Saturday, October 5th 2019, 10:31 am
Hundreds of cyclists across the county were at Zink ranch in Skiatook Saturday morning for the first-ever Osage Passage bike rice hosted by Tulsa Tough.
Not everyone thinks of riding a bike for 80 miles "a vacation," but for best friends Todd Hurtubise and Joel Rierson - who traveled all the way from Austin, Texas - it's the perfect trip. "Its just sports and fitness and friends, and it's an active way to do something, and you get all the benefits of working out and traveling," Rierson told News on 6.
Hurtubise explained that this was his first time doing a race in 25 years. "Its a way to enjoy exercise the commodore and meeting other people and getting together with people you wouldn't get to meet on a daily basis," said Hurtubise.
Thanks to Tulsa Tough, cyclists enjoyed the fall race at the 44,000-acre Zink Ranch in Skiatook.
It consisted of two types of racing; the gravel Fondo race - an untimed race on gravel and terrain. It also consisted of the "Cyclocross race," complete with obstacles and some teasing from teammates.
Michael Wing has been a cyclocross cyclist for over four years and traveled from Oklahoma City to try and win another title. "Its a huge environment, the cycling culture in Oklahoma, and it is great and we have a ton of events and people just come out and have a good time."
Wing and his teammates were caught shouting and teasing their competitors in a tactic called "heckling," which Wing says is all in good fun.
All participants were welcome to camp out on the ranch the night before and the night after, playing into the race's theme, "Ride Fast, camp Slow." Tulsa tough Executive Director Malcom McCollum says the idea was years in the making.
"The concept was to dial things down several notches so that people can come together in a rural environment," McMollum explained, "using cycling as the unifying thing that brought people together."
Tulsa Tough tells News on 6 that over 300 hundred racers signed up for the event, and they hope to keep this event on the calendar for years to come.
Tulsa Tough organizer Malcom McCollam spoke with News On 6 about the event.
Related Story: Tulsa Tough Organizers Announce Osage Passage Event
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