Gloomy weather doesn?t dampen annual Bike Fleche

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News

It felt much cooler than 52 degrees Sunday morning. It might have been because the memory of 80-degree days were still lodged in everyone?s mind, or maybe because the threat of a rainstorm loomed overhead. But that didn?t dissuade bicyclists from taking part in the 11th annual Bike Fleche.

The Bike Fleche began at 11:30 a.m., in four different locations across Southeast Iowa.

?We ride out to shelter house No. 4 at Lake Geode,? said Randy Wright, ride leader for those beginning at Central Park in Mt. Pleasant. ?This is actually the longest stretch of all four routes.?

?But we?ll have a tail wind most of the way so it won?t be too bad,? chimed in Rodney Scheitlin.

The other starting locations were Bickel?s Bikes in Burlington, Franklin City Park and Rodeo Park in Ft. Madison.

Only four bicyclists departed from Mt. Pleasant?s Central Park.

?Today would have been a good day to stay home,? Wright said of the weather. ?But I?m the ride leader so I have to be here. But these hearty souls, they decided to come out.?

Scheitlin said he debated whether or not to come out, but he wanted to show his support for his fellow bicyclist and meet new people.

In the park, before they pedaled away at 11:35 a.m., Chuck Rila and Don LeBlanc joined him and Wright.

?There was no deliberation for me,? said Rila. ?Today was set in stone.?

Rila said he enjoys biking because it ?keeps the blood moving, the heart working and me healthy.?

Sunday was LeBlanc?s first time participating in the Bike Fleche. ?I signed up for RAGBRAI and decided I should probably start training,? he said with a smile.