[CR]Lou, Florida & the Horrible 100

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2007)

From: "Mark Poore" <rauler47@hotmail.com>
To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 00:02:27 -0500
Subject: [CR]Lou, Florida & the Horrible 100

Wanted to pass on some interesting and pleasurable highlights of my recent trip to Florida primarily to visit the folks.

Lou Deeter offered a brew and viewing of his bike collection at his beautiful home in southwest Orlando. Being one that likes to ride as much as I can I asked him for a tour of the neighborhood first. We had quick spin around a beautiful and quite ‘hood. He was on a new acquisition’s maiden ride. After the ride and change of clothes it was on for a brew and a viewing of his collection. It is times like this I kick myself for not bringing the camera. Lets see, there was a Masi, Cinelli, and a couple of Columbines one road bike and one mountain bike, and several others fine machines.

Lou and I had talked about doing the Horrible Hundred, a century in the hilly part of Florida-don’t laugh now-there are some pretty steep climbs in those parts, hosted by the Florida Freewheelers. I met Lou and two of his friends around 7:00am the next day and we were off and riding by 7:30. We got off to such an early start the first say hadn’t even opened yet. After about 32 miles I parted company with Lou and his friends as they were doing the 36-mile ride and I was going for bust and doing the whole 102 miles. The next 13 miles were ridden alone to the second sag stop. Now I have to tell you that after many organized rides with sag supports this Century was the best ever. All the sags had themes and this stops theme was Turn of the Century, which featured turn of the century bikes. There were two high wheelers and yes some chaps having a grand ol’ time were riding them around. There was a young girl of 6 years old on what I guess would be a high wheeler relative to her size. Come to find out her mother built this for her from old bike and wheelchair parts and she custom made the front rim and then laced it to a hub. The bike was beautiful. The standout here though was a 1892 bike made in Chicago called an Old Hickory. The bike was of course made from hickory including the forks and stays. What made this bike stand out, and I wish you could have seen it, was the lugs that joined the hickory even the fork and stay dropouts, ever who made the lugs must have been one of the forefathers of Hetchins. The lugs were some of the fanciest I have ever seen. I will try to find out more on this bike and get some photos and make them available for those interested.

After about 10 or 15 minutes the first fast pack came to the sag. They spent a short bit of time refueling and then off to the races again. I decided to set out with this group. The pace was brisk and a fairly good exchange of riders at the front, but something was missing, conversation and enjoying the scenery so I dropped off after 8 miles. Another large group of riders came by and I was tempted to join them, but opted to wait for friendlier chaps to come along, patience is a virtue. My patience was rewarded and here comes the good vintage part. Two riders come along and say hello so I picked up the pace to ride with them. One was on a Klein and the other on a ’80 Woodrup. The gentleman on the Woodrup was English. After complementing him on his bike he told me he had grown up with Steve Woodrup and he took over his dad’s business when Morris passed away. The bike was of course a custom frame and fork. The crown had something very special that I haven’t seen before, it had the owners name engraved in the top of the crown much the way you would see a frame builder logo or name. David said Mr. Woodrup sent the crown off to the engravers before the brazing was done. The bike had been well ridden, but was in fairly good shape for the miles it had seen. This was one highlights of this ride seeing this bike because other than Lou’s and my bike this was one of the very few steel lugged bikes on the century and what a gem it was.

Oh yes, the next sag, GATORITAVILLE! With Jimmy Buffet music and a beach atmosphere going on here what to you think they were serving but Gatorade slushies. The last sag was the Oasis with the ladies dressed in what else but silk, they had the whole thing going on here.

All in all a great trip with lots of good riding and some even better company.

Although most of the bikes in the century were the kinds that Richard said when you take the paint off they all look the same, they were a few standouts in this boring lot of cycles. It reminds me of what one of those two brothers Click and Clack said of new cars, “They all look like jelly beans, just different colors.”

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday,

Power to the pedal,

Mark, where’s the snow, Poore