Four generations of a family will participate in the upcoming Bikes, Blues & Bayous ride.
Riding in the 11-mile category this Saturday are Eloise Smith of Greenwood and her daughter, Jill Carson of Collierville, Tennessee; and her granddaughter, Claire McDonald, and her great-granddaughter and namesake, Eloise McDonald, both of Memphis.
The group also features Bikes, Blues & Bayous’ current oldest participant, Smith, who is 94, and youngest participant, Eloise, who is 7. Smith was the oldest Bikes, Blues & Bayous participant last year.
“I rode last year for the first time, and I was 93 years old,” she said.
Smith is an avid cyclist and rides her bike 6 miles every day.
Her family surprised her after her first ride by gathering at the 11-mile finish line to cheer for her.
“We’ve always been amazed at what she can do,” said Carson. “We always say if she can do it, we can do it. ... Last year, she wanted to turn around and go back and ride more, and we had to stop her.”
After the event last year, a family member asked, “Who’s going to ride with her next year?”
“It’s always been in the back of my head, ‘We need to be riding with her,’” said McDonald. “Who can say they’ve been riding with their grandmother? And for my daughter, who can say they did a bike ride with their great-grandmother?”
She mulled over the idea and called her mother.
“I told her, ‘We’re signing up, and you need to sign up, too, or you’re going to be the missing link to the four generations,’” she said.
Carson decided to sign up for the ride.
“It’s more about being able to do this with four generations,” said McDonald. “I think that’s the neat part.”
McDonald’s daughter, Eloise, is new to riding a bike, but she’s very excited about the upcoming event.
“She just started to learn how to ride her bike without training wheels on Good Friday, and she got motivated after we read the book ‘Amelia Bedelia Means Business,’” said McDonald.
In the book, which she read for school, Amelia Bedelia splits the cost of a new bike with her parents.
“She had a Little Mermaid bike, and she decided she wanted a new bike,” said McDonald.
Like Amelia Bedelia, Eloise began doing chores to raise money for her new bicycle.
“Then we went and she picked out a new bike,” said McDonald. “It was fun to teach her about setting a goal, raising money and saving money.”
Eloise said she learned how to ride her bike without training wheels by watching YouTube videos.
“She picked up riding without training wheels so fast that I said, ‘She could probably do the race,’” said McDonald.
Carson said she thinks this event will be a unique and special experience.
“All of my friends’ parents are gone, so that’s why I feel like this is an honor for me to still have a mom who is active, very active,” said Carson. “I thought I need to be there with her. I’m just glad it’s not 60 miles.”
Carson said that she remembers her mother always riding her bike.
“It hadn’t been a big thing to us until she hadn’t stopped,” said Carson. “I think when she had all four girls out of the house, then she could be serious about it. Daddy would always tell her, ‘Calm down. You’re not young anymore,’ and Momma just kept right on going.”
Smith has been a Greenwood resident since 1954, when she and her husband moved here from Memphis to open up a branch of Monroe Calculators. She is the mother of four daughters, the grandmother of 12 and the great-grandmother of 13.
Two more of Smith’s daughters — Georgia Humbarger of Indianola and Bekki Little of Madison — will also be participating.
“It’s great that I can be riding with a great-granddaughter and with other family and children,” said Smith. “We’re just all excited and waiting to go. We’re sitting on ready.”
During the ride, the family decided not to try to stay together but rather to go at their own paces.
“They say they’re not going to hold me back, and I can go on without them,” said Smith.
“She’s going to leave us in the dust,” McDonald said.
This year, the 10th anniversary of Bikes, Blues & Bayous will be celebrated. The event currently features 1,010 registered participants — a record-breaking amount.
Bikes, Blues & Bayous is Mississippi’s largest bike ride and is presented by the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce and the Money Road Cycling Club. The event includes a 62-mile “metric century” route as well as 46-, 22- and 11-mile routes.
The registration fee for Bikes, Blues & Bayous is $55. Online registration closes at 10 a.m. on Friday. The last chance to register will be in person at The Alluvian from 3 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday. There will be no new registration taken on Saturday.
Packet pickup will be held on Friday from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at The Alluvian and on Saturday at the start area at 6 a.m.
Each participant will receive a T-shirt, socks and a finisher medal. The riders will also enjoy a post-ride party featuring a complimentary barbecue meal with beer, soft drinks and chocolate milk, and live blues performers.
The 62-mile riders will start at 7 a.m., and the 46-, 22- and 11-mile riders will start at 7:20 a.m.
Organizers say local motorists should be cautious Saturday — especially those traveling on Money Road — and look out for the more than 1,000 cyclists.
For more information about Bikes, Blues & Bayous, email bikesbluesbayous@hotmail.com or visit bikesbluesbayous.com.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
