Thanks to Neal for leading the group the last two weeks. Here is his report.

Easy ride touring the Tempe Mts (McDowell climb) with a route that had way too many signal stops. The Lawyer broke his saddle chasing Skater up Oak. A new rider joined us, Kevin, who hopes to become a Sunday regular. Had a large gathering for breakfast at US Egg!!

Club Information:

The long awaited jersey order has arrived. If you pre-ordered and didn't pick up your jersey this morning, you can pick them up next Saturday morning or if you paid for postage it will be mailed to you this week. If you want a jersey and did not pre-order one, the extras will be up for sale next Saturday morning at Kiwanis Park or check the web site for an order form. First come, first served, $50 a jersey.

Ride Schedule

7/3 6:30 AM - Tour de Queen Creek - route miles for everyone from 35 - 50. All flat - breakfast at Wildflower cafe.

7/10 6:30 AM - Tour around Mummy - not the original, not backwards, but around. Some hills on the longer route, 35 short, 40 long. Breakfast at US Egg.

7/17 6:30 AM - Milk Run - all flat miles in the cow country, from 36 - 44 and everything in between. Breakfast at Wildflower Cafe.

7/24 6:30 AM - McKellupe Loop - do some wind training on McKellips and back. Mostly flat miles, options of 34, 39, or 50 miles. Breakfast at Bogies Clubhouse at Ken McDonald Golf Course (McClintock between Guadalupe & Elliot).

7/31 6:30 AM - Ohcotukee Loop - to Ocotillo and then to Ahwatukee. Mileage options of 35 miles with no climbing or 50 with. Breakfast at Brueggers Bagels & Chandler Blvd. & Rural.

If you've ridden a mountain bike on the Pemberton Trail in McDowell Mountain Park, Saturday June 18th was an opportunity to try it in the dark, as the park rangers offered a "Mountain Bike In the Moonlight" ride. I did this once before a couple of years ago and enjoyed it so much I thought I'd do it again. But this was also an opportunity to show off my new novelty gadgets: "Hokey Spokes" (more on that later).

The Maricopa Park an Recreation Department says the Pemberton Trail is not very technical. I have to wonder what their criteria is. Now admittedly, I'm no hot shot mountain cyclist. But I think that it has a couple of challenging sections including a short steep rocky hill you must climb immediately after riding through a sandy wash at the bottom. At any rate, negotiating this trail in the dark presents its own challenges. I recommend riding this loop at least once in the daylight before attempting it in the dark.

When I left my home in Fountain Hills, the outside temperature was still in the upper nineties and I wondered what kind of turnout there would be. Indeed, as I left town on McDowell Mountain Road, there were no other vehicles in sight, leading me to wonder if I'd be the only participant. My fears were put to rest once I arrived at the parking area where the armadas are – the lot was filled with cars and there must have been close to a hundred cyclists.

Unfortunately, there was a least one lady who showed up with a hybrid bike and a L.E.D. headlight that was really not suitable for trail riding at night. Fortunately, the ranger, Crash Marusich (don't ask me how he earned that moniker - maybe his parents just had a warped sense of humor), along with a more experienced cyclist, dissuaded her from attempting to do the ride – she reluctantly headed back to her car.

I can't stress enough the importance of having adequate lighting for trail riding. I highly recommend using a helmet mountain system as it gives you the most flexibility when dealing with constantly changing terrain. My old Nite Rider system was barely adequate, not so much because of its lighting ability which was more than adequate, but due to the difficulties of mounting the headlight on my handlebars. The varying contours of the bars on my Trek Fuel and limited real estate made it almost impossible to mount the light, and when I did, I was unable to aim it where I wanted. Fortunately, one of the bulbs throws out a wide "floodlight" pattern that lit up my path.

But I also had something else: HokeySpokes! If you've never seen them, the best way to describe them is, they are an eye-catching novelty that are to bicycles what "spinners" are to SUVs. Basically, they are plastic blades that you attach to the spokes of your wheel. Each blade contains sixteen LEDS, all having the same color, red, green, yellow, or blue. But the cool thing about them is they are controlled with some electronics that enables them to display a variety of patterns as the wheel spins! Not only that, but if you mount more than one on a wheel, they all "talk" to each other and synchronize their pattern! But that's not all – you can even program them to display a message having up to sixteen alpha characters, much like those alarm clocks that display the time so that the numbers appear to float in the air. I thought the effect of spinning pinwheels, spirals, etc. would look cool in the dark as I rode along a ridge. Certainly, I would been seen from a long distance!

Now, I don't usually try out new stuff on a ride, but I broke my rule by putting my HokeySpoke on my mountain bike. It's one thing to ride with them on smooth pavement, but quite another on a rockey mountain trail where you're bouncing around. Because I wasn't sure how well they would hold up, I tried to keep my speed down and take it easy on the rocky sections. Fortunately, I had no malfunctions and they worked fine!

The ride itself began around 7:30. If you're going to do the whole 15 mile loop, its important not to delay much longer after that as you must complete the ride by 9:15. Now 1 3/4 hours is plenty of time to ride the Pemberton Loop in the daylight, but if you're new to riding in the dark, you will slow considerably. As it was, I made it back, barely, by 9:15, and a lot of riders were just finishing after I loaded my bike in the truck.

It is still light when you begin the ride. I rode the course clockwise, which meant that I had to negotiate a rather long rocky climb early in the ride. Fortunately, I completed this section of the course while there was still enough ambient light, so I didn't need my light. But not long after that, I stopped and the light show began.

It can be somewhat disorienting to ride on a trail at night. Familiar features take on a different appearance, it's easy to get off balance or to pick a wrong line in a climb or into a turn. You must be careful not to "outrun" your light, especially on descents or going fast on the flats. On top of this, all manner of critters come out at night, and it can be distracting to see a pair of eyes peering at you in the night, to see a snake in the trail or a jackrabbit suddenly cross your path.

But on this night there were a lot of cyclists out, and with their lights on it was easy to see where they were. I passed a number of people, most of whom were stopped, waiting for buddies or taking a breather. And I was passed by many, who were obviously more experienced and comfortable riding in the dark.

At one point I lost control. In an instant my front wheel lost traction and I felt I was going down. I don't know how I did it but I managed to recover, but in that moment I bit hard on my tube of my camelback and the bite valve came off and fell out of my mouth. Not wanting to stop, I continued on as I was near the end. But I had to hold the tube with my teeth and press my tongue against the end to stop the flow of water. I was relieved to finally see the lights and the ramadas at the parking lot.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable ride and I look forward to doing it again next month. Check out the Maricopa County Park and Recreation website for dates of upcoming events: http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/mcdowell/.

Hi All!

The remains of the brush fire in the Mummy Mountain area made for a last minute route switch this morning. Our enthusiastic pack of 89 riders instead headed to Ahwafooty, giving us the alternate issue of dealing with debris covered streets resulting from the last few stormy days. Towards the end of the ride the buzz of cicadas (locust) sang us home, making us wonder how many other plagues we might encounter before the day was done!

Coming up...

Saturday 6/25/05 5:00pm till whenever. Pre-Tour de France Bash! The Kleins invite all to their abode for an evening of watching previous year's TdF events, socializing, sipping and supping. The club will provide eats and non-alcoholic drinks. You bring yourself and your family.

Saturday 7/2/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. St. Francis Loop, route options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with three moderate climbs. Breakfast at Bruegger's, Mill & 11th. Post ride, the pack gathers at the Half Moon Grill (southeast corner Elliot & Kyrene) for TdF broadcast from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Monday 7/4/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We'll reschedule the adventure to Mummy Mountain for our holiday ride. Don your red/white/blue and join us for the original route, 27 miles with moderate climbing, 40 miles with some additional climbing. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 7/9/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. If you are not headed to the White Mountain Tour, come join us for our home version of a tour to the northeast, Tour de Mesa. This is a route popular with our Sunday pack, also now known as the "Wen Wang Went Whump Woute". (Ya just had to be there.) Route options 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock or if you don't mind lots of company, Wildflower at the southwest corner of that intersection.

Tid Bits...

The long awaited jersey order has arrived. If you pre-ordered and didn't pick up your jersey this morning, you can pick them up next Saturday morning or if you paid for postage it will be mailed to you this week. If you want a jersey and did not pre-order one, the extras will be up for sale next Saturday morning at Kiwanis Park. First come, first served, $50 a jersey.

Ride safe.

I have returned from my third "Ride Around the Bear" and just as I expected, it was a grueling affair. As I sit here nursing my sore muscles (I ache all over) I'm glad I did the ride, but disappointed at my performance decline. My first ride around the Bear was back in 2001; I was in pretty good shape and my time of 6:52:42 showed it. I had recently completed a three day solo tour from San Jose to Los Angeles and still had some residual fitness left over. The last couple of years however has seen my training drop off, due to a variety of reasons – lack of motivation/direction/goals, work pressures, etc. The usual litany of excuses for not training.

Last year, the weather was warm and I delayed starting out on the course, counting on others to be out on the road ahead of me so I'd have cyclists to follow and not have to consult the route sheet. Unfortunately, by the time I started climbing, the Sun added to my misery. By the time I reached Running Springs, I was toast and decided that I could not finish the ride. I limped into the lunch stop at Big Bear Lake and had a sag vehicle take me up to Onyx Summit; from there, I finished the ride. So, my time of 7:13:35 was not an accurate indicator of my performance.

Before describing the ride, let me first describe the course. The Ride Around the Bear is a 100 mile event starting and ending in Sylvan Park in Redlands. This is not a ride for beginning cyclists nor for the faint of heart. There is over 9,000 total feet of climbing as you ascend the mountain up to Big Bear Lake and on to Onyx Summit (elev. 8400 ft). The descent back to Redlands is fast with a few twisty turns as you come back down off the mountain back to town.

The ride is put on by the Orange County Wheelmen and is well-supported. One of the interesting features of this event is no mass start. You are issued a bar code which you must affix to your helmet. You can leave anytime after the six o'clock start time – when you're ready to start, you simply have your bar code scanned before you begin and a computer keeps track of your start time. When you finish, you have your helmet scanned again and the computer announces your total elapsed time. A few days later the results are posted on the web.

The course begins with a gradual climb for about five or six miles, which helps to get your heart rate going and legs loosened up. Afterwards the road pitches downward and you have about five miles of fast downhill – its easy to maintain 30 mph along this stretch. But all too soon, you begin the climb up the mountain. The road is narrow with very little shoulder to speak of. You compete for a piece of asphalt with weekend traffic going up the mountain – like I said, this ride is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, the Orange County Wheelmen makes arrangements with the California Highway Patrol to keep an eye on both motorists and cyclists (you must carry a picture I.D.), and their visible presence goes a long way to maintaining order on the course.

The climb is long and relentless. Depending on your level of fitness and gearing on your bike, you can average anywhere from 5 – 10 mph for over 20 miles. Unless you're young and fit with an ego to match, I'd highly recommend using a triple chain-ring. On this ride there is no shame in using a "granny" gear. In fact, I saw (and was passed) by many other cyclists who were spinning with relative ease on their triples. I have a double on my bike and my lowest gear is a 39-24 combination. I wished I had a least a 27 tooth cog in the rear. You know you're in for a long day when you are in your lowest gear, your heart rate is outside your aerobic zone and you're spinning at around 30 rpm...

There are rest stops every 20 miles or so, and a couple of places where caches of bottled water are placed so you can refill your water bottles. You can use a Camelback or other hydration system, but I found that I can get away with two water bottles and simply stop at each rest stop and refill. This also affords you the opportunity to get off the bike and stretch. Each rest stop has plenty of food - cookies, bananas, nuts, trail mix, as well as Gatorade and water.

The lunch stop has pretty much the same snack offerings as the rest stops with the addition of fixings for making sandwiches. But you don't want to fill up too much on food as you still have another 1700 feet or so of climbing in eleven miles.

Once you reach leave Onyx Summit, you're treated to six miles or so of steep downhill riding. But you're not finished climbing. There's one more uphill pitch – about 700 feet in a mile or so. Beyond that there are few rollers and finally, the long descent from Angeles Oaks back into Redlands and Sylvan Park.

The weather on this ride can be unpredictable. Last year it was sunny and hot. This year, I awoke to a heavy mist. I climbed in fog until I reached 5000 feet and from there on it was sunny and nice. But on the descent back into Redlands, I was in clouds being pushed against the mountain by the prevailing winds. There were some thick patches which cut visibility, and caused a lot of moisture to condense on my sunglasses which required frequent wiping with my handkerchief as I was negotiating the windy road at 38 mph. The fast ride through the mist chilled me to the bone, as all I had were shorts and a light short sleeved jersey.

I finished this year's ride without having to be sagged, which was my goal. I had two things working against me: an extra 15 pounds or so of body fat and the gearing on my bike. I could only muster 6.5 mph on the climb to Running Springs and my heart rate was holding steady at 154 bpm, right on the edge of my aerobic zone. Despite the cool moist weather and frequent drinking, I experienced severe cramps on the outside portion of my right quad, during the climb to Onyx Summit. I had to stop frequently, dismount and stretch my legs. I tried to make up for lost time on the descent (I tend to be somewhat more aggressive on the downhills anyway), and I caught and passed several riders. But there was way too much time lost on the climb and the many stops I made to make up the difference. My elapsed time was 8 hrs 30 minutes and change.

If I'm going to do this ride again, and I probably will, I will have to shed at least 15 pounds and start training for it, probably in February. I will also need to install a triple. I think I am still capable of completing this ride in under 7 hours – I'd like to try it once again!

If you're interested in checking out the Ride Around the Bear and other events put on by the Orange County Wheelmen, here's the URL to their website: http://www.ocw.org/.

Hi All!

We had 85 riders pedal out from Kiwanis Park this morning, on our quest for free food at the club breakfast meeting. A quick romp to south was had, slowed only a bit by a head wind outa the east, and then we descended on the restaurant. We were joined there by the Sun Lakes group, and a handfull of assorted members who apparently wanted to save their energy for the eating by driving to the get together. The general membership meeting lasted exactly 10 minutes. (Our officers understand the attention span of the average cyclist is only slightly longer than that of a gnat.) Once reaching sufficient caloric over-load, the group rolled gently back to the start.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/25/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain, original route, 27 miles with moderate climbing, 40 miles with some additional climbing. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 6/25/05 5:00pm till whenever. Pre-Tour de France Bash! The Kleins invite all to their abode for an evening of watching previous year's TdF events, socializing, sipping and supping. The club will provide eats and non-alcoholic drinks. You bring yourself and your family.

Saturday 7/2/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. St. Francis Loop, route options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with three moderate climbs. Breakfast at Bruegger's, Mill & 11th. Post ride, the pack gathers at the Half Moon Grill (southeast corner Elliot & Kyrene) for TdF broadcast from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Monday 7/4/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. It's a holiday, which for us means another day to pedal! Don your red/white/blue and get yourself to the park. We'll ride somewhere and then eat. Details (as if they matter) to follow later.

Tid Bits...

For two years we have been tempted by the careful (read that as "slow") construction of a second ped/bike bridge spanning I-60 at Country Club Way in Tempe. After that long wait, the city snuck in a soft opening, taking the barriers down this past week. Following this morning's ride we took a small entourage for a christening roll over it. The bridge itself, and the parks on both ends of the access are gorgeous. The north access ramp is excellent... a gentle sloping, curving ramp. Perfect! The southern ramp has a flip around, hair-pin u-turn in the middle of it. They put in some "swing wide" room... but still probably will be a problem for tandems or long base recumbents on the climb up the ramp. Finding the bridge takes a bit of wandering about, but we'll see if we can work it into a future route so all can scope it out.

For those that missed the meeting this morning, here are the cliff notes:

Congrats from the club go out to Ann Chadwick for taking bronze at the national Senior Olympics! The Senior Olympic cycling events are open to all riders age 50 or over. The try outs for next year's event will be in February. If you have an interest in knowing more about this, Ann would love to chat you up about it.

Who ever said there is no such thing as a free ride? To promote our sport (that would be cycling... not power eating) PMBC will be offering a free event ride this fall. The event will be open to all cyclists, with no ride fee, free munchies and support provided. After all your fall charity rides are over, and your wallet is empty, this is the ride for you. Date of the event will be Saturday December 3rd, location in the Usery area. Details to follow as we figure them out. If anybody insists on giving us money for this event, it will go to the local Bunion Society (BS) fund.

And last, the high point of this meeting was, without a doubt, the appearance of Bob Bogle in our midst. Bob's life took a little unplanned journey due to a stroke some time ago. After many months of recovery and therapy, he took on the challenge of pedaling his bike the length of the parking lot to join us for breakfast this morning. That short ride was a incredible accomplishment for him and his conquering of it was celebrated by his friends who have missed him dearly. If you ever ride in the city of Chandler in a bike lane, it is there because of Bob Bogle. Welcome back, Bob.

Ride safe.

Ride Report from Neal - Thanks for leading again...

We had 24 riders for a nice tour of and to Queen Creek. Ride came out of moth balls from the Supreme Ride Leader - and it was very enjoyable. Had a two mile detour near Val Vista and Higley, but Randy had us plan ahead. Carter got the token flat on Power - a newly paved road.

About 12 stayed for food at Wildflower where we ran into the Sun lakes group. On the whole the route which was 51 miles received rave reviews, especially the Hunt Highway!!

Ride Schedule

6/19 - 6:30 AM Tour de Mesa - mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, with some climbing on the longer route. Breakfast at Einstein bagels on Guadalupe & McClintock.

6/26 - 6:30 AM Tempe Mountains - mileage options of 38 or 45 miles with some hills on the longer route. Breakfast at US Egg - Mill & Baseline.

Other Info:

Ya'll are invited! To what? To enjoy the "season of The Tour" with us. For the newbies in the group, the center of summer is our time to dream, to cheer, and to gather together to experience vicariously through our champions the unique event known as the Tour de France. This year's line up is as follow:

Saturday 6/25/05 5:00pm till whenever. Pre-Tour Bash! Mike and Jo Anne Klein have graciously invited all to their beautiful abode for an evening of watching previous year's TdF events on a couple of large screens, socializing, sipping and supping. The club will provide eats and non-alcoholic drinks. You bring yourself, your family, and be ready to get yourself cranked up for a grand tour season.

And then...

Post SatCycling gatherings on Saturday 7/2, 7/9, 7/16, and 7/23 to watch the tour! Location all four Saturdays is Half Moon Sports Grill, which is at the southeast corner of Elliott & Kyrene. Address: 325 W. Elliott Rd #104, Tempe. (Yes, since it's in Tempe, it is indeed a non-smoking facility! Woo hoo!) The club has reservations set for each of these dates from 11am to 2pm, the broadcast time is 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Details are still in the works for a final stage gathering on Sunday 7/24 in the evening. Stay tuned!

Hi All!

Those who have lived here in the valley for very long know weather like we were blessed with this morning is rare at this time of year. We had 85 riders turn out to take advantage of it. Our romp to the Foothills was the usual mix of creative route selections and unexpected pit stops as the thorn season continues to crank up. Newbie Jessica wowed the crowd by hanging in mid-pack on a tank of a hybrid. Another candidate for lead pack if she switches to lighter equipment! Following the carb and caffiene restocking at Atlanta, some of the pack headed onward and southward to take in the party on the soon to be opened new section of the 202 freeway.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/18/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. FREE FOOD! Our quarterly club ride/breakfast/meeting. Breakfast is free to all PMBC/GABA members. Pre-eat ride will be a loop to the southeast. Route options 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast is at Home Town Buffet, northwest corner of Evergreen & Warner in Chandler. If you are joining us at the restaurant, breakfast starts at 8:30am, meeting begins at 9:00am. Meeting ends at 9:01am (only somewhat kidding there!) If you have not yet joined the club, pick up an application any Saturday morning or get one here.

Saturday 6/25/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain, original route, 27 miles with moderate climbing, 40 miles with some additional climbing. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 7/2/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Opening day of Tour de France! We'll celebrate with our own version, Tour de St. Francis Loop. Route options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with three moderate climbs. Breakfast at Bruegger's, Mill & 11th. Following the morning's romp, the pack gathers at the Half Moon Grill (southeast corner Elliot & Kyrene) for TdF broadcast from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Monday 7/4/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. It's a holiday, which for us means another day to pedal! Don your red/white/blue and get yourself to the park. We'll ride somewhere and then eat. Details (as if they matter) to follow later.

Tid Bits...

If you attended the Payson ride, our lost and found pile has grown by one nice pair of Performance riding gloves. They just happen to fit the delicate hands of your rider leader... so we are giving this one call. If you wanna claim them, zip a note to Sue Fassett. Going once....

Keeping with the theme that you can just never have too many group ride options, we have a new weekly ride being offered up. Wednesday East Valley will be all levels, with regroups, offering 40 to 60 mile routes (but those could be shortened if you need to get back to the real world in a shorter time). Start point is the northeast corner of Val Vista and University. Every Wednesday, start time is 6:00am. Ride leader Tom Culp (602)509-5950.

Ride safe.

Here is the ride report written and led by Neal - Thanks, Glen.

Had 24 riders start out for the first 6:30 am ride. Thiago, (the ice cream man), and a friend from back east, Ryan, arrived just as we were to leave. The sight of the ice cream man hurrying to get ready and the many efforts to get his bike off the bike rack was a sight to behold.

We did reverse Mummy at a slow warm up for a few miles, but before the first regroup at Papago Park we lost our Bike Friday tandem. Shortly thereafter we had our first flat, which was kept secret from the ride leader who waited up the road. Then of course we met the bike path/ Pima road meeting.

Finally the pace picked up and we lost our first single riding female, Sue, by her design. At the church all were present and accounted for. It appears that reverse Mummy creates confusion. After the first section there was an informal regroup with at least 3 different arrival routes from people off the map. The last climb was to the top of Galvin. All received the "same time" and Mike retained the polka dot "jersey".

We had a large crowd at Einstein after relocating Sue near the always crowded US Egg. We even found the Supreme Ride Leader hobbling into Einstein. The Ice Cream Man tried to delay the departure with one final flat down McClintock.

Ride Schedule

6/12 - 6:30 AM Tour de Queen Creek. Bring back an old map around Queen Creek area. All flat 47 miles with breakfast at the Hanger Restaurant in the Chandler Airport.

6/19 - 6:30 AM Tour de Mesa - mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, with some climbing on the longer route. Breakfast at Einstein bagels on Guadalupe & McClintock.

6/26 - 6:30 AM Tempe Mountains - mileage options of 38 or 45 miles with some hills on the longer route. Breakfast at US Egg - Mill & Baseline.

Other Info:

Ya'll are invited! To what? To enjoy the "season of The Tour" with us. For the newbies in the group, the center of summer is our time to dream, to cheer, and to gather together to experience vicariously through our champions the unique event known as the Tour de France. This year's line up is as follow:

Saturday 6/25/05 5:00pm till whenever. Pre-Tour Bash! Mike and Jo Anne Klein have graciously invited all to their beautiful abode for an evening of watching previous year's TdF events on a couple of large screens, socializing, sipping and supping. The club will provide eats and non-alcoholic drinks. You bring yourself, your family, and be ready to get yourself cranked up for a grand tour season.

And then...

Post SatCycling gatherings on Saturday 7/2, 7/9, 7/16, and 7/23 to watch the tour! Location all four Saturdays is Half Moon Sports Grill, which is at the southeast corner of Elliott & Kyrene. Address: 325 W. Elliott Rd #104, Tempe. (Yes, since it's in Tempe, it is indeed a non-smoking facility! Woo hoo!) The club has reservations set for each of these dates from 11am to 2pm, the broadcast time is 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Details are still in the works for a final stage gathering on Sunday 7/24 in the evening. Stay tuned!

Hot weather arrives, along with a considerable "newbie" increase in Club riding attendance.

Interestingly, lots of the new folks coming out have very definite goals in mind, and not just the simple one of "riding a bike for the fun of it." Increasingly, we hear they just got a bike, and are joining us to "train for the Bunion Society Ride coming up next month." So, having not bothered to simply ride on their own, explore their neighborhoods for a month or two, these folks can (and do) show up for their first club ride, which, of course, they view as a "training ride" for the Big Event.

The mindset (or pre-mindset) of being "in training" presumes the idea of work, and serious work at that. After all, the "BS Ride is soon coming and I need to be ready." Thus, a new rider can immediately be faced with internally induced pressures he/she does not even remotely need, and which can be contrary to common sense.

"Well, if I fall behind, and can't keep up, I'm screwing up in my 'training,' and how can I do the BS Ride if I screw up?"

Advice: Take it easy on yourself. Your first few rides with a group are anything but "training." They're to merely have fun, take stock of where you are physically, and provide you with your own body's messages on how to reasonably adapt to the demands of a new activity you are interested in trying out. Don't go beyond that, because, if you do, you do so at peril to both your health and your potential for enjoying this great sport of cycling.

This is cycling we are talking about here, and intelligent participation in it alone is what you should be thinking about.

If you take the time to ask experienced cycling folks who are in great shape, took serious steps to get there, and who really are "in training," you'll find that they have adopted a very mature approach to their cycling progress--mostly very personal and always mindful of their physical limitations along the way.

If you take it easy, odds are that you will have far more fun at cycling. If you need to, think of it another way: The more fun you have, the longer you'll be cycling and be able to listen to all the sales pitches tossed at you to join these various "charity rides" anyway, so don't worry about missing any one particular ride in what has become an endless stream of fundraisers.

If the Big Event is your gig, you'll be able to enjoy a ton of them.

Your initial cycling experiences can be best served by not imposing additional artificial burdens upon yourself. Enjoy being in the club cycling routine, regularly ride on your own, be smart, and you will know soon enough all the things you can comfortably undertake--on your own timetable.

As a "newbie," next time someone approaches you about being "in training" for this or that mumbo jumbo event, be smart: Just say you're "a kid having fun learning about riding a bike again."

That common sense attitude, by the way, will probably get you wherever you want to be far more surely than all the "in training" nonsense. And, having fun, more than anything else, will more likely make you a long term cyclist, as opposed to a person who might become all too happy to run away from the sport once the "goal" of "riding in the Big Event" vaporizes.

Hi All!

What happened to our heat wave? We had 77 riders take advantage of a cool morning and head to South Mountain for our adventure. The gentle temps tempted some new and long time riders to set a quest for the Towers. Jack and Jan (not Jack's Jan... it was Charlie's Jan) proudly conquered the challenge, but kudos for the day have to go to Julie for honking up the hill on a 50 pound tank. If that gal switches to a road bike, all we'll see is the dust of her departure each week! Most found their way to SatCycling Central aka the Atlanta Bread Co for eats after and indepth discussions ranging from how to deal with being a stinky summer bike commuter at work to why all the gals like to take turns drafting behind a certain state champion's butt.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/11/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We head to Ahwafooty with route options of 24 miles with one short climb or 34 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner 56th & Elliot.

Saturday 6/18/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. FREE FOOD! Our quarterly club ride/breakfast/meeting. Breakfast is free to all PMBC/GABA members. Pre-eat ride will be a loop to the southeast. Route options 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast is at Home Town Buffet, northwest corner of Evergreen & Warner in Chandler. If you have not yet joined the club, pick up an application any Saturday morning or get one here.

Saturday 6/25/05 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Somebody asked for Mummy Mountain this morning, so here ya go. Original route, 27 miles with moderate climbing, 40 miles with some additional climbing. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Tid Bits...

Ya'll are invited! To what? To enjoy the "season of The Tour" with us. For the newbies in the group, the center of summer is our time to dream, to cheer, and to gather together to experience vicariously through our champions the unique event known as the Tour de France. This year's line up is as follow:

Saturday 6/25/05 5:00pm till whenever. Pre-Tour Bash! Mike and Jo Anne Klein have graciously invited all to their beautiful abode for an evening of watching previous year's TdF events on a couple of large screens, socializing, sipping and supping. The club will provide eats and non-alcoholic drinks. You bring yourself, your family, and be ready to get yourself cranked up for a grand tour season.

And then...

Post SatCycling gatherings on Saturday 7/2, 7/9, 7/16, and 7/23 to watch the tour! Location all four Saturdays is Half Moon Sports Grill, which is at the southeast corner of Elliott & Kyrene. Address: 325 W. Elliott Rd #104, Tempe. (Yes, since it's in Tempe, it is indeed a non-smoking facility! Woo hoo!) The club has reservations set for each of these dates from 11am to 2pm, the broadcast time is 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Details are still in the works for a final stage gathering on Sunday 7/24 in the evening. Stay tuned!

Ride safe.

We had 20 riders for Sunday and 46 for Mondays weekend riding. Sunday was pretty casual for the most part, taking a nice stroll through Riggs & Ahwatukee. Breakfast conversation went all over the board.

Monday saw a much bigger crowd taking in a nice cool morning. I heard we had 5 flats for the day. Only big news is Thiago telling me where he wants to ride next Memorial Day...

PLEASE NOTE - NEW START TIME FOR JUNE - 6:30 AM

Ride Schedule

6/5 - 6:30 AM Because Gene asked for it, reverse Mummy Mountain. Head to Scottsdale and do the original route backwards. Mileage options of 37 miles with no climbing or 50 with climbing. Breakfast at US Egg - Mill & Baseline.

6/12 - 6:30 AM Tour de Queen Creek. Bring back an old map around Queen Creek area. All flat 47 miles with breakfast at the Hanger Restaurant in the Chandler Airport.

6/19 - 6:30 AM Tour de Mesa - mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, with some climbing on the longer route. Breakfast at Einstein bagels on Guadalupe & McClintock.

6/26 - 6:30 AM Tempe Mountains - mileage options of 38 or 45 miles with some hills on the longer route. Breakfast at US Egg - Mill & Baseline.