Ding, ding, ding is the sound that bikers phones and e-mail start making around 4 p.m., as riders check to see who will be riding on Money Road.
Greenwood may not have any bike trails, but the cycling community continues to flourish after the success of last year’s local bicycle race, Bikes, Blues and Bayous.
And this year’s ride is expected to be even bigger.
“Last year we had 216 riders, and we are thinking it will be more,” said Richard Beattie, an event coordinator.
The ride will take place Saturday, but participants should expect to see some changes and improvements from last year.
This year, riders will have the option of riding the 64-mile loop around the Delta or a 42- or 25-mile course.
“We added an intermediate length this year,” Beattie said.
There also will be more rest stops and SAG vehicles to help riders.
“Most of the people on this ride (80 to 85 percent) are from out of town,” Beattie said. “It is a chance to show off our town, our hospitality and to keep them safe.”
Last year, riders came from from Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Oklahoma and as far away as Ohio, he said.
From the beginning, the ride was designed to support a cause. The coordinators chose Main Street Greenwood.
“Main Street is always looking for an opportunity to promote tourism and downtown Greenwood,” said Lise Foy, executive director of Main Street Greenwood.
Another main concern for the biking community and this event is safety.
“There will be riders on Money Road all morning long,” Beattie said. “The vast majority of drivers give cyclists a whole lane because there are so many, and there have been some problems.”
Signs that read “share the road” remind drivers on Money Road to be on the lookout.
The Delta Motorcycle Riders will provide escorts for the bicycle riders, Beattie said. “They will point out turns and rough spots in the road.”
The ride is designed to be safe and fun for anyone who wants to participate.
“Everyone has this image in their head of the Tour de France when they think of bicycle races,” Beattie said. “It’s not like that.”
Why do they ride?
Cycling is a healthy activity for people of all ages.
Anne Flanagan, 53, started riding because of her husband, Tom, 55.
“He started about three years ago,” Flanagan said. “We aren’t getting any younger, and he was able to lose some weight and keep it off.”
After she hurt her ankle, Flanagan’s doctor told her she could either swim or ride a bicycle for exercise.
“So I bit the bullet,” Flanagan said. “It is fun and healthy and a good thing to do with my husband.”
Kathryn Pittman, 56, started riding last year with the encouragement of her husband.
“It is a good calorie-burner and easier on your joints than other forms of exercise I do, like tennis,” Pittman said.
Pittman rides two to three times a week, and this will be her first year riding in the race.
“I have signed up for the 25-mile, but everyone has been nagging me to do the 42,” she said.
Pittman also says it is a great way of enjoying the fresh air.
Rob Spiller, 54, started out riding a mountain bike as a different way of exercising. He later traded it in for a road bike.
“I was reading a magazine, and they talked about how great of an exercise it was,” Spiller said. “I went out and bought a $70 bike from Wal-Mart to see if I would enjoy it, and I did.”
Spiller said it was a lot more fun than running, so he upgraded to a better bicycle.
Carol Puckett, 56, picked up bicycling because of last year’s race.
“I was inspired by the race last year and what it did for downtown,” Puckett said. “I took up cycling in April, and I am up to riding 30 to 35 miles.”
But Puckett is not new to this form of exercise.
“I have ridden all my life, but only short-distance rides,” Puckett said. “I have missed those six-mile rides with my dad.”
She started out riding only two to three miles.
“I was riding with a friend one day and road to Money, and my five-mile ride turned into 20 miles,” Puckett said. “And I was shocked, not that I could just do it, but that I enjoyed it.”
Puckett moved to Greenwood because of Hurricane Katrina, but she has fallen in love with the scenery of the Delta.
“There is nothing more beautiful than a sunset on Money Road,” Puckett said. “I used to drive there to watch them.”
Now Puckett can ride out to Money to enjoy the Delta sunsets.
Kimani Waweru, 30, started biking a year ago, but for a different reason.
“I do it for stress relief,” Waweru said. “I work in IT, so it is good to get away from everything.”
Waweru does take his phone, but only in case something happens.
“The first time I rode, I made it to Tallahatchie Flats, and I was dead,” he said.
Waweru has come a long way since that first ride.
“I have signed up for the 62,” he said. “There is no worse feeling then getting back from a ride and having energy for more.”
He also has enjoyed becoming a part of the cycling community.
“I have met a lot of people,” Waweru said.
