FRESNO CYCLING CLUB THE ROUGH DRAFT VOLUME XXXXII , ISSUE 6 JUNE 2012 THE PREZ SEZ! SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: their memberships. The first focus on promoting fun weekend in May was our and safe bicycle riding ac- Kirch Flat Century ride, our tivities. Over the years AMGEN Tour annual members-only ride. bicycling has had it's ebbs Time Trial Results We had 130 riders with 37 and flows and for a variety people renewing their of reasons we are enjoying Kirch Flats Photos a dramatic increase in peo- membership or joining for Clovis Century Report the first time. Thank you ple wanting to ride their Ron Quitoriano and the bikes. This is great for the Community Service ROG's (Retired Old Guys cycling community as it Western States Ride Cal- ride group) for putting on a generates a lot of excite- endar spectacular ride. ment with more people wanting to get out and ride. It is also great for the If you haven't heard yet FCC club as it provides us an INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Greetings fellow riders! is celebrating our 50th year opportunity to get more as the Val- people involved with our AMGEN TOUR 2 ley's preeminent bicycling rides, and Club sponsored I would like to say a big club. Since 1962 the Fresno events. MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 4 welcome to all the new club members who have Cycling Club has been a gathering place for like THE BEGINNING PART V 6 recently joined the Club, This year marks the 36th minded bicyclists with the and to those who renewed year of Climb to Kaiser, BELMONT TIME TRIAL 8 Cont. on page 2 KIRCH FLATS CENTURY 10 AMGEN STAGE FOUR IN CLOVIS MALL TO MALL 11 CLOVIS CENTURY 12 Fresno Cycling Club was ALL LEVEL CLUB RIDE 13 well represented at the AMGEN Tour of California in CLIMB TO KAISER 14 Clovis. LANTERNE ROUGE 14 Our booth represented all club member in promoting NEW MEMBERS 16 club rides, service projects, membership, Climb to Kai- NEXT CLUB MEETING 16 ser, Bass Lake Double, Bel- mont Time Trials, Sanger WESTERN STATES RC 17 Chili Ride, Kirch Flat Century Ron & Ann Quitoriano, Kent Tanaaka, Dennis Ball, and general information Stanley Sakata, Walt & Jeanette Reta about our club. Cont. on page 2 VOLUME XXXXII , ISSUE 6 PAGE 2 PREZ SEZ - and we had some great AMGEN - CONT. FROM PAGE 1 CONT. FROM PAGE 1 activities. There was the Kirch Flat Century(130 rid- ers), the Mall to Mall ride (170 riders), the Clovis Cen- tennial Century ride(191 riders), the California Classic Century ride(1500 riders), the Ride to Work day, the FCC All Club Split Level ride, all the weekly Club spon- sored rides and there are 909 riders and 75 teams doing the Million Mile Chal- 2012 FCC President lenge at IBikeFresno.org. Is Dennis Ball this awesome or what? Donning his KOM jersey and festive sombrero, Tracy Lane caught a glimpse of the action out on Crane Valley Rd. one of the Club's premiere bicycling events. It is rated I want to say a special thank by Bicycling magazine as you to all our great volun- one of the Top Ten tough- teers who help with putting est rides in the United on our Club sponsored States. There are people rides. Without you it would that come from all over the be next to impossible to world to challenge the C2K. have the quality rides that Although it isn't a race, we do. From rest stops, to every year someone is al- SAG, to meal prep and serv- ways trying to do it faster ing, marking the routes, and than the previous one. I am many other tasks it takes to amazed and excited about put on a quality event, you all the bicyclists in the com- all do a great job. munity that are getting in shape to challenge the C2K June 16, 2012 is the day this year. If your not in good that Team Donate Life - The peloton as it makes it way off of Hwy 49 on to Hwy 41 enough shape for the Crystel's Gift embarks on in Oakhurst. C2K, there is always the the Race Across America Tollhouse Century and the (RAAM). I am excited to be Millerton Metric that are a part of this great team of often forgotten about. I racers and crew. Follow us hear some people talk as we make our way across about the C2K and think this great country. Thanks they could never do that, to all who have supported but they forget we have a our fund raising efforts to Century and Metric Century make it happen. the same day. So if your not ready to tackle the C2K then sign up for one of the other See you on the road, two rides. Dennis - The Prez Most of you may know that The peloton as it makes it way down to Friant from O’Neals May is National Bike month VOLUME XXXXII , ISSUE 6 PAGE 3 FCC PAINTING PARTY Fresno Cycling Club members (ROG's) recently repainted the rest room facilities (interior & exterior) at the park located at Sierra/Clovis Avenues. This is the second time the club members have painted the en- tire facility. They periodically remove graffiti as well. Just one more way your club is making a difference in our com- munities! Story by Kent Tanaka Left to right: Rick Benson, Kent Tanaka, Stanley Sakata, Calvin Cassle and Larry Petrie CRYSTEL’S GIFT RAAM UPDATE $53,149 Raised So Far! Thank You! The Race Across America is a grueling 3000 mile odyssey of the mind, body and spirit, and that’s before you even leave the start line! The journey has by no means been “all fun and games” but this past month when the AMGEN tour came to town, Crys- tel’s Gift was given a much deserved treat. Thanks to the work of Melanie Spigelmyre, one of three ladies racing on the team, we were blessed with two tickets each to the RaboBank VIP tent. Located just feet from the finish line the view from the VIP tent was spectacular (especially if you happened to be 6’ 2”). The team photo-bombs Luis-Leon Sanchez after the race The team, among other ‘VIP’s, was treated to food, drinks and live video feeds of the Don’t forget to follow the team’s race. And after the finish Luis –Leon San- progress across America this month. chez and Michael Matthews dropped by We’ll depart Oceanside on June 16th. for some photo opportunities and auto- You can catch daily video streams and graphs updates at the RAAM website here: www.raceacrossamerica.org VOLUME XXXXII , ISSUE 6 PAGE 4 JUNE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT - NICK LUCICH & CHRIS HAMILTON Cooper tandem. Even told me he had recently and across the valley. though the seller was in met a lovely Lancashire We loaded down the tan- the process of dissolving lass named Jane. Of dems with more than we his marriage and warned course, I told him that needed (we have since me that it was a "divorce they needed to try a tan- learned to pack more machine", we took the dem ride. So a couple of efficiently) and headed plunge. It is commonly weeks later they bor- out for the first day said that, if a couple starts rowed our tandem which was one one the riding a tandem, whatever (which was now a pretty hardest days we have direction their relation- blue co-motion). They ever ridden. Although all ship is headed, the tan- went 55 miles on Jane's flat, the 130 mile route to dem will accelerate it. It first ride and she was still Patterson was into a stiff worked out OK for us. smiling when they re- springtime headwind the Nick Lucich & turned. Of course, they whole way. I'll borrow Chris Hamilton joined the fun, buying a from Dale's report of the Once we started doing used Santana from their 2nd day's ride up Mt Stats: longer and hillier rides, we friends Larry and Lynne Hamilton as he writes Cycling since … Nick 1955 thought it would be fun to Huebert. By the way, better than me. Dale's Chris 1982 put some luggage on the that blue co-motion that story picks up at the end bike and do an overnight got Dale and Jane of Del Puerto Canyon: Longest one day ride … 211 trip somewhere. Our first started, is now being rid- "We coasted down to a Miles (we go lost on a double excursion was to Oakhurst den by Terry and Lynn break at the Junction century) with Rich and Laurie Rueter and, amazingly, Cafe, at the intersection Haberman. Although they although is it is now of Del Puerto and San Favorite local ride… Nick Toll- spent a good deal of time about 13 years old, it is house Climb Chris: Spring Val- Antonio Valley Rd. But it waiting for us at the tops going much faster than it ley School was Wednesday and ap- of the hills, we all had a ever has before. parently they don't open pleasant journey. And it is Current cycling goal….. Nick: that day, gulp. We were a trip we have repeated Talk Chris into one more planning on that place tandem C2K Chris: Ride many times for a short In early 2004 Dale and I being open, but we es- safe and have fun one night vacation. (They discovered that we had pied a fire station a short even let you roll the tan- both had been thinking distance away, and the dem in the elevator at the of doing a ride from girls stole some taxpayer Shiloh Inn in Oakhurst).