ANAMOOSE - A 408-member "chain gang" can be found along 426 miles of North Dakota roadway this week. The hard workers are getting plenty of looks from passers-by on the highway and sometimes some assistance.
The "chain gang" are all participants in this year's CANDISC bicycle tour.
CANDISC, short for Cycling Around North Dakota in Sakakawea Country, got under way Sunday at Fort Stevenson State Park. The mid-way point of the ride takes the bikers to another historic location, Fort Totten. Participants will set up camp there tonight before making the swing back to the west for next Saturday's finish at Fort Stevenson.
What is being billed as the "Far East Tour" is actually a repeat of a CANDISC route first taken in 2003.
"It is a really popular route and a lot of people were interested in going back and seeing Devils Lake again and all the good stuff that goes with it," said Hilary Berning, CANDISC director. "We're off to a really good start. The weather has been cooperating. We've had a little rain but, other than that, things have been going really well."
CANDISC riders usually aren't too difficult to spot. Many of them are clad in bright, colorful and reflective bicycle attire. Along the route special "sag wagons" keep watch for those riders who might have encountered mechanical or physical difficulties. Also, a parade of well decorated Porta-Potties are towed by vehicle along the route each day, leapfrogging from one location to another in an effort to keep in front of the riders.
Help from communities along the CANDISC route is essential to hosting a successful tour. The riders spent Monday night in Drake where they were served an evening meal of ham and grilled steaks. The school was opened to accommodate those who were camping.
"It went very, very well in Drake. We had lots of cooperation from people in the community and that's a positive," said Berning.
The ages of this year's CANDISC riders range from 5 to 76. According to Berning, 29 states, four Canadian provinces and four foreign countries are represented. Among the out-of-staters taking the tour is a group of bike riders from Wisconsin who acknowledged they felt a little bit out of place on the North Dakota prairie.
"We're intrigued by the wide-open spaces. We're used to forested land," remarked Terry Howard whose home in located near Green Bay, Wis. "The fickleness of the wind has been kind of interesting, but we're having a good time. The people are very friendly and the ride is very well organized."
Fellow riders Bob Hillestad and Tom Phillips, both from Appleton, Wis., also remarked about the wind but were thankful for a strong tailwind during Monday's ride from Drake to Minnewaukan, a distance of 69 miles.
"We heard about this one and it sounded kind of intriguing," said Hillestad, "We came out here with a group of six guys. We usually do some kind of ride in the summer."
Phillips, a 63-year-old retired history teacher and acting mechanic for the group, said it was the historical aspect of CANDISC that grabbed his attention.
"I thought it was sort of an interesting combination. They work some history into it with the tours of the forts in with the bike trip. I'd never been in North Dakota before in my life. It's only two states removed, but it's a lot different than Wisconsin," noted Phillips. "One more thing I've never seen wind like this in my life. It never stops!"
The comment drew a chuckle from his fellow riders who wondered out loud which direction the wind would be blowing on their return trip to Fort Stevenson. When told the wind was expected to subside for a few days, Phillips replied, "We're in pretty good shape. We don't want to get there too early and having nothing to do."
