I've been lax in my ride report emails, but Mike lead the group this last week up to the towers - thanks.

Our start time for March (yes, this Sunday will be March) goes to 7:30 AM, so adjust your alarm clocks.

Ride Schedule

3/2 - 7:30 AM - Note new start time - Tour de Lindsay - Mileage options of 40 or 54 miles - Mostly flat. Breakfast at Bogies Clubhouse - Ken McDonalds Golf Course.

3/9 - 7:30 AM - Around South Mountain - 50 miles, mostly flat - Can make it less for an out and back. Breakfast at AZ Bread Co. on Elliot & Kyrene.

3/16 - 7:30 AM - Sacaton - Mileage options of 37, 52, 58, or 60 miles, with the last two having a slight hill. Breakfast at Wildflower in the Chandler Mall.

3/23 - 7:30 AM - Tempe Mountains - Mileage options of 38 or 45 miles with some climbing on the longer route. Breakfast at Einstein's on Rural & Ray.

3/30 - 7:30 AM - To the Towers - Silent Sunday - no cars. Mileage options of 30, 42, with some climbing and 45 with a lot of climbing. Breakfast at AZ Bread Co on Elliot & Kyrene.

Major Events

3/15 - Saturday - PMBC General Membership Breakfast Meeting at HomeTown Buffet in Chandler - Warner & Evergreen.

3/22 - Mining Country Challenge - If you are up for some major riding and training, this is the ride for you.

3/30 - Around the Tanks in West Valley.

February 26, 2008

Message from PMBC's president

A lot of things have been going on behind the scenes. We ordered new PMBC socks which will be available for $5.00 a pair. These are very good looking and use the state colors. They make great gifts to all your cycling friends back east who are buried under snow!! We will try and have them at the Saturday rides and definitely at the club breakfast & general membership meeting on March 15. Free food - so mark your calendars.

Believe it or not PMBC has never had an official logo, but we do now!

We hope to have a new jersey order in place for the upcoming general membership meeting. We will have sample sizes and artist's rendering of what it will look like. One of the goals in our jersey design was to not change what we currently have but to "jazz it up." I think we have accomplished that. The new logo will be included on the new jersey. Want to know more or see it? Come to the general membership meeting on March 15!

I have mentioned before that our club has a very diverse membership. Even though we are not a racing club, we do have several members who compete on the state and national level. Every February, Arizona sponsors the "Senior Games" for those of us who are 50 plus. Our members who completed this year were: Dave Lehnan, Anne Chadwick, Paula de Fritas, Bill Olsen, Neal Thomas, Ron Lawson and Ron Waller. PMBC was well represented with 3 first place winners in their events (Neal Thomas, Anne Chadwick and Ron Waller). Paula had at least one second place and Bill Olsen had two third place finishes. A first or second place gets an invite to the National Games next summer, which will be held in Palo Alto, CA.

I hope that we continue to add new members and make new friends. We are adding "Welcome New Members" to the newsletter; please go out of your way to say "HI" to those you don't know and make them feel welcome. Our highlighted new rider this month is Brian Buckmaster.

Remember to wear your PMBC Jerseys especially on club rides!

Ride smooth ... be safe.

Ron Waller

Hi All!

We had 81 riders appear out of the damp cool morning air today, for our adventure to Mummy Mountain. Some of the group actually followed the mapped route, while the remainder designed their own path. Dr. Klein received the poetry-in-motion award for the most amazing save, pulling up from a near certain wipe out at the last second (though some thought that it should have been titled the desperation-in-motion prize). We did spot a few places where the wildflowers were sprouting in yards (or would those be tame-flowers?) along the way, giving us hope that warm morning rides are not too far off.

Coming up...

Saturday 3/1/08 7:30am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! 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. Breakfast at AZ Bread Co, southeast corner of Elliot & Kyrene.

Saturday 3/8/08 7:30am 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 3/15/08 7:30am Kiwains Park. FREE FOOD!! It's time for our first quarterly club breakfast/meeting of the year. Gathering place is the Home Town Buffet in Chandler, northeast corner Warner & Evergreen. Ride there with SatCycling, on a route to the south with options of 25 miles or 35 miles, no climbing. Or meet us at the restaurant at about 9:30am. Breakfast is free to all PMBC members, $8 for non-members. If you have not yet joined our illustrious group, click here for information on joining Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club. Print off a form, zing it along with a check to our Tempe post box, and you are set to eat to your heart's discontent with the rest of us at this event.

Tid bits

If you plan to participate in the MS-150 event that is coming up at the end of March and have not registered yet, you'll want to talk to Jack Graham as he has a way to hook you up with a discount on the registration cost.

The moment you have been waiting for... our club sock delivery has arrived!! (You didn't know you were breathless awaiting the arrival of socks, did you?) Prez Waller advises we now have spiffy PMBC socks that actually match our jerseys. They will be on sale next Saturday morning before the ride, $5 a pair, cash or check.

Ride safe

Hi All!

A two part ride report following our holiday weekend.

Thanks to club prez Ron Waller for leading the gang on Saturday. He advises that 53 hardy souls come out for the morning's romp. No one actually got wet, just a damp feeling in the air, didn't get out of the 50's until the sun came out after the ride. Apparently global warming is bypassing our area.

For our Monday morning President's Day pedal we had 30 riders appear who either had the day off or played hooky. (Are we a bad influence?) We took a tour of the various road construction projects under way in the southeast, then headed back in to Einy's. Or at least most of us did. Terrific Tina decided to stop her ride a few miles out from the breakfast stop due to a giant nail skewering her tire. While waiting for retrieval she fielded numerous offers of assistance from the local citizens, leaving the guys to ponder how come that never happens when they get stranded.

Coming up...

Saturday 2/23/08 8:00am 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 IHOP, southwest corner College & Apache.

Saturday 3/1/08 7:30am Kiwanis Park. NOTE THE TIME CHANGE! We make our post leap day jump into an earlier start time. Word is spreading that South Mountain Park is springing forth into the new season, with the recent rains having brought out some of the wildflowers early. We'll head that way to check it out, with route options of 27 miles with a bit of gentle climbing, 40 miles with moderate climbing, or 42 miles with LOTS of downhill (which comes after lots of climbing). Breakfast at AZ Bread Co, southeast corner of Elliot & Kyrene.

Saturday 3/8/08 7:30am Kiwanis Park. We head to the northeast on the Tour de Mesa. Route options 29 miles or 39 miles, no climbing. Breakfast at Einstein's, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

With all of the destruction of our roads going on, we have a few spots around town that have been narrowed down to the point that there just isn't room for a bicycle and a car to be side by side. Keep in mind that if there isn't room for both, you have a right to "take the lane", moving out into the traffic lane to keep cars from trying to squeeze past you. Doing so is safer than keeping to the right, which tempts impatient drivers to try passing you when they shouldn't. When you take the lane, stay aware of the traffic backing up behind you. If there is a long stretch of road like that, and you have the opportunity to pull off into a drive-way or side street to let traffic pass, do so. Progress doesn't come without growing pains, but let's keep that "pain" to being a cliche, not a reality.

Ride safe

We had 18 riders have a pleasant stroll through Mesa this last week. If you are interested in viewing the start of the Tour of California this weekend with other cyclists while enjoying some wine - check this out.

Ride Schedule

2/17 - 8:00AM - Tour de Queen Creek. Mileage options of 35, 38, 40, 44, or 50 all flat miles. Breakfast stop at new Paradise Bakery on Price & Ray Road.

2/18 - 8:00AM - MONDAY - If you have the day off - Join Sue at Kiwanis Park for Tour de Sue backwards - 29 or 39 miles.

2/24 - 8:00AM - To the Towers of South Mountain - No cars on the mountain. Mileage options of 30 flat, 42 with some hills or 50 with a lot of hills. Breakfast at AZ Bread Co. on Kyrene & Elliot.

Hi All!

Chaos and confusion greeted our 73 riders this morning, due to the sign-in vehicle being relocated about two parking spaces from its normal spot. We eventually managed to get everybody calmed down and rolled out on our romp over to the foothills. The route was the usual "create your own path" adventure we have in that area, with most finding their way back to the Bread Co afterwards. We were joined there by a couple of ceremonial cyclists (at least "Ice" Iverson did pedal to the place) and our club mascot Zack. We'll be checking in with Zack's people later today to see what the result is when you feed a small dog a bran muffin.

Coming up...

Saturday 2/16/08 8:00am 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.

Monday 2/18/08 8:00am Kiwanis Park. A holiday adventure! Join us for a presidential roll down south, on the Tour de Sue in reverse, with mileage options of 29 miles or 39 miles. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Saturday 2/23/08 8:00am 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 IHOP, southwest corner College & Apache.

Tid bits

An article ran in the AZ Republic this week, about a conflict between a neighborhood and cyclists in Scottsdale, along the route to Fountain Hills. The piece was well done, even-handed, presented by our very own club officer Jane Larson. The story was also posted on AZCentral.com, which allows readers to add comments. The response there has been astounding. Opinions on both sides, very intense. The cyclists involved represent only a small portion of the large community that cycling is, yet the people in that area see them as a cross-section example of your typical person on a bike. This echos the very issue we had rise up a few years ago in the Village of Ahwatukee, where we pedaled today. As Charles Barkley learned, you can insist that you are not role model, but that will not stop people from seeing you in that light. Ride like you know that. Learn and follow the rules of the road. Extend courtesy and a friendly attitude to the car drivers we interact with on our club adventures. Say hi to every kid you see, they are our future club members. You know the drill, grasshoppers. Show them the way.

Ride safe

We had 23 riders take off last Saturday, with several turning around early in hopes of avoiding the rain, or was that an early start to the eating, I mean football festivities. Mother natured looked down on everyone with no rain to speak of. So, if you don't know, we start at 8:00 am in February.

Ride Schedule

2/10 - 8:00 AM - Tour de Mesa - Head to Mesa, with mileage options of 35 or 45 miles with a climb on the longer route. Breakfast at Pleaissant Croissants on Rural & Elliot.

2/17 - 8:00AM - Tour de Queen Creek. Mileage options of 35, 38, 40, 44, or 50 all flat miles. Breakfast stop at new Paradise Bakery on Price & Ray Road.

2/18 - 8:00AM - MONDAY - If you have the day off - Join Sue at Kiwanis Park for Tour de Sue backwards - 29 or 39 miles.

2/24 - 8:00AM - To the Towers of South Mountain - No cars on the mountain. Mileage options of 30 flat, 42 with some hills or 50 with a lot of hills. Breakfast at AZ Bread Co. on Kyrene & Elliot.

Message from PMBC's president

A round of applause to Jane Larson and the Casa Grande support staff for another great ride – especially if you like to ride in the rain. We promise, next year the weather will be great.

Special thanks to Pat's Cyclery who once again provided mechanical support and SAG during the Casa Grande ride. Last count I heard Don Patterson provided us with 38 tubes! That gives you some idea how many flats we had. Please stop in and see Don and the other fine folks at Pat's Cyclery. They are located at 929 East Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85203. You can get a map and directions by going to their web site www.patscyclery.com.

We are adding "Welcome New Members" to the newsletter; please go out of your way to say "HI" to them.

In my last letter I asked for some information about you. To my surprise I have received several. So I am going to go in chronological order staring with Kay Vengurlekar: "I am new to the group. I am a nurse, 45 yrs old, "unattached" and have 2 adult children. I have always loved cycling. I still have my Peugeot I bought when I was 16! It wasn't till after my children went to college that I became serious about cycling again. I participate in triathlons and love to hike, kayak and do just about anything! I am working toward the goal of doing my first 100 mile ride this year."

Do you have a PMBC jersey? We are all out of the current ones, but plan on having an order ready for the next general membership meeting. At that time we will have sample sizes for you to try on. With that said; remember to wear your PMBC Jerseys especially on club rides!

Remember the original PMBC socks (white with blue and the state flag)? We have ordered more and they should be available for the next membership meeting.

Ride smooth … be safe.

Ron Waller

Hi All!

We had 65 riders head out eastbound this morning, seeking the sun. The brisk temp at the start mellowed into a gorgeous day to be riding (though just about any day is a good day to be riding!). Several new faces appeared in the group, some were visitors just here for the weekend's adventures, but others were locals who just figured out where the place to be on Saturday mornings is. Breakfast chatter ranged from political discussions (the world run by cyclists.. now THAT would be interesting) to contemplating the 15 seconds of fame that some of our club members have had due to the Super Bowl hoopla. (You can check that out at: http://humanenergy.ampenergy.com/.)

Coming up...

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. The McKellips Loop, with route options of 28 miles or 37 miles, one gentle climb on each. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Monday 2/18/08 8:00am Kiwanis Park. A holiday adventure! If you have the day off (or can play hooky) come out with us for a presidential roll down south, on the Tour de Sue in reverse, with mileage options of 29 miles or 39 miles. Breakfast at Einsteins, northwest corner Guadalupe & McClintock.

Tid bits

Have you heard about some of the big event rides around the country that are getting so popular they have set up lottery systems for potential participants? Well, our club social events are headed that way! We have a couple of invites, details following, but space is limited. If you would like to attend, zip a RSVP to the host and get your name on the beautiful people list. Note, these are not "official" PMBC events, so don't blame us if you don't have a good time:

a.. Tour of California Prologue Party - The 2008 Tour of California will kick-off on Sunday afternoon, February 17th. The Wine Rack, in Ahwatukee, is offering a 2:30-5:30pm viewing of the opening stage, complete with a California wine tasting. We need 20 members to RSVP for the tasting to Bob Beane in order for that to happen. Regardless, the show will go on, so please plan to be there. Here are the costs: (1) Entry to the Wine Rack for the event, no host soft drinks or beer: $5.00 + you pay for beverages, (2) Entry to the Wine Rack, wine tasting & appetizers: $10.00. If we do not have 20 or more RSVP, the event will go on, but "no host". So, if you plan to attend, please RSVP to Bob Beane by 2/12.

b.. Tour of California Final Stage and Event Celebration. Sunday February 24th, 2:30pm (broadcast is from 3:00pm to 5:00pm). Bob Beane's abode, big screen, attendee's are asked to bring a snack/appetizer to share. Soft drinks, water, beer, wine will be provided. Attendance limited to 24. Please RSVP by 2/20 to Bob Beane.

Ride safe