From: JohnV
[jvanvelzor@woh.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday,
May 07, 2008 8:56 PM
To: Kevin
Hoffer; Kevin Hoffer
Subject: WBC
News
Wilmington Bicycle Club
April 2008
MEETING NOTES
The meeting was called to order by our
illustrious vice-president, Matt Johnson, at 7:00 at the usual meeting place,
Books ‘n’ More. Members present were: Teresa, Kent and Andrew Stewart, Bruce
Barrett, Mathew Johnson, Donna, Tom Wilson, and Gary Page came to check us out.
Most enjoyed pre-meeting sandwiches from Jen’s Deli.
The meeting began by recalling the past
month’s bicycling experiences, and surprisingly there were a few. The Gallinis
ride went well, but started into a stiff, brisk (37 degrees!) headwind. We
lunched at a quaint little restaurant in Lynchburg, before flying home with a
stiff TAILwind most of the way. Seven riders participated.
John, Bonnie, Brent and Kristine did a
Sunday morning ride; Xenia to Youngs for nourishment. All bike trail.
And John hosted the Saturday, April 12
ride. It was a blustery, cloudy, 45 degree start—and finish. Bike trail to The
Corwin Peddler for an interesting lunch of British cuisine. Brent showed up.
Spring IS here! We ARE riding!
A Fitness Fair will again be held May
17, 11:00 at Denver Williams Park in Wilmington. This is the second year for
this, and we will have a booth and host a ride like last year. We will not pass
out free water because other booths were trying to sell water, and we'll let
them make a profit this year. Kent will map out the route and provide maps.
Teresa will bring the box of last year's pamphlets and other info. Matt Johnson
will burn a CD of the GOBA video that Teresa has, and Kent will bring his
laptop. Also, Teresa will bring her photo albums. Kent will bring the banners.
We'll have time to make final plans and adjustments at our next meeting on May
13.
Pan Ohio Hope Ride
The Pan Ohio Hope Ride will take cyclists from Cleveland to
Cincinnati in a four-day tour through Ohio's scenic countryside from August
7-10, 2008. Challenge yourself to hit the road and make the road smoother for
those battling cancer.------
No matter who you are, the American
Cancer Society can help. Whether you've got questions about cancer treatment,
are looking to stay healthy, want to learn more about cancer, or just want to
get involved--ACS has an entire online community devoted to people just like
you.
Visit us at http://www.cancer.org to find answers, get the
facts, see the latest cancer news, share your experience, and learn how you can
make a difference. To contact the American Cancer Society online, please go to http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cus/cus_0.asp.
RAAM, the Toughest Ride in the World
I am working with CCC to solicit and
coordinate volunteers to help staff the two time stations for RAAM in the
Cincinnati area. Those locations, Hamilton and Blanchester, will need to be
staffed by a minimum of two people for 24 hours a day on June 15 through June
18. Based on 4 hour shifts, we would need 88 people. We are counting on several
people volunteering consecutive shifts, and/or volunteering for multiple days.
Walt Fick has informed me that
Wilmington Bicycle Club has some interest in helping with RAAM, so I am
contacting you to ask if you will spread the word with your club. People
interested in helping us can contact either me or Walt.
SIncerely,
Lloyd Shadley
RAMM …….
Local Connection !!!
Kyle, Kevin, Kent Stewart, and Jack
Cook will fly out to San Diego June 8th for RAAM and be a part of the support
group for Team Type one's race across America. Kyle will be one of the
navigators, Kevin,Jack and Kent will be driving an RV for the team riders.
Should be 8 days of no sleep, 7/11 food, staring at the GPS, and setting up the
next riders transfer. Kent says, “I'm excited!!! I will keep you posted as I
learn my new job task.”
XOBA
The Underground Railroad Tour 2008
Donna, Teresa, Johnson & Johnson,
Brent, and Jim Miley are riding. July 19 through July 26, 2008, this ride
includes Maysville, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Wilberforce, Delaware, Ashland,
Richfield, Oberlin, and Sandusky covering minimum 420 miles! The Wilberforce
stop, near Xenia, will be highlighted for the Wilmington group, with evening
entertainment at Brent and Marty’s.
Be sure to call before the ride to let the ride leader know
you are going to be there. If you need directions—ask!
To volunteer to lead a ride, contact John @ jvanvelzor@who.rr.com
Saturdays @ 10:30
Ride Schedule
Upcoming Saturday rides are:
April 19, 10:30 Donna's House--Donna; 513-899-2361
Sunday April 20;
11:30AM from Stewarts, at least 30miles with ice cream or lunch after at
J&D’s Market
April 26, 10:30 Gallinis House--"Bob"; 937-685-5454
May 3 Calvin's Challenge (Johnson & Johnson are doing the fun ride)
Stewarts are not; do we want to schedule a club ride, or are others
participating in Calvins?? Call or e-mail John to coordinate.
Sunday, May 4 Chili Ride
hosted by
Cincinnati Cycling Club (I think
Stewarts are going to try to do that one);
May 10 & 11 TOSRV. Anyone participating? Do we need a club ride? Call
John to coordinate.
May 17, 11:00 Fitness Fair at Denver Williams Park in Wilmington.
Rides are usually
25-35 miles and often include some hills. Leaders regroup periodically if there
are slower riders. These rides usually average 13 mph, but a few will sometimes
ride ahead at a much faster pace, regrouping at turns—or at the food stop!!You
will not be left behind! Food stops are customary. If this sound too mild for
you, we have a number of stronger riders with whom we can match you up!
Next meeting:
Tues. May 13 at Books’n’More
For Sale
Indoor Bicycle Trainer
Minoura Mag—850
Paid $140; asking $39—reduced from $50
!
Rarely used—complete with original box
and instructions.
Contact Teresa Gallinis
937-685-5454 or
Paula’s Mom update
Paula writes:
“….thank you for all of your thoughts
and prayers concerning my mom. She’s coming up on a month of being
“hospitalized” sick. She has now undergone two surgeries and has decent days
and not so good days. When I received the card in the mail from Karen and the
club, I brought it to my mom that night when I went to stay with her for
another “slumber party”. She was very appreciative (me too!) and I hung it on
her little cork board she has on her wall in the ICU where she can see it.
She’s been through so much; I know most of you can relate to how hard it is to
watch someone you love so much going through times like these. But it helps a
lot having friends like you”
George and Charlene
….will be
back with us for the month of May before starting their inland sailing
adventure!
Sunday Rides
Interested in “noon-ish” Sunday rides??
Contact Stewarts, or watch for notices!
Roadkill, Potholes, and Glass
When roadhazards litter your path,
here’s how—and how not—to react.
Article in Bicycling magazine May 2008
Exerpt;
Buzzing Roadkill
Knee-jerk response
The bloated opossum in your path is
well past his prime, but he still has the power to lock your eyes. Once you’re
hooked, your bike follows your gaze– straight for the malevolent marsupial. You
smack right into him, releasing a rotten gas from the carcass and perhaps even
catapulting your own carcass over the handlebar. The opossum’s credo: “One of
you for every one of us”.
Better reaction
Don’t stare at the buggy corpse. Your
detailed vision is concentrated in the center of your field of view, and you
ride wherever that’s pointed. When you spot roadkill, casually point it out to
the group, then scan around it. Continue looking ahead, using your peripheral
vision to track the unlucky varmint until you’re clear.
More on dealing with potholes and
glass—check out the May issue.
Helmets?
Statistics vary widely depending on the
source, but it's estimated that 75% of U.S. bike riders do not wear a helmet.
Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of cycling deaths are due to traumatic brain
injury. It's projected that this number could be reduced by as much as 85% if
all cyclists wore helmets.
Overheard: "We refer to those people who are cycling but not
wearing helmets as organ donors." -- Jennifer Gholson, RBR
reader whose life was likely saved because she was wearing one. o^o o^o o^o
o^o
Your Newsletter!!
Much of the content in this issue is
“filler”; stuff I found interesting and wanted to share—BUT!!!! Your stories
about ordinary rides are interesting to the rest of us—and promote interest in
the sport. A brief synopsis of your last 25 miler with lunch at the ….. will
work! Bring it on!
Ed
Watch the YouTube video called "The
Rights and Duties of Cyclists." It runs just over 4 minutes and
focuses on rules for riding urban streets, specifically how to occupy traffic
lanes and make turns. The idea is for the cyclist to take charge just as if he
or she were driving instead of pedaling. If you know new riders, turn them on
to
---A radio show for cyclists is being launched by Clear Channel sports
station 1460 KXNO in Des Moines, Iowa. It's scheduled to air Sundays at 6-7
p.m. CT beginning on April 20 and be available worldwide at http://www.kxno.com.
The show host is longtime cycling advocate Kim West, who promises to
deliver his "provocative and entertaining insight" into racing,
racers, touring, advocacy issues and lots more in a call-in format.
Cagey Thinking
The cool thing about bottle cages is that no matter how they look, what they're made of or what
they cost, they all do the same thing. And with very few exceptions, they all
hold the same size bottles. In a world of bike parts and components that mix
and match like oil and water, that's saying something.
There are about 1.5 jillion cages on the market. You'll find them made from
steel, aluminum, titanium, various plastics and -- you guessed it -- carbon
fiber. There's even a wood-laminate-over-composite cage for those of you riding
bamboo bikes with wooden rims and leather bar tape.
Depending on your sense of aesthetics, cages can be very understated. I
think King and Nitto cages are among the most elegant. Kings come in Ti ($60)
and stainless steel ($15). They virtually disappear on your bike while keeping
your bottles from disappearing when you smack that next pothole.
Nitto makes two polished cages ($36) from delicate-looking stainless rod. They
look great on any bike but are particularly nice on a lugged steel frame.
They're my favorite for a randonnee bike too.
If you have a new-age carbon, aluminum or Ti frame (or a tubing combo), check
into carbon cages. Ranging in price from $50 for Profile Design's Karbon Kage
(my favorite) to an amazing $200+ for the Campagnolo Record Monocoque -- who
else could build a cage that expensive? -- these things are works of art. Plus,
carbon cages weigh about as much as the last thought that ran through your
head, or as light as 16 grams.
For the economy minded there are countless cages made from aluminum. These are
usually anodized in a nice color, and they cost only around $7. The problem is,
when the anodizing wears off (usually during the first ride), the aluminum
underneath turns your bottles the color of . . . aluminum (aka, dingy grayish
black).
Pssst: IMHO, the best cage on the market for doing its job well is the
$5 Cateye Nylon. It's not pricey, it's not pretty, but it's bombproof.
Don't let advertising fool you: All cages will mar your bottles, no matter what
they are made of. If a cage is going to grip your bottle strongly enough to
keep it on your bike through the bumps, it's eventually going to scrape off the
graphics. Leave that bottle signed by Mario Cipollini on the trophy
shelf at home.
And speaking of bottles, replace yours frequently. I am amazed by riders who
seem to think that their bottles should last as long as a frame. Bad idea.
Bottles should not turn into EPA Superfund sites, requiring men in airtight
suits and breathing masks to remove them.
If you have a good relationship with your LBS, they'll generally give you
bottles with their logo. In my shop, we give away 95% of our bottles and are
happy to do it. Keeps the folks at the Center for Disease Control idle.
Bottom line: Cage choice is not particularly critical. You can buy the
style and material you like without freaking out. Well, unless you chose the
$200 Campy cage and someone steals it while you're in Starbucks. Stuff happens.
Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's
Boulevard Lakefront Tour.
It will be on Sunday, September 7, 2008.
The long weekend can include another day riding the lakeshore bike trail; a day
site seeing: Navy Pier; Shedd Aquarium; Museum of Natural History; Sears Tower;
etc.. Chicago is about 6 hours. More as it developes. See:
Contact John if interested.
937-545-1717