Rocky Mountain Cycling Club
The Club for People Who Love to Ride!
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Rocky Mountain Cycling Club
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Newsletters of 2000
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Full Beam Every junior rider in the US knew that the first big rendezvous was in Moab, Utah, which was why I came here in April 1989. This weekend stage race was the first step in qualifying for a spot on the US team for the junior World Championships. This was the event in which a young wannabe champion could stake his claim. All the major junior teams were there . . . and of course, all the top junior racers, straight out of Colorado and California, as was right – the best riders in the US always come from Colorado or California. As Moab was at a high altitude, us lot from the Colorado gang were at an advantage. Bobby Julich and myself, as the Colorado aristocracy, both expected to win. We couldn’t foresee much competition from this field of lesser men, boys even. On Saturday morning at 6 am, it all began. Us old-timers, riding as we had been for a few years now, knew the first flattish 10 miles were taken at an easy pace, as people warmed up and prepared for the hills ahead, but then, against all expectations, a new pattern emerged. For some reason, some silly fool had chosen to attack at the beginning. Not a problem, of course; he would be caught a few meters later and soon give up, conform, and be duly humbled. A few miles later, though, despite the fact we’d caught this maverick, he was still driving, even downhill, at land-speed record velocities. I watched as, one-by-one, the field transformed into wheezing, red-faced cannon fodder, as they tried to follow an impossible 60 kph. I wondered who could possibly be pulling all by himself at such speeds, so eventually I moved to the front because, well, there was no longer a back. There was Bobby and there was me, both of us as worried as we were exhausted, but at the front, the single soul continued pulling; a teenage hulk, all muscle and sweat, eight feet tall, with the features of a full-grown man. Not looking back, never changing rhythm, just imposing a speed that was much too much for us to match. I held on, hoping and praying this guy would stop, or maybe lose momentum on the hill, or maybe puncture. "Who is that?" I croaked to Bobby. He looked back at me, realizing that there were only three of us left, two of us never having pulled and said something about Texas. Well, maybe he meant the guy’s name was Texas, because bike racers sure as hell don’t come from there. So I waited until the next downhill, and once again asked who was single-handedly messing up the Moab tradition. "He’s from Texas. Think his name is Lance Something-or-other." Eventually, in the waning few miles of the race, Lance Something-or-other slowed a bit and, being the crafty riders we were, Bobby and I launched our attack after slyly staying on the wheel for 45 of the 49 miles. Sadly, for me, I was once again beaten by Bobby. Nice to meet you, Lance – hope we can be friends. The previous article is excerpted from the January 2000 edition of Cycle Sport and is written by the same Jonathan Vaughters attending the Wheat Ridge Cyclery Pro Night. Keep reading. Wheat Ridge Cyclery Pro Night Revisited Six current and former professional U.S. cyclists Greg LeMond, Jonathon Vaughters, Davis Phinney, Bob Roll, Alison Dunlap and Alexi Grewal join Wheat Ridge Cyclery owner Ron Kiefel (1984 Olympic medallist and a 7-time Tour de France rider) and top industry manufacturers Merlin, Serotta, Klein, Trek, Shimano, Calfee, LeMond, Colnago, and VeloNews for an expo to benefit the Front Rangers youth cycling club. 600 fans attended last year’s event and were regaled with exciting and amusing stories from life in the peleton. Set aside Friday, January 14 from 6-10 pm as the night to celebrate with and to honor road cycling’s finest. Admission is $5. Each ticket earns an entry into the Pro Night raffle. Thousands of dollars in prizes, including a Serotta titanium stem and autographed jerseys from the pros, will be given away. A Living History of Mountain Biking The father of mountain biking, Gary Fisher, joins the sport’s top professionals (Travis Brown, T-Dawg, Ruthie Matthes, and Rishi Grewal) and industry leading manufacturers (Trek, Gary Fisher and Klein bicycles) to present a living history of mountain biking on Friday, February 4 from 6-10 pm at Wheat Ridge Cyclery. Admission is free. Check out www.ridewrc.com for more details on both stellar events. 5280 in 2000? The existence of a 2000 RMCC Mileage Challenge will be determined by the success or failure of its predecessor, which is aptly named the 1999 RMCC mileage challenge. Keep those mileage logs rolling in and if you’re so inclined share a little of the pain and glory you felt on the way to cycling ecstasy. Most likely your efforts will grace the pages of the Chatter and spice up the dreadful dribble you’re currently forced to digest. Submissions for immortalisation must be received by January 21, 2000. Remember the person who rode the most total miles in 1999 and the most miles with the club will each receive one free year of RMCC membership. It’s shaping up to be a hot time in the old town tonight. Charles Schultz Retires Peanuts The truth behind the demise of Charlie Brown and Snoopy was not accurately reported in the media. Mr. Schultz said goodbye to his beloved strip in order to concentrate on designing the 2000 RMCC club jersey. If you think you can compete with "Da Man," send your submissions to Rick Melick (303-730-7322) by January 25, 2000. Remember that the winning design will have three colors, will include the RMCC and club sponsor logos, and will be selected at the February 1 meeting. Reasonably Priced Free Stuff Miyata Park Runner: 18-speed kid’s mountain bike with 16-inch rims. Bike is in Colorado Springs. Vern Smith at 719-599-1636 (H), 719-599-1636 (W), or vern.smith@ssc.de.ittind.comICON de la Sole Pedals: Retail for approximately $90. Selling for $45. Exceptional condition. Ridden for 1,500 miles during this past summer. Sleek look. Incredibly low weight (270 g). Enjoys an enviable 6 degrees of float. Chris Giovagnoni at 303-984-7985 or giovagnoni@earthlink.net Official Maillot Jaune and Official Le Tour Training Jersey: purchased from Le Tour’s website. Never worn. Tags still attached. Both jerseys are European large but wear like men’s mediums. Racing cut. The Maillot Jaune shouldn’t need a description. The other jersey is a blue long-sleeve with a small Le Tour logo in white on the right breast. Both jerseys are made by Nike Alpha Project. $75 each. Chris Giovagnoni again. The 1999 Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year is . . . Lance Armstrong. Whodya think? Details are at http://abcsports.go.com/wideworld.html WWS Tidbit: Lance joins Indurain and Lemond as the only cyclists to ever get this honor. Along with the other numerous accolades and awards lauding Lance’s achievement, he also was recently named the 1999 US Olympic Committee’s Sportsman of the Year. JANUARY TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 10:45 AM DATE MEET R/P/E STARTERJan 15, 22, and 29 WAGN 40+ Val Phelps or Jim Rhomberg Remember those New Year’s resolutions you made about being an RMCC ride leader at least once? Now’s the time to fulfill them. The commitment you make now won’t require any effort until at least April 2000. That’s better than the 90-day same as cash policy you will find in most stores. Contact John Klever to volunteer. Mille grazie.
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride 1999 Mileage Challenge Thank you to all the members who participated in the Mileage Challenge and congratulations to everyone who reached their cycling goals in 1999. I’m sure it was fun getting there. And now the results . . . Summit Award: John Lee Ellis with 16,621.7 miles Tailbreeze Award: Amazingly enough it’s a tie between Ken Brecheisen and Victor Selenow. They both hit 3,000 miles on May 9. Tailwind Award: It was a close call, but Victor Selenow edged out Ken Brecheisen by a mere two days. Victor must have had a sail on. He hit 5,280 on July 21. Domestique Award: Ken Brecheisen, 1,480 miles ridden on RMCC club rides Centurion Award: Victor Selenow, 18 100+ mile days John Varga rode 7,361 miles in 1999 and did his part to save the world by logging 4,621 of those while commuting to work. 3,000 miles succumbed to his pedaling prowess on June 23 and 5,280 followed suit on September 15. Wally Werner rode over 4,400 miles from Bellingham, WA to Bar Harbor, ME from June 8 to August 28. He punched the clock on New Year’s Eve with a total of 5,565 miles. John McQueen and Sue Buckley could’ve been riding partners. John tallied 4,075.9 and Sue recorded 4,002 total miles. They surpassed 3,000 on August 26 and September 19 respectively. Rita Saunders notched 6,054 while Page Gaines noted that she "barely" made 3,000. Both women deserve congratulations. Diane Short doesn’t have a cycling computer but estimated that her riding schedule produced 4,100 miles of recreational riding and 1,700 to 2,000 miles of commuting. Once again, thanks for participating and good riding in 2000. Save Our Streets If you ride on Colorado’s roads your input is needed to let the Department of Transportation (DOT) know which shoulders need widening. DOT is hosting a series of meetings to gather information from the bicycling community. All the meetings are from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. While going to one of the meetings and sharing your ideas is more effective, you might want to send an e-mail to Gay.Page@dot.state.co.us. 2/15 in Pueblo, Convention Center, Room 3, 320 Central Main Street 2/16 in Canon City, Canon Inn, Celebrity Room, 3075 E Hwy 50 2/17 in CO Springs, Le Baron Best Western, 314 W Bijou 2/22 in Cortez, Location To Be Determined 2/23 in Durango, Doubletree Hotel 2/24 in Pagosa Springs, Location To Be Determined 3/1 in Alamosa, County Court House, 702 Fourth Street 3/2 in Salida, American Legion Hall, 10th and H Streets
Stop Being a Square – Here’s How to Get the Silky Pedal Stroke of the Pros Lower your saddle. You’re less likely to bounce when pedaling fast if you lower your saddle 23 mm compared to normal. (The standard, slightly higher recommendation is to have your heel just graze the pedal when the pedal is at the bottom and your leg is allowed to hang freely.) Also, consider using shorter crank arms to reduce the diameter of the pedaling circle. This will decrease your foot speed at a given rpm. Down with dead spots. When you’ve pushed down on the pedal, the leg’s job isn’t done. Focus on pulling through at the bottom of the stroke, then rolling the knee up and forward to get the pedal through "top dead-center." It’s easier to practice this technique at a slightly slower cadence. One-leg pedaling exercises (or Isolated Leg Training) help you develop the whole stroke. "If you can work up to riding 10 minutes with one leg, you’re doing great," says Craig Griffin, U.S. national endurance track coach. Don’t worry if it’s easier with one leg than the other. Everyone has a dominant leg just as we have a dominant hand. "I’ve never seen a rider who’s perfectly symmetrical, but that’s OK as long as we compensate with a smooth spin," says Griffin. Make your legs a blur. To work on increasing your pedal speed, get a cycle computer with a cadence counter. "When national team riders come to the Olympic Training Center for the first time, we issue one right away so they can learn what the correct cadence feels like," says Griffin. "It provides immediate feedback." (Most road riders should strive for a cadence of 80100 rpm.) "Your heart rate will increase when you spin," says Griffin, "so we do our intervals in a smaller gear at a very high rpm. Because our riders aren’t muscling a big gear and killing their legs, they can do more repeats. Soon a training adaptation takes place and they can pedal a given speed at a lower heart rate." After a few weeks of working on your spin, you should be able to determine your optimum cadence. Do some 10-minute time trials at the same speed but in different gears and check your heart rate. Find out where you’re most economical (lowest heart rate for a given cadence). Then use these exercises to expand your range. Try remedial roller rides. If your pedal stroke stays stubbornly ragged, consider riding a fixed-gear bike on rollers. "If you spin too fast and start bouncing in the saddle, you’ll bounce right off the rollers–and that’s useful feedback!" Says Griffin. Another trick: put two pieces of tape on the front roller about six inches apart and try to keep the front wheel between them. As you get better, decrease the distance between the tape strips. (Check with your local bike shop on how to set up a fixed-gear bike.) Just do it. There’s no substitute for practice, so incorporate pedaling drills into your rides twice a week. Concentrate on pulling through at the bottom of the stroke with your hamstrings and pushing over the top. This is known in cycling as "pedaling circles," and when it becomes second nature, maybe you’ll be mistaken for a pro. (Excerpted from www.bicycling.com)Leaders for the New World Order A world of thanks to Mike Kosel for stepping forward to head up the 2000 Denver to Aspen Classic. The date of the event will be announced shortly. Also, thank you to Brent Meyers for agreeing to manage the membership database. These two heroes will proudly lead the RMCC into the New World Order. Adopt an Orphan If you are interested in spreading your home grown bicycling oriented revolutionary philosophy, use your zeal to influence others and become the new and improved editor of the Chain Chatter. Take this renowned publication proudly into Y2K. Put your stamp on the club with as little as 2-4 hours of time per month. Please contact Chris Giovagnoni to influence the New World Order Voler Team Apparel Voler's famous 8-panel bib short has earned rave reviews within the racing community. This team tested 8 oz. Nylon-Lycra fabric short is known for comfort and durability. Featuring T-back, woven gripper at hem, and baseball cut Amara chamois. This special is available only to VOLER e-mail list members. Sign up at www.voler.com to become a member and remember to tell them RMCC sent you. Voler bib short - only $30 for Voler list members! (save $15!). Offer expires March 1, 2000. www.voler.com/0200special.html FEBRUARY/MARCH TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 10:45 AM DATE MEET R/P E STARTER Feb 12 (Sat) TOWR 24 34 Barry Nash Feb 19 (Sat) SUPR 25 34 Val Phelps Feb 26 (Sat) CASR 33 46 Charlie Henderson Feb 27 (Sun) LITN 40 55 Rick Melick Mar 4 (Sat) MONU 31 49 Gil Eaton Mar 5 (Sun) WAGN 27 53 Catherine Lookingbill Mar 11 (Sat) GOLD 29 45 Ken Brecheisen Mar 12 (Sun) E255 40 57 Jim Rhomberg
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride The Zen of Cycling The Trinity of Training : The greater the commitment, the more life pivots around the basic three factors of training - eating, sleeping, and working out. Eating fuels the body for training and speeds recovery by replacing depleted carbohydrate stores. Frequent smaller meals appear to accomplish this best. Sleeping and working out have a synergistic effect on fitness: Each can cause the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. Growth hormone speeds recovery, rebuilds muscles, and breaks down body fat. By training and napping twice daily as the training load increases, the dedicated rider gets four hits of growth hormone daily, resulting in higher levels of fitness sooner.Strive for Balance: This kind of commitment may not be for you. In fact, there comes a point at which each of us has to check our "want to" against our "have to." Jobs, families, and other responsibilities can't be forsaken for sport. Even the pros must consider other aspects of life. Realistically, there must be limits to passion, otherwise we'd soon alienate everyone who wasn't equally zealous and be reduced to slobbering zombies. Balance can be hard to achieve, but remolding daily life by 10 percent in the direction of better cycling doesn't take much, and can cause noticeable improvement. How about committing to hitting the sack 30 minutes earlier each night so that you're more rested? Could you cut out 10 percent of the junk food every day and replace it with wholesome foods? What you put in your mouth is the stuff the body uses to completely rebuild and replace each muscle cell every six months. Do you want muscles made from potato chips, Twinkies, and pop; or from fruits, vegetables, and grains? What can you change? -- Joe Friel (excerpted from www.velonews.com).Achtung! Attention cyclists in Jefferson County. Bike Jeffco is a coalition of road cyclists and Jefferson County transportation staff dedicated to better cycling in Jefferson County. We are soliciting input through our website from anyone who cycles in Jefferson County. The website address is www.bikejeffco.org, and the main objective is to accumulate data on where people are riding and how they rate the roads. Bike Jeffco will use this information to help promote adding shoulders, increasing "Share the Road" signs, etc. in the areas identified. The website also has updates on cycling issues the task force is working on, links to Bicycle Colorado and other clubs, and more. We need help from the cycling community to identify areas that need improvement. Please log-on and check it out. – Marcia Kestner Possible Work Stoppage The April edition of the Chain Chatter will be the last that I apply pen to paper for. At this point in time, no one has volunteered to assume the responsibility of influencing millions. Please consider this opportunity to volunteer with the club. The time expenditure is no more than 2-4 hours a month. Please contact me (Chris Giovagnoni) if you are interested in learning more. D2A 2000 a GO! July29, 2000!! Defining the Undefinable Our language is constantly evolving. Every year, new words creep into our vocabulary. At some point, perhaps when their use becomes widespread enough, they are even added to the dictionary. Back in the '50s and '60s, no one would have had a clue what "index shifting" was. The terms "mountain bike" and "Lycra" were unheard of. Obviously, these terms came about as a result of advances in technology. However, there are many other situations without words to describe them in cycling that are truly universal, and have occurred repeatedly since the very first cyclists ventured onto the roads with the most primitive two-wheelers. These still go unnamed to this day. They occur in all parts of the nation and the world, and equally affect cyclists of all sexes, races, religions, nationalities and political persuasions. They are universal principles of cycling, and after all these years, we need words to describe them. Here are some of the more obvious ones:
Let's look at this last example. If we had a word for this, it would be much easier to explain. Just for fun, let's invent a word for it right now: a DAGGERWHOP. Prefixes could be attached to the beginning of the word when the situation is more serious. For example, suppose that instead of a car coming at you in the distance, it was a big, noisy truck, without a muffler, overloaded with watermelons, with a sign on the back that says "WIDE LOAD." And coming up behind you, instead of just a car, was a mammoth 18-wheeler hauling an oversized trailer full of chickens. Both vehicles are exceeding the speed limit by 15-20 mph. Then, to complicate it even further, add a squirrel darting across the road, and mental calculation sends massive hysterical warning signs to your helmeted brain: All FOUR of you will reach the exact same point in the road at the exact same time! This could be even more serious if it appeared all four of you would converge on that narrow bridge over the creek up ahead. Clearly, this wouldn't be your garden variety DAGGERWHOP. Nor would it be the more serious MEGADAGGERWHOP. This would be the absolute mother of all daggerwhops, the QUADRUPLE-MEGA-KILLER-DAGGERWHOP of DOOM. If allowed to play out, this could result in an extremely messy situation with diesel fuel, watermelon innards, chicken teeth, feathers and eyeballs cooking all at once on the hot Georgia asphalt. Hopefully, if you're the cyclist, you had the good road sense to pull over before any of this occurred. But even if you did, you're still not likely to want to eat any chicken as part of a post-ride meal. Wouldn't it be easier to describe these situations if we had words for them? Everyone would know exactly what we were talking about. In the course of any given year, many confusing explanations and misunderstandings could be avoided. We already have easy and understandable bicycling phrases like "on your left," so we just need to take this concept a step further. Part of the solution begins with you. Get started by making words up and working them into your vocabulary. Using the word in a sentence while on a ride will help to make its use more widespread. If the media picks up on it, or it gets uttered by a famous talking head on television, it may have instant credibility and even become mainstream. And if next summer you hear someone like Greg LeMond or Lance Armstrong use it during Tour de France coverage, well, you know it's legitimate. So start thinking about this. It could be you who introduces the next big word into the sport. It may not change the world, but you'll be doing a great service to the cycling community, if not the entire human race. See you on the road! -- Mark Dodson (excerpted from http://www.doitsports.com/biketour/dodson/dodson1.htm). MARCH (10:45 AM) AND APRIL (8:45 AM) TRAINING RIDES DATE MEET R/P E STARTERMar 18 (Sat) LARK 43 55 Charlie Henderson Mar 19 (Sat) SUPR 41 54 Catherine Lookingbill Mar 25 (Sat) LYON 30 47 Charlie Henderson Mar 26 (Sun) WAGN 41 69 Val Phelps Apr 1 (Sat) ROON 44 52 Chris Giovagnoni Apr 2 (Sun) E243 45 65 Ricardo Muino Apr 8 (Sat) MONU 42 61 Jay Poules Apr 9 (Sun) WAGN 44 72 Ricardo Muino Apr 15 (Sat) LITN 35 63 Mike Kosel
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Brevet Series Starts May 14th! What’s a Brevet?? A brevet is an endurance ride with checkpoints along the route and a time limit. Brevets are used to qualify for longer events such as Paris-Brest-Paris and this year’s Boston-Montreal-Boston. However, they are also good challenges in themselves, and can be fun!This Year’s Series – Once again, a full series of 200km, 300km, 400km and 600km brevets are scheduled. Even if you’re not yet keen to try the longer brevets, please consider coming out for the 200km and perhaps the 300km. This year there is no charge for the brevets, and you will meet experienced, friendly breveteurs to ride with. It was on a brevet like this that our own Mike Fulton got his start, finishing Paris-Brest-Paris in under 60 hours last year. The 200km Brevet – This year’s 200km brevet is being run in conjunction with the May 14th club ride out of Northglenn. We have a new, interesting course, featuring Horsetooth followed by pastries at Vern’s. Come on out! For further information on brevets and randonneuring events, you may be interested in checking out www.rusa.org. RMCC Web-Site Snazzier Than Ever John Klever continues to improve www.rmccrides.com – in addition to up-the-minute ride listings with ride starters (including e-mail and phone number, if the starter agrees), John has added pages on the Brevet Series with application form, and Mike Kosel has added lots of Denver-Aspen info. This site not only looks better than ever; it is chocked full of helpful information and useful links. Have a look! Memorial Day Weekend out West! Barry Nash is again organizing our three-day Memorial Day Weekend tour. This year, he’s reprising his 1998 Western Slope tour: Glenwood Springs – Colorado National Monument – Grand Mesa. No one who rode that tour will soon forget the extended climb up the north face of Grand Mesa, or our friendly welcome in Fruita, even though we were not on mountain bikes. For info please contact Barry Nash. Deadline for registration is May 8th. Support Bicycle Colorado? Important issue – the RMCC board is considering sponsoring Bicycle Colorado, our state’s prime bicycling advocacy group. This could include a financial contribution. What do you think? Is this something our club should do? Let us know – contact any board member or e-mail via our web-site.Step up to RMCC Socks by De Feet While this month’s newsletter features an insert for ordering the club jersey, watch for an order form next month for the popular RMCC socks by De Feet! Advertisement 1994 Specialized Allez Comp, 52 cm, red, less than 100 miles. ST-105, Look pedals, computer. Excellent condition, must sell, wife wants furniture in living room instead of bike. Paid $850 asking $600.
The 2000 Denver-Aspen Classic is on! Centuries? Been there, done that. Front Range, Hardscrabble, Elephant Rock, Triple Bypass…sure, you love ‘em, but you want something more, right? Well, for the sixth year in a row, RMCC has an answer for you….the Denver-Aspen Classic! The 6th annual D2A Classic will be held this year on Saturday, July 29th. This challenging one-day event is the ultimate test of your cycling aptitude and willpower. Whether you choose the 150 mile "Standard" ride, or the full-blown 200 mile "Medallion" ride, you’ll experience a day of cycling through the Colorado Rocky Mountains that you’re not likely to forget. This year, the "Standard" ride will start at the new RTD park-and-Ride just a mile and a half southwest of Conifer on US 285. From there the ride follows US 285 through the rolling foothills and along the South Platte to Kenosha Pass. Continuing on into the expanse of South Park, the ride spins over Red Hill and Trout Creek passes, then on through Fairplay and on to Buena Vista. After a short ride up the Arkansas Valley, we head west on CO82 to Twin Lakes and over the imposing climb that is Independence Pass. And finally, a 20-mile descent to the finish line is Aspen. When it’s all added up, that’s 150 miles and 10,000 feet of elevation gained! The "Medallion" ride starts at the Hilton Garden Inn (where discounted lodging is available), just off I-25 and Lincoln Avenue in the Denver Tech Center. The route runs west through Highlands Ranch and Littleton, and then up Deer Creek to Conifer, where Medallion riders will join the Standard riders. The Medallion route follows the Standard route to Fairplay, and then takes a short dog-leg to Hartsel before rejoining the Standard route at Antero Junction. A total of 200 miles, and 13,000 feet of elevation gain! The ride is fully supported with several aid stations along the way, mechanical support (courtesy of the Denver Spoke), and full SAG support as well. It’s our goal to make the 2000 D2A not only the most challenging single-day event of your cycling year, but the most enjoyable and fun as well! Sound like fun? Want to give it a shot? Look for ride applications in several area cycling stores in early April, or on the web. Go to the RMCC website at www.rmccrides.com and click on "Denver-Aspen Classic" for more information and to download ride applications as well. Now get out there and ride! -- Mike Kosel Editor’s Note: Mike Kosel, who authored the piece above, has graciously volunteered to organize this year’s Denver-Aspen Classic. We are glad to have him, and things look very promising so far –if you check out his D2A pages on our website, you’ll be impressed!
APRIL and MAY Club Rides and Events -- (8:45 AM Start)DATE MEET ROUTE R/P E STARTERSaturday, April 15 LITN Littleton-Evergreen loop 35 63 Mike Kosel Sunday, April 16 E255 Exit 255-Fort Collins loop 48 75 Charlie HendersonSaturday, April 22 GOLD Golden Gate Canyon loop 38 62 Mike Kosel Sunday, April 23 CASR Castle Rock-Monument loop 37 83 Jay Poules Saturday, April 29 LYON Lyons-Estes Park loop 47 75 Kerry Higgins Sunday, April 30 WAGN Northglenn-Greeley loop 44 96 Val Phelps Saturday, May 6 ROON Rooney Road-Echo Lake loop 41 78 Mike Kosel Sunday, May 7 SUPR Superior-Carter Lake loop 49 87 Ricardo Muiño Saturday, May 13 SUPR Superior-Wondervu loop 46 99 Kerry Higgins Sunday, May 14 WAGN Northglenn-Horsetooth loop 64 125 Val Phelps Sunday, May 14 WAGN EVENT: 200km Brevet 128 155 John Lee Ellis Saturday, May 20 "PJCT" Pine Junction-Woodland Park return 50 96 Charlie HendersonSunday, May 21 TOWR Aurora-Prospect Valley return 54 110 Ricardo Muiño Saturday, May 27 GOLD Golden-Saint Mary's Glacier return 49 99 Rick Melick Sunday, May 28 E255 Exit 255-Kersey loop 30 109 Ricardo Muiño May 27-29 TOUR EVENT: Memorial Weekend Tour Barry Nash
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Jersey Deadline is May 20th – Hurry! Only 12 club jerseys have been ordered so far. A minimum of 25 jerseys must be ordered before the jerseys can be produced. If the minimum order is not met, there will be no club jersey. Arizona/New Mexico Contrail a Treat Charlie Henderson’s spring contrail in east-central Arizona (and a sliver of New Mexico) was a real treat – dry and cloudless (except for the Tonto fire later in the week), with fine terrain, and good quality, and mostly very quiet roads. Charlie was joined by Bob Barday, Ken Brecheisen, Mike Butyn, Carol Chaffee, Gil Eaton, John Lee Ellis, Rex Farnsworth, Seymour Katz, Mark Layden, Paul Kellner, Jerry Mack, Tom Marucco, Barry Nash, Rita Saunders, Robin Waterman, and (in charge of support) Patricia Heller. Riders enjoyed the climbs to 8000 and 9000 ft. through forests – crisp in the mornings, toasty in the afternoons; the open, cactus-strewn vistas farther south; transiting North America’s largest copper mine; and 11,000 ft. of climbing in 90 miles from Morenci to Alpine. Just the thing to get in shape … for rides like July Colorado Contrail. Colorado Contrail this July! Enthusiasm from last month’s spring contrail has convinced Charlie Henderson to run a summer tour, as last year. The Contrail is running from 7/15 to 7/22. After starting in Denver, stops include Buena Vista, Gunnison, South Fork, Chama NM, Taos NM for two nights, Raton NM, and La Veta. Average of 110 miles per day. Cost varies as a function of the number of riders, but usually runs between $450 and $550. Contact Charlie Henderson for details and to register. Registration deadline: June 15th. Grand Loop moves to July 1 The Grand Loop has moved to 7/1, to make way for the Colorado Contrail. Contact Charlie Henderson for details and to register. Registration deadline is June 15th. It will start in Golden and proceed counterclockwise over Trail Ridge Road and Berthoud Pass, starting most likely at 2-3am. Traffic Enforcement Boulder and Larimer Counties police have recently been stopping and ticketing cyclists – their main targets seem to be large groups that impede traffic and ignore traffic laws. We can only applaud this. The RMCC has prided itself on riding in a accomplished and professional manner – now’s the time to be extra attentive in this regard. Some reminders: don’t blast through stop signs; don’t run red lights; signal your lane changes and other maneuvers to cars; know the single file laws: you must ride single file if you are impeding traffic or if (as in canyons) there is under 300 ft. of visibility ahead or behind. Extra Shorts Terri Durbin has extra a few extra club shorts for sale. Please contact her for availability and details.
The Long's Peak Marathon By John Hughes – reprinted from UltraCycling magazine – UMCAHQ@aol.com This 12- and 24-hour race features spectacular views of Long's on every loop. This ride, for connoisseurs of mountain scenery, offers an opportunity to test how far you can ride in 12- or 24-hours. The sixth Long's Peak Marathon will be held June 3, 2000, organized by Matt McGowan, representing the RMCC. McGowan is using a new course with more lightly traveled and scenic roads. The riders' first loop will be about 90 miles with about 7,000' of climbing. We will warm up heading north through Boulder Valley and climb up around Carter Lake. After 28 miles, we turn up Big Thompson Canyon. The ride through the Narrows is impressive, with the river rushing through the gorge just to our right. We are often helped by a brisk tailwind up-stream to Drake (store), where we turn up a quiet back road toward Glen Haven. When we reach Glen Haven we've covered 41 miles and climbed 3100' — perhaps justifying a stop for giant cinnamon buns at the Glen Haven store (*** "faut le voyage" — Michelin Guide to Larimer County). Just beyond Glen Haven lies the crux of the loop: Devil's Gulch, a mile of 12 - 15% grade. At the top we are rewarded with spectacular views of Estes Park and the Rockies. The route rolls down into Estes Park (all services) and then climbs seven miles to Wind River Pass (9,100'). Continuing to Meeker Park (store), we ride at the base of Meeker's and Long's Peaks. The rolling road trends downhill to Allenspark, where we are rewarded with a great 16 mile descent down South St. Vrain Canyon. If we had a tailwind going up Big Thompson canyon, expect a headwind coming down this canyon. At the base of the canyon, Lyons offers all services before the short ride back to the start/finish. The second loop is about 40 miles out around Carter Lake again and back, adding another 1,600' of climbing. Then we settle into a flat eight mile loop on farm roads around Boulder Valley. McGowan includes the last, partial lap in each rider's total mileage. The event draws less than 100 riders and I particularly enjoy the low-key atmosphere. This is a non-drafting event; however, I'll often chat with someone for a few minutes going up-canyon, which is allowed. The start/finish is in the parking lot of a middle school near Hygiene. The school is not open; however, a porta-potty is provided. Matt provides several aid stations on the course with drinks and fruit. Most riders also have provisions in their cars and stop briefly every few laps on the short loop. Bring your camera and enjoy a breath-taking event this June.
Organized by: Matt McGowan (LongsPeakMarathon@hotmail.com) Rocky Mountain Cycling Club 2690 Valmont #3 Boulder, CO 80304 (303) 413-0351 MAY (8:45 AM start) and JUNE (8:oo AM start) Club Rides and EventsDATE MEET/ROUTE R/P E STARTER Saturday, May 13 SUPR Superior-Wondervu loop 46 99 Kerry Higgins Sunday, May 14 WAGN Northglenn-Horsetooth loop 64 125 Val Phelps Sunday, May 14 WAGN 200km Brevet 128 155 John Lee Ellis Saturday, May 20 "PJCT" Pine Junction-Woodland Park return 50 96 Charlie Henderson Sunday, May 21 TOWR Aurora-Prospect Valley return 54 110 Ricardo Muiño Saturday, May 27 GOLD Golden-Saint Mary's Glacier return 49 99 Rick Melick Sunday, May 28 E255 Exit 255-Kersey loop 30 109 Ricardo Muiño May 27-29 EVENT Memorial Weekend Tour Barry Nash Saturday, June 3 Rooney Road-Conifer loop 49 91 Barry Nash Saturday, June 3 EVENT Longs Peak Marathon 12H 24H Matt McGowan Sunday, June 4 Elephant Rock Century 25 100 Saturday, June 10 Lyons-Trail Ridge Summit loop 41 110 Dave Slowey Sunday, June 11 LITN 300km Brevet 186 186 John Lee Ellis Sunday, June 11 Castle Rock-Elbert loop 48 95 Rick Melick Saturday, June 17 Frisco-Copper Triangle 56 115 Kerry Higgins Sunday, June 18 Exit 255-Rawhide loop 56 97 Charlie Henderson Saturday, June 24 Superior-Rollinsville loop 47 95 Val Phelps Sunday, June 25 Exit 243-Pinewood Lake return 58 65 No Volunteer
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Memorial Day Weekend Tour a Success! By Barry Nash, ride director We had a good trip with the ten riders we ended up with. Those included Rita Saunders, Rex Farnsworth, Bob Barday, Pat Wilburn, Darcy Madison, Gil G. Eaton and his son, Gil L., Robin Waterman, Boris Krivoruk, and myself. SAG driver was Vojciech Litwin ("Voitek"), and Bill Saunders provided additional welcome on-the-road support. We took advantage of a new Parachute/DeBeque frontage road option and that worked very well. Also came up with a great bypass route staying on the south side of the Colorado River all the way to Glenwood's west exit on the last day, avoiding all the downtown traffic. Otherwise, the route was exactly the same as on the inaugural, two years ago. Temperatures were in the high 80's the first two days and low 80's the last day. We had almost cloudless skies all three days. The north side of Grand Mesa proved just as daunting as before. Three riders sagged a significant portion of it, and two others that made it (Rex and me) fought a lot of cramping in the heat. Even the strongest riders such as Robin, Gil and Rita, commented about how tough that part of the ride was, especially with the "warmup" all the way from Fruita over the Monument. The last day was a bit easier than before, slightly lower temperataures and a gentle tailwind. The first day's loop through the orchards out of Palisade was a highlight, the climb through the Colorado National Monument was great as always, and the back-roads section between Hotchkiss and Paonia was very pleasant. It was also very nice from the Paonia Reservoir to the base of McClure Pass, then again from the pass to Carbondale (stronger tailwind). ACA Membership for our Racers? The club is considering joining the American Cycling Association (ACA) next year, so that the racers among us will have lower fees to pay when entering racing events. RAAM Transits Colorado Some of you may be interested in following the Race Across AMerica (RAAM), as it wends its way from Portland OR to Florida, via Steamboat Springs, Leadville, and Canon City. The RAAM website, replete with daily updates and photos, is http://www.raceaccrossamerica.org. The race begins Saturday, June 17th – soloists finish the race in 8-12 days. Denver-Aspen Classic Volunteers Denver-Aspen is progressing well, with good ridership thus far – it’s not too late to sign up, or to volunteer to help at checkpoints, etc. Volunteers are still needed – contact Mike Kosel via the club website. REMEMBER: Since D2A is on, the July 29th ride listed in our program is NOT being held. Next Club Meeting The next club meeting is Tuesday, August 1 at 7:00 pm at the Denny’s at Park Avenue and I-25. The Long's Peak Marathon – Ride Report By John Hughes – preprinted from UltraCycling magazine – UMCAHQ@aol.com In 1999, hypothermia was the risk on the Long's Peak 12 and 24 hour races. This June 3, 2000 heat exhaustion and altitude sickness were the problems! Matt McGowan and the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club premiered a new course that added several thousand feet of climbing to Windy Gap (9,100 ft.) at the base of Long's Peak. Even at Windy Gap, the temperature was in the 70s as the plains baked in the 90s. Kris Osterberg, undeterred by the heat and climbing, attacked the course. I completed the mountainous 90 mile loop in about 7.5 hours. About 30 minutes into the second, 45 mile loop, she passed me riding back to the start in Hygiene! I guessed she had about a two hour lead and had a shot at 200 miles in twelve hours on this tough course. Kris rode hard all day and set the record for the new 12 hour course at 192 miles. Asked at the finish about her ultra cycling experience, Kris said "I rode 150 miles once." "You did — where?" "I just made up my own loop over Loveland Pass, Vail, Tennessee, Fremont, and back over Loveland." That five passes over 10,000 ft. in one day — unsupported! Unlike Kris, the other riders agreed at the start that, given the heat and all the climbing, we try a new approach: Audax racing. Christina Blacklock, John Lee Ellis, Gerry Tatrai and I rode as a congenial foursome over the Carter Lake climb and up to Glen Haven. The Glen Haven store is rated *** (faut le voyage) by the Michelin Guide to Larimer County — so we stopped for cinnamon buns and a chat. Thus fortified, we climbed Devil's Gulch — the mile of 12-15% allowed us to enjoy the cinnamon buns again! After Estes Park, the energetic John Lee could contain himself no more and we each settled into our separate paces on the sustained climb to 9,100 ft. John Lee Ellis rode strongly all afternoon; however, he did stop to escort a turtle across the road. Given the heat, Gerry Tatrai decided to start rebuilding human growth hormone by taking an afternoon nap under a shade tree on the second loop. At the end, we all agreed that this was the most scenic ultra time trial we had ever ridden and featured the best feed zone at Glen Haven. The ride provided excellent training for John Lee, Kris and me, who will be riding the Grand Loop — 203 miles over Trail Ridge and Berthoud Passes in a month. 12 Hour Results Kris Osterberg 192 miles - first female JUNE and JULY (8:oo AM start) Club Rides and EventsDATE MEET/ROUTE R/P E STARTER Saturday, June 10 Lyons-Trail Ridge Summit loop 41 110 Dave Slowey Sunday, June 11 LITN 300km Brevet 186 186 John Lee Ellis Sunday, June 11 Castle Rock-Elbert loop 48 95 Rick Melick Saturday, June 17 Frisco-Copper Triangle 56 115 Kerry Higgins Sunday, June 18 Exit 255-Rawhide loop 56 97 Catharine LookingbillSaturday, June 24 Superior-Rollinsville loop 47 95 Val Phelps Sunday, June 25 Exit 243-Pinewood Lake return 58 6 5 Catharine LookingbillSaturday, July 1 Littleton-Woodland Park loop 52 160 Rick Melick Saturday, July 1 THE GRAND LOOP 206 Charlie Henderson Sunday, July 2 Aurora-Prospect Valley return 68 110 Ken Brecheisen Saturday, July 8 TRIPLE BYPASS 106 Team Evergreen Saturday, July 8 Monument Air Force Academy loop 50 No Volunteer Saturday, July 8 Boulder 600KM BREVET 373 John Lee Ellis Sunday, July 9 Rooney Road-Conifer loop 49 No Volunteer Saturday, July 15 Idaho Springs-Mount Evans return 46 74 Terri Durbin Sunday, July 16 Superior-Hygiene loop 49 7 Val Phelps Saturday, July 22 Lyons-Estes Park loop 54 86 Rick Melick Sunday, July 23 Northglenn-Keenesburg loop 64 111 Catharine Lookingbill Saturday, July 29 DENVER-ASPEN CLASSIC 145 200 Mike Kosel NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 28TH OF EACH MONTH. PLEASE SEND YOUR INPUT VIA E-MAIL (jellisx7@aol.com) OR PHONE (303-604-1163).
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Grand Loop! Charlie Henderson led another successful Grand Loop, 205 miles and 16,000 ft. of climbing, starting in Golden and proceeding counterclockwise through Lyons, Estes Park, over Trail Ridge Road and Berthoud Pass, and finishing with a descent of Lookout Mountain. The weather was typical this year – warm (hot on the Plains) with southwesterly winds, and a shower on Trail Ridge Road, even as the riders summited its high point midmorning. With a ride start at 3:15 a.m., the eight riders included Bob Barday (finishing at 9:25pm), Tashi Dennis (6:00pm), Rex Farnsworth (9:30pm), Charlie Henderson (6:40pm on Berthoud Pass), Gary Kleiwer, Kris Osterberg (7:00pm), and Robert Pogorelz (9:30pm). This is arguably the hardest ride the RMCC offers, and these riders have earned commendation! Brevet Series Finishes on a High Point The 2000 Colorado Brevets ended successfully on July 9th with the 600km brevet (373 miles). Despite its not being a Paris-Brest-Paris year, even the 600km brevet was well subscribed … thanks in part, perhaps, to the route change via Glen Haven and its famous cinnamon buns. Riders who completed all 4 brevets: Merle BARANCZYK, John Lee ELLIS, Bob FOURNEY, Chris GREALISH, and Charlie HENDERSON. Merle, Chris, and perhaps Charlie and John Lee are Boston-Montreal-Boston bound.
The brevets can be used to qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris every four years, and for Boston-Montreal-Boston for the years in between. Plus, a number of riders do them just for fun or training, if you can believe that! Next Year – We are planning an expanded schedule of the lower mileage (200km and perhaps 300km) brevets, to encourage those of us ready to stretch a bit beyond a century. More Info – For information on brevets, randonneuring, Boston-Montreal-Boston, and Paris-Brest-Paris, check out www.rusa.org or contact John Lee Ellis, the "Regional Brevet Administrator" for Colorado … or Charlie Henderson, board member of Randonneurs USA. Next Meeting The next club meeting is Tuesday, August 1 at 7:00 pm at the Denny’s at Park Avenue and I-25. Volunteer for the Rides You Ride If you are enjoying the RMCC training rides, please put your name in the hat to volunteer to start some of the rides you are riding anyway. Our club is built upon its robust ride schedule – that is our #1 benefit to members and the cycling community. And in these summer months, it’s even harder to find starters for rides, as people head for vacation. Yet it’s simple to be a ride starter, and the effort is only incremental if you are going to show up for the ride anyway. You need to arrive with copies of the route map and cue sheet, have the riders sign in and orient them, and send them off. John Klever has made starting a ride even easier than before, if that’s possible. His ride-starter packet now includes detailed instructions, and stamped envelopes for submitting the rider signup list and any expenses you incur (for example, copying the route sheet), plus his own inimitable maps and cue sheets. You can get up-to-date status of ride starters for any given ride on the www.rmccrides.org website, and e-mail John with any questions or suggestions. Denver-Aspen Classic In the same vein, here’s a reminder to check our website for up-to-the-minute info on the Denver-Aspen Classic – Mike and crew still could use a few more volunteers.
JULY and AUGUST (8:oo AM start) Club Rides and EventsDATE MEET ROUTE R/P E STARTERSaturday, July 22 LYON Lyons-Estes Park loop 54 86 Rick Melick Sunday, July 23 WAGN Northglenn-Keenesburg loop 64 111 Catharine Lookingbill Saturday, July 29 DENVER-ASPEN CLASSIC 145 200 Mike Kosel Sunday, July 30 E255 Exit 255-Kersey loop 57 Michael Dodge Saturday, August 5 LYON Lyons-La Porte loop 50 80 Catharine Lookingbill Sunday, August 6 LITN Littleton-Conifer loop 50 61 Rick Melick Saturday, August 12 TEDS Ted's Place-Cameron Pass return 64 118 Rita Saunders Sunday, August 13 CASR Castle Rock-Palmer Lake return 37 67 Rick Melick Saturday, August 19 GOLD Golden-MOUNT EVANS return 47 93 Rick Melick Sunday, August 20 MONU Monument-Air Force Academy loop 30 50 No Volunteer Saturday, August 26 LITN Littleton-Evergreen loop 52 76 Rick Melick Sunday, August 27 WAGN Northglenn-Keenesburg loop 43 74 Val Phelps NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 28TH OF EACH MONTH. PLEASE SEND YOUR INPUT VIA E-MAIL (jellisx7@juno.com) OR PHONE (303-604-1163).
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Rim Lost in Aspen? Possibly left in Paepcke Park in Aspen a MA-40 IM/Dura-Ace hub. Please contact Rick Melick. RMCC Jersey for sale/exchange New, never worn large RMCC jersey, $45. Or trade for medium. Contact John McQueen. Boat & Bike the UK Mike Dallas is putting together a canal trip with bike excursions in the UK – two weeks, Sept. 22-Oct. 6. Cost of $1400 includes airfare, two weeks on a narrow boat, food and a few other things. Contact: Mike Dallas, 1110 Vine St., Denver, CO 80206; mtngrnbike@aol.com.AUGUST (8:oo AM start) and SEPTEMBER (8:45 AM start) Club Rides & EventsDATE MEET ROUTE R/P E STARTERSaturday, August 12 TEDS Ted's Place-Cameron Pass return 64 118 Rita Saunders Sunday, August 13 CASR Castle Rock-Palmer Lake return 37 67 Rick Melick Saturday, August 19 GOLD Golden-MOUNT EVANS return 47 93 Rick Melick Sunday, August 20 MONU Monument-Air Force Academy loop 30 50 Charlie HendersonSaturday, August 26 LITN Littleton-Evergreen loop 52 76 Rick Melick Sunday, August 27 WAGN Northglenn-Keenesburg loop 43 74 Val Phelps Saturday, September 2 GOLD Golden Gate Canyon loop 38 62 Rick Melick Sunday, September 3 TOWR Aurora-Strasburg return 39 68 Charlie Henderson Saturday, September 9 Granby Granby-Rand return 46 68 Check website. Sunday, September 10 SUPR Superior-Lefthand Canyon return 62 Catharine Lookingbill Saturday, September 16 Copper Copper Mountain-Copper Triangle 48 78 Mike KoselSunday, September 17 LITN Littleton-Conifer return 60 Mike Kosel Saturday, September 23 GOLD Golden-Saint Mary's Glacier loop 71 99 Mike Kosel Sunday, September 24 WAGN Northglenn-Airport loop 51 106 Val Phelps Saturday, September 30 LYON Lyons-Ward loop 47 Catharine Lookingbill Next Club Meeting The next club meeting is Tuesday, September 5th at 7:00 pm at the Denny’s at Park Avenue and I-25. Denver-Aspen Classic VIII The driest Denver-Aspen since 1997 saw 87 riders (46 Medallion and 41 Standard) roll successfully into Aspen, with Steve Riggle the first finishing Medallion rider (11:49 elapsed time), and Carl Schmidt the first Standard rider (8:49 elapsed). Riders enjoyed improved road conditions on US-285, especially from Bailey to Grant, and Trout Creek Pass to Johnson Village, plus excellent event signage (our own and warning signs put up by CDOT). And they especially praised the energetic and helpful volunteers! The Volunteers Behind the D2A Success First off, the day belongs to the riders for their accomplishments and tenacious ambition. I for one can only image what it must be like to achieve such a lofty goal - to singularly ride the distance, relying on months of training, well oiled equipment and those over-active endorphins! Congratulations to everyone. When you think about cycling, one generally thinks of it as more of an independent sport, unlike those "team" sports … but in order to realize their goals, these elite riders ultimately depended on so many people. Then I began thinking about all the volunteers who took time from their busy schedules to support the RMCC Denver – Aspen Classic. So in putting on an event such as this one, it boils down to the fact that cycling is a team sport after all. I would like to recognize and thank those with whom I worked with directly and who played a pivotal role in the success of this ride. Mike Kosel, was the ringleader who stepped forward when no one else would, to take on the responsibility of organizing this year’s event. Perhaps he’ll raise his hand again next year. Chuck Gillis, Chief Sergeant of the programming and data entry – who worked tirelessly with an inept data processor (me) and came through in the end to make sure each rider was in the system, accurately. Thank you so much for your patience and your cell phone number. Jim Silver, the SAG wagoneer from Meridian to Conifer who gave up his morning sleep to make sure our riders were safe, at 0-dark-hundred. One injured rider, who said, "he was extremely gentle and considerate, not only to me but to my bicycle as well" truly appreciated his services. Beth Mayka, the Conifer equipment tester, found out that when the label says sharp, it is. Hope your finger healed ok. Penny Pence and Brent Myers made sure that the Kenosha Aid station was decked out in formal attire with flowers & tablecloth. Truly a class act. Bruno Meli, your SAG support from Conifer, was another individual who gave up those precious early morning hours, to make sure everyone arrived safely in Fairplay. This year we roped in some wonderful "virgin" D2A volunteers and my oh my what a superb job the whole team did in Fairplay. The two teams (husband and wife) under the tutelage of veteran D2A volunteer, Kerianne Higgins, were Tana & Henry Farris, and Brenda & Darren Shaffer. The multitalented South Park picker upper was Jane Angulo, who also helped greet those first arrivals in BV. A true multi-tasker. Just imagine back and forth over Trout Creek – gasp! From Fairplay into Hartsel, the seasoned Barry Nash, was the SAG IN-DEED for any rider IN-NEED. As a last minute contract holdout, Barry stepped up to the plate to fill the void. Raymond Hellman and his sister, Kathryn (also some new blood) held court in Hartsel. Raymond was the Hartsel hero who played medivac and transported our only other casualty from the Salida hospital to the next aid station so he could meet up with his fiancée at the end of the ride but Kathryn was definitely cuter. Catharine Lookingbill, the queen supreme. She was everywhere, into everything and cheered on everyone. Not only was she a top notch volunteer but she brought a wonderful support staff of hardworking volunteers with her. Way to go Catharine. Those very noisy members of her team, who whistled and hooted for every rider coming in, were Cathy Lookingbill, Fran & Joe O’Malley, and Randy Hedges, who was the SAG support from BV to TL as well. Carol and Tom Tobiassen traveled the long stretch between Buena Vista and Twin Lakes. I wonder if their day began to resemble "Ground Hog Day", repeating time after time, the same scenario. Twin Lakes found the familiar faces of Dave & Sandy Slowey (et al, including Thumper?). What a tough place to set up, huh Dave? Speaking of tough, how about Janet Saxon, stuck on the side of a mountain. No one wants to stop, unless it rains and they need designer trash bag covers. Too bad this year was warm and sunny. Bill Buchanan took the tricky high road, literally. Independence Pass is nowhere to be squeamish about heights or elevation. That is one long route to SAG. My hat is off to you – are you free next year? Then there is Aspen. Joyce Terlaje was one of the RMCC bag ladies. Those overnight bags arrived safe and sound thanks to her expert stuffing ability. In addition, she made sure that there was a reception for the "animal" cyclists who came screaming into Aspen in short order. Sandy LaBonville, our dedicated box lady, helped for several hours stuffing boxes so that each aid station had goodies. Her fair distribution made sure that the Sugar Drop cookies were divided evenly amongst all stations! In addition, she and Cheri Schmeltzer helped man the Aspen station until the last rider was across that finish line. What was to have been just a couple of hours, turned into several for both of these ladies. Then there are those individuals who were the strong silent types. Jonathan Breen picked up all the station equipment and made sure it got back to Denver in one piece and Kelly Sletzer swept the route and made sure all the riders got back in one piece. Terri Durbin worked behind the scenes and ordered all the equipment for those very visible aid stations. Finally, there is Rick Melick, who arranged signage en route, delivered all of the equipment to the designated drop points, arranged for and picked up product and worked closely with all of the vendors so this ride would be the quality ride it is.– Mary Melick, Volunteer Coordinator PS: Contact me to get on the (tentative) list for next year while the pickuns are good. Ed. Note – Mary Melick, a tireless force in lining up volunteers, was one of the decisive factors in the success of this Denver-Aspen. NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 28TH OF EACH MONTH. PLEASE SEND YOUR INPUT VIA E-MAIL (jellisx7@juno.com) OR PHONE (303-604-1163). Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, P.O. Box 101473, Denver, Colorado 80250-1473
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride DeFeet Socks Order Ken Brecheisen reports that he has reviewed the test socks from DeFeet, and the company should now be in the process of producing our order – stay tuned for shipping info. RMCC members ordered 51 pairs of socks; the club has ordered an extra 69 pairs to reach the volume cutoff, so the club has quite a few extra socks at its disposal. We will be detailing what sizes are available, and welcome any cool promotional schemes to put them to good use. IMPORTANT Meeting – October 10th The next RMCC board meeting – on October 10th at 7:00 pm at the Denny’s at Park Avenue and I-25 – will kick off planning for the 2001 season. Please come if you have suggestions on our regular training rides, special events such as Denver-Aspen or the Grand Loop, or associated events such as the Brevet series or the Longs Peak 12H Time Trial; and finally about club sponsorships, etc. If you can’t attend the meeting, but have some bright ideas, you may e-mail your views to myself at JEllisX7@Juno.com, Charlie Henderson at CharDi2528@aol.com, or Rita Saunders at cycleless@msn.com.SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER (8:45 AM start) Club Rides & EventsDATE MEET ROUTE R/P E STARTERSaturday, September 23 GOLD Golden-Saint Mary's Glacier loop 71 99 Check website for starter. Sunday, September 24 WAGN Northglenn-Airport loop 51 106 Val Phelps Saturday, September 30 LYON Lyons-Ward loop 47 Catharine Lookingbill Sunday, October 1 LITN Littleton-Evergreen return 35 49 Rick Melick Saturday, October 7 SUPR Superior-Apple Valley loop 58 77 Val Phelps Sunday, October 8 MONU Monument-Air Force Academy loop 50 Check website for starterSaturday, October 14 E255 Exit 255-Windsor loop 48 75 Rita Saunders Sunday, October 15 LITN Littleton-Red Rocks return 43 58 Rick Melick Saturday, October 21 GOLD Golden-Evergreen loop 41 47 Rick Melick Sunday, October 22 WAGN Northglenn-Hudson loop 43 60 Val Phelps Saturday, October 28 LARK Larkspur-Northgate loop 50 Rick Melick Sunday, October 29 WAGN Northglenn-Cherryvale loop 40 Catharine Lookingbill Summer Contrail Gains New Fans! Charlie Henderson’s Summer Contrail, July 15-22, through southern Colorado and northern New Mexico attracted: Tom BOYLE, John Lee ELLIS, Rex FARNSWORTH, Charlie HENDERSON, Rita SAUNDERS, and Glen WERNER – many of these being first-time summer contrailers. In the course of eight days, riders could feast on 44,600 ft. of climbing spread over 865 miles, stages ranging from 86 to 134 miles. The route crossed 13 passes (typically 2 per day), including the notorious Slumgullion Pass, about which Charlie made sure to "warn" the riders for days in advance. The weather started ominously monsoon-like, but soon dried out, though not after a parting shot in the form of a big, violent drenching at Creede. Aside from that volley, riders stayed high and dry. This route – dusted off from its last use in 1992 – took US-285 from Denver to Buena Vista; to Gunnison over North Pass the next day; to South Fork via Slumgullion Pass; to Chama via La Manga and Cumbres passes; then on to Taos, where riders spent two nights; to Raton and finally over Raton and Cucharas passes to La Veta and the famous malts and shakes at Charlie’s Grocery in La Veta. People approved of the two-night stay in the center of Taos, full of street life and galleries. In the end, all but two riders elected to take the Taos day off the bike and stroll about. Riders praised the scenic, tough riding, coupled with a non-competitive atmosphere. (They had less kind words for the occasional fresh chip-seal on some of the roads!) INTERESTED? If this kind of cycling overload entices you, contact Charlie Henderson, who plans both Spring and Summer Contrails again in 2001. Grealish and Baranczyk Complete BMB! RMCC Colorado Brevet veterans Merle BARANCZYK and Chris GREALISH successfully completed the grueling, 1200km (752 mile) Boston-Montreal-Boston in mid-August. We are gathering details about their rides for a full report in the next issue. December-January Rides Return!Just as we are edging to tie the record of most days reaching 90º or above, it’s not too early to mention the upcoming winter rides every weekend in December and January, offered once again by Val Phelps and Jim Rhomberg. (Thank you, Val and Jim!) Last winter, admittedly mild by Colorado standards, they were able to hold rides every weekend. The way this works is that rides all start from Wagon Road (WAGN) in Northglenn, and take any number of interesting routes devised by Jim and Val. They are 40+ miles in length, but can be curtailed as conditions dictate. A ride is offered each Saturday, except that when Saturday’s weather precludes riding, the ride is deferred to Sunday (weather permitting). This gives you a big crack at getting some good club training rides in through the winter. Those who participated last winter enjoyed the rides a lot, discovering many quiet, heretofore unfamiliar backroads, and savored the break these rides provided from the humdrum of skiing, technical ice climbing, etc. that beckon in Colorado. NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 28TH OF EACH MONTH. PLEASE SEND YOUR INPUT VIA E-MAIL (jellisx7@juno.com) OR PHONE (303-604-1163). Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, P.O. Box 101473, Denver, Colorado 80250-1473
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Cycling to DIA! The
road shoulders along Peña Blvd are now open to cyclists!
A group of RMCC and Bicycle Aurora road riders tried the route from
Aurora to Denver International Airport on August 20th.
While the shoulders are wide, the route is noisy and negotiating the
high speed exit and entrance ramps does require care.
All in all, the 25 mile round
trip route is sign posted and doable on a bicycle. Our travel time form the
Holiday Inn at Chambers and I-70 to the east side of the DIA Terminal was 40
minutes with a nice tail wind. We
then transitioned to the west side of the terminal along the north connecting
road for a return trip of about 45 minutes into a slight head wind. Crossing
the E-470 ramps going north and crossing the Tower Road exit ramp going south
require great care and patience. --
Tom Tobiassen DeFeet Socks Order At this writing, things are still
in the hands (or feet?) of the DeFeet people – there is some discussion of
minimum quantities required. We
will keep you informed.
OCTOBER (9:45 AM
start)
and NOVEMBER (10:45 AM start)
Club Rides
DATE
MEET
ROUTE
R/P
E
STARTER Saturday,
October 21
GOLD Golden-Evergreen
loop
41 47
Rick Melick Sunday,
October 22
WAGN Northglenn-Hudson
loop 43
60
Val Phelps Saturday,
October 2
LARK Larkspur-Northgate
loop
50
Rick Melick Sunday, October 29 WAGN Northglenn-Cherryvale loop 40 Catharine Lookingbill Saturday, November 4 LITN Littleton-Ken Caryl loop 34 Charlie Henderson Saturday, November 11 GOLD Golden-Arvada loop 40 Brent Myers Saturday, November 18 WAGN Northglenn-Erie loop 41 Val Phelps Saturday, November 25 TOWR Aurora-Bennett return 40 Charlie Henderson Next Meeting The next club meeting is Tuesday, November 14 at 7:00 pm at the Denny’s at Park Avenue and I-25. Boston-Montreal-Boston
Impressions
– Merle Baranczyk A 1200-km ride like
Boston-Montreal-Boston, I learned, is exponentially tougher than a 600. All
ultras have highs and lows. After feeling great about making Middlebury Gap
heading north – the most difficult climb of BMB – my wife, who was doing
support for me, and I got mixed up on our communications at Middlebury, VT, 235
miles and 18 hours into the ride - the first low. We met at the control but she
went one way, I another. Something
similar happened a year ago at Paris-Brest-Paris, which ultimately led to
disaster. But we recovered this time - we weren't about to let anything of the
kind happen again. But that didn't mean I didn't
think about "taking a rest." As I rode into the early morning of the
second day, I started thinking, "We're more than 300 miles into this thing.
You just can't quit," not after last year, not after all the prep and
training rides, not after that Mary and I went through getting ready for Boston.
I could get hit by a car, run off a cliff or have a heart attack. But I would
not quit. I pulled into Rouse's Point NY
at 8:30 a.m., 325 miles into BMB. I did an eat, nap and reload routine and
headed for the half-way mark. The worst part of BMB actually was Canada. Roads
are poor, often with no shoulders. Motorists drive fast, seemingly with little
or any consideration for bikers. Canada and Canadians, it seemed, didn't want us
mucking up their commutes. After the turnaround, Chris
Grealish of Boulder pulled up beside me. He had started in the 84 hour group and
he was cruisin' to say the least. (He
finished in 71:26, a great time.) Back at Rouse's Point that evening, Mary was
waiting. This time we clearly communicated on what direction to take to the
motel. Once again, I ate, napped and by 10:30 p.m. was rolling into a misty,
rainy but relatively warm night. It was an exquisite ride: mystical, foggy, wet.
I rode through rollers pedaling in the dark, mainly part alone. Dawn came
through a heavy cloud layer. As it got lighter, the sun's first rays left a pink
glow over trees, ponds and farmsteads, reaching Middle-bury at 6:20 a.m.
Saturday. I never saw a good chunk
of the Middlebury-Rouse's Point 88-mile stretch: it was dark coming and going. Saturday, day three, was the
toughest with Middlebury Gap and several other serious climbs. Those who have
done both BMB and PBP say BMB is tougher. Elevation
gains are about the same but the New England hills are steeper, 5 to 6 percent
to 10, 12 and even 15 percent. In one stretch, I couldn't figure out why I was
heading downhill but only doing 7 mph. I finally pulled over to look at a nearby
stream to get my bearings. I was in fact peddling uphill. The nearby river said
so ... water doesn't flow upstream, you know. I knew I was having trouble, but I
kept pedaling. Pulling into the checkpoint at
Ludlow, I must have looked like hell. Mary thought I was done. Ate showered,
napped and reloaded for a cold night. At dusk, I rode into Grafton, a small
town, past the Warm Hearth Inn. It reminded me of potato soup and suddenly I was
hungry. But I ended up "feasting" on a couple of energy bars, trying
to forget about the soup I craved. It was dark; hills were steep
and I started talking to them. "You guys are tough, yes indeed. Very tough.
You might even be winning," I said, afraid, actually, to say I was going to
"win," that is, finish. Stars that night were brilliant. I even
stopped, to get a better look. Hit a three-mile stretch of the poorest excuse
for a road I could imagine. It was black with 40-degree cold. The road had no
shoulder. It was rutted with potholes and cracks. Cars came intermittently from
both directions. I had to stop a time or two, to avoid the glare and running off
the road. Some 20 miles from
Brattleboro, I saw smoke and fire flickering through the forest. "You! Hey,
biker, you, pull over. Have a drink with us." It was a group of about four.
They were drunk, some more drunk than others. "You want a drink, biker? You
want a slug," one said, holding up a bottle of clear liquid. "No, but
I'd sure take a bowl of soup if you had one," I replied. "He wants
soup! He wants soup? Get him some soup!" After a brief visit and a bowl of
Campbell's finest vegetable soup, I rode the final hour into the Motel 6 at
Brattleboro with a guy from Florida on a recumbent. It was midnight. At Brattleboro, with just 115
miles or so to go, I decided to sleep three hours - pure luxury! Then it was
back riding through a cold but clear and beautiful dawn, and I was talking to
the hills again. They weren't through with me yet. Once again, I was pedaling
hard, doing 7 mph going what I thought was downhill. Finally made No. New Salem
and Bullard Farm, the last control before the finish. Ate freshly made banana
and blueberry pancakes, coffee and yogurt. Mary suggested a water bottle with
Ensure for the ride's final leg. Then it was back on the road,
75 miles to the finish. Suddenly, I felt refreshed. It was cool, just 60
degrees. But we had a nifty 10 to 15 mph tailwind for the ride to the finish.
The worst of the hills were behind. Only a few rollers remained and I was
cranking. At the first inkling of
weariness, I'd pull a swig of strawberry Ensure washed down with orange energy
drink. Over and over, I repeated the ritual. On that final leg I was laughing. I
said to the hills, "You were
tough. Yes, you were. But I'm going to finish this thing, the good Lord
willing." The last few steeps were just minor slowdowns; 40 to go; then 35;
then 30. Thirty? I was tiring again, and Ensure and orange drink didn't seem to
be helping. Thirty miles? That's two hours! "Shut-up," I told myself.
"Just keep cranking." Finally, another rider and I
weave into the front of the hotel. Cars, tables, Boston-Montreal-Boston sign,
people, a ride official. And I hear applause ... they're applauding! BMB's over;
753 miles. Eighty-three hours, 13
minutes. Warm elation sweeps over me. The goat is gone from not finishing PBP.
We've taken care of the unfinished business from a year ago. We did BMB!
So long hills! BMB is a beautiful ride.
Jennifer Wise and her crew provide great support. The hills are in fact tough
and steep, but compared to Colorado, the inclines are not as long. It's
a great ride. NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 28TH OF EACH MONTH. PLEASE SEND YOUR INPUT VIA E-MAIL (jellisx7@juno.com). Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, P.O. Box 101473, Denver, Colorado 80250-1473
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride RMCC
Donates to Bicycle Colorado The
RMCC board has decided for the first time to make a $1000 donation to Bicycle
Colorado, our state’s prime bicycling advocacy group.
Our club was founded with a focus on riding – and this continues to
be the case. However, Bicycle Colorado has done an excellent job in
promoting cyclists’ issues, especially with regard to the roads which we all
ride (you may recall the rumble strip issue, to name just one); they deserve
and need our support. Charlie
Henderson, as member of the now-defunct Governor’s Colorado Bicycling
Advisory Board (CBAB), can vouch for
both the need and the good work Bicycle
Colorado has done. We
invite you to find out more about Bicycle Colorado at www.BicycleColo.org
and consider joining! 2001
Challenge Series The
club is structuring the 2001Brevet Series, Denver-Aspen Classic, Grand Loop,
and the NEW Colorado 1200km
“existential experience” into a “Challenge Series” of endurance rides
building spanning 125 to 750 miles. Our
aim is to introduce more riders to timed endurance events, which those who
ride them have found rewarding and satisfying.
We will be promoting this series both to our club members and the
general riding public – details to follow! DeFeet
Socks Order The DeFeet Socks Saga continues. We could go into slightly further detail, but it might produce more consternation than illumination. Stay tuned. Next
Meeting The next club meeting is Tuesday, December 5th at 7:00 pm at the Denny’s at Park Avenue and I-25.
NOVEMBER and DECEMBER (10:45 AM start) Club Rides
DATE
MEET
ROUTE
R/P
E STARTER Saturday, November 25 TOWR Aurora-Bennett return 40 Charlie Henderson Saturday, December 2 ROON Rooney Road-Ken Caryl return 35 Barry Nash Saturday,
December 9 WAGN
Northglenn show-and-go 40+ Val Phelps or Jim Rhomberg Saturday,
December 16 WAGN
Northglenn show-and-go 40+ Val Phelps or Jim Rhomberg Saturday,
December 23 WAGN
Northglenn show-and-go 40+ Val Phelps or Jim Rhomberg Saturday,
December 30 WAGN
Northglenn show-and-go 40+ Val Phelps or Jim Rhomberg Training
for the Busy Ultracyclist * The training
program for ultra cyclists with a demanding career, a significant other, kids
and not enough time to ride bicycles. You're
sitting in yet another 757 with work you could do. It's been another day without
stretching or strength training, let alone vigorous exercise. You are hoping
against hope that you will politely decline the offered peanuts. When you
finally get home, take a little bit of time for yourself and try the
"Frustrated Ultracyclist's Program" - prescription for the travel and
work-impaired ultracyclist. The
program has four components and only takes a few hours a week. The key is
consistency: fitting in some of the program every day. Muffy
Ritz** says that training is like making chocolate chip cookies. You need all
the right ingredients, but it doesn't matter the order in which you mix them.
And it's better to underbake them than overbake! Here's how to make cookies! ·
Commit:
To training 20 days a month, the rest are rest days, taken when life's too busy.
You may have a busy week and miss some days, but aim for that monthly target.
Keep score on your calendar. ·
Momentum:
Start your training week on Saturday. You build some momentum for the week and
you eliminate the excuse "I'll just do it next weekend." ·
Calendar:
Schedule a one hour training appointment most days, just like any other meeting.
If you can schedule an hour, this is the most efficient way to go through all
four components. ·
Break it up:
Can't find an hour? Do half the strength exercises with your morning coffee,
half just before lunch, get in a quick ride after work and stretch while eating
ice cream before bed. ·
Alternate:
Do the leg exercise, sweep the floor (or another chore), then upper body
exercises, take out the garbage, etc. You get in your training and feel like you
caught up on the "honey-do list". ----------------------- *This is an excerpt from an article on the Ultra-Marathon
Cycling Association website www.UltraCycling.com.
While not all of us are “ultracyclists,” we all have time constraints
and are interested in the most effective way to use our time to keep in
condition for the cycling we love to do –especially during the shorter days of
the year. The remainder of this
article, the rest of the series, and a wealth of other information is available
at this website, and by joining the Ultra-Marathon Cycling Association. –
Ed. ** Muffy Ritz is a multiple time high-place finisher in the
Race Across AMerica (RAAM) and, oh yes, a national ski champion, too. John Hughes, a veteran of RAAM,
RAAM qualifiers and randonnées, is a USCF coach and an NSCA certified personal
trainer. Anne Schneider, RAAM qualified at Furnace Creek and a veteran of P-B-P,
is a devoted mother of two and runs her own law firm.
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 28TH OF EACH MONTH. PLEASE SEND YOUR INPUT VIA E-MAIL (jellisx7@juno.com) OR PHONE (303-604-1163). Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, P.O. Box 101473, Denver, Colorado 80250-1473
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride RMCC
Donates to Bicycle Colorado Challenge Series 2001 on Drawing Board Plans are firming up for
next year’s RMCC Challenge Series, featuring: ·
two 200km brevets ·
two 300km brevets ·
the Denver-Aspen Classic ·
the Grand Loop ·
400km, 600km, and 1000km brevets ·
Bob Fourney’s Colorado Last Chance 1200km Randonnée – “Venture
to Kansas” The rides
all follow the traditional French format (brevet style) with a mass start,
checkpoints, time cards, and finish check-in. The series
spans May to September and are chances for you to test yourself, achieve new
goals, and ride with other proficient riders.
The series stresses persistence and self-reliance, but at the same
time encourages cooperation and riding with others. Victor Solenow Wins Masters Title Club member, brevet
enthusiast, and Salida resident Victor Solenow recently won the masters
championship at the “Great Floridian” triathlon, sanctioned by USA
Triathlon. This was
full Ironman-length triathlon – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride
(Oahu circuit length), and 26.2 mile run (a marathon). Victor said his calves were
a bit tight on the run, making for a slower run than his norm, but faster
times on the swim and bike segments made up for it.
At age 48, Victor is aware of the precise training requirements he
needs to achieve top results like these – we congratulate him on this
important win! DeFeet Socks Order Suspense builds, but no further update to report just
yet. DECEMBER and JANUARY (10:45 AM start) Club Rides
DATE
MEET
ROUTE
R/P
E
STARTER Saturday,
December 23 WAGN
Northglenn show-and-go 40+
} Saturday,
December 30 WAGN
Northglenn show-and-go 40+ }
Val Phelps Saturday, January 13 WAGN Northglenn show-and-go 40+ } Saturday, January 20 WAGN Northglenn show-and-go 40+ } Sunday is fall-back day in Saturday,
January 27
WAGN Northglenn show-and-go
40+ } case of inclement weather Indoor
Cycle Training A
training program for indoor conditions. By
Josh Simonds One
sure thing lets me know that fall weather is fast approaching the Washington,
D.C. area. My wife has just dropped a gentle hint for me to "take a
look" at Lois Lane, her trusty second road bike that she uses mostly for
indoor training. Why indoor cycle
training? Consistently,
riders mentioned: safety, convenience, specificity, efficiency, measurable
performance gains and easy ability to monitor and record workout data. An
indoor cycle trainer is the perfect venue for trying new techniques or
equipment and to measure performance. Also, it is very useful for specific
workouts that might otherwise be risky if performed on an open road for the
first time. Examples of some very specific drills are: one leg spinning
drills, maximum effort sprint repeats, low RPM high watt hill climbs, and
anaerobic threshold (AT) intervals lasting 15 minutes or more. To perform each
of these examples safely outdoors requires good bike handling skills and an
awareness of one's surroundings. By
using an indoor cycle trainer to become familiar with these drills and
techniques you can gain confidence and translate them to the road at a later
date. Monitoring training results Word
to the wise: if you repeating the same workout each time or just slog through
30 minutes of directionless exercise than you are wasting your time. To log
the basic data from indoor cycling, make a notebook and record: date,
duration, average HR, average speed, average watts (if available) and workout
description. In addition to these basics you can also record: max watts, max
HR, time spent in HR zone(s), recovery time, best time on a particular course,
and which workout was done according to personal training plan. Benefits of indoor training It
is important for you to plan ahead and decide what you will accomplish for
each workout. Set long term goals such as maintaining an aerobic base by
riding at or near your AT for 20% of a one hour long workout. Or focus on
strength maintenance by using high resistance and/or gearing with low RPMs for
15 minutes during a 45 minute workout. (For more detailed examples, see "Favorite
Workouts" in the full article). Identify
goals and ask yourself what areas need improvement. Talk to experienced
athletes whom you respect and who are willing to share their experiences. Find
a book on the subject and take notes (see references below). Find a reputable
cycling coach and discuss your goals. ----------------------- *Excerpted by permission from an article on the
Ultra-Marathon Cycling Association website www.UltraCycling.com.
Check out the site for the rest of this article (with specific workouts)
and other valuable training tips. –
Ed. Joshua Simonds races tandems and is a veteran of Paris-Brest-Paris. He
set a tandem course record at Calvin's Challenge this year. When not on the
bike, he's a computer wank, cycling coach, massage therapist, natural
cosmetic manufacturer & retailer and essential oil & sports
supplement supplier living in Washington, D.C.
Next
Meeting The next club meeting is Tuesday, January 9th at 7:00 pm at the Denny’s at Park Avenue and I-25. NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 28TH OF EACH MONTH. PLEASE SEND YOUR INPUT VIA E-MAIL (jellisx7@juno.com). Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, P.O. Box 101473, Denver, Colorado 80250-1473 |
