Kalamazoo Bicycle Club Newsletter
May 2009

May 2009 President’s Letter

The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club ride schedule is getting up to speed. Improved weather means that good riding can be expected, so if you have not done so already, get out on the road!

May is the month during which the Ride of Silence is held. Please consider participating. More information is provided in the issue of the Pedal Press.

Bike Camp is rapidly approaching. Please get the word out to your friends, significant others, family, youth groups, neighbors, and anyone else who might be interested in learning how to ride more effectively. Bike Camp will also need volunteers to lead rides on Saturdays. Contact Jim Kindle if you wish to volunteer; registration for Bike Camp is available online at www.kalamazoobicycleclub.org.

The weather will be getting warmer and the days will be getting longer. This also means that there will be opportunities to encourage folks to bike, both as a means of transportation and for recreation. The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club is actively encouraging new bicyclists (through Bike Camp, free memberships to folks who purchase bikes from local bike shops, and other programs). The best advertising, however, is when we sell bicycling to our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and to the public.

Mike Boersma, KBC President

Ride of Silence

The Ride of Silence is a silent bike ride of about 12 miles ridden at a pace that is no faster than 12 M.P.H. This ride honors cyclists who've been injured or killed by motorists and is intended to increase public awareness of cyclists who share the road and to promote Share the Road world-wide. It is a ride that is held at hundreds of locations around the world on May 20. The Kalamazoo Ride of Silence will start at Gull Lake High School at 7:00 P.M. More information about this ride can be found at www.rideofsilence.org. Please note the location change this year, Gull Lake High School.

2009 Tuesday Night Time Trial Series

The series will be held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 6:15 P.M. May 19 - August 18 at the Pavilion Township Hall
The Tuesday Night Time Trial series is a great way to learn about riding and your own personal abilities. The Tuesday night Time Trial Series is run by the racing team as a free service to all KBC members.
The best part of the time trial series is that everyone can participate - young and old, fast and slow - you donÕt compete with anyone but yourself. No pressure, except what you put on yourself. Come and find out just how fun a 10 mile ride can be and meet some old and new friends.

  • Measured and marked 10 mile course.
  • You must be a KBC member to participate.
  • All levels of rider welcome!
  • No drafting -- helmet is required!!
  • Sign up at 6:15 P.M.
  • Riders start in 30 second increments beginning at 6:30 P.M. sharp!!!
  • Exciting and valuable weekly prizes (lol).
  • Park at the Pavilion Township Hall, then ride south to the start line!!!! (See route map)

Announcing the first TNTT of 2009!

This year, the KBC Racing Team, led by Christopher Barnes, will again be running the TNTT. The first TNTT of the 2009 season will take place on Tuesday, May 19 with registration at 6:15 P.M. and the first rider starting at 6:30. Any questions? E-mail Chris at barnesmc@charter.net
As a friendly reminder, KBC membership is required for this ride. If you are not a member of KBC, please visit the KBC website www.kalamazoobicycleclub.org to sign up, or renew your membership.
Thanks!
Chris Barnes

Book Review - Traffic, Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us)

I just finished reading "Traffic, Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us)," by Tom Vanderbilt, Alfred A. Knopf publisher, 2008. It includes some interesting results and insights regarding the interactions between motorists and cyclists. The general theme is that when conditions for driving or cycling are made safer we take more risks, which results in almost as many accidents as before.

For instance, we know we should stop at intersections and use arm signals for turns. However, in one driving simulation study, "drivers" were shown pictures of bicyclists in different situations looking over their shoulder, giving a turn signal with their arm, or not signaling at all. When the cyclists were looking over the shoulder or giving no signal, drivers were cautious because they weren't sure what the cyclist was going to do, and they more often stopped even if they didn't need to stop.

"Collisions" happened most often and drivers' reactions were slowest, when the cyclist was giving a clear arm signal. This is partly because motorists perceive cyclists as people, like pedestrians, rather than as vehicles. Consequently, they look first and longest at our faces and process other information like arm signals later. (I wonder if some motorists today simply don't understand arm signals.) So, we need to signal with our faces or eyes as much as with our arms.

A more obvious risk for us is that motorists in this area do not expect to encounter bicyclists. Consequently they don't always see bicyclists, even in bright jerseys, because they just aren't looking for them. Bicycle fatalities occur at a much lower rate in the Netherlands, where cyclists are almost always present. Accident rates are also lower in U.S. cities that have the highest concentrations of cyclists (college towns). It's probably safer for us to ride in groups, as long as we're not at either end of the group!

Adequate bicycle lanes probably help, but several studies have shown that drivers tend to give cyclists more space as they pass if there is no bicycle lane. The lane means that motorists can be less cautious Ð they just worry about the line and not the cyclist. This suggests that having no bicycle lane may be safer than one that is not wide enough. Passing motorists also give a wider berth to children on bikes, and to cyclists that look less experienced (no helmet or jersey), because they are perceived as being less predictable.

Is it safer to ride on the sidewalk in town? Several studies have found that a cyclist is more likely to be involved in a crash when riding on the sidewalk. That's because when a sidewalk crosses driveways and intersections, motorists are less likely to expect and see a cyclist. And the cyclist, feeling safe on the sidewalk, may be less on the lookout for cars.

So overall, we need to be as aware and cautious as possible in order to increase our bicycling safety, even when we feel safest.

Dave Gay

9th Annual W Ride Reporte

This year's W Ride took place on April 25 with 7 participants who started the ride enjoying an unseasonably warm temperature, albeit with a strong wind from the southwest, and fortified with miniature Tootsie Roll W Ride maps. The ride included a husband and wife (Kyle and Lindsey), a father and son-in-law (Skip and Tyson, the latter from Chicago and riding a fixed gear bike), Paul, a new club member from the Vicksburg area, Tom, our KBC Treasurer, and our KBC Newsletter Editor (me). The ride was enjoyably uneventful to and from Vicksburg, where Paul left us so he could be on time for another appointment. The ride continued to be uneventful for the next 12 miles but then the ride became a ride of legend (not that I'm being overly dramatic, of course).
Turning east towards Vicksburg from the Calhoun County line, we knew that there would be a strong head/crosswind, but we were unprepared for the swirling, gusty wind that awaited us. There were occasions when a 13 mph pull was difficult. At this point, Skip, who was having problems dealing with the wind with his racing wheels, dropped back. As the remaining 5 of us continued to ride together, the sky began to look ominously dark in the direction that we were heading. Would we make it back to Vicksburg High School before the deluge? The answer was "No," of course, otherwise I wouldn't be writing about this. About 3 miles from the high school, huge drops of rain began to fall. And then, with about 2 miles to go, we observed a wall of rain heading our way. When the pouring rain hit, we were also greeted with a couple of the strongest crosswind gusts that I've ever experienced in my cycling life. I had to struggle mightily and lean precariously to the left just to keep my bike upright.
The cold, large drops of rain continued to beat on us rather steadily during the remainder of the ride and we were soaked by the time we got back to the high school. Soon afterwards, a pick-up truck arrived with Skip in it; his bike and he had gotten a ride back to the finish. Although the rain had slackened after we finished (which is the way it always is), post-ride socializing was understandably very brief. About 10 minutes after I got home after driving through the rain, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Ah, Michigan in the spring. Ah, the W Ride in the spring. You should have been there.

Rick Whaley

Monthly Meeting Minutes

KBC's regular monthly meeting took place at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at the Kalamazoo YMCA on Maple Street. Attending the meeting were Mike Boersma, Zolton Cohen, Paul Bruneau, Victor Van Fleet, Bill Figeley, Deb Gray, Mike Krischer, Dick Nivala, Jim Kindle, Richard Smith, Tom Keizer, Celine Keizer, Rick Whaley, Jim Veltman, and Ethan Alexander (guest).

The meeting began at 7:00 P.M. After the introductions, Tom gave the Treasurer's report. Expenses were $1272.47 for March and income was $710.96.

Mike B. gave the Ride Captain report for Knute Jacobson. There have been no volunteers to lead any of the monthly special rides starting with the June "Old Car Ride." There haven't been any requests for touring style rides yet. Zolton briefly discussed some of the responsibilities of the ride leaders. Concerns about the Wednesday night Hammerfest Ride were raised with regard to the obeying the rules of the road and whether this ride should be "de-sanctioned" as a club ride. No action was taken on this.

Ethan Alexander, a guest presenter, discussed the Open Roads Youth Bicycle Program that he is developing in Kalamazoo. This is a program that teaches 12 to 18 year olds riding skills, bicycle mechanics, and public service. There are approximately 100 of these programs throughout the country that do various activities. The program in Kalamazoo is partnered with the Family Children's Services and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. More information about this program can be found at www.openroads.org and Ethan can be contacted at (269) 599-5772.

Phase I of the program will teach social skills and bicycle mechanics. Participants will take home the bicycle that they fix. Phase II will continue to teach mechanics and riding skills. Volunteers are needed for this phase of the program, which will be held around mid-June.

The expenses for this program are parts, tools, helmets, and locks. Ethan would like to get $500 funding from this program from KBC as well as volunteers. KBC will discuss this funding request at the May meeting. Bill will act as a contact for any questions that club members might have for Ethan via e-mail. (secretary@kalamazoobicycleclub.org).

A Bike Camp update was provided by several attendees. The orientation meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 12 and will meet for the following 5 Saturdays, May 16 through June 13. Volunteers from KBC are needed.

Celine presented a Bike Summit update which took place on Saturday, March 21. Guidelines for financial requests were discussed. Ad-hoc committees were formed to investigate our budgeting procedure and to look at what the club is doing with regard to public relations. A formal document for resource requests is being considered. Jeff Newman and Jim K. are going to be developing a survey to find out what activities KBC members are interested in having. Celine has notes and documents from the meeting that she will provide to KBC. Mike K. gave a KalTour update. The ride will be held on Sunday, July 12. The brochures will be finished shortly. There will be no massage this year, but otherwise, there will be similar support as in previous years. We will have volunteers from AMBUCS and the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail Association. Requirements for ride sanctioning were discussed. Victor wanted to know how a ride is sanctioned and Zolton provided some initial answers. He stated that the ride must have a ride leader, be open to all club members, be limited to club members, and the leader must have waiver forms available to the riders. Victor noted that the ride sanctioning rules aren't in the by-laws and if we come up with concrete rules for sanctioning that they should be in the by-laws. Mike B. will ask Knute for his input on this. (Note: after the meeting, Zolton called KBC's insurance carrier to discuss the language for coverage of the rides. There has been some discussion of issues related to sanctioning via the KBC yahoo groups.) A KalTour and Bike Camp P.R. presentation was given by Deb Grey who is a member of the P.R. committee. She would like to start working on publicity for the KalTour, including press releases and radio, as well as getting a web URL link in the KBC website for the KalTour. The Bike Camp publication was being put together the week of April 13. She also noted that she has access to a mailing and folding machine for brochure production. Rick asked if there was any information about this year's Ride of Silence. No one had any information on this ride. (Note: After the meeting information about this ride was obtained and is presented elsewhere in the Pedal Press.)

The meeting adjourned at 8:14 P.M. The next KBC monthly meeting is scheduled for 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at the YMCA on Maple Street in Kalamazoo. All club members are invited to attend this, and every, meeting.

Bill Figeley, Secretary

Masthead

The electronically-distributed KBC PedalPress comes out on or around the first of each month.

If you have an article or a notice that you want to go into the PedalPress, please email it to the newsletter editor, fswhaley@comcast.net by the 20th of the month before its intended publication.

For example, if you'd like an article to be published in the June edition (distributed on or around the first of June), have it to the newsletter editor by the 20th of May.

KBC Statistics

Active subscriptions:

280

New members:

Arthur Albin * Dawn Andres * William Bernhard * Paul Bianco * Deanna Blaskie * Sue Catherman * Claudia Clark * Mikie Dould * Mary Hamilton * Joanne Kimak * Sally Korth * Kathleen Kroll * Kimberly McGowan * Jason Mettler * Mike Miller * Frank Mumford * Cathie O'Neill * Len O'Neill * Matt Olsen * Ragan Savara * Matt Schudel * Mike Schudel * Cathy Shoemaker * Bruce Wiegand * Pam Wiegand * Joseph Williams * Melanie Williams

May Expiring memberships:

Scott Ashford * Larry Baumgart * Matt Berner * Mark Boese * Hayley & Caitlin Braun * David Carter * Kevin Cleary * Anthony Dallaguarda * Charles Devries * Angela Erdman Family * Bill Farrell * Barclay Finch * Andrea & Donald Fore * Douglas Freeland * Karl Freye Family * Bonnie Frye * Ervin Fulkerson * Gershon Family * John Greenhoe Family * Heather Haydo * Marc Kavanaugh * Darryl Loiacano * Stacey Lyon-Hadley * Robert McCulfor * Debbie Messenger * David Mitchell Family * Marguerite Mosher * Thomas Noverr * Tony & Kara Nuismer * Justin Pruis * Michael Riordan * Judy Rose * Amy Rummel * Terri Stratton * Kathy Vaught * Susan & George Williams

Renewed memberships:

Deborah Bauer * Frank Machnik Family * Joseph & Kara Nuismer * Dan Van Sweden * Kurt Sherwood * Michael Peterson * Chris "Cricket" Howard * Roy Richardson * Charles Tansey * T.J. Seiwert * Richard Smith * Peter Post & Holly Nibert * Kathy Hoard * Julie Birman * Bruce Martin * Jonathan & Terra Engelman * John Wunderlin * Karen Duymovic

Bike Campers registered so far:

22

Paul Bruneau, KBC Database Manager

LCI Corner - Group Riding Tips

Summer's coming and will be here before we know it. With warmer weather, the club rides increase in size as we invite friends, family, and co-workers to join us for an exhilarating ride. It's important for all group riders to know how to ride in a group so communication amongst riders is consistent, reducing the likelihood of crashes. Listed below are group riding rules to follow developed by the League of American Bicyclists. Please read these over, take them to heart, share them with new cyclists and, most of all, apply them on each and every group ride!

  1. Be Predictable
    • In a group, your actions affect those around you, not just yourself.
    • Riders expect you to continue straight and at a constant speed.
    • Signal your intention to turn or slow down before you do so.
    • Use Signals
      • Use hand signals to indicate turns and point out hazards to others.
      • Left or right arm straight out to indicate left or right turn.
      • Left arm out and down with palm to the rear to indicate stopping.
    • Give Warnings
      • Ride leaders should call out right turns, left turns, and stops in addition to signaling.
      • Announce turns before the intersections to give riders a chance to position themselves.
      • Try to avoid sudden stops or turns except for emergencies.
    • Change Positions Correctly
      • Slower moving traffic stays to the right; faster traffic to the left.
      • Pass slower moving vehicles on the left; announce your intention to do so.
      • Announce passes on the right clearly as this is not a usual maneuver.
    • Announce Hazards
      • Most cyclists do not have a full view of the road while riding in a group.
      • Announce potholes and other hazards so others can avoid them.
      • Call out the hazard and point down to it, either left or right.
    • Watch for Traffic Coming From the Rear
      • The last rider should frequently check for overtaking cars.
      • Announce "car back" clearly and loudly.
      • It is also helpful to announce "car up" on narrow roads or when riding two abreast.
    • Be Careful at Intersections
      • The leader should announce slowing or stopping at intersections, if necessary.
      • Cyclists should not follow others through intersections without scanning.
      • Each cyclist is responsible for checking cross traffic; if you must stop, signal.
    • Leave a Gap for Cars
      • On narrow road or during climbs, leave space between every 3 or 4 riders.
      • Motorists will utilize the shorter passing intervals to pass the group.
      • Good relations with motorists are the responsibility of every cyclist.
    • Move Off the Road to Stop
      • When stopping for mechanicals or regrouping, always move clear off the road.
      • Only if conditions permit should you move back onto the road as a group.
      • Always yield to traffic in the roadway.
    • Ride Single File or Two Abreast
      • It is illegal to ride more than two abreast.
      • Ride single file between intersections; double up when the group stops.
      • When taking the lane, double up and take the whole lane.

      Have a safe and enjoyable May!

      Renee Mitchell, LCI #2000
      Certified Cycling Instructor
      League of American Bicyclists

May Ride Captain’s Report

Dear KBC Friends:

Most of our weekly rides are now up and running. Evening rides in May start at 6:15 P.M., unless otherwise noted on the KBC website-www.kalamazoobicycleclub.org. The place on the website to find a complete listing of our rides is the tab on the left hand side marked "Rides."

Clicking on that tab will take you to the weekly ride schedule. From that screen, on the right side, you can also find tabs called "Ride Guide" and "Ride Maps." They will take you to a description of what to expect on each of our rides, and to maps of each of our rides. Ride leaders, it's a good idea to print out a few maps of your ride and bring them with you to give to new riders, especially if the ride you lead occasionally "drops" riders, and leaves them to fend for themselves.

In general, I like what I am seeing on this year's rides. Real efforts are being made to stop at stop signs and obey the rules of the road. Thank you all for your willingness to help with this.

I continue to look for leaders for our annual Ride to South Haven and County Century. If you are interested in leading either of these rides, please let me know.

Finally, please remember also to carry ID, along with a spare tube and inflation device, on every ride you do with the club. A cell phone is also helpful in case of emergency.

It's been great seeing so many out for our rides. Wishing you all a wonderful cycling season.

Knute Jacobson, KBC Ride Captain

Editor’s Letter –Work Versus Play

I've found that one of the advantages of cycling as my sport of choice is that I can ride as much as I want. Unlike my running sports career, which was littered with the detritus of torn cartilage and other overuse injuries, I've very seldom had a cycling problem that has forced me off my bike for more than a couple days. I've also found that those occasional epic (at least in my own mind) rides of several hours are a very nice way of exploring the countryside, a very nice way of boosting my ego, as I bask in the glory of an accomplishment that is trivial to everyone but me, and a very nice way of ensuring a subsequent good night's sleep.

I've found that one of the disadvantages of cycling as my sport of choice is that I can ride as much as I want. Unlike running, cycling isn't a very physically self-limiting activity. During my running days, if I somehow got it into my head that I wanted to start running 6 hours a day, upon attempting such an endeavor, my body would quickly let me know that I had entered the realm of the delusional. These days, if I happen to strike oil in my yard, and I get it into my head that I want to start riding 6 hours a day, I could probably do so. From reading the pages of Ultra Cycling magazine over the years, there seem to be some people competing in ultramarathon cycling races who do just that and more. But then, I'd have to ask myself the question "Just how one-dimensional a human being do I want to be, anyway?" and I think I'd answer "Not that much." As a result, I'm perfectly capable of self-limiting my cycling, one reason being that I haven't struck that gusher yet.

But I also know that just because I can ride as much as I want, it doesn't mean that I can ride as much as I want on any given day. This is the way it is for all of us, unless what we also want are to be unemployed selfish jerks. And even when we're not being selfish jerks, sometimes non-cycling duty calls. Sometimes I even obey.

Take, for instance, the weekend after Easter. Or, to make a somewhat long story even longer, take the weekend of Easter. I was on my patio, getting the grill going in the anticipation of enjoying a what I hoped would be a nice, juicy, medium rare steak (realizing that how my steak turns out after grilling is usually a crapshoot), when I happened to glance at the back edge of my property next to my neighbor's fence. I noticed that I had two 12 foot evergreen trees leaning at a 45 degree angle. At this point, I had two options. The first was to leave them alone as an expression of my own unique style of landscaping whimsy. The second choice was to get some rope and attempt to straighten them back up. I chose option 2, so while the coals were glowing, I was towing. I managed to get one tree back up, but the other was beyond my somewhat meager strength. So, I decided that the leaning tree had to come down and that would be my next weekend's project.

The following Saturday arrived and the weather was glorious. Sunny, 70 degrees, the birds were chirping, and if unicorns actually existed, they would have no doubt been frolicking on my lawn. I really, really wanted to ride for about 4 hours. However, the tree awaited, and I knew that the Sunday forecast was a high of 50 degrees with a drizzly rain to complement the predicted dreary day. Unless I wanted to cut down a tree in the aforementioned drizzle, I would have to do it on Saturday, and so, with a sigh, I did. Several hours later, after sawing the tree apart and digging up the stump (without even striking a gusher to make it worth my while), I managed to get out on my bike for a brief warm-up-for-dinner ride.

The following day, the predicted drop in temperature occurred. (Dang these weathermen, why must their predictions be so accurate!) And there I was, enjoying the sodden sights of eastern Kalamazoo County and savoring a strong east headwind during the first part of a 50 mile bicycle ride, accompanied by the predicted steady drizzle. (See above sentence.) I got a long ride in, and it was better than digging up a stump in the rain, but still. . .

Anyway, as I finished this ride, I at least was able to take comfort in the fact that the dilemma that I faced that weekend was the sort of dilemma that has plagued mankind since, presumably, the Stone Age. One can imagine what it must have been like for the caveman who invented the wheel. After doing so, he probably thought to himself, "I can use this to make a device that will make it a lot easier for me to haul firewood to my cave." Then he probably thought to himself, "But if I hollow this out some more, I've got a great hula hoop." Yes, it's work versus play, doing what we have to do versus what we want to do. And so, the eternal struggle continues for us all. Just let it not continue on a pleasant Saturday in 2009. This year, I've already paid my dues.

Rick Whaley, KBC Newsletter Editor

Some Upcoming Area Rides of Interest

Saturday, May 9 - Kal-Haven Trail Blazer, Kalamazoo and South Haven. 25, 45, 75, or 100 miles. (269) 343-3487 or www.kalhaventrail.org.

Tuesday, May 12 and Saturdays, May 16 through June 13 - Kalamazoo Bicycle Club Bike Camp. www.kalamazoobicycleclub.org/bikecamp.

Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 P.M. - Ride of Silence, Gull Lake High School. 12 miles. (269) 345-0123 or m.rose@morrisrose.com.

Sunday, May 31 - BABA Wooly Bike Rally, Coldwater. 15, 25, 40, 62, or 100 miles. (517) 617-7506 or www.bikebranch.org.

Saturday, June 6 - 100 Grand, Grand Rapids. 17, 35, 65, or 105 miles. (616) 245-3341 or www.rapidwheelmen.com/100grand.

Saturday and Sunday, June 20-21 - National 24-Hour Challenge, Middleville. See how far you can ride a bike in 24 hours (c'mon, you know you want to). (616) 538-7497 or www.n24hc.org.

Thursday, July 23 through Sunday, July 26 - Wish-a-Mile Bicycle Tour. Three day, 300 mile tour from Traverse City to Chelsea, MI. www.wishmich.org/Page.aspx?pid=442.

Wednesday, September 2 through Sunday, September 6 - 39th Annual Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw (DALMAC) Bicycle Tour. Five rides over 4 or 5 days, ranging from 303 to 414 miles. Registration began in April and all rides except for the Quad Century fill up quickly. www.biketcba.org/DALMAC/dframe.html

Classified Ads

NEWWanted: Looking for used "starter" tandem bike and also a used adult 3-wheel bike. Call Teresa Arndd at (616) 862-4769.

Miyata "City Runner" bicycle is a very nice 18 gear (triple chainring) hybrid... excellent condition all around. Comfortable Serfas saddle, excellent tires. Spring is coming. $190. To request a photo, call Dale at 269-375-0114, dalekrueger@charter.net

For Sale: Early '60's Schwinn bikes, Men's Collegiate 5 speed, Women’s Breeze 5 speed, all original including Schwinn tires! No rust, chrome is immaculate! Some paint blemishes. Collectors would love these; I'd rather sell them to someone local. Call Mike at 385-0196.

Tri-bike, Titanium LightSpeed Catalyst, 56 cm frame, aero bar shifters, 105 Shimano components. $800. Call Mike at 327-0387.

Rockymountain 56cm Solo 30AC, aluminum and carbon (rear-triangle). The bike has 105 10-speed components throughout and Easton EC90SLX carbon fork (330gr); wheels are Richey DS Pro. The bike is in great shape with less than 500 miles on it. Looking to get $1200 or best offer. Call Jeff at 269-965-3560.

Shop Notes

Alfred E Bike

320 East Michigan, Kalamazoo, (269) 349-9423
www.aebike.com

Billy's Bike Shop

63 East Battle Creek Street, Galesburg, (269) 665-5202 www.billysbikeshop.com


Breakaway Bicycles

185 Romence at Westnedge, Portage, (269) 324-5555, www.breakawaybicycles.com


Custer Cyclery

104 North Augusta, Augusta, (269) 731-3492


Gazelle Sports

214 South Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo, (269) 342-5996,
www.Gazellesports.com

Gazelle Sports offers training programs for 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon and marathon running, in addition to triathlon training. Learn more at http://www.gazellesports.com/09_training_programs.htm


ProSport

ProSport has closed to relocate. Keith Little is still available for repairs and tune-ups. He has used bikes and 2008 Bianchis to close-out. Please call for appointment at (269) 372-7312. Bikes can be picked up and returned for repairs.


Team Active

22 W Michigan, Battle Creek, 1-800-841-9494
www.teamactive.com


Village Cyclery

US 131 in Schoolcraft, 679-4242
www.villagecyclery.com

Zoo City Cycle & Sports

4328 South WEstnedge, Kalamazoo (269) 552-3000


Bicycling Safety Disclaimer

Important: Riding a bicycle is an inherently dangerous activity. There are risks of injury or death. You could ride over something and fall, or get hit by an automobile or strike or be struck by another bicyclist. There are many other dangers to bicycling as well.

While nothing can eliminate all risks associating with bicycle riding, to minimize the danger, make sure you and your bicycle are in good riding condition. Know the rules of the road and also of the group you’re riding with, and ride in a manner consistent with the protocols of that group. Always wear a bike helmet, use bike lights if riding in the dawn, dusk or dark, and consider purchasing and riding with additional safety equipment such as reflectors and rear view mirrors.

KBC Contact Information

KBC Officers

President Mike Boersma 269-720-1409
president@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Vice President Jim Kindle 269-382-8053
vicepresident@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Secretary Bill Figeley
secretary@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Treasurer Tom Keizer 269-382-4737
treasurer@kalamazoobicycleclub.org

Other Important KBC Folks

Database Manager Paul Bruneau 269-343-6016
databasemgr@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Newsletter Editor Rick Whaley (269) 324-1577
editor@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Ride Captain Knute Jacobson 269-629-0093
ridecaptain@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Social Director Janet DeZwaan
socialdirector1@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Social Director Teri Olbrot
socialdirector2@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Safety and Education Chair Victor VanFleet 269-375-7691
safetychair@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Web Site David Jones
webmaster@kalamazoobicycleclub.org

KAL Tour

Director Michael Krischer
kaltour@kalamazoobicycleclub.org
Director "Super" Dave Bishop 269-679-4522
kaltour2@kalamazoobicycleclub.org