GDB Rides Rides
by Philip Watson, President

The GDB Club exists for one main reason: to provide bicycle rides for groups of cyclists. And folks, GDB gives you rides. Maybe do like I did, and count the rides on the calendar during the summer months. In July, GDB organized and published rides came to 47. 47! And that doesn’t count regional rallies where, on the GDB Forum, members plan by posting a day or two before the rally and then participate in a GDB pace line at the rally. Or the Saturday Preston Forest rides, an almost ad hoc Mike Eipper creation that’s not yet on the GDB published ride calendar, but has many riders often going around the airport. So GDB really offers more than 50 rides during a summer month. That’s a lot of rides. And that’s why GDB has almost 400 members.

Add to the published rides the various theme rides, rides at GDB parties, and the annual Lancaster GDB rally – hey, GDB offers rides.

Plus there are rides within rides. Earlier this year when a strong north wind blew, Joe Rohner and the Best of the Southwest took the DART rail to Plano and rode back to Lancaster with a tailwind. That’s fast thinking and fun riding!

Another ride within a ride is inside the Mesquite Ride (formed by Greg Blanks and John Berry) that gives those in the eastern part of the metroplex an excellent area and group to ride on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, plus Sunday afternoons. Then once a month, Greg crafted within the Mesquite ride the individual time trial option. Now interested members can get their average speeds somewhat official, and maybe get a bragging right to boot.

Another excellent ride was created in the last year by Craig Mathew and Jeanne Green. Craig created the idea and the name of the ride – The EZ Breezy Ride – and Jeanne and Craig share the lead on Monday evenings in the North Dallas Corridor for those working in that area of Greater Dallas who don’t have the time to commute to another ride.

To sum up, on the second Saturday of July, GDB put an incredible number of riders on bikes. Norma Lou’s ride had twenty-one cyclists. Plano East had thirty-five. Mike Eipper’s Preston Forest had thirty-eight. And then at least twenty GDBers went to Weatherford and rode the Peach Pedal Classic. Maybe twenty or more GDBers rode the Best of the Southwest that Saturday. That’s close to 150 GDB cyclists riding with other GDBers.

But GDB doesn’t just ride. How about that Summer Bash hosted last month by Gail and Jim Spann? What a fun summer event at the Spann Estate, splashing in their pool and, of course, three different bike rides before the food and pool. John and Suzanne Hoenig once again brought their talents to providing good eats along with Gail’s great cooking.

Hey, the Greater Dallas Bicyclists Club provides its members with rides. And this Club’s members ride their bikes.