We had 32 riders take on the heat and Ahwatukee and we dominated - ok some dominated. Our pack made it's way around the map without anyone getting lost, even though I tried to make some last minute changes which I didn't even follow. Looks like Gary won all of the marked sprint points, while I am still the king of the unmarked sprint points. Just think, next week is a new ride, so all kind of new sprint point bonus opportunities for me. Oh, for honorable mention, Gene wanted me to let everyone know that he got 4th up the last hill - way to go Gene - are you embarrassed yet. If not, let me know and I'll try harder next week.

Just one comment for the group - while I know everyone wants to stay together, we do need to make sure that we obey all traffic signs, signals and rules of the road. So, if you get caught on a red light - please stop. We're a recreational group, and although we have a few sprints, it is nothing to get yourself hurt on, so please obey all traffic laws.

Ride Schedule

Friday 7/4/03 6:30am Kiwanis Park - Please note - KIWANIS PARK - It's a holiday, which of course means you should be out on your bike! Join us for another of our adventurous holiday rides. We blend the SatCycling and Spin Cycle packs for a group journey to downtown Phoenix on the Tour de City. Mileage options 35 miles, or 45 miles with some climbing. (If you are wondering how you get climbing on a tour to downtown Phoenix, you'll just have to come along.) Breakfast is Bruegger's Bagels, northwest of Mill & 11th in Tempe.

Sunday 7/6/03 6:30 Desert Breeze Park - Spin Cycle is 2 years old - so come celebrate with a new route - Metro Mania. We are going to see how many cities/towns we can hit in one ride. Map still being detailed, but route options in the 35-45 mileage - mostly flat with maybe a couple of gentle climbs - no sprints - I promise. Breakfast at Smoothie King

Sunday 7/13/03 6:30 Desert Breeze - Time to do the Tour around Mummy. Mileage of 35 or 40 miles with some climbs and one big hill if your interested. Gary and Ron are tag team ride leaders for the next two weeks so be gentle - aaahhh heck - give them a hard time. Breakfast at Pete's Grill in Tempe.

Sunday 7/20/03 6:30 Desert Breeze - McKellupleloop - Down to McKellupes with many loops. Mileage of 34, 39, or 50 mostly flat. Breakfast at Crackers since it is Ron's favorite.

Sunday 7/27/03 6:30 Desert Breeze - Milk Run - or better known as Options Tour. Mileage of 36, 38, 40, or 44 miles - all flat. I'm sure there is construction as well, but we'll figure it out. Breakfast at Wildflower at Chandler Mall.

Hi All!

Our Saturday Cycling road bike and motocross team (we'll get to that in a minute!) was led out of the park today by our "Masters", riders age 50 or more. This category turned out to be at least half the pack, with a few riders hesitating as they didn't want to admit that they belonged in that group. Most of the route was un-eventful, except for the lucky line following the leadership of Danny and John. They offered up a little creative route riding to dodge some upcoming construction and led their faithful team along an ever narrowing and eventually vanishing strip of asphalt. Hey, what's a little dirt between friends? Needed to clean those chains anyway. Ruby's Diner offered up plenty of open tables and cool a/c, making for a perfect breakfast stop.

Coming up...

Sunday 6/29/03 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse. Pool party and BBQ! (and a brief club meeting). The club is providing hamburgers, hot dogs, fixin's, and non-alchoholic beverages. You bring a side dish or dessert to share. Family and friends welcome. The clubhouse is located just northeast of Lakeside & Val Vista. Lakeside is the half street between Baseline & Guadalupe. As you head east on Lakeside away from Val Vista, turn left (north) into the first parking lot. Note, if you are BYOBing, no glass containers are allowed at the facility. Please RSVP so we have a head count for the BBQ to Sue Fassett.

Friday 7/4/03 6:30am Kiwanis Park It's a holiday, which of course means you should be out on your bike! Join us for another of our adventurous holiday rides. We blend the SatCycling and Spin Cycle packs for a group journey to downtown Phoenix on the Tour de City. Mileage options 35 miles, or 45 miles with some climbing. (If you are wondering how you get climbing on a tour to downtown Phoenix, you'll just have to come along.) Breakfast is Bruegger's Bagels, northwest of Mill & 11th in Tempe.

Saturday 7/5/03 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Tour de Sue takes us to the south, on either Queen Creek or Riggs. Mileage options 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast is Einstein's Bagels, northwest of Guadalupe and McClintock.

Saturday 7/5/03 11:00am to 1:00pm. The Vine. Yes, it's that time again. Following Saturday's ride we gather at the Vine in Ahwatukee for the traditional watching of the opening day of the Tour de France. The Vine is located on the south side of Warner, east of 48th Street.

Saturday 7/12/03 6:30pm Kiwanis Park. For the poor souls left in heat by not attending the White Mountain Tour, get yourself to the park and we'll think cool thoughts as we take the Tour de Lehi. Mileage options 27 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast is Bruegger's Bagels, northwest of Mill Ave & 11th.

Tid bits...

In today's ride report it was noted that after slogging through dirt and sand, a chain cleaning is in order. You do clean and lube your chain, right? As recreational riders, learning to maintain your bike is a part of the skills you need to be developing. (That and keeping the rubber side down.) Each week before you come out with us, air your tires and give your chain a spit and a polish (translate that as a wipe down and a lube). Leaving our Arizona grit on your chain and then riding it that way is a great way to shorten the life span of your equipment. If you need some instruction on chain care, see your pack leader, or you can wait till those riding around you point out that your bike sounds like a parrot being throttled.

Ride safe.

We had 37 riders today take on Lehi. The day started with the group singing happy B-day to me, which was very nice and loud. Once we got started, we made our way to our first regroup with everyone intact. After the first regroup, we had a flat tire, which required a little engineering to get it operational, so most of the group took off. The second group then took off and Ron received a flat right before the sprint hill on Horne (I think he planned that). Then our tandem with Nancy and Mike got the last flat before breakfast. Three flats for one day is plenty.....

Breakfast at neighbors was great. Our new riders for the day, Aaron and Renate joined us for their first Sunday breakfast - but we took it easy on them. However, we do have to point out that the purpose for stopping for breakfast is to have breakfast - not lasagna!!!!! - oh to each his own....

That's it for today, have a safe week.

Ride Schedule

June 29 - 6:30 Start Time - Ohcotukeeloop - Off to Ocotillo and then to Ahwatukee. Mileage options of 35 or 45 miles with a little to a lot of climbing. Breakfast at Good Egg, but if busy, we will go to the Smoothie King.

July 4th - FRIDAY - 6:30 Start Time - Special Edition Ride out of Kiwanis Park. Route is still being finalized with either a trip to downtown Phoenix or a Tour of the Cities. More details to follow, but expect various routes with gentle climbs and breakfast towards the end of the ride.

July 6th - Sunday - 6:30 Start Time - Sunday Spin Cycle is 2 years old - come celebrate with us. Route is being bronzed as we speak.....ok, as I write.....

Hi All!

The summer solstice brought us an absolutely gorgeous morning for a pedal. The pack apparently approved, with 97 riders filling the parking lot in preparation for our journey today. Quick decisions had to be made on route selections with the split between standard and advanced being made about 1/2 mile into the ride. The advanced group made their way east, passing Dobson High, and the traditional broken beer bottle strewn road in front of the school. (Rumors have started that the glass is stratigically placed in the bike lane on Friday nights by employees of local bike stores to crank up bike tube sales.) The climbs later in the ride split the group down into several divisions; the climbers, the sloggers, and the by-passers. Thanks to Mike Litecky and Val Horton for leading out the standard pack.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/28/03 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We head to the southeast with a couple of loop options, either on McQueen or Val Vista. Mileage options 25 miles or 36 miles, no climbing. Food stop is Ruby's Diner at Chandler Mall, northwest of Frye & Price. (Hmm, milkshakes for breakfast!)

Sunday 6/29/03 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse. Pool party and BBQ! (and a brief club meeting). The club is providing hamburgers, hot dogs, fixin's, and non-alchoholic beverages. You bring a side dish or dessert to share. Family and friends welcome. The clubhouse is located just northeast of Lakeside & Val Vista. Lakeside is the half street between Baseline & Guadalupe. As you head east on Lakeside away from Val Vista, north left (north) into the first parking lot. Please RSVP so we have a head count for the BBQ to Sue Fassett.

Friday 7/4/03 6:30am Stay tuned-- yes, we will be offering up a holiday ride for anybody who is up for it. Start point and details on the route to follow next week. (Which means we haven't figured it out yet!)

Saturday 7/5/03 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Tour de Sue takes us to the south, on either Queen Creek or Riggs. Mileage options 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast is Einstein's Bagels, northwest of Guadalupe and McClintock.

Saturday 7/12/03 6:30pm Kiwanis Park. You should be packing your bags to go see the pine trees on the White Mountain Tour on this date. If you aren't, get yourself to the park and we'll think cool thoughts as we take the Tour de Lehi. Mileage options 27 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast is Bruegger's Bagels, northwest of Mill Ave & 11th.

Tid bits...

You did not see a weekly update last Saturday. This is not because we have taken a dislike to you. It was instead a computer melt down, with loss of data. The SatCycling email bulk list has gone bye-bye. Today's sending is going out to 101 lucky ducks whose addresses have been restored. Considering the prior list had 240 riders on it, we are missing a few people. If you have friends who ask about the update, please suggest that they send their email in to Sue Fassett to be added back to the list.

Do you know where your front wheel is? Yes, hopefully, when you are in motion on your bike it is attached to your front fork. But where is it in relation to the rest of the world, in particular to other cyclists? When you ride amid others, your front wheel is your life. Guard it. Stay aware of how close it is to other wheels. Take care to not overlap the rear wheel of a rider in front of you. If they shift their line for any reason, and their rear wheel clips your front wheel? One of our college physics profs could probably explain the forces, but the short story is you go boom.

Ride safe.

We had 21 riders today take off for the Father's Day Ride - Happy Father's Day to all the dads. Our route to Germann & Hunt was filled with twists and turns and the usual construction, followed by the lead group not following the map. Oh well, you can send them to school to read and write - but you can't get them to read a map (wow, did that rhyme?).

One way or another, everyone found their way back to the regroup at Albertson's. A few of us took on the long route and saw a few sprints over Queen Creek and 56th Street bridge - won by a new rider "Dog". Actually an old rider (old as in been at the ride a lot, not age - well, he is getting up there), which he was affectionately called during Breakfast. Speaking of Breakfast - Wildflower was unusually busy - but we found a chair and decided to harass the new rider Heidi, telling her all newbies buy breakfast the first time. She didn't go for that, but "Dog" did comment on her "Honey Buns" (i.e., putting Honey on her bread - geez, I know what you was thinking).

That's all - everyone have a good week and a good Father's Day.

Ride Schedule

June 22 - 6:30 Start Time - Tour de Lehi - Off to the town of Lehi and through Mesa. Mileage options of 35 or 40 miles with one gentle "sprint climb". Breakfast at Neighbors Cafe.

June 29 - 6:30 Start Time - Ohcotukeeloop - Off to Ocotillo and then to Ahwatukee. Mileage options of 35 or 45 miles with a little to a lot of climbing. Breakfast at Good Egg, but if busy, we will go to the Smoothie King.

Yaaahoo - 32 riders today - our most in a very long time. Must be the early morning start, or as a few pointed out, that I wasn't riding. Either way - a good crowd.

I was the Sag vehicle today, making sure all of the lost souls returned to the pre-arranged meeting areas. There was even dissent at the start of the ride that the map was incorrect, However, that was quickly reversed as I explained how to actually "READ A MAP" - luckily for me it was correct this time. Ok, just having a little fun here, I did burn a whole 81 calories in my truck today, so I have a little extra energy to burn on the keyboard.

The group stayed together for the most part until the first regroup. We had one group take on the 50 mile edition and another take the 39 mile trek. I saw one sprint bonus today won by Gary, but no other worthy stories other than the tailwind going down University that got the speed up a bit. Must be the new bike Gary got, or knowing he was going to Crackers for Breakfast and couldn't wait - must have been the breakfast...

Seventeen riders, actually 15 riders and my son and I had breakfast - enjoying the conversation of one another and the WOW sites. After that comment at the restaurant, I was "chastised" by boiling coffee - sorry Phil - still couldn't remember what it was - divine chastity??? - OK, enough of the code words - breakfast was great. It was nice to see so many people make it out today - those that haven't ridden in a while - you know who you are - and some new folks - Darlene, Steve, Mary, and Ken - welcome.

Lastly - I would like to say goodbye for the summer to Randy, who will be going to Utah for the summer to help his son. Have fun - send us an email or two so we know how to harass you from a distance...

Ride Schedule

June 15 - 6:30 Start Time - GermannHunt Loop - Head down Germann and then back on Queen Creek. Long route down Queen Creek and up Chandler - Mileage options of 33 or 42 miles. Breakfast at Wildflower in Chandler Mall.

June 22 - 6:30 Start Time - Tour de Lehi - Off to the town of Lehi and through Mesa. Mileage options of 35 or 40 miles with one gentle "sprint climb". Breakfast at Neighbors Cafe.

June 29 - 6:30 Start Time - Ohcotukeeloop - Off to Ocotillo and then to Ahwatukee. Mileage options of 35 or 45 miles with a little to a lot of climbing. Breakfast at Good Egg, but if busy, we will go to the Smoothie King.

Hi All!

Well, that was a bit of wild ride. Our early start time and offering up one of the pack's favorite routes brought us 89 riders this morning for our journey to Mummy Mountain. The front half of the pack musta been makin' some noise as they went along, because when the rear of the pack passed the zoo the howler monkeys on monkey island were raising such a ruckus we could hear them out on Galvin Parkway. (Maybe sensing some of their own passing by??) The lead group also stirred up the wildlife as they made their way around the mountain, leaving in their wake a bewildered snake to be encountered by Jack as he rolled around a corner trying to catch the field. Thanks to all of our regular riders who lent a hand in keeping things flowing along this morning!

Coming up...

Saturday 6/14/03 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We take in the Foothills of Ahwatukee with route options or 24 miles with no climbing or 34 miles with some moderate climbing. Breakfast at Perkins, northeast corner Chandler Blvd & 54th St.

Saturday 6/21/03 6:30am Kiwanis Park. A scenic ramble around on some of the local "climbs" on the St. Francis Loop. Mileage options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with climbing (or you can bypass them if ya want). Breakfast is JB's, northeast of Southern & Dorsey.

Saturday 6/28/03 6:30am Kiwanis Park. A loop to the southeast by way of McQueen or Val Vista, mileage options 25 miles or 36 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Ruby's Diner, Chandler Mall, northwest of Frye and Price.

Sunday 6/29/03 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse. No, this is not a night ride, but you can pedal to it if you want. It's our quarterly eating and meeting thing. Instead of a breakfast ride meeting, this quarter we are offering up a BBQ and pool party meeting! Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse is just northeast of Val Vista and Lakeside. (Lakeside is the half street between Baseline and Guadalupe). As you head east on Lakeside away from Val Vista, turn north (left) into the first parking lot. There's a beach style pool, sand volleyball, etc. The club will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, fixin's, and non-alcoholic beverages. You bring a side dish or dessert to share. Family and friends are welcome to join in! Please RSVP so we have a head count for the BBQ to Sue Fassett.

Tid bits...

For many years in this state we have dealt with the dangerous and sometimes deadly issue of mixing cattle guards with cyclists on our roadways. We have an opportunity to take some action to further the goal of reducing this problem. The following note comes to us from the president of the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists:

***************

ADOT would like to get a committee together to study cattle guard problems for bicyclists, and to identify potential solutions for ADOT facilities. If you may be interested in being on this committee, or can identify an individual who is knowledgeable in this area (it doesn't have to be a government person), please e-mail me back, and I will forward your name to our Roadway Design Group, who will be heading up this committee. Thanks in advance!

Bill Lazenby-Vice President
Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists
P.O.Box 54488
Phoenix, AZ 85078-4488
[602] 493-9222
Email

***********************

Ride safe.

Hello all,

We had 26 riders today take on the heat and Tempe Mountains. We had several new riders today, Barry, Frank, Barry, Maria, and some guy named John. You may remember this "some guy named John" as he originally started the Sunday Spin Cycle ride. Welcome back John. I was also impressed with so many riders making the new 6:30 start - well done gang...

Ok, new route, new map - old problem - map wasn't correct. Oh well, we didn't want to change everything overnight did we? We took off and headed down Guadalupe when our new guy John gets a flat. So in typical spin cycle fashion we all stopped and either chatted or helped fix the flat. As John was straining to fill that tire up to 120PSI - the tube exploded. Now that Ron, Gary, Randy, John, and I are all deaf, we proceeded to apply another tube. During this adventure, we noticed that John's tires hadn't been ridden in a while (there was a lot more harassing - but this is a family newsletter), and hence, couldn't hold air. So we gave him about 50PSI and sent him home packing...Just kidding, John decided it was best to go back and get some new tires and meet up with us on the way back. However, being in fine Spin Cycle Fashion, John does get Flat Head of the Week, in addition, he set the new world record for the size of hole he put in his brand new tube. Lastly, John (wow, aren't you glad you came back!!!) you get the dubious honor of fixing the flat in 13 minutes and 29 seconds. While I'm not sure it is the highest we have ever had, it was the most entertaining.

Our new route treated us to Rio Salado, with a slight down hill we picked up the pace to 27-30mph in a few sections. Then we started the hills. Gary got the first king of the mountain points on Galvin Parkway - with Colin saying a few "nice" words as he went by. Then we had the McDowell Mountain, and I believe Gary got those points as well. The Curry KOM points I believe goes to Neal and Larry - with a hard charging Gary coming up.

Off to breakfast we went, with another new adventure, Smoothie King. Overall, I believe it was great, the drinks were cold and the place air conditioned. After sitting for a while and everyone dreading getting back on their bikes in the heat, Maria jumps up and says, "bye, my ride is here!". Needless to say, there was a little harassing going on for getting a ride - even though we had a lengthy 1/2 mile ride left to the park.

Ride Schedule

June 8 - 6:30 Start Time - MckellupeLoop - heading off to Tempe and then trying the wind tunnel of McKellips. We will have three route options - 34, 39, and 45 with gentle climbs. Breakfast at Crackers.

June 15 - 6:30 Start Time - GermannHunt Loop - Head down Germann and then back on Queen Creek. Long route down Queen Creek and up Chandler - Mileage options of 33 or 42 miles. Breakfast at Wildflower in Chandler Mall.

June 22 - 6:30 Start Time - Tour de Lehi - Off to the town of Lehi and through Mesa. Mileage options of 35 or 40 miles with one gentle "sprint climb". Breakfast at Neighbors Cafe.

June 29 - 6:30 Start Time - Ohcotukeeloop - Off to Ocotillo and then to Ahwatukee. Mileage options of 35 or 45 miles with a little to a lot of climbing. Breakfast at Good Egg, but if busy, we will go to the Smoothie King.