SALISBURY -- It is officially called the Sea Gull Century, a looping bike ride through the rural flatlands of Wicomico and Worcester counties that aficionados tout as one of the top
100-mile tours in the United States.
But to some cheeky locals, today's arrival of up to 4,000 hard-core two-wheelers intent on pedaling the course signifies something different -- the climax of the annual invasion of the Eastern Shore by "spokeheads."
Cyclists from more than two dozen states, the District of Columbia and Canada are signed up to crowd Salisbury State University's campus for the start of a back-roads tour past golden corn fields, dark woods and the pony-trampled sands of Assateague Island.
Dressed from head to toe in bicycle apparel and their bellies filled with high-carbohydrate energy foods, many of the cyclists will be trying their first 100-mile course. For those not up to the demands of 100 miles, a metric century, or 63-mile, tour will be laid out.
"A century ride is kind of the monumental achievement for bike riders," said Joseph K. Gilbert, university vice president and the tour organizer.
As the popularity of bicycling has grown in the last two decades, the appeal of the Eastern Shore's flat terrain has found new devotees for a simple reason. "It's easier than riding uphill," said Gil Clark, executive director of the Baltimore-based League of American Bicyclists (LAB). "Some people love hills and some people hate them. If you're one of the people who hate hills, you'll like the Shore."
Riding bikes on the Eastern Shore is so common during warm-weather months that stores along the most popular routes cater to cyclists by offering quick-fix bicycle repairs as well as cold drinks and snacks. One church in Talbot County puts out a container of water in its front yard especially for thirsty riders. The two-wheeled tourists are a boon to some businesses. The Sea Gull Century, for example, will fill all 1,000 hotel and motel rooms in Salisbury, making the tour the city's biggest single-day event.
So many people preregistered for this year's tour that room bookings overflowed to Princess Anne, Cambridge, Pocomoke City and Ocean City, said Lewis Carman, Wicomico's director of tourism.
But not everyone on the Eastern Shore is pleased with the arrival of "spokeheads," an irreverent term for helmet-topped riders who wear tight-fitting Lycra outfits -- called "sausage pants" by locals -- and who frequently slow down motor traffic by pedaling in the middle of the lane.
