Bikers say people, sights make BRAN spectacular

Two of the BRAN riders set off Sunday morning on the week long trip across the state.

It’s like one big family reunion, and even newcomers are welcomed warmly to the family.

The Bike Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN) kicked off in Harrison for its 30th annual trip over the weekend. The 675 registered riders made it the largest ride in the tour’s history, and the nearly 800 people – riders, family members and staff – turned the town’s football field and every other patch of green space around the school into a multi-colored village of tents.

Participants began trickling in Friday and by Saturday afternoon the group had more than doubled the population of Harrison as they pitched tents, unloaded bikes and set off to explore the town or to find fellow riders they hadn’t seen in awhile.

This year marks Denise Parker’s and Scott Austin’s fifth BRAN ride and it’s the people that keep the Omahans coming back. Parker called it “heartwarming” to meet the people of Nebraska, and Austin said the ride is “very down-home and folksy.”

Parker and Austin convinced family friends Anders and Holly Rinman to come all the way from Stockholm, Sweden, for the event. It’s the couple’s first time in Nebraska, and Anders was impressed, saying he thought Nebraska was all flat but pleased to discover it’s not. He said the entire atmosphere of BRAN intrigued them, and they were looking forward to the week riding the back roads of Nebraska.

“It’s exciting to propel yourself forward without a motor,” Holly said, explaining that she and Anders commute to work by bike nearly everyday in Sweden.

Gene Galyen and Luann Koch of Meadow Grove are on their fifth and sixth BRAN trips as well. Koch convinced Galyen to give the trip a try and now he’s hooked. He enjoys the slower pace to cross the state.

“We love it out here in western Nebraska,” Koch remarked.

Galyen’s son, Mark, decided to join his father this year for his rookie trip. He rides nearly 5,000 miles a year commuting to work and for recreation. He rode one leg of BRAN last year and decided this year the full tour was in order. Suzie Galyen, Gene’s wife, accompanies him each year, driving their vehicle.

“I shop my way across the state, and if we get near enough to home I can drop stuff off and they never know what I bought,” she laughed.

Brad and Vicki Weingart of Alliance decided to join BRAN for the first time this year. Brad and their daughter, Kylen, who works at Peterson Drug in Chadron, planned to ride, while Vicki drove.

“It goes through Alliance and that’s where we’re from and we thought if we don’t do it this year, we won’t do it,” Brad said.

They tried valiantly to train in the weeks leading up to the event but wind made it difficult, he said. They ended up riding 450 miles.

“We don’t know if that’s going to be enough. We’re just hoping to make it through,” he said.

Ron Kunz returns to his home state of Nebraska every year for the ride. The retired pastor from Stromsburg lives in Lady Lake, Fla., now but has returned home for BRAN each year. This year marked his ninth trip.

“I’m 74 and I’m still going.”

Kunz has been an avid bike rider for most of his life. He puts in 5,400 miles over the winter to prepare for BRAN and spent the last six weeks riding 65 miles a day three days a week with a bike club. It’s fun going downhill, but more of a Challenge going up, he said.

“You’ve got to do it on your own steam.”

This is the second time since he started with BRAN that he’s began the trip in Harrison. BRAN offers lots of camaraderie, he said.

“It gets in your blood. You sometimes say ‘I’ll never do this again’ and you’re back the next year. Nebraska is a wonderful state to bike across.”

Slowing down is the best way to see the state, said Gene Windhorst of Lincoln.

“You can drive through it and see it, but you don’t really see it.”

This year is his 15th. Windhorst has done the trip on a recumbent bike the last five years. The style makes it easier to see and take pictures and is better for his arthritis, he said.

Don and Marilyn Swett are rookies to BRAN this year. The Denver, Colo., couple did a San Diego to Florida bike ride and stayed with people in Louisiana who recommended BRAN.

“Most all of our vacations are bike tours,” Marilyn said. They ride a tandem recumbent bike, and Don said the bike rides are a great way to meet people and see the country in a whole new way.

Barb Erickson of Lincoln makes her ninth trip this year. She did the first six with her daughter but was alone on this tour. After her first BRAN, she said she had to come back, because that first was the worst. She loves being able to see different parts of the state and can’t wait to meet up with friends she sees only on BRAN each year.

“It’s kind of like a family reunion.”

source Chadron Record
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