april 2014
Transcription
april 2014
spoke’n word Barry Roubaix, Hastings, MI by Patti Maravolo WHEEL D I EN M • B I B U • RA P official newsletter of the Rapid Wheelmen Bicycle Club 04.2014 CLE CL Y C the board Mike Burden President [email protected] Randy Higgins Vice President [email protected] Tad Smedes Treasurer [email protected] Rochelle Weiber Secretary [email protected] Dennis Hamel Director Emeritus [email protected] Randy Higgins Head Ride Captain [email protected] Jesse Munroe Safety & Advocacy Chair [email protected] Andy Crowley Membership Chair [email protected] Beth Hamel Special Events & Publicity [email protected] Dave Durkee Road Race Team Captain [email protected] Jeff Festian Off-Road Race Team Captain [email protected] Sarah Smedes Website [email protected] Tony Maravolo Newsletter Editor [email protected] Susanne Aldridge Social Media [email protected] Kim Kordecki Time-Trials Coordinator [email protected] president’s spin club news President Mike Burden First, on the off chance that you’re reading your newsletter before April 3rd, I want to remind everyone that our April club meeting will be at Schuler Books, and will feature Jef Mallett, former Rapid Wheelman and author of “Frazz”, “Trizophrenia”, and “Roadie, the Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer.” Jeff will be speaking and signing books. The snow is finally showing signs of receding, and along with the crocuses, the ride schedule is blooming. If you have an early season event that you’re training for, don’t wait any longer to start riding outside! club meeting: Spe Loca cial tion! Schuler Books & Music 2660 28th St SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512 Thursday April 3, 2014 6:00 pm Board Meeting 7:00 pm General Meeting (check the Yahoo Group for the latest updates) Keep the shiny side up, and I’ll see you on the road! Special Event: Jef Mallett - former Rapid Wheelmen and author of Frazz comic strip! Mike Burden President, Rapid Wheelmen Bike Club ride calendar - april 2014 sunday monday 30 tuesday 31 wednesday 01 thursday 02 Mystery Ride, 10am friday saturday 03 04 Club Meeting, 7pm Schuler Books 05 Mystery Ride, 10am FOBID, 6:30pm 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Mystery Ride, 10am Mystery Ride, 10am Ramblin’ On, 2pm FOBID, 6:30pm 13 14 15 Ramblin’ On, 2pm 20 21 17 18 27 Mystery Ride, 10am FOBID, 6:30pm Adopt-A-Road, 3pm 22 28 19 Mystery Ride, 10am 23 24 25 29 26 Mystery Ride, 10am Mystery Ride, 10am Caroline’s Tues Night Ride, 6pm FOBID, 6:30pm Ramblin’ On, 2pm 30 01 02 03 Mystery Ride, 10am Caroline’s FOBID, 6:30pm Tues Night Ride, 6pm Pedal GR, 6:30pm Ramblin’ On, 2pm Pace Info: 16 Easy: 9-11mph Casual: 11-13mph Moderate: 13-15mph Good: 15-17mph Fast: 17-19mph Fast Plus: 19+mph Apr-14 DAY DATE RIDE NAME Ride Start RIDE DETAILS CONTACTS SUN 6, 13, 20, 27 Sunday Ramble Ramblewood Tennis & Fitness, 4250 Spartan Industrail Dr., Grandville, Mi. 2:00 pm start, a 30 to 35 mile ride at as moderate pace to start out with, this is a no drop ride and paces will vary depending on who shows, keep your eyes on the Yahoo Group for changes. Gene : 430-8054, Randy : 540-4550 TUES 22, 29 Tues. night Ride Kenowa High School, 3825 Hendershot Ave. NW, Grand Rapids WED 30 Pedal GR Founders Brewing, 235 Grandville Ave. Grand Rapids Mystery Ride 10:00 am start, WPTH, Belmont WED 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Fobid Challenger Elementary, 2475 52nd St. SE, Kentwood, Mi SAT 19 Adopt A road cleanup Ada Park, Grand River Ave Parking Lot SAT 5, 12, 19, 26 Mystery Ride 10:00 am, Ada Park, Buttrick side parking lot WED 6:00 pm start, a 25 to 30 mile ride at a moderate to good pace, weather permitting, check Yahoo groups for cancellations and changes Caroline Blake : 453-7300 12 to 16 mile ride at a casual pace to explore Grand Rpaids, every other week a different route and place to see. Joshua Duggan : 446-3601, pedalgr.com Keep an eye on Yahoo Groups for changes and more details, coffee at Panera at Knapps Corner at 2 pm on bad weather days 20 to 30 mile ride, all paces welcome and supported, a no drop ride, distance may vary depending on who shows up, lights required and a must, keep an eye on Yahoo groups for changes 3:00 pm start, it is that time of year to help clean up the Time Trail course, bring good work glovels and boots. Ride depends on weather and road conditions, keep an eye on Yahoo Groups for changes, coffee at Panera, 28th St. East of the Belt Line, or 44th and Kenowa in Grandville Ride Paces check it on: Easy: 9 - 11 mph, Casual : 11 - 13 mph, Moderate : 13 - 15 mph, Good : 15 - 17 mph, Fast : 17 - 19 mph, Fast + : 19 + mph Maps to ride start locations are located at rapidwheelmen.com Groups Jochen,304-5337, Bob, 780-9590 Mike Burden,915-2048, [email protected] Carolyn Chapman : 337-4743 Jochen,304-5337, Bob, 780-9590 community special events: Adopt-A-Road Clean-up WHO: Rapid Wheelmen, Friends & Family WHAT: Clean-up of Grand River Ave from Buttrick to Kissing Rock in Ada WHERE: Meet at Ada Park, Grand River Parking Lot. WHY: This is the Rapid Wheelmen Time Trial course. Give back to the community. They share their road with us. Saturday, April 19, 2014 3:00 pm (Raindate - Saturday, April 26) Please join us in our community service efforts to clean up our Time Trial course. We find more trash for the first pick up in spring than any other time of the year. We will pick up the trash and then the club will provide some kind of treat depending on the weather. We may ride our bikes to Lowell for ice cream, or we may have some treat right in the park. In any case, bring your bike if you would like. The club will provide latex gloves, but you may want to bring work gloves of your own. Be sure to bring some old shoes for walking in. Anyone is welcome to join us. Watch the Rapid Wheelmen Yahoo group for cancellation and reschedule to our rain date for inclement weather. Any questions, contact Carolyn Chapman at 616-337-4743 (cell) or 616-868-5217 (home). Otherwise email: [email protected]. 10th Annual Grand Rapids Ride of Silence The May 21st, 10th Annual Grand Rapids Ride of Silence is being promoted by the Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition this year. Details can be viewed here: www.bikegrandrapids.org/events/grand-rapids-ride-of-silence1 Watch for full ride details in the Rapid Wheelmen May Newsletter. Last year on the third Wednesday in May, cyclists in 372 locations worldwide, in all 50 states & the District of Columbia, in 26 countries, across all 7 continents banded together by taking to the road remembering our friends and family lost or injured, while raising awareness that we cyclists are out on the road every day, to please Share the Road with us. Mark Hagar, Ride of Silence [email protected] Volunteers needed for set-up, teardown, and the welcome table. Please contact Karen at [email protected] or 616-304-8306. time trials Time Trials Begin May 5th It’s time to beat the clock and put your personal best to the test at the weekly Rapid Wheelmen Time Trial. The Time Trial will once again be staging at the same location in Ada Township Park, located at Grand River Drive, just south of Buttrick Avenue and use the same course as last year. The first TT of the season will be Monday, May 5th and will be held every Monday (barring cancellations due to extreme weather conditions or holidays) until August 25th. Time Trial riding sign-in opens at 5:30 p.m. and closes promptly at 6:15 p.m. The first rider will leave that start line at 6:30 p.m. The Rapid Wheelmen Time Trail is open to all Rapid Wheelmen members. If you’re not already a member it’s easy and economical to become one. For a one-time membership fee of $25 you can enjoy the club benefit of a time trial, every Monday night for no additional cost. You can become a member at the TT staging site and be eligible to immediately take part in that night’s time trial. This year we will be accepting credit cards on site to make it easier than ever to join. You can also join at any time online by visiting www.rapidwheelemn.com . We are very pleased to announce that the Grand Rapids Bicycle Company will once again be sponsoring the Rapid Wheelmen Time Trials and will be providing complimentary mechanical support each week at the Time Trials to help you with last minute mechanicals that might occur. Please make sure to visit the Grand Rapids Bicycle Company and let them know how much we appreciate their support. Volunteers: As always we need more volunteers to keep the Rapid Wheelmen Time Trial wheels turning. If you’re interested in becoming part of this great team please email us at: [email protected] For more information, results and updates, or for Time Trial cancellations due to extreme weather conditions, visit the Time Trial page on the rapidwheelmen.com website. special feature Rebuilding and Italian Classic: 1990’s Colnago Master Olympic A Story of Challenge & Triumph, Part I Dave Durkee, Race Team Road Captain My love for all things Colnago started in 1983 when I purchased a bare Colnago Mexico frame from Alger Schwinn and built the frame up from scratch for racing. Compared to my previous two road bikes, a Schwinn Continental and Schwinn Super Le Tour, it was like riding the Maserati of the bicycle world. Lightweight and strong, with superb handling characteristics, that Colnago became my main workhorse through my racing career in the 1980s. I was not alone at that time. I saw many Colnagos while racing. A good friend of mine, Andy Snyder from Breakaway Bicycles Race Team out of Muskegon, had one just like mine, except it was blue, whereas mine was black. Just like the main character Dave from the movie “Breaking Away”, we truly loved everything that was “Italiano”, and many racers had De Rosa, Masi, Pinarello, and Guerciotti steel frames. Many famous frame builders and mechanics from the 1950s and 1960s honed their craft into fine lightweight racing machines that could take the rigors of the Tour de France and place legendary champions on the podium time and time again. Such was the history and birthright of Colnago. Ernesto Colnago, the father of Colnago frames, was just one such mechanic. A one time racing cyclist himself, he found himself later working with the Molteni team, and eventually with “the Cannibal” himself, the Belgian Eddy Merckx. Merckx set the world hour record on one of Colnago’s lightweight steel frames in Mexico in 1972. (Hence the reason for the name of my 1980s Colnago frame). From there, Colnago frames ridden by Merckx won many times in world wide competition. Ernesto, being a shrewd business man, saw the opportunity in the early 1970s at mass producing his product, and hence many were available at reasonable prices for the riding and racing enthusiast. Colnago today is still renowned for its mastery of design, paint, and craftsmanship. The legend has evolved over the years to keep pace with technical improvements, and occasionally new innovations. To own a Colnago, of any era, is to know that when the frame was made, it was cutting edge technology for the time. a friend of his wanted to sell. He tells me it’s a Master Olympic frame. This was something I had been looking for, but when I did actually see the frame in the flesh I immediately though it was a work of art, not just a 20 year old racing frame. I paid the asking price, and took it home. Little did I know that my adventure was just beginning… (to be continued) The actual frame used by Merckx in the 1972 World Hour record. Notice the holes drilled into the handlebars and chainring, a common technique at the time to lighten weight. Merckx under the watchful eye of frame designer Ernesto Colnago. Being a collector, of sorts, I was always fascinated by Colnago frames made after my Mexico frame. Especially the 1990s steel frames of the Master series made from “Gilco”, or star shaped tubing. Not only was Ernesto experimenting with making steel lighter and stronger, he also was producing works of art in paint schemes – with real Italian flair. Although it would add cost to the frame, it also added irresistible appeal to the eye. I knew someday, when I had time, I’d like to find one to rebuild or buy for the collection. Little did I know that day would come a lot sooner than I had anticipated. Early last Fall of 2013, Bill Thompson, another Colnago enthusiast and fellow Rapid Wheelmen, contacted me about a Colnago frame The bare frame as I bought it in August, 2013. The Shimano bottom bracket and numbers on the fork are not standard. ridin’ Most of this year’s race and tour dates have been published. Below is a rough schedule for road and dirt. Pick your poison. Of course, consult your nearest Google search to confirm the dates below *. * Non-legal mini-type: Info below is as accurate as I could get at the time of publishing, you might find some discrepancies or omissions. ridin’ dirty tailgatin’ roadies March 22 - Barry-Roubaix * Every Monday, May thru August - RW Ada Time Trials * Every Wednesday, May thru August - Wed Night Worlds, Grattan April 5 - Lowell 50 13 - Yankee Springs Time Trial 26 - Rust Shaker May 3 - Mud, Sweat & Beers 4 - Ft. Custer Stampede June 1 - Hanson Hills 5 - 8hrs of Cannonsburg 21 - Lumberjack 100 21 - Meijer State Games of Michigan 28 - Sweat Shaker July 12 - Boyne Challenge 19 - 6 & 12 Hours of Ithaca 27 - Big M Challenge August 1-2 - Night Shift (gravel ride) 2 - 6 & 12 Hours of Pando 9 - Ore 2 Shore 17 - Ruby Gravel 50 September 7 - Kisscross #1, Highland Park 12 & 24 Hours of Hanson Hills 21 - Kisscross #2, Richmond Park 28 - Pando Challenge October 4 - Mountain Mayhem Gravel Grinder 5 - Kisscross #3, Markin Glen Park, Kalamazoo 19 - Kisscross #4, Lakeside Park, Caledonia 25 - Lowell 50 November 2 - Kisscross #5, Cascade Park 8 - Iceman 16 - Kisscross #6, Manhattan Park 30 - Kisscross #7, Window on the Waterfront, Holland April 26 - Willow Time Trial 27 - King’s Day Crit May 4 - Cone Azalia 17 - Ride Around Kent County (tour) 17 - Tour of Washtenaw 18 - Sodus River Time Trial 24/25 - Tour/Gran Fondo of Frankenmuth June 6-8 - Le Tour de Mount Pleasant 7 - 100 Grand (tour) 7-8 - Bike MS (tour) 8 - Colavita-Zipp Time Trial Series, MI Int’l Speedway 14 - Mountain Mayhem Spring Classic 14 - National 24 Hour Challenge 14/15 - West Branch 22 - State Games of Michigan Time Trial 27 - Zeeland Crit 28 - MSU Gran Fondo July 12 - Miller Energy Crit 13 - Maple Hills Race for Wishes 19 - Holland Hundred 27 - Hines Drive Time Trial August 2 - Capital City Cycling Classic 2 - Mountain Mayhem Beat the Heat Tour 9 - One Day Ride Across Michigan (ODRAM) (tour) 16 - Maple Leaf (tour) 17 - Delta Subaru Gaslight 24 - Birmingham Bike Festival & Crit September 1 - Debaets-Devos Pro-Am Memorial 27-28 - Tour of the White Pine Trail (tour) October 4 - Colorburst (tour) miscellaneous 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] • RA P • Join the Rapid Wheelmen Yahoo Group! ID EN M Groups WHEEL B U CLE CL Y C Get daily ride information, brag about your new rig, join in some fun trash talk or just network with other group members. what the..!? Grand Canyon. Could this be the end for John Crankshaw? B I http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ rapidwheelmen/ Rapid Wheelmen PO Box 1008 Grand Rapids, MI 49501 rapid wheelmen rapid wheelmen time trials Be sure to support our Race Team sponsors: ® ® © 2014 maravolo Enthusiastic Eyewear TM