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Tour de Paris (TdP) 2026 is a Wrap!
All,
Well, Tour de Paris (TdP) 2026 is a wrap. We missed George Haneke (NV7Z) and Jerry Keisler (WA5KZA), both down with health issues. Kathy did her first TdP with me and watched me not once, but TWICE, say that we were at Rest Stop 10 (RS10) when we were at RS4 (Roxton)! 😒 Other than that we both had a big time. 😎
And note to self (and everyone else) – Please make sure and text the guys at the Love Civic Center (LCC) to hand someone a phone, take some pictures and send them to us for the site! I reminded the guys at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and a couple of folks in rest stops, but I didn’t remember the LCC guys until they were already broken down and gone. Club President Mark Johnson (W5PTX) has been asking for someone to be the official photographer and (as usual 🤷♂️ ) nobody has volunteered. Since we can’t get anyone to take pictures as the official photographer, I am drafting everyone. If you are involved with an activity, PLEASE TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE AND TAKE A FEW PICTURES! Then send them to me and I’ll make sure we get them posted up. Thank you for your attention to this matter! 😂🤣
There were 703 riders, from my recollection slightly up from last year, but still down from pre-covid. At RS4 (Roxton) where we had an ambulance staged, one rider with an irregular heartbeat was transported to Paris Regional Medical Center (PRMC). Other than that I am happy to tell you that things went off without incident. No issues at all that I am aware of.
We had people from the Fannin County Radio Club (K5FRC) (Keith Mumaw (KI5VNL) – RS14, Sarah Richardson (KI5PZF) – RS7, Mike Durbin (K5MJD) – RS10, Mark Hetherington (KF5KUW) – RS9, and James Hunt (KI5DQ) – RS15) and Choctaw County Amateur Radio Club (N5CCR) (Barry Bryant (K5AXI) and Tim Streun (K5HAY)) helping us. We had Mark Johnson (W5PTX) and Thomas Sorensen (AF5WO) at the LCC, Randy Holland (N5DDS), Johnny Thomas (WB5JT) and Haskell Maroney (K5HRM) at the Paris PD EOC, along with Leo Salas (N5JEP) – RS1, Jesse Hembree (KI5BNE) – RS2, Martin Struss (KD5QZA) – RS3, Kathy (W5WON) and I were at RS4, Jeffrey Johnson (KF5HKI) – RS5, Cliff Leath (KI5OPP) – RS6, Audi Earley (KW3J) – RS8, Charles Penry (WA5VHU) – RS11, Cindy Penry (KD5CCB) – RS12, T Wayne Moore (KC5KOH) – RS13, Tim Streun (K5HAY) and Barry Bryant (K5AXI) – RS17 and Mike Rice (WB5KWK) – RS18. If I missed anyone, my apologies.
When RS4 was closed up we went and joined Cliff at RS6 for awhile. Words almost escape me, but Lamar County Fire Marshall and Emergency Management Coordinator Quincy Blount had Cliff set up by a trailer and “cooling tent” that would blow your mind. It was close to 100F outside and that tent, with two BIG AC units was 58F inside! Wow! 😁 The trailer was totally cool (pun intended) too!
I think everyone had a good time. If you didn’t make it, next year I strongly encourage you to go. If you are shy ask Mark to pair you with someone and watch them operate. If they try to hand you a mic and you don’t want to talk just say no! 😎 But please go, I am sure you will have a good time. 👍
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
Thank You to All Participants!
Fannin County Radio Club (K5FRC): Keith Mumaw (KI5VNL) – RS14, Sarah Richardson (KI5PZF) – RS7, Mike Durbin (K5MJD) – RS10, Mark Hetherington (KF5KUW) – RS9, James Hunt (KI5DQ) – RS15
Choctaw County Amateur Radio Club (N5CCR): Tim Streun (K5HAY) and Barry Bryant (K5AXI)
RRVARC & Others: Mark Johnson (W5PTX) and Thomas Sorensen (AF5WO) at LCC; Randy Holland (N5DDS), Johnny Thomas (WB5JT), Haskell Maroney (K5HRM) at Paris PD EOC; plus the many rest stop operators listed above.
Thanks again to everyone who helped make TdP 2026 a success!
I think TdP went very well this year. At Rest Stop 11 where I was, on the 80 mile route, we didn’t seem to have near as many riders as in the past. Not sure what the cause of this might have been. Our Rest Stop had left over supplies, which they took to other Rest Stops that were in need. In the past, we had run out of supplies.
The one issue we had was not knowing when the last bike came by. We had one bike rider that said they thought they were the last one but we dismissed that as how could they know what was or wasn’t behind them? Turns out they were the last bike and we wound up hanging around an extra hour before a sweeper vehicle came by and released us.
I would like to see a “Last Bike” Amateur Radio operator, preferably with APRS, following the last bicycle, at least on the 80 mile route.
Cindy and I did a lot of foot runs and bicycle rides in the Baltimore-Annapolis region with the local Ham clubs and we would use a Ham on a bicycle (often me) following the last foot runner and I would use our Spyder 3-wheeled motorcycle to follow the last bicycle, this worked out well. With a tablet we could show the race director where the last runner or bike was, or we could display it on a large video display for all to see.
TdP is problematic with its 5 courses of different lengths.
Any thoughts from the group?
Charles WA5VHU
Tonya and I had a similar discussion about tracking last rider. My thought was having each rest stop hand off the final rider to the next stop. We followed behind our last rider until they reached rest stop 9. If we hand them off there would always be a radio operator following the final riders in case assistance was needed.
Audie KW3J
Audie,
It looks like just pastRS10 is where the 68 and 80 mile routes split. How does RS10 know when the last 80 mile rider passes?
It’s simple, at race start:
RS1 – All routes pass
RS2 – All routes pass, 20 mile turns around
RS3 – All routes pass except 20 mile
RS4 – All routes pass except 20 & 35 mile
RS5 – All routes pass except 20 mile
RS6 – I’m going to stop here – this is starting to give me cataplectic fits!
What a mess of routes and Rest Stops!!!
Maybe I will make a spreadsheet, time for bed…
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Jerry Keisler (WA5KZA)
“I got by the LCC for a few minutes.”All,
Overnight Jerry Keisler (WA5KZA) and Charles Penry (WA5VHU) each sent along a few photos and comments from Field Day and asked me to share them here. If anyone else has pictures they’d like to add, please send them to me and I’ll be happy to post them as well.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
Charles Penry (WA5VHU)
“I sat out by the road so I could see the numbers.”
Charles Penry (WA5VHU)
“The rest stop was back from the road a bit.”`All,
Club President Mark Johnson (W5PTX) has sent letters to the leadership of the Fannin County Amateur Radio Club (K5FRC) and the Choctaw County Amateur Radio Club (N5CCR), expressing the Red River Valley Amateur Radio Club’s sincere appreciation for their assistance with the 2026 Tour de Paris.
Click either letter to view the complete PDF.
The support provided by our neighboring clubs and their members played an important role in helping make this year’s event safe and successful. Their willingness to contribute their time and expertise is a wonderful example of the cooperation, fellowship, and commitment to public service that characterize the amateur radio community.
We value the friendship between our clubs and look forward to additional opportunities to work together in service to the communities of Northeast Texas and Southeastern Oklahoma.
Please join me in thanking our friends at the Fannin County Amateur Radio Club and the Choctaw County Amateur Radio Club for helping make another Tour de Paris a success.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
It was our pleasure! Your event was such a pleasant experience and the people were awesome! As the NTX ARES District 7 EC, I was able to log 80 hours for our respective ARES groups, so a very big thank you!
Keith
Keith,
Your letter actually went into the USPS blue box in Paris yesterday, after collection hours, so it’ll be postmarked today. Thank you for serving as interim-president for the Fannin County ARC, for being active with our club and the forums and especially for participating with us doing the TdP.
I and several others look forward to joining you for Autumn in Bonham, so please stay in touch and let me know if you need firm names from RRVARC personnel who will join you for that.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
Thanks to everyone once again. The TdP 2026 was a success. I will meet with the event coordinators and emergency services once the debrief meeting is scheduled and let everyone know the details. We will definitely look at the options to figure out the last rider dilemma. That’s been one of the harder things to determine over the last couple of years. I like the rest stop “hand off” idea, as well as having 2 chasers from the start of the rally. Other agencies have done it in the past, but I don’t think they were there this year. I will put it on the list to confirm in planning for 2027.
If you have any pictures, please send them to me or Phillip, or post them here. Let me know any comments you may have. The TdP recap will be a discussion topic at this Saturday’s RRVARC Monthly Meeting. (July 25, 2026 @ 10am @ Paris PD Courtroom).
The Chamber of Commerce expressed their gratitude for all of our volunteers. This event would not be as smooth without your help. Thank you to the members of the RRVARC, Fannin ARC, & Choctaw ARC. I look forward to working with you again.
73
Mark W5PTX
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