We had 20 riders today, as we tackled Tour de Mesa. Nice day to ride, as we kept it together for the most part, until the top of the climb. A couple did extra miles are Las Sendas and then we took the "Express Train" down McKellips. Our breakfast chatter was funny - with Tyler questioning Neal's membership in the "man club". No, it isn't what you think, see, he doesn't have a working BBQ and apparently doesn't like to use one. Tyler was completely appalled.

Ride Schedule

Remember - Start time for June and the rest of the summer is 6:30 AM - yes, I heard you groan Carter.

6/4 - 6:30 AM - NOTICE NEW START TIME FOR JUNE - Tour de Scottsdale - Flat ride to Scottsdale, mileage options of 40 or 44 miles. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels on Rural & Ray road.

6/11 - 6:30 AM - Metro Mania - hit all the east valley cities. Mileage options of 36 or 45 miles, all flat. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels on Rural & Ray.

6/18 - 6:30 AM - Tour de Queen Creek - we'll see what the roads have in store for us this time, with mileage options of 35, 38, 40, 44, or 50 flat miles. Breakfast at Wildflower at the Chandler Mall.

6/25 - 6:30 AM - Tour de Mummy Backwards - do the original route backwards - mileage options of 37 miles with slight climbing or 50 with a lot of climbing. Breakfast at (I guess it's a secret for now.)

July 8th and 9th are the dates for this years White Mountain Tour. If you are not already signed up, there is still plenty of room for you. We still need a few volunteers who can help with registration, parking directors and SAG stops help. Registration and parking directors will be able to participate in the ride if they like. If you, or a significant other, or friend will be tagging along this is a great way to have your Saturday evening dinner provided for you (as a minimum base of compensation). If you or someone you know would like to help, contact Jay Stewart, or evenings till late night at 480-250-1613

Hi All!

The pack's favorite romp, the Mummy Mountain adventure, brought us 88 riders this morning. The herd was reduced by two shortly into the ride when one of the tandem captains lost a pedal, leaving his stoker to earn her keep by powering them back to the start. The rest of the crowd continued north, with part of the group peeling off to enjoy a casual paced roll through the neighborhoods, gawking at the high end homes. The long route riders headed out to follow the twists and turns around the extended loop... with a few wandering off to find their own path. Coming back down thru Tempe we were turned away from Mill Ave due to the "other" bikers being there, with the Orange County Chopper show being in town. Most of our riders eventually found their way to Brueggers, where the breakfast chatter ranged from the correct use of the terms "biker" and "cyclist" to Ron Waller's explaination of the true meaning of the term "kiss the wall".

Coming up...

Monday 5/29/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. A holiday romp, on your "other" bike... your commuter, your tank, your MTB, your single speed, your cruiser, your 'bent, your skates. Bring your non-cyclist family and friends. Lehi Loop with route options of 24 miles or 32 miles, with a max speed of 18mph for all riders, or you can roll straight to the breakfast stop (10 miles round trip), which will be at I-HOP, southwest corner of College & Apache.

Saturday 6/3/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! South Mountain, with route options of 28 miles with gentle climbing, 40 miles with moderate climbing, 42 miles with lots of climbing. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & 56th/Priest.

Saturday 6/10/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Tour de Mesa gives us a romp to the northeast, with route options of 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

A message from our president (that would be PMBC prez Jay Stewart, not Dubya):

"July 8th and 9th are the dates for this year's White Mountain Tour. If you are not already signed up, do so now. We still need a few volunteers who can help with registration, parking directors and SAG stops. Registration and parking directors will be able to participate in the ride if they like. If you, or a significant other, or friend will be tagging along this is a great way to have your Saturday evening dinner provided for you (as a minimum base of compensation). Contact Jay Stewart or evenings till late night at 480-250-1613."

And our last installment about riding in the summer heat. With all the other things to remember, this one sometimes gets over-looked. To survive riding with us through the hot months, you need to take steps to keep your core body temp down when you ride. You can do that keeping the sun from striking your skin directly. Counter as it might seem, wearing a long sleeve shirt of a breathable fabric can actually help keep you cool. Another type of barrier against the sun is a sunblock lotion applied liberally to your "tops", anyplace the sun beats down on... your quads above your knees, your calfs, your lower face, your arms if you are baring them. When you stop, for regroups or flat tire clinics, seek shade. If there is no shade, make your friends into a shade wall. (They're going to stand around and critique your tire changing skills anyway, you might as well make use of them!)

Ride safe.

We had 25 riders today take on the heat at around South Mountain. Did I mention this was a flat ride, with many flat sections of road, followed by some flat areas. Oh and guess what, we had our fair share of flats today. I believe it was 6, may be a new record. Overall a great day of riding, but with the heat already upon us, hydration is key. Make sure you keep yourself well hydrated and utilize some sort of drink supplement, whether that is Gatorade or some other sports mix to keep your electrolytes and sodium up. Right Carter!

Ride Schedule

5/28 - 7:00 AM - Tour de Mesa - mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, with some climbing on the longer route. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels at McClintock & Guadalupe.

5/29 - 7:00 AM - Memorial Day Ride - MEET LOCATION IS AT KIWANIS PARK IN TEMPE - Sue is leading a holiday romp, on your "other" bike... your commuter, your tank, your MTB, your single speed, your cruiser, your 'bent, your skates. Hawaiian shirts optional. We'll be doing a shortened version of the Lehi Loop with route options of 24 miles or 32 miles, with a max speed of 18mph for all riders. For the very laid back, you can roll straight to the breakfast stop if you want (about 10 miles round trip), which will be at I-HOP, southwest corner of College & Apache.

6/4 - 6:30 AM - NOTICE NEW START TIME FOR JUNE - Tour de Scottsdale - Flat ride to Scottsdale, mileage options of 40 or 44 miles. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels on Rural & Ray road.

Hi All!

Ah, summer. Why is it the hotter it gets, the more riders we have? We had 93 roll out of the park this morning... with about 87 headed in the wrong direction. The half dozen riders in the rear guard who selected the correct route briefly reveled in their unexpected spot as leaders of the pack, until someone in the lemming herd apparently noticed the sun doesn't normally rise in the north. The chase was on and the small lead out break-away group... maintaining a blistering pace of 14mph... was soon reeled in by the peleton. The head wind across McKellips was gentle, but it was enough to bring the group up to warp speed on the romp back in along Brown. For the third week in a row we had a rider encounter a bee, but it seems bumping into the sweet glow of a female brow isn't as offensive as the splatting into a guy's sweaty exterior... a gentle dance and then off, with no sting offered.

Coming up...

Saturday 5/27/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain (original route) offers mileage options of 27 miles with a couple of moderate climbs or 40 miles with some additional climbs. Breakfast Brueggers Bagels, northwest corner of Mill & 11th.

Monday 5/29/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. A holiday romp, on your "other" bike... your commuter, your tank, your MTB, your single speed, your cruiser, your 'bent, your skates. Hawaiian shirts optional. We'll be doing a shortened version of the Lehi Loop with route options of 24 miles or 32 miles, with a max speed of 18mph for all riders. For the very laid back, you can roll straight to the breakfast stop if you want (about 10 miles round trip), which will be at I-HOP, southwest corner of College & Apache.

Saturday 6/3/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! We switch to our summer start time for June/July/August. Before the humidity makes it miserable, we'll make a dash to South Mountain. (Yes, it will be warm... you don't HAVE to go up to the Towers, ya know.) Route options 28 miles with gentle climbing, 40 miles with moderate climbing, 42 miles with lots of climbing. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & 56th/Priest.

Tid bits

A subject we've talked about before, but apparently need to chat about again. Your fellow cyclists don't want you to share your DNA with them. When riding amid others, spitting on them is considered poor etiquette. If you feel the need to launch a loogie into the universe, move to the outside of the line or pack, check over your shoulder... and factor in the wind... before hand. Note, snot rockets fall in the same category as loogies... in case there was any question there.

Back to the discussion about riding in the summer heat. Hydration is only a part of the equation. Your body needs fuel to process all of the water you are chugging. Calories, nutrients, vitamins, minerals... if you don't have them readily available... things are going to shut down quickly. Though we are a "breakfast" club, its important that you eat before coming out to ride with us and carry a snack or two to munch at the regroups. Make part of your fluid intake a sports drink (or diluted fruit juice with a pinch of salt added).

Ride safe.

We had 24 riders today ride on Mothers day. We also had 3 new riders, Martha, Margaret, and Matt. For the most part, a pretty gentle ride, except for the construction on Germann. We had everything today, broken shifters, flats, riders out talking Neal, it was amazing. What's more amazing is some of the conversations we have either during, before and after the rides. For example, we talked about politics, work, bike riding, racing, and seat positions. The last comment coming from a member of our group who is experimenting with different seat positions since his wife is not home. While I could go into more detail, I'll refrain since I'm blushing writing this .

Ride Schedule

5/21 - 7:00 AM - Around South Mountain - Mileage option of 50 miles for entire route, but you can choose to turnaround and make it any mileage option you choose - all flat miles. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Company on Elliot & Priest.

5/28 - 7:00 AM - Tour de Mesa - mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, with some climbing on the longer route. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels at McClintock & Guadalupe.

Hi All!

Our route to the south yesterday brought us 68 riders, with a couple more picked up along the way. For the second week in a row we had a rider skewered by a pissed off insect, with Ron "Buzz" McFadden living up to his nick-name by taking a very angry bee in thru a helmet vent. A bit more excitement was added to the adventure later in the route when the Jackie/Larry tandem train had a front blow out, and they risked going down with the ship. Our roll back in by the Firebird race track tempted off a few riders who stopped to watch the bicycle crit races being held there on the Bondurant track.

Coming up...

Saturday 5/20/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. The McKellips Loop, with route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, a couple of gentle climbs on each. Breakfast at Einstein's Bagels, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Saturday 5/27/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain (original route) offers mileage options of 27 miles with a couple of moderate climbs or 40 miles with some additional climbs. Breakfast Brueggers Bagels, northwest corner of Mill & 11th.

Monday 5/29/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. It's a holiday... and time for a beater bike brigade. This is the day for your "other" bike... your commuter, your tank, your MTB, your single speed, your cruiser, your 'bent, your skates. Bring your non-cycling friends and family... put them on something with wheels that is leg powered and we're good to go. We'll be doing a shortened version of the Lehi Loop with route options of 24 miles or 32 miles, with a max speed of 18mph for all riders. For the beach cruisers and skaters, you can roll straight to the breakfast stop if you want (about 10 miles round trip), which will be at I-HOP, southwest corner of College & Apache.

Tid bits

With our back to back bug adventures the last couple of weeks, Tom and Ron both demostrated a VERY import concept of cycling. No matter what happens, don't stop riding the bike. A bug sting is painful, and distracting, but don't lose focus on the fact that you are in motion on a bike. Crashing because you are dealing with an insect is going to sting a heck of a lot more than the original sting. Continue to steer, stay aware of your surroundings (other cyclists, cars, etc.) and get yourself safely stopped before dismounting to do the dance of the honey bee.

Just like the coming and going of the swallows, the departure of Roger Simmons to the east tells us the heat is upon us. Part two of our quest to cycle safely through the summer is water. If you are riding with us in the heat Saturday morning, you need to start thinking about hydration on Friday. Increase your intake of fluids the day before, add lots of fruits and veggies. Saturday morning when you get up, your body has now been without water intake for 8 hours (or 4 hours if you're Neal). Chug a glass of water before you roll out. During the ride, make a habit of drinking regularly, every mile or every so many minutes. When the pack stops for regroups, ice up... fill your bottles with ice, then top off with water. You'll drink more water if its cool than gacky hot. What's the best thing to drink? Whatever you will drink the most of. If you use a sports beverage, try it first when you are not on the bike to make sure it is drinkable and will not bother your tummy. When you finish the ride, as soon as you are off the bike... hydrate. You need to quickly replace the fluids you have lost, and the sooner the better for muscle recovery.

Ride safe.

We had 27 riders today. We also had 3 new riders in Martin, Rudy, and Tim join us today, as well as recovering cyclist Judy. Glad to see you back on the bike. Our group did the flat Tour de Lindsay flat ride today. Did I mention it was flat, or was it we had a lot of flats. Oh well. Other than that, we stayed together for the most part and kept the pace up pretty good.

Ride Schedule

5/14 7:00 AM - Mother's Day ride - Germannalupe route - short ride, mileage options of 33 or 42 miles all flat. Breakfast at Wildflower at the Mall.

5/21 - 7:00 AM - Around South Mountain - Mileage option of 50 miles for entire route, but you can choose to turnaround and make it any mileage option you choose - all flat miles. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Company on Elliot & Priest.

5/28 - 7:00 AM - Tour de Mesa - mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, with some climbing on the longer route. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels at McClintock & Guadalupe.

Hi All!

Our climber's special this morning brought out 64 riders to take on the challenge. Most conquered the three climbs, with a few opting for creative scenic bypasses. The lead group did an excellent job of looking like a skilled pace line on their roll across Rio Salado, thanks to our recent bike training camp. Mr. & Mrs. O'Leary appeared to ride with us adorned in lovely matching yellow Stinger jerseys, which apparently were quite attractive to the real thing... resulting in Tom receiving a wasp sting on the leg on the romp up McDowell. (Or at least that was his version of why he was not on lead at the crest of the hill.) Shortly after we arrived and completely over-flowed Brueggers, we were joined by a pack from the other cycling club here in the valley, ABC. There were plenty of bagels to go 'round and we managed to do a quick shift change on the seating.

Coming up...

Saturday 5/13/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Tour de Sue takes us south to one of the few open road romps we have left to play on. Route options 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & Priest.

Saturday 5/20/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. The McKellips Loop, with route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, a couple of gentle climbs on each. Breakfast at Einstein's Bagels, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Saturday 5/27/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain (original route) offers mileage options of 27 miles with a couple of moderate climbs or 40 miles with some additional climbs. Breakfast Brueggers Bagels, northwest corner of Mill & 11th.

Monday 5/29/06 7:00am Kiwanis Park. It's a holiday... and our last romp before the summer hours kick in. You're done with the big rides for the spring, it's too early to prep for the fall rides... and it's gonna be warm. Which means? Time for a beater bike brigade. If you are in training, watching your body fat, counting your heartbeats... stay in bed. If you can put all of that aside for one morning, and remember that it is just plain silly fun to pedal a bike sometimes, this is the romp for you. Bring your "other" bike... your commuter, your tank, your MTB, your single speed, your cruiser, your 'bent, your tricycle. Goofy clothing is suggested, extra points if you don't wear one speck of Lycra. We'll be doing a shortened version of the Lehi Loop with route options of 24 miles or 32 miles, with a rev limiter of 18mph for all riders. Breakfast after at I-HOP, southwest corner of College & Apache. You will be required to consume more calories than you burned on the ride, butter shots for everybody!

Tid bits

In answer to a question posed this morning, yes, we do indeed ride all summer long. Cycling in the heat isn't an issue, if you prep for it. For the next few weeks we'll be chatting about how to do that. What can you do now? Acclimatize yourself. Get yourself outdoors, even for a few minutes, every day. If you spend your week going from your chilly house to your cool car to your cold office... you are going to have a problem on our hot Saturday morning rides. Your body is a wonder, a superb piece of equipment, that knows how to adjust to the change in temps... but your job is to let that happen. Go outside for a few minutes on your lunch hour, go for a stroll or pedal in the evening after work, drive around sometimes without your a/c blasting. Our riders that bike commute daily rarely have issues as the summer comes on, because they are exposing their bodies to hot conditions gradually as the heat rises.

Ride safe.