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ACTIVITY NEWS: January - February 2006

1. The President's Draft
2. Call for Entries in the TCBC Jersey Design Contest
3. Chasing Goals by Bike
4. Annual Meeting Recap
5. Cycling Then and Now
6. In Brief
7. Ride 'Em Texas Hills
8. 2006 Leader Training

President’s Draft
By Charles Breer

Happy New Year from your new TCBC president! I’m deeply honored and humbled to have been elected by the TCBC board to serve as your president for the next two years. Having benefited so much over the past years from great TCBC people and rides, I am eager to give something back and will do my best to improve this wonderful club. I know that our Past President Mike Beadles certainly did this during his tenure and thanks to his excellent leadership, TCBC has terrific momentum going into 2006. We should all be grateful that Mike has agreed to continue his active participation on the TCBC board for the next year and we will value his guidance, wisdom, and energy.

We have many exciting things going on in 2006, the first of which is the re-designed newsletter in your hands. We now have a newsletter with a fresh new look that saves money through more efficient use of space. I’m thrilled that a dedicated team consisting of Lisa Austin, Mike Beadles, Theresa Giebel, Garry Glubka, Doug Nelson, Jim Pederson, Kristine Poelzer and Steve Scott was able to launch the new design under a very tight deadline. We’d love to know what you think and we’ll certainly be making further refinements in future issues, so please contact Lisa Austin (laustin@visi.com) or Garry Glubka (gglubby@comcast.net) if you have comments or suggestions.

Also coming up quickly on Friday January 27 is the TCBC Annual Recognition Dinner, which I would like to invite each of you to attend – and please bring your friends! As always this is a great way to catch up with your fellow TCBC members as we recognize each others’ (mostly) bicycling achievements. This year’s dinner, in a posh hotel ballroom, is an especially good value, with a waiter-served dinner partially sponsored by TCBC. I also want to remind you to vote for your favorite ride leaders in the categories of “Best Ride Leader”, “Best New Ride Leader”, and “Best ‘C’ Ride Leader”, with results to be announced at the banquet. Please see the banquet registration form elsewhere in this newsletter or go to http://www.BikeTCBC.org to download the registration and vote for your favorite leaders online.

Later in the year, we have a full roster of other initiatives under way, in addition to the core function of the club, which is to run great rides. These include:

* A diverse and interesting BIKE U program in February, March and April, thanks to our new BIKE U coordinator Laurie Holm (see schedule for details)

* A cool new TCBC jersey, to be the result of a design contest and available in late spring
* Strong TCBC presence at the first annual Bicycling Travel & Fitness Expo to be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on March 4-5 (see http://www.bicyclingtravel.com )

* 25th Anniversary of the TCBC Watermelon Ride on July 4
* An updating of TCBC’s already-great website, including online ride submission capability
* Continued emphasis on bicycling education, safety, and outreach

If you ever have any ideas, comments or suggestions about anything related to TCBC, please do not hesitate to contact me or any other TCBC board member. Meanwhile, during the winter I can be found most Sundays at the 11 AM Think Spring ride, starting in Roseville – studded tires recommended! Hope to see you there.

Call for Entries in the TCBC Jersey Design Contest
By Lisa Anderson

Imagine seeing your original design on a group of fellow TCBC'ers riding down the parkway on a warm August day. It'll happen if you're the winner of the Twin Cities Bicycling Club 2006 Jersey Contest.

All TCBC members have the option of submitting a design for the new TCBC jersey, so use this cold weather downtime to get your creative juices flowing and submit your original design by January 15. Check the TCBC website for contest details. The TCBC Jersey Committee will review all designs and select finalists.

Then, it's up to the members. Final designs will be posted to the TCBC website and all members will have the option of voting to choose the winning design. Voting will take place on-line in late January/early February and the winning design will be announced shortly thereafter. Watch your e-mail and the web-site for information about how and when to vote and to see the winning design!

The jersey design must include the words “Twin Cities Bicycling Club” as well as the TCBC logo. No other advertising is permitted. The club jersey helps build awareness of our club and makes riders easier to spot and, of course, it should look cool and be fun to wear.

Designs can be submitted via electronic file or sketched out on paper and sent in by mail. (No designs on the back of cocktail napkins, please.) Designs must be original artwork and developed for the jersey front, back, collar and short sleeves. Designs should also be easily adaptable to a sleeveless version. A template is available on the website for all jersey specifications. Color and production specs are provided there as well.

Jersey orders will be taken for approximately one month starting in early-mid February and ending in March in order to get the jerseys to members as early as possible in the riding season. Order forms will be available on the web-site so be sure to watch your e-mail and check the web-site for further information. Jersey samples will also be available for try-on in order to determine your correct size.

If you have any questions about the contest, please contact Jamie Pfuhl (Contest Chair) at jersey@biketcbc.org or a member of the Jersey Committee. Committee members are Dave Anderson, Lisa Anderson, Susie Anderson, Tim Brinkman, Mary Derks, Paul Huntington, Kate Kovar, Kay Mitchell, Kristine Poelzer, Steve Scott, and Nancy Selz.

Chasing Goals by Bike
By Doug Nelson

I remember Tony Anthonisen writing a few years ago in this newsletter about setting personal goals, in biking or whatever else, and then trying to reach them. That’s what I did in 2005, and just to end most of the suspense, I did what I was aiming to do. I made it over the top of my own personal Alpe d’Huez.

Keeping track of our personal mileages and participation is something that many of us don’t talk about much or at all, but I bet plenty of us have a monthly calendar or log where we write these things down. With my love of numbers, I started keeping calendars back in 1980, where I wrote down my biking and other outdoor trips such as X-C skiing, and I enjoy challenging myself for monthly and yearly mileage records. It gets harder and harder to top yourself without taking too much time off work. (Some of our TCBC retirees don’t have that problem, and I envy them!)

This year I was feeling older than usual, or some such feeling, and decided to try to set a new personal yearly mileage record. Never mind what my old record was – some of you would consider it as nothing significant – but I knew my 2003 totals would be very tough for me to break. So I just biked as much as I reasonably could, whether on TCBC rides or on my own, especially in my beloved northern suburbs. Oh, do I know the Vadnais Water Works and surrounding areas.

Helping me a lot: 1) the weather generally cooperated, and since late June, I only got caught in the rain ONCE while riding (on the All-Club Ride Sept. 3). 2) I finally got a new Trek touring bike in July, and riding became easier and a bit faster. 3) My health was very good and I only fell off my new bike once, when I couldn’t unclip on a TCBC ride, and managed not to injure myself much. (Doc Tony looked at my leg afterwards and said I would live to ride again.)

I biked to work sometimes, and I biked with the Mayor of St. Paul once. I carried my bike out my door and biked on my own for 10-20 miles many times. I went on 55 or so TCBC rides, and some days I put on extra mileage on my own after the group ride. I went on some overnight trips in MN and WI. I became a member of Herb’s Herd. I did the TRAM 5-day ride on the Iron Range. I really pushed myself, with three decent bikes to use. I kept keeping track and on schedule, and I comfortably broke my record by late October. So who is over the hill? There are still too many people I can’t keep up with, but it’s not really about speed, is it?

I had another smaller goal that seemed more improbable; I decided to try to bike every day in July and top 1000 miles in a calendar month, which I had never reached. Nothing special for folks like Doc Tony and Lee T, but difficult for most of us. Everything worked out and I made it. In fact, I biked at least 12 miles for 35 days in a row. I made it my top priority and made sacrifices. My summer revolved around biking even more than usual. I tried not to show I was somewhat obsessed (even though I may have been; how would I know?).

So what does it all mean? Among other things: 1) I got lots of great exercise and scenery. 2) Most routes still didn’t bore me. 3) I was able to ride with plenty of friendly bikers. 4) I ended up with a terrific feeling of accomplishment. 5) Maybe you should try something similar one of these years, because in challenging yourself you might surprise and surpass yourself. 6) I won’t be doing this much biking again until after I retire, if then!

Annual Meeting Recap
Summarized by Doug Nelson

TCBC held its Annual Meeting for 2004-05 on November 5, and around 80 people attended the event in Brooklyn Center, beginning with another popular dessert potluck.

Newly elected to the Board of Directors were Garry Glubka and Kelly Hazel for two-year terms. Re-elected to the Board were incumbents Lisa Austin, Charles Breer, and Mary Derks. Leaving the Board were Mike Beadles and Dave Swaab. The Nominating Committee proposing the slate was Katie Angle, Susan Evan, Cindy Hanson, and Paul Huntington.

TCBC has 1084 memberships, about the same as last year, of which 263 are family memberships…. The budget was proposed and approved for 2006…. The Watermelon Ride was again a financial success with over 600 riders and 60 volunteers…. The 25th anniversary of Weekend on Wheels was a major success with over 160 participants…. 119 of our leaders had led trips by October, with 17 new leaders leading at least four rides….

Many volunteers were thanked for their time-consuming service. For the next year (at least): Laurie Holm will serve as BIKE U coordinator, Richard Franco will be ride stats coordinator, Cindy Hanson will be the new photo editor, Dave Swaab will be the new volunteer and public relations coordinator.

Cycling Then and Now
By Marina Lim

The other week a club member asked others in the Yahoo group which rear view mirror they recommended. Helmet or eyeglass mounted? The question rang a bell as I remembered my first bike club ride and rear view mirror.

The year was 1981. I rode with the Western Wheelers in Palo Alto, California. Their newsletter was the Flat Tyre. (The club still exists and still produces the Flat Tyre monthly.)

Back then there was only one model of touring or road bike helmet for sale. Made by Bell, they were white with 11 vents and Velcro attached beige foam rubber fitting pads inside. The helmets were a rounded rectangular shape and had 3 strips of red reflective tape and red-orange chin straps. Forget fashionable colors and styles. Everyone wore the same helmet. People often wrote their initials on the outside as to not grab someone else’s by mistake at a rest stop. Mine weighed 1 pound plus half an ounce. After a long ride I sometimes got a headache from the weight. Later another cycling specific helmet was on the market. It was black plastic and fit around the head completely, with no vents at all.

Women’s jerseys were not widely available. There were no wicking, high tech fabrics. Jerseys were made of merino wool, in extra small to extra large sizes. The three rear pockets were elasticized or had button closures. Shorts were also wool, with a genuine leather chamois sewn in the crotch. That’s right -- the same chamois you buy to wash your car with. Imagine sitting on one and getting rubbed all day. It took 2-3 days to wash and dry a pair of shorts. They had to be turned inside out to air dry. I owned two pair.

There was no state helmet law or club rule that you had to wear a helmet. Once I showed up for a Western Wheelers ride, helmet-less. “Where’s your helmet?” a rider asked. Normally when I rode alone I felt silly wearing one, but now I felt out of place without it. From that day on the white helmet became part of me on the bike. Eventually I bought a rear view mirror that screw tightened onto the edge of the helmet.

I was a college student and my boyfriend Tony was an aeronautic engineer. He designed jet engines and products for the military. At the time, the popular method to decrease the weight of a road bike was to drill holes in some of the parts. The local joke was that riders who went bike camping drilled holes in their spoon to save weight. With access to a drill press at work, Tony drilled about 150 tiny holes in his seat post, brake levers and rear derailleur. The parts looked like metal Swiss cheese. He insisted that he did the engineering calculations to determine where the stress in the parts should be and that they would not break. Amazingly they didn’t. Later it was determined that the holes caused so much aerodynamic drag that they slowed the rider down more than the benefit of reducing weight by drilling the holes in the first place.

We didn’t actually know anybody in the club but we paid the dues and paraded around as members anyway. The club consisted mostly of computer geeks, being situated in the heart of Silicon Valley and the hometown of William Hewlett and David Packard. We did not speak computer-ese, and most of the ride conversations were in that dialect. Other more casual bike clubs in the area that we occasionally rode with dubbed Western Wheelers “the Western Wieners”.

The club offered custom jerseys for sale, sewn by a woman club member. After reading about it in the newsletter we rode to the woman’s home in a trailer park and got measured for the official club jersey. For $21 we bought a cotton knit jersey with side panels, a standard zipper in the front and three rear pockets. The club colors were blue and yellow but the seamstress had bolts of fabric in other colors and would sew anything. I wanted green and black, and Tony got red and black, his favorite colors. The woman measured us, asked “snug or loose fit?” and cut and sewed them up. Her husband silk-screened “Western Wheelers” in huge black bold letters on the back. My first name was machine embroidered on the front. Sometimes when I wore the jersey people would read it and ask the odd question, “What is Marina?”

With pride the two of us wore our club jerseys and rode bikes to the San Jose flea market, several miles out of town. It is a large open-area market of second-hand items and new cheap imports, food and flowers. The shopping population was heavily Mexican-American. I wandered around shopping for food as I normally did, except donned in bike clothes. Two teenage girls saw me and started laughing. It was obvious the helmet, jersey and shorts were the funniest fashion faux paux they’d ever seen in their entire lives. I turned to look at them. They both pointed at me and they laughed even harder. They were almost rolling around on the dusty ground.

My boyfriend made a comment about them not being very sophisticated and that they’d never seen a cyclist before. It was a cloudy day. I groaned and slipped on metal rimmed aviator sunglasses, trying to hide. I forgot that my identity was easily read on the jersey.

Little did the girls know that 7 years later bike jerseys and shorts would be the fashionable outfit to wear to bars in the San Francisco area, for one season, anyway. In the summer of 1988 I rode to work at Stanford and a co- worker saw my outfit and told me about the trend. She did not ask me if I was en route to a bar.

In the interest of obtaining one grandson, Tony’s parents spent a few years pressuring me to give up cycling, marry him and have children, as if I could not ride and have children at the same time. (In traditional Chinese families, having a grandson is an important asset for maintaining the family name and line). Tony was fun company, but abusive. I dumped him, married someone else and eventually had two boys. Soon after I left Tony got married and had two girls, which is not what his mother had hoped for.

Zoom ahead to 2005. Now one of my kid rides with me, sometimes. In August a group of TCBC members went on the Lunch on a Stick ride to the MN state fair. We donned our high-tech spandex bike shorts, bike skirts and jerseys at the fair. I wore a large sun hat which looked rather dorky, but I wanted to avoid the sun. One woman decided to keep her sunglass-mounted rear view mirror on, so as not to lose it and keep an eye on anyone behind her. Despite our unusual appearance, no one in the crowd took a second look. How times have changed, or is it just the location and “Minnesota nice”?

In Brief

NEXT ACTIVITY NEWS DEADLINE will be Monday, February 6. This will be for March as we return to monthly issues.

NEW TCBC BOARD OFFICER POSITIONS are Charles Breer as President, Mary Derks as Vice-President, and Katie Angle as Secretary.

THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT to those who voted for the Ride Leader Awards as listed in the last newsletter. They will be presented at the Annual Recognition Dinner on Jan. 27.

BIKE U IS BACK. Get off the trainer and expand your mind. See the schedule for details. Events are planned for Feb. 9, March 12, April 9, and April 23.

ANNUAL LEADER FORUM will be Saturday, April 8, from 1:30 – 4 PM at the Brooklyn Center Community Center.

MINNESOTA STATS: IN 2004, there were 10 biking deaths in Minnesota. Nearing the end of 2005 at this writing, there have been 7, with possibly more to come due to time or reports coming in late from around the state. Possible factors cited this year in general were nicer overall weather, more people bicycling, and a rise in the number of teenaged bikers.

RIDE THROUGH: With more federal land in Arden Hills being transferred to Ramsey County, it will be possible to build a paved trail along Rice Creek where it goes through the old Arsenal, from County I (where a nice trail now ends) southwest to cross under 35W and reach County Road H and Edgewood Drive. The southern end is fairly close to Long Lake Park. What a connection! If budget approval progresses, the trail might be built as early as 2007.

TONY SCHMIDT PARK in Arden Hills (north side of Lake Johanna): An active railroad line runs through the center of this scenic park. Negotiations are continuing to use a 20-feet-wide easement to make a paved trail through an underpass. The county will pay the railroad to build the trail, which might happen in 2006.

BRUCE VENTO TRAIL is being extended about a mile in 2006 north from Beam Avenue in Maplewood to cross 694 on the old railroad bridge and reach Buerkle Road in White Bear Lake. The plan is to continue the trail eventually to downtown White Bear Lake.

STAYING WARMER: From June through November, each month averaged above normal temperatures. This made it easier for rides to take place in most cases.

Ride ‘Em Texas Hills

Howdy pardners! Time to saddle up and ride the roads of Texas Hill Country. Our 4th annual trip is again headquartered out of Marble Falls, TX, about 50 miles west of Austin. There are no upfront costs. You will be responsible for your own transportation, accommodations, and meals.

This will be a regular TCBC A/B ride. Our routes will vary in length from 30 to 65 miles per day, and will depart about 10:45 AM. Some routes will leave directly from the Best Western Motel in Marble Falls, whereas some start destinations will necessitate a short drive. Thanks are due to Susan Evan and Chuck Sunder, who initially prepared the routes and maps. Although I have biked the routes with them before, I lack their good sense of direction, and their familiarity with the area. Hence daily maps will be provided, but you must possess a “go with the flow” attitude. Routes will not have been previewed or ridden since last year. There is no sag service. Also, be sure that your bike is in good working order, as the closest bike shop is 50 miles away.

At this point, the “official ride” offers a full seven days of biking, with riding commencing the morning of Saturday, Jan. 14th, and ending the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 20th. Please stay tuned to the TCBC website as these dates may be extended, with web rides being added. Depending upon the wishes of the participants, I will add one or more rides leaving from Fredericksburg as well ( a 45-minute drive from Marble Falls). If we ride more than one day from Fredericksburg, the trip dates listed here will be extended, so that we still have six days of riding from Marble Falls. Feel free to join all or a portion of this trip. The trip is limited to 14 participants.

Mid-January is traditionally the coldest time of the year in MN, making it the perfect time for a getaway. Come join me on the quiet rolling rural roads of Texas Hill Country. You won’t find the terrain as steep as some of WI, but it’s not flat, hence the name. You will find acres of cattle ranches, courteous drivers, and limited rest stops (kind of like WI). Most of all, you’ll find good biking with good people. Good times – Yee Haw.

You have several options for transportation: You can drive from Minneapolis to Marble Falls (1100 miles). Fly into Dallas (3 hours away), San Antonio (1 ½ hrs away) or Austin (1 hour away), rent a car, and drive to Marble Falls. As for accommodations, Best Western (830-693-5122). Rides start here. Quality Inn (formerly a Ramada, and newly remodeled, 830-693-7531). Both motels offer room-side parking, plus a small fridge and micro in room. Hill Country Inn (slightly less, for the budget-inclined). All three motels are within a few blocks of each other. Camping is also available.

To join the group or have questions answered, contact TCBC leader Sue Blum: sueblum@earthlink.net.

2006 TCBC Leader Training

If you’ve been thinking of becoming a TCBC ride leader, here’s your opportunity. Enrollment is now open for this spring’s TCBC Leader Training, which consists of one full day of class on Saturday, April 8. Any current member in good standing is eligible to participate, as long as he/she pays the fee, is willing to lead a minimum of two rides this season for TCBC, and agrees to abide by TCBC rules and customs.

The TCBC Leader Training Course focuses on preparing candidates to lead safe, lawful, fun, and interesting rides. Subjects covered include how to organize, plan, map, advertise, and lead a bike ride for TCBC, plus a variety of related subjects. Strong emphasis will be placed on the rules of the road, traffic laws, bicycle safety, and risk management.

The total cost is $40, but it’s possible to recoup the entire fee by leading four rides for TCBC this season, which ends on October 31, 2006. Leading three rides will get you a $30 refund and two rides $20, but that’s the smallest refund offered. The refunds will be made in November.

To register, send a check for $40 (made out to TCBC) to: TCBC Leader Training, c/o Pete Hawkins, 3008 County Road I, Mounds View, MN 55112. Be sure to include your current address, home phone number with area code, and e-mail address if you have one. Candidates will receive a letter of acknowledgement and further details by April 1. Phone Pete Hawkins at 763-786-3792 or e-mail him at pmh@peoplepc.com if you have further questions

 

TCBC Contacts

ACTIVITY NEWS is published by the Twin Cities Bicycling Club, formed in 1993.
Mail and checks should be sent to TCBC, PO Box 131086, Roseville, MN 55113.

TCBC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT: Charles Breer
VICE-PRESIDENT: Mary Derks
SECRETARY: Katie Angle
Lisa Austin
Pete Hawkins
Scott Larson
Paul Huntington
Kelly Hazel
Garry Glubka

OTHER TCBC POSITIONS

TREASURER: Tony Stifter
COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING COORDINATOR: Kristine Poelzer
MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR: David Erick
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Doug Nelson
ART DIRECTOR: Steve Scott
SCHEDULE COORDINATOR: Jim Pederson
RIDE STATISTICS: Richard Franco
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: Dave Swaab
WEBMASTER: Phil Doi

Contact ACTIVITY NEWS Editor: Doug Nelson if you have information at 2800 Hamline, #208, Roseville, MN 55113. (651-639-9917) tcbcdoug@mtn.org  Deadlines will usually be during the first week of the month for the next month's issue.

To submit items for the Activities Schedule, send e-mail to Jim Pederson: schedule@biketcbc.org

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