2026 17 Mile Drive Riders
Happy New Year 2026!
The Prez Sez
Greetings, fellow bicyclists and Club members!
START OF THE NEW YEAR
Even with the inclement weather, January still delivered some truly memorable rides. We kicked things off with our Annual New Year’s Day Ride—although this year it became a New Year’s Weekend Ride. Heavy rain washed out Thursday the 1st, so we regrouped and rolled on Friday the 2nd instead. Thankfully, Friday brought perfect riding weather, and we enjoyed a fantastic spin out to Lost Lake for muffins and refreshments.
A big thank-you goes to Gia Parker (Retired Bass Lake Powerhouse Double Century Director) and her awesome volunteer crew for setting up a terrific rest stop, complete with homemade muffins and plenty of goodies. Their hard work helped make the day special. We had more than 70 riders come out to share the fun, choosing from a mix of routes ranging from 20 to over 50 miles.
Our next big outing was the Annual Pacific Grove 17-Mile Drive Ride, a scenic 30+ mile loop from Pacific Grove to Carmel and back. The weather absolutely delivered, giving the 40+ riders a stellar day on the bike. What really sets the 17-Mile Drive ride apart is the breathtaking scenery: dramatic coastal views, ocean waves crashing against the rocks, wildlife like seals and deer, and those spectacular homes lining the oceanfront. Midway through, riders refueled with great food at the “From Scratch” restaurant and other local spots—a well-earned treat in the middle of a gorgeous ride.
WINTER CYCLING
I hope the new year is already giving you some great opportunities to get out and ride. Over the past month, the weather has been all over the map—sneaking in a few brilliant days between stretches of gray, gloomy skies. Most of us aren’t exactly thrilled to roll out on those foggy, bone-chilling mornings, especially when the temperature drops below 50 degrees—that’s where I personally draw the line.
The upside is that with the right cycling gear, winter rides can be far more enjoyable than you might expect. The real puzzle is figuring out your layers before you roll. Winter riding is tricky that way—particularly if your route climbs into the foothills. You might start out in the valley, shivering under low clouds and cold air, but as you head up into the foothills, you pop out above the cloud layer into bright sunshine. Suddenly, you’re warm, unzipping jackets, peeling off layers, and stuffing them into your jersey pockets as the day transforms from chilly to downright pleasant.
An important issue to remember even during the winter months is to hydrate while you ride and throughout the day as well. It's easy to get dehydrated in cooler weather as you don't get as thirsty, so you have to make a conscious effort to drink fluids, especially when you’re riding. Getting dehydrated can lead to a trip to the ER without you realizing why you're feeling badly. This happened to one of our riders on the New Years ride when they got home and later was vomiting and feeling bad. Went to ER and after several tests they determined the cause was dehydration.
Board Members Needed
The Club is looking for a few fun-loving, capable, outgoing members to help with the work of our Club activities. Positions needed to be filled are:
Volunteer Coordinator who helps with securing volunteers for our various events and activities.
Rider Leader Coordinator who can work with our Ride Coordinator, Glenn Medina, to organize the ride leaders to put on rides. The Ride Leader would work with Ride Leaders to ensure that the Club has the necessary ride leaders for each category of ride (A – D), and to coordinate training for new ride leaders as needed.
Sponsorship Coordinator, who would work to secure sponsors to help support our events.
Contact me or any Board member to express your interest in one of the positions. It would really be great to get these positions filled as soon as possible. These jobs still must be performed by someone, so it would be helpful to divide up the work load.
February Birthday Ride
Join us for the February Birthday Ride, celebrating all our members born in the month of February. Register at: https://fresnocycling.com/event-6546715.
That’s it for now. Remember to always ride safe and ride legal.
The Prez
Dennis Ball
