GREETINGS CLUB MEMBERS AND FELLOW BICYCLISTS

  It is officially Spring, and the weather is looking great. With warm and sunny days, it’s perfect for getting out on your bicycle and enjoying our beautiful area. We have some of the best bicycle riding in the state, providing many options and challenges as well as beautiful scenery to enjoy along the way. 

  Our ride leaders are already filling the Ride Calendar with lots of riding options. Keep an eye on the calendar at our website home page, and also check the Facebook Group “Fresno Cycling Club Riders and Rides” for available rides. 

THE KIRCH FLAT CENTURY

  The Kirch Flat Century and Rides is a month away on May 4th.  Be sure to sign up soon at https://fresnocycling.com/event-3303549. Ride Director Yvonne Moreno and her assistant Michael Quiroz are making plans for a super fun and enjoyable ride. The theme this year is “MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU”. They are planning 5 ride options from a 15-mile family ride to 110-mile Century ride. Sign up as soon as possible so they can make the final planning for rest stop provisions and the after-ride meal. The event this year will be back at Pasa De Tiempo Park in Clovis at Barstow & De Wolf Avenues. If you don’t plan on doing the ride, they are also in need of volunteers to help with the Rest Stops and SAG. 

UPCOMING MEETING

BOARD MEETING:  6:00 PM, April 3 - Me N Eds Victory Grill @ Granite Park

MOVIE NIGHT!

The Fresno Cycling Club will be holding a Movie Night!

WHEN: Monday, April 15th, 6:30PM

WHERE: Regal Manchester Theatre (Manchester Center) Fresno

WHAT: The Bikes of Wrath

HOW: Click Here to Purchase Tickets

The Bikes of Wrath

"In 2015 5 friends from Australia set out to bike from Oklahoma to California the same route the families traveled in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. The friends did this on a budget of just $420 which is the equivalent to the $18 each family had on average that made the same trek during the dust bowl. They were overwhelmed by the generosity of the people in the states they biked through. During the edit process of the documentary they realized this trek was more about the people they met than the actual trek."

SAFETY AND COURTESY

  Bicyclists and motorists alike need to focus their attention on what they are doing. Distracted riding or driving can and does result in dire consequences. For bicyclists, it can be much more devastating when involved in an accident with a motor vehicle. Recently there have been several incidents involving bicycle and vehicle “contact incidents” in our area, two of which were on Auberry road, which actually has a bike lane. One incident involved a distracted motorist who unknowingly veered into the bike lane striking a bicyclist (motorist stopped and admitted fault) and the other appears to have been an intentional act where a pickup truck veered into the bike lane striking a bicyclist with the mirror (a hit and run). Fortunately, neither bicyclist suffered severe injuries, but it points out the need to be highly vigilant while your riding. 

  I always wear a rearview mirror that attaches to my glasses (some can attach to your helmet) and recommend all riders use one. You use them on your car, so why not on your bicycle? The use of the rearview mirror allows you to see when vehicles are coming up on you and what they are doing (hopefully staying in their lane). The mirror gives you chance to react if you see them coming at you.  Another benefit of the mirror is that you can ride in the travel lane, which I do often to avoid debris on the shoulder or in the bike lane, or if your chatting it up with your fellow riders, you can see a car coming and move into a single file formation to allow the car to pass safely. 

  We all know about the “us vs them” conflict we seem to have with some motorists who just don’t like the idea of bicyclists on the roadways. Their reasoning is that they say that; 1) bicyclists think they own the road, 2) bicyclists are always running stop signs and Red lights, 3) bicyclists ride two or three abreast and take up the lane blocking traffic then fail to move over, and other things that irritate them. The truth is there are bicyclists that do all of these, but just like the motorists that violate traffic laws, they are a minority. Unfortunately, this is a worldwide problem that will not disappear easily. The best we can hope for is to work on the problem locally in an effort to encourage motorists to be as courteous towards us as they would have us be towards them. We accomplish this by encouraging all Club members and bicyclists in the community to abide by the traffic laws as they apply to bicyclists, this means stopping for both Stop Signs and Red lights when there are other vehicles present. 

  When riding with groups always be mindful of approaching traffic and move to a single file formation to allow motorists to pass safely. The exceptions are when you are “taking the lane” if it is to narrow to share with a vehicle (keep in mind most motorists are unaware of the law allowing this).  It seems most motorists are only aware of the portion of the law that bicycles are supposed to stay far to the right. Let’s think in terms of “New Beginnings” just like we do every new year.  It’s a time to make changes, so let’s make a change as a Cycling Community and try to ride as safe as we possibly can. Granted, not everyone will go along with this but if we as Club members can initiate it, we can have an impact on the Cycling community as a whole. Hopefully motorists will notice and appreciate us more. Sure it may be wishful thinking but we need to start somewhere.  

  If you want to refresh your memory on the Rules of the Road for bicyclists you can check them out at: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&division=11.&title=&part=&chapter=1.&article=4.

2019 FCC/TC3 TIME TRIAL SERIES

  The 2019 Time Trial Series got off to a great start last month. There were 39 riders that came out to test their conditioning against the clock. This is a fun event for all Club members, you don’t have to be a racer to benefit from and enjoy this event. It’s a simple 10 mile course on Belmont avenue just east of Academy, 5 miles out and 5 miles back. Riders leave the start line at 30 second intervals. Whether you’re a “B” level rider, a “D” level rider or anything in between you can do this. It is a great test of your condition and a great way to gauge your progress throughout the year by how much quicker your able to complete the ride. The next event will be Tuesday April 9, 2019. You can pre-register at:  https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=174188. The event is free to all FCC and TC3 members and $5.00 to all non-members. Come out to watch or volunteer to help out we start setting up at 5:15 pm, check-in and registration starts at 5:30 pm with the first rider off at 6 pm.

CLIMB TO KAISER

  This year’s (2019) Climb to Kaiser will be held on June 22, 2019, at the Alta Sierra Middle school campus at Teague & Peach Avenues, a switch back to our previous venue. This year in addition to all the great rest stops and SAG support, our after-ride meal will feature a Fajita Fiesta Bar provided by Baja Fresh Catering. Baja Fresh will provide fresh, hot meals for the duration of our event until the last rider has eaten. We are looking forward to having a great event this year. It appears our Kaiser Pass rest stop crew may need to take shovels to access the restroom due to the excessive amounts of snow. This has happened in the recent past. You can register for C2K at: https://fresnocycling.com/event-2957370.

MEMBERSHIPS AND MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

  I want to welcome all our new members to the Club. As of this week we are hovering around 700 Active paid members. Approximately 230 others have not renewed yet, some for as long as the past 3 years. I know there are many reasons why members fail to renew; they have moved, they no longer ride their bike, they have moved to a different group, they don’t feel the club is meeting their needs, they aren’t being kept engaged in club activities or they just no longer want to be in a club. 

  We (the Board) are always looking for suggestions on how to improve the Club and what we can do to help keep our members engaged in Club activities. Contact myself or a Board member to offer up your thoughts and ideas. I have found being Club President for the past 6 years that there is rarely a new idea that comes along that hasn’t at some point in the Club’s long history been done. That said, it doesn’t hurt to try things that have been tried in the past. After all, many members are new to the Club and for them it would be a new experience. You are also welcome to come to a Board meeting, held on the first Wednesday of every month to share your thoughts.

  That’s all for now.  See you on the Road.  Ride Safe and Ride Legal!

The Prez, aka Dennis Ball

DEVIN'S SHOP TALK BLOG

    Devin Bovee has added to his blog, talking about Stewardship.  Find out the scoop in Devin's Latest Blogpost.

PAY-TO-RIDE EVENTS

There are some great paid events coming our way. 

• The Cal Classic is April 6, 
  
• The Kirch Flat Century is May 4, 
• Climb to Kaiser will be June 22,
• The Grizzly Century will be on Sept 14, 
• The Bass Lake Double Century on Oct 12,  
• The Hammer Ride will be Oct 19th. 
  

  There are a lot of rides to choose from and those are just the local rides. The Wildflower Century will be April 27th, and the Light House Century will be on Sept 28th. 

  Find us on the web at www.fresnocycling.com or find us Facebook and get plugged into one of the ride groups.  Start your training for the big events! 

That’s all I have for now. See you on the road!

The Prez, aka Dennis Ball  

LOCAL BIKE SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS

 For many of us, eating and riding are the two major things in life.  We all rely on and support our local bike shops.  These are the people dedicated to making sure that we can all safely enjoy what we do.  A few local restaurants go out of their way to accomodate cyclists.  Please be sure to support these folks, and tell them you are an FCC Member!

• List of Bicycle Shops and other Supporters.
  

OTHER ITEMS

Click Link Below, or go to www.fresnocycling.com

• Ride Codes
• Rules of the Road
• Bicyclist Code of Conduct
• Membership Application
• Board Member List

   The Fresno Cycling Club is a group of some 800+ cyclists who enjoy bicycling as recreation and sport. As a club we seek to offer cycling events and activities that span a spectrum of cycling interests. Club rides are scheduled year round and range from novice level to 200-mile expert rides. We protect the rights of cyclists by following local, state, and national affairs as they concern cycling. Club members receive a monthly newsletter listing ride schedules and other information of interest to cyclists.  Don't wait another minute! Join now! Welcome to the Fresno Cycling Club.

Questions or Comments on this newsletter?  Let us know! editor@fresnocycling.com 

Facebook - Fresno Cycling Club Members

Facebook - Fresno Cycling Club Rides