TCBC Named one of LAB's 2008 Bicycle Clubs of the Year!

WINONA MINNESOTA, SITE OF THE 2009 WEEKEND ON WHEELS
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS NATIONAL RALLY
Continued from cover
Washington, DC - February 06, 2009
– The League of American Bicyclists
is proud to announce the 2008 Clubs
of the Year, as determined by the
League’s staff and Board. Typically,
six awards are given – one per region.
However, 2008 proved to be a great
year for cycling and for Region 5 where
the League named two Clubs of the
Year.
The League’s Club of the Year program
recognizes outstanding clubs for their
hard work and dedication and for
encouraging cycling and providing a
forum for their community to ride. The
League’s membership is comprised of
many successful and motivated clubs,
making the decision process difficult.
Andy Clarke, President of the League,
said, “The League is delighted to
recognize all of the 2008 Clubs of the
Year for their efforts to promote
NEW YEAR! – NEW BIKE!
2008 Bianchi
Cross Concept
“Very versatile – cyclo-cross, commuting or road bike”
• Scandium\Carbon Cyclocross frameset
• Shimano 105 10 speed components
• Mavic Aksium Wheelset
Reg $ 2198 NOW $ 1699
2008 Bianchi
Via Nirone 105
“Really, really nice frame – a light weight bike”
• Aluminum frameset with carbon stays
• Shimano 105 10 speed components
• Shimano R500 Wheelset
Reg $ 1499 NOW $ 1199
cycling and camaraderie amongst
cyclists. We applaud these clubs for
their willingness to invest time and
effort to make cycling fun and
beneficial to their region.”
If you would like to nominate a club for
2009, contact your regional League
Board member this fall. Nominees are
chosen by each regional board
member. They will provide nomination
details at that time. The League thanks
all of our affiliated organizations –
clubs and advocacy groups – for the
incredible work they do to give people
the opportunity to ride.
2008 Clubs of the Year
Region 1. HYPERLINK "http://www.
nbwclub.org/" \o "http://www.
nbwclub.org/" Narragansett Bay
Wheelmen. Rhode Island. The NBW is
a stalwart member and supporter of
the League’s education programs and
is one of the largest and most active
clubs in the Northeast. They offer
hundreds of rides each year – there are
cue sheets for more than 150 great
rides on their website – and maintain
close connections with statewide and
local advocacy issues, including the
Providence Bicycle Coalition.
Region 2. HYPERLINK "http://www.
sussexcyclists.org/" \o "http://www.
sussexcyclists.org/" Sussex Cyclists.
Delaware. Sussex Cyclists is a relatively
new and small club that took the
initiative to address a high bicycle
crash rate among international
workers in the Delaware shore area.
Region 3. HYPERLINK "http://www.
raba.org/" \o "http://www.raba.org/"
Richmond Area Bicycle Association.
Virginia. A long-standing League
affiliate with an incredible ride
schedule – a dozen members rode
more than 100 club rides in 2008,
including one who rode on 245 rides
– and an increasingly active role in
local advocacy and charitable
activities.
Region 4. HYPERLINK "http://www.
silverwheelscycling.org/index.html" \o
"http://www.silverwheelscycling.org/
index.html" Silver Wheels Cycling Club.
Ohio. Silver Wheels is a classic League
club! Just over ten years old, they have
around 200 members, one major ride
(Dog Days Wine Tour) and a menu of
more than 400 rides to choose from
during the year. They have an active
education and outreach program to
draw more people into cycling in
northern Ohio.
Region 5. HYPERLINK "http://www.
biketcbc.org/" \o "http://www.
biketcbc.org/" Twin Cities Bicycling
Club, Minnesota, and HYPERLINK
"http://www.bikesprings.org/" \o
"http://www.bikesprings.org/"
Colorado Springs Cycling Club,
Colorado. This region covers such a
vast amount of territory we had to pick
two winners this year. The Twin Cities
Bicycle Club boasts one of the most
extensive and well-run ride programs
in the country and one of the most
informative websites around. The
Colorado Springs group offers every
kind of ride from beginner to
monstrous hill climbing and advocates
locally for bicycle trails, lanes, paths
and rider support facilities throughout
the Pikes Peak region.
Region 6. HYPERLINK "http://www.
cvcbike.org/" \o "http://www.cvcbike.
org/" Conejo Valley Cyclists, California.
The CVC’s members are our members,
and they have recently been getting
quite involved in making Thousand
Oaks and surrounding communities
more bicycle friendly. This year they
celebrate the 25th anniversary running
of the HYPERLINK "http://www.
bikereg.com/events/register.
asp?eventid=7505" \o "http://www.
bikereg.com/events/register.
asp?eventid=7505" Cruisin the Conejo
ride.
The League of American Bicyclists
promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and
transportation, and works through
advocacy and education for a bicyclefriendly
America. The League
represents the interests of America's 57
million bicyclists, including its 300,000
members and affiliates. For more
information or to support the League,
visit HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\
Documents%20and%20Settings\\
patrick.BIKELEAGUE\\Local%20
Settings\\Temporary%20Internet%20
Files\\OLK2DA\\www.bikeleague.org"
\o "file:///C:/Documents%20and%20
Settings/patrick.BIKELEAGUE/
Local%20Settings/Temporary%20
Internet%20Files/OLK2DA/www.
bikeleague.org" www.bikeleague.org.
Support
your local
bike shop!
Ride Leader
Safe
MARY'S SWISS CHEESE & SPOTTED COWS RIDE IN WIS. - PHOTO BY STEVE BLOCK
Continued from cover
rides to choose from. I set my mashed
potatoes & gravy aside, got off the
couch and did some winter rides (go
figure!) They weren’t as bad as I
thought! The hardest part was making
the decision to go and then actually
going---the riding was fine! February
brought BikeAZona, which allowed me
to not only enjoy the warm Arizona
sunshine from the seat of my bike
while continuing to train, but also to
spend a week with my sister, her
husband, and their two teenage
daughters who live in the area. Given
that TCBC offers rides every weekend
of the year and most weekdays from
spring to fall, I was able to continue
riding when I got back from Arizona.
June came along and, after many more
rides including the challenging Gears,
Tears, & Fears ride, off I went to
Colorado for the BTC. All I can say after
climbing all those mountain passes is,
“I don’t know how in the world people
train for this ride without the support
of a bike club!” The ride was
challenging, and I just couldn’t even
imagine training on my own or with a
bike club that didn’t offer the variety
and number of rides available to us.
During the summer I found myself on
many day rides, mainly those led by
Herb Schultz and Jack Uttermark. I
really enjoyed the social nature of
those rides and the opportunity to ride
with people I don’t normally ride with
as I mainly do evening A/B rides. I also
took in Don Picard’s Picnic on the
Cannon, a beautiful day ride on the
Cannon Valley Trail. For those of you
who haven’t done that ride, it’s a ‘must
do’! After the ride, Don puts on this
fabulous picnic with food that is not
your average picnic-style fare. For
example, Don marinates the chicken
breasts in garlic and lime juice and, let
me tell you, it is incredible!
In late August, I had the misfortune of
being involved in a bike-car accident.
A couple of weeks afterwards, I felt
ready to get back on the bike, but
wanted to do so at a relaxed pace and
in a small group. Fortunately, Don
Hopkins had an 8 AM Breakfast Ride in
Roseville on that particular day
(Saturday). Given that I was familiar
with the area in case I needed to shortcut
the ride, and thinking there
wouldn’t be very many people on an 8
AM ride in September, I opted to go on
it. It was PERFECT, just PERFECT! A
small group of us showed up and we
enjoyed a nice social ride to R.J. Riches
for breakfast where we had the largest
pancakes I have ever seen. The
waitress told us how enormous they
were when we sat down to order, but
seeing was definitely believing in that
situation! Stuffed to the gills, we got
back on our bikes and leisurely made
our way back home. Given I was a bit
nervous beforehand about doing the
ride, the ride went just fine, thanks to
the nature of the ride and the support
of the other riders.
How lucky we are to have so many
varied riding opportunities to choose
from! I’m sure many of you have had
similar experiences. It’s these kinds of
experiences that have led us to receive
the “2008 Bike Club of the Year” award.
Thank you to all the wonderful
volunteers and members for all they’ve
done to make this happen and for
giving people so many opportunities
to ride! What an honor this is for us!
In addition to our ride program and
website setting us apart as mentioned
by LAB, I believe the desire by our
members to continually grow and
make TCBC the best club out there is
what also sets us apart!!! It’s the
positive, helpful attitude and quest for
excellence by our volunteers and
members who make this club so
outstanding and have enabled us to
receive the 2008 Bike Club of the Year
Award!
Mary Derks
SWISS CHEESE AND SPOTTED COWS RIDE IN NEW GLARUS WISCONSIN
A Fun Friendly Family Event!
Saturday, August 8th
8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Two Round Trip Routes:
Alexandria to Evansville
(40 miles)
7:15 am Registration
8:00 am Start Time
Alexandria to Osakis
(20 miles)
9:30 am Registration
10:00 am Start Time
$15 for Single $35 for Family
Rest Stops along the way ~ Shuttle will be provided
For questions, or to
register to ride,
go to
16 MARCH TCBC NEWS www.bikeTCBC.org TWIN CITIES BICYCLING CLUB TWIN CITIES BICYCLING CLUB www.bikeTCBC.org MARCH TCBC NEWS 17