TourdeKale archive comments

Feedback / Comments TDK
This was a fantastic event. Everyone did such a good job. We rode in this for the first time, but plan to make this an annual event. The food was great, the support at intersections was great, and the course was just right. Good luck Jessica, we will keep you in our prayers. See you next year. - Ken Prevette - Lexington NC


Any chance that the there will be photos available of the ride? I’d like to have some for my scrap book. BTW, this was the best organized bicycle event I’ve ever participated in. I had a wonderful time, and the volunteers were super!


What a great day for an always super event. This was the third year for the Tour de Kale and my third year doing it. I am not sure of the exact amount of participants, but it appeared to be larger than the previous two years. This is an event that just keeps getting better. My compliments to Chris Skeen and all the other "Dentoneers" (as I like to call them!) for the awesome hospitality, great organization and all the hard work they put into this event. This ride is a fund raiser that really addresses the needs of others- Kale Watkins and other folks who are challenged by their situations- and it makes me feel good to be a part! The route travels through some of the prettiest rolling territory you will find. Certain areas have hills that put you to the test but it is worth it. The group I initially rode with set a brisk pace that blew out a few cobwebs. The first half of the metric loop appears to be a bit hillier than the second half but it is ALL fun. At one of the rest stops I opted to ride with several friends who were taking a more casual pace and I got to really take in the scenery. Plus, I saw several folks I hadn't seen in a while (including one couple I met in Bike Shenandoah last fall!). Speaking of Bike Shenandoah, if you like the tour de Kale, consider doing Bike Shenandoah this October because there are a lot of similarities between these two rides. As I said, I hooked up with another group at one of the rest stops about 35 miles out. We proceeded into the lowland area near High Rock Lake. Several folks opted and attempted the "Summit Challenge" race to the top of one of the local peaks. I was told the grade was 17-21% most of the way up. I opted NOT to attempt the climb! Maybe on my mountain bike? Arriving back at the starting gate we were treated to a great meal, good music, door prizes and lots of great conversation with like-minded friends and cyclists. It was a great event - two thumbs up! Jeff McNeal


This was my 4th TDK and it seems to be getting better every year. I got some buddies of mine from Greensboro to come and see for their self how awesome the TDK bike is and they where very impressed on how efficently it was ran. They all loved it and said they will be most certaintly make this and annual event. It seems like the whole community was involved in putting this on. One homeowner said we could jump in his pool in his own backyard if we wanted to cool. Now how cool is that. We will most definitely be there again next year. Great ride, great organizers, great rest stops and the sag support was awesome. Keep up the good work. Greensboro cyclist Cliff Hill


GREAT EVENT!!! I've done 'em all and I agree with cliff- It just keeps getting better. I want pictures also! Doug Lytle (TEAM SPINERGY)


This was the best ride by far this year. Except for the Heat Index (100) the ride was exceptional and the staff and support crews were awesome. Good food at the end of the ride. The summit was a monster, for such a short climb, but well worth the challenge. Overall, a must do event every year - I am locked in for June 18, 2005. God willing I will see y'all next year. God Bless you Jessica, we will be praying for you. David Wright - Raleigh


hi enjoyed the event greatly. where are the results??


We had to break it down into three parts to get our comments under 800 characters. So here we go. Part 1 - This was an awesome bike ride! It was challenging but at the end you were proud you did it. The volunteers were excellent. We couldn’t have done it without you guys! Thanks to each and every one of you! There were several things about this ride that we loved! The first thing that we thought was by far the best was the bottles of FRUIT PUNCH GATORADE and the bottles of water. Our favorite Gatorade is fruit punch and we absolutely loved that!! It is so hard get the right mixture using the powered Gatorade. Most bike rides always have orange or lemon lime Gatorade but the Tour De Kale had FRUIT PUNCH! We will always remember that. Lori Harkey :o) and Lisa Preslar :o)


Part 2 - The second one was that there was a fire engine at every main intersection to stop traffic for us. That was the coolest thing that we have ever seen on a bike ride. Third, we truly liked the laminated map for each rider. We’re not fast riders and we’re not good with directions so that was GREAT! Fourth, it was great to meet Kale and to see Jessica’s family too. It was coolest thing to have Kale lead out the ride. That makes even more special and makes you have more pride in what you riding for. The Tour De Kale was a great ride and we haven’t stop talking about it since Saturday. We can’t wait till next year to hopefully get to ride it again! Thanks again for all of the volunteers to make it even more special. Lori Harkey :o) and Lisa Preslar :o)


Part 3 - The only suggestion that we would make is to make sure that next year that the $10.00 fee for the chip was included with the per-registration. We weren’t prepared for that and that caught several people off guard. Lori Harkey :o) and Lisa Preslar :o) “The Twins”


Great Ride! Overall You are doing a fantastic job! The support is excellent as above. It was nice to have the laminated route sheets, but the print could be bit bigger, and the milage would be better with a running total. Keep up the good work!

Thank you to the citizens of Denton and surrounding communities for providing the support and DRIVING VERY COURTEOUSLY around the cyclists.


Very nice support on the road. The intersections were well covered and the feed station folks very helpful. I managed to turn up late for the start and got a time for the summit, but no time for the full ride, is it hidden in the computer? My computer read 122 Km overall, dd make a wrong turn?


Excellent! Very organized, great route, awesome support, unbelieveable hills, excellent rest stops! Will include in must do rides of the year!


I was very impressed with the amount of work and planning that went into this ride. Rest stops wer good, support was great, after ride meal was great. I will definitely do it again next year! Two comments, the 110K summit challenge was actually 122k. There really should be a weigh in for the Bubba division, a couple of the winners looked a little small to be 200+ pounders.


We just completed the 2005 TDK. This was one of the best organized and run events I have encountered. Traffic control was top notch, great course, great food at the finish and rest stops and more importantly great community support. Plan on being there in 2006. You do not want to miss this ride!


This was my first TDK but certainly not my last. The ride was great as was all of the support from the volunteers and community. Thanks for a great event. One question - I see the results have been posted for the 120K ride and 5K run but will there be results for the other rides (as was done last year)?


This was my first TDK but certainly not my last. The ride was great as was all of the support from the volunteers and community. Thanks for a great event. One question - I see the results have been posted for the 120K ride and 5K run but will there be results for the other rides (as was done last year)?


Where are the results of the other rides (110K)?


It's kind of ironic how the results of the non competitive rides are the ones that got lost. Oh well, the ride was great and we're glad to help out Kale and Chip. My opinion - do away with the cash prizes and give more to the cause.