Hi All!

Our wandering romp round town tempted 95 riders out into the warm morning. The ramble through the neighborhoods for the first few miles gave us some great views of the lakes (ponds?) in the research park and horses and custom homes in south Tempe. The top of the loop on the long route brought on a bit of chaos, with the canal crossing on Oak currently disguised behind a construction zone. (For those that missed it... there is a really nice bridge behind that fence!) Breakfast chatter at Einy's ranged from extending congrats to our Senior Olympics champion Ann Chadwick for her apparent sweep of all the 4th place ribbons available at the event this year (way to go, Annie!) to wondering how BusMan and Nimrod managed to survive rooming together for a couple of nights at the event.

Coming up...

Wednesday 7/4/07 6:30am Desert Breeze Park. Come celebrate the 4th of July with your red, white, and blue at Desert Breeze Park in Chandler (southwest of McClintock and Ray, meet at the train station). Our Sunday group SpinCycle hosts all from their start point, with the Tour of Queen Creek. A little something for everybody, with mileage options of 25, 35, 38, 40, 44, or 50 flat miles. Breakfast at Wildflower at the Chandler Mall.

Saturday 7/7/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. On the luckiest day of the year, we'll romp around town on the St. Francis Loop. Route options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 7/14/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Our u-pick-it route, AhwaFooty. If you follow the map, 24 miles with one gentle climb or 35 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Kasha's, southeast corner Elliot & Priest.

Saturday 7/21/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Tour de Mesa takes us to the northeast, with route options of 29 miles with no climbing or 39 miles with a gentle climb. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

The Tour is upon us. That would be THE tour... the Tour de France. The last few years our club has made a habit of gathering together on Saturday afternoons to watch the primo riders of the world do their thing. We will be doing so again this year, but just haven't quite finalized the details yet... like where and when. Every Saturday in July, immediately following SatCycling's morning ride, we will gather some where to eat, drink, and cheer for who ever. Check the club's website later this week for confirmed details of the when and where.

Ride safe

P.S. Your intrepid ride reporter is taking a two week sabbatical, so the next amazing installment of this weekly missive will not appear until 7/21. If you want to know what happens on the rides between now and then, show up and pedal.

We had 34 riders today. Last week, we had 40 riders according to Neal, so thanks again for leading the "EPIC" ride as Sue called it around Mummy. Oh, by the way, I heard someone had a flat at McDowell & 68th last Sunday, and we have the pump that was left. Contact me for information and ransom demands. Today's ride was rather quiet if you know what I mean, and very relaxed. We had several new riders in Bob, Juan, and another Bob and Virgina. Tony gets the spoke award, breaking two in consecutive days, but still managed to catch the group at the second regroup. Breakfast was entertaining as usual, with Jim embarrassing Mike, and if you know Mike, you know how hard that can be. Good thing Nancy was there to hear it all.

Ride Schedule

7/1 6:30 AM - First day of July - McKellupe Loop or the Mckellips Loop. Mileage options of 34, 39, or 50 miles. Breakfast at Bogies Clubhouse on Rural & Guadalupe.

7/4 6:30 AM - Come celebrate the 4th of July with your red, white, and blue at Desert Breeze Park. We'll do Tour of Queen Creek, with several mileage options from 25, 35, 38, 40, 44, or 50 flat miles. Breakfast at Wildflower at the Chandler Mall.

7/8 6:30 AM - The second day of the Tour de France, we'll do Metro Mania. Mileage options of 36 or 45 miles, with some climbing on the longer route. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels on Ray & Rural.

7/15 6:30 AM - Half Way around the mountain - do the flat out and back around South Mountain with options of 20 or 45 miles. Breakfast at Wildflower at the Chandler Mall.

7/22 6:30 AM - Tempe Mountains - mileage options of 38 with minor climbing and 45 with more climbing. Breakfast at Bruegger Bagels on Chandler & Rural.

7/29 6:30 AM - Ohcotukee Loop - head down Ocotillo and then to Awahtukee with options of 35, 40, or 55 miles, with the last two having climbs. Breakfast at Brueggers Bagels on Chandler & Rural.

Hi All!

Apparently the draw of the Mummy route trumped the heat advisory, with 84 riders turning out in the already warm parking lot this morning. The romp north was interspersed with a few flat tires as we rolled along the glass strewn streets post-Friday night partying in Tempe. Some of our newer riders took on the challenge of the long route, with varying levels of success, but all seemed to enjoy the beauty of the views once they managed to get to the tops of the climbs (when the spots in their vision from oxygen deprivation cleared). The roll back into town resulted in one less pigeon for the city of Scottsdale (the bird zigged when it should have zagged). The bird whacker felt bad about the incident, so we all lied and said he just winged it. We will, of course, call him BK (BirdKiller) from this day forward.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/30/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Research to Oak route takes us on a clockwise loop around town, with 31 miles short route (no climbing) or 38 miles on the long route with some moderate climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe and McClintock.

Wednesday 7/4/07 6:30am Desert Breeze Park. For those asking, yes, the club is (of course!) holding a holiday ride on this date. Our Sunday group SpinCycle hosts all from their start point, which is Desert Breeze Park in Chandler. That is south of Ray, between McClintock and Rural, meeting point is the train station. They are still working out the details but rumor has it they will be headed to the southeast and will eat someplace back near the park. A couple of route options will be offered up, so no matter what your ability level, get yourself to the park.

Saturday 7/7/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. On the luckiest day of the year, we'll romp around town on the St. Francis Loop. Route options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 7/14/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Our u-pick-it romp, Ahwafooty. If you follow the map, 24 miles with one gentle climb or 35 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Kasha's, southeast corner Elliot & Priest.

Tid bits

On Saturday mornings, on the flip side of your route map, you are handed the guidelines for our group rides. A pretty short list, most of them are just common sense. We have those guidelines to keep our romps safe for you, and for others around you. If you are in motion on your bike in the parking lot, you must have a helmet on your head and have it buckled. Is the asphalt in the parking lot some kind of softer version than out on the street? No. If you fumble your pedals in the parking lot and fall, big ouchie. If you are riding around other cyclists and have headphones on, you can not hear warning calls, such as "car-back" or "slowing" or "heads up cuz I'm going to smack into you", resulting in a big ouchie. If you use a cellphone while riding a bike, it unplugs your brain, just like when you try to drive a car while on a phone. You will do strange and unpredictable things, resulting in... a big ouchie to you and sometimes other riders around you. For any community to work well together, all must agree to abide by certain guidelines for the benefit of the whole. Be a good neighbor in the pack.

Ride safe

Hi All!

Apparently a number of our members were still too full after last Saturday's breakfast feast to pedal today, with our morning herd reduced to "only" 82 riders. Our romp to the northeast resulted in a couple of interesting mechanical issues, like somebody having a crank come completely off and another trying to see just how many links you can lose from a chain on a single speed and still be roadworthy. A few riders took the scenic route (our phrase for wandering off the mapped route) but most managed to eventually locate the bagel stop.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/23/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain, original route, with route options of 27 miles with moderage climbing or 40 miles with some bonus climbs. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 6/30/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Research to Oak route takes us on a clockwise loop around town, with 31 miles short route (no climbing) or 38 miles on the long route with some moderate climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe and McClintock.

Saturday 7/7/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. On the luckiest day of the year, we'll romp around town on the St. Francis Loop. Route options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Tid bits

There's an ad running on local radio that includes an interesting phrase. "Good energy is contagious." After one of our recent Saturday morning adventures, a newbie was asked how they were feeling. They advised that they were OK, except their face muscles hurt from smiling and laughing so much during the ride. Now there is a rider that has discovered our secret right from the get go. We are a teaching group and riders are referred to us from all over the valley as we have a reputation for being inclusive and welcoming of all levels of cyclists. If you are an experienced rider in the herd, and you notice someone who appears unsure of what they are doing, offer education... in a friendly, upbeat manner. If you respond with terse words and aggression, that will be the memory retained, not the skill you were trying to impart. Bit of a life lesson there, grasshoppers.

Ride safe

(This story is a follow up on the article and photo: "PMBC Jersey Spotted in China" in The Hub: May 2007.)

I was just on the GABA site and read about the GABA bike shirt on the guide, Charles, in China. Gerry and I gave him that shirt on our Backroads China trip in 2005. He was tickled to get it. It is funny that this photo of him wearing it made it back to our group!

It's like a message in a bottle! Gerry and I took a Backroad's biking trip to China in May 2005. While I can't say that China was fun, it was certainly fascinating. This trip began in the countryside of the southern Guangdong province and moved onto the surreal limestone formations of Yangshuo, farther north. We saw people living as they have for hundred's of years, with women working the fields with babies on their backs, farmers with their water buffalos in the rice fields and excited children marveling at our bikes and outfits. Curious locals crowed around to watch us at every stop, particularly at lunch in places you could not imagine were restaurants. Midway through the tour, we traded in our mountain bikes for traditional Chinese cruisers. In Xian, we joined in the human river of bikes to pedal out to the Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, otherwise known as the terracotta warrior site and also rode around the top of the wall which ran around the city. The trip ended in Beijing, where we pedaled through the streets to the Forbidden City, around Tiananmen Square and into the hu tongs, labyrinthine residential neighborhoods which date back to the 1300s. In the hu tongs, a family hosted us in their home for lunch. It is all disappearing so quickly that I encourage to go soon if you have any desires to see the old China.

About that shirt. Backroads supplied one US guide and then filled in with a Chinese company for support/sag and in-country knowledge. Charles, the man pictured with the GABA shirt, was the local Chinese guide who also rode with us on many of the days. He was actually a violinist who decided that he had more opportunity and fun as a tour guide. At the end of the tour, my husband Gerry presented Charles with the GABA shirt and we also gave a shirt to Helena, the other guide.

Hi All!

The siren call of free food brought us 112 riders this morning, a few of which actually were there just for the pedal, amazing as that might seem. Our roll out to the south was a bit adventurous, with our version of cobble-stone streets down 56th, and having some new road choices that were not on the old route map we were using (those are called "bonus miles"). The rough road surface combined with the usual plethora of broken glass and thorns made for a number of flat tire clinics along the way, giving the lead riders plenty of time to get a head start on the eating before the tail end of the pack arrived at the meeting spot. Thanks to our club officers for holding what was probably the briefest membership meeting on record.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/16/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The McKellips Loop takes us to the east, with route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, one gentle climb on each. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe and McClintock.

Saturday 6/23/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain, original route, with route options of 27 miles with moderage climbing or 40 miles with some bonus climbs. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 6/30/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The Research to Oak route takes us on a clockwise loop around town, with 31 miles on the short route (no climbing) or 38 miles on the long route with some moderate climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe and McClintock.

Tid bits

For the Trekies in the crowd, what is your "prime directive" when you are rolling on your bike? This is a hard one for new riders to grasp and an easy one for long time riders to forget. In a group ride, distractions are numerous and can come fast and furious sometimes. A water bottle gets dropped in the midst of the pack. Everybody in front of you points off to the side at the lovely horses. Your seat bag comes loose. You have a screw stuck in your tire. A guy jogs by in just skimpy shorts or a gal skates by and you wonder how does she stay in that top? Always, above all else, no matter what... ride the bike. If you cease to be in control of your bike, it will take on the most amazing life of its own, and the end result often isn't pretty. Focus, grasshoppers.

Ride safe

Cyclists Bob Beane and Dan Muchow of PMBC with cross-country cyclist Ed Acevedo at the Boeing plant in Mesa. Ed, Dan and several Boeing employees are West Point grads and retired Army servicemen. Ed's cross-country ride is in support of several charities benefiting injured Vets and Iraqi children.

Dan met Ed in Globe for the ride to Mesa. I joined them at Florence Junction, and rode with Ed into Tempe. Rick Marquis helped Ed and his SAG driver, Jorge, with needed bike maintenance over the weekend. Rick and I joined Ed and Jorge on several local rides (to help whip Jorge into shape for a Colorado ride/side trip they will do next week).

For details, visit www.bike4vets.org. PMBC and the Phoenix area are part of Ed's Week 11 journal comments.

Think your voice doesn't count? Think again. Jean Gorman, founder of The Brad Fund which is named for her son who was killed as a result of being struck by a car, emailed a few cyclists in Tucson informing them of a an internet site with bumper stickers and T-shirts bearing the slogan, "I don't share the road." These items also graphically depicted a car striking a bicycle, launching the rider high into the air. "Can't we do something about this?" Jean plead. "Can we write letters to stop this?" That was all it took. Within minutes a grassfire of emails went out to the cycling community in Tucson and nationwide. Rita Walter, Outreach Coordinator with the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, sent the call to arms to her contacts suggesting that everyone contact the internet site and let them know that these items are not acceptable. Perimeter Bicycling members also sent emails to the site and it wasn't long before Andy Clark of The League of American Bicyclists was involved, encouraging riders everywhere to object to these offensive items. At first, representatives of CaféPress were generic in their responses, stating that these items were within the realm of "freedom of speech" and "opinions." As the week went on, more emails flooded their site. After hearing from hundreds of cyclists, the images were removed and an apology issued:

Advocacy works! Thank you.

We had a big crowd today, 35 riders take a tour of the old dairy farms in the Milk Run. The lead group held a good pace throughout the day averaging 21 with stops. Randy gets mechanic honors replacing his chain along the way, but still making it in time for breakfast - a true cyclist. Our group was joined by Brett Walker, who will be competing in this years RAAM starting next Sunday. You can follow Brett's progress through his web site www.teamwalker07.com or http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/. Good Luck Brett, may the wind be at your back the whole way.

Ride Schedule

6/10 - 6:30 AM - Tour de Scottsdale - See old Scottsdale with all flat miles of 40 or 44 miles. Breakfast at Einstein Bagels on Rural & Ray.

6/17 - 6:30 AM - We'll do the Around Mummy with the original added in for spice. Mileage options of 35, 40, or 50 miles, with the 50 mile having a lot of hills. Breakfast at Einstein's on Rural & Ray.

6/24 - 6:30 AM - Since I received overwhelming feedback (is 5 people overwhelming feedback?), we'll keep the start time for June at 6:30, but consider changes in July if I hear otherwise. We'll do Tour de Lindsay, with mileage options of 40 or 54 miles, all mostly flat. Breakfast at Bogies Clubhouse at Ken McDonald Golf Course.

Hi All!

We somehow managed to draw the exact same number of riders this morning as last week, with 92 shining faces appearing. (They got shinier later as the humidity rose!) The route to the northeast was just grand, from tree lined Lindsay (we should plant more trees like that!) to the artsy roll through downtown Mesa (which just wasn't the same without one of our crew posed in the oversized pink chair). Some welcome cloud cover kept the temp down, but by the time we reached Einy's, the seats inside the airconditioning were welcome.

Coming up...

Saturday 6/9/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. FREE FOOD! PMBC's quarterly membership breatkfast meeting. Our route heads to the south (Tour de Sue in reverse) to the Home Town Buffet for lotsa eating and a brief club meeting. Route options 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast is free to all PMBC members, $7 for non-members. Our jersey wrangler Kathy Mills will be in da house with our current stock of jerseys ($57 for short sleeves). Home Town is on the northwest corner of Warner & Evergreen in Chandler. If you are meeting us there instead of pedaling with the pack, aim for 8:30am.

Saturday 6/16/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. The McKellips Loop takes us to the east, with route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, one gentle climb on each. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe and McClintock.

Saturday 6/23/07 6:30am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain, original route, with route options of 27 miles with moderage climbing or 40 miles with some bonus climbs. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Tid bits

Some one asked this morning how we manage to roll out with close to 100 riders on our summer rides with no follow support vehicle. The answer is that we support ourselves. With that many cyclists on the road, odds are that something is going to happen on a weekly basis, and when it does, our club riders answer the call of duty. Special thanks go out to those that kept the parade rolling today... Tom and Mat working their magic on flat tires... and to those that lent a hand following the brick incident. (Bricks in bike lanes... bad). Any Saturday that your ride leader can appear at breakfast with still clean hands... is a good day. (Actually, any day spent on a bike is a good day!)

Ride safe