Octoginta activities draw cyclists

Taking in the landscape on Tour de County

Riders, from left, Pat Peery, Larry Spray, Nate Robinson and Joe Robinson, cruise Douglas County Road 1057 Saturday morning, Oct. 3, 2009, on a Tour de County ride, part of the weekend’s Octoginta activities.

Bob Frederick’s Octoginta

The main ride begins at 8:30 a.m. today at South Park. Registration will be from 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. at South Park Recreation Center, 1141 Mass. The cost is $35 and includes a full breakfast, lunch and SAG stations along the route.

This year’s rides offer 40, 80 and 100-mile distances. Riders are anticipated to return to South Park between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The ride includes tributes to former Kansas University Athletic Director Bob Frederick, who died after he suffered injuries in a June 11 bicycle accident at the intersection of Kasold Drive and Sixth Street.

Frederick had been involved in planning the course for this year’s Octoginta.

Blair Sutton came to Saturday’s annual bike swap looking for fellow cyclists just as much as cycle parts.

“It is half for the deals and half for seeing people and catching up at the end of the season,” he said.

Saturday’s bike swap, which has been part of the Lawrence Bicycle Club’s Octoginta weekend activities for almost 20 years, is a giant garage sale for cyclists. Anyone can sell bike parts, clothes or tools.

On sale Saturday were bike frames, tires, tools, handle bars, jerseys and even a pair of cross-country skis for times when biking isn’t possible.

Alan and Kathy Mendenhall, from Hutchinson, brought close to 50 used bikes, many of them classic cruisers in bright blues, greens and reds.

As a hobby, Alan hunts for older bikes, fixes them up and sells them.

Bridget Lamb and Molly Cooper, both college students, were eyeing the cruisers as they were passing through South Park.

“I’m looking for a cheap bike to go to class,” Lamb said and pointed to a bright red one she liked, priced at $25.

On Saturday, Sutton scored some $5 bike shirts. But he said his best deal was a few years ago when he paid $10 for a set of handmade Kreitler rollers, which transform a regular bike into a stationary one.

“Bikers love gear,” Sutton said.

Along with the bike swap Saturday, cyclists participated in the Tour de County, a 30-mile ride through Douglas County, and a 6.2-mile time trial.

The main event is today, when hundreds of cyclists are expected to gather at South Park to embark on 40, 80 or 100-mile bike rides throughout Douglas, Franklin, Osage and Shawnee counties.

Clark Ahrenholtz made the four-hour trip from Harlan, Iowa, for this weekend’s Octoginta. He did the Tour de County on Saturday, which was a little chilly. This will be his fifth time participating in the Octoginta.

“It’s a good time of year to come down and enjoy the Kansas scenery. And it’s a pleasant ride,” Ahrenholtz said.