Stay on Good Terms with the Locals!!

Friday June 27, 2008 by Terri Gooch

During this year’s RAAM there was some sort of altercation outside of Taos, NM. Don’t want to be spreading rumors but, from the little I know about the incident, it sounded like there was trouble between racers and some folks enjoying a close by tavern. Got me to thinking about how hard we work to maintain a good relationship among the small towns Race Across Oregon travels through. We’ve been on good terms with the communities on our route for a number of years so we were taken aback when, during our Four Day Training Camp, we received a less than friendly reception from a store which has been a long time stop on our Camp. Team Varmint’s John Henry Maurice was the first of our group to meet the unhappy store keeper and he tells it best. Here’s John Henry’s account which he posted on the Salem Bicycle Club’s newsletter “The Spoke” (copied here with John Henry’s permission):

President’s Link

I had two miles to go before I reached Pine Grove, a small town just north of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. I had a small problem. I saw another water bottle discarded along the road. The problem was I did not think I could carry any more bottles.

On was on Day Four of the Race Across Oregon Four Day Training Camp. So far, I had over 350 miles behind me and I had to ride to Timberline Lodge, 35 miles away, to finish the training camp. But instead of establishing a rhythm and working toward the final climb of the camp, I was stopping every few hundred yards to pick up discarded water bottles.

Three miles ago, I had stopped in at Walter’s Corner Market near the small town of Wapinitia. I was ahead of my support vehicle so I wandered into the store and purchased some juice and something to munch on. The store clerk was being cold toward me, which I attributed to the fact that I was a stranger and she thought she would never see me again. None the less, I tried to open a conversation with her. Remembering that the Mt. Hood Classic bicycle race had passed by her store the day before, I asked her about it.

That was a mistake. She looked me in the eye and sneered, “Yes they did ride by and as far I am concerned, I hope they never come back!” Ouch! What did they do to cause such a reaction? I asked. That was another mistake. For the next fifteen minutes I heard a litany of complaints, most of them ones I have heard before, but the one that struck me was that the riders were litterers. She said I would find many water bottles between here and Pine Grove, just five miles away. She continued, “And I know that it was the bikers as the local throw out beer cans!” I apologized profusely and agreed that littering was not acceptable. She calmed down a bit and wished me well when I got on my way.

Back on my bike, it was hot and I was riding against a strong head wind as her words echoed in my thoughts. I found myself checking the shoulder of the road, looking for water bottles, and not finding any at first. But then, less than one quarter of a mile from her business, I found my first water bottle. I stopped, laid down my bicycle and walked down into the sandy ditch to pick it up. I put it in one of my jersey’s back pockets. Getting back on the bike, I peddled for a short distance before I found my second bottle. I stopped and picked it up. Soon, I had three bottles in the back pockets of my jersey. Then I saw my fourth. It when inside the front of my jersey, as did another, and another and another. Soon, I was wondering just how many water bottles I could carry. Just after Pine Grove, my support vehicle passed me and I waved it down. George Thomas, Race Across America finisher and promoter of Race Across Oregon counted out thirteen water bottles as I placed them one by one into a trash bag.

Apparently, in the heat of the race, empty water bottles were tossed away by the bicycle racers, but I do not blame them. Unfortunately, this behavior seems to be common on the racing circuit. The fact that I picked up thirteen water bottles in just five miles proves this to be true. However, this littering caused severe bad feelings in the local community. It is not nice to throw away your trash into people’s front yards.

But don’t think that only bicycle racers cause bad feelings in the community. Unfortunately, my duties as President of the Salem Bicycle Club required me to respond to a Monster Cookie complaint letter. Apparently, there was a interaction between some bicyclists and some motorcyclists. This interaction escalated to inappropriate hand gestures. Once again, I found myself apologizing for the actions of my other fellow cyclists.

“Share the Road” is a popular saying in the bicycle community. Well, I’m here to say that it takes two to share. Please understand that our actions as cyclists directly impact the community’s perception of cyclists. Please folks, please understand this and act accordingly.

Thank you.

—
John Henry Maurice
www.onyourleft.net


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