We had 27 riders today ride on one of the coolest days of July. I'm glad the hottest month is behind us. We had several new riders today, Mike, Ralph, Eric, Mort, and Randy, welcome. Other than the humidity, it was a great day to ride. We rode the wind tunnel of McKellips like there was no wind. I believe everyone got a workout today, and if you didn't, you needed to pull more. Breakfast was great as usual at Bogies Clubhouse, with the normal chatter from our eclectic group.

Ride Schedule

8/6 - 6:30 AM - Tour de Queen Creek - Mileage options of 35, 38, 40, 44, or 50 miles all flat. Breakfast at Wildflower at the Chandler Mall.

8/13 - 6:30 AM - The Original Mummy Mountain route - By Ron's special request - route options of 35 or 45 miles, with minor climbing on the 35 mile route and a lot of climbing on the 45 mile route. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels on McClintock & Guadalupe.

8/20 - 6:30 AM - Metro Mania - Hit all the cities in the east valley - mileage options of 36 or 45 miles, all pretty flat. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels on Rural & Ray.

8/27 - 6:30 AM - Halfway Around the mountain - Head out towards Riggs and the halfway point and turn around. Full mileage is 45 miles, can shorten to 20 if you need. Breakfast at Brueggers Bagels on Chandler & Rural.

Hi All!

A forecast for morning showers didn't deter 62 riders from appearing for what turrned out to be a perfect day for a pedal. We welcomed some of our wandering members home from their adventures abroad... Neal back from his annual appearance in the TdF (he tested negative for dopiness this time), Alex popped in after roaming Argentina and consuming enough beef to keep his iron stoked for the next year, and our fearless Flagstaff riders from last weekend advise that other than tales of the hail... whatever happened in Flag stays in Flag.

Coming up...

Saturday 8/5/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We head north (sounds cooler, right?) on the original Mummy Mountain route. Long route 40 miles with moderate climbing or standard route 27 miles with less climbing. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner of Mill & 11th.

Saturday 8/12/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Off to the east we roll on the McKellip's Loop. Mileage options of 28 miles or 37 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Saturday 8/19/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. It's Tandemania! Our annual quest to get as many tandems on the road at one time as we can. Mix and match those teams, if you have a steed and need a stoker, zip a note. We'll offer up a flat as a pancake loop, the Tour de Sue to the south with options on Riggs or Queen Creek. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & 56th St.

Tid bits

August in Arizona. Hot, humid.. and thorny. Bullthorns, goatheads, trinities... whatever you call those dastardly things that blow out onto the roadway during the summer windstorms. Races and timed events are still far off in the fall (you can just barely see them on the calendar if you squint your eyes through the heat shimmers). Now is the time to be running training tires. Reinforced, heavier weight, kevlar, gators, beaded, wired, tank treads, whatever. Yes, for the weight weenies in the crowd, that does add rolling weight to your set up... but lighter tires don't help much if they won't hold air. If you train in the summer on heavier gear, then switch when you are ready for "serious" riding, you'll feel light as a feather when you do. Inspect your tires after every ride.. give them a slow spin and check for cuts, broken off thorn heads, staples, etc. And buy stock in a bike tube production company.

Ride safe.

We had 22 riders today on this nice cool July day - ok, if you call 92 at 6:00 am cool. We had a couple of new riders today with Tom, Lisa, and Daniel - welcome. We made our way around Riggs with a little excitement from our friend Mark. See, he really wanted to turn on the siren in the fire truck. But don't worry, his bike is fine. See, it traveled in the ambulance, I heard it had an I.V. along the way. In all seriousness, Mark was fine, he had given blood the day before and with the riding and the heat, just wasn't up to the challenge, but I'm sure he'll be back soon. Other than that, a peaceful day, oh except for the tire changing clinic in the parking lot prior to the start, there was 3 of us changing flats with one on the road.

Ride Schedule

7/30 - 6:30 AM - McKellips Loop - Do some wind training on McKellips - mileage options of 34, 39, or 50 miles. A little climbing on the longer route - breakfast at Ken McDonald Golf Course - Rural between Elliot & Guadalupe.

Hi All!

The temptation of a century ride in Flagstaff, combined with the hot weather advisory here in the valley the last couple of days, reduced our pack to 53 heat luvin' souls yesterday. Considering the temp on the asphalt, guess that would be 106 heat luvin' soles? A number of riders opted for the kinder, gentler short route. Those who took on the complete adventure found the roll back in with a hot tailwind to be a bit stifling. The recovery at the bagel shop was kept short as most wanted to go find out how our man Landis was doing in his quest for yellow. (Who names their kid "Floyd" now a days??)

Coming up...

Saturday 7/29/06 6:30am. Kiwanis Park. We head to the hills on the Ahwafooty route. Route options of 24 miles with one gentle climb or 35 miles with a couple of moderate climbs. Breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliott & 56th St.

Saturday 8/5/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. We head north (sounds cooler, right?) on the original Mummy Mountain route. Long route is 40 miles with moderate climbing, but the often over looked short route is a beautiful roll thru some tree lined neighborhoods at 27 miles and with less climbing. Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels, northwest corner of Mill & 11th.

Saturday 8/12/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Off to the east we roll on the McKellip's Loop. Mileage options of 28 miles or 37 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Saturday 8/19/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. It's Tandemania! Our annual quest to get as many tandems on the road at one time as we can. Mix and match those teams, if you have a steed and need a stoker, zip a note. We'll offer up a flat as a pancake loop, the Tour de Sue to the south with options on Riggs or Queen Creek. Breakfast at Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & 56th St.

Tid bits

Jeremy Cluff, a sportswriter from the Ahwatukee/Tempe Republic, is looking for cyclists for a story on cycling in the Ahwatukee area. If you're interested contact Jeremy Cluff.

Ride safe.

The spirit of Le Tour lives in the hearts of recreational cyclists of all ages.

Despite nearly a week of thundershowers and a heavy rain on Friday night, 130 riders turned out for the Phoenix Metro Bike Club's annual White Mountain Tour on Saturday morning July 8th. Those pre-registered riders who decided, for whatever reasons, to miss the weekend festivities were outnumbered by the number of riders that showed up to register the day of the ride.

Riders ranged in age from 10 years old to a seemingly young 87 years of age. Many riders came for their first ever White Mountain Tour, while a few were rumored to have been participating since the very beginning nearly 23 years ago.

While most riders came from Phoenix and Tucson, others came from as far as Las Vegas, New Mexico and Australia. The rider with the shortest drive came from Taylor, just a few miles from Show Low.

Recreational riders are certainly an eclectic lot and their choice of bikes certainly proves the point. The bikes on this ride ranged from the super light $4,000 20 speed pro race models to the 10 and 12 speed classics of years past. Other choices included mountain bikes, Bike Fridays, tandems and single speeds. Yes, that's right, singles speeds. Three home conversions of older road bikes whose lives might have ended were it not for the resourcefulness of their owners. Two of these eccentrics felt that the 65 miles from the start at Hon-Dah to the campsite at Round Valley Middle School was not enough for the first day and decided to ride on over into New Mexico and back to complete a century on the first day. The third single speed was more than just a single speed, this classic Schwinn from the 80's was a fixed gear conversion which means that the cranks never stop turning.

As registration started at 7:00am on Saturday morning there were still some ominous clouds hanging in the sky left over from the storm on Friday night. By the time all of the riders were on the road though, the skies had cleared and the weather was perfect for riding with friends, old and new.

Thirty Five scenic miles from the start at the Hon-Dah Casino and Resort through Pinetop Lakeside and Show Low brought the riders to the SAG stop at the Midway Station store in Vernon. Here at the stop the riders were all in good spirits while carbo loading and rehydrating as they related the experiences of the day so far.

Before half of the riders came through the SAG stop the dark clouds were building up in the East, then we started getting reports of heavy thunder showers around the Springerville area. This did not seem to bother any of the riders. It's Arizona, it doesn't rain in Arizona! At least not much, right?

After the last riders left Midway Station, the supplies and equipment were loaded into the truck and away we went, anxious to get to Springerville and Eagar to get to our evening lodgings. Then we reached the water stop at the top of the hill at 7550 feet elevation and found SAG vehicles and bikes, with one couple seeking shelter in Tim O'Grady's Suburban from the thunder and lighting.

While standing in the pouring rain, on the side of the road, listening to the thunder roll around the hills and watching a few sporadic streaks of lightning, my first thoughts were of what a great experience for a desert dweller this was. My succeeding thoughts were of the five riders behind us still riding in this downpour and secretly hoping that they all would want to SAG into town rather than endure the wet weather. As the first of these riders started coming by I was truly proud of the determination they displayed by refusing to quit, true cyclists. The spirit of Le Tour lives on! Only two riders opted for the ride to town, partly fatigue and mechanicals and not the rain were the reasons that they gave. When the lighting passed through and the rain was still coming down, the couple who were sheltered in Tim's truck decided to get out and get back on their bikes for the last 20 miles to their hotel room and hot showers.

The Saturday evening dinner social and raffle was well attended and the dinner was great. Lot's of good stories and smiling faces filled the Round Valley High School cafeteria with no one looking the worse for wear. During the speaking portion of the event our resident hard core rider, Neal Thomas, polled the group to determine if there would be enough interest to add an optional loop next year that would provide an opportunity to make the first day a 100 mile event for those riders who just can't seem to get enough miles to satisfy themselves. Looks like Neal needs to plan that loop for 2007.

Sunday morning, another beautiful day in the White Mountains with no clouds. It's only 40 miles back to the start!

The previous day did take a toll on some of the riders. The 20 mile ride to the SAG stop includes a long seven or eight mile climb to the top near Sunrise Ski Resort before heading downhill through the pine forest to the finish. As the riders reached the rest stop, most were really glad to have the climb out of the way and were anxious to get back to the comfortable seats in their vehicles for the ride back home.

If you have not done this ride, it should be on your list of things to do. The reasons riders come back year after year are many, but, mostly it's the challenge of a two day ride away from the hot temperatures of the desert in summertime with great scenery, great people and good food.

Thanks to Sue for leading the herd today. Below is her ride report:

We had 27 riders turn out for our romp to the north this morning. Somehow riding "north to the mountains" sounds like it would be much cooler than the reality of doing climbs in the heat. We had 3 guest riders from Texas join us, two from Houston and one from Austin. Carter attempted to keep the universe in balance by taking his wife to the airport before the ride to catch a plane to Houston. Wen commented that the sparkle glinting off our wheels in the early morning sun was blinding him... but we explained it was actually the new rock on Margie Taylor's left hand that was causing the problem. (Congrats to Mark Clarkson for successfully talking Margie into an engagement for permanent stoker position on the yellow bus.)

Ride Schedule

7/23 - 6:30 AM - Ohcotukee Loop - Heading to Riggs and then Ahwatukee for some hills. Mileage options of 25 with no hills, 35 with some hills, and 55 with a lot of hills. Breakfast at Bagel Nosh - Chandler Blvd & Rural.

7/30 - 6:30 AM - McKellips Loop - Do some wind training on McKellips - mileage options of 34, 39, or 50 miles. A little climbing on the longer route - breakfast at Ken McDonald Golf Course - Rural between Elliot & Guadalupe.

Hi All!

We had 82 riders turn out for our wander about town yesterday. Nancy Kirk and Ann Chadwick gave us a great lead out... in fact the pack held behind them long beyond the designated "neutral zone". Possibly Ann's rep of having worked with high school kids all of her career kept the field in check, with no one wanting to risk her ire by breaking away too soon. The rest of the journey went pretty smooth... well, as smooth as riding up the pot hole extravaganza known as 40th St north of Baseline can be. Breakfast chatter was primarily focused on the announcement of Mark Clarkson and Margie Taylor's engagement. Proceeding with the club's tradition with not wasting any time on these kinds of things... they went, still in their club jerseys, to a jeweler in between the ride and the gathering at the Half Moon Grille... and appeared at the TdF watching event with sparkling smiles and a gorgeous ring on Margie's hand. They advised they would be breaking with recent custom in our group of marrying before the sun went down that day... and will be selecting a date sometime next year. What dawdlers!

Coming up...

Saturday 7/22/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Tour de Mesa takes us to the northeast, with route options of 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Saturday 7/22/06 11:30am to 1:30pm. Half Moon Grille in Tempe, southeast corner of Elliot & Kyrene. Following the Saturday morning ride, our last Mooning for 2006. Come cheer on who ever the heck is wearing the yellow by this point in the adventure.

Sunday 7/23/06 5pm to 8pm. PMBC Tour de France Party. The final stage and closing ceremonies, come watch and celebrate the last day of the Tour de France 2006. We gather at Chris & Rochelle Jungk's home. Pizza and non-alchoholic beverages will be provided. General location is Alma School & Warner in Chandler. To RSVP and get the address, contact: Sue Fassett.

Saturday 7/29/06 6:30am. Kiwanis Park. We head to the hills on the Ahwafooty route. Route options of 24 miles with one gentle climb or 35 miles with a couple of moderate climbs. Breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliott & 56th St.

Tid bits

Our Saturday morning adventure draws riders from all over the southeast valley. When you are not riding with us, you often pedal roads we don't, and have favorite routes different than those our group uses. So... how about sharing a route with your friends? In particular we are looking to develop some new loops to the southeast for the group, now that at least some of the road construction is done. Do you know some romps in that direction that would work for the pack? For SatCycling we need two route options, one in the range of 25 to 30 miles and the other in the range of 35 to 40 miles, with a regroup or two, and a breakfast stop back within a few miles of Kiwanis Park. Zing your ideas in. If we try your route and the crowd takes to it, we'll add it to the rotation and label it in your honor. Contact Sue Fassett.

Ride safe.

We had 24 riders today take on our wind tunnel testing. We had 3 new riders in Meegan, James, and Robin. We had a strong head and side wind going up Guadalupe and Higley, but was relived to have the tailwind on Germann. The group apparently doesn't know how to read maps, as they blew by the first regroup, but figured it out 5 miles down the road. Juan won the sprint on Frye, getting over 40mph - well done. Breakfast was entertaining as usual, with Mike joining us for the weekend, hopefully permanently. I'm sure there was a comment or two I was suppose to remember and add, oh well, always next week.

Ride Schedule

7/16 - 6:30 AM - Tempe Mountains - Mileage options of 38 or 45 miles, with some hills on the longer route - breakfast at Einstein Bagels - McClintock & Guadalupe.

7/23 - 6:30 AM - Ohcotukee Loop - Heading to Riggs and then Ahwatukee for some hills. Mileage options of 25 with no hills, 35 with some hills, and 55 with a lot of hills. Breakfast at Bagel Nosh - Chandler Blvd & Rural.

7/30 - 6:30 AM - McKellips Loop - Do some wind training on McKellips - mileage options of 34, 39, or 50 miles. A little climbing on the longer route - breakfast at Ken McDonald Golf Course - Rural between Elliot & Guadalupe.

Hi All!

Yesterday we had 48 riders who just said no to pine trees and cool air at the White Mountain Tour turn out at the home field. Our romp to the south give us a chance to ride on open roads, but also give us flats from the debris blown over the road shoulder by the recent storms. The gathering after the ride to watch the TdF brought out a number of members we haven't see on a saddle in quite some time, and almost a greater attendance than the morning's romp. Maybe if we could incorporate cheeseburgers, beer and air conditioning on our rides, we could tempt some of those non-pedaling members out with us!

Coming up...

Saturday 7/15/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Roundabout Route, with options of 25 miles or 35 miles, with a couple of climbs on the longer one. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner of Mill & 11th.

Saturday 7/15/06 11:30am to 1:30pm. Half Moon Grille in Tempe, southeast corner of Elliot & Kyrene. Following the Saturday morning ride, we gather to watch the Tour de France, also known this year as the Race of Attrition... he who is uninjured enough on the last day to complete the final stage will be dubbed the winner.

Saturday 7/22/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Tour de Mesa takes us to the northeast, with route options of 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

Apparently we have a lot of members that like to socialize as much as they like to pedal (or maybe more so?). After our four Saturday afternoon gatherings at the Half Moon Grille this month, we are having one last hurrah blow out bash to watch and celebrate the final day of the Tour de France. One of our newlywed couples has been silly enough to offer up their abode for this gathering. (A true test of their relationship!) Sunday July 23rd, 5pm to 8pm, we gather at Chris & Rochelle Jungk's home. Pizza and non-alchoholic beverages will be provided. General location is Alma School & Warner in Chandler. To RSVP and get the address (sneaky, aren't we?), contact: Sue Fassett.

Ride safe.

We had 21 riders today take on Tour de Lindsay. We had our own version of breakaways, sprints, and some unknown substances - just like the tour. While the first two were expected, the unknown substance Gary ran over and then covered Ron & Sue was disgusting and entertaining, at least some of the comments afterwards. I'm trying hard to get in the actual comment, but lets just leave it as a Ron Sighting. We did have a fan show up at breakfast - glad to see you up and out Geno.

Ride Schedule

7/4 6:30AM - KIWANIS PARK - NOTE LOCATION - 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).

7/9 - 6:30 AM - Germannalupe - Flat ride of 33 or 42 miles around Germann & Guadalupe - breakfast at Wildflower - Chandler Mall.

7/16 - 6:30 AM - Tempe Mountains - mileage options of 38 or 45 miles, with some hills on the longer route - breakfast at Einstein Bagels - McClintock & Guadalupe.

7/23 - 6:30 AM - Ohcotukee Loop - heading to Riggs and then Ahwatukee for some hills. Mileage options of 25 with no hills, 35 with some hills, and 55 with a lot of hills. Breakfast at Bagel Nosh - Chandler Blvd & Rural.

7/30 - 6:30 AM - McKellips Loop - Do some wind training on McKellips - mileage options of 34, 39, or 50 miles. A little climbing on the longer route - breakfast at Ken McDonald Golf Course - Rural between Elliot & Guadalupe.

Hi All!

"Dopey Scandal Rocks Saturday Cycling!"

Now, just like with the evening news, you'll have to wait for the very last part of this report for the details behind that shocking headline. In the mean time, our morning's romp brought out 72 wanna-be Tour de France champions. A quick zip around the route was made, not only to get done before it got too toasty, but also so all could clean up quick and then appear at the Half Moon Grille to cheer on what remained of the field of riders participating in the TdF. The General Manager of the Half Moon has extended extreme apologies for the disappearance of their noon time cook and the no show of the servers who were to effeciently deal with our motely crew. He promises, scout's honor, that all will be in order for next weelk's Saturday installment of the race.

Coming up...

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).

Saturday 7/8/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Tour de Sue takes us down to open roads (or what's left of them) to the south, with route options of 25 miles or 35 miles no climbing. Breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & 56th St.

Saturday 7/8/06 11:30am to 1:30pm. Half Moon Grille in Tempe, southeast corner of Elliot & Kyrene. Following the Saturday morning ride, we gather to watch the first day of the Tour de France.

Saturday 7/15/06 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Roundabout Route, with options of 25 miles or 35 miles, with a couple of climbs on the longer one. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner of Mill & 11th.

Tid bits

And finally, today's top story! Astounding as it might seem in our world of random dim-wittedness testing, we had a number of riders come up positive for dopiness this morning. Sad as it might seem, after years of trying to weed "those kind of riders" from our ranks... they seem determined to drag the sport of recreational cycling down into the gutters with them. The original list was rather lengthy, but we've narrowed it down the doofiest offenders:

One of our vibrant female riders, apparently channeling her inner guy at the time, was stopped and confronted with the concept that riding through a red traffic light is not acceptable in our pack. Her response was to advise she was simply trying to catch the riders in front of her, so that made it OK. (In case you are wondering, that is not a correct answer!)

Later in the ride the pack rolled around a corner, looking remarkably like a skilled and united school of fish, swooshing around the arc in perfection... until being torn asunder by one rider following his own out of synch line around the corner. He swung wide through the turn, riding right up the calf of one of the female riders, not once but twice, giving her vicious tire burns on the back of her leg. She was apparently NOT channeling her inner guy and managed to show great bike handling skills by staying upright and not punching the living daylights out of the dopey rider.

Last, and possibly beyond the imagination of avid cycling fans the world over, while packed into a room with 45 enthusiastic TdF watchers at the race party today, one nameless soul decided to tell the bar management to switch one of our three large screens to another sport other than the TdF before the end of the broadcast. Team management was stunned, but took the pro-active approach of giving the rider's name up to anybody who complained.

Ride safe.