 Vol 3 Issue 3 June 2010 | |
Letter From the Editor Janine Hegeman near Mt Princeton Hot Spgs. Summer is here! Well, at least on the calendar. BVBF was snowed OUT this year, yes, that's right - cancelled due to dangerous slushy and icy conditions. But the party still went on in the park at noon. And there was a post BVBF ride on Sunday to Mount Princeton Hot Springs; I rode that along with quite a few other folks. I applaud those of you who got up and out too early to hear of the cancellation and completed most of the ride on Saturday, as well as the sag drivers who brought food, water ,and assistance to riders out on the course. And this year, the party was "green" - recycling containers were set up at the party as well as compostables collection - yay! Thanks EVERYONE! And to show what an enduring and well-appreciated ride BVBF really is, here's a quote from a message sent to Allen Beachamp on Facebook from first time rider Ivy Liu: "Allen, please pass to Aaron and the entire BVBF team our sincerest thanks for all the work you all devoted to organizing this awesome event, despite the fact that we didn't get to see a lot of the fruit of your labor. We were amazed at how the sag support team continued to monitor the route and provided support to the straggler riders even though the event was officially cancelled. That is service above and beyond your call. Thank you! Will be back next year for sure!" I am so proud to be part of an organization that garners praise like this!
read more... Cycling for Change Tim Bergsten http://pikespeaksports.us/ Jason Christensen shakes his head in disbelief when he considers the statistics: In the United States, 40 million people live in poverty and the number is increasing. In Colorado, 15 percent of the children live in poverty, and one in four people, at some point in their lives, has struggled to purchase food. Two years ago in El Paso County, one in 12 adults received food stamps. Last year that ratio changed to one in 10. “What is the one thing that should unify us all? Care and concern for the poor,” Christensen said. “Whatever your politics, we should all see that in our nation of abundance, 40 million people should not be living in poverty.” And so the CEO of Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs is going to do something about it. In a few days, he’ll swing a leg over his bicycle in Cape Flattery, Wash., and ride 5,000 miles to Key West, Fla., in the Cycling for Change bike ride.
read more... 2010 Shamus McSpud Ride and Party Bob Smith (Editor's note: Many apologies for not getting this into the last edition of the Bent Fork! Too many green beers, perhaps?) The date was Sunday, March 14th, 2010, three days in advance of St. Patrick’s Day. The event: the Annual McSpud Ride and Party! The weather was far from pristine. However, about 12 riders managed to make the trek from Acacia Park to the Smith home in Mountain Shadows. Another 30 to 35 folks chose to travel by car. Dave Horne was on hand to record the activities at the park, the ride and at the Smith home with his Nikon. I was at the park already to ride and with 40 plus route cue and ride sign in sheets. It was drizzling sleet and snow and it was just plain cold to someone who just returned from Tucson. Rich Hostak made me shiver just to look at him in shorts! I managed to get everyone signed in, got back into the car, turned the heat on full and drove back to the house to help Anne get ready for the onslaught or rider and drivers at our home. There were no fitness riders out there, not a one. I guess they can handle the speed and miles but not the weather or the party. Did I say that Brent and Ariel Carter rode the ride with dad Rush? read more... | President's Message Charlie CzarnieckiJune brings more opportunities for riding weather. I know that I need to get out more.
The CSCC Board of Directors had been taking about partnering with Kids on Bikes (KoB) for almost two years. It is a very worthy cause but had some particularities that we hoped might change a bit. This spring their board of directors made some subtle changes and it dismissed all our reservations. Both the Club and the BVBF Committee have a portion of our funds that we “ear mark” for donations. The CSCC Board donated $2000 that we set aside last year for our “outreach” and “advocacy” programs and the BVBF Committee put up another $800. On May 6th a small group of us attended the Sand Creek Elementary School Bike Awards Program. The 5th grade class attended all their year-long bike education and school goals sessions - 69 “graduates” brought in their riding helmets and took home their Giant bike and bike lock that afternoon. As the program began that day, Aaron Rosenthal and I were invited to speak to the assembly - and we presented the $2,800 check to the KoB program executive director.
read more... Socially Yours Chris ConboyPhoto courtesy Richard Oliver Hello Fellow Club Members! Hope all of you have found your bikes and hardened up your seats for some fun riding this summer. Mother Nature has proven to be a challenge on some days, but there should be many good days ahead. On the social scene, the BVBF Beer Pam Oliver at BVBF party and BBQ was a blast. Plenty of suds and brats, plus seeing old friends from last year made it all worth it, even though the ride was "officially" called off. Our club meetings have been quite the social scene, too. We have set some attendance records the last few months and having good speakers and munchies has also helped. Don't forget our next meeting, Tuesday, June 1 at the Clarion Hotel downtown(6:30 p.m.).
read more... BVBF 2010 Aaron RosenthalPhoto courtesy Richard Oliver As most of you know, either first hand as registered riders or by volunteering, this year’s Buena Vista Bike Fest was like no other. On Saturday morning and early afternoon the course was marked. Pockets of snow on the north side of Turquoise Lake warranted a call to our Leadville street division contacts who promised to plow that afternoon and to sweep the Mineral Belt Trail. Both were accomplished by around 2:00. About and hour later the snows came and by 5:00 the road around Turquoise Lake was so covered with snow (up to 6 inches) it required 4-wheel drive. Based on this information we knew the road around the lake would not be an option for the following day’s ride. By now packet pick-up had begun in earnest, and it rained off and on throughout the evening. We had no idea what the next day would bring or if the Mineral Belt Trail would be open. BVBF committee members stayed up late trying to come up with a few route options based on what our permit would allow.
read more... Membership Sara HillWelcome New Members! Ann McDonald, Tim & Cathy Omdal, Richard Metcalf, Bob & Bonnie Lucas, Diane Walker & Mark Spinuzzi, Shahid Rahman, Katherine Michaels, Keith Brown, Brigitte Horner, Ron Hargrave, Derrick Bourgeois & Family, Tom Martin & Family, Charlie & Margaret Oliver, Doug Barnett & Family, Ron Hambrick, Charles Donachy, John Murphy, Morris Gray, Jerry Bechtold & Family, Patrick Blackwelder, Timothy Cotton Renewing members-Thanks! Liz Ford, Ann Coy, Char Taylor, Paula Krantz, Sean & Hope Mullally, William Allen & Family, Sidney Rubinow, Trent Hovenga & Family, Marian Avoy, Sandie Erskine, Sandra & Dennis Follador, John & Anita Rasper, Connie Long, Barry Wick & Marcia Barber, Kerry Hefta, Renee Barall, Bob Vandepas, Richard & Pamela Oliver, Steven Roach, Alfred Chioffe, Marielle Oetjen, Vic & Diane Villhard, Lenny Mazel Advocacy Al BrodyHere is ample forewarning, actually, encouragement, for you to attend the next club meeting. The CSCC meeting on 01 June 2010 may provide you with tools to make you safer in the traffic mix. After the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals webinar titled The Overlooked E: Involving Law Enforcement in Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Programs, Colorado Springs Police Officer and certified International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPIMBA) Instructor, Brett Iverson is prepared to present bicyclist/motorist interactions from a police officer's perspective. read more... Trading Concepts Bob SmithAnne and I have become snowbirds and have spent most of the past two winters in Tucson, AZ. Tucson is a very bicycle friendly city and a great place to maintain cycling fitness throughout the winter. Our first winter there we mostly rode on our own to get more familiar with the bike routes and numerous bike ways. Most streets in Tucson have on street bike lanes. Pima County publishes a revised bike map every two years. The map is free and available online in PDF format and at bike shops. The latest edition was published in September 2009. The map is the best way to navigate Tucson by bike. The routes are rated and color coded making it easy to select an on street route that matches your ability and comfort zone for traffic. Projected improvements are indicated on the map as dashed lines. You can access the Pima County Bike Map at http://bikeped.pima.gov/Publications.html read more... Links 'n' Spokes Janine HegemanHigby Road - Photo by Ed Bidinotto SOOOO many rides and events happening! Check it out: Bike art festival! August Roll bike art festival http://www.thebac.org/Venue515.php Peak Region Cyclist has lots of info! Peak Region Cyclist Magazine dpico@peakregioncyclist.com Blue River Century August 22 marie@bluerivercentury.com Stonewall Century August 21 www.spcycling.org (Decisions, decisions!) Circle the Summit August 14 www.circlethesummit.com Ride around the Frisco, Lake Dillon area Colorado Peace Ride *4 days, 238 miles, 100's of causes* July 29 - August 1 http://www.thepeaceride.com "Lap the Lake 50" bike race June 26. If you missed Turquoise Lake at BVBF this year, here's a chance to do it again. www.lakecountyco.co/recreation Fat Tire Mountain Bike Week - The Planet's Oldest Mountain Bike Festival *Crested Butte / Mt. Crested Butte, CO* June 22 - 27 http://www.ftbw.com/ "Outside in Aspen" June 11-13 An active Lifestyle weekend! Contact Julia Theisen jtheisen@aspenchamber.org Crest Crank August 29 - 12th Annual ride! The 20-mile ride is on the Monarch Crest section of the Continental Divide Trail, including 12 miles of single-track at over 11,000 feet. http://www.salidaalliance.org/Page.aspx?PageID=6307 Of course, don't forget the Copper Triangle, the Starlight Spectacular, and Ride Your Bike to Work Day! |
| Bent Fork June 2010 - Vol 3 Issue 3 June 2010 | |
