The 24th Annual Peach Pedal Bike Ride benefiting the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce and the Weatherford College Foundation invites you to join their ride on July 14th, 2012 starting at Weatherford High School, 2121 Bethel Rd, Weatherford, TX
Last year we were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Brent Baker, Ride Director of Peach Pedal Bike Ride to ask some questions about their upcoming ride
Why Join the “ Peach Pedal Bike Ride”?
Great views of the countryside, challenging hills, friendly people and the Peach Festival!
How long has the event been around and how did it start?
This is our 24th year. It started as a small ride to compliment the Peach Festival…back then, they used to begin the ride around the downtown courthouse, which must have been cool.
How have they been able to utilize the funds in the past?
We split the funds between the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce and the Weatherford College Foundation. Weatherford College uses the funds for scholarships…last year’s ride funded 20 individual semester scholarships! The Chamber uses the funds to help promote our community to the rest of North Texas.
Logistically, can you give us an idea how many volunteers, finances, and planning it takes to put on this event?
We’ll have more than 200 volunteers working the event. It’s amazing how these people work so hard in the heat for no pay. I’m truly grateful. Planning is year-round, but most of the work is done between January 1st and ride day.
In years past you encouraged folks to go down to the Parker County Peach Festival after the race, how about this year?
No doubt. The Peach Festival is a must-see. Great arts and crafts, food, and music. It’s hot, but not as hot as riding 63 miles! All our riders get a free festival pass…check out the festival at www.peachfestivaltx.com.
What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event? (prefer the rewarding/unforgettable experience ;o))
I remember one lady…somewhere around 2004 or 2005. It was after 2:00 p.m., and we had shut down the route and our rest stops. But this one lady, mid-50s, came rolling up to the finish area. She was all by herself, and we were tearing everything down. We just had one table with about three cups of Gatorade and a banana sitting there. But the look on her face was classic. She finished the 100K, and to her, it was like winning the Tour de France. I was hot and tired, but I had a lot of satisfaction that day that we were part of her reaching a goal.
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
The main thing is just come out and ride with us and tell your friends.
The cycling community is amazing in DFW…the folks with Ride for Heroes, Blazin’ Saddles, the Tour de Pepper and others have been really helpful to me over the years. These people are awesome.
What is your role in this race and to the success of it?
I’ve been the ride director since 2004. The director before me, John Karnes, laid a great foundation for the ride. We added a few things along the way to continually improve the ride. The biggest change was moving the start/finish and essentially re-routing everything a few years ago. It took the route mostly out of the city limits and cut down on some of the traffic on the route. It was a hard thing to do that took a lot of time, but it was worth it–everyone loves the “new” location.
What makes riding in the area around Weatherford so special?
We do a survey every year of the riders. The two things they enjoy the most are the scenery and the people. The western part of the route, is just beautiful. You forget you’re in North Texas…seems like a totally different topography. And the people that staff our rest stops and finish area are fantastic. This is a close-knit community, and our friendliness and hospitality really shows at the Pedal.
Thanks Brent Baker for this quick interview and we hope to catch everyone at the ride!
Click here to view the event details of the Peach Pedal Bike Ride 2012