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The Smokin’ Spokes Bike Ride invites you to join their ride on March 30, 2013 starting at  Downtown Salado -Pace Park Road off Main Street Salado, TX

We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Jenna Berrier of Smokin Spokes Bike Ride to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.

Why join the Smokin Spokes Bike Ride?

You will be supporting a Volunteer Fire Department that offers there time and services free of charge to Salado and surrounding areas. Our ride is also known as a conditioning ride as well as it is a very scenic ride. Our ride is very family oriented and we love that! We as a department enjoy time with our families and friends and this is what we see with this ride is everyone can enjoy it no matter your age!

How long has the event been around?

This is our 11th year!

What was the motivation behind starting the tour and who benefits from it?

To raise funds for our Volunteer Fire Department. We rely on donations and fundraisers to buy new equipment and fuel for our trucks. With us being on I-35 we have a lot of wrecks that we need to make sure we are always up to date on all of our equipment and a fundraisers like this helps us purchase that equipment. We do not only service Salado but all of the State of Texas if you are traveling through Salado from Dallas, San Antonio, Austin etc and you have a wreck we are going to be the ones that take care of you!

How have they been able to utilize the funds in the past?

With our past proceeds after all expenses were taking out we were able to purchase new equipment for a few of our trucks that needed updating as well as any small things that might be needed like light bars, bunker gear new radios and pagers etc. Big thing the money is used for is making payments on our trucks and FUEL!

Do you hav a map of the start facility showing registration point, parking, all toilets, water/snacks, start line?

We print maps that the riders can pick up at the time of check in but we make sure our roads are marked and that way you do not have to be looking at a map you just follow the arrows. You can also see our maps online at www.SaladoSmokes.com

Logistically, can you give us an idea how many volunteers, finances, and planning it takes to put on this event?

We have an events team that consists of our wives and a few of our members that start working on this event every December. As far as volunteers we have approximately 60-80 that help us the day of the event. Our biggest expense of the ride is Fuel due to we are constantly driving around behind the riders especially the long rides because we want to be there first hand if anything happens or if you need something!

What was the most rewarding experience throughout the years hosting this event?

To have the riders pat you on the back and say “You guys really put on a good ride,see ya next year” ! We do this because we enjoy it not because we have to and when you see riders that enjoy this sport happy we feel like doing it again year after year!

What is the average number of participants per year? How many riders do you assist during the average race?

We have had 250-300 every year that are registered. We would love to double and triple this amount in the years to come! We really do not have many that we have to assist so I would say probably 8 on average.

What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event?

The most rewarding thing about this ride are the smiles on the riders that have set a goal and are going to try a longer route and they accomplish it and they are so proud of themselves! We love to see smiles on riders faces. We have had several bad wipeouts one that I recall is one rider that we were helping get cleaned up after a really bad fall and his friend is taking pictures of us cleaning him and they were pictures I would have killed my friend for taking at the time because we were cleaning rocks out of areas that should not have been on camera! But they both had great sense of humors and now we can all look back and smile about it!

What can folks do to support you and your mission?

Come Ride!!!! If not not riding we always can use help behind the scences there is a lot of before and after work that takes place that no one ever realizes!

What is your role in this race and to the success of it?

Being that we are all volunteers we wear lots of hats we are all over the place wherever needed. I personally help with the promoting, checking in, cooking etc!

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)? (One of our members answered this question) He has a Specialized Tarmac carbon and his wife has a Orbea carbon.( Hotter’ N hell 100 ) ( Conquer The Coast ) and ( The Dell Diamond ride ).

If you had to come up with a David Letterman style top 10 about the race, what would it read like?

10. Scenic Routes
9. Great Town
8. Family Oriented
7. Cool T-Shirt (Free to our riders while they last)
6. Trained 1st Responders to assist you
5. Food at the end of the ride (FREE)
4. Get you ready for other rides that are coming up.
3. Great Rest Stops
2. Not a competition it is at your own pace.
1. Supporting a good cause and showing volunteers that you appreciate what they do!

Additional stuff you would like the folks to know about this year’s ride?

We are trying to get more volunteers to help in the areas that were of concern last year (minor things) so hopefully they will all show and we will have a successful ride! We can’t wait to see you all!

Thanks Jenna for this quick interview and we hope to catch everyone at the ride!

Click here to view the event details of the Smokin Spokes Bike Ride