Kalamazoo Bicycle Club
Pedal Press

June 2013 President’s Letter

Bike Week 2013 Draws to a Successful Close

Congratulations go to Dave and Mary Jo Warwick for co-chairing a most successful Bike Week 2013. Bike Week ran from May 9-18 and included a plethora of events - to name just a few; a cycling movie at Bell's Eccentric Cafe, several different rides, and a community forum on bicycling.

Kalamazoo Bike Week, to quote its website... "hopes to raise cycling awareness, promote the use of cycling as a means of transportation, and explore the possibilities cycling has to offer in terms of enjoyment, health, fitness, and social and environmental benefits."

Thanks to Dave and Mary Jo, and an assembly of volunteers and corporate and municipal participants, Bike Week 2013 did all that, and more.

Bike Camp Breaks Records

Renee Mitchell, KBC Education Chair and Bike Camp Chair, reports that Bike Camp 2013 has the most participants ever - over 70 at last count. The training and educational program for beginning cyclists and those wishing to get back into the sport is in its ninth year, and has expanded over that time from initially being a one-day event to its present form - a one-evening orientation, followed by four consecutive Saturday sessions.

As always, the first Saturday of Bike Camp was pretty hectic. Three waves of Campers passed through the Portage YMCA outbuilding to be fitted properly to their bikes. Breakaway Bicycles and Fitness in Portage, Pedal Bicycles in downtown Kalamazoo, and KBC's own CMS Race Team provided expert bike fitters who, along with several KBC members, worked with each individual Camper to achieve the best possible fit on his or her bike.

Once bike-fit, the Campers participated in skill-building and bike-handling exercises on the big parking lot by the YMCA, and then were led on rides of 5, 10, and 15 miles by volunteers from the club. A lot of activity for just the first day of Bike Camp!

As club president, absolutely nothing makes me prouder than to see KBC's Bike Camp Committee, other KBC volunteers, and members of the region's cycling community pulling together in this effort to get more knowledgeable and safe cyclists on the road. It is wonderful - even heartwarming - to watch experienced cyclists giving of their time to help others get started correctly in biking.

Programs like Bike Camp build the cycling community and strengthen our club's voice at times when it is incumbent on us to request greater attention be paid to the needs of this constituency.

I would personally like to welcome this year's Bike Camp participants into the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club. We hope you enjoy Bike Camp, learn a lot, and decide to take part in club rides and other club activities in the future.

And thanks to the generous bike shop owners who each year enrich Bike Camp - and so many more of the club's activities - with their time and donations of gift certificates and real goods. I never tire of reminding KBC members to support your stores. It is impossible to envision such a comprehensive biking community without your presence and collaboration.

History About to Come Alive

Going on behind the scenes this year, longtime KBC member Mike Peterson has been doing some stellar work in creating a club history project. He located and interviewed several of the original founders of the club, and has been busy scanning not only a complete archive of Pedal Press newsletters dating back to the early 1970s, but other club memorabilia as well.

Soon, all Mike's work will be available for viewing on the club website. After having had the privilege of being able to look at what he has accomplished so far, I've got to say it is impressive in its scope. You'll likely be amazed, as I was, at the number of people whose names appear in the club annals who have been members of KBC over not just years, but over decades. Fun stuff; and interesting to see what issues the club has dealt with over the past 40 or so years.

KalTour is Coming

Those given to long-term planning might wish to circle Sunday, June 30 on their calendars. That is the date of KBC's 2013 Kalamazoo Scenic Bicycle Tour (KalTour), the club's largest and most public event. KalTour Chair Mike Krischer has been hard at work organizing this year's version, as he analyses and improves on each previous KalTour.

KalTour is not a race, but is a tour appropriate for everyone. Please join us on that day as we gather to ride on the area's many bikable roadways. Challenge yourself by riding a greater distance than you're used to; you won't be sorry...

Zolton Cohen, KBC President

KalTour Registration Deadline

We are quickly approaching the June 15 preregistration deadline for this year's KalTour which takes place on June 30. If you are reading this, you must be a KBC member (unless you are reading over someone's shoulder). Your advance registration KalTour price as a KBC member is only $15 for an individual or $30 for a family, which includes two adults and all children under 18. Where else could you spend that many hours doing what you love and eat that much food for the same price? KalTour offers a wide choice of routes ranging from 13 to 100 miles with all routes meeting at a common lunch stop, making KalTour an ideal ride for families with cyclists of different abilities.

This year the club is saving money by eliminating brochure mailing and relying on online registration. (However, you can still print out and mail in a registration form with your check.) We are relying on our members and past riders to spread the word about KalTour. Please tell your friends and come join us on the 30th.

Mike Krischer, KalTour Director

KalTour Road Painting

The club has always taken pride in the clear and easy-to-follow KalTour route markings. We need your help for this to continue. Please join us on Tuesday evening June 18 for the route painting. We will meet at 6:00 P.M. at KVCC Texas Township (near the tennis courts). All equipment will be provided. Old clothes are recommended. In case of storms, the route painting will be postponed to Thursday, June 20, same time and place. If you would like to help, but the 18th doesn't work for you or if you cannot arrive until after 6:00 P.M, please e-mail me at kaltour@kalamazoobicycleclub.org.

We can still use volunteers for the day of KalTour, particularly in the morning, both at ride headquarters and the Lawton sag stop.

Mike Krischer, KalTour Director

Miller Energy Criterium Volunteers Needed

The organizers of the Miller Energy Criterium are again looking for volunteers for set-up, tear-down, registration, and course marshaling on Saturday, July 13, 2013. Come out, watch the racing, and help put the event on. We need volunteers throughout the day so hours are flexible. Call Rick Updike at 207-7320 or Jon Ballema for more information or to sign up.

Thanks,

Rick Updike

Tim's Wild Ride 3.0

The third annual Tim's Wild Ride 3.0 (hence, the 3.0), will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2013 at The Carver Center at the corner of South Park and Cedar Streets. The rides are 13, 31, 62, and 100 miles, and portions of the rides will be on the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail. Proceeds from this event will be used to help support programming for the Kalamazoo Civic Youth Theater. For further information, see the website www.KazooCivic.com or contact Greta Faworski at GFaworski@KazooCivic.com.

Destination: Nashville

The Thursday before Memorial Day, a pair of KBC's Long Rides Special Interest Group members (Jim Murray and I) decided to trek up to Nashville by bike.

UP to Nashville? Isn't Nashville in Tennessee? Actually, close inspection of the Southwest Michigan Road and Trail Bicycle Guide reveals that Michigan has its very own Nashville - in Barry County, east of Hastings. To get there by bike, Michigan's Nashville only requires a ride of 126 miles round trip, if you start in Portage, then head home by way of eastern Gull Lake and Plainwell. That's just distance enough to qualify for a Nashville oriented 200km "Permanent" route sanctioned by Randonneurs, USA (Route #1968).

Our destination was driven by a weather forecast that, the week before, was predicting that the only decent weather during the weekdays would be on Thursday: partly cloudy skies, cooler temps, with a wind 9-16 mph from the NNE. Ride into the wind on the way there, sail with it on the way home. The closer ride day approached, the iffier the forecast became. But hey, if you are member of an organization whose unofficial motto includes the phrase "any weather," what's a light mist among friends?

That morning, we pedaled east out of Portage Millennium Park. At least part of the weather couldn't have been better. Initially, the wind was from the west. With the wind at our backs, I was able to keep up with Jim as we zigzagged our way on the back roads leading up to the 35th Street bridge over I-94.

Approaching Augusta, a light rain began that didn't leave us until we were well on our way back from Nashville toward Richland. Yours truly donned his trusty O2 rain jacket and pants, while Mr. "Hard as Nails" Murray threw on a rain jacket, trusting his woolen jersey and base layer to keep his core warm if the going got really soggy.

As we headed up our first real hills, I told Jim that he was welcome to forge ahead at his own pace, and off he rode. After a bit of an unintended detour that separated us by a number of miles at times and following a few cell phone conferences, we rejoined on the main route to Nashville. For a while I played tortoise to Mr. Murray's hare. Jim would kindly be waiting for me at one four-corners store after another, coffee in hand.

Passing horse farm after horse farm in the pastoral countryside east of Gun Lake, we met up again in Nashville just as Jim was cashing out at our Subway control-point, his sandwich already in hand. As he enjoyed his meal sheltered from the mist under a nearby gazebo, Jim gave me a head start on the turn around. I topped off the PBJs that had been fueling my ride so far by wolfing down a candy bar purchased at the control, and turned my bike around. I rode back south past the M55 self-propelled howitzer guarding the Nashville VFW.

The next thing I knew, Jim was in my rear view mirror, growing in size as the now-NNW wind helped pushed us southward. After more or less accompanying me through a road closure/detour on Lawrence Road (after all, I had the Garmin Oregon 450, and the advantage of getting directions from a local), I again encouraged Jim to ride at his own pace. He disappeared over the next hill and was completely out of sight for the rest of the journey.

When all was said and done, Jim and I climbed our way back west over all the hills that Hickory Road east of Gull Lake had to offer. (The online program Ride With GPS calculated that our ride took us for an overall 4665 foot elevation gain.) The rest of the route (around the eastern shore of Gull Lake, M-89 west to Plainwell, and back to Portage via Douglas Road) is familiar to many of you.

We finished before dark, although Jim got to enjoy the comforts of home a good hour and a half before me. I have the feeling that the result would be about the same even if Jim had swapped his 650B wheeled / full-fendered randonneuring bike for a coaster brake beach cruiser. Far from being an off-putting experience, riding with a buddy stronger than me just increases my motivation to keep building my tooth-pick legs all the more. After all, it wasn't much more than five or six years ago that an eight mile trip around Austin Lake with a few 7-10 foot climbs was a big adventure.

Note: Construction on M-89 in old Plainwell closes the west bound lane. Jim and I made our way west along the sidewalk, but we found that occasional walking was necessary.

Paul Selden

CMS Race Team Monthly Update

The CMS Race Team race results this month can be found on the team blog: CMSRaceTeam.com.

Jon Ballema, CMS Race Team Director

KBC Quick Tips

Quick Tip #17: Good Sleeping Tips

"1. Keep Riding: "But try not to do it within four hours of bedtime," says sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD. Exercise raises your body temperature, which triggers a shutdown of the sleep hormone melatonin. Also, watch for signs of overtraining. If you feel crappy every time you get on the bike, consider taking some time off.

2. Aim for Seven to Nine Hours: That's what the body needs to cycle through the restorative phases of sleep. Many of us have trouble sleeping at night. No big deal, right? Now, new studies show that getting adequate sleep plays an essential role in learning new information, relating to names, dates, faces, facts, specific events - in short forming memory.

3. Stick to a Schedule: "The more your body clock is locked in, the better," says sleep expert Michael Breus. Yes, you may be more sensitive to sleep disruptions, but according to W. Christopher Winter, MD, medical director of the Martha Jefferson Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, having a set schedule also makes you better equipped to handle them.

4. Embrace the Dark: Darkness stimulates melatonin production. That means lights out when you're trying to sleep (no TV, laptop, or phone). I now put a small beanbag pillow over my eyes to block the light. Breus also suggests I set the sleep timer on my TV set so it's not running all night.

5. Stay Cool: "Keep your bedroom between 65 and 75 degrees," says Breus. "Any warmer and your body will think it's time to wake up."

6. Manage Caffeine: You don't have to sacrifice the performance benefits of caffeine. "But cut it off by 2:00 P.M.," Breus says. "It stays in your body for 8 to 10 hours after you drink it." And limit your intake to less than 250 milligrams a day. That's roughly the (total) amount in two espressos, 21 ounces of Gu Roctane Ultra Endurance drink, a 12-ounce Coke, and a Clif Shot Turbo Energy Chocolate Cherry.

7. Curtail Booze Three Hours Before Lights Out: Alcohol initially makes you drowsy, but according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, it keeps you in the lightest stages of sleep, preventing you from getting restorative benefits from the other phases. It takes two to three hours to get the amount of alcohol in one drink out of your system.

8. Have a Nap Strategy: Daytime snoozes can help you catch up on sleep lost the previous night. The trick is to keep them under 30 minutes - any longer and you may wake up groggy. If you nap regularly, sleep expert W. Christopher Winter suggests setting a nap time so your body clock will expect it.

9. Check Your Medications: Some medications, including certain antidepressants, beta blockers, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen, can lower melatonin levels. Ask your doctor when to take them, so they don't interfere with your sleep." [Submitted by Dale Krueger]

Renee Mitchell, KBC Education Chair

Kudos

Kudos to Joanna Johnson, Managing Director of the Kalamazoo County Road Commission. For the third year running, Joanna will do her best to schedule KCRC road repairs until after June so as not to interfere with our annual KalTour.

Kudos to Christopher Tracy, Melody Daacon, and the many people working behind the scenes to secure ongoing funding for the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail. The latest stretch will connect WMU and Kalamazoo College to the trail.

Kudos to Richard White, Director of the Department of Public Safety for the City of Portage, for stepping up so quickly to provide police bike unit escorts for the Portage Ride of Silence. The Chief and his staff demonstrated great community-police cooperation.

Kudos to Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell and Portage Mayor Pete Strazdas for leading a Mayor's City to City ride in a great demonstration of collaboration between two major municipalities. The route included a ride through Celery Flats to the Mayor's Riverfront Park along the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, the climb back out of the valley along the bike routes of Oakland Drive, and back to Celery Flats via Portage trails.

We don't usually offer kudos to our own members, but the members of KBC who participated in key roles in events throughout Kalamazoo Bike Week 2013 deserve them. Kalamazoo Bike Week 2013 would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of David and Mary Jo Warwick, its co-chairs. J'Son Lechner and Paul Wells from Breakaway Bicycles in Portage volunteered without hesitation to be official Organizer of the Portage Ride of Silence. Renee Mitchell used the Ride of Silence to present a bike safety orientation to the 50+ riders who participated. Tim Krone put his money on the line to install a portable bike commuter shower station throughout the week. (These are the great individuals I worked with most directly. Please write your own kudos for others you feel I've missed.)

Paul Selden

Monthly Meeting Minutes

The May 14th, 2013 meeting of the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club was called to order at 7:08 P.M. Doug was sitting in for President Zolton Cohen, who was attending the KBC Bike Camp Orientation Meeting this evening. Those in attendance were: Peter Post, John Olbrot, Rick Whaley, Marc Irwin, Kathy Kirk, Katie Jacobs, Cindi MacDonald, Larry Kissinger, Paul Selden, Michael Krischer, John Shubnell, John Clark, April Martin, Mike Watson, Debbie Watson, Mike Boersma, Doug Kirk and Mary Gerger..

John Olbrot gave the treasurer's report:

Income	$2,505.70
Expenses	$2,083.54
Checking Account	$6,269.08
Certificate of Deposit	$11,124.43

John mentioned the increase in income was due in large part to the upcoming KBC Bike Camp registration fees, KalTour registration fees, and annual KBC membership renewals.

Doug Kirk reported for Kalamazoo Bike Week Chairman Dave Warwick, briefly mentioning 2013 Bike Week activities.

KalTour Director Mike Krischer gave an update on the 2013 KalTour, scheduled for Sunday, June 30, 2013. Mike is looking for volunteers for this year's KalTour. Those interested in helping with road painting should meet at 6:00 P.M. in KVCC's (Texas Township Campus) parking lot, on Tuesday, June 18. Wear old clothes! Other volunteers are still needed as well. Please contact Mike if you wish to volunteer for the 2013 KalTour. Also, there are brochures for this year's event still available for distribution.

Director of Road Safety Paul Selden updated the status of area road repairs, and expressed his continuing appreciation for the cooperation of area agencies helping to make our roads safer and more enjoyable for bicyclists.

In response to prior KBC Communication discussions, Mike Boersma and David Jones (KBC Communication Committee) have determined that Facebook seems to be used most for communication between members, while others are using the club's YahooGroup. Mike suggests that for now, members continue to use both methods of communication.

KBC members sworn in as 2013 Sanctioned Ride Leaders at this meeting were Peter Post, Katie Jacobs, Cindi MacDonald, Larry Kissinger, John Shubnell, and John Clark.

Doug Kirk mentioned Adventure Cycle Tour Maps, praising their attention to detail for riders, and indicated KBC members receive a discount when ordering them on the Adventure Cycle Tour Map website.

Newly elected President of the Michigan Blind Athletic Association (MBAA), April Martin, spoke about the recent Sports Education Camp for the Blind held in Kalamazoo. April wanted to thank KBC members Terry Butcher, John and Barb Hart, and Dylan Gonda for their volunteer time during the Camp. Kathy Kirk spoke briefly about tandem riding at this event in the past. April is a new KBC member, and we look forward to working with her in the future, pairing KBC members with her campers as they are introduced to the joys of bicycling.

Doug adjourned the meeting at 7:48 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted,

Mary Gerger, KBC Secretary

Statistics

Active Subscriptions:
297

New members:

Denise Al-Kharsuy · Issa Al-Kharsuy · Judie Bowen · Chelsea Brown · Cyndee Clemann · Christine Dillon · Jesssica Douglass · Liza Foley · Nick Foley · Kelley Green · Megan Grunert · Renee Haart · Anne Hoover · Michelle Karpinski · Jason Kniss · Susan Kropscott · Jim Morris · Colleen Myers · Alan Rea · Lynda Rea · Aidan Rea · Laurie Simmons · Sarah Simmons · Cheryl Spyker · Lisa Szeles · Gayle Underwood · Charles Webster

Expiring memberships:
David Buick · Zolton Cohen Family · Alex Escalona-Obregon · Susan Hamilton · Mark Jensen · Scott Kirklin · Andy Knibloe · Christopher LeBlanc · John Mathieson · Bryan McLeod · John & Teri Olbrot Family · Neal Oliver Family · Paul & Anne Pancella · Julie Peterson · Justin Prater · Gloria Price & Hillary Patterson · Susan Salamun Family · Tom Scavarda · Robert Schuler · John Vail · Kim Vanderploeg Family · Eric Zahrai

Renewed memberships:
Bruce Dedee · Tom Cross · Luanne Cali · Randall Button · Tomme Maile · Stephen Penix · Bill Figeley · Hendrik de Vries · Cindi MacDonald · Nikki Gates · Mike Mock · Rudy & Fawn Callen

David Jones, KBC Database Manager

Editor's Letter - Keeping Score

May is the month when the cycling season really begins. Even though the KBC club rides begin in March, March and April are merely the warm-up for the season, although, not literally (2012 excepted). The days are too unpredictable. But by May, we can finally count on nice days on a consistent basis. And for some of us, it's time to start keeping track of the achievement and non-achievement of our goals for the season. Here's mine, so far.

Goal 1 - Fleeting cycling glory of the rather pathetic kind: You may recall, if you are one of those people who remember my life as if it was your own (and, if so, please get help) that in May of 2012, I participated in a 100 mile time trial at Calvin's Challenge in Springfield, OH. The marquee event of Calvin's Challenge, if anything involving long distance bicycle racing can be considered "marquee," is the 12 hour race; a race that began in the early 1990s. The 100 mile time trial was added only a few years ago and relatively few riders compete in this event. And so, I managed to win the silver medal as a soon-to-turn 60 year old in the 55-59 year age group, which probably had something to do with the fact that there were only four riders in my age group.

I don't spend much time second guessing any tactical decisions that I made that might have cost me the gold medal, mainly because the gold medalist beat me by well over an hour, setting a new age group record in the process. However, I did miss setting an age group record of my own by only two and a half weeks, as the 60-64 age group winner set a new age group record while riding several minutes slower than I did. Since the bionic winner of my age group was 58 years old, I knew that if I wanted to write my name in the Calvin's Challenge record book, I had to do it in 2013, as whatever record I set would likely be obliterated the following year.

However, due to a combination of lousy spring weather, lack of training, and a travel schedule that would have me traveling to Ohio a couple of times in May, even if I didn't do this race, I decided not to even make an attempt at this record. And it might have been just as well, since I learned that the winner of the 60-64 age group rode about 45 minutes faster than I did last year. Achievement 0, Non-Achievement 1. And in reading over what I've just written, I am struck by the truly inspirational moral of this story - if you think you can't succeed, don't try at all, and it won't matter, anyway.

Goals 2 and 3 - Being mind numbingly consistent: I rode the Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV) from Columbus to Portsmouth, Ohio and back for the 20th consecutive event. And, once again, I ate a chili dog in Portsmouth. Achievement 1, Delicious Achievement 1, Non-Achievement 1.

Goal 4 - Doing some sort of special birthday ride: I had planned to do the KBC Wednesday night ride, expecting to receive a birthday cake with orange GU frosting and topped with 61 spokes. Alas, this was not to be, as it rained all afternoon, and it was still drizzling when I left work at 5:30. However, by 6:15, the sun was shining, so I went out on a solo ride from home. Close to the end of the ride, I noticed that this was going to be an exactly 20 mile ride, but because I'm the type of guy who always gives, not 100 percent, not 110 percent, but 110 point 5 percent, I decided to add an extra one-third of a mile, just so I could ride one-third of my new age. So I did. Achievement 3, Non-Achievement 1.

Goal 5 - Riding every day as a 61 year old. When I got home from work the day after my birthday, it was dreary, cool, and windy with light rain. So, I decided not to ride. The pressure of maintaining a streak beyond one day was just too much for me. Achievement 3, Non-Achievement 2.

Goal 6 - Doing one long ride before the National 24-Hour Challenge: Once again, mysterious forces that I don't understand compelled me to sign up for the National 24-Hour Challenge with the proviso that the organizers of the event should confiscate my bicycle if there is a 90 degree forecast and I show up. Since I have found that it is pleasing to my psyche if I do at least one ride of at least 125 to 150 miles before this Father's Day weekend event, I had to figure out a good time to do this, and I settled on doing this as part of a group ride to and from South Haven on the day before Memorial Day. Since this ride was to be a little over 100 miles, I figured that I could then add about 30 miles to the ride after we got back to Kalamazoo. However, what I should have realized beforehand, given some of the participants, was that it was also going to be a rather hard ride, and it was, with occasional surges thrown in just for fun. So, by the time we got to South Haven, my quads were aching. This was not good.

The ride back to Kalamazoo was against the wind, which did not improve matters. I have also found through previous experience that tacking on extra miles to a ride in preparation for the National 24-Hour Challenge while feeling lousy is even less pleasing to my psyche than doing a ride of at least 125 miles. So I settled on adding a couple of miles to the ride (because I still always give 110.5%) and finished with 115.2 miles, including my 3.4 mile ride to the start.

I spent the rest of the day sitting listlessly on my sofa, while reading the Sunday paper, sitting listlessly in a chair on my patio while grilling a celebratory post-ride steak, and watched a movie while sitting listlessly in my reclining chair. ("Why, hello there, bicycling big boy. I'm built for comfort, not for speed.") I then went to bed a little before 10:00 P.M. Achievement 3, Non-Achievement 3.

So far, it's shaping up to be a real Achievement/Non-Achievement battle for the ages this season, unless I add post-ride Gatorade drinking to my list of goals, in which case Achievement will win in a rout. Let the contest continue into June.

Rick Whaley, KBC Newsletter Editor

Classified Ads

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New: Bike trailer in good condition. Suitable for two small kids. Used for store purchases and for transporting sprinkler tools and fixtures around our condo area. Another condo owner and I were the official sprinkler fixer uppers. It served the purpose well. Price: asking $75.00 or Best Offer. Call Victor Van Fleet - 269-375-7691 or e-mail vicvanf@yahoo.com

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
BEER RUN! Need we say more? Join us on Wednesday June 12, 6:00 P.M. at Gazelle Sports Kalamazoo for our Brooks Beer Run. We'll have the latest footwear from Brooks for demo runs. And ... there will be beer! (This is part of Gazelle Sports' weekly Urban Herd Run... a free 2-6 mile fun run.) www.Gazellesports.com

Johnson Cycle Works

5309 Gull Road, Kalamazoo, (269) 226-0001.
www.JohnsonCycleWorks.com

Pedal

611 W Michigan Avenue, Kalamazo, (269) 56–PEDAL
info@pedalbicycle.com and www.pedalbicycle.com

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.