CityView Magazine

the recreational neighborhood cyclist, the road biker, the mountain biker and the cyclo-cross biker, which is a fairly new form of competitive cycling that resembles a steeplechase on a bicycle. Hawley believes most of her customers are road bicyclists, those daring riders who defy aggressive driving motorists who do not realize bicycles have the same rights on North Carolina roads. Locally, many are members of the Cross Creek Cycling Club. Cross Creek Cycling Club It's a week earlier on a warm and already muggy Saturday morning where Mike Thomas, president of the Cross Creek Cycling Club, marshaled volunteers and fellow cyclists at Mendoza Park in Spring Lake. The occasion was one of the club's many fund-raising efforts. That morning's second annual Ride To Honor was organized to raise money for the Army's Army, a nonprofit organization that supports military families. A day earlier, Thomas and a friend used five cans of neon orange spray paint to mark both the 30- and 61mile routes in the Anderson Creek community, providing turn-by-turn markings to ensure no one would get lost on their individual treks. Steven Walker from Hawley's had set up his safety inspection station, offering free safety checks of the bikes and making sure tires were properly inflated and bikes were generally in good shape for the upcoming 8 a.m. ride. Mike's Story Thompson is a former U.S. Army paratrooper, serious rugby player and avid basketball player. They all took a toll on his back, knees and ankles. "I had two Achilles tendonitis surgeries in 1998 and 1999. That is basically when I turned to cycling as my main form of aerobic exercise," he said. After coming back to Fort Bragg in 2003, Thompson hooked up with a group of area cyclists who were forming what has become the Cross Creek Cycling Club, C4, taking its name from the region rather than a single city or county. Thompson, a charter member, became the group's first vice president and today is serving his second term as president. The club's mission is to "...encourage all people to participate in bicycling without regard to age or expertise..." Among the riders that morning was Heather Barbaro, who 1½ years ago decided on a whim to show up for one of the club's Wednesday evening rides. "We rode 28 miles as a group. I was hooked from that day forward!" she exclaimed. She encouraged her husband Rich to join her in her newfound passion. Before bicycling became a part of her life, Barbaro was what she called an occasional runner, doing 5K runs here and there. When tragedy struck the Barbaro family, cycling took a more therapeutic turn. "Our 10-year-old daughter Emerson died in a sledding accident last December. We did not ride for two months after that and when I got back on the bike, it was such a wonderful feeling. The people in this club have been so supportive of us and I don't think they realize how important they have been during this difficult time," she affirmed. "Cycling is good for the soul." Today, Barbaro rides three to four times a week logging between 100 to 120 miles. "I don't really have a favorite route, but do most of my riding in the Wade and Eastover areas," she shared. To that end, the club offers several "developmental" programs for both men and women who are neophytes to the sport of bicycling or hanker to become competitive racers. C4 member Sarah Kraxberger heads the women's developmental program. "So far we have a ladies' only ride that is held on Monday evenings. Most of the women who come out are very new to cycling and group riding, so we work on the basics." Kraxberger said currently only a few other female club members compete in the more aggressive races, but she hopes to eventually have a women's racing team. Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home Family Owned and Operated Since 1933 910.483.1331 | 545 Ramsey Street | Fayetteville, NC 28301 | www.JerniganWarren.com 44 | July/August • 2013

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