Fresno Cycling Club - June 2024

Rough Draft

June 2024

THE PREZ SAYS.....

     Greetings Fresno Cycling Club members and fellow riders of the human powered vehicle called the bicycle, recumbent, or tricycle.

     Welcome to summer in the Central Valley. If you want to have a cool ride, it's best to go as early as possible in the morning. Many who work hit the road between 5 to 6 am to get a ride in before work. Kudos to those dedicated souls. Those of us who either don't work, have flex hours, or work from home tend to sleep in a little longer and deal with the heat. Although it does get hot in the valley during the summer, it's still possible to get some great riding in. The key, if you can't hit the roads early, is to build up your heat tolerance and make sure you hydrate well.

     "May is Bike Month" was active and was a good start for the riding season. The various events were well attended. The Kirch Flat Century and rides got us off to a great start. On rare occasions, it does rain on the KFC and this year it happened for those hearty soles that came in toward the end of the day. They got soaked to the bone. Overall, everyone had an enjoyable ride since the weather was nice until it started raining. Our after-ride meal was prepared and served by Uptown Sprouts Restaurant, owned by Pam Stepanian out of Kingsburg. The Mexican tacos served with rice and beans were a big hit. The winners of the Cell Hill KOM and QOM were Ronnie Kier and Laura Nehring. They each were awarded free registration to a future FCC event of their choice.

     There was the Ride with the Fresno Major, Jerry Dyer, from City Hall. We rode through the downtown area to the Tower District checking out some of the newly installed protected Bike Lanes. It was a fun ride with a big group of riders. It seems that the mayor is supportive of the bicycling community.

     The Ride of Silence was well attended with nearly 100 riders to remember and recognize our fellow riders who have been killed or injured in accidents with motor vehicles. This is a worldwide event that endeavors to involve bicyclists from around the world at the same time.

     Our VP, Janet Lucido, hosted a mid-week family ride and swap meet, starting at Steven’s Bicycles and going to the Dry Creek Trailhead. You can read more about that below in her recap of the event.

     The Memorial Day ride was an all-level Club ride designed to get our members out riding. Several riders showed up with riders in each level. We are hosting a similar event on the 4th of July so get your stars and stripes or FCC club jersey ready for that day.

     Another great event created by our Editor and Ride Leader, David Wright, that started in May is the Climbing Challenge. It began on May 18th and goes to June 16th. With 37 riders signed up, it looks like it is a very active event with some riders already nearing 50 thousand feet of elevation gain in the first 10 days. It's going to be exciting to see how much climbing gets done the end of the challenge. David scheduled the challenge purposefully to avoid the Climb to Kaiser event which would give those riding it a last bit of an advantage. I have a feeling there will be a bunch of riders ready to conquer the Climb to Kaiser this year.

ADVOCACY

     Many of us may not realize how important a role we each play in promoting bicycling advocacy. When bicyclists think of advocacy, they think it is getting the Government to make new laws or make changes to the infrastructure to help make bicycling safer. That’s only a part of bicycle advocacy. Every time we go for a ride we are involved in bicycle advocacy. You are either projecting a good image of bicycling or a bad image. It is a common human reaction that people tend to remember more of the bad things a person does than all the good. When motorists see a bicyclist run a stop sign or a red light, they think all bicyclists do it. How we ride in traffic leaves an impression on motorists and to them anyone on a bicycle is a bicyclist. Our club message to all bicyclists is “Ride safe and ride legal.” Remember, the laws are designed to help motorists and bicyclists share the road safely. When people don’t follow the rules, accidents can happen. Our job as bicyclists is to do the best we can to promote a positive image of bicyclists.

     A pet peeve of mine and for many motorists is when I see a group of bicyclists riding along like they are the only ones on the road. Usually, they are taking up the roadway making it difficult for cars to pass. As President of the club, I get more complaints from motorists, especially from those who travel the roads of our nearby foothills, about bicyclists riding two to four abreast on the narrow roads and not going single file when cars approach them. Yes, the law does allow for bicyclists to take the lane when it is too narrow to share and it doesn’t matter if it is one bicyclist taking the lane or four bicyclists. However, bicyclists need to pay attention and use discretion. Just because something may be legal doesn’t mean it is always the right thing to do. Especially when you’re on narrow mountain roads that residents and other motorists frequently travel. The courteous thing to do is to go single file as soon as practical and let the motorist pass. It is understandable that when two or more cyclists are riding together, they like to talk. When they are talking and riding, they usually aren’t paying attention to traffic, and this causes them to be lax in responding to approaching vehicles.

     When you’re out riding, and you see riders exhibiting this type of behavior be an encourager and ask them to go single file to let the cars pass. Many of us enjoy riding on the mountain roads and we want to promote a good relationship with the folks who live there and must encounter us when we ride. I always try to wave and be friendly to motorists that pass me, most will wave back. We must remember that no matter how perfect we are there is always going to be that small percentage who just hate bicyclists on their roadway, and we may never change their minds.

     This is also extremely important since most of our events are on the public roadways in the foothills and mountains. We need to keep a good relationship with many of the folks who live there. To earn respect, we must be respectful. We do that by being courteous when we ride. We want bicycling to be an enjoyable and fun experience whenever and wherever we ride.

     As always “Ride safe and ride legal”.

     See you on the road, the gravel or the dirt.

The Prez
Dennis Ball

THE BIGGEST FCC EVENT OF THE YEAR IS ONLY A FEW WEEKS AWAY.  HAVE YOU REGISTERED?  

     The 45th Climb to Kaiser takes place on Saturday, June 22nd.

     Not ready for the full Climb to Kaiser?  Sign up for the Tollhouse Century ride.  Only 99 miles and 8,200 feet of climbing.  How hard could it be?  If Richard Lawley can do it, so can you.  (Disclaimer: it has not been proven if Richard Lawley can do it.  Sign up today as a rider or volunteer and find out on June 22nd)

     To help out as a volunteer for this year's C2K event send an email to Gia at volunteer@fresnocycling.com

THE FCC 4th OF JULY A, B, & C RIDES

     Get in that all-important pre-hot dog and fireworks ride the morning of July 4th.  

     As we did for Memorial Day, we will be offering three different rides.  An "A" level ride (ride pace 10-12 mph), a "B" level ride (ride pace 14-15 mph), and a "C" level ride (ride pace +/-17 mph).  More details will be sent out by email as we get closer to the 4th of July.  

JOIN THE FCC RIDE WITH GPS (RWGPS) ACCOUNT FOR FREE

     Did you realize the FCC has a Club account with Ride with GPS (RWGPS) that you can join for free?  Joining allows you to view all of the loaded ride routes and download them for offline use, which can include turn-by-turn navigation.  

     For more information and to join today visit the club Ride with GPS page and click the Join Now button.  Enter your first and last name and the email address that you use for the club.

LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

     Like many local clubs across the USA, our club is a League of American Bicyclists member.  

     The League of American Bicyclists was originally formed in 1880 and at that time known as the League of American Wheelmen (which is how cyclists were known in that era).  To improve riding conditions more than 100,000 cyclists from across the United States joined the league to advocate for paved roads.   Today, the league continues to represent and serve everyone who rides in the United States.

     Besides clubs, The League of American Bicyclists has individual and family memberships.  Your membership dollars go toward advocacy for building a more bicycle friendly America.  Find out more at their website.

FCC FAMILY RIDE AND SWAP MEET RECAP

     The FCC Family Ride and Swap Meet took place on Wednesday evening, May 22nd.  Unfortunately, we did not have the same turnout as previous years.  

     At the Swap Meet, there were lots of great deals to be had, including new jerseys from Artletic Apparel for a phenomenal cost.  There were bicycles, bike racks, and a lot of miscellaneous items.

     Last year we held the Swap Meet on a Saturday afternoon and some club members suggested that interfered with plans after spending their day riding.  However, we did have better attendance than this year's Wednesday evening event.  

     The FCC Board wants the club to be fun and entertaining for all levels of cyclists.  We believe the annual Swap Meet can be a beneficial event for everyone, but we have not quite landed on the right timing in terms of day of the week and time of day.  We would like to hear from our members regarding their ideas for the next Swap Meet.  If you have ideas or suggestions for future Swap Meets, please email them to editor@fresnocycling.com.  The information received will be shared at an upcoming board meeting.  

FCC BOARD MEETING

Wednesday, June 5th, 2024   

6:30 PM

Me N Eds Victory Grill

4010 N Cedar Ave


MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

Your Membership Renewal Date:

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FCC 2024 EVENT CALENDAR

  • Climb to Kaiser and Tollhouse Century – Saturday, June 22
  • Bass Lake Powerhouse Double Century – Saturday, Oct 12
  • Tour d' Femme - Saturday, Oct 26

FCC KILLER BEES DOUBLE METRIC DAY

     The Killer Bees, a ride group within the Fresno Cycling Club, are preparing for an exceptional feat: a 125-mile ride in a single day (Double Metric). The event will combine several shorter rides (likely four to five) to achieve the total distance.  This innovative structure eliminates the need for support or stationed rest stops, as each ride will commence and conclude at the same location.  This also provides the opportunity for riders to ride as little as 25 miles, the full 125, or many options in between.

     The Killer Bees Double Metric Day will take place on Saturday, October 19, 2024.  Training rides specific to this event will begin this summer.  The Killer Bees ride group is open to active FCC members who can request to join by visiting the Killer Bees Facebook Group.  

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.

BIKE MAINTENANCE - That Old Bag.

     When was the last time you checked your saddle bag contents? I wonder if anyone reading this would be surprised to find an empty CO2, a broken tire lever, dried-up tire patches, or an UnCrustable PB&J from last season (don’t eat it).

     But what should you carry outside of the obvious? Let’s face it, space and weight are the major concerns and we probably won’t have a team car behind us with every spare part needed, so where do you draw the line?

     What you carry with you heavily depends on what type of riding you’re doing, what type of setup you have on your bike, and your mechanical ability. But I will say this:  If you cannot fix a flat, find someone who will teach you, it is a valuable skill every cyclist must have.

     Having these items in your saddle bag will get you through the most common issue, punctures. Carrying other items may be handy and could save you a call for that dreaded SAG ride home.

     Let’s cover the basics:

  • Tube
  • Tire levers
  • CO2 with inflator
  • Patch kit
  • Multitool

     More advanced options might include some of the following items (my recommendations are in brackets):

  • TPU Tubes are very small and much lighter than butyl tubes (Tubolito S-Tubo Road)
  • Nitrile gloves keep hands clean and can double as a waste holder for the old tube
  • Tire Boot (a gel wrapper, dollar bill, or roadside trash will work too)
  • Quick Link for a broken chain, make sure it’s the correct one for your bike
  • Valve extender if you have deep section wheels and must borrow a tube
  • Spare 2032 coin-cell battery for electronics
  • Puncture repair tool for tubeless (DynaPlug Air)
  • Multitool with a chain breaker. (crankbrothers 19)
  • Valve stem core and removal tool, some valve covers have them built-in
  • Derailleur Hanger. Very small and very light
  • Hand pump (Silca Tattico)
  • Small folding knife (Gerber Paraframe Mini)

     Of course, some of these items are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine until you find yourself 60 miles from home and wishing you’d thought to bring that one thing with you. At the very least, you could’ve had an UnCrustable PB&J while waiting for an Uber. 

Richard Lawley

LOOKING FOR FCC RIDES??

    The following is a list of FCC ride groups and locations to find FCC Rides.

FCC Website

Facebook

EMAIL

STRAVA

  • 2024 Tollhouse Century Training Group (a group of FCC Killer Bees on a mission) – B+/C- rides (15-16mph pace on the flats), 40 – 90 miles and 2,500 - 6,000 feet of climbing. Riding 3 Saturdays per month to prepare for the Tollhouse Century on June 22nd. Find us on Strava by searching under clubs for 2024 Tollhouse.  Any active FCC member can request to join.  You can also email editor@fresnocycling.com for more details if you do not use Strava.

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