TailWind President's Message - May 2008
May 2008
Rain God Takes a Morning Off
Although the weather looked a bit less than promising, seven intrepid tandem teams and two single riders turned out for the once postponed Not So Foolish April Ride. Those who showed were treated to good riding weather and paces suitable to all comers' liking. Variations to the published routes allowed us to add a few extra miles or cut back just a bit to avoid getting caught in potential showers that did not materialize during the rides. Team Stokes, Ed and Rosanna, in their pre-Italian tour training mode threw caution to the wind and opted to do the full length of the 49-mile ride. Dan "Ansell Adams" Coughlin and Roy Peche provided photographic coverage of the team's exploits. Check them out elsewhere in this issue and at Dan's web site, http://www.dcoughlinphotography.com. The post-ride visit to Mama's Pizza & Pasta for lunch was an obvious success as evidenced by the take-away boxes hauled out by stuffed riders. Good company, good riding, good eats -- aah, you can't beat the tandem life!
Among the foremost American authorities on bicycling and a prolific author, Eugene A. Sloane recently passed away in Wilmette, IL at the age of 91. Sloane was the author of one of America's earliest and most comprehensive book about bicycling, The Complete Book of Bicycling, which was first appeared in 1970. It was truly a tome that dealt with all aspects of bicycling from fitting and selecting a multi-speed bike, to fitting, gearing, maintenance and repairs. If you lived somewhere where access to a truly first class bicycle shop was impossible you could learn just about all you need to know to get a very good start in our favorite sport just by spending a few hours with the book. Long before lycra spandex hit the scene I got all my information about knitted wool cycling clothing from Sloane's book, and the first pair of wheels I built were exactly according to his directions. They served me very reliably through many thousands of miles, well before my fancy spoke tensiometer and high class Park truing stand graced my workbench. The Complete Book of Bicycling has gone through four editions and was so successful that Sloane was able to quit his regular job and author a number of other well received books on cycling. Grab a copy and read it; you'll learn many things that are as valid today as they were when Sloane first penned them.
Don't miss an opportunity to help our Club accumulate volunteer points at the Carolina Cycling Time Trial Association meets at Lowe's Motor speedway. Volunteers help with course set up and take down, participant registration and start line holding. Points you garner are credited to the TWTC which receives monetary remuneration that goes into the club treasury and helps us make ends meet with our very relaxed paid membership dues structure. You do not need to volunteer for a complete session or for all sessions, just whatever time you can spare. For the techies out there you get the opportunity to see some very high end 'chinery ridden by some really accomplished cyclists. The meets for the remainder of the season are scheduled for 4/30, 5/28, 6/11, 7/9, 7/30, 8/13, 9/11, and 10/1. If you are so inclined you can volunteer for some phase of the meet(s) AND COMPETE in a TT on the same date.
Please consider bringing a tandem to the Club's second annual free tandem ride opportunities we will be offering at the Myers Park United Methodist Church parking lot on Queens Road on May 5th and May 7th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. We need captains with bikes to take guest riders on trips around the Booty Loop. We also would love to have stokers of all experience levels to share their riding experiences with potential read saddle riders. Lastly, if you don't want to ride, please come and serve as pit crew so we can make quick pedal and saddle/handlebar adjustments between rides. The free ride concept really works. Last year we helped clinch tandem purchase decisions by three couples that are now TWTC ride participants. Come on out, have some fun, and help us spread the gospel of tandem riding.
Jay Brosnan, TailWind President
704-545-9774