Tour d’ Arsenal marks 20th annual bike ride

Twenty years ago, Jamie Miernik, then a local cyclist and Redstone Arsenal contractor, was thinking about the Tour de France, the premiere cycling event which takes over France for weeks in the summer. Why not here, she thought? The idea for the Tour d’ Arsenal was born.

“It was my idea,” Miernik said standing next to her bike at the Redstone Rocket Park. “I started to work on the Arsenal in 2001. I ride to work. I have ridden to work whenever I worked out here. So, I just thought Tour de France – Tour d’ Arsenal, let’s see what we can do.”

In 2024, the Tour d’ Arsenal will mark its 20th year by highlighting some of Redstone’s more interesting features, both natural and manmade. The annual bike ride is May 21 at 5 p.m. at the Marshall Activity Building parking lot.

“When we started in 2001, the first time we did it we had about 75,” Miernik said. “We’ve run it every year except for the COVID years. We generally were over 100, maybe 125. But we broke 200 riders last year. That was the biggest Tour de Arsenal.”

Miernik, a fixture in the Huntsville cycling community and cycling advocate, noted a few things have changed for the better on Redstone Arsenal for cyclists in the past 20 years.

“They’ve put shoulders on Neal Road and Martin Road and on the west entrance, too. We lobbied for that,” Miernik said, wearing her shiny cycling helmet. “The east had shoulder, but the west did not. That’s been completely redone since then and has shoulders all the way out as well as the city has put shoulders on the other side. That has allowed bike commuting for the west, where an awful lot of people live, now. So, cycling is possible and safe.”

The ride will be led by members of MTRAC and NASA/Redstone Arsenal cyclists. The ride roughly follows the historical railroad route around the southern part of the Arsenal, making a loop along Dodd, Buxton, and Patton roads and features a trip through the NASA Test Area and the Army Test Area 1.

Mostly, the route is the same as the last 20 years. “But it’s kind of an introduction to the stuff on the Arsenal for people who are new,” Miernik said.

“We do tour through part of the NASA test area,” she said. “And then we tour through TA-1. TA-1 is the continuation to Dodd Road that goes south all the way to Buxton Road. And it is closed all the time. When they open the gates for 200 cyclists in the Tour d’ Arsenal, it’s the only time you can see TA-1 from that vantage point, up close and personal. It’s never open because it’s a test area. And then you go down to the Tennessee River, and you can find out where the two river access points are.”

This year, for the 20th anniversary of the Tour d’ Arsenal, there have been a few changes in the route to highlight different areas on post.

“This year we are going by the helicopters on Mills Road. The UAVs and helicopters are there, and we’ve never made that part of the Tour d’ Arsenal, but this year we will,” she said.

“The Tour de Arsenal’s shortest route is 18 miles, you can go about 25 miles the longer way,” Miernik said. “It takes a while to get through the first two test areas because they are escorted. And we must wait for a big group to get through the gate. But once you get back through the gate on Buxton Road then you can ride back as fast or as slow as you want to.

It’s not a difficult ride, but Miernik suggests folks should be prepared to ride between 18-25 miles. (Water is provided at the halfway mark.) Most people are done in two hours, but some people take their time.

“Some people don’t get back until 8 p.m., but I will wait until the last person comes through,” Miernik said.

For the 20th anniversary Tour de Arsenal riders, there is a preride pizza lunch as well.

“We’re doing pizza lunch,” Miernik said. “On Tuesday, May 21, there will be a pizza lunch for anyone who wants to come ride. You can sign your waiver then, too. The lunch is at the NASA picnic area on Tiros. You can fuel up for the ride.”

You are not required to register for the Tour d’ Arsenal, but you are required to sign a waiver. You can sign the waiver before you ride by showing up at 4:15 p.m. The ride starts May 21 at the Marshall Activity Building 4316. Cyclists can also sign the waiver at the pizza lunch on Tiros.

The 20th Tour d’ Arsenal is a bit of a coda to Miernik’s career on Redstone Arsenal. She retired from Boeing three weeks ago.

“I just retired,” Miernik said. “I wish I could get someone else to continue heading up the Tour d’ Arsenal. I wish I could find someone to continue this on. It isn’t that hard, it’s just a little work to get it coordinated. If we want to see Tour d’ Arsenal continue, I need a shadow or a protégé. I have it all written down; it’s called the Tour d’ Protocol!”

If you would like a waiver emailed to you before the Tour d’ Arsenal, email Miernik at jamorgan10@comcast.net.

The MARS Team Redstone Alliance for Cycling will present the 20th annual Tour d’ Arsenal bike ride on May 21 at 5 p.m., starting at the Marshall Space Flight Center Activity Building, 4316 parking lot at Morris and Digney roads. The route returns north along Patton Road after most traffic has left the Arsenal.