Cycle Zydeco to arrive in Eunice Saturday

Cycle Zydeco returns for its 15th year of touring Acadian with stops in Eunice, Arnaudville, Opelousas and Mamou.
Cycle Zydeco, which started off with 200 riders in its first year, expects more than 400 cyclists for the four-day, 200-mile tour this year.
The tour began Wednesday with a party at Acadiana Center for the Arts, complete with a Cajun dinner, live zydeco music, and dance lessons. Thursday, they will embark on the first leg of the tour from Lafayette to St. Martinville, where they’ll eat lunch. The cyclists then travel to Breaux Bridge for an evening of food and music, and a swamp tour on the Atchafalaya Basin the Friday morning.
On Friday, the first stop in St. Landry Parish is of Arnaudville where cyclists will sample boudin at Russell’s Supermarket and wash it down with craft beer from Bayou Teche Brewing. That evening participants will celebrate with a party at Evangeline Downs Race Track & Casino, featuring Rockin’ Doopsie & The Zydeco Twisters.
On Saturday, the route takes riders into Evangeline Parish where they’ll experience a few local traditions such as boudin from T-Boy’s and maybe even an encounter with Taunt Sue at the famous Fred’s Lounge in Mamou. In Eunice they’ll top off the day with a live Cajun music variety show at the Liberty Theater.
On Sunday, the final leg of the tour, riders will travel through Acadia Parish with a visit to the Charlene Richard Gravesite then onto Scott for the Boudin Festival.
The ride is hosted by TRAIL (LaTrail.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to building and maintaining parks, hiking trails, bike trails and other recreational infrastructures.
Scott Schilling is president of the Transportation Recreation Alternatives In Louisiana (TRAIL), a trails advocacy group based out of Lafayette.
“The purpose of the route is for our riders to have the opportunity to take in the Cajun and Creole culture of Louisiana,” Schilling said. “Mamou has always been part of the mix for this event. We have cyclists that are hitting the road at 6 in the morning so they can be at Fred’s Lounge for 9. These riders enjoy exercise of course but they also like to eat, drink and dance. They are just choosing to use a bike to get there.”
The Cycle Zydeco event is one of four large group events TRAIL is associated with this year.
The 43-year-old Schilling has always had a passion for outdoor activities.
“I like to do anything outside,” Schilling said. “Whether it is kayaking, cycling, paddling or running. For years though I always had to travel to do those activities.”
That is what inspired Schilling to help create TRAIL, a group whose efforts range from promoting safe road cycling to developing hiking and biking trails throughout Acadiana.
The group right now is focused on creating a cycling-multipurpose path that connects St. Martinville, Lafayette, Breaux Bridge, Opelousas, Krotz Springs and eventually Ville Platte and Chicot State Park.
The group has secured some grants and the project is still in the conception stage.
“It started in 2004 because we realized that no one had the money to start these projects,” Schilling said. “We wanted an organization that could work alongside government agencies. Hopefully this project can get some momentum and it can take on a life of its own.”
Schilling adds that events like the Cycle Zydeco event has helped him learn more about other areas of the state, and he is hopeful that these events attract more natives of the state to participate.
For this year’s Zydeco event, only a handful of Louisiana residents are taking part.
“One of our big focuses for 2017 is to get more Louisiana riders participating,” Schilling said. “Personally, I have learned more about our community from putting on these events. You dig a little deeper and you learn something.”