We had 27 riders take on Tour de Mesa, which has been re-named to Tour de Flat. More about that later. We had 2 new riders today, Scott and Vanessa, welcome. Our group kept together for most of the ride, except Joel got a flat, or should I say 2 before the first regroup. However, we didn't know, so make sure you yell "flat" when you get one. We made it to the first regroup without much fan fare, and then were off again when Ron got a flat 1/2 mile from the regroup. Then we were off again for a good mile when Ed got a flat. We managed to go another 6-10 miles before Vanessa flatted.

At the second regroup, a few decided to get some extra miles around Las Sendas. While the smart riders started to head for cooler weather. Looks like Patty got 2 flats while heading home, heard there was lots of fun with the tires. While the Las Sendas group was heading home, Renetta was commenting to Stacy about not getting flats with those gator skin tires and not 2 seconds after that comment, she got a flat. Oh, how could I forget, our lead man Joel, getting his third flat and just heading home. Looks like you get flat head of the week honors. Nine flats in one day, must be some type of record.

Oh, comments of the day, not sure if I got the quote right, but Gary was talking about tire inflation during one of the flats saying "high pressure, low volume", and then something about that being the opposite for Neal (i.e., "Low pressure, EXTREMELY HIGH VOLUME"). Ok, I might have embellished a little there. Everyone have a great week.

Ride Schedule

Saturday 7/3/04 11:30am to 1:30pm. Tour De France Social! We gather to watch the opening day of the tour. Location is The Vine in Ahwatukee, southeast of 48th St & Warner. General consensus is that the Prolog will air several times on OLN... we're aiming for the 11:30 to 1:30 broadcast.

7/4 - Sunday 4th of July 6:30 AM - What is more patriotic than a trip to downtown and visiting the capital? Mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, with some minor climbs on the long route. Breakfast at Wildflower on Guadalupe & McClintock since Smoothie King is out of business.

7/5 - Monday 7/5/04 6:30am Saturday Cycling riding from Kiwanis Park will host a ride. For many people, this date is a holiday... so of course we'll host a ride! Come work off all those hot dogs from the day before... with a revisit to the Piestewa Peak Pedal adventure. Mapped route options are 38 miles or 48 miles, both with some climbing, but this is an easy route to shorten to whatever your legs (or other bodily parts) are in the mood for. Breakfast is IHOP, southwest corner Apache & College.

7/11 - Sunday 6:30 AM - We'll try the Milk Run or options route. We'll check construction first, but mileage options of 36, 38, 40, or 44 miles, all flat. Breakfast at WildFlower at the Chandler Mall.

7/18 - Sunday 6:30 AM - We'll do Tempe Mountains even though the mountains are in Phoenix/Scottsdale. Mileage options of 38 or 45 miles with the longer route having some hills. Breakfast at US Egg on Mill and Baseline.

7/25 - Sunday 6:30 AM - McKellips Loop. Let's do some wind training and then eat at Neighbors Cafe on Guadalupe & Alma School. Mileage options of 34, 39, or 50 miles, all mostly flat.

Hi All!

We had 82 riders appear at the park this morning. To bring the group size down into a slightly smaller gaggle for our departure, we had a ladies team of about 25 ride out first... much to the entertaiment of the day workers lining the street in Guadalupe. The guys quickly followed (that would be the male cyclists... not the day workers!) and all headed over for our traditional wander amidst the Foothills. The breakfast stop at the new-ish Atlanta Bread Company provided plenty of cool seating for all and some great bakery items.

Coming up...

Saturday 7/3/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. A new route... the Roundabout Ride takes us around town blending several of our familiar routes into a new loop. Perfect recipe for losing people out of the pack! Mileage options 25 miles with no climbing, 35 miles with a couple of climbs. Breakfast is Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 7/3/04 11:30am to 1:30pm. Tour De France Social! We gather to watch the opening day of the tour. Location is The Vine in Ahwatukee, southeast of 48th St & Warner. General consensus is that the Prolog will air several times on OLN... we're aiming for the 11:30 to 1:30 broadcast.

Monday 7/5/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. For many people, this date is a holiday... so of course we'll host a ride! Come work off all those hot dogs from the day before... with a revisit to the Piestewa Peak Pedal adventure. Mapped route options are 38 miles or 48 miles, both with some climbing, but this is an easy route to shorten to whatever your legs (or other bodily parts) are in the mood for. Breakfast is IHOP, southwest corner Apache & College.

Saturday 7/10/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. If you are not headed to the cool White Mountain Tour, head to the park for our own version... Tour de Lehi. Trees, flowers... just have to use your imagination for the weather. Route options 27 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. We'll take advantage of the smaller crowd and head to USEgg for eats, southwest of Baseline and College.

Tid bits...

Lots of people giving good comments about the rebuild of the section of Riggs from SunLakes to I-10. Here's a bit of info you might find interesting from Reed Kempton, who actually makes a celebrity appearance in our pack occasionally:

"The cattle guard on Riggs just east of I-10 has an experimental design that a special ADOT committee is trying. The group includes ADOT, MCDOT, two manufacturers, and others. The rail sections are bolted together with a set gap of ¼ inch. The south half uses spacers between the rails. The north half uses double-nutted all thread. This is a test project to evaluate if one method works better than the other. The intent is to prevent the rail sections from separating far enough for a bicycle tire to drop into and still allow for the removal of the rails for routine maintenance. We are also evaluating methods to retrofit existing cattle guards. Let me know if you have any questions about the project."

Reed Kempton, Bicycle/Multi-Model Planner, Maricopa County Department of Transportation

Office: 602-506-1630 email

Ride safe.

We had 19 riders take on Around and up the original mummy mountain route. Happy Fathers Day to all those fathers out there. We also welcomed one new rider - Jonathan to the ranks. We started off slow and stayed that way today, which was good, because my legs are still feeling the affects of being on vacation on climbing hills in Maui. Gary won the first sprint up King of the Hill. I think he is un-defeated on this hill - but the one week wonder tried to give him a run for his money (Carter that is). Me - I made it up the hill which is all I could muster.

The second and third hills were won by me and then Larry - with Gary stretching his legs at the end while I rode lantern rouge (John or should I say Mr. Sloth Vader - you would be proud of me today). Ok, time to go to bed, everyone have a great day!

Ride Schedule

June 27 - 6:30 Start Time - Tour de Mesa - see the sites of Mesa with mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, and maybe a little more depending on the heat. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels.

Special Club invitation.... Saturday 6/26/04 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Summer social!! The club gathers at Mike and Jo Anne Klein's abode for eats, laughs, and watching of the flick "Tripletts of Belleville". Eats and drinks will be provided. Address is 1408 E. Palomino Dr. in Tempe, which is on the north side of Warner between Rural and McClintock. From Warner, halfway between McClintock and Rural, turn on north Dorsey Lane. Follow Dorsey, when you see the cull de sac on the left, the road curves to the right and becomes Palomino. They are the fourth house on the left after the cull de sac. Phone 480-491-2717.

Hi All!

Free food. What a crowd those words draw! We had 94 riders head out on our quest for vittles this morning. Due to a limited number of un-demolished roads, the pack headed back down to the newly completed section of Riggs, eastbound this time... and all agreed it rides just as nice in that direction. We were joined at the restaurant by our Sun Lakes group and the crowd made a bit of a dent in the buffet line. For those "soon to be new members" who didn't get a membership application this morning, you can get one here.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/26/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We head to the hills... of Ahwatukee. Mileage options 24 miles with no climbing or 34 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast is the Atlanta Bread Company, southeast corner 56th & Elliot.

Saturday 6/26/04 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Summer social!! The club gathers at Mike and Jo Anne Klein's abode for eats, laughs, and watching of the flick "Tripletts of Belleville". Eats and drinks will be provided. Address is 1408 E. Palomino Dr. in Tempe, which is on the north side of Warner between Rural and McClintock. From Warner, halfway between McClintock and Rural, turn north on Dorsey Lane. Follow Dorsey, when you see the cul de sac on the left, the road curves to the right and becomes Palomino. They are the fourth house on the left after the cul de sac. Phone 480-491-2717.

Saturday 7/3/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. A new route... which usually results in great fun seeing how many pack members we can lose along the way! The Roundabout Ride takes us, well, round about. Mileage options 25 miles with no climbing, 35 miles with a couple of climbs. Breakfast is Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 7/3/04 11:00am to 1:00pm. Tour De France Social! We gather to watch the opening day of the tour. Location is The Vine in Ahwatukee, southeast of 48th St & Warner. We are checking on the broadcast time... confirmed details regarding start time pending.

Monday 7/5/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. For many people, this date is a holiday... so of course we'll host a ride! Come work off all those hot dogs from the day before... with a revisit to the Piestewa Peak Pedal adventure. Mapped route options are 38 miles or 48 miles, both with some climbing, but this is an easy route to shorten to whatever your legs (or other bodily parts) are in the mood for. Breakfast is IHOP, southwest corner Apache & College.

Tid bits...

Experienced rider rolls up behind a gaggle of maybe not so experienced riders. He calls out to them "Hey kids, two up, please!" Blank looks from the riders in front. As with any sport... we have our own lingo. That rider was reminding the others that we are to ride no more than two abreast. "Two up, tight to the right" is our theme song. Whether you are riding with 8 or 80 other riders, your entitled space on the road does not change. We earn the respect of the communities we ride through by riding safely, legally... and by looking like we are having a heck of a lot of fun while we are at it.

Ride safe.

A little belated, but what the heck, I was on vacation. Thanks Neal for leading the group and sending a story...

glen

We had a nice ride with 28 signed up--although it seems there were more. Had one known new rider, Tom, who did well in tennis shoes.

Anticipating a SE Valley issue we warned of possible road closures. The Hunt highway is still not open at Lindsay--we all found out. But, guess what it was the perfect way to regroup all the riders with a one mile cul-de-sac.

The group stayed en masse almost to Higley. It was an impressive long snake going down the road and even the stops and starts went well. People must have read Arle's scolding to accelerate slow to save the rear folks still clipping in.

Gary won the freeway overpass sprint as could be expected. Mike tried valiantly up the second overpass but was no match-as we all know but it is the effort that matters.

We detoured off the route when Gary and Neal decided staying off Chandler as long as possible would be a good thing. Dutifully following the signs to the 202 we came up lower Kyrene only to find a nice new yellow gate. We all received our El Tour training as we dismounted and went around. (Carter of course showed he is the skinny one of all and went between the gates).

Finished at Wildflower.

Ride Schedule

June 20 - 6:30 Start Time - Fathers Day Ride - Tour Around Mummy with the original hills added in. Mile options of 35, 40, or 45 miles with slight, some, and a lot of hills respectively. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels.

June 27 - 6:30 Start Time - Tour de Mesa - See the sites of Mesa with mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, and maybe a little more depending on the heat. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels.

Hi All!

We had 75 riders turn out for our romp 'round town this morning. A bit of bike envy developed in the parking lot pre-ride when Ty appeared with his brandy new carbon Bianchi... sweet lookin' machine. Off we rolled into the perfect weather, with a number of riders immediately opting for the shorter route in the hope of having energy to burn on the climbs. Many varied and creative versions of the route later, all met up at Brueggers for bagels and bragging.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/19/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. A loop to the southeast with options of 25 miles or 35 miles, then to HomeTown Buffet in Chandler, northwest corner Warner & Evergreen, for our quarterly club breakfast. Free eats for all PMBC/GABA members, $7 for non-members. If you will be joining us just for the breakfast, plan to reach the restaurant about 8:30am. Note... if you have a club jersey, please have it somewhere in the proximity of being on your body for this ride.

Saturday 6/26/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We head to the hills... of Ahwatukee. Mileage options 24 miles with no climbing or 34 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast is the Atlanta Bread Company, southeast corner 56th & Elliot.

Saturday 6/26/04 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Summer social!! The club gathers at Mike and Jo Anne Klein's abode for eats, laughs, and watching of the flick "Tripletts of Belleville". Dinner will be provided, BYOB. Address is 1408 E. Palomino Dr. in Tempe, which is on the north side of Warner between Rural and McClintock. From Warner, halfway between McClintock and Rural, turn on north Dorsey Lane. Follow Dorsey, when you see the cull de sac on the left, the road curves to the right and becomes Palomino. They are the fourth house on the left after the cull de sac. Phone 480-491-2717.

Tid bits...

After many years of riding with groups of cyclists, there are certain sounds that just speak to your heart. The sound of dozens of cleats clicking in together when starting up from a stop. The whir of drive chains in motion and the buzz of Campy cassettes coasting. Then there are a few sounds that set us on edge. The dry clattery sound of a un-lubed chain. The high pitched chirping of rear chain rollers dying of neglect. Road bikes are not self-sustaining. They need TLC on a regular basis, particularly in our dry dusty climate here in the valley. Each week, before you come to ride with us on Saturday morning, take 10 minutes to prep your bike. If you like living on the edge... you can do this Saturday morning before you head out the door, but the more Zen in pack find it works better if you prep Friday evening.

At the very least... do two things:

1. Check and air your tires. To check them, just give them a slow spin. You are looking for cuts, worn spots, things embedded, etc. Then air your tires up to pressure. Riding on tires that are under pressure not only sets you up for pinch flats, but also greatly increases the effort it takes to make them go round and round.

2. Wipe your chain down with a cloth, then re-apply whatever your lube of choice is. If done weekly, this step takes about 3 minutes. If not done, skipping this step will suck the life out of your bike and your legs. If you know zilch about lube, speak up, we have a number of experienced riders in the pack who are experts on matters of lubrication. :-)

Ride safe.

Yahoo, we had 32 riders head for the hills today, as in Ahwatukee hills. A little warm, but overall a great ride. I even managed to get 2 of 3 sprints today, with the Mighty Monkey Gene getting the other! We encountered only one flat today by Tom, but part of my tread came off so I booted it while we were stopped. I took a couple of pictures during the ride, so I apologize to anyone who has a dial up connection and this email takes a long time to download.

I'll be out of town next week and Neal will be leading the ride. I'll be thinking of all of you while in Maui, well, maybe not...

Words to the wise - news flash, it's getting hot out there. While I'm no weather man (but I think I could do the job here in AZ), this is the time of year to especially keep yourself hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after a ride, and try and mix in some type of sports drink that will replenish your minerals. End of public service announcement.

Ride Schedule

June 13 - 6:30 Start Time - ROUTE Change - Germann - Hunt Loop, mileage options of 33 or 42 all flat miles. Breakfast at Wildflower. Route changed since Saturday Cycling is doing the same ride on Saturday.

June 19th - We will hold our second Quarterly General Membership Meeting and Breakfast of 2004 on Saturday June 19th in conjunction with Saturday Cycling from Kiwanis Park. Breakfast is FREE for all PMBC/GABA members, $7 for non-members. The meeting will be at the Home Town Buffet, northwest corner of Warner & Evergreen in Chandler. We'll start serving breakfast at about 8:30 AM. The meeting will follow shortly after. Riders can either ride from Kiwanis with Saturday Cycling or join us at the restaurant at about 8:30 AM.

June 20 - 6:30 Start Time - Fathers Day Ride - Tour Around Mummy with the original hills added in. Mile options of 35, 40, or 45 miles with slight, some, and a lot of hills respectively. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels.

June 27 - 6:30 Start Time - Tour de Mesa - See the sites of Mesa with mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, and maybe a little more depending on the heat. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels.

Hi All!

We started the day with a air quality advisory and a heat advisory. Perfect day to go for a bike ride! Or at least we had 65 riders think so. Our trek to the south was a bit warm, but what's a little sweat between friends? The newly completed section of Riggs Road is suhweet... wide, smooth, bike lines... the works. Now if we can just get them to come back and sweep up the last bits of gravel! The advanced group went with the theory that the faster they rode, the shorter the time they would be in the heat (not a bad concept) and they arrived at the breakfast stop shortly after the standard riders. Well, all arrived there less Bill J and our fearless prez Kathy Mills... who had their own little private breakfast at the OTHER Villlage Inn. (Maps... we hand them out for a reason, ya know!)

Coming up...

Saturday 6/12/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The St. Francis Loop takes us on a loop across the north part of town. Mileage options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with 3 moderate climbs. Breakfast is Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 6/19/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. FREE FOOD!! It's time for our quarterly ride/breakfast meeting. We'll be riding a loop to the southeast (hopefully something that dodges all of the construction) and then to HomeTown Buffet in Chandler, northwest corner Warner & Evergreen, for free eats and brilliant, engaging words from our officers. Breakfast is free for all PMBC/GABA members, $7 for non-members. If you will be joining us just for the breakfast, plan to reach the restaurant about 8:30am.

Saturday 6/26/04 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We head to the cool (?) hills of Ahwatukee. Mileage options 24 miles with no climbing or 34 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast is the Atlanta Bread Company, southeast corner 56th & Elliot.

Saturday 6/26/04 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Summer social!! Thanks to Mike and Jo Anne Klein who have offered up their home for our movie night. More details on this event to follow... but pen this into your calendar cuz it will be the place to be that evening!

Tid bits...

How do you survive the summer heat on your bike? Some tricks of the trade to keep your body temp down:
• Get out in the heat a couple of times mid-week to keep yourself acclimatized.
• Drink cool fluids while you ride... whenever we stop for regroups, top off whatever hydration system you are using with ice.
• Keep the sun from shining on your skin directly. You can do this by wearing a long sleeve shirt or by slathering sunblock on heavily.
• If you must stop, such as for a flat, seek shade. If there is no shade, use your friends as shade. (They can at least be useful while they stand around and critique your tire changing skills!)
• We try to gear (pun intended!) our summer rides so that you will be back to the park by 10:30 at the latest... and get yourself home into a cool shower by 11:00. Keep hydrating in the hours following the ride. If you are losing more than a couple of pounds of body weight during your morning ride with us... crank up that drinking. (The only activity in your life where you are encouraged to drink heavily!)

Ride safe.