north carolina september 2004 bicycle club, inc. nc ......north carolina september 2004 bicycle...

September 2004 North Carol ina Bicycle Club, Inc.

NCBC Summer Rally The club held its annual Sum-mer Rally on July 18 at the Shearon Harris Visitors’ Cen-ter. We were favored with good weather, and 103 cy-clists took part. They found the 100K route to be as ad-vertised – challenging! It goes up both Lysta and Bynum Ridge, with Old Gra-ham Road in between. (Maps and cue sheets can still be found on the NCBC web site). Part of what I appreciated about this event was the co-operation among club mem-bers in hosting it. Adrian Hands and Bruce Rosar marked the route. Henri Tho-mas gathered the food and supplies. Carol Schroeder brought the ice. Adrian, Daniel Gatti, Brandon Brown and Zonda Hillman staffed the sag stops, while Bruce and Steve Goodridge swept the 100K route. And, oh, I printed the maps, cue sheets, registration forms, and brought the club’s trailer. Much thanks to all these folks for putting on the event!

NCBC Fall Rally Our Fall Rally will be a little different this year. We’ll have a ride (not really a rally – as there will be no charge) on Saturday, September 25 from Blue Jay Point Park . Like most rides, you’ll be expected to provide your own provisions

for the ride itself, and stop at stores along the route as needed. There will be food back at the park when you finish, so you may relax with your friends afterwards and tell tall tales how, say, had you not run a marathon the day before, you could have sprinted up the hills ahead of the pack instead of pulling up the rear so as to scout for folks being dropped (see ref-erence to Road Dogs in next paragraph). You may have heard of the North Raleigh Road Dogs, a renegade group of club riders who like to set their own rules about things. They’ve hosted their own Road Dog Rally the past couple years, and we’re combining forces this year. In keeping with Road Dog tradi-tion, the century ride will actu-ally be 110 miles. There will be shorter distances avail-able, too, of course. We do ask that folks register for the event, just so we can antici-pate the numbers. See the NCBC web site at NCBike-Club.org for details.

NCBC Meetings It always surprises me that more folks don’t show up for the NCBC club meetings. We have maybe 5 times the num-ber of folks as we had last year, but these are good meetings with interesting topics, with good food and drink, to boot. You should come! Since the first Monday

in September is Labor Day, we’ll defer to the second Mon-day (Sept 13). Brandon Brown, an admitted gadget freak, will show off the variety of power tap trainers he has. How much horsepower can you generate over .3 miles? Come and find out! This meeting will be held at Sammy’s Tap & Grill in Ra-leigh. As always, check the NCBC web site for details and directions.

NCBC Officers We’ll be electing new officers at the NCBC Christmas party in December (date TBD, but the location will be Henri Tho-mas’ house near Holly Springs). If you enjoy cycling and would like to be actively involved with like-minded people, PLEASE contact me to let me know. This doesn’t mean you have to be presi-dent - there a variety of things you can do – but I’d love to discuss this with and help you find a friendly home within the club. My email address is [email protected].

A ME S S A G E F R O M O U R P R E S I D E N T B Y D A V I D C O L E , P R E S I D E N T

Special Points of Interest

• Pyrenees 2004, Pages 2- 4

• September Club Meet-ing, Page 4

• 2004 U.S. Transplant Games, Page 5

• Sofia-Varna-Sofia, Pages 5, 8-9, 11

• Bike Shop Profile, Frank’s Cyclery, 0.

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

A Message From Our President

1

Pyrenees 2004 2-4

Sept. Club Meeting 4

2004 US Transplant Games

5

Sofia-Varna-Sofia (? ? ? ? ?-? ? ? ? ?-? ? ? ? ? ) Part II

5, 8-9, 11

Fall Rally/Road Dog Rally

6-7

Bike Shop Profile: Frank’s Cyclery

10

Ride Calendar 12-14

Membership News 15

Membership Applica-tion & Waiver

15-16

NC B ICYCLE N EWS

The Genesis of the Trip During the recovery from our October 2002 accident (and a broken knee cap injury), I decided that if I were ever able to ride a bike again, I would tackle some of the toughest mountains: the Pyre-nees, Alps, Rockies etc. So, after spending the year 2003 focusing on recovery, getting back in shape, avoiding inju-ries, especially knee tendoni-tis, this year was time to real-ize one of the magic goals: the Pyrenees. With the popu-larity of the Tour de France, following Lance Armstrong’s victories, many of us are now familiar with names such as Tourmalet, La Mongie, Aubisque, Luz Ardiden, Hauta-cam. They were part of our goals this year. Other goals were also to visit some mag-nificent historical and natural sites, as the region bordering France and Spain is rich in history. Smith and I planned the routes, booked the hotels for the 3 tandem teams that accepted the challenge. The trip happened during the last 2 weeks of June, to avoid the after school summer vacation rush in Europe. The teams were: Mark and Betsy Gate-

house from Greensboro (Mark earned the nick name “El Toro”, because he is strong as a bull, & rides for the De Oro team), and Kip Clyburn and Anne Bringuier from Taylors-ville, NC (Kip and Anne own 2 tandems and ride with their kids a lot, so hauling panniers is an easy feat!). Bikes and Technology Our 3 teams each had a travel tandem equipped with couplers. The bikes can be dismantled and loaded in suitcases that fit airlines re-strictions. 2 teams arrived on time and built their bikes with-out incident. The last team arrived a day late, their bike was delayed one more day, and they caught up with us 2 days after the start, frustrated but happy to join the fun. We made a stop for 3 days in the small town of Quillan where Kip & Anne had left their daughters on vacation with other friends while they were cyclo-touring. It was just our luck to find an old store, which a man was using as a workshop to re-store old furniture and weave baskets. On display in his

workshop was a 130 years old rickshaw imported from India, in working condition. Mark and Betsy’s new tan-dem has been named the “Titanium rickshaw” as a mockery of their disparity in fitness level (Betsy admits “He puts me on the bike”). So, having a real rickshaw available for a test ride was an opportunity we could not miss. After riding the rick-shaw with Betsy, Mark was very glad he had the “ti” ver-sion since the real one was made out of very heavy steel and wood. He also had a better appreciation of the large difference between “some” contribution and “none” by a stoker. Places to Stay, Places to Eat We started a 2 weeks loop from Toulouse (the airport shuttle between the airport and the downtown proved convenient and inexpensive). The loop included stops picked either due to a historic interest such as: Carcas-sonne, Tarascon sur Ariege, or because of their location rela-tive to the mountains we set to conquer: Bagneres de Bigorre, Argeles Gazost. Many of these places are Tour de France stages start or arri-

val towns this year The South-west region of France is fa-mous for its food (is there a region that is not?), and it did live up to our expectations. It is fair to say that in 2 weeks, we did not have a bad meal. We had some funny experiences: in Audressein with a very fancy Belgian Mai-tre D who forgot to bring us the extra pasta we requested – we started the Portet d’As-pet the next day on empty tanks – and the Hotel owners were mad at him for having to eat pasta salad for another 3 days! We also had divine sur-prises (Quillan – twice!, and Saint Gaudens). Kip and Anne’s friends in Quillan also treated us to a wonderful dinner at their house, after some of their friends chal-lenged us with some fero-cious climbs up Port de Pail-heres (2001 m) and Col de Chioula. Weather wise, the Pyrenees, at least from the French side, are green mountains, be-cause they block the rain clouds coming from the Atlan-tic Ocean. We had 2 rainy days, and 2 other cloudy days. The temperatures remained in the mid 70’s to mid 80’s, so perfect riding tempera-

P Y R E N E E S 2004 B Y C L A U D E MO N N I E R , N C B C ME M B E R ( W I T H C O R R E C T I O N S F R O M S M I T H D O S S A N D M A R K G A T E H O U S E )

NC Bicyc le News

Left photo (from left to right), Smith Doss, Claude Monnier, Kip Clyburn, Anne Bringuier, Mark and Betsy Gatehouse

near “the escargot” (the snail, because the roads go over and

underneath the bridge.

Far right, Mark and Betsy test drive the rickshaw in Quillan.

Above, Pic du Midi, an astro-nomic observatory in the Pyrenees (not far from La Mongie, another

Tour de France climb.

However, it is definitely a climb that we would recom-mend you do without the bur-den of 50 lbs. of panniers. Mountains scenery is often majestic, especially when it involves snow caped moun-tains. Our climb up the Tour-malet was great, with fantas-tic views of the Observatoire du Pic du Midi (an astronomy observatory), and the Cirque de Gavarnie. The climbs to Luz Ardiden also offered su-perb views. The legendary climbs (Tourmalet, Luz Ardiden, Aubisque, Hautacam etc) are long climbs: 10 to 15 miles up, and all average between 7 and 8% over that distance, with stretches above 10%. So you need to be prepared for long steady climbs. Bring adequate gears, and be pre-pared for some long strenu-ous descents. It is wise to bring spare brake pads, so you are not dependent on bike shops. Enhancing our Resumes We can safely say that we met more bikers in this trip than in all others combined. This shows that cyclists around the world go for the tough stuff. After we reached the summit of Port de Pailheres, and took

NC Bicyc le News

tures. Do not forget your jack-ets for the long down hills following long ascents up the mountains. To keep the trip a vacation and not cycling “boot camp”, we alternated long difficult days with easier ones. Allow-ing for recovery from hard climbing days is essential. We took advantage of one easier day to sample a spe-cialty: Gateau a la broche (pound cake batter cooked over an open fire on a skewer). It made for a perfect afternoon snack. Animals Galore – Pastoral Mountains If Smith had not eaten some wild boar stew, we could have said that we saw all the ani-mals we ate: cows, sheep, geese, ducks, pigs, chicken, guinea hens, and horses (we did not eat horse meat). All prepared in wonderful re-gional recipes. The Pyrenees are pastoral mountains. This means the shepherds take their herds up the mountains – where the grass is plentiful. As a Gary Larson / the Far Side fan, I always believed cows talk to each other. We got a demonstration of this up Col

d’Aspin (July 15th stage), where the cows literally chased cyclists’ legs for “mobile fresh salt licks”. It was quite comical to see them run after sweaty bikers, until they got to Kip and Anne’s handle bars and Kip’s gloves. Kip warns that having a cowlick your leg is like being attacked by a belt sander, not at all like a lick from the fam-ily dog. Even Betsy Gate-house, a self-admitted animal lover, hit the limit of her pas-sion when angora goats de-cided to lick up her bike. Animals are cute, but not so close! The other problem with pas-toral mountains is that when you have cows, you get horse flies. On grades as steep as 10% for 4 miles, it was diffi-cult for us to maintain a pace that would drop the flies. We could not. We surrendered to having our “fly clouds” accom-pany us up the mountains! One of the benefits of tan-deming is that you have a stoker who has two free hands to help swat the flies! Mark missed this critical stoker function when he climbed the Luz Ardiden solo on the tandem while Betsy slept in and shopped. Old Castles and Magnificent Sites

Our cycling trip could be best described as containing 5 “C’s” - Cow’s, Churches, Cas-tles Caves and Climbs. The trip would not be complete without some of the historical sites. The southwest crown jewel is the fortified city of Carcassonne, a medieval fortress in excellent shape. The walk around the ramparts had us marveling at the im-pressive castle fortifications, which boggled the mind to consider being constructed without the benefit of modern machinery. Although it was an overcast day, the walk around the rampart walls still pro-vided nice hilltop overlooks. Inside the castle walls we found a beautiful church, a very nice photo gallery with excellent pictures of the re-gion, and many other touristy shops. This was one of the few places on our trip that we saw any other Americans. We were grateful when a large group of college aged Ameri-can girls did not stop and eat at the nice restaurant where we were enjoying dinner. Our other stop was a prehis-toric cave (Grotte de Niaux), which contains several amaz-ing13,000 year old prehistoric paintings (of bisons, dears, and mountain goats). While we had a tough 10% grade to get there, it was well worth it.

P Y R E N E E S 2 0 0 4 ( C O N T I N U E D ) B Y C L A U D E M O N N I E R , N C B C M E M B E R

Left, Claude and Smith at the col de Portet-D’Aspet (a climb

in this year’s tour).

Right, Claude and Smith at Gavarnie

(Continued on Page 4)

loaded bikes, 17% downhill grades, low hanging clouds, rain, and loose gravel with fresh tar since the road was getting resurfaced. This is also the same descent where on July 18, 1995 Lance Armstrong’s Mo-torola teammate Fabio Casar-telli crashed and died. Even Mark, who is notorious for using brakes sparingly on descents, (Betsy swears he doesn’t use them at all) was on the brakes almost the whole way down! Now, for the math lovers, here are a few statistics to satisfy your appetite. Lessons Learned We spent about $120 per day for lodging, and food per couple (we saved on hotels but were pleased with the places we picked, and treated ourselves on meals), excluding airfares. The exchange rate was to our disadvantage with a euro at about $1.25. Now the stats etc….

14 days of riding, including

8 days hauling pan-niers

815 miles 68,600 feet of accumu-

lated elevation gain 27 mountains passes and

mountain tops (including 9 above 4,500 feet altitude)

Sorry we do not have a calorie count, but it was HUGE and all delicious!

Some of the towns were small enough that there were no bike shops, so bringing spares of important parts is a wise idea, especially if you use equipment that may not be easily found, or is tandem specific (for Kip that means a lot of spare tubes & spokes). We paced ourselves, because everyday included significant climbs. This region is definitely only for the hardcore riders, if you have never ridden in moun-tains before, or are new to tan-dems and/or touring this is not the region to do your first trip.

… and do not forget your extra memory chips in your base hotel like we did. Thank good-ness our friends took care of the group pictures for us! All in all, this trip was all about cycling, despite a few tourist breaks. It was tough, demand-ing, but rewarding and exhila-rating. We had great company, and we are now looking for-ward to the July 16th stage of the Tour so we can see the Tour climb mountains we con-quered a few weeks back. As we watch, it will be with the fondest of memories and a newfound respect for the ath-letic ability of Lance Armstrong and all his competitors. For more information and pho-tos, see http://WeTandem.dnsalias.org/

P Y R E N E E S 2 004 ( C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3 ) B Y C L A U D E M O N N I E R , N C B C ME M B E R

NC Bicyc le News

one of the many “proof that I made it” pictures, while we were having lunch, 2 Cofidis riders reached the top, fol-lowed by a team car. We could hear them speak Eng-lish with an Aussie accent and started talking to them. They were Stuart O’Grady and Mat-thew White (who crashed rehearsing the prologue course). Since Mark and Betsy were still climbing the beast, we asked them to say hi to them (they were going opposite direction to us). They did! We were amazed at how fast they went up the mountain, especially knowing that they are not the best climbers in the Tour! It will be hard to pick the hardest climbs, due to varying weather conditions, and whether we had panniers or not. We did Hautacam during the heat of the day, and found it the hardest, although not the longest. It consistently stayed above 7% average and kicked up 12%. The most treacherous downhill by far was Portet d’Aspet, where we had a nasty combination of

S E P T E M B E R C L U B M E E T I N G : PO W E R M E A S U R I N G EQ U I P M E N T B Y B R A N D O N B R O W N , W E B M A S T E R

So, you are lined up with your riding group and you are ready to take off for your group ride. You look to your left, and then to your right, wondering, can I beat these folks up the hill today or what? Is John a better rider than me; what about Sue? Well now's your time to find out. Invite your friends and find out at the next NCBC meeting. NCBC is giving a presentation on power as well as a demon-stration of two of the latest

power measuring equipment setups. The Polar 720i sys-tem and the PowerTap Pro system will be setup on two separate bikes, connected to trainers. You will be allowed to do two tests, a 12 second maximum power sprint test and a 1 minute sustained power test. From these meas-urements, we will print you a graph of your performance and give you your category rating for the 12 second test, all free of charge to NCBC members. Non-NCBC mem-bers may attend and we will

do the tests for $10. Bring your pedals, shoes an atti-tude.

Monday, Sept 13, 2004

Sammy’s Tap & Grill Mission Valley Shopping Ctr. 2235 Avent Ferry Road Raleigh, NC 27606 6:30 Eat 7-8:30 Power Measuring Equipment Presenta-tion/Demonstration

Above, Polar 720i and

Graeber Power Tap Pro.

of September 11. The Trans-plant Games profoundly dem-onstrate the life restoring importance of organ donation. For more information about becoming an organ donor, please see http://www.transweb.org/ For additional information on the Games, see http://www.kidney.org/recips/athletics/tgames/

NC Bicyc le News

The 2004 U.S. Transplant Games, hosted by the Na-tional Kidney Foundation, were held July 28-31, in Min-neapolis, MN at the University of Minnesota campus. This event has Olympic style games for organ transplant recipients. Approximately 1,500 athletes from across the United States participated in competitive events such as swimming, track and field, basketball, etc. Thirty-five athletes from North Carolina participated in the Games.

The games also includes two cycling events, a 1K time trial and 20K criterium. David Cole, NCBC President, and Jean Begemann from Ashe-ville participated in the cycling events. David won gold med-als in both events. Way to go David!! Jean won a bronze medal in the women's 20K criterium. David, a kidney transplant recipient, received a trans-

plant from his sister on March 7, 2001. Jean is a double lung transplant recipi-ent. David organizes the Ra-ven Rock Ramble (www.ravenrockramble.org) the first Sunday each May as a fund raiser for the National Kidney Foundation and the Transplant Games. 85,000 people are currently waiting for organ transplants. More people will die this year while waiting for transplants than were killed in the tragedy


2 0 0 4 U . S . T R A N S P L A N T G A M E S B Y Z O N D A H I L L M A N , E D I T O R

Above, Team NC assembles in the Metrodome.

Left,

NCBC President David Cole wins two gold medals

at the 2004 U.S.

Transplant Games.

S O F I A - V A R N A - S O F I A ( ? ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? ) 2 0 0 4 ( P A R T I I - C O N T I N U E D F R O M A U G U S T N E W S L E T T E R ) B Y A D R I A N H A N D S , V I C E P R E S I D E N T Friday, June 18, 2004 - SVS Day Two (Dvo) - Shortcut - Popovov - Isperih - Shumen - 156km (97mi)

A nice long sleep, clean up in the morning and start trying to figure out how to contact the ride to let them know that I must officially abandon, but still want to continue riding. I hope Mitko is not trying to find me. I can't find a number to call, don't have a phone, and don't know the procedure for placing a call anyway. Popovo is alive in the morning when I get up.

Out for coffee, look around, start to ride out of town, then stop for an omelet and on toward Razgrad and Isperih. I feel good!

We're not in the moun-tains here, but I'm going slow. It's a little discouraging but I decide that though there's not forests and rocks it's still quiet hilly and I'm not doing too bad. Mitko will probably be along any minute, and I feel good. The scenery is won-derful. I watch a couple with donkey and cart parked by the side of the road picking

cherries from the bushes. I ride ahead a bit and find my own bush to sample some cherries - very good. Now I see what must be more “ethnic Turkish villages”, but this time with some light on them. I see an older couple in splendid traditional attire. I wave “Zdravsti! Dober Den!” they wave back and smile. I want to get a picture. I've been hesitant about taking close pictures of people - don't want to offend, so I dig out my camera hold it up and ask “Da?”, “Ne?”. I get a con-firmation and take a picture,

but I notice he seems to be turning his back and hurrying off as I snap the shot. Uh-oh. Did he say “Da” or did he just nod his head? In Bulgaria, the up and down nod means “No” - that's hard to get used to. Dang, I feel bad that I may have offended him, but noth-ing to do about it now, so on to Razgrad. Hey, Bulgaria has us beat when it comes to biking-to-work! You should see the farmers biking to work! Picture I most wish I'd gotten: Farm wife biking to work carrying a pitch-fork!

2004 NCBC F A L L RALLY /R OAD D O G R ALLY B Y R A L L Y D I R E C T O R J A C K P O W E L L , A K A C A P T A I N J A C K

NC Bicyc le News

“Free Rally for the Fall” I have some good news for NCBC members and also area cyclists in general. There will be a “free rally” on the 25th day of September 2004. That’s right, a Free Rally with no registration fee. The start location / time

is Blue Jay Point Park at 8:30 AM. There is a ½ metric, full metric and a century course to ride. Traditionally, the NCBC has held a fall rally for many years. Also, in the last couple of years there has been a separate special fall ride, which has been lead as a day ride and has become known as the “Road Dog Rally”. The North Raleigh Road Dogs are a sub-set of the NCBC and they want to invite you to ride with them for part of or their entire century course. So this year it has been decided that the North Raleigh Road Dogs’ fall rally and the NCBC’s fall rally would be combined into one big rally event with a post ride picnic. And it’s free, so how can you pass up the offer? Be there!

General Information Everyone attending will be required to provide a signed standard club waiver/registration form at the event start, which will also serve as a club record of your attendance and help ascertain the number of cyclists to anticipate at the post ride picnic. The rally will be focused on offer-ing riding opportunities with fellowship on the road and at the picnic. The NCBC will provide a route cue sheet at the start location (or you can print one in advance from the NCBC web site, see Road Dog Century under Union Pleasant School start list). Also the NCBC will provide an optional tail-gate type picnic consisting of some snacks and beverages. But the rides themselves are a no frills-thrills type of event; it has been deemed to be done in the “road dog way”. This means there are no pavement markings, no field support provided such as an “on cou rse sag wagon” to pick you up if you boonk nor “sweep cyclists” on bikes, nor road side feed zones offering food and beverage by volunteers, and no tee shirt or souvenir trinket will be provided. The picnic is scheduled to start at 12 PM noon time and continue to about 3 PM, if weather per-mits. Non members are also welcome to participate in the rally, so bring a cycling friend. However the "snack and beverage picnic", supplied by the NCBC, may have to be limited to valid NCBC members. There will be opportunity for non members to join the club in the morning at the start. All ride courses will start and finish at Blue Jay Point Park. There are ample stores along the course so that you will be able to pick and choose where you may want to stop for food and beverage. Don’t forget to bring some petty cash to pay for your personal purchases or at your elec-tion you could pack from home some food and beverage to consume while out on your bike. Directions: Blue Jay Point Park, a Wake County Park facility, is located north of Raleigh at the Falls Lake area. From Raleigh go north of I-540 on Six Forks Road. Then find the park entrance road on the east side of Six Forks Rd. at a cross road intersection. At the intersection make a right turn at the top of a hill, which is opposite Union Pleasant Church Road (about 1 mile south of NC 98). From northeast Durham take NC 98 east and after crossing NC 50 make a right turn at next stop light intersection onto Six Forks Rd and go south for about 1 mile. The park entrance road will be at the top of the hill after crossing the lake at the Barton Creek Wildlife Boat Ramp area. Make a left turn into park at the cross road intersection opposite Pleasant Union Church Road. You can also download a direction map from NCBC web site for Blue Jay Point. Parking Note: All cyclist participants are to park their vehicles in the gravel parking lot that is located on the right side of the park road after going through the park entrance gate. Cyclists can register and gather in the front parking lot adjacent the park office for the mass start. Kindly note that the park opens at 8:00 AM. Please strive to not arrive earlier than 8 AM or you will just be stuck/ parked waiting on the entrance road, which blocks traffic into the park and that makes it difficult for the park personnel to get into the park upon their arrival to work. So please arrive promptly just after 8AM so you will have sufficient time to unload your equipment/register and be ready to ride at 8:30. Bringing a com-pleted registration form will save time.

Please see the website for the registration form. www.ncbikeclub.org

NC Bicyc le News

2004 NCBC F A L L R A L L Y /R O A D D O G R A L L Y ( C O N T I N U E D ) B Y R A L L Y D I R E C T O R J A C K P O W E L L , A K A C A P T A I N J A C K

Rally Director’s Commentary:

After some discussion with our club’s President, David Cole, and several of my long time club cycling friends it was concluded that you, the area cyclist, have earned a free rally by your prior support as a NCBC member or by participation in prior NCBC functions. The NCBC is a “not for profit organization” and this is a way to thank you for helping the club achieve its goals (as outlined in our by-laws): To promote bicycling through recreational, utilitarian and competitive activities; To educate and promote safety throughout its membership and the general public and promote the adherence to the motor vehicle laws; To promote relationships of bicyclists locally, nationally, and interna-tionally.

Know your strength and equipment! If you have no close cycling friend(s) and Road Dogs are your enemy, you could get into trouble out there on this rally. It is a lonely place way out yonder around Warrenton, NC and even lonelier in between there and Blue Jay Point. There is a general understanding or theme for the “road dog way”, that all cyclists be self sufficient. To avoid hauling a trailer or pannier full of spare tools and tubes, and as a back up plan, I encourage that all riders lock in with a group or at least one personal friend of known simi-lar riding strength and thus the group or the two cyclist friends (depending on the case) look out for each other, the buddy system. Make your own deal in advance of the ride. It is not the club’s desire nor plan to go looking for you at sundown. Shorter Rides: For the cyclist who desires a ride shorter than a century, there are two options: There is an approximate 30 mile out/in course to the store at Wilton, NC at intersection of NC RT 96 / 56. There is an approximate 60 mile out/in course up to the store at the intersection of RT 158 & Tabbs Ck Rd (just over I-85 at west Oxford, NC). Both of these two rides are entirely on US Bike RT #1, so just follow the NC highway department Bike Route #1 signs or follow the Road Dog Century route’s cue sheet as far as you desire and then make a u-turn back to Blue Jay Point. There are stores conveniently located at the half way turn around point for each of these two ride. Take a break there and then ride on! The “Road Dog Rally” course as seen on the “Road Dog Century” cue sheet is 115 miles. Now don’t let that be too unsettling, as the start-ing point is Blue Jay Point and not Union Pleasant School as shown on the cue sheet, thus the total course is cut down to about 110 miles. But hey, lets be realistic, that is still a “road dog stretch century” and an extra 10 miles will add another ½ hour of riding time for even a strong century rider and possibly another hour extra time for a slow century rider. As you need to finish before sundown, I will reiterate, “Know your strength and equipment!” A map of the Road Dog Century course would looks like is a big loop on the top of a stem, thus the last 10 miles is a backtrack of the first 10 miles. The course goes north out of Blue Jay Point on Bike Route #1 up through Granville County into Vance and Warren Counties crossing the southern edge of Kerr Lake’s creeks. It then separates from Bike Rt. #1 and goes east over to Warrenton, NC before turning back southwest. The route back in comes through Franklinton, NC on the return to Blue Jay Point. There are some known short cuts on the Road Dog Rally course, to cut the ride down to 75 or 90 miles, but once you pass the area of North Hen-derson, NC you are committed to the long haul. No instruction will be provided on the cue sheet for such short cuts so don’t plan on a short cut unless you are familiar with the area. If you go beyond Oxford and you can’t complete the 110 mile century and/or you can’t keep up with your group, you may be on your own! Hopefully you have been riding all season and this is not your first time out trying a century this year. Know your strength and equipment!

Pace: Rallies traditionally do not have a specified advertised pace, and this one does not. With training for most big event over for the season, the tradition of the Road Dog Rally has been an “end of season cool down century” ride with primary emphasis on keeping the group intact to best utilize draft efficiency and allow more on bike talking and fellowship. County line sprints, breakaways and chasing such activities are discouraged. With that said, I should state that the pace may still be brisk by some cyclist’s standards. Thus I will offer some guide-lines, which I hope will help the harmony and/or expectation of the century riders. Alan Walker and Tom Sheffield advise me that old re-cords show the average speed was about 19.6 or 19.7 mph for prior years of the Road Dog Rally where there were a dozen core partici-pants. From my personal previous experiences riding with these cyclists, I know they are capable of much faster riding and average speeds of around 21mph for centuries. But if you breakaway I doubt you will obtain a chase group from Alan or Tom or their core group of friends. As their race season is over, they will be focused on what is scheduled to be a casual pace for them. Also, I would not expect them to slow to below the 19.5 threshold or else the ride may not be exciting for them. So if you want to ride slower or faster than about 19.5, I suggest you form your own group at the onset of the ride or plan to ride solo, and either way is okay with us. We just desire everyone to have fun riding and make it back safely. Thank you in advance for your parking cooperation. On the road let’s all think safety first. I looking forward to seeing many cyclists there. CJ

I pass an impressive gate to some kind of school I think as I come into Razgrad - enter city traffic, left turn at the Mosque, take a picture of the Minaret stop at a Bistro and order up a ½ liter of Zagorka (Bira) and a sand-wich. They use the word “Sandwich” here, making it easy, but it's frequently “open faced” i.e. only one slice of grilled bread, with sometimes what looks like meager top-pings. But the topping con-sists of cheese with some strong spices, so a think layer is all it takes. Very good, in fact I have another ½ liter of Zagorka to go with it! Then I'm off for Isperih after stopping in the middle of a Razgrad neighborhood to fill my water bottle from a roadside spring.

On the way out of town, I pass two youths out hitchhiking. I'd past youngster hitchhiking earlier, and then passed him again as we seemed to leapfrog down the road. Giddy after a liter of Zagorka, I went back to these guys and had them stick out their thumbs again so I could get a photo. “Dangerous?” I asked. “Nah.” I tell them that it's dangerous in America...or at least people THINK it's dangerous...but then Ameri-cans think a LOT of things are dangerous...See you up the road!

On northward, through villages, toward Isperih. It

drizzles a bit - a welcome relief from the afternoon heat and not so much rain that I bother with a jacket. I pass a couple of more utility cyclists headed north. Here I see a few old motorcycles with side-cars - also used for transport-ing fresh cut hay! I think I read that when the Nazis left, they left in a hurry and left behind many motorcycles-some of these look like they could be that old!

Approaching Isperih the street is lined with Paper Birch trees - their white trunks dazzling in the sun. I stop at the Petrol station on the edge of town for a drink and chat with the attendants for a bit. One of them gets in his car to escort me to the hostel - an-other game of let's see how fast I can draft. Through the beaded doorway into the hos-tel I meet the jolly couple that own and run the place and hey - here's my drop bag! This is great! A change of clothes! But do I need to carry this with me or can I leave it here? Mitko drives up everything is cool. We discuss the options and decide I can ride down to the control at Madara to re-join the other riders who will be returning form Varna this evening. I pick out some back roads on the map and check with Mitko and the hostel owner but they advise that I should take the main highway instead. Mitko says he'll meet me at the gas station in Shu-

men, just west of Madara, because traffic will be heavy east of Shumen).

I draft a backhoe out of town, past the birch trees and into the woods south of Isperih. I come to a railroad crossing that I remember from the trip up. After cross-ing it the first time, I remem-ber thinking “I probably should Look for a train, be-cause I don't know if I should trust the automatic sensors and gate to work in place like this”. This time the gates are going down slowly when I get there, so I stop, but I hear no train. I sports car flies up to the closing gate on the other side and starts blowing his horn. “What's he trying to do,” I thought? Then the gate starts going back up, as if in response to his horn as he goes across the track he waves to the small building by the side of the track. That's when I see it's NOT automatic, there's actually a guy sitting there inside the shack who's in charge of raising and lower-ing the gate! He steps out and we exchange “Dobr Den”s. He seems to know that I'm on a ride to Varna and back - how does he know this? Or is he just guessing? I don't know if it's more downhill heading south, or if my spirits have just lifted having gotten back in contact with the ride, but I seem to reach Razgrad in no time. Turn left where I saw the hitchhikers and head for Shu-

men.

Turning eastward to-ward Shumen, beside a field of farm workers there's a guy in a suit, smoking a cigarette, next to a small car. He calls out as I go by and I turn back to chat. It's not easy commu-nicating but he tells me he's Turkish. He's pulling out vari-ous ID cards and wants me know that he's in charge of something, the field I guess, and for some reason he wants me know what year he was born. It's getting late and the workers are coming in from the field. Then I notice they're ALL women. I'm won-dering how he's going to get all these ladies into that little car, when his right-hand man pulls up in another small car. It'll be crowded, but I guess they'll fit now. The 2nd man looks Indian and seems to know a little more English. He tries to tell me what the suit-guy is saying - he's “President” of something. I get out a paper and pen so they can write it down for interpretation later - turns out he's the Mayor of some com-munity nearby. I still don't know why he wanted me to know that he's 50. I suppose I would've guessed he was younger by appearances - was it that? Or was it that he'd accomplished so much by the young age of fifty?

Onward toward the gas station where I told Mitko

SO F I A - V A R N A - SO F I A ( ? ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? ) 2 0 0 4

( C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 5 )

B Y A D R I A N H A N D S , V I C E P R E S I D E N T

NC Bicyc le News

Left, Adrian and Gyurov

riding.

Right, riders wait for an electric

train to pass.

NC Bicyc le News

I'd meet him around 8pm. I've been seeing these trees with something that looks vaguely like apples and decide to check one out. I cut into it with my teeth, but it doesn't seem like anything edible. The headwinds are strong. That's good - that means the other guys, heading back from the east probably have a good tail wind, I'm not doing so much distance, so it's better that I have the headwind. I'm not real sure which gas sta-tion - I stop at a Shell station (I think that's the only chain that I recognized in Bulgaria). I think one of big problems in Bulgaria is that the youth are widely underemployed - I imagine these kids working the gas station are mostly very over-qualified for the job they're doing, but there's not a lot of opportunities. Motor-ists in Bulgaria may be getting the best service in the world, but probably don't realize it. The rain is getting heavier, the attendants telephone Mitko for me and I settle back with a bira and a bag of hazelnuts. Mitko loads me up into the car and we head out for the hostel at Madara. The rain gets heavy and we see the headlight of a cyclist going the other way in driving rain - must be either Lazar or Rich-ard Leon.

We drive out of the rain - “It's raining there, but not raining here - Bulgaria's a big country,” Mitko observes.

Up a steep climb to the hos-tel. It's a Ski Chalet in the winter. In the lobby I meet with several of the support crew, but the other cyclists aren't here. Soon enough though Lazar pulls in. I con-gratulate him on his second day of riding and we order up some food. What to have - hey - how about a Shopska salad! Shopska salad is a trademark dish of Bulgaria. It can be really simple - just sliced homegrown cucumbers and tomatoes, but with a special “Shopska” dressing. My friend Sid warned me that travelers in Bulgaria are frequently greeted with “You're a for-eigner? You MUST try a Shop-ska salad” about three times a day. Here it was, my third night in Bulgaria and I was still a Shopska salad virgin. Soon we're joined by three Austrian travelers - one lives in Bulgaria now and the other two are visiting her. Of course, the one living in Bulgaria speaks Bulgarian and all three speak English well, but she speaks English without even a noticeable Austrian accent. She's a chameleon they tell me. I explain what we're up to and the guy ob-serves that Bulgaria must be good cycling country - nice and hilly - cycling on flat land is boring. Lazar is eating qui-etly at another table - I hope he doesn't feel like I ditched him for the Austrians, but I guess he must be pretty wiped out - he's covered a lot more miles than I have today,

and he didn't have that nice long sleep in Popovov. The roadsides have been lined with wildflowers - purple cones, Queen Anne's Lace, Poppies - frequently growing right up to the edge of the road, but sometimes cut back, possibly to make room for the donkey carts. I'm thinking how so many people live so close to the land - producing all they need, but later I'm told there's a more complicated angle: After 1944, the Sovi-ets seized the farms and formed huge farming collec-tives that were worked with large combines and other heavy machinery. Everybody moved to the city and the farming collectives fed the city. After 1990, these collec-tives were broken up and the land returned to the ances-tors of the farmers. These people have forgotten many of the farming techniques and cannot afford to buy large farming equipment, so now the cities have to import food from Turkey and Greece. Saturday, June 19, 2004 - SVS Day Three (Tri) - Back on Course - Madara - Sliven - 179km (111mi)

Lazar and I turn in - I plan to set out with him in the morning for at least a few miles before falling back. We walked out of the Chalet

together, but I had to stop before descending that steep drive to get my front wheel and brake setup right after having removed it last night. Down the steep drive before sun-up and out of town - then I remember that I left my wal-let in the drop bag at the Cha-let. Climb up that steep drive to get it? Hmmm...Mitko will probably be along soon enough with the drop bags. Then again, maybe not, and that steep climb IS part of the course - part I didn't do be-cause I SAGged up it last night. Okay, I'm going back - besides I wanted to see the view from the Chalet in the daylight. The climb wasn't nearly so tough as I'd imag-ined, but the sun still hadn't burnt off the morning fog enough to get a good view from the top. Got the wallet and down again. Westward past Shumen and then south toward Tragovishte. Glorious countryside - mountains with lakes at the foot.

It's Saturday now - possibility of thunderstorms in the forecast, but it's been days since I've seen a fore-cast. It's overcast, cool and the fog gets pretty thick in some of these hills. Stop at a gas station for water and juice and answer the attendants questions about what we're doing - “Oh yeah, we DID see two others this morning” Rich-ard and Lazar maybe? But I think Richard went through

SO F I A - V A R N A - SO F I A ( ? ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? ) 2 0 0 4

( C O N T I N U E D )

B Y A D R I A N H A N D S , V I C E P R E S I D E N T


Left, Docho in the

“Valley of Roses”.

Right, a Russian church in Sofia.

This month’s Bike Shop Profile features “Frank’s Cyclery”. They are located in North Raleigh featuring new bicycles and cycling equipment and accessories. They carry more high end products than most shops and have one of the best selections of wheel products in the South-east.

Frank’s Cyclery 8321-105 Brier Creek Parkway Brier Creek Commons Shopping Ctr. Raleigh, NC 27617 (919) 293-0200 (Phone)

(919) 293-0201 (Fax) Hours Tues-Fri 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sun/Mon By Apptmt. Only

Owners Frank and Anne Jones

Year Opened January 2003

Retail Sq. Feet 1,200

Road Bike Brands DeRosa, Fuji, Giant Orbea, Titus

Price Range Road Bikes $600 to $5,000+

Avg # of Road Bikes on Floor ~10 plus 5-10 frames

Mountain Bike Brands Giant, Titus plus an occasional Orbea and Fuji

Price Range Mtn Bikes $350 to $5,000+

Avg # of Mtn Bikes on Floor ~10 plus 3-5 frames

Clothing Brands Bellwether, Hincapie, Nema

Shoe Brands Shimano, Sidi

Helmet Brands Giro, Giant

# Bike Mechanics on Staff 1 (Frank), USA Cycling Race mechanic, Cat 3 + USCF Official, Cat. B, DT Swiss Certified Wheel Builder, Mavic, Campy, Shimano, Magura, SRAM/Rock Shox plus other industry certifications.

NCBC Member Discount 10% off on all non-sale items.

Comments Frank has national and international experience as a mechanic at both mountain and cyclocross events. Frank has worked all over the United States and in Europe as a team mechanic with numerous professional racers over the years including Dan Doub, Charlie Pendry, Charlie Storm, Ryan Trebon and James Van Touver. Frank’s specialty at the shop is in mid to high-end mountain and road bikes (both production and custom builds), custom wheel building, bike shoe fittings and suspension/disc brake service. Frank’s offers good old-fashioned, honest service to anyone who walks through the door or calls on the phone. They also carry more high end products than most shops and have one of the best selections of wheel products (complete wheels, hubs, rims, spokes, etc.) in the Southeast.

*Information current as of 08/11/04

B I K E S H O P P R O F I L E : FR A N K ’ S C Y C L E R Y , L . L . C . B Y Z O N D A H I L L M A N , E D I T O R

NC Bicyc le News

www.frankscyclery.com (Web) [email protected] (Email)

NC Bicyc le News

last night. Climb back into the mountains. I'm thinking this is like the Appalachians, only without rednecks selling fake hillbilly trinkets and Elvis rugs by the side of the road. I do see one man selling peaches by the roadside - he's made himself an interesting small shelter of logs with a thatched roof - just big enough to give him a place to sit and keep the sun off.

I come down a steep mountain road and fly into a town, but I have to stop be-cause the view from the bridge over the rushing moun-tain stream is so beautiful it must be photographed. The village boys come running to see the stranger in town. “Ratko” is talkative and friendly - I wish I had those North Carolina postcards to give him, but I think I left them in my drop bag. I won-der if I can mail him some-thing “General Delivery”. I pull out my cue sheets to show them what we're up to, but just then a gust of wind slips the last one from my hand it goes sailing through the air down to the river far below. Uh-oh. Good thing that wasn't today's sheet - I'll have to figure out what to do tomor-row.

Gyrov and the Bulgar-ian Adrian come flying down the hill that brought me into town and the three of us set off. We're the Three Amigos for the rest of today anyway. Got some big climbs between here and Sliven and we stick together most of the way. Gyrov tells me about a Na-tional Folk Music School in the next village. It seems like a lively place, there's a couple of combines coming up the road through town and throngs of people gathered at the roadside restaurants.

Up into another moun-tain and we stop at a roadside water pipe to refill. As we head out a pickup truck we three locals has just pulled in and I see they've got a big basket full of what looks like Portabello mushrooms. I go back to photograph them with their mushrooms. They're quite pleased to have their picture taking and post proudly together with the 'shrooms. Then the lady in-sists that I take a bag of the strawberries they've been picking. A big blue Turkish tandem truck that passed us is now stopped in a turn-out while the drivers hammers away underneath the truck banging on something near the rear axle. 20 minutes later he passes us again, and then again we find him up the road, under the truck with the hammer.

The last mountain before Sliven is a heck of climb. It's not hot, but I think the sun is getting to me. At the top, I seem to need more time to rest than the other two, but I take off just behind them. They warn me that it's a dangerous descent - wear your “casque” (helmet) and be careful on the turns. In one fast turn I glimpse a huge white statue of a Daniel Boone-like figure by the side of the road. I think I saw him carrying a big musket and maybe even a coon skin cap, but Lazar, who lives in Sliven has no idea what I'm talking about so maybe I imagined it.

Near the bottom we meet up with the first other road cyclists I've seen in Bul-garia. I'd seen plenty of utility cyclists, but this is the first time I've seen racing bikes and people in cycling clothes. Gyurov and Adrian know these guys so we talk awhile then head into town. I'm still

feeling fazed by the sun and now that we've come down from the mountain fog and tree protection, the sun is more intense so I let them go on ahead. This is a MUCH more “modern” town than any other I've seen in Bulgaria. I get a little confused in town and stop a guy on the street for directions. He speaks no English and I speak almost no Bulgarian, but it turns out we both speak a little Spanish! I'm looking for the Mineral Baths and, ironically, the word for bath is the same in Bulgar-ian and Spanish.

One more stop at a gas station to get a drink and confirm directions. Then I meet a utility cyclist and check with him. “Follow me” he says - he's on his way to fill some bottles with mineral water. It's a good thing I found him because it's several km farther than I expected. I don't find any cyclists there and the baths don't appear to be open. I'd scene the sign for Bistro Omega just up the road so I head back to it. When I get there M__ is waiting at the corner for me. Standing on her toes and waving, she calls out to me and I'm wondering how she even knows my name and how she knew to meet me here, now, but I guess it's no surprise because Gyrov and Adrian must've told her I was right behind them. We walk up a long path of square coblle stones ar-ranged in a scallop pattern where a shepherd is leading a large flock (with bells) in the other direction. He waves his staff a bit and I'm marveling at how well the sheep are behaving, moving over to the right side of the path to allow us to pass, but he seems to be apologizing to us as if the sheep weren't behaving to his expectations. Adrian and Gy-rov are dining outside, there's

Bira, Shopska Salad, Cherry Juice and Vodka. I tell M__ I'm vegetarian and they fix up some vegetarian Mousaka for me while I feast. After the Mousaka (Greek Mousaka is eggplant; Bulgarian Mousaka is potato), they insist I take another Shopska salad. Okay, NOW I've had enough Shop-ska salad. I ask Adrian and Gyrov if they've been swimming - Bis-tro Omega appears to have their own hot Mineral Water Pool beneath a large tent. “No,” Adrian tells me, “It's not good for cycling. Your leg will break.” I know this isn't ex-actly what he means, he's pointing at his thigh and ap-parently he means you're muscles will cramp. I'm hav-ing a hard time understanding what's going on - is Lazar in-side asleep or has he already left? 8am or 8pm? Today or yesterday or tomorrow? I think Adrian and Guyrov are planning to head out at some-thing like midnight. Mr. Balan-ski and the boys will be in sometime after 2am. I'll wait for them and ride out with them. That gives me a ridicu-lously long sleep, but I don't feel like doing the night riding at this point. One day left, about 300km and we don't need to be in until 10pm. Pass me that cherry juice and vodka, then I'll shower up and hit the bed. Day Four, the final day, will continue in the October Newsletter.

S O F I A - V A R N A - S O F I A ( ? ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? - ? ? ? ? ? ) 2 0 0 4 ( C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 9 ) B Y A D R I A N H A N D S , V I C E P R E S I D E N T

Above, on the way to Sliven.

R I D E C A L E N D A R B Y S M I T H D O S S , R I D E C A L E N D A R C O O R D I N A T O R

WEEKLY RIDES

(Continue on Page 13)

NC Bicyc le News

Day Time Dist. Pace Leader Phone Starting Location Comments

Mon 5:45 pm

20-25 16-18 Chet and Cyndy [email protected]

Phillips66 @Harrington Grove

R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y RIDE!!! A genuine one. Spin and recover from the weekend! If you want to ride fast, you're on your own.

Mon 6:00 pm

30+ 17-19 Cycling Spoken Here Team Members

461-0066

Cycling Spoken Here at Maynard Crossing in Cary

Recovery ride tempo pace. www.cyclingspokenhere.com

Mon 6:00 pm

Sharp

Any 10-12 Gilbert Anderson [email protected]

828-8999

North Road Bicycle Company, 519 W. North Street, Raleigh

Informal pickup ride for new cyclists ambling through town on selected Raleigh greenways, bro-ken up into groups of ten. Depart promptly at 6:00 and ride till sunset then dinner afterwards. If it rains, we go to dinner at a local restaurant.

Mon 6:15 pm

1 hour 13-16 Cid Cardosa, Sr. beaman@

insideoutsports.com

466-0101

Inside Out Sports 2002 Grisdale Lane Cary

Designed for beginner cyclists and triathletes. Beginner ride at 13-16 mph or at pace of slowest rider. No drop policy. www.insideoutsports.com

Tues 6:00 pm

12-15 20-25 30-35

12-15 17-19 19-21

Jim Melton

Jeff Roberts

460-9373

The Spin Cycle in Cary

Three group rides. http://thespincycle.com/events.asp?level1=weekly_store_rides

Tues 6:00 pm

32 16-18 Mark and Kendra Farnsworth

387-0033

Cycling Spoken Here in Apex

This is a training ride. The pace may vary at differ-ent points on the route. It is possible (but not guar-anteed) there may be occasional regrouping to accommodate differing ability levels. A cue sheet will be provided. The leaders will ride their bikes or inline skate.

Tues 6:00 pm

22 14-16 Ride Leader Varies 387-0033


www.cyclingspokenhere.com

Tues & Thurs

5:45 pm

25-40 18-20 Jon Buckley 676-4274

Phillips66 @Harrington Grove

[email protected]

Tues & Thurs

6:00 pm

30-35 18+ Ben White benwhite@ millerand longral.com

831-2100


Hammering back is fine with about 5 miles to go. Ben will let you know at which point it is okay to hammer back. Cue sheet for ride available at www.cyclingspokenhere.com

Tues & Thurs

6:00 pm

~20 16-20 Matt Dean [email protected]

366-3775

Riverwood Athletic Club (near Clayton)

Get some miles and have some fun. No one gets dropped. I am new to NCBC and trying to put together a local training group. Call if you have any questions.

Tues & Thurs

6 pm Sharp

25-30 19+ Anthony Register Scott Swaringen

[email protected]

779-5240 662-5282

Holland’s United Methodist Church/Garner

This ride will get longer as time permits. We will be leaving at 6 sharp, so please come early and be ready to ride. [email protected]

Wed 6:00 pm

Sharp

Varies 17-?? Ed Downing and David Cole [email protected]

[email protected]

851-4264 362-9578

MacGregor Village Oh Melo Velo rides again in 2004! Out and back course, ride at your own pace, differ-ent route each week. See Ed’s website for details: http://ohmelovelo.dnsalias.org/

Wed 6:00 pm

20-30 30-40

15-17 20+

Cindy Jones Jerry Muir & Brad

460-9373


Two groups: Women’s ride 15-17 Group ride at 19-21 mph, For additional info: http://thespincycle.com/events.asp?level1=weekly_store_rides

R I D E C A L E N D A R ( C O N T I N U E D )

B Y S M I T H D O S S

MAY 2004 RIDES

WEEKLY RIDES (continued)

(Continue on Page 14)

NC Bicyc le News


Wed 6:00 pm

28-30 16-18 John Murray 387-0033


This ride is designed to be fun. Pace and distance may vary weekly. Expect to maintain 16 mph to stay with group. Leave your ego at home and come out and join John for a great ride.

Thurs 10:00 am

22-25 15-16 Carolyn Gentry 387-0033


This ride is designed to be a fun non -competitive spin. Learn to ride in a group and meet new cy-clists. Cue sheets for ride available at www.cyclingspokenhere.com

Thurs 6:00 pm

30-35 21+ Justin Walker 387-0033


Fast ride! www.cyclingspokenhere.com

Thurs 6:00 pm

25-30 17-19 Kevin Coggins 460-9373


Group ride http://thespincycle.com/events.asp?level1=weekly_store_rides

Thurs 6:00 pm

22 15-17 Ride Leaders Varies 387-0033


No drop. www.cyclingspokenhere.com

Thurs 6:30 pm

30 16-20+

Mike Beaman beaman@

Insideoutsports.com

466-0101

Inside Out Sports 2002 Grisdale Lane Cary

Designed for beginner to advanced cyclists and triathletes. The group will stay together for about 5 minutes and split up as the pace gets faster. www.insideoutsports.com

Sat 7:30 am

35-45 17-18 Jim Adams [email protected]

848-0959

Pleasant Union School

Goals are camaraderie and exercise in that order.

Sat 8:00 am

25-45 15-17 James Kinn [email protected]

851-5600

Parkway Pointe Shopping Center

Riders must call or email the rider leader James Kinn. I will not ride alone.

Sat 8:00 am

~40 20+ Thomas Gabele [email protected]

801-8522

Cycling Spoken Here in Cary

Beat the heat and leave early! Get back in time to take a nap, mow the lawn, paint the window sills and eat lunch! Ride leaves at 8 am sharp, so don’t forget your shoes! Route announced day of ride.

Sat 9:30 am

40-60 20+ Cycling Spoken Here Staff 461-0066


Many leaders. The 40 mile route is the same as the 60, except you head back after the rest stop. Cue sheet available inside store before ride.

Sat 9:30 am

30-35 17+ Bruce O’Connell 387-0033


This is the second year Bruce has led this popular ride. Cue sheets available at www.cyclingspokenhere.com

Sat Varies 30-60 16-20 Michael Bowers [email protected]

656-8518

http://tinyurl.com/x3d6

For more information: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Team_Endorphin

Sat & Sun

9:30 am

50-60 20-22+

Mission Valley

Sat & Sun

8:00 am

55-70 * Blue Jay Point Park Pick-up ride (Road Dog rules, we only drop our friends!).

Sun 8:30 am

2-3 hours

17-18 Allen Walker & Kurt Massey Food Lion Rolesville Rolling hills pick-up ride.

Sun 9:00 am

40-65 19-20 Kevin Coggins

460-9373

Spin Cycle at Salt Box Village

http://thespincycle.com/events.asp?level1=weekly_store_rides

NC Bicyc le News

R I D E C A L E N D A R ( C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1 3 ) B Y S M I T H D O S S


Sun 10:00am

1 1/2 to 2

hours

16+ Ride Leader Varies 461-0066


This ride starts out with the slower group then splits off after Cary Park for a longer faster spin. See website for cue sheet.

Sun 10:00 am

1 1/2 hours

14-16 Todd Spain 461-0066


This ride is not competitive and will go a slow 14 to 16 mph pace. It is designed to help teach people to group ride and help seasoned riders get in easy early season miles. The terrain is mostly flat. The ride is 90 minutes . (15 minute warm up 60 min-utes tempo riding 15 minutes cool down). Please be on time and ready to leave the parking lot at 10:00. Cue sheet for ride available at www.cyclingspokenhere.com

Date Time Dist. Pace Leader Phone Starting Location Comments

Sun 9/19 9:00 am 32 & 50

Smith & Claude [email protected]

TBD GRITS Tandem Ride , Several ride lengths avail-able. Contact Smith or Claude for details. http://www.ncbikeclub.org/Grits/GRITS.htm

Sun 9/26 8:00 am Sponsored by Fit & Able

362-1185 Bond Park Community Center Parking Lot

Brick (bike/Run). Only call phone number if lost and needing directions on the day of the event. Questions contact Alisa Wright Colopy at [email protected].

Sat 9/25 8:30 Sharp

30 60

110

Any

Jack Powell [email protected]

Blue Jay Point Park NCBC Fall Rally/North Raleigh Road Dogs Rally Road Dogs (a subset of NCBC) will host a com-bined Fall Rally with NCBC. Open to everyone. No registration fee, no course sag wagon nor route sweeps, no on course feed zones (sag stops). Cue sheets available at ride. Snacks and beverages available for a tail gate picnic at ride finish for members. Road Dog Rules apply!

Sat 9/11 Sun 9/12

7-8:15 am 7-7:45 am

150 Any National Multiple Sclerosis Society

New Bern Riverfront Convention Center

MS 150 Bike Tour. Meet the challenge. Make a difference. https://www.nationalmssociety.org/nct/event/event_page.asp?p=17167&e=8671

Sun 9/5 9:00 am 40km Cross Creek Cycling Club of Fayetteville

910 483-2353

Wade Fire Dept 3926 Church Street Wade, NC 28395

C4 Time Trial $650 cash and prizes awarded to winners in 9 categories. Start time assigned by 1st to register. Register online. http://www.crosscreekcyclingclub.org

SEPTEMBER 2004 RIDES

THIS CALENDAR IS ACCURATE AS OF JULY 15, 2004 and CROSS CHECKED WITH LOCAL BIKE SHOP RIDE CALENDARS. For current information [and much, much, more!] please see the calendar at www.ncbikeclub.org or contact bike shop or ride leader.

Centuries Ride Calendar See http://www.ncbikeclub.org/calendar/century.htm To update or add a ride to the calendar call Smith Doss, 847-8437; or Submit on webpage:

Select “Ride Calendar:, “Add Ride to Calendar”.

Ride Calendar Legend Suggestions for Riders

*Pickup ride pace at rider’s discretion. Riders are en-couraged to discuss pace before starting.

All riders are strongly encouraged to wear helmets. Please inform the ride leader if you plan to leave the ride or deviate from the scheduled events. Bicycles are deemed to be vehicles in North Carolina. NCBC encourages all vehicle operators to share the road and obey all traffic laws. See NCDOT for informative material on cycling and can be contacted at (919) 733-2804.

Dues: $15.00 per year, either single or family. Mail your completed application and check to:

NCBC, P.O. Box 32031, Raleigh, NC 27622 Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________________

City: __________________ State: _____ ZIP: __________ Phone (H): _____________ (W): _______________

I am interested in: (please check all that apply)

Ride Types Miles/Trip Avg. Speed ( ) Day rides ( ) 5 to 10 ( ) 10 to 12 ( ) Touring ( ) 10 to 12 ( ) 12 to 14 ( ) Commuting ( ) 20 to 30 ( ) 14 to 16 ( ) Tandem rides ( ) 30 to 40 ( ) 16 to 18 ( ) Mtn bike rides ( ) 50 to 100 ( ) 18 to 20 ( ) Overnight rides ( ) 100+ ( ) 20+

Occupation: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Interests: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please read and sign the liability waiver on the reverse side.

I am interested in assisting with: (please check all that apply) ( ) Leading day rides ( ) Group cooking ( ) Leading overnight rides ( ) Club officer ( ) Driving SAG Wagon ( ) Newsletter articles ( ) Slide presentations ( ) Newsletter artwork ( ) Educational programs ( ) Newsletter keying/layout ( ) Social events ( ) Newsletter mailing

M E M B E R S H I P AP P L I C A T I O N — NO R T H C A R O L I N A B I C Y C L E , I N C .

NC Bicyc le News

M E M B E R S H I P N E W S B Y A L J O H N S O N , M E M B E R S H I P C O O R D I N A T O R A N D C A R O L S C H R O E D E R , S E C R E T A R Y

Welcome New and Returning Members (Current through 08/15/04)

ARMENTROUT, Kathy GARNER, Fletcher PRAFKA, David

BRIDGERS , Michael HOBLER, Mark THOMASEN, Chad

EDWARDS , Don HOLLAND, Thomas SPOONER, Jean & FISHER, Kim

FERGUSON, Denise & Rick LEDER, Richard

Expiring Memberships (Through 08/15/04) FIRST CALL: FINAL CALL:

ALLEN , Robert E. EGGE, Alan LUND , Steve

BOUTROSS , Joe HINSON, James PLATSKY, Anne

NASIR, Adnan

DIAMOND, Nancy KOON, William TATUM , Brian

Member Communication Forum

66 Members! Sign up Now! TALK BACK TO YOUR CLUB AND FELLOW MEMBERS

See http://forum.ncbikeclub.info/ for details or contact Adrian Hands , Vice

President at (919) 832-5083 or [email protected]

Attach Address Label Here

North Carolina

Bicycle Club

Purpose: 1. Promote bicycling through

recreational, utilitarian and competitive activities;

2. Educate and promote safety throughout its mem-bership and the general public; and

3. Promote relationships of bicyclists locally, nationally and internationally.

Attach Address Label Here

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE

PAID CARY, NC

PERMIT NO. 221

Next Meeting: Monday, September 13, 2004, 7-8:30 p.m.

Location: Sammy’s Tap & Grill, 2235 Avent Ferry

Mission Valley Shopping Center

Topic: Power Measuring Equipment by Brandon Brown


PAID CARY, NC

PERMIT NO. 221

P.O. Box 32031 Raleigh, NC 27622

North Carolina Bicycle Club, Inc.

Please fill out the form on the reverse side, and read and sign this liability waiver. Dues $15.00 per year, either single or family. Mail your completed application and check to:

NCBC, P.O. Box 32031, Raleigh, NC 27622

[WAIVER: In consideration of your allowing me to participate in North Carolina Bicycle Club rides and events, I, intending to be legally bound, release and discharge any and all claims for damages for death, personal injury or property damage, which I may have, or which may hereafter accrue to me, as a result of my participation in club rides and events. This waiver/release is intended to discharge in advance the North Carolina Bicycle Club, Inc., its officers, ride leaders, and members from and against any and all liability arising out of or connected in any way with my participation in Club rides and events, even though that li-ability may arise out of negligence or carelessness on the part of the North Carolina Bicycle Club, Inc., its officers, ride leaders, and/or members.

I FURTHER UNDERSTAND that serious accidents occasionally do occur on bicycle rides and that participants occasionally sustain mortal or serious personal injuries, and/or property damage, as a consequence. Knowing the risks, nevertheless, I hereby agree to assume those risks and to release and hold harmless the North Carolina Bicycle Club, Inc., its officers, ride leaders, and members who (through negligence or carelessness) might otherwise be liable to me for damages and injuries. It is further understood and agreed that this waiver, release and assumption of risk is bind-ing on my estate, my heirs, and assigns.]

Signature:_________________________________________Date:____________________ Parent or Guardian: (if under 18)___________________________________________________

ME M B E R S H I P A P P L I C A T I O N— NO R T H C A R O L I N A B I C Y C L E , I N C .

The Official Newsletter of the North Carolina Bicycle Club

We’re On the Web! http://www.ncbikeclub.org


PAID CARY, NC

PERMIT NO. 221

Free WiFi

north carolina september 2004 bicycle club, inc. nc ......north carolina september 2004 bicycle...

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