THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 14, 1996 TAG: 9604110152
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY DAVID McCARTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 189 lines
CHARLES HARDY INSISTS the best way to see the Outer Banks is at 15 miles an hour.
Dress in sleek layers. Straddle your most dependable two-wheeler. Try to keep the wind at your back. And don't forget your helmet.
For Hardy, other local enthusiasts, and a growing number of visitors, the roads and bike paths that crisscross the Outer Banks are like ribbons wrapping a wonderful gift waiting to be discovered.
Hardy, president of the Wheels of Dare Bicycle Club, says more and more people are making their bicycles a focal point, and not just an afterthought, when planning and packing for a trip to the beach.
Hardy, a youthful 42-year-old Kill Devil Hills resident, makes no effort to soft-pedal his personal stance on cycling. When discussing what for him has grown from an affectation into a way of life, Hardy becomes animated, sometimes even holding imaginary handlebars when recounting his favorite trips.
From the friendly-fire barrage of local cycling information, advocacy of bicycling as the perfect family exercise option and low-impact cardiovascular workout, and enthusiasm for the club he now leads, Hardy makes one thing perfectly clear: May will be a great month on the Outer Banks to get on your bike and ride.
``We have an exciting few weeks coming up,'' Hardy said. ``First, in early May, we will have the Tour de Cure, in conjunction with the American Diabetes Association. Then, two weeks later, we will have our annual Wheels of Dare Surf and Sand Century.''
Organizers expect the Tour de Cure to draw at least 500 riders, Hardy said. Rain or shine, it will start at 8 a.m. on May 4 in Kill Devil Hills, departing north from the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
Hardy is quick to point out that Orville and Wilbur were bicycle builders before the airplane idea took off for them.
Participants for the Tour de Cure will gather sponsors and are expected to raise at least $75 each in pledges. Registration is $20 before the day of the event; $25 on May 4.
Riders can tailor the length of their ride to their ability - 25, 50 or 100 kilometers. The different cycling packs will take a variety of routes north into Kitty Hawk and on through Southern Shores, Duck and Corolla, then back to Kill Devil Hills.
Last year, Tour de Cure events statewide raised about $65,000. Phil Templeton, director of development for the North Carolina chapter of the American Diabetes Association, hopes that total will eclipse $100,000 this year.
Templeton said Dare County's Tour de Cure effort will be among the largest in the state.
``The route was moved north, and that has really helped as far as participation goes,'' Templeton said.
``Also, a lot more of the riders this year will be local Dare County residents,'' he said. ``Last year, the ride was really pushed as a vacation option for eastern North Carolina residents. There will still be many of those people, and we have had good participation from the local lodging community to accommodate them.''
Area motels working with event organizers say the Tour de Cure has helped bolster reservations for a weekend when the public schools and most colleges are still in session.
``We've had very good response,'' said Betty Hayes, a desk clerk at Comfort Inn South in Nags Head, which is serving as the host hotel for the event. ``As of now, we have booked close to 50 rooms for bike riders.''
``We blocked 28 rooms for the event, and more than 20 of them have been picked up for that weekend,'' said Jodi Sherman, assistant manager at the Best Western Ocean Reef Suites in Kill Devil Hills. ``We're glad we decided to participate.''
The only downside of the event, some local cyclists say, is that many of them will not be able to ride in it. They'll be too busy.
``Someone has to provide the support services for the riders,'' said Chip Cowan, a Wheels of Dare member who operates Kill Devil Hills Cycle and Skate in Sea Holly Square.
Each route will be staffed with mechanics and medical personnel, and a group of local ham radio operators will help keep everyone in contact.
``It's a great event for people who want to ride for a cause, and a much better course than the old one further south that included a ferry ride, 'cause that lets you cool down in the middle of your run,'' Cowan said. ``A 25- or 50-kilometer bike ride gives you a pretty good idea of what the island is all about. And really, just about anyone in pretty decent shape, whether they believe it or not, could do a 30-mile ride.''
Hardy said that riders may register as late as the morning of the event and must wear a helmet. Any type of bicycle may be used for the shorter distances.
``But you'll need a road bike for the longer rides,'' Hardy said. ``You don't want a big, fat mountain bike tire on the road for that long a distance.
``It's a terrific way for a family to spend a Saturday together, ride, and raise money for a really good cause,'' he said. ``Everyone needs to know that it's a ride and not a race.''
Wheels of Dare members who participate in the Tour de Cure will have only two weeks to rest their quadriceps and gluteals before climbing back aboard for the Surf and Sand Century. The name refers to a 100-mile ride, but shorter options of 33 and 62 miles are offered.
The ride will start in Kill Devil Hills at First Flight Elementary School on Colington Road, and will take a northern tack into Kitty Hawk, through Southern Shores and into Duck.
Cyclists riding the two longer routes will continue north into Corolla, then back to the memorial, south through Nags Head and across the causeway into Manteo, where they will loop and return to Kill Devil Hills.
Hardy expects about 100 riders for the Surf and Sand, and Cowan plans to host a post-ride pasta dinner, complete with entertainment, in the parking lot of his shop.
``Twenty dollars to register gets you a neat T-shirt, a great ride and a good meal,'' Cowan said.
Hardy said the parade of pedal pushers in both events will be riding bikes of all types.
``There will be some `hybrids,' which sit more upright for a more casual ride,'' he said. ``And there may even be some tandems. These are technically bicycles built for two, but they're pretty high-tech these days.''
At the expensive end of the spectrum will be the $5,000 custom-made bicycle piloted by Richard Lawrence. Not only will this lightweight, ergonomic wonder likely be the most costly ride on the Surf and Sand route, but its rider will probably be the pack's elder statesman.
``We'll have riders from 6 to 69,'' Hardy said. ``And Richard's the 69.''
Lawrence, whose family has operated the First Colony Inn in Nags Head for the last six years, took up cycling about 10 years ago ``for health reasons,'' he said.
He now rides five days a week, whether he is in Nags Head or at his other home near Winston-Salem. He usually clicks off from 10 to 50 miles a day.
Lawrence has twice participated in coast-to-coast bike rides: a 24-day, 3,300-mile trek from Seattle to Yorktown, Va., in 1993; and a 23-day, 2,800-mile run from San Diego to Charleston, S.C., in 1994.
``That first one was pretty grueling,'' Lawrence said, laughing. ``The Rockies and the Appalachian Mountains aren't like any hills around here.''
Lawrence says cycling is good for the mind and body.
``Some people like to ride together, because you can converse while you ride, but I usually like to ride alone,'' he said. ``Obviously, you have to keep an eye out for traffic and stay alert, but it gives you time to think about a lot of things.
``A biker, I believe, really has it over a runner. If I was putting my knees and ankles through a similar daily pounding, I just couldn't do it. Bicycling offers more distance and less strain on your legs.''
``And here on the Outer Banks,'' said Cowan, ``a bike gives you a pretty easy way to see everything - bayside to oceanside. It's completely flat, and you're guaranteed a tail wind for half your ride.''
Since a handful of local riders, led by cycling enthusiast Bill Brobst, banded together a decade ago, the Wheels of Dare club has actively pushed for the creation and extension of local bike paths. The group ahs also promoted a rider-friendly atmosphere on the Outer Banks, Hardy said.
In 1986, Brobst presented an extensive 10-year bicycle plan to Dare County's recreation and planning departments.
``A lot of those things Bill Brobst included in that plan have come to pass,'' Hardy said.
``We would like to think we've had a hand in improving the climate for bicycle riders who live here year-round or bring their bikes on vacation,'' Hardy said. ``That's what we are here for, and we feel we have developed a really good rapport with the local officials who actually make all this happen.''
Next on the Wheels of Dare's administrative agenda is a cooperative effort to provide a lengthy path for area riders ``on a 15-mile ride that will never get on the main highways,'' he said.
``It will join all the way from Nags Head, through Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk, and into Southern Shores.'' MEMO: Anyone interested in joining the Wheels of Dare can call Hardy at
473-3328. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover by ROBIE RAY
Charles Hardy and Mike Stainback...
Photo by ROBIE RAY
Charles Hardy, president of the Wheels of Dare Bicycle Club, and
Mike Stainback try out the new bike path along Colington Road.
Charles Hardy, 42, of Kill Devil Hills, says more and more people
are making their bicycles a focal point, and not just an
afterthought, when planning a trip to the beach.
During the 1995 Tour De Cure on the Outer Banks, had riders ferrying
along the route. Organizers expect this year's Tour de Cure, which
benefits the American Diabetes Association, to draw at least 500
riders. Rain or shine, it will start at 8 a.m. on May 4 in Kill
Devil Hills, departing north from the Wright Brothers National
Memorial.
Photo courtesy of CHARLES HARDY
Riders in the Tour De Cure can tailor the length of their ride to
their ability - 25, 50 or 100 kilometers. The different cycling
packs will take a variety of routes north into Kitty Hawk and on
through Southern Shores, Duck and Corolla, then back to Kill Devil
Hills.
by CNB