Here is this weeks report, looks like we had 20 riders for the day, with two new riders (Eric and Rich). While I can vouch for the first part of the ride, Sue provided me details for the rest. We managed to keep together pretty well until the hills at Papago. Then the animals were turned loose and moved up the hill. Looks like Bob and I were neck and neck at the top, so a good tie. We made an impromptu stop at Arcadia Park for some relief (bathrooms)...

The rest is according to Sue....We managed to complete the rest of the route pretty uneventfully. Joni, Judy, and I took the long route but bypassed the honk up the steep hill thing, so I don't know who got King of the Hill-- but I did hear that David Stephan actually had to put a foot down to avoid falling over on the silly thing. As soon as the guys came down off the hill Eric the new guy had a flat, which we know was a direct cause resulting from him speaking poorly about the condition of his tires just before we left Desert Breeze this morning. Congrats, you get the dubious honor of flat head of the week. Sue upheld her traditional down hill sprint on 68th as we approached Curry (and as is tradition was passed like I was standing still by one of the guys). Breakfast at Pete's was excellent, the special of the day was green chili omelets, which several people thought went really well with their Heinekens (glad I wasn't there for the return trip or at least behind those riders). We returned to the park in reasonably good shape.

Thanks Sue....

Ride Schedule

Sunday 3/2 - 7:30 am - NOTE NEW TIME FOR MARCH - I've been asked to go to South Mountain and do some hills before it is too hot - so hills it is. Mileage options of 42 or 47 miles with slight to oh boy is this hill ever going to end....Breakfast at the Raven

Sunday 3/9 - 7:30 am The Milk Run....I found a new map. A ride of 40, 38, or 36 miles, all mostly flat. Out on 56th to Riggs, then to Hunt and either taking Cooper, Gilbert, or out to Greenfield. Breakfast at Wildflower at the mall.

Hi All!

Clear skies this morning brought 64 riders out to the park for our romp around Tempe. The dynamic duo of Tim Kjellberg and Tom Adams debuted on the longest bike that has ever graced our pack, a recumbent tandem. (Hey, Tim, how many cup holders does that thing have?) Riders tended to use the map for today as a route "suggestion" and forged their own version to follow, adding or subtracting hills as the mood struck. Most eventually found their way to the food stop, where the typical breakfast conversation ranged from how bacon ranks as a high-octane fuel source to Rich Heffern's secret life as a kick-boxing instructor. Never judge a book by it's cover.

Coming up...

Saturday 3/1/03 7:30am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! We head out on the Tour De Sue, with a loop down to either Queen Creek or Riggs. Mileage options 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Perkins, northwest of Chandler Blvd & 54th St.

Saturday 3/8/03 7:30am Kiwanis Park. We head to Scottsdale, where our standard riders will get a beautiful tour of the homes along Exeter, while the advanced group will try not to get lost on Mummy Mountain. Route options 27 miles with some moderate climbing, or 40 miles with a little more climbing. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, northwest of Mill & 11th.

Saturday 3/15/03 7:30am Kiwanis Park. If you are not headed to the Mining Country Challenge in Superior, come join us for a tour of Lehi. (No, there is no comparable 6,000 foot climb on the Lehi route-- but you do have to go over the I-60 freeway overpass-- you could do that a buncha times if you wanted the climbing experience.) Route options 27 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at IHOP, southwest corner Apache & College.

Saturday 3/22/03 7:30am Kiwanis Park. FREE FOOD!! 'nuff said. Stay tuned for details.

Tid bits...

And speaking of the Mining Country ride, Connie Wong sends the following:

"Help support the upcoming PMBC ride in Superior! We are looking for volunteers to help with the Mining Country Challenge on March 15th. This is a great ride to support, with beautiful scenery. We need help with manning the rest stops - it's a hilly ride, so volunteers handing out food and drinks will be very popular among the cyclists. If you want to help out with this year's ride, contact Connie Wong."

Last, in answer to a question asked almost weekly on Saturday mornings, yes, you DO need to sign in every time you come out to ride with us. If you are not a member of PMBC/GABA, you are signing a waiver/release form for that day's ride so your relatives will not hunt us down like dogs if you get hurt while out with us. If you are a member of our illustrious organization you are signing in for that day's adventures for insurance purposes (both medical insurance and liability insurance)-- if you don't sign in, you aren't covered by the association's insurance. Give us your autograph each week. That way we'll have lots of copies to sell when you finally win the Tour de France.

Ride safe.

We had eighteen riders enjoy the weather and the road today. Welcome David Manzer to the group....Let's see, to start, we talked about those tracks on Kyrene and Elliot before we left the parking lot, making sure everyone knew of the dangers. We got to the tracks, and believe it or not, someone may have been sleeping during my thrilling and all encompassing parking lot chat. That's ok, he was rudely awaken by the time he got there. Tracks are fine if anyone is asking...

The group decided to pick up the pace going down Guadalupe, with two groups forming. We made an impromptu rest stop and then we were off to Lehi. Sue was the Queen of the Down Hill Sprint while Gary took the climb up Horne w/Steve close behind. Me, I was blocked out, and that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Carter, on the other hand was the good corporate citizen, and stopped at the light (that's his story). We regrouped again and made our way to Breakfast. That is where the fun started, as Bob Culbertson had a flat (dime size hole in his tire). After replacing that tube (yes, I was timing him, but let's just say we didn't break any records), we were off again for a good 1/4 mile. Bob noticed the tire going flat again, so we stopped and found a different hole, so Randy was nice enough to lend him another tire (with patches I might add). We then discovered all the fun of using CO2 cartridges, with 3 being used before we were done. All said, I believe all 5 of us enjoyed some sort of assistance changing that tire - and we got it right.

The rest of the group was busy eating breakfast during this adventure, but I would be remiss in not to announce Bob as "Flat Head of the Week". Congratulations Bob, I know it is an honor... Let's see, breakfast conversation was the usual telling of stories and half truths. However, one comment does stand out from all the rest, and that coming from "quiet as a church mouse Sue", who announced that she would "stoke for anyone". While the rest of the restaurant didn't know how to take it, we all know she meant being a stoker on a tandem (right!!!!).

Ok, I'm done, enjoy the long weekend. Here is a special ride for tomorrow if you are interested at Kiwanis Park.

Monday 2/17/03 8:00 am Kiwanis Park. Join us for a holiday ride around South Mountain. Our version is a loop counterclockwise, one route, 43 miles, with three pit stops. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, southeast of Chandler Blvd & Rural.

Sunday 2/23 - 8:00 am Tour around Mummy - taking the new around Mummy Mountain route, mileage options of 35 or 40 miles, with several hills and one big one. Breakfast at some new place (I just need to find it and then I'll let you know). If you have an idea for a new place to eat, let me know...

Sunday 3/2 - 7:30 am - NOTE NEW TIME FOR MARCH - I've been asked to go to South Mountain and do some hills before it is too hot - so hills it is. Mileage options of 42 or 47 miles with slight to oh boy is this hill ever going to end....Breakfast at the Raven.

Hi All!

We had 46 riders decide it couldn't possibly rain two Saturday mornings in a row, and they were right! If you let the clouds scare you off this morning, you missed a beautiful day to be out on a bike. We managed to get the pack intact across the diagonal train track crossing at Elliot & Kyrene, even with the rails wet, without losing anybody. Some of the advanced riders being absent gave way to fresh legs in the lead pack plus a couple of other alternate lines working together doing a really good job of looking like the express train. Breakfast at the Hog Trough was the traditional excess of food and conversation. Will we ever run out of things to talk about at breakfast on Saturday??

Coming up...

Monday 2/17/03 8:00am Kiwanis Park. Join us for a holiday ride around South Mountain. Our version is a loop counterclockwise, one route, 43 miles, with three pit stops. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, southeast of Chandler Blvd & Rural.

Saturday 2/22/03 8:00am Kiwanis Park. A beautiful route around north Tempe with some great views of the area, a climber's ride, with three climbs for both the standard and advanced routes (but we can show you how to cheat if you want to dodge some or all of them!) 26 miles or 36 miles. Breakfast at JB's, northeast of Southern & Dorsey.

Saturday 3/1/03 7:30am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! Spring is sproinging. We celebrate the warmer days by heading out on the open road, with a loop down to either Queen Creek or Riggs. Mileage options 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Perkins, northwest of Chandler Blvd & 54th St.

Tid bits...

The month of March brings a couple of great club adventures. Our next PMBC hosted ride takes place on Saturday March 15th, with the Mining Country Challenge. Start/finish is in Superior, with route options of either 96 miles or 66 miles. Pick up a registration flyer any Saturday morning or click here for more information.

The other date in March to tattoo on your brain is Saturday March 22nd. Why? Cuz that's the date of our next quarterly association ride/breakfast/meeting. And that means??? Free food!! If you haven't joined Phoenix Metro Bike Club yet, jump in by that date to take advantage of the free eats.

Ride safe.

Twelve riders made their way out the door today, where were you? I'm assuming a good bunch was at the Laveen ride...We started at the parking lot watching Connie figure out what she was going to wear. Before we started, Tim wanted to share that he got another flat once he got home from last Sunday, so, he has been nominated "Flat Head of the Week" for two weeks in a row (4 flats in one day is deserving). All credit goes to Rob McClure for picking the name.

Let's see, nothing too exciting, a couple of sprints (wow, guess what, when that Gary guy isn't around I have a chance..). Neal was the rabbit for the day, catching him at the 56th street overpass. I'm going to give Harlan King of the Hill honors, while it was a very close call at the top, he pulled most of the way, so deserves the credit. Since we just wanted more miles, the group decided to go over and see the racers at the Honeywell Crit.

We made our way back to the park, with only 4 deciding for breakfast. Overall, a great day for riding. Short and sweet this week, I'm sore and need to go back to my couch....

RIDE SCHEDULE

2/16 - 8:00 am Tour de Lehi - See the thriving metropolis of Lehi and get in 35 or 40 miles, all mostly flat with a couple of sprint hills. Breakfast at Neighbors

2/23 - 8:00 am Tour around Mummy - taking the new around Mummy Mountain route, mileage options of 35 or 40 miles, with several hills and one big one. Breakfast at some new place (I just need to find it and then I'll let you know).

Hi All!

And then there were 8. Hmm, actually that's the end of the story... maybe we should start at the beginning. Rain pounding on roofs over night and threatening skies this morning reduced our massive pack to a turn out of 26 riders at the park. The idea of slogging over wet roads, in the cold, reduced those who actually left the park to pedal with us to 21. A moderate but brief shower on the way to the first regroup convinced 4 more to head for home. So, we headed out on the route with 17 riders, who gradually dwindled down to 8 brave souls who appeared at the breakfast stop. Some wet thru, some reveling in the wonders of water proof clothing, all enjoying the warmth of being indoors and hot coffee already waiting on the table for us. Roger (of course) won the award for most creative rain gear by adorning his feet with his traditional plastic bags. Leo, who was riding stoker on a tandem, earned the nickname "MudFlap" and Carlos shared tips on how to get road gack out of your clothes when you wash them. The things you learn when you ride. Thanks to all who participated today. It was a grand adventure.

Coming up...

Saturday 2/15/03 8:00am Kiwanis Park. Remember how we thought we would take a cruise down Lindsay? Forget that. Sections of Lindsay look like a bomb went off on it. We're still headed to the Hog Trough for breakfast, we're just gonna come at from another direction. We're taking a loop down to Riggs Road, mileage options 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Food stop Home Town Buffet, northwest of Warner and Evergreen.

Monday 2/17/03 8:00am Kiwanis Park. A holiday ride (if you don't have the day off, call in sick!!). We head out on Saturday Cycling's version of Round the Mountain. A loop counterclockwise around South Mountain. One route, 43 miles, with three pit stops. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, southeast of Chandler Blvd & Rural.

Saturday 2/22/03 8:00am Kiwanis Park. Somebody who missed our jaunt by the St. Francis Cemetery asked for a repeat that ride, so off we go. This one's a climber's ride, with three climbs for both the standard and advanced routes (but we can show you how to cheat if you want to dodge some or all of them!) 26 miles or 36 miles. Breakfast at JB's, northeast of Southern & Dorsey.

Tid bits...

Tomorrow, Sunday 2/9/03, you have a LOT of cycling opportunities. As always, we have our Sunday gang Spin Cycle heading out from Desert Breeze park at 8am. You also have the Laveen Country Challenge taking place in (duh) Laveen, which a whole bunch of our Saturday group is headed to. Or, if neither of those works for you, go WATCH some of your friends strut their stuff in the Honeywell Hungry Dog Criterium race in Ahwatukee. Location is north of Elliott & 51st Street. First race off is the Juniors at 8am, and then races run all day with the Pro's off at 2:30pm. PMBC (that's us) is sponsoring a couple of the women's races and our prez Bob Beane will be hosting a table at the race site, talking up our association. If you want to lend a hand, he could use some help and company through out the day.

Ride safe.

White Sands Missile Range is hosting two unusual bicycle rides this spring. The first will be a mountain bike ride to Hembrillo Battlefield on March 8. The second will be the range's "First Ever" Century road ride on April 12. They are NOT races.

The Hembrillo Battlefield is in the San Andres Mountains on the missile range and was the site of a clash between the Apache and U.S. Army in April of 1880. The Apache were led by Chief Victorio, while Capt. Henry Carroll led two companies of "Buffalo Soldiers" from the 9th Cavalry.

The route is essentially an out and back -- up Hembrillo Canyon and back. It covers mixed terrain but is mostly rough and rocky, two-track road with stretches of gravelly canyon bottom. The total ride distance is about 18 miles with an elevation gain of 1,100 feet.

At the end of the canyon there is a short walk on a trail up to an interpretive sign overlooking the main battlefield.

The March 8 ride will cost $25 per rider and the deadline for registration is Feb. 28 with NO day of event registration. The cost covers a shirt and lunch.

Because of the logistics of driving uprange at White Sands, the ride will be limited to the first 125 people to register.

The century ride on April 12 is actually a little more than 100 miles. In driving the route, range officials measured it at approximately 108 miles.

This ride will begin and end in the town of Tularosa. Participants will ride onto the missile range and ride a large loop on internal paved roads covering a large portion of the Tularosa Basin. It is estimated that there is less than 2,000 feet of elevation gain on the route.

One attraction for this ride will be the sparse traffic found inside the missile range. Except for government support vehicles, riders will see very few other trucks and cars.

Riders will check in between 7 and 8 a.m. at the start point and must be off White Sands by 6 p.m.

The cost will be $25 per participant with the registration deadline being April 4. There will be no day of event registration.

Each rider will receive a souvenir shirt. Water, energy drinks and fruit will be available at the 26, 50 and 79 mile points. Lunch will be provided at the midpoint.

For both rides no cameras or spectators will be allowed on the route. There are other stringent rules for riding on White Sands so participants are urged to read the appropriate flyer carefully.

The century registration form can printed off the website at http://www.zianet.com/vinyard. Contact White Sands Outdoor Recreation at (505) 678-1713 for all forms or additional information. For information about the routes, contact Jim Eckles at (505) 678-1134.

Eighteen riders decided it was a good day for a training ride, little did they know it was going to be two kinds of training - wind and flats. We made our way to Harrah's Casino today, and guess what, breakfast was actually the fastest thing out there today, and that's pretty incredible knowing Harrah's track record. On the way out, we had a head wind pretty much the whole way. Several groups formed, with all making it to Harrah's safe and sound. On the way back the pack was smaller (only in number, I think a couple of us grew during breakfast - except for Ron, but that is a different story), with a few wanting to get home before the wind really picked up. Our route back had a nasty side wind and just to make it interesting, Bruce from Colorado decided he wanted be the rabbit.

This is where our tale becomes a little interesting. On the way out, we had two flats (Zach and Dave). Just when we were about to catch Bruce the rabbit (that is his nickname now), Tim had a flat. This was his back tire, and I started the clock with our new record on the line, and believe it or not, he changed the rear tire in 3:31, with a regular pump I might add. So we were off, and about 2 miles later, Tim gets another flat, and Gary does too just so Tim doesn't feel lonely. This time Tim had a flat on the front tire, and since it is the one and only front tire I've clocked, he has the record for that tire as well, 3:15, again with a regular pump (it would have been faster, but his regular pump busted and he didn't want to use one of those wimpy CO2 cartridges so he borrowed Roger's pump). Ok, we were off again, chasing the rabbit, and Gary gets another flat (rear again, but he did find a nice little piece of wire). During this episode, Tim noticed his front tire going flat again, so decided to take off and beat the air (I believe you can inflate your tire going 120mph, but don't believe he got that fast). So we picked up Tim a little ways down the road trying to patch his front tire.

We were getting close to town, so Dave and I decided to chase the rabbit (wasn't sure if Bruce knew his way). Off we went, into the wind (can you hear us panting...). Just about to the park, we spot the rabbit, and as we were about to catch him, Dave gets a flat and yells to me, catch the rabbit, catch the rabbit...

Off like the wind (head wind that is), and on Rural and Galveston (1/2 mile from the park), I catch the rabbit (and yes, I was panting). So, did you add them up, 8 flats in one day. Hopefully none of the turnaround riders experienced any. Only thing I can say is Ron, on his new Carbon Giant did not get a flat (didn't I say, get a new bike and you don't get flats!!!!!). My new motto - If you flat, get a new bike - think I can get any kickbacks from the bike stores?

Ride Schedule

2/9 - Ohcotukee Loop - off to Ocotillo, down Queen Creek and then to Ahwatukee for some hills. Mileage options of 35 and 45 with moderate to a lot of hills. Breakfast at Good Egg.

2/16 - Tour de Lehi - See the thriving metropolis of Lehi and get in 35 or 40 miles, all mostly flat with a couple of sprint hills. Breakfast at Neighbors.

2/23 - Tour around Mummy - taking the new around Mummy Mountain route, mileage options of 35 or 40 miles, with several hills and one big one. Breakfast at some new place (I just need to find it and then I'll let you know)...

Lastly, Bruce the Rabbit gave this web address for any riders interested in "Ride the Rockies", http://www.ridetherockies.com/. He also said he would provide room and board and all the free beer you can drink (not really, but it sounded good...). :-)

Have you ever wondered how your talent as a bike enthusiast could be used to help low-income or homeless individuals in your community? The answer to that question is simple, volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul in the Shifting Gears Bike Repair Apprentice Program.

Shifting Gears is a mentoring program which invites low-income youth of the Phoenix area to come learn to repair bikes twice a week for four weeks. On the fifth week, the participants are allowed to choose a bike of their own to work on and take home. With the bike, the participants receive a helmet, lock and light.

Not only does the program seek to build responsible, well rounded teenagers, but the end result of the participants' and mentors' hard work are numerous fixed bicycles which are given to homeless individuals through St. Vincent de Paul's Ministry to the Homeless, as a mode of transportation, to and from work.

According to Aaron Heilbrun, one of the mentors for the Shifting Gears Program, "[the program itself] is a laudable contribution to Phoenix. It encourages the kids to work towards a goal and see it through to its end". Many of the kids who participate in the program not only need something to do after school, but also, role models to be examples for them.

So, if you have a knack for fixing bikes and would like to give some of your time back to the community, please contact Marie at 602-261-6855 to become a part of the Shifting Gears program.

Hi All!

We had a few racer wannabes off doing the Usery Pass Time Trial this morning, but still managed to pull in 65 riders. (If you did the time trial, write and tell how things went, for the benefit of those of us who plan to live vicariously through you this racing season-- and best of luck in the Usery Pass Road Race tomorrow!) But back to the story of South Mountain. Bob Beane managed to make it just a couple of miles out on the course before ripping the heck out a tire. A dollar bill boot was created, and he was soon back in the ride. This was still better than Buddy, who demonstrated why we ask that you wear your helmets when in motion on your bike in the parking lot at the start point. (Buddy says no harm done, with the exception of a bruised ego and possibly a bent spoke.) Jack Graham celebrated his last Saturday as a young fifty-ish kinda guy (he turns 60 this week) by showing the rest of us how it's done by going up to the towers. (Happy B-day Jack!) We had a rider, Ann, visiting us from Minnesota. Says she can't wait to go home and tell her cycling buds back there that she ate breakfast outdoors and the sun was a little too warm! (We encouraged her not to tell, else the few people left who have not moved from Minnesota to Arizona will promptly do so!) Living in paradise is a tough job.

Coming up...

Saturday 2/8/03 8:00am Kiwanis Park. We head north through ASU and by the Town Lake, then east onto the McKellips Loop. Mileage options 28 miles or 37 miles, both with a little gentle climbing. Breakfast at Neighbors Cafe, northwest of Alma School and Guadalupe.

Saturday 2/15/03 8:00am Kiwanis Park. Ride off all that chocolate you ate on Valentine's day by heading out on the Lindsay Loop, which takes us to the southeast. Options of 26 miles or 36 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at HomeTown Buffet, northwest corner Warner and Evergreen.

Monday 2/17/03 8:00am Kiwanis Park. Got the day off? If not, can you play hooky? Another holiday adventure ride awaits us. Before it gets incredibly hot and toasty (which could be really soon at the rate we are going!) we take on Saturday Cycling's version of Round the Mountain. A loop ride counterclockwise around South Mountain. One route, 43 miles, but we'll have three stops and encourage our standard riders to join in. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, southeast of Chandler Blvd & Rural.

Tid bits...

Our lost and found pile now includes a water bottle, tall, says "McDowell Desert Classic Duathlon 2001". Some one in our pack dropped it on the road down from the towers this morning.

Next Sunday (2/9/03) is one the classic rides in this area, the 11th Annual Laveen Country Challenge. Starting and finishing in the town of Laveen, this ride offers great rest stops (hmm... homemade cookies!) and a BBQ after the ride. Proceeds benefit the youth of Laveen. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do so online, at http://www.active.com or see the ride's website for more details at http://www.lensenet.com.

Ride safe.