The Stonewall Century Bicycle Ride invites you to join their ride on August 10, 2013 starting at La Veta Town Park – 132 W Ryus Ave La Veta, CO
We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Sandy Borthick, Event Director of Stonewall Century Bicycle Ride to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.
Why join this year’s ride?
We have really good food and exciting riding on a lightly-traveled scenic two-lane!
How long has the event been around?
2013 will be our 11th annual Stonewall Century
What was the motivation behind starting the tour and who benefits from it?
Since the beginning, we have had the same three goals for the ride: To promote cycling and fitness, to raise money for local non-profits, and to attract visitors to our area. The cyclists who started the ride have moved on, but the ride continues!
How have they been able to utilize the funds in the past?
Each year, we save a bit to fund the next ride, then distribute the rest to local charities, including our volunteer fire departments, library, Rotary, and the school sports activities.
Can we get a TCX or GPX file included for download? Over 63% of folks say they are more up to attend a ride for which they have information about the routes for their on-bike devices.
I’m sorry we don’t have this, but aroute profile is here – http://www.spcycling.org/pdf/StonewallCenturyRouteProfile.pdf
Do you have a map of the start facility showing registration point, parking, all toilets, water/snacks, start line?
The route starts and ends at Town Park in the tiny town of La Veta map and profile here – http://www.spcycling.org/pdf/StonewallCenturyRouteProfile.pdf
Logistically, can you give us an idea how many volunteers, finances, and planning it takes to put on this event?
We are all volunteer, with more than 100 people involved. We spend from $3,000 to $5,000 and raise from $3,000 to $8,000, depending on how many riders show up.
What was the most rewarding experience throughout the years hosting this event?
The very FIRST Stonewall was also my very first century, so I was thrilled to accomplish it! Now I am always glad to see how many riders return year after year and bring their friends!
What is the average number of participants per year? How many riders do you assist during the average race?
It’s not a race, just a ride. We have from 350 to 500 cyclists. On a sunny year, we don’t have to assist as many as when it is weathery. You can read about past excitement here – http://www.spcycling.org/archive.php
What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event?
It’s a tie between the year that a huge hailstorm drove some 30 cyclists into the woods for a while to wait it out, to the anazing guy who had open heart surgery the winter before and was riding his SIXTH century with us– he had a jersey that said something like “Ask be about my heart surgery!” Fortunately we have never had an accident!
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
Come ride our beautiful, challenging and delicious century! Spend a few days exploring our off-the-beaten-track area and see if you don’t agree with our town’s founder, John Francisco, who said on first glimpsing our valley, “This is paradise enough for me!”
What is your role in this race and to the success of it?
As I mentioned, I began as a newbie rider in 2003, improved my time in 2004, then became a volunteer and now am the event director.
Do you ride and if yes, what kind of bicycle do you ride and what is your favorite route in your area?
Which are your top 3 favorite MUST DO rides in Texas (besides your own)? I ride and older Specialized Allez Vite and an even older Alpine steel mountain bike from the early 1990s. My favorite road ride is the Stonewall Century route, up Colorado Highway 12 out of La Veta, since it basically starts from the end of my driveway! I can take a different dirt road ride every day of the week out of La Veta andnot repeat, love that too. In Texas, I am fond of the Vanderpool hill :^) and really all the great Hill Country roads. A group of us have been down there several times for multiday tours!
If you had to come up with a David Letterman style top 10 about the race, what would it read like?
10. Wild turkeysby the side of the road
9. Wild flowers by the side of the road
8. BEARS by the side of the road
7. The build your own sandwiches with beef, ham, turkey and all the fixins at the lunch turnaround
6. The tables groaning with home made baked goods — even gluten-free treats! — at all our feed stops
5. The lack of traffic on our smooth two-lane road
4. The swooping whoop-de-doop hills between the Top and North Lake
3. The chance to turn around and comeback whenever you’ve had enough
2. The Soulcrusher climb up the back side of Cucharas Pass, after you have already ridden 80 miles
1. The sweet 17.5 mile descent into La Veta after a great day on the Stonewall Century!
Additional stuff you would like the folks to know about this year’s ride?
We have competition from other rides the same weekend “up North” out of Denver and Boulder, but we know they will not eat as well or enjoy their ride as much as we will down here! Visit www.spcycling.org — and come ride with us!
Thanks Sandy for this quick interview and we hope to catch everyone at the ride!
Click here to view the ride details of Stonewall Century Bicycle Ride
