At 7:01 a.m. Saturday, hundreds of bicycle riders will roll out from All Souls Church in Scott in search of pickle-juice ice cream, chocolate milk, watermelon and England, Keo, Bevis Corner, Lonoke and, somewhere in there, a place called Wampoo.
Some will travel 62 miles before they've seen it all. It's the 10th annual Wampoo Roadeo, a fundraiser for the Marilyn Fulper Memorial Fund.
Cyclists don't have to take that metric century route: They could ride 28 miles (45K) or 40 miles (65K) in the rural flats of Pulaski and Lonoke counties. Using the same routes it took last year, the tour includes five rest stops and an after party. See the map online by searching Facebook for "Wampoo Roadeo."
Speaking of last year, 506 riders did that tour.
Corporate sponsorship of the rest stops and the finish line allows 95 percent of the proceeds to support Fulper fund projects. The fund has placed bike-repair stations on trails, bought hundreds of helmets for children, contributed to Recycle Bikes for Kids and helped buy the trail sweepers Little Rock and North Little Rock are using to clean up after floods.
Online registration is open until midnight Friday at bikereg.com/Wampoo-Roadeo for $15; add $20 for a "Do you Wampoo?" T-shirt.
Or attend the packet pickup party at Skinny J's in North Little Rock from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Many of the door prizes normally given out during the ride will be given away, and registration comes with a discount from Skinny J's and Lagunitas. Billy Jeter of Colorado will perform folk rock.
Or register between 6 and 6:50 a.m. Saturday at the church, 4601 Walker's Corner Road in Scott. But, says Charlie Hart -- one of the members of club RevRock that conducts the ride -- if you plan to register Saturday, show up early. The mass start waits for no one.
ActiveStyle on 07/16/2018