Hi All!

We had 87 riders drawn out by the stunning sunrise this morning for our romp along McKellips. The roll up through Tempe was lovely, with the exception of slogging through the slurry in the not quite completed intersection of Curry & College. The cool breeze and bits of clouds made for a beauty of day for the rest of the roll, though. Even the flat stops seemed more enjoyable in the nice weather. Breakfast chatter at Einy's ranged from contemplation of whether you can still be a thug if you are riding an Orbea to just how much money you would spend if you entered every "ride for bucks" that is on the cycling calender for the rest of the year (which was a big number!).

Coming up...

Saturday 10/6/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. We return to South Mountain after the summer break. Route options of 27 miles with a bit of gentle climbing, 40 miles with moderate climbing or 42 miles with lotsa climbing. Breakfast at Arizona Bread Co, southeast corner Kyrene and Elliot.

Saturday 10/13/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain, original route, with options of 27 miles with moderate climbing or 40 miles with a couple of bonus climbs. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Saturday 10/20/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. We head to the northeast on the Tour de Mesa. Route options 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfsat at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

Saturday Cycling differs in format from some of the other large weekly club rides in the state, in that we don't officially break our pack down into skill levels. All roll out together, map in pocket, each seeking their own spot in the line based on their current ability. This can seem a bit haphazard at times, but it offers a huge benefit not found in other groups, and that is the concept of learning from each other. When we are bunched together at the start or after one of our regroups, you can find yourself riding next to someone who is on their first group cycling adventure, or you could be riding shoulder to shoulder with a state championship racer. If you are on the beginning of that bell curve... watch, ask, listen. You are surrounded by coaches and teachers. A perfect example was demonstrated today. We rode through an intersection recently under construction, that had just been wetted down by a water truck. A number of the experienced riders dismounted and walked, or gently took to the sidewalk. Grasshoppers, why did they do that? Was the road slick? Well, a bit, but even the beginners had the bike handling skills to negotiate it. That wasn't why they showed such caution. It was the slurry. That water on the road was filled with ground up asphalt, which if gotten on your chain and gears, your drive system, it works just like pumice. If you rode through that and splatted it up on your bike, stop reading and go wash your bike, clean your chain thoroughly and relube it. Treat your bike and your body with care, they'll both last longer.

Ride safe

We had 35 riders for a great day of riding. The weather was perfect for climbing south mountain and the no car day. Most made some attempt near or around the mountain, and then made the dash for breakfast at AZ Bread Co.

Ride Schedule

9/30 7:00 AM - Tour De Mesa. Mileage options of 35 flat or 45 with gentle climbs. Breakfast at Maui Wowi on Ray & Price.

10/7 7:00AM - Tempe Mountains. Mileage options of 38 flat or 45 rolling hills. Breakfast at Einstein's - Rural & Ray.

10/14 7:00AM - Ohcotukee loop. Head down the flat lands of Ocotillo and then the hills of Awahtukee. Mileage options of 25 flat, 35 with slight hills, or 50 with a lot more. Breakfast at Soma Cafe on Chandler Blvd & Kyrene.

10/21 7:00AM - Around the Mountain. Should be cool enough to do this route. All Flat 50 miles or you can turn around and do less. Breakfast at AZ Bread Co - Elliot & Kyrene.

10/28 7:00AM - To the Towers. Another car free day at South Mountain. Options of 35, 42, or 50 miles, with more hills as the miles go on. Breakfast at AZ Bread Co. - Elliot & Kyrene.

In addition, there are several club events and rides:
October 13 (Sat) Memorial Ride for Safety
October 28 (Sun) 17th Annual Palo Verde Nuclear Century

Hi All!

Pre-dawn showers in Tempe and overcast skies at start time didn't deter 76 riders from appearing for our morning's adventure. Lots of new faces in the crowd as people start to prep for the big event rides coming up this fall. Our romp across Pecos was detoured by a road closure for the Jr Olympic trials for road luge. We had a few riders who wanted to switch sports for that stretch of the road, but something about hurtling down that incline at breakneck speed just a few inches off the asphalt seemed to change their minds. The rest of the route got a bit interesting, as we discovered Ahwatukee to be in the midst of a white fly plague. Our relief when it started raining, which we thought would squelch the buggers, was short lived as we found the change in weather just seemed to rile the little twits up. A mad dash was made for the breakfast stop, with many getting their protein fill in route.

Coming up...

Saturday 9/29/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Our favorite wind training ride, the McKellips Loop. Route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, one gentle climb. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock. (Note, if you are somewhere near the intersection of Curry & College towards the end of this week, please zip your rider leaderess an update regarding the ability, or lack thereof, to pass through that intersection northbound on this date.)

Saturday 10/6/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Cooler mornings beckon us to South Mountain. Route options of 27 miles with a bit of gentle climbing, 40 miles with moderate climbing or 42 miles with lotsa climbing. Breakfast at Arizona Bread Co, southeast corner Kyrene and Elliot.

Saturday 10/13/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. For those not riding in or working at the Ride For Safety, the home team will be safely heading north on the Mummy Mountain route. Options of 27 miles with moderate climbing or 40 miles with a couple of bonus climbs. Breakfast at Brueggers, northwest corner Mill & 11th.

Tid bits

Why do many citizens of the Ahwatukee Foothills area not like bicyclists? Hmm... could it be because so many cyclists ride like yahoos there? For years riders have pedaled in the area, ignoring the rules of the road, impeding traffic, and in general making life difficult for the residents who are themselves just trying to enjoy their Saturday morning. And now we are reaping the results of that. Guilt by association even for those who are riding right. We have a huge uphill (pun intended!) goal to work towards. A disciplined organized line of cyclists going by can be a sight to behold, an instant parade, gathering smiles and waves. Our goal is to set the standard, hoping that others will follow our lead.

Ride safe

PS A message being passed along from the back half of the pack to the front half. Thugs rule, big dogs drool. Don't shoot the messenger.

September 21, 2007

Dear Sue and all members of the Phoenix Bicycle Club,

To say "THANK YOU" does not begin to express my appreciation for all you have done for our family since Randy's death. The flowers were beautiful and greatly appreciated. Your presence at the Memorial touched my heart beyond words. I felt so connected to all of you even though we had never met. You must know how much being a part of your group meant to Randy and how much you enhanced his life beyond measure.

Our family is shattered and we are doing our best to move ahead without him because that is the way he would want it to be. Randy was a true gentleman who only wanted to help people and never be recognized. Heaven is enriched today and our family is proud to have been part of his earthly journey. He would be embarrassed to know people had gone out of their way for him.

To all who rendered aid, we will be forever grateful knowing he was with friends. "THANK YOU" for your kindness, "THANK YOU" for your generosity and "THANK YOU" you for being at the service and our home. I so enjoyed talking with all of you and hope you will stay in touch. You will remain very special to our family. As we move into Randy's favorite time of year I will get a tear in my eye every time I pass a biker.

I now believe you find a deeper meaning of friendship when you experience a tragedy - "Thank You" for being my friend !

Randy will ride with you again one day, so until that time HAVE A WONDERFUL RIDE

Love,

Margot Eldridge

Hi All!

Last week some one asked if there was a charity or something along those lines that Randy Eldridge supported, that memorial donations could be made to in his name. The answer to that question is yes. For many years he has been supporting a girl's home over in Mesa. His daughter Carla Owers is on the board there and she sends the following note:

*********************

"This is a girls' home in Mesa where I am on the Board of Directors. I have been a part of them almost since the beginning 10 years ago and my dad was always a big supporter of my involvement with them. We know that he would really like the fact that donations were going there. They are a small organization, but local and any help is always welcome."

Here is the contact info:

A&A Cottages
PO Box 2992
Mesa, AZ 85214-2992
In the name of Randy Eldridge
www.aacottages.org

**************************************

Also, if you would like to send a note to the family thru Carla Owers, write away. They would love to hear any Randy stories you want to share, or just hear from you in regards to how much you enjoyed Randy being a part of our group.

Hugs--

Sue

Come ride and hike with us!
Petrified Forest National Park
and
The Painted Desert
October 6 & 7, 2007

See the world's largest and most colorful collection of fossilized trees millions of years old. The Petrified Forest National Park stretches north and south between Interstate 40 and Highway 180.

We are going to ride from the south entrance to the north end, have lunch, and ride back to the south end where our cars are parked! The ride is about 30 miles each way, hilly, little traffic, and paved roads. Awesome scenery throughout the ride: many beautiful stops with sweeping vistas, fantastic geological formations, hiking trails, and two museums.

The plan is to drive up to Holbrook on Friday afternoon, Oct 5th and stay at a local motel. Saturday morning, we'll drive to the south entrance of the Park and leave on the ride between 7 and 7:30am (Park opens at 7am). We’ll ride up to the north end, eat at the restaurant, and ride back to the cars. At least one spouse will help sag and more are welcome! There are several nice park restrooms along the ride.

Native ruins include Puerco Pueblo Ruins along the road on a mesa overlooking the Puerco River. The Ruins consist of about 100 masonry rooms around a plaza and over 800 petroglyphs. One of the kivas and 25 rooms have been excavated. It was occupied about 1000 – 600 years ago.

A mile south of the ruins is Newspaper Rock, several large boulders with numerous rock art figures. These meandering lines of humans, animals, footprints, and clan symbols may be a record of the migrations of people and animals through the area.

A small pueblo on a promontory, the Agate House, was built entirely out of chunks of colorful agatized/petrified wood. Two of the rooms have been restored.

Bring your own gear, water, and snacks. Riding is moderately difficult. A side benefit is that we might have one of the Park Rangers ride with us and give us a personal tour!

We will stay in Holbrook Saturday night and go back to the park on Sunday, Oct 7, to go hiking! It's truly a beautiful area in Northern Arizona.

For details and places in Holbrook where we'll stay, contact either
Jan Peterson – 480-802-9488 or
Mary Ellen Coe – 480-491-5473.

For park details, go to the website: http://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm.

Download ride flyer (.doc).

(Note: This is not a PMBC sponsored ride.)

Hi All!

The siren song of free food brought us 90 riders to the start this morning. We managed to duck the start of the Duck Dump or whatever they call the charity event that involves floating rubber duckies in the park lake, and we were off. Our romp around the St. Francis Loop was a little challenging, since the intersection of Curry & 68th has been temporarily demolished, but most managed to find some suitable creative detour to dodge it. Our breakfast wranglers back at the park had a beautiful spread set up by our return (thanks Jay, Nancy O and Bub!) and the masses managed to plow their way through most of it. We were joined at the park by some Sun Lakers and a couple of our walking wounded and a few that apparently just prefer sleeping in.

Coming up...

Saturday 9/22/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. AhwaFooty, with options of 24 miles with one gentle climbing or 35 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Arizona Bread Co, southeast corner Kyrene and Elliot.

Saturday 9/29/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Our favorite wind training ride, the McKellips Loop. Route options of 28 miles of 37 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Saturday 10/6/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. With the heat hopefully behind us, we return to South Mountain. Route options of 27 miles with a bit of gentle climbing or 40 miles with moderate climbing or 42 miles with lotsa climbing. Breakfast at Arizona Bread Co, southeast corner Kyrene and Elliot.

Tid bits

We are closing in on having 400 members in Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club. We have no paid staff, which means that everything we do, every weekly club ride, every event ride, every breakfast.... anything that happens that is club related... does so by way of volunteerism. We want you to participate. See the newsletter and the website ( www.sportsfun.com/gaba ) for events that are coming up. Specifically we need assistance with:
Ride For Safety on Saturday October 13th. Contact Bob Beane.
Free Ride on Saturday December 1st. Contact Glen Fletcher.
Casa Grande Century on Sunday January 6th. Contact Jane Larson.

If you did not attend the membership meeting this morning, we signed you up for something.

Ride safe

Dear Friends,

I came to my office this Sunday night to do some catching up after a long and difficult week; but instead of working I found myself reading, for at least the hundredth time, the notices on the GABA website concerning my brother Randy and his passing on September 1st. I cannot begin tell you what the pictures that were posted and the words that written have meant to me. I knew Randy loved to ride but I now know one reason he loved it so much was the people he got to ride with.

The presence of your members at the funeral in your jerseys literally took my breath away. To see so many people, and such a diversity of people, spoke well for your club and truly honored Randy's memory. Please let the rest of the club members know how grateful, thankful, and humbled we are because of what your club and its members have done for our family.

And please convey a special thanks to Leon Smith and all those who cared for Randy in his last moments.

With Most Sincere Thanks,

Pete Eldridge

Hi All!

For some of our 91 cyclists this morning, just locating sign-in was the first challenge of the day. There was a large crowd of very intense looking runners in our regular spot. On the rare occasion that we get bumped out of our traditional parking lot at Kiwanis, look for us in the over-flow lot that is a block south of there. We eventually got the herd together and rolled out to the east, rapidly spreading out along Guadalupe Road by natural selection... they who kept air in their tires became the lead riders. The morning warmed up quick and several stops were made to restock on ice. A question came up at breakfast about the broad age range of the group today. The answer was our most junior rider of the morn was 16 years old and the oldest... well, let's just say 80ish. Now that is an eclectic pack!

Coming up...

Saturday 9/15/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Time for our quarterly membership breakfast ride and meeting. For our new club members, this is the same as any other Saturday adventure, except your breakfast is free! If you have not yet joined PMBC, click for details on membership. The route will be the St. Francis Loop, which is a romp around the hills of north Tempe and south Scottsdale, either 26 miles or 36 miles, both with moderate climbing (so you can earn that free breakfast!) Breakfast location is right back at Kiwanis Park, at the large group ramadas just southeast of the parking lot we meet in. If you are joining us at the park just for the get together, aim to arrive at about 9:00pm. Non-members are welcome to join us for breakfast for $5.

Saturday 9/22/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. We'll attempt a return to our rained out romp on the AhwaFooty route. Options of 24 miles with one gentle climbing or 35 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Arizona Bread Co, southeast corner Kyrene and Elliot.

Saturday 9/29/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Our favorite wind training ride, the McKellips Loop. Route options of 28 miles of 37 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

Members of our club often express that they wish their other half (spouse, significant other, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc) would take up cycling and join them on our adventures. The flip side of that is a typical conversation held with one of our female riders today. She commented that her guy becomes impatient if she rides too slow, stutters getting into her cleats, etc. It's rare for both sides of a relationship to be equal as athletes and our group works perfectly in regards to that disparity. Come to the event together, then seek your own path. If your sweetie likes to hammer in the lead group, let her go strut her stuff while you enjoy the companionship of others in the rear of the group. If your guy's idea of a good ride is riding so hard he sees stars and your idea of perfection is a gentle glow on the brow followed by kicking back at the bagel shop to watch the world go by, we've got what you both are seeking. Riding " together" doesn't have to be literal, unless you're on a tandem, in which case you just do what the gal on the team wants to do and everything will be just fine. :-)

Ride safe

We had 28 riders for our Sunday ride. Thanks again to Neal for leading the group and also for the way he communicated and handled the prior days bad news. For those that do not know, one of our regular Sunday Spin Cycle riders & PMBC member Randy Eldridge passed away on Saturday's ride. Many of us have known Randy, and benefited from his warm friendship, great draft, lending a hand during a flat, or riding with someone not going as fast as the rest of the group. I personally will miss him, his smiling face, and the rides he provided back to my home when it was too hot or cold.

See Notices for the details on his services to be held on Wednesday, September 5th.

Ride Schedule

9/9 - Tempe Mountains. See the mountains in Tempe. Mileage options of 38 with little climbing of 45 with more. Breakfast at Soma Cafe on Chandler Blvd & Kyrene.

9/16 - Tour Around Mummy with the original added in for spice. Mileage options of 35 with minor climbing, 40 with gentle climbs and 50 with a lot of climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's on Rural & Ray.

9/23 - South Mountain. Roads are closed to traffic, so we'll head on up. Mileage options of 30 with minor climbing, 42 with gentle climbing and 50 with a lot of climbing. Breakfast at Arizona Bread Company on Elliot & Kyrene.

9/30 - Tour de Mesa. Mileage options of 35 flat or 45 with gentle climbs. Breakfast at Maui Wowi on Ray & Price.

Hi All!

The temptation of pedaling in cool(er) morning air under overcast skies brought us 90 cyclists for our romp north today. Lots of new riders, bringing us new enthusiam and fresh perspective on a route that we all love sharing with the uninitiated. Thanks to Ron Waller for helping with the rear of the herd on the roll out to the first regroup.

Coming up...

Monday 9/3/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. A holiday adventure! If you are free to ride, come on down to the park and join us for Pylant's Pedal. One mapped route of approximately 30 miles in the Ahwatukee Foothills area (or seek your own path) with a couple of not too steep hills. Breakfast at the southwest corner of Ray & 54th, at either 5&Diner or Paradise Bakery.

Saturday 9/8/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. The Tour de Mesa takes on a loop to the northeast and back in thru down town Mesa, for a view of the ever changing public art to be found there. Options of 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe and McClintock.

Saturday 9/15/07 7:00am Kiwanis Park. Time for our quarterly membership breakfast ride and meeting. For our new club members, this is the same as any other Saturday adventure... except your breakfast is free! If you have not yet joined PMBC, head to the website for details on membership. The route will be the St. Francis Loop, which is a romp around the hills of north Tempe and south Scottsdale, either 26 miles or 36 miles, both with moderate climbing (so you can earn that free breakfast!) Breakfast location is right back at Kiwanis Park, at the large group ramadas just southeast of the parking lot we meet in. If you are joining us at the park just for the get together, aim to arrive at about 9:00pm. Non-members are welcome to join us for breakfast for $5.

Tid bits

We rolled out of the park today with 90 souls, but returned with only 89. Randy Eldridge, long time PMBC member, collapsed a few miles past our first regroup on the route towards Mummy Mountain. EMTs were summoned, but in route to the hospital his heart gave out and though over the top efforts were made, they were unable to revive him. To Leon Smith aka Captain America, who rendered aid at the scene, giving Randy a chance if a chance was going to be had, thank you. As soon as details are available regarding services, an announcement will go out to the SatCycling contact list and appear on the website.

Your lesson today is one you have been taught many times over, grasshoppers. Life is short. Live every moment completely. Hug your friends every time you seem them.

Ride safe