Valley Grocery here was an international hub for a few hours on a recent Sunday afternoon.

    Some locals were quietly visiting when a few bicyclists — garbed in Spandex shorts and aerodynamic jerseys — slipped in for a beverage and snack.

    They left. Then a few more trickled into the store for some purchases,

    After a while they hit the road.

    A few minutes later a larger contingent of cyclists arrived and the larger group lingered.

    The bigger group was more energetic and outgoing, calling attention to their presence in this tiny community along U. S. 50.

    The cyclists are this year’s participants in the Cross Country Challenge Series, a 3,850-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Portsmouth, N. H. This particular transcontintental bicycle tour is put on by America by Bicycle, Inc.

    The riders — the ones going the full distance —  started out on May 31 and should be in Portsmouth by July 22. However each year some riders may participate in only a portion of the ride. This year, 31 had booked for the entire ride.

    On Sunday, the cyclists were involved in the Tour De Plains leg of the lengthy bike ride. In eight days they will travel from Pueblo to St.. Joseph, Mo.

    The riders will average about 85 miles a day, but the Sunday ride covered 131 miles, from Pueblo to Lamar.

    “This is always a rest stop, and a pleasant one at that,” commented Christine Leininger, an American but now living in Kingston, Ontario, Canada with her husband.

    Leininger was assisting tour guide Michelle Sahli of New York, N. Y.

    This was Michelle’s sixth time to travel along this particular road tour.
    “I was a  rider in 2000 and stopped at this very store,” she noted.

    The two leaders got to ride in the van, but both have participated in previous bicycle tours sponsored by America by Bicycle, Inc.

    This was Christine’/s fourth year on the Challenge Tour. The first time she did it as a rider, but now she is a staff person.

    The riders were taking the almost 100 degree heat in stride, or pedal.

    But they were grateful for the shade and liquid refreshments at the grocery store.

    Leininger said the riders were from all over the world, including Ireland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Trinidad — the country not the community south of Pueblo, as some of the locals initially thought she meant.

    Richard Walsh of Tipperary was the Irishman along for the jaunt this year.

    He explained he was doing it to raise funds for the Abbey School, where he teaches. The money will be used for sending some of the students next year to Providence School in Shillong, India. The Abbey school sends students there every other year to teach the Indians basic English in exchange for learning some of the industrial arts taught at that school.

    Walsh said more details can be found at www.abbeyindia.com.

    Richard’s Jersey depicted the tour route, only his route ended at Providence, R.I., in honor of the Providence School in India.

    The energy level raised a bunch when John Douglas arrived and parked his bike for a quick break.

    Douglas is from Seattle, Wash., but has a vacation home as well in Colorado Springs. Though in the past two years he has only spent a few months there. He has been too busy touring the world by bicycle. Countries John has visited by bicycle include  Austria, France, New Zealand, as well as the Banff to Jasper mountain ride in North America.

    He told some onlookers he was “breathing down on 70,” then acknowledged he was 69.

    “Six years ago I did not ride a bicycle either. I was convinced it would be just a Barcalounger and a can of beer.

    “Somebody asked me ‘why do you do this?’

    “There is probably no better way to see the country, and to meet great people.”

    John is a high tech rider. His ground-level thermometer told him the temperature so far on the trip had been 99 degrees, with a peak of 101 degrees.

    Though it was 15 or so miles back down the road, John was still singing a hymn of praise for the Dairy Queen in Las Animas.

    ‘The Dairy Queen was a life changing experience. A peanut butter shake had a great impact on my life.”

    Why was he so enthused about a shake?

    John explained that cyclists burn up a lot more colors on a long ride.

    He punched in some number on a device.

    “I have burned up 6,837 calories since this morning,” he revealed.

    Hmmm. He still had 17 more miles to go.

    So that shake was not only a cool refreshment, but it stoked his body’s  power plant.

    John talked more about Dairy Queen.

    “If I was a camper, I would put camp there. Not forever, but three, four years.”

    Michelle noted that the tour group comes through Hasty at the same time of year every year. And Valley Grocery becomes an international rest stop.

    Another rider, Greg Marx of Dayton, Ohio, said he was taking the Challenge tour “in trilogy style.”

    Greg said the first year he rode the leg from Richmond, Ind. To Portsmouth, N. H. Last year he did San Francisco to Pueblo. This year he will complete the trip by pedaling from Pueblo to Richmond.

    There were too many interesting characters to get to know all at once.

    A brochure passed out by Michelle and Christine publicized more than a dozen tours offered by the company this year. A customer can ride an entire route, or just go along for a segment. This creates more than two dozen possibilities for riding along with a gang.

    And while bicycle touring may not be the sport of kings, it can the sport of the upper middle class at least.

    The cost of the entire Cross Country Challenge this year was just under $10,000 for single occupancy. The price includes lodging, breakfast and dinner, mechanical support, support vehicles and guides.

    Most of the prices for a single rider were in the $1,600 to $2,500 range for smaller segments of the longer rides.