Fresno Cycling Club - May 2024 |
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THE PREZ SAYS.....
Greetings fellow Club members and riders of the bicycle.
MAY IS NATIONAL BIKE MONTH
Many of our members will know what that means, but newcomers may not. May is National Bike Month, promoted by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more folks to give biking a try.
The League was founded as the League of American Wheelmen in 1880. Bicyclists, known then as “wheelmen,” were challenged by rutted roads of gravel and dirt and faced antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers, and pedestrians.
To improve riding conditions so they might better enjoy their newly discovered sport, more than 100,000 cyclists from across the United States joined the League to advocate for paved roads. The success of the League in its first advocacy efforts ultimately led to our national highway system. In the late 1800s and early 1900s bicycling had become America's most popular sport.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/american-drivers-thank-bicyclists-180960399/
Of course, we all know what once the automobile was invented, the great national paved highway system was taken over by autos. The bicycle had lost its prominence on the road system and only in recent years has the persistence of bicycle safety advocates gained ground by advocating for better bicycling infrastructure.
The League's mission is to promote more and safer bicycling throughout the country. To that end, they recently created a free mileage tracker app for bicyclists to utilize to track their bicycle mileage. They are promoting its use to create a MAY IS BIKE MONTH Mileage Challenge in an effort to determine just how many miles we can ride this month. It also gathers useful data that can be utilized for bicycle advocacy to help build better infrastructure. The app pairs with Strava and can be set to automatically load your rides. You can sign up at this link:
https://www.lovetoride.net/usa?locale=en-US. It also has a Club Group which will track our club's total mileage for the month. Don't worry if you don't get it set before the first, you can add your missed rides manually. https://www.lovetoride.net/usa/groups/5553?group_invite=true
Join me in the biking challenge on Love to Ride!
May National Bike Month schedule of activities
BICYCLE ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS
National, State and Local Organizations that work for safer and better bicycling laws and infrastructure. These are organizations that work for bicyclists to promote safe and more abundant bicycling. These are organizations that our club supports through memberships and donations.
REGISTER YOUR BIKES
https://bikeindex.org/
This site is where you can register all your bicycles so that in case one gets stolen there is a better chance of tracking it down and recovering it. It is a free nationwide service. If your bicycle is stolen you report to Bike Index and they broadcast it nationwide.
Hope to see you at the Kirch Flat Rides this weekend. Ride safe and ride legal.
The Prez
Dennis Ball
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2024 FCC Annual Ride of Silence, Wednesday, May 15th
Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to
honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public
roadways. Although cyclists have a legal
right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public isn’t aware of these
rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.
The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to
ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road, and remain
silent during the ride. There are no
registration fees. The ride, which is
held during National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police,
and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public
roadways. The ride is also a chance to
show respect for and honor the lives of those that have been killed or
injured.
The 2024 Ride of Silence will take place, Wednesday, May 15th at 6:30 pm. It will start in the Clovis West High School Parking lot along Teague Avenue. Register for the 2024 Ride of Silence. |
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BICYCLING HISTORY
One of the greatest bicyclists who ever rode a bicycle, not just rode but raced and won a lot. Who was he? http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/who.shtml
Marshall Walter "Major"Taylor (1878-1932) he was the world's first black sports superstar. He was world cycling champion in 1899, American sprint champion in 1890, and set numerous track cycling records. Nicknamed "Major" in his youth in Indianapolis and later known as "the Worcester Whirlwind" after his adopted hometown in Massachusetts. Watch his documentary, it is fascinating. Check out a Major Taylor Bike displayed at Rubber Soul Bicycles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzDn3Ifmd0k
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FCC BOARD MEETINGWednesday, May 1st, 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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FRESNO CYCLING CLUB 30 DAY CLIMBING CHALLENGE
The FCC 30 Day Climbing Challenge is just a few weeks away. It begins Saturday, May 18th and ends Sunday June 16th.
The five levels of the challenge include:
Tollhouse - 5,000 feet of climbing in 30 days
Kaiser - 10,000 feet of climbing in 30 days
McKinley - 15,000 feet of climbing in 30 days
Denali - 20,000 feet of climbing in 30 days
Everest - 30,000 feet of climbing in 30 days
This is a free event for club members. An email with all of the event details will be going out to members on or about May 7th. |
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FCC 2024 EVENT CALENDAR
- Kirch Flat Century and Rides – Saturday, May 4
- Ride of Silence – Wednesday, May 15
- FCC 30 Day Climbing Challenge - May 18 through June 16
- Climb to Kaiser and Tollhouse Century – Saturday, June 22
- Grizzly Century and Gravel Rides – Saturday, Oct 5
- Bass Lake Powerhouse Double Century – Saturday, Oct 12
- Tour d' Femme - 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 - Gimme a Break!
No, this is not about the great Kit-Kat debate of left vs. right. This is a serious topic about the braking system on your bike. Whether you have rim brakes or disc brakes; no matter if they’re cable or hydraulic, the pads are not the only maintenance item that needs inspection. Sure, the part that’s going to wear out the quickest, the part that visually or audibly is going to give you a clue about wear, and the part that’s the cheapest, are the pads. But sometimes they’re not the only item on the list that needs regular inspection. The first and most obvious sign that you may have brake issues will be the brake lever. If it’s touching or even close to touching your handlebars, you have a serious issue that needs to be inspected before your next ride. Disc brakes are more common on newer bikes than rim brakes nowadays, but both systems wear out. With most rim brakes, the contact point on the wheel will have wear indicators in the form of dimples, lines, or grooves that are deeper and will gradually disappear as the braking surface is worn down. Once that wear indicator is gone, the wheel is no longer safe to ride on and should be replaced. With disc brakes, the shiny disc mounted to your wheel is the brake rotor. This is the braking surface that your brake pads contact and the part that should be inspected. The rotor should be replaced if it’s below the minimum thickness, has deep score marks, or has discoloration from overheating. The thickness tolerance should be indicated on the rotor body, if not, consult your bike manufacturer. Cable and hydraulic actuated systems also need maintenance with the delivery system. Cables wear out, become stretched, and can corrode. Hydraulic systems can leak, have water intrusion, or get air bubbles in the fluid all of which could cause poor or failed braking and can become catastrophic on a 40-50mph descent on Casino Hill approaching the stop sign. If you’re not sure about how to inspect your brakes or would like to have an expert assure your bike is within compliance, please visit your local bike shop and schedule a maintenance check-up. Buy new brake pads when needed and don’t neglect regular cleaning and inspections.
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
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 Kirch Flat Century on May 4th and 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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