Two hundred twenty-five bicyclists participated in Northland Pioneer College (NPC) Friends and Family Pedal the Petrified (PTP) at the Petrified Forest National Park on Sept. 15, helping to raise more than $30,000 in scholarships for local students.
Betsyann Wilson, executive director for NPC Friends and Family shared later, “PTP 2018 is in the books! I think it was our best one yet, and I want to recognize and thank everyone who made it happen. Final numbers won’t be in for another week or so, but at this time, we have netted over $30,000 for scholarships. And while that is a great figure, it does not reflect the number of friends we have made through this event who now give regularly to NPC Friends and Family to support our amazing students.”
Described by the participants as “fun”, “exciting”, “trip of a lifetime”, PTP is taking on a life of its own, creating moments and memories that go beyond the ride itself. Slated as a metric century ride which is 100 kilometer, or 62.137 miles, there is no competition, no winners or losers, just 225 riders biking through the Park.
The lack of competition does not negate the number of cyclists who train and prepare for the ride. While much of the ride is spent pedaling through the inclines and downgrades of the high desert landscape, reaching Pintado Point, the Park’s highest point at 5,800 feet, from a long uphill climb on either side, creates the greatest challenge.
“The older riders are actually some the strongest riders,” said Wilson, “The median age of our riders is in the mid-to-late 50s. Our oldest rider this year was 80, and our youngest was 14, but a lot of retired people are very avid and well-conditioned cyclists.”
However, with no requirements to complete any portion of the ride, folks new to cycling have a chance to challenge themselves, enjoy the beauty of the Park and make new friends.
Bill Waters, a volunteer from Flagstaff, who has ridden in the event several times and was president of a cycle club that had 12,000 members, said, “The percentage of riders that do this event are older because we can go at our own speed and stop, look and enjoy the area.”
With more than 60 volunteers, most from NPC helping with everything from preliminary set up to manning stations, guiding traffic and giving folks a lift back to the start, according to Wilson, “the event was beautifully done.”
An added bonus this year came when John Wisner, public safety education director for NPC, volunteered his entire class of cadets from Northeastern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy to help. Wilson said she had a challenging parking plan to carry out in order to be good partners with the Park. “I showed it to John and he said that he and his cadets could handle it, and by golly they did. The parking went extremely well.”
Waters said, “This is a unique ride for a one day non-competitive ride. The college provides an experience that is top notch, easily comparing with some of the top rides in the country. Waters and Wilson both gave their appreciation to the partnership of the Park Service “for letting us do this and helping to make sure it is a safe event.”
First time rider, Denise Steffen from Tucson, said this was the first time she had ever been to the Petrified Forest. “I was riding alone as a way to help benefit the college and the students; the experience was humbling. Riding through park made me feel small compared to the vastness that surrounded me.”
Others, like Bob Badger and Diane LeFevre, friends from St. Johns, do the ride for the camaraderie. “It’s not a race, it’s a ride that gives you a happy, excited feeling in this place where there is little to no traffic,” shared LeFevre.
For Badger, who rides a recumbent bike due to back issues, it was the quietness and just being at the Park riding his bike.
Wilson said donations were still coming in, which has never happened before. But perhaps the greatest part of the ride is the ongoing relationships built by everyone from volunteers to riders. “It was a huge success and I can’t thank everyone enough who helped. It really does take a village and we all came through.”
