The Dehydrator’s roots actually lie an earlier ride:

 

In 1985 the Duncan Bicycle Club held the inaugural event of a bike ride they wanted to happen annually on the last Saturday of May. The ride coincided near the start of the wheat harvest, so it was aptly named the “Spring Harvest Classic”, and offered fun ride distances of 10, 25, 50, 62, and 100 miles. Timing of the event, calendar-wise, meant competing with several other rides throughout the area and state, so the ride always struggled, never achieving much more than 100 riders. After 4 years of this, something needed to change.

 

The bike club called a huddle, and came to the conclusion that the ride should be moved to the last of July when there would be fewer competing rides. Now, no longer associated to the wheat harvest, a new name was needed. So what kind of name could be associated to ‘heat’, ‘sweating’, 'sunshine’, ‘exhaustion’, ‘endurance’, ‘heat’, ‘heat’ and ‘more heat’, and all the other adjectives associated to a deep-summer July day? Ah! ………”The Dehydrator” was suggested, and it just seemed to fit!

 

So the 'Spring Harvest Classic' was no more and 'The Dehydrator' was born in 1990. And what happened on that first Dehydrator day?? It poured buckets of rain of course!! Records show 241 entrants for that inaugural event; a HUGE improvement over the years past.

 

1991 would see the addition of a non-sanctioned (citizen’s) race. Now the field would be split with the fun riders heading one way, and the racers heading towards one of the local lakes to race multiple laps around a VERY demanding 16 mile loop.

 

Over the years, the event was growing, and at the same time the membership of the Duncan Bicycle Club was dwindling to the point of not being able to support the event, so they turned to the downtown Main Street Association to host it. The MSA hosted it for several years, and then in turn looked for another group with the necessary man-power to run it. That is when Duncan Band Boosters Organization stepped up to the plate. The boosters organization has run it ever since, using it as the main fundraiser to support the Duncan Schools band programs as well as the local Duncan Toy Shop at Christmas. Although the boosters are a fairly large group, other civic-minded organizations (like the Kiwanis and Boy Scouts) are glad to help put on the event.

 

Although the race had been well-respected, and one of only a few of its kind in the state, the number of participants had never reached the levels to justify the huge amount of resources to put it on, and peaked around 2010. With that being the case, another huddle was called, and it was sadly decided to disband the race effort and concentrate solely on a fun-ride in 2013. This was met with GREAT success as an additional route of 80 miles was added to the other offerings of 10, 25, 50, and 62. The longer distance proved to be VERY popular, especially for those training to complete a century ride.

 

So, since 1990, The Dehydrator has continued to grow and is now one of the top-rated rides in Oklahoma and is endorsed by the Governors Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

 

The Dehydrator is known for the quality it brings to organized bike rides. We stage the ride from a truly WONDERFUL events center, our food is FABULOUS, our volunteers are FRIENDLY, and our routes are GREAT! It all sums up to a ride you won’t want to miss!!

 

COME JOIN US!