WILBURTON -- A long bicycle ride on hilly terrain can be uncomfortable for even the most experienced riders, but some Oklahoma FreeWheel 2006 participants are perched on a different, more ergonomically styled bike to try to relieve the pain.

Recumbent bikes have a larger seat that is low to the ground and have long handlebars.

Some have seats that slope back; others have straight backs, making them look similar to a motorcycle chopper.

"On an upright bike, you're sitting on a skinny seat and you're in a bent-over position," said Fred Green of Angleton, Texas. "On this, because you're laid back, you're in an aerodynamic position anyway. To me it's more comfortable being laid back instead of hunched over."

Green, riding in his 11th FreeWheel, was the third rider to reach the second stop of the trek, which continues Tuesday with a 57-mile trip to Warner and ends Saturday in Baxter Springs, Kan.

Monday's 81 miles to Wilburton was the longest leg of the ride, leaving many recumbent bicyclists appreciating the comfort of their bikes.

"If you do a long ride, like an 80-mile ride, on a regular upright

"You just don't hurt as bad after you finish a ride on these."

Green rode an upright for 20 years before he started having back problems. He switched to a recumbent about six years ago. It took him a little while to get the hang of riding the new bike after riding an upright for so long, he said.

"My wife got one, too, and she had never ridden an upright bike before because it was too uncomfortable for her," he said. "But she gets on and she takes off; no problem. She's taking off in a straight line.

"I got on it, and I was wobbling around all over the place," Green said. "The guy at the bike shop was yelling at me, 'Don't run into the Mercedes!' "

Beth Rooney of Tulsa bought a recumbent bike to alleviate her neck pain.

"I was having trouble with my neck because I work on computer," she said. "It was just aggravating it, and I needed to make a change."

She also had a little trouble learning the new style.

"It just takes a couple of miles to get used to it," she said. "I only fell twice."

Rod Whitlatch of Tulsa said most recumbent riders are older people who enjoy riding but feel pain on long rides.

Recumbent bikes also are more expensive -- about twice as much as a comparable upright.

Whitlatch has ridden his recumbent for about three years.

It has a wide seat and straight back, so it works well for tours such as FreeWheel because it makes it easier for him to enjoy the scenery.

"It's like you're sitting in a lawn chair going down the road," he said. "It's the most wonderful experience."

But for the young riders at Oklahoma FreeWheel 2006, few things are better.

"There's a lot more than just bicycling," said Sam Eller, 11, of Kansas City, Mo. "There's all kinds of stuff. There's a lot of bicycling, but once you finish, you've got all this time to just hang out with people and meet friends and stuff. And there's lots of really good, cheap food."

Sam rode about half of Tuesday's 57-mile ride from Wilburton to Warner and will ride part of the 62 miles to Tahlequah on Wednesday. FreeWheel ends Saturday in Baxter Spring, Kan.

Sam, his brother and his father, Jim Eller, spent Monday night enjoying Wilburton by swimming and going to a movie. The ride is a good vacation for children because of the values it teaches, Jim Eller said.

"They learn adventure and perseverance," he said.

Although Sam enjoys the riding most, he also likes spending time with fellow cyclists.

"The people who ride, you can hang with them; you can relate pretty good," he said. "There's a lot of just hanging out. You have lots in common with people."

Braiden Beuke,

Braiden, of Hugo, is participating for the first time. He enjoys riding, camping out and meeting people.

His friends think he's a little bit crazy for doing the ride, though.

"They say, 'What the heck are you doing, boy?' " he said.

Alex Battles-Wood, 14, of Tulsa has been on FreeWheel for rr three years and rides all the time at home. He thinks of FreeWheel as a vacation.

"You talk to friends and just get away from your work and stuff," he said. "It's a lot of fun."

All FreeWheelers have a feeling of accomplishment, but it is particularly strong in younger riders, said Ellen Proctor, the ride's interim director.

"It's a really big ego booster for some kids to be able to say, when they get back in school, (and are asked) what did you do on summer vacation, 'I rode my bicycle from Texas to Kansas,' " she said. "It's a tremendous self-esteem booster for kids."

Children also have a chance to learn Oklahoma geography and see small towns and unique museums, she said.

Riders stop to swim, splash and sunbathe in Barren Fork Creek.

"It feels like steam should be coming off my body," she said.

Rollins, a 19-year FreeWheel participant and retired school teacher from Tulsa, decided she wasn't going to make the same mistake this year that she did last time she was in Tahlequah.

"I came through here about eight years ago. I didn't stop, and I regretted it," she said. "This year, I thought, 'I'm doin' it.' "

Wednesday was the the fourth day of the 28th annual Oklahoma FreeWheel cross-state bicycle ride.

About a mile before the day's final rest stop in Welling, groups of families, friends and acquaintances took a detour in the afternoon to swim, splash and sunbathe in Barren Fork Creek, also known as Baron Fork Creek.

"It's just a little slice of heaven," said Jan Self, 55, of Rockwall, Texas, as she admired the small fish swimming around her. "Oh, look at the school!"

Self added that the cold water was one way to soothe a certain sore spot.

"It's

Cyclists waded in the shallow water to cool down from the 62-mile trek from Warner to Tahlequah, what some consider the hardest day because of its hilly terrain.

Tom Brown, owner of Tom's Bicycles in Tulsa, is one of three mechanics who works on the road during FreeWheel. He has participated in the race every year but three, either helping other cyclists with maintenance or riding himself.

"If we go up this route, it's tradition that we come up here and take a dip," he said. "We like to think it was put here just for us."

Brown said this year's route has been near a place to swim every day, but that isn't always the case.

"We've been very lucky this year," he said.

Scott Freeman, 50, of Midwest City, said he had seen other places to stop for a dip but this river was his first time in the water.

"I actually don't think I got any wetter when I sat down, just different stuff," he said.

Many said they did a U-turn on the bridge after seeing friends taking a dip below.

"The advertising is perfect," said Mike Munn, 36, of Seattle. "Everybody sees it as they go by."

Munn, a first-time FreeWheeler, said he and his friends had planned to stop at the river before making the final trek to the campsite.

"It kind of seems like a waste to just try to get to the next stop when there might not be anything else to do there," he said.

Eric Taron of Stillwater echoed those sentiments.

"Once you get to the camp, all you do is think: Damn, I should have stopped at that bridge," he said.

A few Tahlequah locals also stopped by the river to chat with FreeWheel participants.

"We thought they would be here," said Don Bowman, 67. "This is a very popular swimming hole for Tahlequah and the little towns down here."

Jennifer Blades, 23, a recent University of Oklahoma graduate, spent her time at the river sunbathing along the shoreline. For her, the river was a spot where she could rest and take in what she has experienced during her first FreeWheel.

"You can go across the world and see things, or you can just go to your backyard and take the back roads," she said.

FreeWheel ends Saturday in Baxter Springs, Kan.

"Relax, drink beer and eat pretzels -- like everyone else," he said jokingly.

Polluk -- known to most FreeWheelers as "Hubie" -- had just finished the fifth day of the Oklahoma FreeWheel for the 21st time. He is one of many FreeWheel veterans who return to the tour year after year.

Wearing a long-sleeved, green-and-white checked button-down shirt, khaki shorts, sandals and, under his helmet, a faded cap, Polluk is one of the most recognizable participants on FreeWheel.

"I don't like the advertising," he said about cycling suits that include logos. "Even if they paid me, I wouldn't advertise. I advertise myself.

"People notice me; they don't notice that."

But his attire is not the only reason people notice Polluk.

"Why do they know me? That's very simple: Because I'm different," he said.

Polluk was raised in Silesia, a small village in Poland, where he grew up with no electricity or running water.

"The horse, wagon and cow were stable pillars of society," he said.

As a child, Polluk rode a bike

"As a kid, I always bicycled, unless there was a horse and buggy," he said.

Polluk moved to Tulsa in 1951 after he was a prisoner of war during World War II. Seven years later, he became an American citizen.

"I escaped, and I'm still on the run, except this time I'm on a bicycle," he said.

After working several jobs, including picking up pins at a bowling alley for 2 or 3 cents each, working as a sweeper in a machine shop and building sleds, Polluk eventually became a physical technician after attending night classes at the University of Tulsa.

He has five children, 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and he still rides his bike most days.

With a love of storytelling, Polluk never hesitates to find a new listener, a quality that makes him a favorite among many FreeWheelers.

"You can pull up beside him, and he'll start telling stories," said Chuck Haley of Springdale, Ark. "He'll just talk your leg off."

Although some FreeWheel alumni stop participating in the 400-mile trek across Oklahoma in their 70s and 80s, Polluk said he still looks forward to the journey every year.

"It's a sense of accomplishment," he said. "I get to meet some of the old friends and then miss the ones who've fallen out. It's almost a separate entity or community of its own."

His daughter-in-law, Sharon Polluk, said he would not miss FreeWheel for anything.

"He won't go anywhere or schedule a vacation or anything," she said.

Polluk said his good health and early morning regimen keep him going. "I don't prepare at all," he said proudly.

Polluk added that he has been to the doctor only one time since World War II and does not take any medicine. He begins every day with his own set of calisthenics, including pull-ups and push-ups.

"My son can't even do them," he said.

"No, I can't, but I can sure get to camp before you," said Steve Polluk, his 49-year-old son, who also lives in Tulsa.

Over the years, Hubert Polluk said some things have changed for him during FreeWheel.

"Surprisingly, I did the same route three or four times, and I never had to walk, but now I have to sometimes," he said. "The hills have gotten steeper."

After 21 years, Polluk said he does not plan to miss a FreeWheel and that he is ready for the last two days of this year's ride, which will end Saturday in Baxter Springs, Kan.

"I'll do it till I break a leg," he said.

"Oh, and when we rode all day in superhero costumes?" said Chris Schroeder, 18, from Bixby.

Caleb Clark, 16, laughed.

"Oh yeah, that was awesome!" the Bartlesville teen said, remembering the day he wore a Batman suit intended for a 7-year-old.

"They were tighter than these bike shorts, if you can believe it," Schroeder later said about his Superman suit.

The group of bicycling teens -- who refer to themselves as "Team Murder" -- had just completed the final leg of the 28th Oklahoma FreeWheel with about 800 other cyclists. They are just one example of those who leave the weeklong bike tour each year with new friends and unforgettable memories.

Saturday's route -- 43 miles from Grove to Baxter Springs -- was the shortest leg of the 400-mile tour.

Light rain early Saturday caused some flat tires and heavier braking for many cyclists, but most continued to their final destination.

"I counted 16 flats," Clark said. That number included his own.

Ranging in age from 16 to 18, the boys came up with the name "Team Murder"

"Whoever got in first would find a place for us to set up," Clark said. "If there wasn't room, we made room."

Not surprisingly, the group said it also spent a lot of time pulling practical jokes and pranks along the way.

The word "pranks" alone makes them chuckle.

"We streaked at the campsite last night," one of them said of their Grove stay.

T.J. Johnson, 16, of Tulsa added: "I was not a part of this."

Later, Schroeder and Tim Welch, 17, from Bartlesville went skinny-dipping in the lake.

Other antics included a cap gun that they bought at a Dollar General to shoot at some of the other FreeWheelers on the road.

"We spent a lot of time at Dollar General," Clark said.

After spending seven days together, all of the team's members will return to the Tulsa area, except for Oliver Haley, 16, who came with his parents from Springdale, Ark. Although most FreeWheelers say they see one another only once a year, Haley said he doesn't plan to lose touch with the rest of the group.

"I'll definitely keep in touch with them," he said.

At that, they reminded one another they still hadn't exchanged e-mail addresses.

Asked whether Team Murder would return next year to ride in FreeWheel 2007, they didn't hesitate.

"Oh yeah," they said, in perfect unison.