MAY – NATIONAL BIKE MONTH

 

League of American Bicyclists is once again declaring May to be National Bike Month.  The league is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 12-16^th and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 16^th.  The City of Muscatine’s Mayor, Dick O’Brien has signed a proclamation declaring these dates as well.

 

With the prices of gasoline hovering around $3.50 per gallon, each and every one of us should ride our bikes to work more.   Why don’t you consider posting some challenges and encouragement out to our Melon City biking community to ride to work as much as possible that week. 

 

 

MELON CITY CRITERIUM

 

Sunday, May 25 – Weed Park

8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

 

Lots of volunteers are needed to make this Criterium a success and we are counting on you to help make this happen.  Please contact Greg Harper at 263-4043 or at harper@machlink.com if you can volunteer.  This includes set-up early in the morning, corner marshals (no experience necessary), and tear down at the end of the day.  A list of race times and fees can be found on our web site at:   www.meloncitybike.org   

 

TOMRV

It’s not too late to sign up for this challenging two-day bike tour that will take place June 7-8, 2008.   Ride leaves on Saturday June 7, 2008 from Bettendorf, Iowa (106 miles) or from Preston, Iowa (67 miles) and will travel to Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. The next day we return using a different route to Bettendorf (88 miles) or to Preston (44 miles). The route is varied and scenic, using lightly traveled paved roads. There are many views of the Mississippi River as we ride along it, over it on bridges, and through it on causeways.

Support services provided by Quad Cities Bike Club.  They provide many rest stops on the way with free food and refreshments. Additional food is sold along the route by civic and church organizations. Upon arriving at Clarke, the the legendary TOMRV banquet will be waiting for you. Clarke College and neighboring Loras College open their dormitories for the overnight stay.

TOMRV is a tradition of good riding, good scenery, challenging hills, good food, and an overall good time. So if this is for you, then plan to ride with us this year.  Many from Muscatine ride on this tour both on the short and long route options.   www.qcbc.org for more information

 

 

 

RAGBRAI Preparations

 

SPRING has sprung and there are many of you already out pedaling on your own and with the many group rides that are offered by our club.  Only 11 weeks until we load up those charter buses and head off to western Iowa to embark on another RAGBRAI.  Deb Elliott wants everyone to know that there are still seats available on the charter bus.  Have your cycling friends contact her if they are interested in riding along with our group.  Deb may be contacted at kdelliot@machlink.com

 

If you have any ideas on how to make our RAGBRAI week any better, please contact Deb.  She is always open to new ideas!  Also, if you know of special camping places along the route, please let her know.

 

 

 

The Epic Winter Of 07/08

 

As I write this article on April 16^th my first Northwest flight from Minneapolis to Winnipeg was cancelled and 2+ hours later we are just taking off the runway on a different flight. Yesterday the announcement came that Northwest and Delta were merging. I hope today’s performance isn’t an example of what the future holds for this partnership. Today it should get up to 71 degrees in Muscatine, the warmest of the year and here I am heading into the north country where snow still lies on the ground and the high today will match our low. What a fitting time to discuss riding a bike this past winter.

 

A cyclist’s worst nightmare came true this past winter in the Midwest. Mother Nature’s fury gave us few choices for how we would keep our legs in top shape. Our memories are often short-term and we remember only the good riding winters we have enjoyed the last few years. So in this Age, where the news media continually discusses the effects of Global Warming (whatever that is supposed to mean), we were caught completely off guard the past few months. Our area experienced the 7^th snowiest winter on record and one of the coldest as well.

 

For the majority of cyclists in our club this meant storing their bikes away last fall and you are just now beginning to bring them out and getting reacquainted. For this group late April and early May will be spent getting their bums re-accustomed to the bike seat and getting their leg muscles to re-learn their repetitive activity.

 

For some of our club members the recently introduced spinning classes at the YMCA have provided a much needed transition during the winter months. Not only have their legs benefited, but their cardio-vascular system has been kept in tune.

 

Then comes the last members of our group, these are the die-hards. Each day they look outside and if there isn’t enough snow to completely cover the pavement, they make a casual remark to their significant other, “this looks like a nice day for a bike ride”.  When their spouse mentions that it is only 20 degrees outside, you reply; yeah, that will give me a chance to wear some of my techno-wear (high wicking, wind resistant, Gore-Tex breathing and might I add high dollar biking clothes).

 

So after 30 minutes of putting on five layers or clothes and looking like some Eskimo from the Northwest Territories; you yell at your spouse, “see you in an hour”. As you get started on your bike you notice a strong head-wind; making the wind-chill almost unbearable (why hadn’t I noticed this earlier when I looked outside). With brain-freeze setting in you make your second bad decision (the first was going on a ride), you switch directions to get a tailwind. The logic at the time seemed sensible; maybe the wind would slow down or change directions by the time I turn around. Mistake #3: always check the weather.com hourly forecast before a ride (they’re always 100% accurate-right?).

 

Oh boy, did I make good time with the wind (20 mph) at my back. So after 30 minutes I turn around and what a shock I faced. The wind was still as strong as it was earlier and hadn’t changed directions. I began to second guess my decision to bike today and I try to think of whom or what could I blame for my obvious bad mistake. With visions of a steaming cup of hot chocolate and a hot shower waiting for me, I persevered and made it back home much later than when I expected to return. My lovely spouse was waiting for me at the door as she observed the ice covered openings in my balaclava and my shivering body. In her sweet sarcastic voice she asked, “How was your ride Honey”. My only thought at this low moment was the quintessential words at the end of a Honeymooners episode when Ralph blurts out, “To The Moon, Alice”.

 

So to our hardy members that put in some miles outside this winter, our hats go off to you. And since you have a jump start on your fitness we will expect you to do all the pulls out front on our group rides this spring. 

 

So remember my good friend, every day on a bike is better than the alternative even on a cold, windy day.

 

Happy Cycling!

Lonnie

(submitted by Lonnie Cook)

 

 

 

RACE RESULTS

 

 

Flat Rats TT - 25K - Thursday, April 24

1. Chad Bishop, Cat 3 with a time of 34:48

 

Eagle Point Criterium – Dubuque

Held on Sunday, April 20 – There were three races from our area racing.  Congrats to all of them for their performance!

            Bill Ford – 3^rd, Masters 40+

            Greg Harper – 6^th, Masters 40+

            Adam Price – 3^rd, Cat 3

            Bill Ford – 8^th, Cat 3

            Chad Bishop – 9^th, Cat 3

 

Finchford Roubaix – Cycling Road Race held on April 13^th (near Cedar Falls).

Congratulations to Chad Bishop – 1^st place in the Cat 3 riders and to Bill Ford – 1^st place in the Master’s 40+.

 

 

Altoona Road Race – April 5^th

Very good job to these cyclists for their hard work:

            Bill Ford – 2^nd Place, Cat 4

            Chad Bishop – 6^th Place, Cat 4

            Adam Price – 8^th Place

 

 Max Trax Duathlon – Columbia, MO

Held on April 19^th while it was 50 degrees and raining.  Congratulations to these duathletes:

Tonya Armstrong – Placed 6^th female overall and 1^st in the F45-49 age group in the short course duathlon (1.5 mile run, 7.5 mile bike, and 1.5 mile run).

John Fletcher – Placed 10^th male overall and 4^th in the M35-39 group in the long course duathlon (2.5 mile run, 15 mile bike, and 2.5 mile run).

 

Please email race results to cmann@machlink.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please email Connie Mann (cmann@machlink.com) with any race results so they may be posted to this web site.

 

 

 

 

ENDURANCE RIDES

www.ultramidwest.com

 

Up-to-Date Club Info - For up-to-date information you may also join our yahoo group, email to MelonCity-subscribe@egroups.com