Biking with a View
Story by Melanie Jones
Every spring, several hundred cyclists wearing colorful gear gather behind the starting line on Mount Vernon’s town square for Duke’s Tour de Cypress. Sponsored by the gas station and convenience store chain, the event is a favorite among cyclists. “It’s a very jovial, friendly, fun atmosphere before the ride starts, with lots of teasing and ribbing going on,” says longtime participant Mike Keel.
He dispels the notion that biking events are like running events, with everyone pushing toward the front of the line, ready to take off in a race for the finish. “Bike rides are more of a leisurely experience for at least half the crowd, if not more,” Mike says. “You will have some folks at the front of the group who will take off like they’re in a hurry to get back. But after they spread out, the majority of them are just enjoying the ride and enjoying the scenery.”
Though not a competition, the Tour de Cypress isn’t something to breeze through. Even the family-friendly version of the Rotary Club fundraiser is a 10-mile ride. There are four other routes—30, 40 and 50 miles and 100K, with the 100K route on the list of events that build up to the Hotter’n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls.
Mike has been part of the tour since 2005, and he’s ready for his 20th year. The beautiful route, Mount Vernon’s hospitality and the friendliness of the volunteers keep him coming back.
Then there’s the food. When Mike first met organizers Diana Duckworth and Pat Wright, they asked why he liked to ride. “I said I ride to eat,” he recalls. “They kind of chuckled and said, ‘Well, as little as you are, doesn’t look like you eat much.’ I said, ‘Show up at mealtime and watch me.’”
That’s why Mike appreciates a recent change to the Tour de Cypress registration packets. Instead of trying to have a picnic or cookout on the town square, participants now receive a voucher good at local restaurants. That’s a win for participants and local businesses, Mike says. At 70, Mike no longer does longdistance rides. “There was a time when I loved doing 100-mile rides. I’ve ridden across Texas three times from the Gulf of Mexico to the Red River,” he says, explaining that he and his friends once cycled 700 miles in seven days. “But these days I’ve tapered down, and most of the time I’ll ride around the 40-mile distance.” He’s still in tip-top shape for that ride. He rides an average of five days a week, and last year he pedaled just under 6,000 miles.
Mike rides in about 12 organized races a year and used to organize bike rides and events. He’s given Diana and Pat some pointers over the years, like suggesting the food vouchers, but the women have plenty of experience of their own. They’ve organized the Tour de Cypress since it began 21 years ago.
Pat was the first director of the event, which started as an effort to add a Mount Vernon Rotary Club fundraiser, and Diana was on the original committee. But Pat gave Diana a call in 2007 to say, “I’m going to Japan. You’re handling,” Diana says. The two have been co-chairs ever since.
There were many avid cyclists in Rotary when they started the Tour de Cypress in 2004, but with as many as 300 participants the event now extends well outside the club. The money raised from entry fees and sponsors goes to several projects Rotary supports, including Mount Vernon’s sports complex, first responders, a backpack program providing food for kids, a summer food assistance program called Lunches of Love, a leadership camp for six kids each year and dictionaries for third graders. One bit of confusion that has occurred over the years is that people think the ride is in the town of Cypress. Instead, it’s named for the route that goes through Cypress Springs, Pat says.
The benefit of being in Mount Vernon is that it is only two hours from Dallas. Terry Stroud rides in 12 to 15 events a year, and he’s offered some tips to the co-chairs. He says while the ride is great, he thinks it could attract even more riders with just a bit more publicity, possibly even doubling in size. “There’s no reason they shouldn’t get between 750 and 1,000 riders, because cyclists like to ride. Everybody who does the ride likes it,” Terry says. “They say the scenery is very beautiful. It’s an easy ride. There’s not a lot of hills.” Growing the ride would be good for Mount Vernon and the Rotary Club, he says. “Most cyclists are fairly affluent adults. They have money to spend,” he says. “We’re not cheap, and cycling is a rather expensive sport.”
Registration is open for the 2025 Tour de Cypress, slated for April 19, at tourdecypress.com. The website also has information about the different levels of sponsorship, including sponsoring a rest stop. Ride day registration begins at 7 a.m., and the ride starts at 9 a.m. from South Houston Street, at the Smokey Row Sign.