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Women bicyclists have stopover in Columbus during trip tracing Underground Railroad route


By Vicky Newman
Dispatch Staff
Monday, May 19, 2008 11:27 AM CDT



At 70, Elaine Miller has powered her way across thousands of miles of terrain, and up and over thousands of hills, but “over the hill” certainly doesn’t apply to this woman.

The athletic and adventurous Rochester, N.Y., resident has been cycling cross-country for years, in the United States and Europe. Weeks of biking 65-100-mile days, seeing the countryside, are almost routine to the former college Spanish instructor.

“I started riding in a multiple sclerosis benefit 25 years ago, and I love the physical accomplishment,” Miller says. “I grew up in an era when girls were not encouraged to bike.”

En route to Niagra

Miller was one of more than two dozen women cyclists from various locations around this country, plus Canada and Austrailia, who rolled into Columbus Thursday, en route to Niagra Falls, Canada.


Averaging more than 60 years in age, the women began their 38-day, 2,000-mile trip in Mobile, Ala., May 9. They continued their journey Saturday, after spending a day in Columbus.

Their route follows the Underground Railroad route taken by many slaves in the 1800s.

The challenges the women face may pale beside those faced by slaves years ago, but they exist, nonetheless. And, as it was with the slaves, the trip brings a form of freedom to those who embark on the journey. Riders brave rains, winds and storms. Sometimes they are chased by dogs. While their route attempts to avoid heavy traffic, they face their share of road hazards. It’s all part of the experience. They find safety and support in numbers.

Survivors

Some of the riders are cancer survivors or have faced traumatic illness. Some ride for a cause. Anne Cowan of Bristol, Tenn., is on her second adventure bike tour to raise funds for a hospice foundation. Last year, she raised $51,000. “I got the idea I should do it again,” she says.



Trips are planned in advance, and rooms are booked in towns every 70 miles or so. Laurie Collins, from Charlottesville, Va., is the guide in charge of logistics for this trip. Each day, the cyclists pull out at daylight, and ride until they arrive at that night’s destination.

“Weather is the biggest challenge,” Collins says. “There is a tremendous bonding when you go through rain, headwinds, hail and flat tires. We don’t stop for anything. Once we start, we’re like lemmings going to the sea.”

The women must arrive at their scheduled nightly destinations, regardless of what comes, Collins says. Once, in St. Francisville, La., they faced a major obstacle and setback when they found a bridge washed away because of flooding.

“The crosspieces were still there, but there was a big open gap,” Collins says. “The women crossed the stream anyway, on those narrow crosspieces.”

If weather is bad, health issues arise, or women choose to forego cycling for any reason, they may ride with the SAG (support and gear) vehicle which accompanies the group. The vehicle carries tools, medicines, energy drinks and water and some food, and often serves as the women’s lifeline where convenience stores are not available.

In charge of chow

Patty Jackson of Moab, Utah, is the chef for the trip. Carrying chow supplies in a camper-covered pickup truck, Jackson cooks camp-style in a parking lot for the entourage each night. She bakes in a Dutch oven.

Every five to six days, the tour guides have scheduled a free day. The women spend their time washing clothing, having their bikes repaired, or visiting local attractions.

Some hoped to visit some historic antebellum homes while in Columbus.

Small towns



Sondra Hartt of Monroe, La., explains, “It’s fun to see the small towns of America — see neat places and meet great people. They become like our family, and we keep coming back because it is fun to share and it’s exciting. And, when you finish that last day, it is so phenomenal.”

The bicycle tour is arranged by WomanTours Inc., the only all-women bicycle touring company in the country. For more information, visit the Web site at www.womantours.com.


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