The 13th Fredericksburg Fall Foliage Frolic invites you to join their ride on November 3, 2012 starting at 432 Lady Bird Dr, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Nolan Kuehn, Member of Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.
Why join this year’s Fredericksburg Fall Foliage Frolic?
The 13th Annual edition of this classic fall cycling event has some new routes that are absolutely spectacular!
How long has the event been around?
2000 was the year of the initial Frolic, so this is the 13th Annual.
What was the motivation behind starting the tour and who benefits from it? How have they been able to utilize the funds in the past?
The FFFF is the major fundraiser for our club, the Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club out of San Antonio.
Net proceeds go to a good cause – our club has been focusing on helping low income kids with new bicycles for good school attendance. We have donated bike helmets for kids in the past.
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 wish we could help with the files, but we’re not there just yet. However, prior to the event, we will have the route maps and cue sheets posted to our club web site (www.HCBTC.org). Hard copies will be available the day of the ride.
Do you have a map of the start facility showing registration point, parking, all toilets, water/snacks, start line?
We don’t have a map of the start facility, but it’s easy to find: Take Hwy 16 W out of Fredericksburg. Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park is just west of the municipal airport. Take the park entrance and stay on this road approximately one mile. The small Tatsch House will be immediately on your right. Park anywhere. The registration will be inside the house – as will the post-ride meal. The meal will extend outside onto the patio, weather permitting.
Logistically, can you give us an idea how many volunteers, finances, and planning it takes to put on this event?
I’m guessing that we will likely have 50-75 volunteers. The rest stops, SAG drivers and the food team account for a lot of this volunteer effort. This year’s event is taking more planning, as we’re using new, improved and more scenic routes. These routes will take more rest stops. We will need more SAG drivers as a result.
What was the most rewarding experience throughout the years hosting this event?
I have always enjoyed schmoozing with the returned riders as they enjoy their post-ride meal. It’s a great way to meet people, find out where they are from and what they like about the cycling lifestyle.
What is the average number of participants per year? How many riders do you assist during the average race?
While this is a fundraising event, we have always made it rather laid-back, and maybe minimally publicized it. This year, with the new routes, we have increased the publicity to get, hopefully, a pretty good increase from the 200 or so riders that we have typically gotten in the past. Our scrumptious post-ride meal cooked by our club volunteers, is always an enjoyable part of the overall event. I have to mention these chefs by name: Roland and Isabel Mendoza and their daughter Maddie, now a student at Texas A & M Kingsville. Through years of volunteerism with the club since its inception, they have earned a reputation as the “go-to” chefs for post-ride meals. To me, that is one of the most rewarding aspects of the event. We don’t have a count on how many riders we assist on each year’s event, but it is minimal.
What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event? (We prefer the rewarding/unforgettable experience!)
Luckily, we have not had any accidents of significance, where cyclists were seriously hurt. We do carry insurance, though. In today’s world, with so many texting drivers, you never know when danger will come out of nowhere.
I have already mentioned meeting all the cyclists (many returnees) after they have finished their ride.
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
As all of the net proceeds of this worthwhile fundraising event go to support children’s bicycle-related activities, we would ask all families to come out and make it a fun event with their children.
What is your role in this ride and the success of it?
I am the External Affairs Director for the Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club, and I help publicize the event through postings on many on-line calendars and other venues. My role during ride itself: I usually make myself available to do any one of a number of tasks – I’ve cooked sausage, been a SAG driver, run supplies out to remote rest stops, and provided general guidance to visiting cyclists. I hope that this effort, along with that of all of our other great volunteers, has contributed to the success of the event. We certainly have many returnees that appreciate our attention to detail.
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 have had a life-long love affair with bicycles! My road bike is a carbon fiber Orbea Onyx. It’s orange and black, with orange wall tires. You can’t miss me on the road. The Touring bike is a Surly Long Haul Trucker, which I bought just after I returned from my cross country trip in 2005 with Adventure Cycling. I also have a 29’er, which is the latest rage in mountain bikes, with its larger diameter wheel. Now, I just need to find some time to ride ‘em all!
If you had to come up with a David Letterman style top 10 about the race, what would it read like?
10. You may think you are in Germany, if you are in Fredericksburg.
9. You’ll pass the Chisholm Trail – but this one is a winery (on Usener Rd on the routes).
8. The bratwurst will never taste as good as it does after you conquer the hills!
7. Relax – For every uphill, there is a downhill.
6. This ride prepares you for the LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour (March 23 next year on the famed LBJ Ranch, other side of Fredericksburg).
5. Your attendance helps HCBTC with charity work – elementary schools kids get bikes as a reward for school attendance.
4. This is a ride back into history. You can imagine Quanah Parker and his band of Comanches riding over the next hill!
3. One of the most laid-back rides ever!
2. Wrong time of the year for bluebonnets. Tune in next spring to see a bumper crop.
1. Enjoy! Ya’ll come back!
Thanks Nolan for this quick interview and we hope to catch everyone at the ride!
Click here to view the event details of the 13th Fredericksburg Fall Foliage Frolic 2012