1 -  I don’t want to ride alone

2 -  What do I do if I have a flat

3 -  The “club” goes to fast

4 -  I don’t want to get lost when I get dropped 

The list goes on.  At one time we all were beginners or like me, I just don’t want to go fast and chase the local bike club all over the county. 

I have talked about starting a Women’s cycling group for some time.  More like 4 years.  Late spring I finally started putting it together.  We have fired up a web site www.chesapeakespokeswomen.com.

Check it out and let me know what you think…..

 Since we own a total of 7 Waterford and/or Gunnar bikes and I know first hand how well the Fitmaster system works,  I will be attending the Fitmaster Professional Bicycle fit Seminar   http://fitmaster.net/site/  in Seattle,  Washington next month.  I can’t wait!

Fred Matheny

Fred Matheny gave a 1 hour presentation this evening. “10 myths regarding cycling” Did you know that size really DOES NOT matter? I mean the size of the crank arm! Really, I’m not the expert… Go to www.roadbikerider.com and ask Coach Fred. Tons of useful info on the web. I have so much information in just 21/2 short day’s I just can’t get in from my brain to my fingertips!

PAC Tour Day 1 – Saturday.  Today was check in day.  Those who wanted to rode to Sharon for an Ice Cream run!  Most riders chose to stay close to the motel because of the rain.  Saturday evening we had dinner at a Chinese Buffett.  Everyone introduced themselves.  Most were from the mid west area.  One from Austrilia, two from Europe and three from Canada.  A great group of individuals.  We were introduced to Jim Langley and Coach Fred Matheny, author of Road Biker Magazine .   Jim and Fred are never without a smile on their faces!

Day two- Sunday.  We rode a total of 90 miles.  It rained from almost the minute we left the motel until about 11am.  Not much traffic and we were on a paved trail for about 15 miles so it wasn’t so bad.  Had an Ice Cream stop in Poplar Grove, IL and then on to lunch in Sharon at Lon & Susan’s home.  Good food and good company.  17 miles back to Beloit, of course, I had to miss a turn and added about 5 miles to my ride.  Shower first, bike wash, throw gear in washing machine, dinner at Applebee’s then to hear guest speaker.  Bob Olsen of Bike Werks in Crystal Lake, WI.  Bob used to sag Lon on the RAAM.

Day 3 – Monday.  Today’s ride went north with a total of 90 miles.  It started storming around 1:30 this morning and stopped just as the ride pulled out.  decidednot to ride in the rain today and had Bob Olsen adjust my cleats andwent for a quick hour ride around Beloit.  We now are under a tornado watch!  Tonight we’ll watch the movie “ Bicycle Dream” about the 2004 RAAM.

Bobby Phillips and me

Well, I finally met Baltimore’s cycling legend, Bobby Phillips!  Other refer to him as the “Bobby the Bullet”.  Bobby has a long history in the Baltimore area and has hosted the Turkey Day Bike Race which has a lot of history.  This year, Bobby is hosting the 25th race on September 13.  Well, you know me!  I will be helping Bobby out this year.  I will keep you posted.  This is something you should check out.

I met John for the first time on July 4th, 2005.  I was driving the sag vehicle for a ride our local club does every 4th of July when I came upon a cyclist with a flat.  The guy was being really stubborn about putting a new tube in.  Then out of nowhere this guy shows up, on a bike.  He has green lizard arm warmers on.  It was the middle of July!  I thought “holy cow, who is this guy”.  He took control made the guy change his tube, got him on the road and off he went!  Wow, who was that guy?

I soon discovered that John has been riding a bike for more than 20years. He has done the Boston-Montreal-Boston.  He is training to do the Assault on Mt. Mitchell for the 19th year in a row.  I have never heard him say a negative thing.  If I were riding a tricycle down the road, John would be the cheerleader. 

Now that you’ve met John, let me introduce you to his carbon fork.  He’s like the rest of us cycle junkies.  If he could, he would ride his bike in his sleep.  In other words, he rides as many miles as his wife will let him.  His wife is very understanding.  Last month he took his Lightspeed Chesapeake Cycle & Sport http://chesapeakecyclesport.com for a major tune up.  The mechanic discovered that John had a huge crack in the fork!  Johns’  been training for Mt. Mitchell, lots of hill climbs, lots of descents.  I fear the thought of what would have happened if the mechanic hadn’t found that crack and replaced the fork.

So, now you have met John, a true hero,  and you’ve  met his fork.  This fork is an example of why  you should ALWAY’S have your bike inspected.  The more you ride, the more inspections.

This is also why I love my steel frame bike!

By the way, did I tell you that John is 68!

Have you ever gone into a business and you just don’t get that warm fuzzy feeling?  I have and I usually don’t stay around long.  As a Bicycle Shop junkie, I make it a point to visit the local bike shop any time I am out of town.  The best shop is the one that has that “old school” feel. 

Well, I am happy to say that we now have an “old school” type of bike shop in the area.  Chesapeake Cycle & Sport in Havre de Grace, Maryland.  The owners are so in tune to all aspects of bicycling and more.

Congratulations Chesapeake Cycle & Sport.  

Not going to Arizona was a hard decision.  I will be going to the PAC Tour Wisconsin Camp in June.  At first I was not thrilled.  Once I put some thought into it, I think cycling in Wisconsin won’t be so bad.  I still get to ride with the same energizing people as I would have in Arizona.  I get to ride and see the beautiful scenery that Wisconsin has to offer. And, I will be able to visit the birthplace of two of my bicycles.  Waterford Bicycles.  So, I’m sure I’ll have a wonderful time and come home just as energized as when I came home from the Desert Camp last year.