You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March 2008.
Many of us have been dodging raindrops to ride lately, but the bike calendar has kicked up in high gear. We have two opportunities to join organized rides in the area in April.
April 19 Neosho, MO Tour de Tick. tourdetick2008.doc Entry Form. This rides sounds like fun! If you can’t open this file let me know via the comments section and I’ll email it to you.
April 26 Muskogee, OK Flower Power. Here’s the link http://www.cityofmuskogee.com/images/uploads/dept_012/_FP_BROCHURE_INSIDEbike08.pdf
Make plans to join this rides if you can.
And here’s your bicycle “Quote of the Day.”
The journey of life is like a man riding a bicycle. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. We know that if he stops moving and does not get off he will fall off.
William Golding
Riding alone is okay, but it’s not as fun and certainly not as safe as riding with a friend or a group. More than one rider creates conversation which makes the miles melt away. Group riding is easier when the wind blows because you can establish a paceline and make it easier for everyone. But most importantly, a group is more visible on the road.
Here’s your opportunity to post when you’d like to ride and contact information. Wayne Richardson has kicked things off here. His comment on the March 14 post gives his contact information for riding (his email address). But basically here’s some information to get everyone started riding again now that the temperatures are moderate.
Wayne is available Monday and Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. Saturday mornings (the earlier the better), and Sunday afternoons. He rides a road bike and likes to average somewhere between 14 and 17 mph and his average ride is around 35 miles. He’s a great riding partner and although he can go much faster, he’s all about the fellowship of the road. He also makes a darn good wind break when the Oklahoma southernly winds begin to howl this time of year. I’ve tucked in behind him more often than I care to admit. Wayne also teaches the cycling class at the Rec Center on MWF mornings at 5:45 a.m. (crazy people!) and on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m.
Leann Burger and Jane Johansson usually do a leisurely 10-25 mile ride on Sunday afternoons, (we stop to eat blackberries along fence rows, and we talk to the cows and horses along the way) so if you have a fat tire or comfort bike and want to join us, email Leann at rlozark@sbcglobal.net. We are currently getting ready to ride the 225 miles in a week on the Katy Trail in May.
If anyone out there is getting ready for FreeWheel, please let me know as this is going to be my first year and I need a training buddy.
Get out there and hit the road…but contact your cycling friends first and buddy up!
Trisha Armstrong (no relation to Lance that I know) sent this link this week. It’s worth a watch!
I certainly don’t have the right to make this official pronouncment, but today was my first “longish” ride of 2008, so it must be bike season.
If you haven’t already…get out there and ride as soon as it stops raining this weekend.
Check out the Comments section. Glen has a rebuttal to my statement that he’s crazy…and he also has some valuable information for anyone interested in bi and triathalons. He’s our guy for this type of info.
Wayne talked me into riding today. We went 32 miles…22 of which seemed to be directly into the wind…actually only 10 was probably into the wind, but a stiff crosswind can push me around pretty good. Coming back from Locust Grove on Highway 82 was ”great,” in the words of Wayne. We increased our average mph quite a bit with the help of a stiff tailwind. The “chiller” lake effects cooled us down quite nicely as we crossed Lake Hudson. Highway 20 is bad…even for bike riders…it’s so rough on the right lane and the shoulder that we opted for a shortcut to avoid being vibrated to death by the rough surface of the road.
If you have favorite routes of any length you’d like to share, please feel free to comment, as some of us get tired of riding the same way all the time.
And I think the PACE bikers need to have a bike ride/pot luck picnic soon. When I get a date, I’ll let everyone know.
Congrats to our Kansas biking friend Gill Armstrong (also no relation to Lance, we think) for finishing 3rd in the Expert Women’s class in the Midwest Fat Tire Championships held last weekend in Kansas City. I saw pictures, and it was sunny, but muddy!
If you want updates each time there’s a new post, subscribe to the RSS feed and you’ll automatically get it. That way I don’t have to send an email link to everyone….. In the meantime, get that bike out of the garage and get cranking!
How many of us got that bike out last Saturday for the first time in awhile? Beautiful day….70 degrees…sunny. Put a little air in the tires. But we live in Oklahoma so it was….Windy! On my east and west legs I was crabbing into the wind like an airplane. Northbound was horrid, but southbound was glorious. I would have sailed to Kansas if I didn’t have to walk back.
Here’s a swig out of the waterbottle to Spring, which I know has to be right around the corner.
Here’s info on two local April spring rides you need to know about. I’m going to try to ride both, so if you want to ride along, you are more than welcome. If more than one or two brave souls say they want to go, we’ll arrange a caravan! Just let me know in the comments and we’ll make some arrangements.
April 19 Tour de Tick 15, 35, 65 and 100 miles Neosho, MO (about 1.5 hours away) I looked all over for a Tour de Tick website. If anyone can find it, please let me know. Otherwise I have some phone numbers if anyone is interested.
417-389-7242 Tim or Cheri
April 26 Osage Prairie Tour in Parsons, KS (Up the road from Vinita a piece!)
http://www.osageprairietour.com/ride_info.html
I’m adding some links this week also. kansascyclist is a great place to learn about rides. Check out the events section where rides in a five state area are listed. The Dam J.A.M gets second billing in the Oklahoma listing.
Get out there and ride!
