Sisters Bike Festival fest a success

SOAR staff and volunteers at the rest station on Highway 20 and Camp Sherman Road.

The First Annual Sisters Bike Festival, held on September 21 and 22, was deemed a success by participants and organizers.

Saturday's activities in-cluded three rides of differing lengths and a children's bicycle safety program. A barbecue and prize giving were held in the evening at the completion of the day's events.

Each of the rides were poker rides, where riders obtain cards at each of the rest stops and at the finish, with the top poker hands winning prizes. Sunday morning found more children participating in the safety program, and the road bikers ready for action.

"For a first-time event, we're feeling that it was pretty successful. We've learned things we'll do differently next year; and we'll definitely have more promotion, though things like this get popular through word of mouth," said organizer Jerry Norquist.

Norquist also gave kudos to Eurosports owner Brad Boyd and his staff for their help and support.

The majority of riders took part in the Hoodoo 40, where the actual mileage was discovered to be closer to 45 miles. A challenging course, there were enough uphill parts to remind riders that they were traveling through the mountains. The overwhelming response was positive, and many participants anticipate returning next year.

Mike Roszac and Shawn Kennedy, riders from Bend, said, "We hadn't ridden in this area before. The ride exceeded our expectations. Whoever put the course together did an excellent job."

The Suttle Lake 16 (some said it was 20) was a more moderate ride. Dave Blakeslee, a Sisters local, said, "I just started mountain biking in the last year. The folks at the Sisters Athletic Club encouraged members to do this event. It was challenging for a beginner like me, but not too difficult. Considering this is the first year, it's off to a great start."

The Indian Ford Cruise was a short, family-oriented jaunt from the Indian Ford Campground. David Cowan, a student at Sisters Elementary School, completed the ride with his family.

He rode his grandmother's bike, a custom Specialized brand three speed. "It was a nice ride, just the right distance," he said. "I got a full house on my poker hand too, and won a bike computer."

Sunday morning's Bicycle Safety participants rode their bikes around the Village Green, led by event organizer Jerry Norquist. They practiced turns, hand signals and being road-wise. Challenges presented themselves in the form of speeding motorists, a sheriff's patrol car, and even a ride-on lawn mower (on it's way to a mowing job).

Sisters Elementary School third-grader Amity Calvin said, "This helped me so I can stay safe when I ride on the roads."

Norquist said, "This is one of the most important events of the whole festival. If we don't have kids on bikes, we don't have an activity."