OBLIGATORY "TOUGH COURSE" WARNING!
Now
you know!!!
Ø
From rest stop #3 to #4 (on the 110mile route) is 17.5 miles.
Be sure to stop at
Hart
Baptist
Church – (RS #3) and stock up
for the long stretch between these two rest stops.
Ø
The
Optional and Incredible Hill loop will have SAG support on
the way out of Joplin – if you plan on taking the hill loop
– do it on your way out, not your way back.
Ø
Hwy 25 is a
5mile stretch that has plenty of traffic with no shoulder.
Caution is to be observed, please get in a single file and
move through this 5mile stretch as quickly as possible! Be
careful!!!
Ø
North on Hwy
10 there is a 1½mile stretch with no shoulder –use caution in these
areas.
Ø
Lunch will be
served on the 77mile route at Bradshaw’s Grocery – watch for the
sign!
Ø
If you ride
the 110mile route – be sure to follow the route into
Arkansas
after your lunch. – Also note that if you aren’t ready for lunch you
can catch it on the way back from the
Arkansas
border – it’s a short turn around after the Southwest City
rest stop.
Ø
Be prepared physically and mechanically.
All bodies and bikes need to be in good condition for this type of
course. We will have limited mechanical support (above and
beyond tire repair) – be sure your bikes are ready.
The Tornado Alley 110 Bike Tour is a scenic and hilly route touching
four states - Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Most of your time
will be spent in Missouri
and Oklahoma
with brief visits to
Arkansas
and Kansas.
Most riding will be done on hilly 2 lane roads with low traffic
counts, a portion will be done on fast 2 lane state highways.
Be safe, be careful, and wear your helmet and alert riders around
you of your intentions. Ride right; we are sharing the road with
auto traffic. In areas with little or no shoulder – please ride
single file obey all traffic laws and observe all warning signs.
We will ride rain or shine... the only factor that could cut the
ride short is - an actual Tornado Warning issued by the National
Weather Service for the counties affecting our route. In the event
of such a warning, the Tornado Alley 110 Bike Tour committee will
cancel the remainder of the ride. At such time, the decision to stop
or continue without official support is yours.
We hope for everyone a very fun and safe day. We have taken every
precaution possible to ensure your safety. Be careful out there, be
safe, use our rest stops, and get what you need. We sure appreciate
you all coming out to play with us today! Hope you have a great time
here in the beautiful, hot, humid and hilly Ozarks.
Tornado Alley 110 Team
!!! Route
Safety Update !!!
Well a portion of the committee
ventured out and rode the route.We expected heat hills and
humidity but add a good wind and wow it made for a day of
fun. I do want to share that we were less then happy to
discover that "rumble strips" had been installed on the
shoulder of Highyway 10 and Highway
60. This is about 15 miles of our route on fast
highway. This is new, in the past riders could ride on the
shoulder just avoiding some debris. We rode it adhering to
the right edge of the road
and did ok. We feel that it would have been much better with
signage, sags and more riders. Obviously we have no control
over this but we do want you to be aware. Our mindset has
always been to be upfront about our route, not only do we
contend with the heat, hills and humidity but our route is a
mixture of low traffic hilly 2 lane roads and some 2 lane
fast highways but now a section that did have rideable
shoulders does not. If you desire to not participate
we certainly understand, however we also want you to be
aware that we are taking the following steps to make it as
safe as possible.
a.) We are hiring more off duty law
enforcement to help caution and slow traffic.
b.) We have recruited fire
departments in those areas to help caution and slow traffic.
c.) We are increasing our signage
and sag support.
d.) We are increasing our safety
commercials that are currently running
e.) We
are asking that you all ride single file in those areas and
do your best to stay right.
Thanks, TA110 committee
