callaway, with daily destinations in Dunning, Ainsworth, Butte, Creighton, Petersburg, Shelby, and ending in Yutan.
The majority of the cyclists pitched tents on the football field at the Shelby High School, but there were a few participants who had made arrangements to stay with families in Shelby.
Neighbors Brian and Becky Schmidt and Al and Mary Lerch of Shelby housed four cyclists from Chico, California on Friday night. The four men, ranging in age from 58 to 70, are experienced cyclists who have ridden in RAGBRAI (Iowa), Ride the Rockies (Colorado), and Cycle Oregon multiple times, and have also traveled to Europe for bicycle events. They have attended the Tour de France six times.
Mark Spelts, who is a financial advisor with Spelts Wealth Management in Chico, CA, is a former resident of Kearney, and thought it would be fun to bring his riding buddies to the Midwest to compete in BRAN. They all were excited to take on a new challenge.
Mark’s cycling buddies include Dr. Pete Magnusson, a cardiologist; Dr. Don Richey, a dermatologist; and Bill Moon, DDS.
Mark and Pete get up at 4:00 a.m. every morning and bike up a mountain path which is about 20-25 miles long. They get their cycling in early so they can both get to their offices on time.
The four men ride between 3,000 and 5,000 miles per year on their bikes.
The California friends agree that the hardest part of their training is “getting your hiney ready” for the long trip. They said “you never have enough padding!”
Prior to each riding event, one of the foursome contacts the local co-ordinator in each community and requests to stay indoors at someone’s home. Camping out isn’t really their thing, and they have been fortunate enough to stay in a home in each community on every trip.
The highlight of competing in bicycle tours is meeting local folks and fellow bikers. “Nebraska is unique for its wide open spaces and the drivers are some of the most courteous anywhere,” Mark commented.
“We have found some of the nicest people in the Midwest,” Pete added.
Don, who celebrated his 70th birthday this year, is the inspiration for the other three. “He’s the reason we get up every morning,” Bill said. In addition to bicycle tours, Don has competed in triathlons, marathons and even an iron man competition.
“I do this totally for enjoyment and personal fitness,” Don said. “We are all in tune with our health. We wear heart monitor straps and stay within our target heart rate. We also continue to replace electrolytes during our ride to avoid dehydration.”
The bicycles they use weigh between 17-18 pounds and are equipped with high performance tires. Each of their bicycles cost between $6,000-$8,000. The bikes are partially dismantled and placed in a special case in order to take them on the airplane. It costs about $50 extra to fly their bikes with them.
The California men thoroughly enjoyed participating in BRAN, and will most likely return to Nebraska for another ride. They said the hospitality in Shelby was wonderful, and they greatly appreciated the kindness and fellowship of the Schmidt’s and the Lerch’s.
The next event for the California foursome is Cycle Oregon in September 2008, which is a 450-500 mile tour.
© Copyright 2008 by polkcountynewspaper.com
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