History of the Parkland Cyclists

During the summer of 2000 two Parkland area residents, Virginia Blaine and Diana Dussold, completed an adventurous bicycle ride in Wisconsin.  The ride is named “The Great Annual Bicycle Adventure along the Wisconsin River (GRABAWR)”.  It is a 500 mile ride completed over a seven day period and in 2000 there were 1100 cyclists participating.  After completing the GRABAWR and returning back to the Parkland, Virginia Blaine and Diana Dussold had a plan to promote bicycling in their home area.   Several newspaper articles were published about their trip and their hopes and plans for a local bicycle club.  A date was set and an organizational meeting was announced throughout the Parkland.  There was some local interest and by the next spring thirteen local cyclists began meeting together regularly and the Parkland Cyclist Cycling Club was born.   Those thirteen people were:  Diana Dussold, Virginia Blaine, Tom Chitwood, Connie Clark, Allyson Hensley, Donna Horn, Andrew Payne, Helen Rowe, Don Rowe, Bud Willis, Barb Richardson, Ernie Richardson and Stanley Overall.  Without these thirteen charter members the Parkland Cyclists as we know it today would not exist.