1996 AFCA TOUR
In April 1996, the Armed Forces Cycling Association rode its second Tour of the Southeast. The ride started in Miami, FL and ended in Ft Eustis, VA... 1100 miles. Ten riders participated, each taking a turn driving one of two support RVs. We averaged a little over 100 miles a day. I was the only member to ride on a mountain bike (with road slicks for easier riding), and definitely the only rider with ham radio equipment. The bicycle-mobile station weighed in at 47 pounds. The other riders were riding sleek, lightweight racing bicycles. Therefore, they were taking bets on when I would start removing the heavy equipment. Due to the extra weight and a seat misalignment, I suffered a knee injury on the second day of the tour. To somewhat recover, I took my turn driving on day three. I returned to the road on the fourth day and rode every other mile that the other riders did. The only time I had trouble keeping up was on the climbs. If the climb was followed by a descent, I sprinted until I caught up (one bridge yielded a 44-mph sprint). If there was no descent, I rode at 30mph in the draft of an RV until I caught up.
Both RVs had signs on them that read, "KE4WMF 146.52 MHz." I programmed my scanner to monitor 146.52MHz while my HT scanned the repeater band, stopping at active frequencies. I didn't carry a repeater book or anything because I didn't want to fidget too much with lists or radio controls while riding. I simply waited until I heard repeater activity, then dropped my callsign and introduced myself and the stated the purpose of the tour. Through this "passive" operating technique, I managed to make 64 radio contacts. Most of the hams out there were quite surprised to learn I was bicycle-mobile and that I was able to hit the repeaters from certain distances. Two of them even set up campground reservations for us (using their own credit cards) and came out to visit for a while. Two of my contacts were on simplex from passing motorists.
We all had a good time. When it was all over with, one of the riders showed an interest in ham radio. He has since received his Technician Class license and is currently pursuing the creation of a bicycle-mobile station. Due to the deployment of my ship, I was unable to ride in any further AFCA Tours of the Southeast. Perhaps one year I will be able to return and set a new personal record for radio contacts made.
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