Fresno Cycling Club - August2024 |
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THE PREZ SAYS.....
Greetings fellow cyclists and club members.
Well, that was a hot record setting July, thankfully we have the coast and mountains to escape and get some relief with cooler riding. For years we have had a tradition of doing the Annual Tour de Lakes ride for the purpose of getting us out of the heat. We also put on rides like the Annual Cayucos ride on the coast to take advantage of cooler weather there. If you want to put together a ride in the mountains or on the coast, just contact one of the Ride Coordinators Henry Pretzer or Joe Cassinerio.
Last year we didn't do the Tour de Lakes because the road conditions on McKinley Grove Road were unsafe due to all the deteriorated road surfaces. Thankfully the powers that be, either US Forest Service, Southern Cal Edison, PG&E or Fresno County had done a nice job of repaving most of the road. This year we scaled the ride support back a little by having just one rest stop at McKinley Grove and two water/snack stops. We still provided SAG support and encouraged riders to utilize the local markets and restaurants for their meals. There was a great turnout of riders with most doing the 55-mile Shaver to Wishon route. There were also several riders from Dinkey to Wishon with a big group doing the long ride to Courtright Reservoir. The weather was perfect and with light traffic it made for an amazing day of riding. Riders were treated to berry smoothies and deli sandwiches on their way back at McKinley Grove rest stop. And the best part about the ride, everyone finished with zero incidents.
What exciting things are happening in August you ask?
For starters, on Saturday, August 3rd we're celebrating the Club's August Birthdays, and it just happens to be the Club Secretary Mary Stubblefield's birthday. She wants all August born Club Members to join her in this all-level club ride. Due to the Willow Road closure, we have moved the starting location to Clovis North Education Center on the corner of Willow and International. You can read all the details and register for free using this link. https://fresnocycling.com/event-5803847
The following week, on August 10th. come join FCC for our Annual Cayucos Coastal Ride. We will meet at 10:00 am at Hardie park (B St - Ash St) in Cayucos, wheels down at 10:30 am. Nancy Dooley and I will be the Ride Leaders for the Cayucos to Elephant Seal Vista Coastal Ride
This annual B/C level coastal ride is a great way to escape the Valley heat. We have a late start time to allow riders to drive to the coast and return the same day. The ride begins and ends at Hardie Park at the north end of Cayucos. This delightful ride travels north on Hwy 1, through Cambria, and past San Simeon to the Elephant Seal Vista. The past few years we have pedaled back to San Simeon for lunch at Sebastian’s before returning to the start. The beauty of this ride besides the scenic coast is that you can ride any portion of the ride that fits your abilities. If you ride the full distance, it is 54 miles, but as it is an Out and Back route you can turn around at any point. This is a self-supported ride, so be sure to come equipped with the necessary supplies and equipment to assure an enjoyable ride. This is a free event for members, and we are asking everyone to log-in to their club account and register to help with our planning and in case we need to get out any last minute information to those planning to attend. https://fresnocycling.com/event-5816286
ADVOCACY
"Pedal with purpose, fellow cyclists! Remember, you’re not just riding; you’re part of a community. Follow the rules of the road like a symphony—obey traffic signals, ride predictably, and be as bright as a sunrise in your gear. Let’s keep the wheels turning safely together!” Speaking of rules, here are the five golden Rules of the Road for safe and fun bicycling: 1. Follow the Law: You have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers. Obey traffic signals and stop signs. 2. Be Predictable: Make your intentions clear ride in a straight line, signal turns, and check behind you before changing lanes. 3. Be Conspicuous: Wear bright clothing, use lights, and avoid sidewalks. 4. Think Ahead: Anticipate what others will do, watch for hazards, and cross railroad tracks at right angles. 5. Ride Ready: Check your bike, carry tools, and wear a helmet.
Stay safe out there and enjoy the wind in your spokes!
As always ride legal and ride safe. See you out on the road, in the gravel or on the trails.
The Prez
Dennis Ball
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SOME PICTURES FROM TOUR DE LAKES |
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2024 FCC Labor Day Ride
Another Monday holiday is coming up on September 2nd. Just like Memorial Day and 4th of July, we will be hosting an all level club ride with A, B, and C distance rides. Mark your calendar now to save the date and then be on the lookout for a special email and postings to the club Facebook pages around mid-August with all the details. |
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FCC CLIMBING CHALLENGE RECAP
Back in June, we had over 37 club members participate in our first 30-day Climbing Challenge. Participants could choose a goal between 5,000 and 30,000 feet of elevation for the 30 days of the challenge. 27 of the 37 participants hit their target with many far exceeding their goal. With the climbing challenge ending just 6 days before Climb to Kaiser the 30,000 challenge had the most participants with 12. Of those 12, eight of them finished between 51,000 feet all the way up to 140,000! (Editorial note: that's about 10 years worth of climbing for me.)
Although the climbing challenge is not designed as an actual contest, we feel it appropriate to at least acknowledge the KOM and QOM for 2024. Gary Egorov logged 140,020 feet and Laura Nehring logged 127,023 feet of climbing over the 30-day challenge. Thank you to all of the participants at all of the different levels. Hopefully, you found it encouraging and fun to have a 30-day climbing goal. |
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BASS LAKE POWERHOUSE DOUBLE CENTURY, OCTOBER 12TH
What do you do when riding 100 miles is no longer challenging? You sign up for the Bass Lake Powerhouse Double Century. The 2024 BLPDC takes place on Saturday, October 12th, and is an easy 200 miles with only 10,000 feet of climbing. If that isn't enough to motivate you, keep in mind all of the great rest stops that makes FCC events legendary. The first 100 miles takes you up and around beautiful Bass Lake. The second 100 miles takes you out to Pine Flat. Click the link above to register today.
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TOUR D' FEMME AND MEN/FCC CLUB PICNIC, OCTOBER 26TH For 2024 we are combining the Tour D' Femme with the Annual FCC Picnic. Therefore, we have changed the name for this year to the Tour D' Femme and Men. The TDFM takes place on Saturday, October 26th. The ride will begin and end at Clovis Hills Community Church (this is the same location as last year's club picnic when the club picnic followed the Padyakan Ride) We are currently working on the routes for 2024 and will be announcing the routes and opening up Ride Registration at a later date. For now, mark your calendars for 10/26 and we will see you there. |
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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT - DAVE BECKER
The spirit of adventure and the pursuit of personal challenges are alive and well within the Fresno cycling community. Dave Becker's story is a testament to the determination and passion that drives many cyclists. His solo journey across the southern United States this spring is not just a physical feat but also a mental one. A journey like this requires meticulous planning and the resilience to adapt to the unexpected. Such endeavors inspire others to explore their limits and the world around them. Tracking these journeys through online platforms like Strava not only serves as a personal record, but also connects the community. When you follow your fellow riders you can witness and celebrate each other's accomplishments, no matter how quietly they may be undertaken. It's these stories of individual triumphs that often go unheard, yet they are the ones that can motivate and encourage a sense of camaraderie and adventure within cycling circles. Check out Dave's Strava to get a glimpse of his month and a half long trip filled with many elements that made for an epic ride, from wind and rain to flats and worn-out shoes and tires, his ride was quite the journey. If you're ready to attempt your own cross-country journey contact Dave, he has a folder he can share with you that has his plans for the trip that when followed will help you accomplish this amazing feat.
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A CYCLIST'S EXPERIENCE OF 10 YEARS RIDING WITH CAMERAS
I’ve ridden with a camera for about 10 years.
I started with a GoPro Hero 3. At that time, my goal was mostly to be able to record and share video of my rides, but safety was also in the back of my head. The GoPro was easy to mount, solid, and came in a case that was waterproof also protected the lens. However, the battery would only last less than two hours, and therefore had to be changed at least once during most of my rides.
In 2016 or so I acquired my first Cycliq camera, the Fly 6CE.
Click here to read Matt's whole article.in our Active Transportation Camera Road Reviews. |
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A WORD ON E-BIKES FROM AN E-BIKE RIDER
E-bikes are growing in popularity by leaps and bounds. All the major bike company’s are in on it too, trying to appeal to all bike riders at the same time, both conventional and electric.
There are three types of e-bikes that exist. A Type 1 e-bike is peddle-assisted and capable of reaching an assisted speed of 20 mph. Beyond 20 mph you're on your own without assistance from the e-bike.
A Type 3 e-bike is also peddle-assisted and capable of a maximum assisted speed of 28 mph. Like the Type 1, you can go faster but beyond the max assist speed is all you peddling the e-bike. We have many club members with Type 3 e-bikes.
A Type 2 e-bike is throttle-controlled meaning you do not need to peddle and the bike can reach speeds up to 28 mph. Many trails do not allow Type 2 e-bikes (if people paid attention to the trail rules) and cycling events do not allow Type 2 e-bikes. I don’t think type two is a true bike, because a bike is human powered, but that’s just my opinion.
One group of riders in particular really seem to benefit greatly from e-bikes. Those individuals who otherwise cannot ride a conventional bike at a speed and distance to ride with their peers. That is an incredible feeling. The e-bike gives us a chance to have that again. We can still get a great workout and train. We can still set and reach goals for ourselves. That is a great thing.
There are some considerations associated with an e-bike. First, there is a new responsibility associated with an e-bike. That is the range of the e-bike. Battery management becomes an art. Second, the bikes themselves are much heavier than a conventional bike. Sometimes twice as much. Working on your bike can become difficult if you don’t have the correct bike stand.
Another responsibility is understanding, and agreeing with, this is an e-bike, the achievements I accomplish are because of an assisted option. I’m ok with that. I, in fact, include that in my statistics. Most cycling apps, such as Strava, now have a category for e-bikes. An e-bike is not the same as a conventional bike and I encourage my fellow e-bikers to check the e-bike box when using a public program such as Strava. This helps take away the attitude of, e-bikes are “cheater bikes”.
If you don’t set up your account for e-bike, and then brag about your Strava time riding up Bubblegum, I would say that is cheating, and that’s just not right.
That’s e-bike life.
For me and my fellow e-bikers, we can still experience the joy associated with cycling. That satisfaction you get when you reach a goal is, once again, within our reach.
FCC and their various ride groups welcome all category 1 & 3 e-bike riders Joseph Cassinerio Director of the Killer Bees |
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FCC BOARD MEETINGWednesday, August 7th, 2024
6:30 PM
Me N Eds Victory Grill
4010 N Cedar Ave |
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MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
Your Membership Renewal Date:
{Member_Upcoming_Renewal_Date} |
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FCC 2024 EVENT CALENDAR
- FCC August Birthday All-Levels Ride - Saturday, August 3rd (Register)
- FCC Cayucos Coastal Ride - Saturday, August 10th (Register)
- FCC Labor Day Rides - Monday, September 2nd
- Bass Lake Powerhouse Double Century – Saturday, Oct 12 (Register)
- Tour d' Femme and Men/FCC Club Picnic - Saturday, Oct 26
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SUBMIT YOUR CLUB RIDE PHOTO FOR THE ROUGH DRAFT
Have a group picture from a recent club ride? Submit it to editor@fresnocycling.com for a future edition of the Rough Draft. Please include the date and the destination of the ride. See the picture at the top of this newsletter as an example. |
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BIKE MAINTENANCE - IS GETTING WAXED RIGHT FOR YOU?
Now come on, do you think you would get to the bottom of the FCC Rough Draft and find an article about having the hair ripped off your legs to shave off a couple of watts? Naw, that’s not what this is about.
If you’ve been around competitive, or just recreational, cycling for a while you’ve probably encountered someone with a waxed chain. It’s not new to the velo-community, but it is becoming more common to move away from oil-based lubricants to a super slippery, ultra quiet, low friction, immersion waxed chain. But what’s involved and can you do it on your own? Yes, you can and it’s easier than you think. However, there’s a caveat to consider. The initial time involved, and the upfront cost may dissuade you, but don’t get discouraged, it’s a small hill to climb and you can do it too.
Putting aside the aforementioned benefits of using a waxed drivetrain, there are also other benefits: No more grease chain tattoo on your right calf, if you carry your bike inside a car no more chain grease stains on the interior, if you encounter the dreaded rear tire puncture your hands will stay clean, but probably the best overall benefit is the reduced wear and tear on the other drivetrain components. Contrary to popular belief, chains do not stretch, they wear out due to friction which causes the tolerances to degrade.
Oil-based lubes trap all sorts of contaminates in the form of grit that effectively become sandpaper inside your drivetrain. When a chain wears out, it's causing damage to the rear cassette, the front chain rings, and the jockey wheels on the derailer all at the same time. Those repair bills could reach a couple of thousand dollars and possibly even more in the case of a catastrophic break while turning out a thousand watts up a 25% grade (something I wouldn’t know a thing about).
The process is becoming easier as more companies like Silca and Zero Friction Cycling are applying the research they’ve done to the products they offer. This is not an add or sponsorship from them, it’s just what I use and know; feel free to research other options.
For my shop, I bought a cheap wax melting pot ($20, Waxkiss Wax Warmer), I ordered the Silca chain stripper/drip wax ($36), and the Silca Super-Secret Hot Melt Wax ($43) all from Amazon. The hardest part, but also the most rewarding one, was cleaning the oil-based lube off the bike. It takes time and diligence as it can be quite tedious. Once it’s 100% clean, degreased, and dry you can proceed with following the directions on the hot wax you have. You’ll get 300-500 miles out of a waxed chain and adding the drip wax occasionally will extend that as well. Subsequent waxing is exponentially easier as it’s already oil free, just boiling hot water to clean the drivetrain and rewaxing to get back to that super slippery, ultra quiet, low friction ride.
However, if you find yourself wanting to get your legs waxed after reading this article, go for it! We’re cyclists we won’t judge, and we’ll be jealous of your aerodynamic legs and the five watts gained in power.
Richard Lawley |
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LOOKING FOR FCC RIDES??
The following is a list of FCC ride groups and locations to find FCC Rides.
FCC Website
Facebook
EMAIL
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FCC - P.O. Box 27571, Fresno, CA 93729-7571 www.fresnocycling.com |
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