European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 27, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Closer look to it to �3 a. Ltd a. T. A s a a i a. S. -5 a. Z a a a v a a a i re j Yaj Ltd to v it air Force tech. Sgt. Wayne Bartlett beams with Pride As he carries the american jag into Bastogne Belgium. 500 cyclists follow a old blood and guts Trail the sounds of snoring and other Trail trivia what do you get when you take More than 500 bicyclists a Many of them aging and inexperienced a and Send them 1,000 Miles across three countries in 11 Days answer some Odd and interesting occurrences. On Day one a Rainy june 8, the mostly neophyte american contingent endured 20 to 25 spills a about one for every six riders. However Dave Mattingly a participant and tour organizer for the . Army Europe said the americans Quot evolved into a very admirable group of Bike riders by june 18. On the morning of Day three in Caen France Quot nobody showed up to serve breakfast to the hordes of hungry cyclists Mattingly said. Some cyclists held a grudge against organizers for Many Days he said but the Quot american group took things in . Craig Schwender an army colonel who is a military judge said one old frenchmen dozed off while cycling. He veered sharply taking a woman cyclist Down with him. The incident happened shortly after lunch on a hot afternoon he noted. Another time Schwender said a Black French poodle ran out into a group of riders while passing through a town. An american cyclist ran Over the poodle and ended up hitting the pavement. And for Many of the participants the event came to be known As Quot be tour de snore a a not so Subtle reference to the sounds of 500 people sleeping in the same room. Quot some of those noises these old men make Are unbelievable Quot said Wayne Bartlett an airman from Mildenhall a England. However one woman said she was so tired she did no to hear any nocturnal noises. And finally to help pass the Long hours on the Road Many american cyclists would join in song. When that happened the bucolic european Countryside would reverberate with the theme songs to Gilt Gates Island and the Brady Bunch. A Jon Connorty Jon Connor staff writer t s strange a said 23-year-old Christiane Ploch As the Early morning Sun highlighted her weary features. Quot it does t feel like it should be the last  eventually the sore Muscles cold showers and the steady diet of bread would become fond memories. But on this Day 38 Miles of pavement still separated Ploch and her biking companions from Bastogne Belgium and  the 11 Day Road of Liberty tour. Ploch an army first lieutenant who works in military intelligence with he co 2nd brigade in Bau Hoider Germany was performing last minute checks on her bicycle As the final leg of the tour Drew near. She said her main reason for. Commuting to the 1,000-mile trip was Quot to do something that involved the 50th anniversary commemoration a of the Allied invasion of Europe. Quot everybody s been wonderful a Ploch said noting she had spent most of her time talking with others crossing through France Luxembourg and Belgium. Among those waiting in Bastogne for the 500-plus riders was 60-year-Oid Joseph Daelemans who As a boy lived in Belgium during world War ii. Daelemans stood at the american War memorial and historical Center and handed out photos of Allied heroes Gen. Dwight d. Eishenhower and Field marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. �?�1 would like to show my appreciation and thanks to All soldiers and officers of the Allied forces who participated in the liberation of Western Europe and in particular Belgium a Daelemans had written on his handouts. Daelemans who attended the 50ih anniversary invasion ceremonies in Normandy France said he wanted to present president Clinton his photocopies but could not get close enough to do so. Elsewhere hundreds of Bastogne area residents lined the streets cheering on the cyclists As they finished the tour on a sunny warm morning. It was a climactic conclusion for the riders and they cruised Down streets lined with american and Belgium flags hanging from buildings. A it was a scene that that had been replayed in nearly every town from 1 Cherbourg France to Ettelbruck Luxembourg. Stan Nielsen 35, a Navy lieutenant Pilot stationed in Rota Spain described the crowds in the towns they Rode through reacted Quot like a Buzzard descending upon a dead  Quot it s incredible Quot he said noting that the locals had Given them a steady Supply of sandwiches croissants and pastries. But it was a grateful Bastogne crowd continued on Page 16 As z l a or of i of y a. A to s 1 it air a r it r a # \4ta weary Navy it. Stan Nielsen of Rota Spain prepares for the final leg of the ride. Monday june 27, 1994 the stars and stripes