Indiana group bikes through Highland

Members of the deCycles bicycle group work their way out of Monterey on the way from Marlington, W.Va. to Franklin, W.Va. The interfaith group of young adults from Bloomington, Ind., stopped for a lunch break in town on Friday. MONTEREY — Folks living on or traveling Rt. 220 last Friday wondered whether the Mountain Mama Bike Challenge was happening earlier than they thought this year as a long line of uniformed bicyclists passed their way.

It wasn't, Mountain Mama is still Aug. 1. The bikers, called the deCycles, were just passing through Highland on the seventh day of a 16-day, 1,600 mile, six state, round trip from Bloomington, Ind.

In Monterey they stopped for lunch provided by their support vehicle and rested on Susan Swecker's lawn while using the facilities at Gutshall's Exxon across the street.

As their name alludes, the group is an interfaith youth group made up of 60 bikers ages 13-24 accompanied by 22 adult volunteers and the SAG truck.

"This is our easiest day," said ride leader Norm Houze. Thursday night the group stayed in Marlington. Friday they were scheduled to spend the night at the Methodist Church in Franklin, 65 miles away.

Some of the 80 deCycles prepare to return to the blacktop. The group is on a 1,600-mile round trip from Bloomington, Ind., that tours the Appalachian Mountains. "Our biggest day was 137 miles," he added. That was the second day of the trip from Portsmouth, Ohio to Gauley Bridge, W.Va. "That's a 12-hour workout," he said.

The whole ride is a feat in itself, especially since the riders on the whole are not trained cyclists. Houze said many of the riders experience is biking in their neighborhood, in Indiana.

From Franklin the tour goes to Front Royal down the Shenandoah Valley on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville, N.C. through Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio before returning to Bloomington on July, 12. The group stays overnight in prearranged YMCA's, schools, or churches along the route.

The deCycles ride started in 1968 and 1,800 riders have worn the deCycles jersey over that time span. Each year the route is different. Three years ago the bikers went coast to coast. "From Portland to Portland," Houze said.

The large shade tress and soft grass at Susan Swecker's home in Monterey were a welcome resting area for the deCycles bicycling group on a hot Friday afternoon. (Recorder photos by Geoff Cox) Despite the obvious physical stamina gained from the trip Houze said inner strength was the overall goal.

"It's more than just a bike trip," he said. "It's about breaking out as a teenager, journeying under your own power ... They are on a pilgrimage. They meet people of other cultures and experience how other people outreach."

As lunch wrapped up riders took off in packs of six onward in their journey.

"The worst day is the last day when they all split up," said Houze. "They make lifetime relationships, because they are war buddies."

For more information on the deCycles visit their web site at decyclesindiana.org.

Loy Harvey and Dale Hammer watch from Gutshall's Exxon as a group of students takes off. The Exxon served as part of the deCycles' rest stop in Monterey, along with Susan Swecker's house across the street.