What Riders Are Saying

"Keep up the great work. This is a wonderful event and it was a blessing to see so many families out riding, even in the rain! I got to enjoy a wonderful morning of bicycling with my teenage daughter. As she gets older, I know I will cherish rides like this where we are able to catch up and talk in a more relaxed capacity."

Jeff Stahl

"The free and open roads were great-- the family pricing made it affordable too to enter the event. We also liked the long window of hours to ride, especially since we had church commitments and young children who aren't generally rarin' to go in the a.m. hours!! The volunteers and safety folks were fabulous along the way-- friendly and effective!"

Jo and John Broden Family

"Overall a fantastic ride, my daughter loved every minute of it and we all had a wonderful day.  Everyone involved was pleasant and gracious, even amongst the riders themselves."

Michael Denman

"Great community building event Lots of people out on the paths."

Kathleen Neal

"Having the traffic stop for me!  It was so relaxing to be able to ride without having to dodge traffic.  I also liked having all differnt types of riders from novice to expert riding together."

Monique Deguara

"BTB was my first ride over 15 miles and there was a sense of accomplishment in riding the whole 25 miles (according to my bike computer that's all there was) and not feeling like I was about to collapse."

Ken Chambers

"It was great to ride together at a leisure pace.  We were able to see a parts of South Bend that we have not seen before."

Mike Atkins

"Good clean fun for friends, friends of friends and young and old alike to share together."

Kris DeSomer

"Nine of us from 5 different cities came together for the ride.  Now that I think of it, I haven't ridden bikes with my brother and sister in about 43 years!  I guess it was time.  And I hope we can do it again next year!"

Sue Schneider

"We made a lot of great events while getting healthy! What more could you ask for!? Also several people in our group haven't met before so the 30 miles gave enough time for the awkwardness to ware off and for us all to get enough time to know one another."

Shea

"first time I rode 30 miles!"

Martin Kooy

"We really enjoyed the freedom to ride on the streets without worrying about auto traffic. The bike trail along the river was just lovely!"

Heather Moriconi

"How much fun we had riding for the first time with our 5 yr old on a trail-a-long. He peddled his little heart out for 18 miles and loved every minute of it."

Sandy Marling

"We had not yet taken a ride on the new Riverwalk in Mishawaka - really beautiful."

Joy Sholty

Anonymous Comments received on bikethebend.com

"I rode with my friend who is just starting out with biking and she made it 10 miles! She was so happy and proud of herself and it was really great to see someone so excited about a physical accomplishment like that."

"I'm a new bicyclist and my son a pretty good rider. During the ride I fell back a little bit from my group and my son stayed with me. He didn't want to leave me behind. That was very sweet of him."

"The ease of going from Mishawaka to South Bend without having to worry about cars. I rode by myself, but I'm proud I almost did the whole thing."

"Riding in diverse environments -- county roads, along the river, through universities, into downtowns -- was great. The chance to go through the tunnel at Notre Dame Stadium was great."

"The friendliness of the people - police officers, volunteers, and riders. Everyone was happy, smiling, and saying, "Hello"!"

"The route this year was even better than last year's route. Adding Northshore Triangle neighborhood, Notre Dame Avenue, Edgewater in Mishawaka, and Monkey Island were all plusses."

"As we began riding, my 3 year old son looked at his dad and I and had the biggest smile ever, realizing that we were actually going to ride along side of him. At his age, that doesn't get to happen as we live in the city and are constantly watching for cars and having to walk or run along side of him."

"Our 2 year old summed it up best when she said, "I love Bike the Bend"."

"Had a great time without having to worry about traffic and dangerous drivers. Great time of day before it got hot out."

"My friend & I trained for five or six weeks to prepare; in doing so we have each lost weight, gained muscle tone and increased stamina. No surprise here, but THANKS to Bike the Bend we are on our way to getting fit! Governor Mitch should be very pleased indeed! Liked that we could ride side by side and that traffic was restricted."

"I thought Bike the Bend was a great way for the community to raise heath and fitness awareness, meeting so many nice people, I am now aware of all of the nice places there are around the community for people to bike."

"The beauty of the entire event. This was the best event in SB for Years and it did not come from the people who are paid to do this type of thing. It came from people with vision to see the best things about the community.."

"My wife's first ride of any distance let alone 30 miles! Very pround of her...and she did not walk her bike up any hills either!! Especially that one by the old hospital (Lafayette Blvd?)!! She loved it and we will be back next year."

"Got us out of the house to ride as a family, which we don't do enough of. Nice shirts, bags. Good job with the weather, too."

"It was the farthest my son had riden his bike. It only went the distance because he new the goal was the PARTY at the end of the map trail KAMM ISLAND: Wonderful. Nice band and kids activities and entertainment."

"It was my first organized bike ride and since it was successful for me the memories will remain with me forever! If it was unsuccessful for any reason (for me) I am sure I'd never try again. Because this one was so good I'm already seeking out another one!"

"I loved that it was well organized, well-marked, friendly volunteers and riders, beautiful town, and that it was a non-competitive ride so even though I'm not a "good" rider I was still able to participate and was made to feel very welcome!"

"A great, active morning with an opportunity to see the city from a new perspective."

"It was wonderful to share this 1st ride with so many people. Am looking forward to next years. The police and volunteers made it smooth and safe!"

"4 adults that haven't ridden long distance in many years. We're all sore and can't wait to do it again!"

"We loved the historic neighborhoods and people waving to us!"