Hi All!

A giant harvest moon hung in the pre-dawn sky this morning, beckoning our riders to the park for our third day of pedaling this weekend. Only 57 cyclists answered the call, the rest apparently detered by the cold breeze that was already kicking up. The attempted roll across McKellips spread the group out by attrition, with riders splitting off to the south on a variety of routes as they tired of fighting the wind. Breakfast chatter ranged from what the odds were that Dr. Klein could set a new trend with his lens-less riding glasses to the fact that there are now only 51 weeks left to train for next year's Tour de Tucson.

And speaking of Tucson, thanks bunches to Ron Waller for leading the home team last weekend so the rest of us could go ramble round the southern romp. Congrats to Larry Lyon for a most excellent finish time of 4:48:15 on the 109 mile course, and for thrashing Neal Thomas who came in 3 long seconds later.

Coming up...

Saturday 12/1/07 9:30am Pioneer Park. FREE RIDE! This is the one Saturday of the year when Saturday Cycling relocates our start point. There will be no club hosted ride from Kiwanis Park on this date. Please join us at Pioneer Park in Mesa for FREE RIDE. See the Major Events for details. Sign-in opens at 9:00am, ride departs at 9:30am. There is no charge for this event (hence the name FREE RIDE!) but we need you to RSVP to our ride leader if you will be attending so we know how many we are feeding. Ride leader is Glen Fletcher.

Saturday 12/8/07 8:00am Kiwanis Park. Note the change of start time! And speaking of free eats, come join us for our last PMBC quarterly ride and breakfast meeting of the year. We'll be holding elections for officers for 2008, finally bringing an end to the heavy campaigning that has been going on amid the long list of candidates. Breakfast location is the Home Town Buffet in Scottdale, at Belleview & Scottsdale Road (that's between McKellips & McDowell). Ride with SatCycling from Kiwanis Park (route options of 23 miles or 33 miles, both with a bit of climbing) to the gathering or meet us there at 10:00am. Breakfast is free for all PMBC members, $8 for non-members.

Saturday 12/15/07 8:00am Kiwanis Park. Before we all start whining that its too cold on the downhills, we're headed to South Mountain. Route options of 27 miles with a bit of gentle climbing, 40 miles with moderate climbing, or 42 miles with lots of climbing. Breakfast at Arizona Bread Co, southeast corner of Elliot & Kyrene.

Tid bits

For some people the approach of Christmas brings to mind sugar plums and candy canes. For the long time members of our club, the holidays mean... lasagna! Jack and Jan Graham once again invite all to their home in south Tempe for an evening of eats and laughs. Date is Saturday December 8th, doors open at 5pm. They're providing the lasagna and sodas, you bring a side dish or dessert to share. So we know how many lasagna eaters will be appearing, please RSVP to Sue Fassett to receive directions to their place.

Ride safe

Ok, so it has been a while since the last ride report. I guess I need a pay raise...Well, if you haven't been riding, you have been missing some great weather (myself included there). The group has been steady with 25-30 riders each week, and of course, the banter is entertaining as usual.

See the upcoming ride info...

Ride Schedule

11/22 - Turkey Day - Come ride at KIWANIS Park and burn off a few slices of pie before the big day - 7:30 at Kawinas - Tour de Lehi.

11/23 - No shop Friday - Come join Sunday Spin cycle on Friday and ride Germannalupe with mileage options of 23, 33, or 40 miles, breakfast at Wildflower - Chandler Mall.

11/25 - 7:30 AM - Turkey day weekend - Tour de Lindsay - mileage options of 40 or 50 miles. Breakfast at Bogies Club house at Ken McDonald Golf Course - Guadalupe & Rural.

12/1 - SATURDAY - FREE RIDE - Yes I said free. The club says thank you for another great year, and sponsoring a ride for all cyclists. Check out the web site for more details. Start time is 9:00, so you can sleep in, have a BBQ after the ride. RSVP to ME so we know how much food.

12/2 - Sunday - 8:00 AM. NOTICE CHANGE OF START TIME - We'll Do Metro Mania, mileage options of 35 or 45 miles, all flat. Breakfast at Einstein's on Ray & McKlintock.

12/8 - Saturday - General Membership breakfast & meeting - Start at Sat Cycling, breakfast & meeting at Home Town Buffet in Scottsdale (1312 N Scottsdale Rd).

12/9 - Sunday - 8:00 AM - Milk Run - mileage options of 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 miles, all flat. Breakfast at Wildflower at Chandler Mall.

Hi All!

We had 75 riders turn out for our adventure to the foothills this morning. The group spread out into even more alternate versions than have ever been seen on this course. Various games of follow-the-leader or more aptly described as follow-somebody-who-doesn't-know-where-they-are-going evolved. At one point the entire middle of the pack was seen riding backwards along a section of the route, but all appeared to be having a grand time of it. Most managed to find their way to the food stop afterwards, though there was a rumor that one rider was last seen doing endless loops on Liberty, the man who never returned. Wasn't that a line from a song from way back when? Lost forever on the streets of Boston, the man who never returned. Or was that under the streets? Close enough.

Coming up...

Saturday 11/17/07 7:30am Kiwanis Park. Note, due to a large running event being based in our traditional parking lot (how dare they?), our meeting point for this date's ride will be relocated to the next parking lot to the south in Kiwanis Park, closer to Guadalupe road. Mummy Mountain, original route, options of 27 miles with moderate climbing or 40 miles with some bonus climbs. Pit stop at the Coffee Plantation, on the east side of Mill, between 6th St & 7th St.

Thursday 11/22/07 7:30am Kiwanis Park. Our traditional turkey day loop to the quiet streets of Lehi. Route options of 24 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at IHOP (cranberry coffee?), southwest corner Apache & College.

Friday 11/23/07 7:30am Desert Breeze Park. Kokopedallis and Spin Cycle invite all to a blended all levels "just say no shopping" ride. Route and breakfast stop still to be determined, but we'll be offering a little something for everybody.

Saturday 11/24/07 7:30am Kiwanis Park. The McKellips Loop, with route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, one gentle climb on each. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Saturday 12/1/07 9:30am Pioneer Park. FREE RIDE! This is the one Saturday of the year when Saturday Cycling relocates our start point. There will be no club hosted ride from Kiwanis Park on this date. Please join us at Pioneer Park in Mesa for FREE RIDE. See Major Events for details. Sign-in will open at 9:00am, ride departs at 9:30am. There is no charge for this event (hence the name FREE RIDE!) but we need you to RSVP to our ride leader if you will be attending so we know how many we are feeding. Ride leader is Glen Fletcher.

Tid bits

Our lost and found collection from the Saturday rides sometimes gathers interesting and puzzling things. We are now holding a very nice Giro helmet that was left on the curb in the parking lot at Kiwanis Park about 3 weeks ago. Kind of assumed somebody would notice that it was missing and come forward to claim it. If your head has been feeling a bit breezy on recent rides, zip a note to Sue Fassett to claim your brain bucket.

Ride safe

Hi All!

We had 75 riders head out of the park yesterday morning, taking on the challenge of the cyclist-eating diagonal train tracks at Elliot/Warner and the cyclist-eating speed bumps at the southern end of Kyrene. Once we got past those challenging spots, the rest of the romp went pretty well. Banter over bagels at breakfast involved figuring out who is "in training" for El Tour de Tucson, either by way of adding miles and intensity on the bike or by working on building up their endurance for power eating.

Coming up...

Saturday 11/10/07 7:30am Kiwanis Park. AhwaFooty takes us into the foothills of Ahwatukee, with route options of 24 miles with one gentle climb or 35 miles with moderate climbing. Breakfast at Arizona Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & Kyrene.

Saturday 11/17/07 7:30am Kiwanis Park. Mummy Mountain, original route, options of 27 miles with moderate climbing or 40 miles with some bonus climbs. Caffeine and carbs at the Coffee Plantation, on the east side of Mill, between 6th St & 7th St.

Thursday 11/22/07 7:30am Kiwanis Park. Come earn that pumpkin pie on our traditional turkey day loop to the quiet streets of Lehi. Route options of 24 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at IHOP (turkey on toast?), southwest corner Apache & College.

Friday 11/23/07 7:30am Desert Breeze Park. Kokopedallis and Spin Cycle invite all to a blended all levels "just say no shopping" ride. Route and breakfast stop to be determined, but we'll be offering a little something for everybody.

Saturday 11/24/07 7:30am Kiwanis Park. The McKellips Loop, with route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, one gentle climb on each. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

Crossing a hazard in your path, such as train tracks, speed bumps, two-by-fours, etc. can rise up and bite even very experienced riders. In fact, new cyclists are sometimes more attuned to things like that, having less trouble with them than long time riders who have become complacent. When you cross anything that has the potential to re-direct your front wheel (as in make it go sideways instead of forward), you must have both hands on the handlebars in a firm, stable grip. If your front wheel encounters a barrier, it is going to want to flip to the side, and having one hand on is not going to keep that from happening. Yes, we have all watched the pro-riders do amazing things with either one hand or no hands on... riding over curbs, cobblestones, other riders, etc... but kids, don't try that at home. Get a grip.

Ride safe