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

1 SUN
11:00 AM A/B 15-40 mi.
Think Spring. Depart
from Roseville Professional Center
(2233 Hamline Ave N - just south of
Hwy 36 on the west side of Hamline
Ave in Roseville across from the
Roseville Library). Park at the west end
of the lot. Water & restrooms available
in Dunn Bros at the library before &
after the ride. Weather dictates
distance, tire tread, & clothing layers.
Charles Breer, 651-699-2029, charles.
breer@comcast.net (3/15 & 3/22), Jim
Joy, 612-827-6995, jim.joy.mpls@gmail.
com (3/1, 3/8 & 3/29).
11:00 AM A/B 15-25 mi.
3 TUE Winter Warmup.
Depart from Lynnhurst Park in
Minneapolis, West 50th and
Minnehaha Parkway, just south of Lake
Harriet. Don't let winter keep you from
riding! Route & mileage varies
depending on the weather. Most
routes include a lunch stop at the
Birchwood Café. Jim Joy, 612-827-6995,
jim.joy.mpls@gmail.com.
TCBC BOARD BUSINESS
3 TUE MEETING. Contact
Mary Derks for info at 651-
335-6505.
7 SAT
11:00 AM A/B 25 mi.
Sonny Side Up. Depart
from Sonny's Crema Cafe at 3401
Lyndale Avenue South. An urban ride
mostly on roads but some trails. Stay
for brunch on the piazza after the ride.
Great food! If weather is questionable
call leader or check the new groups
(blog site). Michael Derner, 612-360-
3036, mderner@comcast.net.
11:00 AM A/B 15-40 mi.
8 SUN Think Spring.
See March 1.
9 MON
DEADLINE for April
ACTIVITY NEWS.
E-mail schedule info to:
schedule@biketcbc.org.
Articles to Doug Nelson: newsletter@
biketcbc.org.
10 TUE
See March 3.
11:00 AM A/B 15-25 mi.
Winter Warmup.
:00 AM A/B approx
14-20 780-100/day. Extended
Trip: Fredricksburg, TX. A week
of riding in the Texas Hill Country. Ride
on the hills of the practically deserted
'ranch' roads. Opportunity to ride all 7
days, or go sightseeing. One day's ride
will be in very mountainous area.
Transportation option for driving from
St Paul. Lodging in a rented home in
Fredricksburg. Alternate modes
include air to Texas, and motel lodging.
Call ride leader for details. Steve Scholl;
srs428@msn.com; 651-341-0597 (c);
651-699-1203 (h).
11:00 AM A/B 25 mi.
14 SAT Sonny Side Up.
See March 7.
15 SUN
See March 1.
15 SUN
11:00 AM A/B 15-40
mi. Think Spring.
12:30 PM A/B 30/44 mi.
ROLLING ON THE
WESTSIDE. Depart from Holiday Gas
Station in Eden Prairie, Dell Road and
62. Three and half miles west of 494 on
62, park at far end of lot, next to Dell
Rd. An excellent ride in the western
suburbs. Ice will cancel the ride. Eric
Feld, 612-743-4097.
11:00 AM A/B 15-25 mi.
17 TUE Winter Warmup.
See March 3.
SPECIAL GIFTS, PRIZES & DRAWINGS!
First 20 guests each day receive a
Trek WrenchForce Multi Tool!
MGC store jerseys,
jackets and socks
now in stock and
ON SALE!
MARCH 2009 EVENTS SCHEDULE
V.I.P.
21 SAT
10:30 AM C 20-30 mi.
Gateway to Spring.
Depart from Burger King, rear lot
nearest trail, corner of Hwy 36/120/
Century Avenue in North St. Paul. Tired
of stationary riding, then welcome
back to outdoor riding. Time to bring
the bike out of the basement or garage
and renew your friendship with your
biking buddies. We will start the spring
out right by taking it easy until our
body parts get used to being back in
the saddle again. This will be an out
and back ride using the Gateway Trail
and some Washington County roads. If
it is raining, snowing, trail is snow/ice
covered or the temperature is below
25F, the ride will be cancelled. Hope to
see you there. Kevin DePratter, 715-
554-0072, rocky07@att.net; Cindy
DePratter, 715-554-0054, rocky07@att.
net.
11:00 AM A/B 25 mi.
21 SAT Sonny Side Up.
See March 7.
22 SUN
10:30 AM C 20-25 mi.
Spring on Trails to
Hopkins. Depart from Painter's
Community Park, 34th and Lyndale
South, Minneapolis (across from
Sonny's Ice Cream). Join us as we
meander from Painters Community
Park for the first time this year and
make our way to the Midtown
Greenway where we will traverse to
Hopkins for a refreshment stop before
making our way back to the hustle and
bustle of the city. This is a beautiful
time of year to bike as we begin our
transition from the confines of winter
to springtime outdoors on our bikes.
What better way to enjoy a Sunday
morning than with your biking
buddies as our body parts get
accustomed to being "back in the
saddle again". If it is raining, snowing,
trail is snow/ice covered or the
temperature is below 25F, the ride will
be cancelled. Hope to see you there.
Kevin DePratter,715-554-0072,
rocky07@att.net; Cindy DePratter, 715-
554-0054, rocky07@att.net.
11:00 AM A/B 15-40
22 SUN mi. Think Spring.
See March 1.
22 SUN
6:00 PM. BIKE U -
BEGINNING BIKE
CARE AND FEEDING. At Sunrise
Cyclery in Minneapolis (901 W. Lake St.
- 35W to Lake St exit, and west to
shop). Learn beginning bike
maintenance from Jamie McDonald,
bicycle mechanic extraordinaire. Jamie
will cover basic bike maintenance and
troubleshooting - if you hesitate when
your handlebars or seats need
adjusting or aren’t sure how to clean
and lube a bike, this class is for you. FFI:
Laurie Holm, 612-724-8850
laurindaholm-at-hotmail.com.
11:00 AM A/B 15-25 mi.
24 TUE Winter Warmup.
See March 3.
10:30 AM C 20-30 mi.
28 SAT Gateway to Spring.
See March 21.
28 SAT
12:00 PM 6th Annual
TCBC Swap Meet. At
Veterans Hall at the Hopkins
VFW Post 425. (new location!) at 100
Shady Oak Road in Hopkins, MN. Noon
to 3:00 PM. Buy, sell, or donate
bicycling gear. Get ready to ride! Here's
your chance to pick up some great
new and gently used bikes, parts,
SAVINGS EVENT!
MARCH 6–8 ONLY!
25%OFF
ALL CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES
PLUS!
BEST PRICES
OF THE YEAR!
ALL BIKES ON SALE
INCLUDING: Trek Jerseys,
Shorts, Shoes, Bags,
Computers, Lights, and
Thule Racks!
SAVINGS VALID MARCH 6-8 ONLY. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS.
763-420-8878 MapleGroveCycling.com
8121 WEDGEWOOD LN, LN, MAPLE GROVE 55369 (ACROSS FROM CUB FOODS && NEXT TO TO BLOCKBUSTER.)
HOURS: MON–FRI 10AM-8PM •SAT • SAT 10AM-5PM • • SUN SUN 10-4PM 12-5PM
clothing, and accessories from TCBC
members with more cycling stuff than
we need. Our obsession is your good
fortune, come get the bargains! Valerie
Olson, SwapMeet@biketcbc.org, 763-
559-0314, http://www.BikeTCBC.org/
swapmeet.
28 SAT
3:30 PM B 30-35 mi.
After The Swap
Meet Ride. Depart from Hopkins
VFW at 100 Shady Oak Rd in Hopkins,
MN. Ride in the western suburbs and
ex-urb's, with many potential lake
views! This ride will be held
immediately after the finish of the
TCBC Swap Meet. After selling your
extra stuff, and buying your exciting
new treasures at the TCBC Swap Meet,
join your TCBC friends on a ride that
starts from the same location! Mike
Beadles, 612-839-5406, MrBikey-at-
MrBikey.com.
29 SUN
10:30 AM C 20-25 mi.
Spring on Trails to
Hopkins. See March 22.
29 SUN
See March 1.
29 SUN
11:00 AM A/B 15-40
mi. Think Spring.
12:30 PM A/B 30/44
mi. ROLLING ON THE
WESTSIDE. See March 15.
29 SUN
6:00 PM.
BIKE U
ADVANCED BIKE CARE. At Sunrise
Cyclery in Minneapolis (901 W Lake
Street - 35W to Lake St exit and west to
shop). Learn advanced bike
maintenance from Jamie McDonald,
bicycle mechanic extraordinaire.
Imagine you’re at the Ironman
standing in a pleasant 40-degree
drizzle with a bike that won’t shift.
Wouldn’t it be nice NOT to wait for that
sag wagon? For those who know the
basics and are ready to learn more. FFI:
Laurie Holm, 612-724-8850
laurindaholm-at-hotmail.com.
31 TUE
11:00 AM A/B 15-25 mi.
Winter Warmup.
See March 3.
31 TUE
MARCH 2009 EVENTS SCHEDULE
6:00 PM A/B 21-36 mi.
Bunker Hills and
Beyond. Depart from Bunker Hills
Activity Center, 550 Bunker Lake
Boulevard NW, Andover, MN. Explore
the northern Twin Cities metro area
while riding through open meadows
and tree-lined avenues of the Anoka
Sand Plain. There is no rest stop on this
route through April. Route mileage
offered dependent upon available
daylight. Jim Dohogne 763-862-1411.
FURTHER OUT
April 4 SAT
New Leader Training. Mounds
View, MN. More information in this
newsletter. Contact: Pete Hawkins
763-786-3792 or pmh706@gmail.com.
April 6 MON
Leader Forum. Location TBD.
More information in this newsletter.
Contact: Pete Hawkins 763-786-3792 or
pmh706@gmail.com.
April 6 MON
DEADLINE for the big May
ACTIVITY NEWS.
April 26 SUN
30, 65, 100 mi. 43rd ANNUAL
MINNESOTA IRONMAN RIDE.
Depart from Lakeville, MN.
Non-TCBC, but TCBC mileage credit
given. See separate info on registering
and volunteering. www.
IronmanBikeRide.org.
May 2 SAT
8:00 AM Randonneur 125 mi.
200k Brevet - Apple Valley. Depart
from AmericInn/Old Chicago parking
lot on the NE corner of Cedar Ave (Cty
23) and Cty 42 in Apple Valley. This is
the first TCBC brevet of the year. Join
us for a cruise through Cannon Falls,
Goodhue, Zumbrota and Randolph.
Riders must be TCBC members.
Randonneurs USA ACP Certified ride.
Email RGWelsh@aol.com to preregister.
Contact: Rob Welsh 612-801-4196.
May 24 SAT
ALL-CLUB RIDE, three routes in
Shoreview. TCBC’s summer kickoff.
July 4
28TH ANNUAL WATERMELON
RIDE in Shoreview. Three
routes.
July 31 - Aug 2
WEEKEND ON WHEELS in
Winona. See separate info.
LET'S RIDE!!
BIKE TRAILS AND ROUTES
by Doug Nelson
BIKE BRIDGE DEMOLISHED: A bike/
pedestrian bridge over I-94 in St. Paul
near Hamline Avenue was closed and
demolished recently when an
inspection found it unsafe. A
replacement bridge is expected by
fall. (Cindy Hanson led one route
using this bridge -- which your editor
had never biked before.)
STILLWATER BRIDGES: Your editor
attended a MN/DOT Open House
recently. Plans were shown for
preserving and renovating the
Stillwater Lift Bridge for biking/
pedestrian use only after the new
Hwy 36 bridge across the river is
completed, which won’t be till at least
2013. The old bridge will have a 6-foot
walkway on each side, with 5-foot
bike lanes going in each direction in
the middle of the bridge. A tender will
still be needed to control traffic and
move the bridge occasionally so boats
can get through. A Loop Trail will
cross the old bridge, follow the old
Hwy. 35 corridor up the hill in WI, then
work south and join a bikeway across
the new bridge, then follow a trail
north to Stillwater. (Sorry gang, plans
are to remove the arduous County E
hill -- no road to connect it to.)
VICTORY: When the Lafayette Bridge
over the Mississippi is replaced (Hwy.
52 just east of downtown St. Paul),
there WILL be bike/ped access built
into the crossing. (Steve Scholl)
NINE MILE COMING: The longdiscussed
Nine Mile Creek Regional
Trail is being planned to run along the
water or parallel it for 17 miles from
Hopkins through Edina and Richfield.
(The route is drawn on the 2008 Three
Rivers Park District Guide to Parks and
Trails map.) The first segment will be
built this year, following the creek
from downtown Hopkins eastward
under 169 to Londonderry Road on
Edina’s west border. Routes in Edina
are still being discussed and probably
won’t start for a few years. Some work
will be done this year in Richfield,
using 75th and 76th Streets for the
trail as those roads are rebuilt with
new sewer lines.
NEW TRAIL POSSIBILITY: The old
railroad corridor over the Minnesota
River between Scott and Carver
Counties needs to be dealt with by
Union Pacific. The five-mile segment
runs basically from the Renaissance
Festival property near Shakopee
across the river into Carver and then
into Chaska. A 2007 derailment
caused one of the bridges to collapse.
Much money and work would be
needed to make it safe for public use.
March 2009
Our bigger and better
store is almost ready!
TREK RALEIGH FISHER DIAMONDBACK MIRRA
Your friendly local bike shop since 1992
www.gatewaycycle.com
4 MARCH TCBC NEWS www.bikeTCBC.org TWIN CITIES BICYCLING CLUB
TWIN CITIES BICYCLING CLUB www.bikeTCBC.org MARCH TCBC NEWS 5