We had 18 riders today do the second day of Mummy mountain, this time backwards. It is hard either way. Our group stayed pretty sane until Pima, then the speed dogs were let loose. Other than that, it was an uneventful day, except for the heat. Which, brings me to the next topic, staying hydrated is key during our summer heat, but making sure you have some type of sports drink in addition to water is key. I was victim to a little heat exhaustion myself Sunday, and part of what I missed during the ride was some type of electrolyte drink (like Gatorade, cytomax, you name it). I was in a hurry, and didn't have anything but water, and paid the price during the end of the ride. So, learn from my example, stay hydrated, but also add something to replenish what you are sweating out. I had drank 6 bottles of water during the ride, but still fell victim to the heat - don't be a Glen.

Ride Schedule

7/2 - 6:30 AM - Tour de Lindsay - route options of 40 or 54 miles, all flat. Breakfast at Bogies Clubhouse (Ken McDonald Golf Course) Guadalupe & Rural.

Tuesday 7/4/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. A holiday romp! Don your red/white/blue and head out on the Length of Lindsay route to the east with us. Route options 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast after at the Wildflower, northwest of Frye & Price (Chandler Mall).

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.

We had 22 riders out for a fathers day special - Tour de Queen Creek. As usual, we endured construction but as far as I can tell, everyone made it back, some in multiple pieces, but they made it back. The first part of the ride was nice and easy, then a small group of 4 made a light and it was time to catch the rabbits. They made it almost to Val Vista before they were caught, swallowed, and then left for dead on Hunt Highway - or maybe that was just me. The romp back was nice and smooth, except for that hole Randy nailed head on. He was only talking two octaves higher, but regrouped by breakfast. A race to the finish was fun and spirited, with a short cut to make things interesting - even though Marty came through at the end. Our guest from New Jersey did rather well, but was amazed when we said we couldn't wait for summer to get here - ok, it is here.

Ride Schedule

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 Einstein Bagels on Rural & Ray.

7/2 - 6:30 AM - Tour de Lindsay - route options of 40 or 54 miles, all flat. Breakfast at Bogies Clubhouse (Ken McDonald Golf Course) Guadalupe & Rural.

Tuesday 7/4/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. A holiday romp! Don your red/white/blue and head out on the Length of Lindsay route to the east with us. Route options 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast after at the Wildflower, northwest of Frye & Price (Chandler Mall).

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.

Paul Nichols, Jane Larsen, my sister Wendy Fletcher from Dallas and I took a few days over Memorial Day weekend to go credit-card bike touring in southern Arizona.

We drove down Friday morning. After lunch, Paul and Jane drove off to explore some potential bike routes near Willcox, AZ, while Wendy and I visited Kartchner Caverns. We met up at our hotel, the Windemere in Sierra Vista.

Saturday morning we loaded up our bikes with overnight gear and headed out for Tombstone and Bisbee. The first 9 miles were a wonderful downhill across the San Pedro River Valley following the Tombstone-Charleston road. Once we reached the river, it was all uphill from there into Tombstone. We spent a few hours visiting the Boot Hill Cemetery, watching the "Doc Holliday" festivities, and having lunch. By 1:30pm, when we left Tombstone, the wind was blowing 20-30mph, dogging our climb up Mule Pass. It was a 7-mile climb to the pass, followed by a screaming downhill. We didn't arrive in Bisbee and find our hotel until after 6pm. Total distance for the day was only 45 miles, but between the wind and the climbing, it was tough.

Sunday we did a short walking tour of Bisbee before heading back to Sierra Vista. We dropped down past the Lavender Pit mine and then headed west along SR92, with a good view of the Mexican border 3 miles to the south. It should have been a fast downhill to the San Pedro River, but that dang wind was right on our nose, and we had to pedal all the way. The climb back out of the river valley took forever, pedaling uphill and upwind at 5mph. All the way, we had a good view of the smoke from the forest fire, and as we entered the tree zone, rode past many "Minutemen" guarding their pickup trucks. When the road finally turned north, our luck changed. The last 9 miles were both downhill and downwind, reviving our spirits. We spotted the big flag outside the Windemere, and pulled in at 2:40, having covered 35 miles. Once again, a short distance that seemed much longer.

On Monday, we drove home via Elgin and Sonoita, AZ to visit Arizona's wine country. The winery had a funny T-shirt that read "Napa makes auto parts, Elgin makes wine." Funny, I thought Elgin made watches!

Despite the wind, we had cool weather every day –under 90°. Sierra Vista is about 4000', and Bisbee is at 5300'. Sierra Vista has many other ride destinations: Fort Huachuca, Coronado National Monument, Ramsey Canyon Hummingbird Preserve, Elgin, Sonoita, and Patagonia, etc.

You can read our full trip report and see the pictures at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/SierraVista200605.

Hi All!

We had 76 riders rise cheerfully (uh, most of them) to roll out into the gorgeous June morn today. Our route to the Foothills was the usual chaos of riders selecting every feasible combination of roads to get there and back. We some how managed to not lose the couple of out of town guests we had in the group, though we did successfully ditch Steve Fahrner in the hills. (Considering we can't out ride him, losing him was the only way to make it to breakfast before him!) A large portion of the pack decided today was a good day to stay around for eats, filling almost every seat the house.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/24/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. FREE FOOD! It's time for our quarterly membership meeting, which means breakfast is free to call PMBC/GABA members. The original Mummy Mountain route will lead us to the Home Town Buffet on Scottsdale Rd & Bellevue (between McKellips & McDowell). Ride with us from Kiwanis for route options of 27 miles with moderate climbing or 40 miles with additional climbs, or meet us at the restaurant at 8:30am for eats. Non-members are welcome to stay for breakfast for $7.

Saturday 7/1/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Opening day of Tour de France, and it's Team Kit Day for us! Come adorned in your favorite team jersey, local or pro,... even if you could only ride with them in your dreams. Route is St. Francis Loop with route options of 25 miles or 36 miles, moderate climbing on both. Breakfast is Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 7/1/06 11:30am to 1:30pm. Half Moon Grille in Tempe, southeast corner of Elliot & Kyrene. Following the Saturday morning ride, the tribe gathers to watch the TdF. Go Disco!

Tuesday 7/4/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. A holiday romp! Don your red/white/blue and head out on the Length of Lindsay route to the east with us. Route options 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast after at the Wildflower, northwest of Frye & Price (Chandler Mall).

Tid bits

Since this has come up two weeks in a row, maybe a bit of tire talk is in order. Our dry hot Arizona weather is incredibly hard on tire material. The rubber and what not they are created out of begins to degrade as soon as you put them on your wheels. If you store your bike in a garage or un-airconditioned storeroom (this comment has just made a number of the big dogs cringe just to read it!), your tires are "wearing" each time you put the bike away, dry rot can take a toll rather rapidly. Are you a seasonal rider? If you put your gear away for an extended period of time, you might want to consider new tires when you are ready to ride again. If you can't remember how old your tires are, if they look crinkly or crumbly along the side-walls, or if you bought them before your child was born and she just graduated from college... pop for some new rubber.

Ride safe.

Hi All!

We had 72 riders appear for our roll out to the northeast this morning. The group very rapidly broke down (literally, for at least one) into the "A" group, the "B" group, and the "F" troop. Not sure about that rear crowd, but at last count they had at least 4 flats, one dead tire, and Barry Manuel was gradually lightening up his steed by dropping bits and pieces of it along the way. The riders that had not done the roll back through downtown Mesa before were impressed not only by the fact that Mesa HAS a downtown area, but that it reflects a lot of art and interesting structures. Breakfast banter ranged from why guys look dignified with grey hair and gals just look older (sure guys, just keep telling yourselves that) to what the word is that describes somebody who is afraid of birds (featherphobics?).

Coming up...

Saturday 6/17/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The AhwaFooty loop takes us to the Foothills of Ahwatukee. Route options of 24 miles with one gentle climb or 35 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & 56th St.

Saturday 6/24/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. FREE FOOD! It's time for our quarterly membership meeting, which means breakfast is free to call PMBC/GABA members. The original Mummy Mountain route will lead us to the Home Town Buffet on Scottsdale Rd & Bellevue (between McKellips & McDowell). Ride with us from Kiwanis for route options of 27 miles with moderate climbing or 40 miles with additional climbs, or meet us at the restaurant at 8:30am for eats. Non-members are welcome to stay for breakfast for $7.

Saturday 7/1/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. In celebration of the opening day of the grand tour.. the Tour de France.. its Team Kit Day! Come adorned in your favorite team jersey... even if you could only ride with them in your dreams. Route is St. Francis Loop with route options of 25 miles or 36 miles, moderate climbing on both. Breakfast is Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Tid bits

In working with new cyclists, it sometimes helps to pose a question... why do you want to ride a bike? In other words, what are your goals? Do you want to gain fitness? Meet people? Be outdoors? Lose weight? Improve your mood? New riders often ask for input on how to get faster on their bikes, but they miss the point that increased speed may not actually be their goal. All of the benefits noted above can easily be attained by riding at a moderate recreational pace. Riding that way also removes the physical and mental stress that can come along with pushing yourself at a higher rate of speed. Relax, enjoy the day, there are enough things in life that put pressure on you already. Be Zen, grasshoppers.

Ride safe.

It was soo hot today. How hot was it, well, we started with 21 riders today, and finished with 20, one person actually melted on the road. Ok, I exaggerated a little, and only this time...We had 3 new riders today, Thomas, Patrick, and Tom. The chore of the day was finding shade and keeping hydrated. Juan got the sprint points over Curry, but Matt was determined to make that sprint difficult, picking up the pace way before to weed out the riff raff. Breakfast was entertaining as usual.

Riding tip for our summer months: - Hydration is key, not only during the ride (at least a bottle an hour), but the day/night before and morning of the ride, and after the ride.

Ride Schedule

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 heat (and pollution!) advisory reduced our usual summer throng to 71 riders. Some went with the theory that riding fast gets you to breakfast quicker, while part of the group took their time checking out the High Line Canal Path, which though slower, was a tad bit cooler than the asphalt on Baseline. A few hardy (fool hardy?) souls thrashed their way up to the TV Towers while others enjoyed the romp out to San Juan. A toasty head wind on the roll back made for great appreciation of the air conditioned chill at Atlanta. The breakfast visiting was cranked up a notch with the appearance in the crowd by Val Haynes, who left us sometime ago to get married and move to California. She hasn't found a club there yet to ride with... once you've been with the best... and all that.

Coming up...

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.

Saturday 6/17/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The AhwaFooty loop takes us to the Foothills of Ahwatukee. Route options of 24 miles with one gentle climb or 35 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & 56th St.

Saturday 6/24/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The ultimate Saturday... the pack's favorite route and FREE FOOD! It's time for our quarterly membership meeting, which means breakfast is free to all PMBC/GABA members. The original Mummy Mountain route will lead us to the Home Town Buffet on Scottsdale Rd & Bellevue (between McKellips & McDowell). Ride with us from Kiwanis for route options of 27 miles with moderate climbing or 40 miles with additional climbs, or meet us at the restaurant at 8:30am for eats. Non-members are welcome to stay for breakfast for $7.

Tid bits

What does the summer heat mean? (Other than the fact that its, uh, hot?) It means its almost Tour De France season! Though bike racing goes on around the world all year and occasionally we get to watch bits and pieces that are broadcast, July is the month that we are in pig heaven with hours of bike racing available for us to get our fix. We had such a grand time last year with our Saturday afternoons at the Half Moon Grille (Kyrene & Elliott), and they were so glad to have us, that we will be going back there again this year. Mark your calendars, the first 4 Saturdays in July, head for the Half Moon after our Saturday morning romp. Details on time are pending OLN announcing their broadcast schedule for those dates.

Ride safe.