Rocky Mountain Cycling Club - Colorado Cycling Club - RMCC

January rides start at 10:45 am. (The makeup day is Sunday.)
Date and Day	Start	Ride Name and Mileage	Ride Starter
January 26, Saturday	Northglenn	Northglenn and beyond, 40+ miles	Jim Rhomberg

February rides start at 10:45 am.
Date and Day	Start	Ride Name	Ride Starter
Type of Ride and Ride Description			Mileage
February 2, Saturday	Littleton	Littleton-Ken Caryl-Chatfield loop	Rick Melick
R/P: Littleton, Chatfield Reservoir, Littleton			24 miles
End: Littleton, Ken Caryl, Deer Creek Canyon, Chatfield Reservoir, Littleton			34 miles
February 9, Saturday	Aurora	Aurora-Bennett return	Charlie Henderson
R/P: Aurora, Watkins, Aurora			20 miles
End: Aurora, Watkins, Bennett, Watkins, Aurora			39 miles
February 16, Saturday	Superior	Superior-Morgul-Boulder loop	Val Phelps
R/P: Superior, Morgul-Bismark, Boulder, Baseline Road, Louisville, Superior			24 miles
End: Superior, Morgul-Bismark, Boulder, Lookout Road, Louisville, Superior			34 miles
February 23, Saturday	Littleton	Littleton-Deer Creek-Kittredge loop	Rick Melick
R/P: Littleton, Deer Creek Canyon, Ken Caryl, Deer Creek Canyon, Phillipsburg, Deer Creek Canyon, Chatfield Reservoir, Littleton			42 miles
End: Littleton, Deer Creek Canyon, Indian Hills, Kittredge, Morrison, Red Rocks, Willow Springs, Ken Caryl, Deer Creek Canyon, Littleton			56 miles
February 24, Sunday	Castle Rock	Castle Rock-Palmer Lake loop	Rick Melick
R/P: Castle Rock, Wolfensburger Road, Larkspur, Castle Rock			33 miles
End: Castle Rock, Wolfensburger Road, Palmer Lake, Larkspur, Castle Rock			46 miles

Group riding can be one of the most fun and enjoyable parts of cycling. It can also be one of the most dangerous. This month I’ve put together a few tips to make your group riding experience safe and enjoyable.

Team RMCC is a loosely organized group of riders within The Rocky Mountain Cycling Club. We offer club members the opportunity to ride as a group at several organized events. We help promote the club by encouraging Team RMCC members to wear the club jersey. Please contact Val Phelps or Brent Myers for information.

This is a weekly ride around Washington Park. We will meet in the northwest corner of the South High School Parking lot at 5:30 PM. The ride will start April 10 and continue through October 23. Laps around the park provide for socialization, varied pace, and the opportunity for late arrivals to join the group. We will meet at the Handlebar & Grill following the ride. Discounts & gift certificates are available to RMCC members.

All club members are welcome to ride with Team RMCC on selected rides throughout the year.

The rides:
04 / 07 – Wagon Road “Populaire” – 72 miles
04 / 14 – E255 “Populaire” – 75 miles
04 / 27 – Lyons “Populaire” – 75 miles
05 / 05 – E243 200 km Brevet – 125 miles
06 / 02 – Elephant Rock Century – 100 miles
07 / 13 – Triple Bypass – 130 miles
08 / 03 – Denver Aspen – 150 or 200 miles
09 / 14 – Copper Triangle “Populaire” – 78 miles
09 / 22 – E243 200 km Brevet – 125 miles

Are you creative, with a little time on your hands? Would you like to take a more active role in RMCC? If this fits you, I am looking for someone with fresh new ideas to help with the newsletter or take it over.

Next Meeting

The next club meeting is Wednesday, February 6th at 7:00 pm at the Denny's at Park Avenue and I-25 in Denver.
The newsletter deadline is the 28th of each month.
Please send contributions via e-mail to dil222@yahoo.com.
Membership/address changes via e-mail to bandhmyers@rmi.net.
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club, P.O. Box 101473, Denver, Colorado 80250-1473

Bicycle Colorado is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of cycling and cycling issues at both the state and local level.

· Encourages bicycling as both efficient transportation and wonderful recreation

· Strives to increase safety and greater awareness of cyclist responsibilities on Colorado roads/trails

· Works to improve conditions for cyclists - wider shoulders and fewer rumble strips!

· Lobbies for the development of new projects such as the Denver-Boulder Bikeway

In addition, RMCC wants to encourage everyone to get involved with Bicycle Colorado. Give them a call or visit their web site to learn more about this important organization and the issues facing Colorado cyclists today. Every voice counts!

Scheduled for August 3rd, the D2A will once again challenge riders in Colorado’s premier double-century (two ride options allow riders to select between 155 and 200 mile routes).

For those who’ve ridden with us before, we hope you’ll return for another memorable year. For those who have never ridden the Denver-Aspen before, we invite you to join us! Registration is now available online via the Denver-Aspen page. Look for registrations in local Front Range bike shops soon!

February 24
Safeway parking lot two blocks southeast of Exit 181 off I-25 in Castle Rock

Both February rides will be led by Rick Melick. Be there ready to ride at 10:45 AM!

Cyclists joining RMCC for club rides in March should be ready to ride at the Meet Point no later than 10:45 AM!

Cyclists in RMCC club rides must agree to abide by traffic laws and practice courtesy and safety in cycling. Helmets are required!

Rides will be conducted in all weather subject to the final decision of the Ride Leader at the meeting point. In severe conditions, rides may be changed or canceled without prior notice.

March 2 (Sat)....... Lewis-Palmer High School parking lot
                                  Exit 161 off I-25, cross to east of I-25 on
                                  Hwy 105, right on frontage road, 1.5 miles to
                                  Higby Rd, left ¼ mile to lot on left............................... 49 mi..... 31 mi........... Tom Boyle
                                                                                                                                                                     .

March 3 (Sun)...... Park-and-Ride, SE corner of 120^th and Huron........... 51 mi..... 27 mi........... Val Phelps
.

March 9 (Sat)....... Parking lot on Jackson St, east of the park
at 10^th and Washington................................................ 45 mi..... 29 mi........... Tom Foss
.

March 10 (Sun).... Parking lot at the SW corner of exit 255 on I-25..... 57 mi..... 40 mi........... Charlie Henderson
.

March 16 (Sat)..... City Park parking lot ¼ mi north of the main
                                  junction of Perry Park Ave and Spruce Mountain
                                  road (Larkspur)................................................................ 50 mi..... 43 mi........... Charlie Henderson
                                                                                                                                                                      .

March 17 (Sun).... Park-and-Ride at the SW corner of the Boulder
Turnpike and McCaslin Blvd near Boulder............ 50 mi..... 40 mi........... Catharine Lookingbill
.

March 23 (Sat)..... Park-and-Ride at the SW corner of 4^th and
Broadway in Lyons......................................................... 47 mi..... 30 mi........... Charlie Henderson
.

March 24 (Sun).... Park-and-Ride, SE corner of 120^th and Huron............ 66 mi..... 39 mi........... Tom Foss
.

March 30 (Sat)..... In Lakewood at the Green Mountain trailhead,
2 mi south of Colfax/US 40 on Rooney Road.......... 52 mi..... 44 mi.......... Brent Myers
.

March 31 (Sun).... Convenience store at the NE corner of
Exit 243 off I-25................................................................... 60 mi..... 40 mi........... Val Phelps
.

Look for jersey order forms in Chain Chatter or contact Rick Melick to reserve your RMCC jersey.

It’s almost spring and that means it’s time to get out and ride! But after you dust off the bike and before you hit the road, you should take that bike in for a spring tune-up. Or maybe you just need some new gear for the new year!

RMCC club meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month. The club convenes in the Denny’s Restaurant (Park Avenue and I-25) at 7:00 PM. All RMCC members are encouraged to attend!

Please submit comments, suggestions, corrections or column ideas to Penny Kosel at penny@hikecolorado.org

Starting in April, RMCC club meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month. Meetings start at 7:00 PM and are held at the Denny's Restaurant near Park Avenue and 1-25. Meetings are a fantastic way to meet other RMCC members while helping to plan, budget, and direct club activities.

RMCC member Jack Vincent will be competing in the Race Across America (RAAM) June 16, 2002. RAAM is an ultra endurance bicycle race from the west coast to the east coast. This year's 2,980-mile route will start in Portland, Oregon and finish in Gulf Breeze, Florida.

Jack is raising money for the Emily Griffith Center and to help defray some of the expenses for the race. For every dollar donated, 75% will go to the center and is tax deductible.

The Emily Griffith Center's focus is to help troubled children and families break the cycle of violence and abuse to become healthy and productive members of the community.

Join Jack for a fund raising event to support RAAM and the Emily Griffith Center at Old Chicago Pizza100 Superior Plaza Way (HWY 36 and McCaslin Blvd).

Does your RMCC jersey have that tired look? A few too many washes or none at all? Rather transparent in spots or just doesn't fit anymore? Then it's time again to order a new club jersey - the same exciting colors as last year, with the unbeatable price of $65.00 each. All orders must be in no later THAN April 18th. Please make checks payable to RMCC and send to:

"I take nothing for granted. I now have only good days or great days." - Lance Armstrong

The Golden Gate Canyon ride is a great climbing exercise. Starting from the parking lot at 10th and Jackson, the ride heads west through the west end of Golden on Washington St. and joins CO 93 briefly (watch for heavy auto traffic) before turning west into Golden Gate Canyon. The 18 miles from there to the turnaround at Hwy 119 consist of several climbs of varying length and steepness, and includes a couple wonderful descents to break things up. The canyon road is lined mostly with small farms and ranches, and also runs next to the Golden Gate Canyon State Park, which is worth a trip itself with many excellent hiking and mountain biking trails.

Once you turn around at Hwy 119, the route obviously reverses, and the long climbs on the way up turn in to great cruising down-hills, punctuated by a couple of hearty but short climbs. Be watchful of auto traffic on 93 once you exit the canyon, and cruise back to the starting point.

Since the first half of this ride heads mostly west in a mountain canyon. There is a good chance of light to moderate headwinds, but take heart ...it's a tailwind on the way back! If there's the chance of bad weather moving in, you'll almost certainly see it coming over the hills from the west and northwest. Even though thunderstorms are rare in April, they can still happen!

Cyclists joining RMCC for club rides in April should be ready to ride at the Meet Point no later than 8:45 AM!
Cyclists in RMCC club rides must agree to abide by traffic laws and practice courtesy and safety in cycling. Helmets are required!
Rides will be conducted in all weather subject to final decision of the Ride Leader at the meet point. In severe conditions, rides may be changed or canceled without prior notice.
Questions? Contact any ride leader for more information.

RMCC club meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month. The club convenes in the Denny’s Restaurant (Park Avenue and I-25) at 7:00 PM. All RMCC members are encouraged to attend!

Please submit comments, suggestions, corrections or column ideas to Penny Kosel at penny@hikecolorado.org

Denver-Aspen Classic Registration

Get your registration in to secure your spot for the 2002 Joe Lookingbill Denver to Aspen Classic! You can register online at www.active.com, download an application from the Denver-Aspen page - or look for registration forms at your favorite bike shop.

Do you have a favorite RMCC memory or anecdote you’d like to share with Chain Chatter readers?
Send it to penny@hikecolorado.org!

Newsletters of 2002