The first and only bike club in town takes things seriously

Mon March 12 2007
Posted Mar 12, 2007
7,938

The Henry County Highwheelers is a group started by Garth Ganka and Brian Carter in 1994. The two wanted to start something family oriented for cyclists in Mt. Pleasant. Before the Highwheelers, the closest club to this zip code was Burlington. The Highwheelers consist of members from all over the county. Mark Hamilton, the president, makes his residency in Winfield. Garth and many others live in Mt. Pleasant. Old records of the club (1995) show members from Keokuk, Iowa City, Burlington, Muscatine and Cedar Rapids. A very positive result of joining a bike club, is the fact that one has a much better chance of gaining a spot on RAGBRAI. The last two years, selection has been lottery based for joining in the thousands of riders as they trek across our great state. In part that was due to the fact that Lance Armstrong rode for a few days each year. But before the Tour De France Winner was involved, a solo rider had less of a chance of gaining a spot than one with a group. "We have had members from Arizona, Texas, Washington D.C.," Ganka revealed. "We are always looking for new members." Those out-of-state riders heard about the Highwheelers from friends, family and the grapevine. Over the years, as many as 36 individuals have claimed membership at one time. Some join for extra conditioning, others want companionship while riding, but for the most part, people unite with the common thread of enjoying the ride. "Anybody can join," Ganka explained, "we don't put any stipulations on membership." Members of the group come from all walks of life. Salesmen, doctors and nurses, children, retirees, teachers, and construction workers are some of the various types of people have all claimed membership. You can read the entire story in our March 9 issue.