The Rough Draft
A Monthly Update from The Fresno Cycling Club  - March 2018

The Prez Sez...

   This year, the weather has been amazing. Although we hope for rain, the nice weather has been great for bicycling and we have been taking advantage of it. The Brevet Series got off to a great start with the annual Raymond 200K Brevet. There were over 50 riders who braved the freezing start at 0700. Our very own Vice President Diana Millhollin and Membership Director Gia Parker each completed their first 200K (which included their first century!).There were groups of riders from Visalia, Lemoore, the Bay Area, Sacramento, Tracy, in addition to many of our own Club members. In the third year of doing the Brevets, these rides have become a popular event. Remember, the Raymond 200K is just the first of six Brevets in the series. You can find links to the remaining Brevets at our website  https://fresnocycling.com/FCC-Brevet-Series. Once again, Ride Director Lori Cherry has shown that there are many folks who love challenging long rides. Thank you, Lori for your passion for great bicycling events and riding opportunities.

We Love to Put on Rides

   The Fresno Cycling Club has a reputation for putting on quality bicycling events. Our oldest event, the Climb to Kaiser (now in its 42nd edition), has been a popular event, designated by Bicycling Magazine as one of the Top 10 most challenging rides. Also, Granfondo.com has designated it one of the Top 10 Best Rides in America. C2K planning and preparations are already underway. If you’d like to help with the planning, contact me at kaiser@fresnocycling.com.  

   Our next oldest ride is the Bass Lake Powerhouse Double Century. This past year, our very own FACT (Filipino America Cycling Team) group lead by Angelo Quitorio (in his first year as a Ride Director) put on a very successful ride. The Bass Lake DC has been directed over the years by Past President Ron Quitoriano, Richard Hoff, and more recently, Tom and Elisabeth Guevara. The Bass Lake DC is one of the more challenging “doubles” in the state-wide Triple Crown Series of Double Centuries, and has been praised as one of the best supported rides. Check it out at http://www.basslakedouble.com/.

   The Kirch Flat Century is another great ride staple of FCC.  For years, it was a members-only event. Over the past few years, the Kirch Flat ride has been expanded to be a full-blown event.  It is now a paid event open to the public. This year, it will be the Kirch Flat Cinco de Mayo Century, and actually be on May 5th!! Ride Directors Yvonne Moreno and Michael Quiroz are promising a great ride for all. Register on the Websiteat https://fresnocycling.com/Kirch-Flat-Cinco-De-Mayo-Century-and-Rides.  

Bring Back the Griz

   A new ride for FCC this year will be the Grizzly Century. Yes, FCC will be working with the great folks of North Fork to revive this popular ride. This ride has been a favorite of many bicyclists from all over the state for many years. It has also been the main fund-raiser for the North Fork Scenic Byway and North Fork Community. Due to health issues, their rideleader has had to step down, and they have asked the Fresno Cycling Club to help bring the ride back. This will be the 25th edition of the Grizzly Century.  It is slated to occur on October 6th, 2018. We are excited to bring this rideback after it missed a couple of years. Registration will be up soon on our website. 

Where's the Ride Calendar?

   Please check out the FCC website www.fresnocycling.com for the latest Ride Calendar.   This gives a more accurate picture of upcoming rides, as it's updated constantly.  Please also check the Facebook pages for the various "subgroups" (FACT, Killer Bees, All-Roads, etc.) if you want to catch any of their rides. (Links to their Facebook pages are on the FCC website).

We Need Some More Training

   Something that has been missing from the Fresno Cycling Club is an organized method of introducing new riders to bicycling, and providing the training necessary to help them become better riders. In a recent discussion with the FCC’s Killer Bee Ride Director Joseph Cassinerio, we determined that there is definitely a need for more structured training.  Currently, the Killer Bee ride group includes about a third of the Club membership (around 200, as indicated by the numbers in the Killer Bee Facebook page)

    Dennis will be working with the Killer Bee group to develop a program to provide bicycling orientation and training for newer riders. We will be putting together a group of ride leaders/trainers whose focus will be on new rider development and rider skills improvement. We will provide training level rides within the “A” and “B” categories. All new riders will be directed toward the FCC Killer Bee’s ride group for orientation and beginner training. The Killer Bee group has been an active FCC group over the past 4 to 5 years.  Their focus has been on putting on B level rides, and training those members to do more challenging rides. Taking on this new role will be a great fit for the Killer Bees. You can contact the Killer Bees at killerbees@fresnocycling.com, or their Facebook page. 

We Love Our Volunteers

   As a rider, you know the importance of ride volunteers, who make your ride enjoyable and safe. Also, as riders you know what it takes to make for a satisfying ride. This is why it is good for those of us who love to ride (as well as our family and friends) to take a day off the bike to allow others to enjoy the ride. With over 700 members, it should be no problem for FCC to provide the needed volunteers for all of our great rides. If you have never volunteered to help with a rest stop, provide SAG, or logistics support, you will be amazed at the fun and the feeling of accomplishment you can have supporting other riders. Some may wonder why the Club puts on so many rides.The answer is multifaceted;

1) putting on great rides is first and foremost for the benefit of our members and guest riders,

2) it provides a means of generating funds for the operations of the Club, advocacy work, and to support other bicycling organizations and bicycling endeavors in the community, and

3) they help promote the club and attract new members.

   The rides that require a lot of volunteers are those that have multiple rest stops, SAG support, and logistic requirements.  These are rides such as Kirch Flat Century, Climb to Kaiser, Grizzly Century, Bass Lake Double Century and the new Gravel ride. Other events such as the Time Trial Series and Tour de Lakes can typically be handled with fewer volunteers. FCC Event/Volunteer Coordinator Patricia Dailey would love for you to contact her as to which events you are able tohelp with. She can be reached at ‪volunteer@fresnocycling.com. 

 Available Volunteer Club Positions

There are a few positions that the club could use help with.

1)  Grizzly Century Ride Director - duties would include a position on the Board of Directors, assisting the President with the planning and coordination of the GrizzlyCentury.

2)  Quarter Master Position - duties include the management of the Club's equipment and storage units, distributing equipment to Ride Directors as needed, and working with the Board to keep our equipment and supplies up to date and serviceable.

3)  Climb to Kaiser Ride Director – a Board position, responsible for coordinating the Climb to Kaiser. Dennis is currently handling the C2K duties but would like to train someone to take it over next year. We Love Our Club Jerseys

   We just completed the latest Voler jersey order.  Thanks again to Diana Dean for your help. The Voler Online Club order will be shipping out toward the end of March: just in time for all of the upcoming riding events. If you missed out on the order, there were a limited number of items ordered as extras. Also, future orders only have to meet a 5-item minimum with the Voler Online Club. Show your pride in Fresno Cycling Club by wearing your Club jerseys often (especially at events away from Fresno). 

We Are Bicycling Ambassors

   Always remember (whether wearing your Club jerseys or not) we are ambassadors for safe and legal bicycling, and want to set a good example for all bicyclists to follow. We can’t always be perfect, but we can always try to set a good example, especially in the areas that cause interaction with motorists. Some of these interactions include stopping for traffic controls when other vehicles are present, not riding two or three abreast, being mindful of traffic and moving to the right to allow for safe passing, and always look for motor vehicles before dropping back in a pace line. By demonstrating courtesy while riding, we can generate a more favorable opinion toward us by motorists, thus fostering a safer riding environment for everyone.

  That’s all I have for now! If you have any questions,comments or general feedback don’t hesitate to contact me at President@fresnocycling.com.

 I look forward to seeing you on the road!

The Prez,  aka Dennis Ball

Ride Groups

  Speaking of Ride Groups, our list is growing, it’s exciting to see our members have so many options to ride. The purpose of ride groups is to provide a way to connect with riders of like abilities and styles of riding. I encourage everyone to check out the various ride groups and ride with as many as you can, as often as you can. We are trying to provide more and more rides to accommodate as many ride schedules as possible. If you have a ride group that you like riding with that isn’t yet one of the listed ride groups, please contact me or one of the Ride Coordinators, Henry Pretzer or Nancy Dooley to have your group added. 

  The current schedule for these, and other Rides, can be found on the FCC website: www.fresnocycling.com.  

• The Tuesday/Thursday morning Ride Group - Lead by Nancy Dooley and Ken Herrington. B/C rides
  
• The Diana Dean and Larry Allred Ride Group - B/C rides.
• The Mountain Men/Women - Ride Leader Tom Braner. C/D rides
  
• The Velominati Ride Group - Lead by Greg Schoonard and Jeffery Simpson. C/D rides
  
• The Killer Bees Ride Group - Ride Leaders Joseph Cassinerio, Cody Hill, Leon Thiessen, Michael Stevens. B/C rides
  
• The FACT (Filipino American Cycling Team) Group - Ride Leaders Angelo Quitorio B/C/D rides.
  
• The Steven’s Bicycles Ride Group - Ride Leaders Devin Bovee and Tina Kutzbach. A/B/C/D rides from their shop.
  
• The Sunnyside Bicycles Ride Group - Ride Leaders Vanessa and John McCracken. A/B/C/D rides from their shop.
  
• The Bike Shop at Woodward Park Group - Ride leaders Joshua Houssiere and James Zumwalt. A/B/C/D rides from their shop.
  
• The Rubber Soul Bicycles Ride Group - Ride leaders Jon Stewart and Helen Guenther. C/D rides from their shop.
  
• The “A” Train Ride group - A rides
  
• The Social Train Ride Group - Ride leaders Mark and Michelle Locatelli. A/B Rides
  
• The All-Roads Ride Group - Ride leaders Henry Pretzer and Susan Smith. B/C/D gravel and road rides.

Shop Talk with Devin

   We've added a new blog by Devin Bovee of Steven's Bike Shop.  Check out Devin's latest blog posts on the website www.fresnocycling.com, or directly through this link Shop Talk w Devin.   

Time Trial Series

   Our Belmont - Academy Time Trial Series will start on Tuesday March 20. There will be a series of 7 Time Trials, with the Tollhouse and Four Lane Time Trials to follow in September and November for a total of 9 TT’s. Time trials are a fun way to test your endurance. It’s not just for racers, it’s for anyone who wants to challenge themselves and see how fit they are. It’s also one of the safest types of races as you are only racing against yourself and the clock. The TT’s are a 10-mile race. This year we will have more categories, so come out and challenge yourself and have some fun doing it. These TT’s are free to members and $5.00 for non-members.

Upcoming Club Meetings

Bicycle Shops and Other Supporters

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