Looking Ahead to Lots of Riding

We're fast approaching the end of April already! The weather has turned nicer on a consistent basis, and I've seen a number of you out already. I am eager to see more and more of you as it gets warmer, and the semester ends, and people have a little more time to get out! 

We are still looking for eager volunteers who are willing to lead a ride! We will have another ride coordinators meeting Saturday evening, May 6th at Wegman's Cafe, hosted by Kurt Deutsch. If you want to learn the few simple things that it takes to take on this exciting responsibility, please let Kurt know - kurtdeutsch55@gmail.com . 

It was nice to see a few new faces out this past week! If the weather holds tomorrow, I hope there are a few more that venture out! And I look forward to seeing the familiar faces, making new friends, etc. 

We are working hard to make it easier for YOU to post rides! Let us know as early as possible if you're planning to do a ride, and would welcome company! All you need to do is tell us WHEN you plan on starting; WHAT DAY/DATE you plan on riding, WHERE you plan on riding from, a BRIEF note about where you're planning to go, and the PACE you'll be riding at. For example, say I plan on a Fridayafternoon ride, I might submit something like this: Ride Friday, April 28 at 3:00 P.M. from Fairbrook Park. We'll ride for roughly 3 hours, some climbing, about 50 miles, with a BB pace, or about 16-17 mph. Simple as that! 

Are you looking for a fun event to try out? Think about the Great Finger Lakes Bicycle Tour, hosted by the Southern Tier Bicycle Club. It's June 9-11, and for roughly $100, you'll have plenty of space to pitch your tent, or for a few extra bucks, you can sleep in a cabin. You get two breakfasts and two dinners for that price, plus SAG support for the various rides that are put on that weekend. I'm doing it again this year, so if you're interested in joining me, let me know!

Two of us are gearing up for the National 24-hour challenge coming up the following weekend in Middleville, Michigan. We're hoping it's not 92 degrees this year! It's a test of your endurance, if you're in to such things! If you have questions, ask me. I'll be glad to answer them! 

The following weekend will be the CVIM ride which will include a family fun ride, a half metric century, and a metric century, at last check in. More details to follow.

And WAY down the road, the annual club century will be held on SUNDAY, September 10. Route details will be forthcoming in the next month or so. We'll be looking for a couple of volunteers to man a rest stop or two as well. So, if you'd like to do a local century, and have never done one before, now is the time to start training! We'll be hosting a series of 'century prep rides' through the summer to get you ready.

See you on the roads,

Joe Lundberg

President

State College Cycling

Greetings, everyone!

I'm just back from a work trip to Pensacola, Florida (it was a tough assignment, but someone had to do it!). It was beautifully sunny the three days I was there, and the beach was beautiful! What I lacked was a bike, and the only place that would rent a road bike was charging $70/day! Needless to say, I decided running was the cheaper option. So thankful that I'm back here in beautiful Pennsylvania where I can ride MY bike, and where you CAN rent a bike for much more palatable prices! Kudos to our local bicycle shops!

If you have not as yet signed up to become a member of State College Cycling, take a moment to do so. Go to the State College Cycling brand new web site and check it out:

http://www.statecollegecycling.com

Also, to speed things up this year, we have an online sign-in form which you can use anytime to sign-in for the Tuesday ride, Thursday slow and easy and any special rides. Just go to 

http://www.statecollegecycling.com/Rider-Check-In/

Cue sheets are also posted on the site through the end of May. http://www.statecollegecycling.com/Cue-Sheets/

Weather too! http://www.statecollegecycling.com/Weather/

Then, after you've poked around, here's the link to where you can sign up:

http://www.statecollegecycling.com/Membership/

You can choose several options to pay - whichever is easiest for you!

Now that you've taken care of that little detail, I will make a personal appeal to all of you to become a ride coordinator! I'll make it as plain and simple as I can: WE. NEED. YOU! Your willingness to volunteer to lead a ride of any level from time to time makes my life much better! And I appreciate the differences you all bring to the table in the variety of ways you lead! Our next ride coordinator training session is coming up the last weekend of the month. If you wish to become a ride coordinator, e-mail Kurt Deutsch (e-mail) or myself (jelsrr124@comcast.net). We look forward to hearing from you!

A couple of dates to keep in mind: Saturday, June 24 looks to be the CVIM ride. As of the last notes I've heard, there will not be a century option this year, but that is subject to change. More details in the coming weeks. Also, Sunday, September 10 will be the date of our annual club century, with shorter options available! If you wish to train for this ride, especially if you've never ridden a century, we'll be hosting a series of century training rides through the summer to get you ready! Stay tuned for more details!

Lastly, we are looking to expand our rides! A number of you have expressed a desire to have more weekend rides. An effort is underway to start hosting these, probably on Saturdays, in May. More than likely, these will start at 8 or no later than 9, so that you can get a good, fun ride in and still have half of the day or more to do other things! And I'm hoping to start some Monday evening rides for CC and B level riders specifically, especially if I can solicit the help of one or two of you to make this work! Please drop me a line if you're interested!

This weeks' ride: Fairbrook Park at 5:30! 

Joe Lundberg

President

State College Cycling