smiles for miles

spoke’n word
ID
Smiles for Miles
Article and photo courtesy
of George Raimer
WHEEL
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official newsletter of the Rapid Wheelmen Bicycle Club
03.2016
CLE CL
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the board
Randy Higgins
President
[email protected]
Evan Wilson
Vice President
[email protected]
Tad Smedes
Treasurer
[email protected]
Jessica Ambrose Crawford
Secretary
[email protected]
Mike Burden
Director Emeritus
[email protected]
Susanne Aldridge
Head Ride Captain
[email protected]
Jesse Munroe
Safety & Advocacy Chair
[email protected]
Bob Ayars
Membership Chair
[email protected]
OPEN
Special Events & Publicity
[email protected]
Dave Durkee
Road Race Team Manager
[email protected]
OPEN
Off-Road Race Team Captain
[email protected]
Susanne Aldridge
Website/Social Media
[email protected]
Rochelle Wieber-Omland
Newsletter Editor
[email protected]
Dave Durkee
Time-Trials Coordinator
[email protected]
president’s spin
President
Randy Higgins
smiles for miles
Smiles for Miles
George Raimer
Greetings,
I would like to officially welcome
two new members to the Rapid
Wheelmen Board. Bob Ayars is
our new Membership Chair and
Jessica Ambrose Crawford is
our new Secretary. Thank you
for joining the board. We’re looking forward to another
great year!
Our next speaker for the March 3rd meeting is Dale Phelps
from Village Bike. I had the privilege of spending time with
Dale a couple of weeks ago when I signed up for his bike
fit. Dale is certified in Body Geometry Fit along with many
other certifications. He has a brand new fit system and fit
bike, which Dale guarantees will help you ride with more
comfort, farther, with less injury and even ride faster!
When speaking with Dale, he gets to know you, how you
ride and what kind of injuries you might have. He takes
some measurements, you lay on a table and he takes some
additional information from that process, after which you
are ready to put yourself on the fit bike. But wait! There is
another step! You get wired up!.
There are wires and sensors that are attached to all the
moving parts of the body that you use while cycling. The
fit bike is preset from measurements taken from your
bike. When you start riding, you are able to see yourself on
screen and all kinds of interesting data, about which I will
let Dale go into further detail. What is really neat as well is
that as you are spinning, Dale can make adjustments to the
fit bike. You do not have to get off or stop. You just keep
spinning along, you feel the adjustments and you also feel
what your body does as the adjustments are being made.
Very cool if I may say so!
So please come out and see what Dale has to say and to offer.
I know it made a world of difference in my riding and how
I feel on my bike. I was very surprised by the adjustments
made to my bike as well. You might be surprised as well
and it will be a great learning opportunity for all of us.
What is the difference
between a child on a
tag-a-long and an old
man on a fat bike? Not
the smile because they
are both wide as can be.
Gray hair and wrinkles give the old man away. I’m
still a kid at heart. Sunday afternoon my daughter
called to ask if I wanted to go for a ride. She lives
in Saranac, less than a drivers distance from the
trail, speaking in golfers terms here. As soon as
my wife and I pull into their driveway, our 5 year
old grandson proudly proclaims that he is going
too. Soon we have the co-pilot connected to my
daughters Trek because we’re in too much of a hurry
to switch the adapter to my fat bike. Down to the
depot we head to start our ride on the Grand River
Valley Rail Trail. The paved trail is about 1.25 miles
long before crossing a bridge and transitioning to
crushed limestone. Tricia hasn’t ridden all winter
and soon is out of breath and commenting on
the difficulty. We roll on for about ¾ mile when
I suggest switching bikes. After adjusting seat
heights on both bikes and raising Titus’s co-pilot
seat about 2 inches we takeoff again. Man is that 5
year old growing. Now I’m huffing and puffing and
Tricia has the big smile. It’s her first time on a fat
bike and the difference between sinking into the
limestone surface on 1.9” town and country tires
pulling a co-pilot with a heavy 5 year old versus 4”
fat bike tires on a Mukluk 2 is like night and day.
Soon we’ve ridden 2.5 miles from the depot and
Titus decides it is time to turn around so we head
back to Saranac. As we approach the pavement
again Titus requests a stop for a rider change so
we swap bikes again, adjusting saddle heights,
and head back home. As we were heading back on
the pavement I managed
to get a nice motion shot
as we rode side by side. I
think Titus is going to be
Grandpa’s biking buddy.
Thanks for reading and see you on the road soon, be safe!
Randy Higgins
President, Rapid Wheelmen Bike Club
Grandpa’s biking buddy,
Titus, pictured on the
front cover.
club news
club social
GRATA Central Station
250 Grandville Avenue SW
Grand Rapids - 2nd Floor
Thursday, March 3, 2016
6:00 pm Board Meeting
7:00 pm General Meeting
Guest Speakers: Dale Phelps from
Village Bike will discuss proper bike fit and
his brand new fit system and fit bike. Dale
guarantees it will help you ride with more
comfort, farther, with less injury and
even faster.
(check the Yahoo Group for the latest updates)
Thank you to the Colorburst recipients for joining us at our February club meeting and sharing their projects for
this year. The Rapid Wheelmen were able to donate a total of $2800 between the four chosen organizations: West
Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition, Friends of the White Pine Trail, Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition
and Elves and More of West Michigan. Thanks again for your support!
John Morrison. Director
WMTGC
David Heyboer. Director
Friends of WPT
Donna Messina, Chair
& Jay Fowler, Director
GGRBC
ride calendar
­- march 2016 sunday
monday
28
tuesday
29
wednesday
01
thursday
02
Mystery Ride, 11am
FOBID, 6:30pm
06
07
08
friday
03
saturday
04
Club Meeting, 7pm
09
10
Mystery Ride, 10am
11
13
14
15
16
17
18
Mystery Ride, 11am
FOBID, 6:30pm
20
21
22
27
28
29
19
Mystery Ride, 10am
23
24
25
Mystery Ride, 11am
FOBID, 6:30pm
Easter Sunday
12
Mystery Ride, 10am
Mystery Ride, 11am
FOBID, 6:30pm
Daylight Savings
05
26
Mystery Ride, 10am
30
31
01
02
Mystery Ride, 11am
FOBID, 6:30pm
Pace Info:
Easy: 9-11mph Casual: 11-13mph
Moderate: 13-15mph Good: 15-17mph Fast: 17-19mph Fast Plus: 19+mph
MARCH 2016
DAY
DATE
RIDE NAME
RIDE START
RIDE DETAILS
CONTACTS
WED
2,9,16,23,30
Mystery Ride
11:00am start
WPTH, Belmont
Keep an eye on Yahoo Groups for changes and more details.
Coffee at Panera at Knapps Corner at 2pm on bad weather
days.
WED
2,9,16,23,30
FOBID
6:30pm start
Challenger Elementary
2475 52nd St. SE, Kentwood
A night of Cross Country Skiing, a fun time with something a
little different, come on out and enjoy a night out under the
sky’s. Lights required! Keep and eye on Yahoo Groups for
changes.
Mike Burden, 616-915-2048,
[email protected]
SAT
5,12,19,26
Mystery Ride
10:00am start
Keep an eye on Yahoo Groups for changes and more details.
Coffee at Panera at 10:00am on rainy days (28th St. east of
the Beltline).
Bob Ayars, 616-780-9590
Maps to ride start locations are located at rapidwheelmen.com
check it on:
Groups
(don’t leave home without it)
Maps to ride start locations are located at rapidwheelmen.com
Bob Ayars, 616-780-9590
walk, run, ride
4th Annual
New Year’s Resolution
Walk, Run, Ride
George Raimer
more words about dressing for the cold weather and hung
up, excited about what tomorrow might be like. Mark’s
bike is a Trek 26 inch mountain bike with 26 x 2.2” studded
tires so I knew he wouldn’t have any issues with traction
on ice. What we didn’t know is whether the snow would be
stiff enough to support the weight since the trail was not
groomed and if you remember, it was that nasty, heavy,
slushy stuff that froze in place if you didn’t get right on it
with a shovel to remove it from your drive and sidewalk.
For the 4th year now we have held a fun event for anybody
daring to brave the chilly temps in Saranac. We meet at the
Saranac Depot on the Grand River Valley Rail Trail to enjoy
an activity of your choice, whether it be walking, running,
or cycling. Of course, being a Rapid Wheelmen member,
you probably can guess which activity I enjoy the most.
This year the temperature was in the low double digits and
there weren’t as many participants as past events. This year
was really exciting for me for a couple of reasons, one being
people that show up, and the other one is the conditions.
First, I received a call early New Year’s eve from a friend in
Saranac. Here’s how it went. “Do you think I’ll be able to ride
with you on the snow tomorrow”, asks Mark. Mark started
getting serious about restoring his health last year. Well, I
said, I won’t know until you try. First off, you’ll have to run
your tires at or below the lowest recommended pressure.
All we can do is try. You know you’ll be able to ride to the
end of the pavement at least, I said. We exchanged a few
New Year’s Day arrives and it is cold with a pretty good
breeze blowing. As I set up and try to find a live outlet to
plug in the coffee pot to heat the water for hot chocolate,
hot cider, coffee or tea, my mom rolls into the parking lot.
She is an active member of the Saranac Boston Historical
Society and they take care of the Depot museum. She
points me to a live outlet at a bell between the depot and
GRVRT so we get the water heating. Many friends show up
and we get ready to walk, run, or ride. For me it is riding,
of course. It’s cold out so some of the participants leave
before picture time. This is a start when you want and go
as far as you want event with no rules except for being safe.
This year there are only 3 riders that show up, Mark,
and Ron, and I. Ron is the Mayor of Belding and is also
a director on the board of the Friends of the Fred Meijer
River Valley Rail Trails. I talked Ron into trying a fat bike
in 2014. He had a lot of back problems and didn’t think he
could ride any more but due to the nature of the soft ride
Continued next page.
4th Annual New Year’s Resolution Walk, Run, Ride at Saranac Depot Museum.
Photo courtesy of George Raimer.
walk, run, ride
on a fat bike he found that he could ride and really enjoys
it. Ron enjoys his Pugsly and really enjoys the studded tires
he is riding on this year and is out on the trails several days
a week. Mark is another friend with a fascinating story.
Mark is a cancer survivor who started riding more in 2014
and our paths crossed several times, stopping to chat with
each other in 2014 when we’d meet on the trail. In 2015
Mark decided to ride from Saranac to St Johns with me
April 18th for the CIS Trail ribbon cutting ceremony. Mark
called me up the night before that event and asked me if
he could ride with me. I knew Mark was a pretty strong
rider but he was also not in the best of shape, weighing
over 300 lbs. Mark let me know that he just wanted to ride
over and Karen, his wife would pick him up in St Johns.
St Johns is on the CIS trail which starts at Prairie Creek
in Ionia where the GRVRT stops so you can actually ride
from Saranac to Owosso without getting on a road. To get
off this side story, Mark made it to St Johns, dropped 90
pounds between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and 120
pounds total last year.
As we depart the depot to ride to Prairie Creek and back
the excitement builds. The village of Saranac keeps the
paved section of the trail plowed in the winter to keep a
safe venue for the residents to exercise away from traffic
and noise so the ride is easy. At a bridge on the trail near
Jackson Road east of Saranac the pavement ends and
crushed limestone starts. This is where the big question
will be answered. Will the mountain bike be able to stay
on the top of the crusty snow like our fat bikes sporting 3.8
and 4” tires? As we start rolling on the crusty snow I see
Mark is moving right along with the occasional sound of
crushing snow but to our amazement he was able to ride
on top of the crust. With a fresh dusting of snow on top it
was very quiet riding with the occasional sound of the crust
crumbling. Ron, Mark, and I ride together fascinated by
the wonderful conditions and are amazed at the smooth,
quiet ride and loose ourselves in conversation.
Soon we cross the new bridge over M66. Ionia doesn’t plow
the paved section of the trail so it is no different than the
limestone section between Saranac and Ionia. As we make
our way through town it is more difficult riding through
and over the banks of snow on the trail, remnants from the
plows clearing the city streets. Mark succumbs to one and
ends up in the snow. A fairly smooth landing but nun the
less ends up on the ground. On the bikes again, we reach
Prairie Creek and enjoy the sound of rushing water as it
flows over the rocky creek bottom. We enjoy some more
conversation and consume energy bars and start back
toward Saranac.
Before we reach Cleveland Street we see another biker
approaching us. It is Fred Harrer, another trail supporter,
so we stopped to talk with him for a while. He was on a
29er and had made it from the Depot, after arriving late
for the event. He was really enjoying the conditions too
and wondered who the crazy one was that was riding all
over the place, on the shoulders and through ditches. We
departed company and Fred continued on to Prairie Creek
and would catch up with us later. As we crossed the snow
banks I started acting a fraction of my age again and tried
to crush snow boulders left by the snow plows. I hit a big
one that rolled, I went airborne, and everybody including
me started laughing. Seems like between Mark and me, I
gathered the most style points. After that, I settled down
and acted a little more my age. As we crossed the 466 foot
long bridge over the Grand River we started to ride at
different paces and soon Mark was off to the depot. I rested
for a while in the Ionia State Recreation Area and waited
for Ron so I could keep him company for the rest of our
journey. Soon Fred passed by and then Ron approached so
I mounted my Mukluk and we again were riding together
talking about the trail and life.
Before we get back to pavement, we meet 3 guys on fat bikes
heading out to ride single track out in the ISRA. There are
4 connectors between the GRVRT and Chief Cob-moo-sa
MB Trail in the ISRA and many people ride from Saranac
and Ionia out to the single track trails. Soon we are back
at the depot where we enjoy a hot cup of chocolate and
down some fresh homemade cookies. My mother is so
kind, sticking around in the cold to hand out participation
cards she makes and gives to people as they complete their
favorite activity and sign our participation log. Next year
will be our 5th and I hope to see some more new faces. It’s
been a blast these 4 years and our family enjoys putting on
this fun event to get people out and enjoying the great state
of Michigan. Mark your calendars for a fun event January
1st 2017 at the Saranac Depot. We hope to see you there.
fat fun
Fat Fun
George Raimer
Saturday brought about a sunny sky with stiff wind out
of the west. Friday night I received a text from George
Trowbridge, the Ionia Trail Coordinator, confirming our
meeting location as being the Otisco Township Office on 6
mile road on the west side of Smyrna at 8:30am. We’d be
riding to Greenville and back on the Flat River Valley Rail
Trail with another fat bike riding friend. The Flat River
Valley Rail Trail is largely unimproved from when they
pulled the tracks and ties up in 2012 so the going is slow
and rough with anything but a fat bike.
The ride up to Belding was nice with no wind to speak of
and the Flat River within sight for well over half of the 3
plus mile ride. As soon as you reach M44 in Belding the
trail is improved with asphalt pavement for 2.2 miles.
There are 3 nice bridges crossing the flat river, one under
M44, one near the middle of town, and the third about
1000 feet south of Long Lake Road. The pavement is nice
and the wind out of the west pushes us through town as
the trail turns toward the east and then turns north again.
As we head north we leave town and come onto a nice size
ash tree across the trail, remnants of the record winds
yesterday, so we dis-mount our bikes and push it off the
trail. On the bikes again, we cross the last bridge and hit the
1000 foot section of crushed limestone. It is soft from the
frost heaving the limestone. Soon we come upon glare ice
across the entire trail and I ride it like it wasn’t even there.
Studded tires are wonderful. Matt and I are quickly beyond
the ice and turn to see George nowhere in sight so we turn
around and head back only to see him approaching. Seems
he took a wild ride on the ice. No bruises that I know of and
he was in good spirits, laughing so all was good.
Next we cross Long Lake, Hock, and Berridge roads. We’re
making pretty good time and then we start to hit more ice
but it is pretty spotty and Matt and GT ride around it while
I ride the smooth hard ice because it is easier. Next thing I
hear is a thud and carbon fiber ringing. Matt’s carbon fiber
Fatbak was flat on the ground and he was rubbing his knee.
Ouch. While we wait there for Matt to recover I talked GT
into riding my Mulkluk with studded tires up the trail a
ways on the ice. He was impressed with the traction. We
considered turning around and heading back to Smyrna. I
suggested that I ride up the trail to see how much more ice
lie ahead. Only a couple hundred yards and bare ground
again so I called GT and reported the conditions. Before
long they caught up and soon we were just south of M57
when 2 deer bolted to our side then stood frozen while we
passed.
While we rested and downed some trail mix at Jackson’s
Landing we talked about bikes, dogs, and life. This was
a therapy ride for Matt, having to put down their family
pet Thursday. It was fun riding with friends again. It was
Matt’s first ride on the FRVRT. We then turned south on
the Flat River Trail until we reached Fairplains and then
took that to the FRVRT. Soon, we were back to the ice but
now instead of glare ice the sun had softened it enough
that the non-studded tires were even getting a pretty good
grip. As we crossed Long Lake Road again I hear Matt say
something about a flat so I turned around and GT’s 4.8”
Lou was getting pretty soft. I pulled my Crank Brothers
pump off my frame and started pumping it up and noticed
a nice splinter protruding from the sidewall. The pump
up lasted a couple of miles, through town to M44 where
I pumped it up again. That lasted until we got about two
thirds way back to Smyrna where we inflated it one more
time. Soon we were climbing the hill back into Smyrna,
straight into the wind with a flag straight out reminding us
of the wind speed and soon we were back to the township
hall. Another nice spring ride just short of 23 miles. Nice
not to ride on salted roads or muddy singletrack.
bike shops
1. 3rd Coast Cycles
5211 Cherry Ave #170
Hudsonville, MI 49426
(616) 662-1710
www.thirdcoastcycles.com
2. Ada Bike Shop
597 Ada Drive
Ada, MI 49301
(616) 682-2453
www.grandrapidsbicycles.com
3. Alger Bikes
120 - 28th St. S.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49548
(616) 243-9753
www.algerbikes.com
4. Central District Cyclery
52 Monroe Center St NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 719-1265
www.spinful.wix.com/centraldistrict
9. Speed Merchants
106 E. Bridge St.
Rockford, MI 49341
(616) 866-2226
www.speedmerchantsbikeshop.com
13. Village Cycle & Fitness
5991 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49508
(616) 455-4870
www.villagebikeshop.com
10. West Michigan Bike & Fitness
2830 East Paris Ave SE
Kentwood, MI 49512
(616) 942-1880
www.westmichiganbike.com
14. Village Cycle & Fitness
2844 Thornapple River Drive SE
Cascade, MI 49546
(616) 285-1670
www.villagebikeshop.com
11. West Michigan Bike & Fitness
4300 Chicago Dr. SW
Grandville, MI 49418
(616) 531-9911
www.westmichiganbike.com
15. Village Cycle & Fitness
5278 Plainfield Ave NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
(616) 361-3661
www.villagebikeshop.com
12. Village Cycle & Fitness
450-A Baldwin
Jenison, MI 49428
(616) 457-1670
www.villagebikeshop.com
5. Freewheeler Bike Shop
915 Leonard Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(616) 451-8011
www.freewheelerbikeshop.com
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6. Gap30 Cycles
3423 Lousma Dr SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49548
(616) 301-1057
www.gap30cycles.com
7. Grand Rapids Bicycle
1311 Fulton St E
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 458-2200
www.grandrapidsbicycles.com
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8. Grand Rapids Bicycle
644 Lovett Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
(616) 272-4861
www.grandrapidsbicycles.com
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Rapid Wheelmen
PO Box 1008
Grand Rapids, MI 49501
Support your club, ride in club colors! Items will be
available for purchase at club meetings and events.
t-shirts - $12
shorts - $65
bib shorts - $70
jersey - $60
water bottle - $5 (or 2 for $8)
To arrange a purchase, contact:
Randy Higgins at [email protected]
© 2016 wieber-omland
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