FreeWheel 2006
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2006 FreeWheel Route
View Route With Google Earth or Google Maps!
Thanks to 2006 FreeWheel participant Nigel from Hamilton, New Zealand, you can view the 2006 FreeWheel route
via Google Earth or Google Maps. Nigel and wife Sara had a GPS attached to the handlebars
of their tandem as they pedaled up and down the hills from Hugo to Baxter Springs. The result
is a collection of data that can be viewed via Google Earth or Google Maps.
First,
CLICK HERE to see the information displayed via Google Maps in
your internet browser. Then, if you have installed Google Earth on your computer you can click
on the "View On Google Earth" link in the upper right of the Google Maps screen (look directly
under the MAPS heading). This is SO cool! Selecting the View On Google Earth option will let you
save the .kmz file on your computer too, so you can Google Earth to your heart's content.
Once you're viewing the image in Google Earth or Maps, click on the "mountain" icons to see
an elevation graph for the day's route. Careful, might get you breathing hard and sweating when
you see the peaks and valleys!
If you don't have Google Earth loaded on your computer, but would like to,
CLICK HERE to download
the free application from Google ... enjoy! And thanks to Nigel and Sara for sharing!
FreeWheel 2006 Host Cities
Here it is, what you've been waiting for ...
FreeWheel 2006 will traverse a route south to north across
the eastern part of the state. The starting point will be Hugo, OK, near the Texas border but still in
Oklahoma. So those who want to claim the "full crossing" will need to arrive on
Saturday, June 10th, so they can make the short run from the Oklahoma-Texas border
to the Hugo location.
Here are the host city destinations for 2006 and where we'll be staying in each town:
Day 0 - Hugo
at Lion's Park, downtown Hugo at the Depot
Day 1 - Atoka
at the High School complex
Day 2 - Wilburton
on the Eastern Oklahoma State College campus
Day 3 - Warner
on the Connors State College campus
Day 4 - Tahlequah
at the High School complex
Day 5 - Pryor
at their new activity center
Day 6 - Grove
at a site to be determined
Day 7 - Baxter Springs, KS
(Chamber site)
And, since we know you're anxious to know, here are "approximate" mileages for each day:
Hugo to Atoka - 53
Atoka to Wilburton - 81
Wilburton to Warner - 56
Warner to Tahlequah - 58
Tahlequah to Pryor - 45
Pryor to Grove - 58
Grove to Baxter Springs - 45
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FreeWheeler's Photos!
Check out photos submitted by 2006 FreeWheel participants:
If you took any photos and would like to share them with the FreeWheel family, either email the pics (or a link
to your web gallery) or burn a CD and put it in the US mail to us at the appropriate address below:
Email photos or links to:
FreeWheelPhotos@sbcglobal.net
OR
Mail CDs via standard US mail to:
FreeWheel Photos
Oklahoma FreeWheel
PO Box 2389
Tulsa, OK 74101-2389
Okay, here are links to the pics we have to share with you currently ... enjoy!
Photos by Mike Schooling
Photos by Jim Allshouse
AND a journal by Laurie Allshouse
Photos by Dale & Michael Munn
Photos by Joanne & Bill Estes
Photos by Dana Jordan
Photos by Dave Duncan
Photos by Richard Hall
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Newspaper Articles
If you're aware of newspaper articles from papers other than the Tulsa World, contact the
OKFreeWheel WebMaster and we'll try to include them here!
Tulsa World FreeWheel articles:
The Tulsa World had a reporter along on each day of FreeWheel. They wrote an article each day
on a different topic. Select the article you'd like to see below, click on it, and enjoy!
Sunday, 6/11, FreeWheel cyclists begin 400-mile journey across Oklahoma
Sunday, 6/12, Freewheel: Summer Vacation: Annual ride unites families
Sunday, 6/13, Freewheel: Pain-Free Pedaling: Lean back, enjoy the ride
Sunday, 6/14, Freewheel 2006: Young Riders: How I spent summer vacation
Sunday, 6/15, Cool river entices FreeWheel cyclists
Sunday, 6/16, Freewheel: Veteran On Tour: At 80, longtime FreeWheeler keeps cycle going
Sunday, 6/17, Riders find marital milestones at FreeWheel
Sunday, 6/18, Freewheel: Auld Lang Syne: Cycling teens' friendship stays the 400-mile course
Tahlequah Daily Press FreeWheel articles:
Friday, 4/7, FreeWheel Coming Back To Tahlequah
Friday, 6/9, Tahlequah Prepares to go FreeWheelin'
Wednesday, 6/14, Pedal Power
Wednesday, 6/14, Kids' bicycle race set for tonight's SpeedWheel
Thursday, 6/15, SpeedWheel turns streets into raceway
Friday, 6/16, FreeWheelin'
Monday, 6/19, A toast to FreeWheel
Monday, 6/19, Downtown merchants: More FreeWheel
Pryor Daily Times FreeWheel articles:
Monday, June 19, Tour de Pryor
Bartlesville Enterprise-Examiner FreeWheel articles:
Monday, February 27, FreeWheel Takes On Hills Of Eastern Oklahoma
Sunday, July 2, Oklahoma FreeWheel 2006 - A Brilliant Memory
Muskogee Daily Phoenix FreeWheel articles:
Tuesday, June 6, Boy to trek across state
Sunday, June 18, It's pedal-to-the-medal, two-wheel style
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SpeedWheel
SpeedWheel Winners!
Following are the winners of the various SpeedWheel events held in Tahlequah on Wednesday evening,
June 14th:
Junior Boys
1. Alex Battles-Wood
2. Adam Harmon
3. James Mitchell
4. Kal Farmer
5. Warrior Grayson
Women open
1. Karen Harwood
2. Barb Landreth
3. Traci Haines
4. Cheryl Thigpen
5. Teresa Loftin
Master men 35+
1. Steve Schlegel
2. Randy Schwers
3. Gil Summy
4. John Lasorsa
5. Peter Erdoes
Cat. 1-2-3
1. Alexander Welch
2. Chad Cagle
3. Winfield Gibson
4. Mat Ankney
5. Nathan Leigh
6. Josh Lewis
7. Alex Schneider
Cat 3-4
1. John Berstovansky
2. Benjamin Silk
3. Patrick Zimmerman
4. Jacob Lasley
5. John Lasorsa
6. Brad Fierke
7. Jeremy Stitt
Cat. 4-5
1. Wade Colwell
2. Charles Parmain
3. Enrique Gutierrez
4. Jeremy Miller
5. Brian Wilson
Team Soundpony, The City of Tahlequah, and Budweiser are sponsoring bicycle racing Wednesday evening
June 14th in Tahlequah. This year's event has been dubbed the Norris Park Criterium.
If you've never seen criterium racing, you're in for a treat! Races
will begin at about 5:30pm and run until dark and shuttles will be provided from the camp area
to the race location in downtown Tahlequah. There are a number of eating establishments near
the race venue as well as vendors who will be at the venue specifically to serve spectators.
Click here
to access a PDF copy of the race flyer with complete information regarding registration,
location, course, and categories. Race registration
begins at 4:30pm on June 14th at the race site.
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Crazy Daze, Flag Day, Club Jersey Day
Crazy Daze - Tuesday, June 13th
Each year on Tuesday of FreeWheel, riders go a little bit crazy? As if
all the spandex wasn't enough, folks don all manner of helmet ornaments, wild
jerseys, tutus (yes, tutus!) and more. Who can forget 2004's Snow White and the
Seven Domestiques and the Tutu Boys; or 2005's Drama Queens! So give your
appearance some thought and come prepared to make folks set up and say "What the
heck was that on that bicycle!" It's all in fun; just be sure not to obscure
your vision or wear anything that might get caught in your bike and take you down!
Flag Day / Club Jersey Day - Wednesday, June 14th
Wednesday of FreeWheel is traditionally a day when riders sport their local
bicycle club's or team's jersey. Additionally, this year, Wednesday, June 14th is
flag day. So you've got two reasons to dress up in your finest lycra, spandex, and
red, white and blue! Support your local club or team by wearing your jersey and
put a flag on your bike in honor of Old Glory.
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Registration
Registration and Packet Pick Up:
You can register for FreeWheel now via mail, or in person beginning in late May.
Prices for 2006 are as follows:
Age 16 & up - $100
Age 6-15 - $60
Under 6 - Free
If you'd like to register by mail, CLICK HERE to download the 2006 FreeWheel Registration Form in PDF format.
You need Adobe Acrobat reader to open this file.
Print the form and mail to:
FreeWheel, Inc.
PO Box 2389
Tulsa, OK 74101-2389
If you'd like to see the entire
FreeWheel brochure (not just the registration form) for the '06 ride,
CLICK HERE
to download a PDF version. The brochure has all the details about the 2006 event in a format that
will be easy to share with all your cycling friends!
If you don't have Adobe Acrobat reader, you can download it at
http:\\www.adobe.com
For those paying the mailing fees, packets will begin mailing the week of May 15th.
Packet In-person Pickup - Packts will also be available for pick-up in person at the MAPCO Plaza building in Tulsa
during the last couple of weeks in May. The MAPCO Plaza Building is located at 1717 S. Boulder Ave. in
Tulsa. The FreeWheel office is on the first floor at the north end on the left; you can't miss it. Here
are the dates the FreeWheel office will be open for walk-ins; office hours will be noon to 6pm on all dates:
May 22-26
May 30-31 and June 1-2
June 5-7
NOTE Please note that there will be NO jerseys this year. A host of other items will be available
in addition to the 2006 T-shirt to commemorate your participation in the 28th annual Oklahoma FreeWheel.
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Transportation
Kraftours
will be providing bus services again in 2006.
Two buses will be provided from Tulsa to Hugo on Saturday, June 10th. One bus will
take riders from Baxter Springs back to Hugo and one bus will take riders home from Baxter
Springs to Tulsa on Saturday, June 17th.
Here's what you need to know regarding bus reservations:
Cost
- $45 - Tulsa to Hugo, Saturday, June 10th
- $30 - Baxter Springs to Tulsa, Saturday, June 17th
- $70 - Baxter Sprints to Hugo, Saturday, June 17th
DO NOT call Kraftours. They are not taking the reservations and have NO
information on pricing.
To make reservations, call (918) 592-2453. If no one answers, be sure to leave
a message stating your phone number twice so we may return your call (and we WILL return
your call!).
Alternatively, you may mail your bus reservation information and payment along
with your FreeWheel registration form, if you haven't registered yet. Be sure to include
the following information ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER ... do not write this information
on your FreeWheel registration form:
- Your full name,
- Complete mailing address,
- Phone number with area code,
- Email address, if you have one,
- Bus leg(s) you wish to make reservations for,
- Check for the appropriate amount payable to Oklahoma FreeWheel
(can include your FreeWheel registration amount)
No reservations will be accepted after June 2nd or after all seats have been reserved.
Bus departure information - This information, along with a map, will be sent to everyone
who has reserved a bus space.
Buses will leave Tulsa PROMPTLY at 7:00am, Saturday, June 10, from the
parking lot on the southwest corner of 33rd & Memorial. If you leave your car, please note that the area
is fenced and once the buses leave, the gates will be shut and locked. A phone number will be provided
in case you or someone else needs to get to your car. Gates will open at 6:00am and someone will be on
hand to check reservations.
All who've reserved spaces should receive confirmation information in the mail
soon.
As in the past, the safety of your car is not guaranteed, so don't leave valuables in them.
If you're leaving a care in either Hugo or Baxter Springs, call the police departments in the
town and ask where the best place to leave it would be.
That's it ... all you need to know to make your reservations for bus rides to and
from the start and end of FreeWheel 2006. Get your reservation in now, while you're thinking
about it!
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Special Services
Bike Shops
Several Tulsa-area bike shops will accompany riders on FreeWheel offering service
both on the road and in camp each evening. Riders are encouraged to take advantage of
their services and thank them for coming along. Each year they provide hundreds of hours
of service. This "wrench gang" is a good group and well worth getting to know. Their services
are offered at very reasonable rates and riders almost always get more than their money's-worth
from all these folks. Remember that bike mechanics need sleep too; if you need your bike
serviced in some way, try to get it to them early in the afternoon/evening.
 The "Shuttle Guy"
The Shuttle
Guy will back at FreeWheel this year, offering the same great services
he and his team provided for the '05 FreeWheel. The Shuttle Guy can provide,
for a fee, a comfort camper package (tent, air mattress, set up and take down,
complimentary chair and towel service), hotel shuttle, towel service, chair rental
and more.
Check out more detailed descriptions of these services and how to sign up
at The Shuttle Guy's Oklahoma FreeWheel Services web page.
Massage
A talented crew of massage therapists is generally on hand each year to help "work
out the kinks" at the end of a day on the road. These folks have "magic fingers" and
will be set up in the FreeWheel campsites each evening to provide a healing, hands-on
experience you won't want to miss.
Hey, you will have worked hard on the road all day; you deserve to give
yourself a treat, right?! So remember to seek out the massage tents at the end of
each day; you won't regret it!
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Seminars
Tulsa
Tom Brown, of
Tom's Bicycles in Tulsa, is once again hosting a series of six seminars
to inform and prepare FreeWheelers for the 2006 odessy!
Seminars will once again be held at the OSU Center for Health Sciences located
at 1111 West 17th Street in Tulsa. The site is also known as the Center for Advanced
Medical Education
(for map, click here). Seminars will be held in the same location, Room D007 (Merkel
Auditorium) and will run from 7pm to 9pm on each of six nights February 7th through
April 27th.
See the topics and dates below and mark your calendar now:
All over for this year
The 2006 FreeWheel Seminars were a great success with attendance up and lots of information
shared. You won't want to miss these seminars next year! Those of you who attended, thanks for your
participation and input. And to all the presenters, a great big THANK YOU for jobs well done!
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Training
Tulsa Bicycle Club
FreeWheel training rides are being conducted once again by the
Tulsa Bicycle
Club each Saturday and Sunday beginning March 11th through the last
weekend of May.
Each week's rides are 5 to 10 miles further than the week before, letting
your confidence build gradually as your behind becomes accustomed to spending
more time in the saddle!
Look for a complete schedule soon with starting times, locations,
distances, and ride leader contact information. Go to the Tulsa Bicycle Club's
FreeWheel
Training Rides web page for the most up-to-date information.
Also, check out the
Training Ride Information Sheet (pdf) and the
FreeWheel Tips (pdf) that TBC has put together with
general information and valuable tips related to FreeWheel and the training ride series.
Bartlesville Pedalers
During April and May, the
Bartlesville Pedalers
have FreeWheel training rides on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 PM.
There will also be Saturday rides, which normally involve longer rides.
The Tuesday and Saturday rides will start & end at Johnstone Park, while the Thursday rides will
start & end at Sooner Park. Check the
Pedaler's FreeWheel Training Ride Calendar for further information.
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FreeWheel-wear
See this year's T-shirt at the MAPCO Plaza FreeWheel office. They're bright green
with a "freewheel" pictured on the front.
T-shirts may be ordered when you register and will be available on the ride.
For a host of reasons, jerseys will not be available this year.
However, a host of other items will be available for you to purchase
to commemorate your participation in the 28th annual Oklahoma FreeWheel. Commemorative items
will be available at the FreeWheel office during packet pick-up and on the ride as well, so
you'll have plenty of opportunities to pick something up.
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Accommodations
We'll have some! As usual, camping sites and indoor camping are provided at each
host city. Or you can check on local accommodations where host cities have them. Often
local churches will also provide accommodations in their facilities (and these are often
air conditioned!).
We'll add more information here as route plans firm up. Also, one of the Tulsa
FreeWheel seminars generally includes discussion of camping and indoor camping options.
If this year's presentation is as informative and fun as last year's, you won't want
to miss it.
*See the Seminars section above; Tuesday, March 7th, Monica Wright
will be offering her insight into selecting a campsite, she'll give you a feel for what the indoor
camping is generally like, and she'll share other tips to make your camping experience as good
as your ride experience!
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