April 2010 President’s Letter

The KBC ride season is moving into full swing. As the weather improves, expect more rides at all levels. The start times will also be later as the days lengthen.

Bike Camp 2010 has been finalized. The dates are May 15, 22, 29 and June 5. Please get the word out to your family, friends, coworkers, and anyone else who would like strong fundamental bicycling skills.

The new Kalamazoo Bicycle Club Jerseys will soon be here. You may pick up or purchase a jersey at the "pre-season" ride meeting.

The BTR race date has been set for July 17. Mark your calendars.

The change in the weather has brought a bumper crop of potholes and other road hazards. Unfortunately, the agencies that repair roads in our area have less money today available to fix the roads than they did ten years ago. In a few years, Michigan will lose the federal portion of the gas taxes that Michigan residents pay. This will mean that road conditions probably will not improve in the future as local road agencies may only have enough money to plow snow and possibly fix potholes.

I had the opportunity to present testimony to the Michigan House Transportation Committee a few weeks ago. I informed the committee that many people use bicycles as a means of transportation as well as a means of recreation. Michigan has some magnificent scenery that folks from around the world come to see by bike. Bicyclists contribute to Michigan's economy; out of state bicyclists bring their money to Michigan. Michigan can use any additional tourist revenue. I also informed the committee that the surest way to discourage bicycling is to fail to fix the roads.

The response from the committee was disappointing. It is an election year and some politicians, including many from the Kalamazoo area, care only about running for reelection or for election to higher office rather than fixing roads. Raising fuel taxes for fixing roads evidently is contrary to the goals of some of our local politicians. Some of our local politicians seem content to allow our roads to deteriorate to the point where they are unsafe for motorists or bicyclists.

While I do not mind fat tire bicycling, the thought of a future of KBC rides on roads whose conditions are worse than they are today is not one that I relish. If you happen to meet your local politician, you might want to tell him or her that you value bicycling on quality roads.

Mike Boersma, KBC President

Next KBC Monthly Meeting - April 13, 2010

The next KBC Monthly Meeting will take place at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at the Kalamazoo YMCA on Maple Street. All KBC members are welcome to attend.

KBC Pre-Season Ride Meeting - April 6, 2010

The KBC Pre-Season Ride Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 6 at 7:00 P.M. at the Best Western Suites, 2575 South 11th Street (Stadium Drive and 11th Street in Oshtemo). This hotel is next to the Holiday Inn where the meeting was held last year. The itinerary for this meeting will be as follows:

• Safety and etiquette presentation
• Club Mission and status presentation
• Ride Captain presentation
• BTR Criterium race presentation
• Club insurance presentation

Insurance paperwork for the upcoming KBC ride season can be signed at this meeting and the latest KBC jerseys will be distributed to those who pre-ordered them. Kal-Haven Trail passes can be purchased, as well, but the beer is free.

A swap table will also be set up. Bring your serviceable bike parts / accessories / outerwear to sell or trade. Have them priced and include your name on the price tag. Price limit, $100 - size limit, nothing larger than wheels.

Kal-Haven Trail Passes

KBC has again negotiated a deal with the Van Buren County Road Commission to offer discounted seasonal Kal-Haven Trail passes for the 2010 season. These passes will be available for purchase only at the upcoming pre-season ride meeting, April 6, at 7:00 P.M. at the Best Western Suites on 11th Street.

Family passes will discounted from $35 to $32. Individual passes will be discounted from $15 to $12. Individual passes come with one parking pass; family passes come with two parking passes.

Please bring either exact dollar amounts in cash or checks made out to the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club.

This is the only time discounted Kal- Haven Trail passes will be available through KBC. So if you want to take advantage of this opportunity, come to the pre-season ride meeting - where Free Beer is also going to be served. . .

Zolton Cohen, KBC Vice President

The 10th Annual W Ride

Wow, has it really been 10 years since the first W Ride???? Well, actually, it's only been 9 years, since the 1st Annual W Ride was held in 2001. In any case, continuing a tradition that's as old as the millennium, the 10th Annual W Ride will take place on Saturday, May 1 at 9:00 A.M.

The ride begins at the east parking lot of Vicksburg High School. Then, as we head out of the parking lot onto W Avenue, we'll have to decide what to do next. Do we turn left? Do we turn right? Oh, no, we might be lost already! But, if we keep a cool head and turn right, we'll be o.k., and we'll all ride to the Van Buren County line. Then, we'll turn around and ride back to Vicksburg, where we'll stop for drinks and snacks. Then, after re-orienting ourselves, we'll continue riding on W Avenue to the Calhoun County line. Finally, we'll turn around and ride back to Vicksburg. One road Ð 48 miles. It's that easy.

The speed for the main group of riders, lead by Rick Whaley, will probably be around 17 to 19 mph. But other groups of riders are welcome to ride at any speed they like. You've probably dreamed of doing a ride like this, so stop dreaming your way through life and start doing!

Rick Whaley

Volunteers Needed for Bike Camp

KBC's Bike Camp 2010 is coming up. The introductory meeting will be held at 6:30 P.M. on Tuesday, May 11 and there will be 4 informational and training sessions on the next 4 subsequent Saturdays; May 15, 22, 29, and June 3, starting at 8:30 A.M. KBC is looking for volunteers to help with Bike Camp. For further information and to volunteer, contact Renee Mitchell at rmitchell@arienne.com.

Priority Health Women's Cycling Clinic

The Priority Health Women's Cycling Team will be conducting a women's cycling clinic on Sunday, May 16, 2010 from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. at the Priority Health Conference Center at 3111 Leonard NE in Grand Rapids. Cheryl Olson, Mackenzie Woodring, and other members of the team will be leading this clinic.

This clinic will provide information for riders of all abilities from beginning rider to racer. Basic bike maintenance, nutrition, and on bike instruction will also be included. For more information, see www.teampriorityhealth.com/teams/blog.

Reminder - Volunteers for Sports Education Camp

As noted in the March Pedal Press, the 23rd Sports Education Camp (SEC) for youth who are blind and visually impaired is going to be held on May 12-14, 2010 and volunteers to "captain" a tandem are needed. For further information, contact Sherry Gordon at (269) 383-4144 (home phone), (269) 599-9391 (cell phone), or at sdgordon78@sbcglobal.net.

Monthly Meeting Minutes

The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club's monthly meeting took place on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at the YMCA on Maple Street in Kalamazoo. In attendance were, Mike Boersma (President), Zolton Cohen (Vice President), Tom Keizer (Treasurer), Bill Figeley (Secretary), Bruce Johnson, Rick Whaley (Editor), Dick Nivala, Greg Lawford, Kathy Kirk, Jim Kindle, Jon Ballema, Mikie Dould, David Jones (Webmaster), Pete Post, Mike Krisher, and Ethan Alexander (guest). The meeting was called to order at 7:05 P.M.

Mike welcomed everyone to the meeting and Tom gave the Treasurer's Report.

Bruce, the Co-Chair of the Business Division of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, gave an update on the activities of the KRVT. First, he thanked the KBC for their $1528.48 donation to KRVT in 2009. He provided a brochure to the attendees that included a map and a description of the trails. He noted that the segment of the trail from the Kal-Haven Trail on 10th street to North Westnedge Ave. has been completed, as well as from downtown to Paterson Street to Riverview Dr. and to Mosel Ave. Plans are to have a segment between Riverview Dr. through Markin Glen and to D Ave. done by September 1, 2010.
The cost for this is $18 million, 53% funded from the state of Michigan and 47% privately funded. Eventually, an east-west portion of the trail will stretch 36 miles from the Kal-Haven Trail through Galesburg, Augusta, and Fort Custer to the Battle Creek Linear Park. The trail will also be linked in a north/south direction to the Portage Centennial Trail. A segment of the trail from Westnedge to Veterans Memorial Park needs to be completed, but may not be done in 2010. A Howard Street "WMU" trail near the WMU track may also be connected to the trail at Westnedge at a future date. Bruce can be contacted by e-mail at BruceFrisbeeJohnson@gmail.com and the KRVT website address is www.kalamazoorivervalleytrail.com.

Bill gave the Ride Captain report. He noted that there will be a pre-season ride meeting, the time and place to be announced (Ed. Note: See the information about this meeting elsewhere in this Pedal Press). It will likely be held at the Holiday Inn West on 11th Street where it was held last year and Bill will get Holiday Inn contact information from Doug Kirk. Insurance waivers can be signed at this meeting and safety information concerning the club rides, including skills for group riding, will be discussed.

Ethan discussed the Open Roads Bike Program that he has organized. It is a youth bicycle education group that includes the Family and Children Services, Smart Shop, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo College, the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Kalamazoo House as partners. These organizations screen youths who are interested in this program to help determine who will participate. Bicycle mechanics, riding skills, and social skills are taught in an 8 week class. Ethan requested that KBC sponsor 2 youths at a cost of $500. This money will be spent to provide a used bicycle, a lock, a helmet, an Open Roads T-shirt, a tool box, and basic bike tools, as well as mechanic's wages to each youth. He also noted that they will be having a fundraising ride for Open Roads on the KRVT in August and would appreciate any volunteers that KBC could provide. They are also having a Bike Drive to collect bikes on April 10, 17, and 24. They could help provide mechanical assistance during the Kal-Tour in return for our support.
A motion to query the KBC membership via the website and the Pedal Press for input on sponsoring to youths participating in the Open Roads Bike Program was given, seconded and carried. This will be discussed at the April Monthly Meeting.

The 2010 Bike Camp was discussed by Jim. In the past, there have been 5 sessions after the introductory session, but this year, the number of sessions has been streamlined to 4. Session 1 will cover road riding safety essentials, Session 2 will discuss bicycle fit, and the last two sessions will be the same as in previous years. Jim brought brochures for Bike Camp and members agreed to distribute them at local bike shops and other locations. Volunteers are needed for each session and a request for volunteers will be included in the April Pedal Press. (Ed. Note: See more information about this elsewhere in this Pedal Press.) The Strong Kids Campaign at the YMCA was also discussed. A motion was made donate $150 to this campaign, and this motion was seconded and carried.

Kathy gave an update on the new KBC jerseys. A sample screen print was displayed and there are additional jersey from size XS to XXL available for purchase for those who did not pre-order a jersey. The jerseys will be available after March 19, and KBC will send payment of $2698.42 to Voler, the company that made the jerseys and $200 to Dave Hauschild, who designed the jerseys

Greg gave a report on the BTR Criterium and the "KBC" Race Team. The 5th Annual BTR Criterium will be held on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at the same location as last year. It is part of the Michigan Points series racing program and is an all day event. Greg asked for volunteers for this event and, while noting that WMU is the major sponsor of this event, he also asked for a $1000 Gold sponsorship request from KBC, which KBC did last year. A motion to provide this sponsorship was made, seconded, and passed. A motion was also made, seconded, and passed to support the KBC Race Team this year in the form of paying for the team's UCI license.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 P.M.

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 May edition (distributed on or around the first of May), have it to the newsletter editor by the 20th of April.

KBC Statistics

Active subscriptions: 279

New members:
Julie Bradfield-Duncan · Susan Creager · George Duncan · Anne Gentz · David Johnson · Kathy Johnson · Kimberly Moss · Tony Trumblee · Allyn VanDyk

April Expiring memberships:
Dawn Andres · William Bernhard · Paul Bianco · Julie Birman · Eric Blackwell · Deanna Blaskie · Sue Catherman · Claudia Clark · Jonathan & Terra Engelman · Mary Hamilton · Kathy Hoard · Chris "Cricket" Howard · Joanne Kimak · Jim Kindle Family · Sally Korth · Bruce Martin · Kimberly McGowan · Jason Mettler · Mike Miller · Charles Mock · Frank Mumford · Richard Neumann · Joseph & Kara Nuismer · Len & Cathie O'Neill · Matt Olsen · Susan H. Peterson · Peter Post & Holly Nibert · Ragan Savara · Mike Schudel · Cathy Shoemaker · Ken Slocum · Richard Szwaja · Bruce & Pam Wiegand · Joseph & Melanie Williams · John Wunderlin

Renewed memberships:
Charles Devries · Cliff Muller Family · Paul Raynes Family · Dick Nivala · David Mitchell Family · Shawn MacInnis · Dawn Merritt · Kathleen Kroll · Mikie Dould · Paul Selden Family

Paul Bruneau, KBC Database Manager

Editor’s Letter –Sometimes it's not the Why but the Y Chromosome

Editor's Note: In the spirit of spring cleaning, this month's Editor's Letter is a re-edited version of something I wrote a couple years ago. Trust me; it does have something to do with bicycle riding, eventually.

If the days of our childhood were the good old days, then the days of the cavemen must have been the deliriously ecstatic old days. Nevertheless, I doubt that our distant ancestors, hunkering down by a flickering fire in a futile effort to ward off the winter's chill, thought about their lives in quite those terms, assuming that they were even doing much thinking at all. Still, while we would never trade our sofas for large flat rocks, there is a portion of the psyche, at least the male psyche, which misses not growing up in an age where each day was a rugged fight for survival and a test of manhood, a test not graded on the curve.

How else can we explain the phenomenon of Eating as a Test of Manhood? What used to be hot chicken wings have morphed into blazing hot chicken wings, which, in turn, have morphed into "I think I've burnt my tongue off" chicken wings. And then there's 5 alarm, 10 alarm, even gazillion alarm chili. Nowadays, when I walk down the grocery store aisle to buy a can of chili beans that are only medium hot, I tell the world that I ought to be pirouetting down the aisle wearing a tutu instead. All this reminds me of my first EaaToM, a test that I passed with, at best, a C minus; a test occurring over 35 years ago.

It was my first weekend in graduate school at the University of North Carolina, and one of my suitemates in the grad school dorm where I was living suggested that we take advantage of an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet at Tijuana Fats, the Mexican restaurant in town. Having never lived in areas of the country that were famous for their South-of-the-Border cuisine, I had little familiarity with that style of exotic food. That is to say that my experience had been limited to the occasional home cooked taco made by my mother of German (and not even southern German) heritage. While it was true that Chapel Hill referred to itself as "The Southern Part of Heaven" and not "The Northern Part of Mexico," it did, at least, have this aforementioned restaurant, and off we went in search of culinary adventure.

Maybe it wasn't that adventurous, since they were also serving tacos, but these were not my mother's tacos, as we soon found out. Both of us loaded our tacos with all the fixings, including heaping quantities of a ground beef sauce, meat that we were soon to discover had been marinated in molten steel. We sat down to eat and as I watched my suitemate bite into his taco, a curious thing happened. His face turned red, not an easy feat for someone of Italian ancestry. Then, sweat popped out on his forehead, and he gasped the word "Hot!" as he grabbed his bottle of Coca-Cola and drained most of it with one huge gulp. I immediately began to scrape off as much of the little protein pieces of destruction as I could, but by then, the liquid fire had seeped into the lettuce, the cheese, and the taco itself. In retrospect, I suppose I should have thrown out my tacos and gotten new ones, but instead, I began to eat the uneatable.

First, my lips burned. Then, my throat burned. Then, everything burned. With tears in my eyes, I, too, fumbled for that blurry bottle in front of me, relishing the sensation of syrupy sweet coolness washing down my throat. Then, as a worthy example of a "finish what you started" work ethic, or as an unworthy example of mulish behavior that was not reflective of our college diplomas, we both finished our tacos, wincing with every bite. We even ate a few more tacos, this time avoiding the meat sauce that almost seemed to glow with white hot fury, while washing them down with seven 16-ounce bottle of Coke between us, before dragging our bodies back to our dorm. I didn't feel the need to eat dinner that evening. I didn't feel the need to eat breakfast the next morning. My mouth was only open for business once again about 24 hours after its first encounter with food that celebrated the sensation of extreme discomfort for the sake of extreme discomfort.

So, I discovered that eating wasn't exactly the best way to prove my manliness to the world, let alone to myself, but as the years went by, I found that there were always other ways of proving the worth of my testosterone coursing through wherever it wanted to course. In the late 1980s, I moved to Hanover, New Hampshire. At that time, I was at the beginning of a several year transition from being a distance runner with bad knees to being a cyclist with bad knees. During the summer, I'd run during the week and explore the New Hampshire and Vermont countryside via bicycle during the weekend. Soon after moving to Hanover, I discovered Vermont State Route 132, a road that was perfectly suited for yet another test Ð Cycling as a Test of Manhood.

For each of the four subsequent summers that I lived in Hanover, after several weeks of weekend riding to get my legs back into some semblance of cycling shape, I would wake up on a Saturday morning, look outside my window, harden my gaze, clench my teeth, and say to myself, "Today is the day that you once again become a Man," because it was time for my annual CaaToM. I'd pedal through Hanover, cross the Connecticut River into Vermont, and begin riding north on US Route 5 for several miles before turning northwest on Route 132. It was a road that began innocently, as I'd ride very gradually uphill for about 10 miles to the town of South Strafford. Then, I had to make a big decision. "Turn right and get off Route 132," my X chromosome would whisper seductively. "You like riding on this road better. You know you want to." "No, you sniveling coward," my drill sergeant channeling Y chromosome would bellow. "Turn left, and keep riding on 132, ride it ALL the way, you pitiful excuse for a Man!" Given such a choice, who could resist the not-so-feminine charms of my Y chromosome? And I'd turn left, in search of physiological adventure.

Once I turned left, I'd begin climbing a 2 mile hill. The grade of the first half mile wasn't much steeper than the grade that got me to the hill, and I'd think to myself "This isn't so bad. This is the year I crush this hill." The road would steepen in the next half mile, but I'd still be pedaling rhythmically, semi-oblivious to what lay ahead. During the third half mile, the road would steepen again, and I'd begin to notice that the riding wasn't so easy any more. By the beginning of the fourth half mile, my old friend Mr. Lactic Acid would notice that the road had steepened some more, and make an unwanted guest appearance in my legs. With a quarter mile to the top, the road would steepen yet again with a 13% grade sign placed by the edge of the road just to mock me. At that point, I would have long since been in my lowest gear and I'd now begin to alternate sitting on the bicycle seat for 10 revolutions of the pedals followed by getting up from the bicycle seat and standing on the pedals for 10 revolutions, while chanting my personal mantra "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten" over and over, a rather lame mantra, I must admit, but still not as lame as "oooommm." This would help distract me from the task at hand, which apparently was to see which portion of my body would explode first, my quad muscles, my lungs, or my heart. Then, with the sweat pouring down my face and into my eyes, I'd see in the nearer and nearer distance, a shimmering sight more beautiful than all the rainbows and puppy dogs in the world Ð the top of the hill.

Upon reaching the top and proving myself worthy of my Y chromosome once again, I'd relax while coasting the four mostly downhill miles to the town of Sharon and the end of Route 132. I would then turn left and pedal on Route 14 along the White River to White River Junction, head back north on US 5, and a few miles later, cross the Connecticut River back into Hanover, reveling in the knowledge that I had beaten the Route 132 hill once again. It was always closer to a 15th round TKO than a first round knockout, but it was a victory just the same. Take that, burning taco!

So, while I won't say for sure that the assorted and sometimes strange tests of manhood that we give ourselves are the things that give our lives meaning, I do know that they add some figurative and sometimes even some literal spice to our relatively comfortable lives. For me, these times have certainly been more satisfying than the times I've spent mowing my lawn. So, I what I will say is this. We should celebrate and drink a toast to those personal challenges that are limited only by our imagination and not by our good sense - preferably with a bottle of Tabasco sauce.

Rick Whaley, KBC Newsletter Editor

Some Upcoming Area Rides of Interest

Saturday, May 8. Kal-Haven/Kalamazoo River Valley Trailway Trailblazer, Kalamazoo/South Haven. 25, 45, 70, and 100 miles. www.kalcounty.com/parks/krvt/trailprogramming.htm.

Wednesday through Sunday, September 1-5. 40th Annual Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw (DALMAC) Bicycle Tour. Five rides over 4 or 5 days, ranging from 286 and 508 miles. Registration has begun and all rides except for the Quint Century (instead of the Quad Century this year) fill up quickly. www.DALMAC.org.

Classified Ads/Items of Interest

New: A panel discussion, Emerging Careers in Sports Related Management, will take place at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, April 19 in Room 103 of Dewing Hall, Kalamazoo College. One of the panelists is Jeff Pellegrom, the CFO of the Minnesota Wild of the NHL and son-in-law of KBC member Dale Krueger. He also finished 164 out of 2000 participants in last year's Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.

New: RELIV Nutritional Shakes, they are great! For more info contact Mike @ 269-350-5010, 269-266-2671, or cmock88@att.net Independent Distributor.

Several items for sale. Ultegra 10-speed Crankset 53/39 175 mm ($125). Good condition. 105 10-speed crankset 53/39 172.5 mm ($100), very good condition. Burley delight trailer for two, about six years old – very good condition, the hitch attaches to the rear stays ($200). Slingshot cyclo-cross bike – Origin-8 carbon fork, 105 components, race face compact crank, sun/ringlet flea wheelset. 56 centimeters, not typical slingshot set up; standard frame can be seen on the slingshot website ($1200). Call Jeff Robertson at 269-924-8928.

Speedplay Zero "Lolypop" pedals, with cleats, used less than 100 miles. $100. Call Kathy at 388-5045.

DMT "Flash" road shoes, like new condition, size 42, white, light, stiff, comfy. $100. Call Kathy at 388-5045.

For Sale: Trek Fluid CycleOps trainer, bought last winter, used once, includes climbing block. $140. Please contact Doug Weldon at (269) 372-0758

Saris trunk mount bicycle rack. One year old and in fine shape. Paid $125 for it and asking $60 for it, Contact John Idema at blumdom98@charter.net or 342-2263.

For Sale: 2009 Trek 7.6FX hybrid road bike, 57cm frame, ridden 550 miles. Aluminum frame, carbon fiber fork and seat post, 700 x 28c wheels, 50-39-30 triple, 11-26 (9 speed) rear cassette. Welgo clipless SPD pedals. Includes Bontrager Interchange rear rack, expandable rack bag and bar ends. Asking $875. Call Mike at 269-365-8425.

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
www.custercyclery.com

Gazelle Sports

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

Spring is here! Check out the latest from Vibram Five Fingers, Patagonia, Keen, Life is Good, Chaco, Horny Toad and more at Gazelle Sports!

The Borgess Run for the Health of It is April 24. Sign up today! Visit http://www.gazellesports.com/events/20100424/915-borgess-run-for-the-health-of-it-kalamazoo-mi.html .

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
www.zoocitycycle.com

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.