SkepTeach

This weekend I did my first huge group ride as part of the 2019 Big Dam Bridge 100 in Little Rock, AR. I have been road cycling for just over a year and have done some small group rides, but nothing close to this in terms of distance or elevation gain. I chose the metric 100, so 68 mi and 3000 feet of elevation gain. The event usually attracts around 3k riders and this year seemed no different!

I had a great time and look forward to next year.

velojym

Fond memories of riding with ABC. I watched the bridge being built as I made countless laps on the river trail. Not there anymore, and wish we had something like that here.

SkepTeach

I did find out later yesterday that a cyclist had an accident and passed away during the event about mid-day, so it's looking likely they will be altering the routes a bit for next year.

Froomewannabe

I also rode the BDB yesterday. Did the 100 mile route, my first century. Last year the BDB was my inaugural bike event and did the 68. Little Rock is fortunate to have some nice trails/roads to ride.

spokes5678

Another great ride on the BDB this year.
I did the 68 miler, had a good time.The best part of the whole ride is the chance to
meet up with all the other old farts, have a beer and tell the same old lies all over
again.

SkepTeach

Maybe I'll follow in your footsteps (tire tracks?) and do a century next year.

shelbyfv

Looks like a fun and scenic ride, congrats!

Litespud

I lived in LR 2001-2007, so spanned the construction of the bridge. I found the cycling around LR to be excellent - you could head west into rolling terrain, or east for dead flat (of course, you got significant dog action in either directions, but nowhere's perfect!), depending on what you wanted. Some great local bike shops also. I used to get a ~28 mi ride along the river a couple of evenings during the week, and then a longer ride into the hills on the weekend - I don't think I put in such regular mileage before or since.

Chi_Z

from the report, it sounded like the guy had a tire blowout during the descent, lost control, and went over the road to a 30ft ditch. I would like to know what rim and tire combo he was using. The new trend of hookless wide clincher w/ narrow 28mm tires worries me

SkepTeach

I, too, would like to know what wheel and tire set up he had. I saw tons of people along the route with flat tires, but I chalked it up to normal numbers for that many people largely on small tire roadies. I heard a rumor that someone in the area not happy with the BDB100 may have put tacks out on part of the route, but these are unsubstantiated. In hindsight, I count myself fortunate for not having any tire problems. I am tempted to swap out my current tires with gator skins or something similar as they seem more durable. I've not yet had a flat while riding, but have had punctures that led to flats later. After seeing so many people having to deal with flats in the middle of a big ride like that, it's a scenario I'd really like to avoid.

spokes5678

I heard that the guy who died had a flat, lost control and went off the embankment after hitting a sign
that cut him and he fell the thirty feet but what killed him was bleeding out from the cut.
This is hearsay from people who live in the area.

Chi_Z

not sure who to believe

"Authorities say Krause lost control of his bike after the rear tire blew out. Krause fell 30 feet off the road near Wye Mountain around 11 a.m., according to Arkansas State Police officials."
https://katv.com/news/local/cyclist-...dam-bridge-100