Hi All!

We had 69 riders arrive for our last late morning start time of the year, plus George, who just couldn't wait for the 8am start next week. He came a half hour early, thought he was late, and spent the morning chasing the pack 'round the route, not knowing they were actually still 30 minutes behind him. The rest of the group rolled out, trailing George, and managed to find various versions of the route to suit their whim. The romp back into town over the Mill bridge gave us a good view of the Walk'N'Roll, a 5K doggie walk. Apparently they allowed each of the dogs to bring along at least one of their humans, so quite a crowd was milling about below. Our hungry horde descended on IHOP and were met with the news that the all you can eat pancake special was still running, so piles of flapjacks were consumed.

Coming up...

Saturday 2/2/08 8:00am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! We'll head to the east on the Length of Lindsay, with route options of 27 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Wildflower, northwest corner Price & Frye (Chandler Mall) or Ruby's Diner for the chow hounds. Groundhog outfits optional.

Saturday 2/9/08 8:00am 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 2/16/08 8:00am Kiwanis Park. We'll check to see if the wind is still blowing on the McKellips Loop, with route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, one gentle climb. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

A hold over from last week's journey to South Mountain, our lost and found pile has gained a pair of men's large Novara full finger winter gloves. Speak up, or they'll join the flow of gear making it's way thru the group.

We now know the answer to the question of "Can a cyclist set off a red light camera?". The answer appears to be yes, if the pack is large enough. Somewhere in the City of Tempe's traffic computer is a lovely photo of a group of cyclists, some proudly wearing our PMBC jersey, riding through a solidly red light at Guadalupe and McClintock this morning. Cyclists die by running red lights. Too harsh? Sometimes reality is a harsh teacher. You think your ride leader getting on your case about running red lights is a pain? It is nothing compared to the pain of being hit by a car. Cyclists riding thru red lights angers car drivers and gives our club a bad reputation in the community. Be the one who stops. Be the one who isn't on the incredibly long list from this morning of riders who owe their ride leader a breakfast buy.

Ride safe

Hi All!

We had 54 riders roll out into the brisk morning for our journey to South Mountain. Some opted for the high road over (Baseline Road) while a few took the low road (the canal path). The low road was a bit TOO low in one spot, being under water, but the rest of the passage across the path was grand. The overnight chill was still hanging out in shadows in the park, so only a few hardy souls opted for the complete jaunt up the Towers road. The roll back down to the StoneHouse in the low temp was... invigorating. We had a bit of cross-cultural exchange when a rider toasted a wheel on the climb up but managed to catch a ride back down the hill in the back of a flashy pick-up truck full of what appeared to be Asian tourists. We never did find the Cannondale display, rumor was that they were set up in eastern section of S Mt park (Pima Canyon, near 48th St & Guadalupe). Good thing we didn't though, or Neal would have probably ordered another new bike.

Coming up...

Monday 1/21/08 8:30am Kiwanis Park. Have the day off? Celebrate your freedom and unite with the pack for our favorite romp to Mummy Mountain. Route options 27 miles with moderate climbing or 40 miles with a couple of extra climbs. Brunch at USEgg, southwest corner of College & Baseline.

Saturday 1/26/08 8:30am Kiwanis Park. The St. Francis Loop, with route options of 26 miles or 36 miles, both with moderate climbing. Breakfast at IHOP, southwest corner College & Apache.

Saturday 2/2/08 8:00am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! We'll roll out to the east on the Length of Lindsay, with route options of 27 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Wildflower, northwest corner Price & Frye (Chandler Mall) or Ruby's Diner for the chow hounds. Groundhog outfits optional.

Saturday 2/9/08 8:00am 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.

Tid bits

The haves and the have-nots. We're hearing a lot of talk about the disparity in society during our current seemingly never ending political campaign. Its amazing to watch that scenario play out in our little mini-world, the community of our bike club. Road bike riding is not a cheap sport, particularly when you first jump in. Within our eclectic pool of people, there is a huge range of financial ability, or lack thereof. Some riders buy new gear every year, always wearing the latest flash, astride steeds fresh from the builders hands. Others milk every last drop from their gear, year after year, mile after mile. Seeing the flow of goods go 'round the circle, passed from one rider to the next, makes one ponder that there might yet be hope for our larger world community. Well done, grasshoppers.

Ride safe

The Casa Grande Century attracted 192 intrepid souls on Sunday, Jan. 6, despite a rainy forecast. We even had 44 riders register the day of the ride!

Century riders tried out a new route that swung east before heading south to Coolidge, where a mid-morning rain near Sag 2 drenched many before they reached the welcoming sight of coffee, hot chocolate, BBQ and even a heater at Dave White Regional Park.

Metric-century riders dodged all but a slight sprinkle en route to their sag stop and the park. Likewise, 34-milers enjoyed a ride under cloudy skies.

Somehow the rain of the day before proved less than cleansing to the roadways, though. We might have set a record for the number of flat tires, and we certainly made a dent in Pat's Cyclery's stash of tubes and patches!

On the bright side, Creative Cafe in Casa Grande did a great job supplying a lunch that drew rave reviews. And our volunteers from the Police Unity Tour pitched in at the lunch and sags.

Many thanks to all our volunteers who staffed registration, the sags and lunch; and to those who worked hard ahead of time on our flyers, route, maps, food-shopping, prize buying, volunteer recruitment and supply wrangling.

If you pre-registered and didn't show, we will have your commemorative socks at the next PMBC general meeting. If you have any ideas on things you'd like to see or NOT like to see next year, please email ride organizer Jane Larson. We're especially interested in your thoughts on the century route and lunch offerings.

Hi All!

We had 69 riders gladly greet the sun in the parking lot this morning. Before we could get underway we had a few minutes of swapping around of spare tubes and tires, people who had begged or borrowed items last Sunday during the Casa Grande ride returning replacement items to their generous friends. (Possible we set a club record for number of flats during any one event during that ride!) Once we got out on the road today, though, it was all good, unless you were Andrew, who managed to trash a tire before we even got to the first regroup. (Hey, if you have to call for a ride from your friends, its better to do so in town than asking them to drive out to the middle of nowhere, which is where our route went today!) Breakfast chatter afterwards ranged from guessing who is old enough to compete in the approaching Sr Olympics to why anybody would want to run 26 miles (which is probably the same reason anybody would want to pedal 100 miles!)

Coming up...

Saturday 1/19/08 8:30am Kiwanis Park. We head to South Mountain with route options of 27 miles with a bit of gentle climbing, 40 miles with moderate climbing, or 42 miles with lots of climbing. Brunch at AZ Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & Kyrene.

Saturday 1/26/08 8:30am Kiwanis Park. The St. Francis Loop, with route options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with moderate climbing. Breakfast at IHOP, southwest corner College & Apache.

Saturday 2/2/08 8:00am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! In honor of Groundhog Day, we back our start time up to begin our slide into spring. We'll roll out to the east on the Length of Lindsay, with route options of 27 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Wildflower, northwest corner Price & Frye (Chandler Mall) or Ruby's Diner for the chow hounds. Groundhog outfits optional.

Tid bits

It's the second weekend of January, have you trashed your new year resolutions yet? If you made any, odds are they have already been put aside. How about setting some specific, attainable goals for yourself? We had a rider out with us today whose longest prior ride was about 5 miles. He set a goal to complete our 25 mile route today and accomplished it. Setting small goals and successfully accomplishing them sets up a pattern, a mindset for yourself, that ripples out into other areas of your life. Maybe you want to lose weight, but that's a very vague, open ended goal. Be specific, aim for something reachable, write it down, make a plan to get there. Do you want to be faster on your bike? How fast? What will be your "finish line" be to strive for? We have a club member who has a goal of riding in our Sunday advanced group, and holding with the pack for one entire ride. That's an excellent example of a defined goal (and now that the advanced pack knows of it, probably a more challenging goal!).

Ride safe

Hi All!

We had 67 cyclists actually make the start and sign into the ride this morning, with another 5 or 6 appearing after the departure time. Apparently Santa didn't bring them the new watches they needed. We rolled north, with the group gradually being reduced by a series of flat tires. A few creative routes were developed, riders cutting across the course, with the hope that nobody would notice that they didn't ride the full route. The siren call of refried beans beckoned though, and the pace picked up as we rolled back down towards home.

Coming up...

Saturday 1/12/08 8:30am Kiwanis Park. The Tour de Sue takes us to the south, with options on Queen Creek or Riggs. Mileage choices 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Brunch at AZ Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & Kyrene.

Saturday 1/19/08 8:30am Kiwanis Park. Wonderous things are happening in South Mountain Park on this date, so we'll head that way to check it out. Rumor has that that Cannondale will have a display there, with the new editions being available for demo riding (both mountain bikes and road bikes). If you don't get tempted away by the shiny new steeds, route options are 27 miles with a bit of gentle climbing, 40 miles with moderate climbing, or 42 miles with lots of climbing. Brunch at AZ Bread Co, southeast corner Elliot & Kyrene. (Yes, that is two weeks in a row for the same food place, but our prez says its the place to be.)

Saturday 1/26/08 8:30am Kiwanis Park. Our last late morning start, we'll roll around town on the St. Francis Loop. Route options 26 miles or 36 miles, both with moderate climbing. Breakfast at IHOP, southwest corner College & Apache.

Tid bits

The plethora of broken glass encountered on the road today, our holiday gift from the careless in our community, gave rise to a lot of in-motion tire clearing. A reminder to our long time riders that the newbies in the pack watch and learn, so if you are going to reach to clear a tire, do so correctly, conservatively, and with caution. "Clearing" a tire is the act of reaching a paw down, while you are rolling, and lightly holding it against your wheel. The idea is that it clears from the tire debris, such as broken glass, before it gets embedded and you get a flat. Some common sense should be employed. If you think you have broken glass stuck in your tire, is reaching bare skin down to run across it at a good plan? Clearing a tire is always done with either your gloved palm, or the edge of your gloved hand, against the tire. Use your finger tips only if you are wearing full length riding gloves. Clearing the front tire takes some reasonable bike handling skills. Clearing the back wheel while in motion is something you should leave for either solo riding or get yourself completely away from other riders to do. Even skilled riders occasionally miss the mark when reaching back, and the resulting spoke-broke fingers and/or crash, though entertaining to the pack, kind of defeats the purpose of trying to save time by not having a flat.

Ride safe

Silent Sunday continues throughout 2008!

We'll provide the open road; you create your own adventure.

The Natural Resources Division Silent Sunday events have continued to be successful at South Mountain Park/Preserve. The outpouring of positive community feedback has been terrific! Bicyclists, skaters, walkers, strollers, horseback riders, etc, have participated in these environmentally responsible events. During Silent Sunday we invite the public to enjoy a free day of non-motorized recreation at South Mountain Park/Preserve.

The goals of Silent Sunday are to promote awareness of alternative modes of recreation and transportation, and to give the Preserve a day of rest from motor vehicle traffic. All park roads past the main gatehouse at the Central Avenue entrance are closed to motor vehicles during the event. Free public parking is available near the park's main entrance at 10919 S. Central Avenue, Phoenix 85042. The roads are reserved for the entire day for all non-motorized recreational activities.

Visitors can also tour the South Mountain Environmental Education Center (SMEEC), open from 9am – 2pm thru April, and 8am - 1pm May thru September. SMEEC will have free drop-in interpretive programs for the public during Silent Sunday; please call ahead for program times.

2008 Dates: January 13, February 24, March 30, April 27, May 25, June 22, July 27, August 24, September 28, October 26, November 23, and December 28.

See you at the Preserve!

Rebecca Smart
Park Ranger II
City of Phoenix Natural Resources Division

Another year down. As a way of reminiscing about the past, I would like to thank all of the riders who made Sunday Spin Cycle fun and enjoyable this year. Even though the pay is lousy as a ride reader, I do enjoy spending time each week hearing the stories and barbs traded amongst the group. This is a great time to reflect on the great friends, both new and old, that make up our eclectic group. For those that weren't at the ride the past couple of Sunday's, it was cold, with only 13 & 15 riders during the last two weeks.

A couple of items for a our new year. Our first Sunday ride of the year will be the Casa Grande Century. We will NOT be having our normal ride at Desert Breeze, but supporting our club and riding one of the many routes of Casa Grande (30, 62, or 100 miles). The start location is Alma School & Chandler Heights at the Safeway parking lot. This link will provide more details, but a big group of us will leave around 8:30am if you are interested.

In addition, our Ride time for January starts at 8:30 am to allow the frost to not be so noticeable on Roger's face when he rides in.

Ride Schedule

1/6 - Casa Grande Century - Alma School & Chandler Heights, mileage options of 30, 62, or 100 miles. Pre-register if you can to avoid the long lines.

1/13 - 8:30 AM - Halfway Around the Mountain - Mileage options of 45 or 20 miles, all flat. Breakfast at Wildflower at the Chandler Mall.

1/20 - 8:30 AM - Ohcotukee Loop - Head down to Ocotillo & Riggs on the flats, then to Awahtukee for some hills. Mileage options of 25, 35 or 55 miles, with the longer route having a lot of hills. Breakfast at Soma Cafe on Chandler & Kyrene.

1/21 - 8:30 AM - MLK day off ride, we'll do something, from somewhere.

1/27 - 8:30 AM - Tour de Mummy backwards. We'll try the favorite route going the other way, with mileage options of 37 or 50 miles, 50 with a lot of hills. Breakfast at Einstein's on Rural & Ray.