Founded 1888

Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club N e w s l e t t e r October 2000

Annual Salmon Roast September 24, Sunday

Mountaineers and Auduboners: Celebrate The Salmon and our Land Trusts. Bring friends, relatives, kids, and join us for this historically traditional, annual feast (50+ years).

This year the net proceeds of the event are dedicated to our local Land Trusts (Nisqually River Basin Land Trust and Tahoma Land Conservancy, which is now a part of Cascade Land Conservancy) in appreciation of their commitment to preserving habitat for Salmon and other living things.

Enjoy games, adjunct activities like bike rides, walks, etc. for all interests and ages. Schedule of activities include:
1 p.m. - Ride 15 mi. RT around Point Defiance Park; details will be in September Go Guide.
1-3 p.m. - Volleyball -- Displays by the Land Trusts
2 p.m. - Garden walk in Engle’s almost one acre.
3 p.m. - Salmon Chef Don Thompson at the fire pits.
3-4 p.m. Serving Roasted Salmon, fresh Corn-on-the-cob, Mountaineer Coffee, Punch
4 p.m. - Take time to visit, have coffee, tea, dessert.

Please Bring: Salad or Dessert, chair, eating utensils.

Reservations: Make reservations by sending check or money order -- your support of our Land Trusts, which must be received by September 21. Make it out to The Mountaineers, mail to H&S Engle, 4011 Alameda Avenue, University Place WA 98466.

Donation: Adults: $10, Children: $4.50. Your check is your receipt, sign up when you arrive. For more info, Stan or Helen Engle, 253-564-3112. Guests are welcome. Kids Especially!!

Headwaters Century

Riders get drenched

First off, thanks to all of the wonderful people that volunteered for TWBC's inaugural Headwaters Century. And many thanks to Frank Hibray from Valley Cyclery in Auburn and Jim Couch and Jim Finnell from Spoke and Sprocket who provided mechanical support at our stops.

We received lots of nice comments from the 87 riders who braved the rain. And rain it did! We had moved the ride from the historic springtime to the fall in order to avoid the wet stuff. But alas, the rain seemed to have followed us this year.

The last riders in were William and Tommy Weber who came all the way from Everett. They arrived with smiles on their faces, as did most of the other riders. The pie and coffee at the end probably helped. Everyone also seemed to like the route.

I am already looking forward to next year's ride and serving again as a ride coordinator. I'm just sure it will be dry then!

I hope you join me in making the Headwaters and our other rides, the Daffodil Classic and Peninsula Metric, successful.

If by chance you volunteered and have not yet received your souvenir mugs, please contact me at 857-5658.

Puget Sound Randonneuring Part II

We started in North Bend at 5:00 a.m., needing to complete the course by 8:00 a.m. the following day in order to meet the time limit of 27 hours. Crossing over the first pass at Snoqualmie, the temperature dipped to 43 degrees, but only my feet remained a bit chilled as I descended into the Cle Elum controle.

A pace line of women joined me on the climb up Blewett, and I used them for a while to conserve energy. They were training for RamRod and wished me luck as they pulled away. At the Blewett summit, there was a SIR rest stop, where I stopped and ate before descending into Leavenworth.

I was 100 miles into the ride and feeling good. There weren't any major problems, except that my rear bag had slipped off my rack against my tire, which subsequently rubbed a hole in one of the pockets. I was able to retrieve my patch kit before it fell out. I ate some more in Leavenworth before starting up Stevens Pass. The temperature was up near 85 degrees, and I felt myself becoming affected by it as I continued climbing up Stevens.

There are low moments on these rides that I term "Moments of Truth." At these times, I encounter doubt and discouragement, and wonder whether I will be able to finish. These feelings accompanied me for about an hour as I rode up Stevens. I was cursing my arrogance and naivete in not considering using my triple chain ring bike.

I was not even halfway into the ride (120 miles) and all ready I was asking myself what many would consider logical questions such as, "What the hell am I doing out here?" Neither the logic nor the questioning helpful at this point. Luckily, two other randonneurs, Lynn and Ron caught up with me and offered words of encouragement, preaching the mantra of not looking any further ahead than the next rest stop.

I finally made it to the top and felt nauseated, but at least I had company since a few of the other riders also appeared wiped out. I forced down fluids, a banana, and some pretzels and waited to see if they would come back up. When I was confident they would stay put, I began the descent into Skykomish.

I felt much better at Skykomish (152 miles), ate some more, and increased my pace in order to get as many miles in as possible before darkness. Earlier in the day, I had told Lynn and Ron that I wanted to ride together during the night as they had better lights and were somewhat familiar with the course. I pulled ahead to the 190-mile mark and stopped to put on my night riding gear while I waited for them.

They arrived 20 minutes later, lit up like Christmas trees, with helmet and bike lights and several blinkers. It was so dark in this rural back road area that the last 60 miles took a long time because we had to stop and make sure we were making correct turns. As well, we had to shine our lights on the street signs in order to read them.

It was challenging in terms of visibility, but fortunately few cars were on the road at that time of night. As I was still on my adrenaline rush and felt strong over the last 100 miles, I was able to return the earlier favor and offer encouragement to Lynn who was beginning to tire. We arrived at the finish in North Bend around 4:00 a.m., completing the ride in 23 hours. SIR had reserved a couple of motel rooms in order for riders to nap prior to driving home, but I was too excited to sleep, and ended up driving home satisfied that I had finished.

The story could have ended there, but during the next couple days, I decided that I needed to attempt the 660K brevet, as I was now thoroughly addicted. I had quite a bit of energy left after the 400K, and felt that since I had not gone all out, I could go farther. I had also gained some confidence riding at night and learned which lighting equipment was most lightweight and efficient.

The 600K course was designed by one of our more masochistic members. It totaled 18,000 feet of elevation over the 380-mile route. The time limit for this distance was 40 hours, so it is one of the few brevets that can actually be finished in daylight.

We started at 5:00 a.m. and had until 9:00 p.m. the following day to finish it. I had several interesting experiences on this ride, including another "Moment of Truth," but due to space limitations, I will just say that I did manage to complete it in 38 hours, and ate continuously for the next 72 hours to replenish calories burned. For more information on SIR and randonneuring, the website is www.geocities.com/pipeline/5293.

From the President's handlebars

Since 1993 membership dues for the Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club have been $12 for a single membership and $15 for a family membership. In the meantime, costs have risen for virtually everything, including the newsletter. It currently costs about $10 per member per year to print and mail the newsletter. For the past year, the Board considered various options, including charging an extra fee to those who want to receive a printed copy of the newsletter rather than relying on the Club's website for information. This did not seem a viable option since many people do not have web access.

An added issue is that the membership dues of other local clubs are substantially higher; for instance, membership in the Cascade Bicycle Club is $25 for an individual and $17 for an additional family member. In light of this, the Board is in favor of raising the membership fees to $15 for an individual and $20 for a family. Such a proposal was submitted at the September general membership meeting.

In order to make any changes in the by-laws of the club, which includes membership fees, the following must occur:
1. A written copy of a proposed amendment to the By-laws shall be submitted to a presiding Board Member at any Club meeting.
2. The proposed amendment shall be read for the first time at that meeting.
3. Notice of the proposed amendment shall be given to the members in the next regular Club Newsletter.
4. At the next regular or special Club meeting, the proposed amendment shall be read for a second time and shall be open for discussion.
5. A vote upon the proposed amendment shall be adopted upon the affirmative vote of a simple majority of those members present and voting.

A second reading of the proposal will take place at the October meeting. After a discussion, the membership will decide the question. If you have an interest in this question, I hope you will attend the meeting on October 17 at the South Tacoma Community Center at 4851 South Tacoma Way. In the meantime, feel free to discuss the issue with any member of the Board.

Adventure Cycling Safety Tip

Dehydration can be a serious health problem, and with warm weather, it’s important to remember to keep properly hydrated while riding. The best rule of thumb to follow is to drink often, and drink before you’re thirsty. This is easier to do if you use events to remind you, such as drinking when you see someone else drinking, or take a sip when you pass a speed limit sign. What you drink isn’t as important as how much, although alcohol is definitely not recommended because of its diuretic effects. Sports drinks have an advantage over plain water because they have flavor, and generally provide electrolytes. Don’t forget to replenish your fluids completely after a ride.

Bicycle Alliance Of Washington Events

There are two Bicycle Alliance of Washington events that are coming up in the next two months that you may want to participate in.

The first event is the fall meeting of the Legislative Committee. This meeting will be held Saturday, October 21 at the main Tacoma Library from 10:00 to 2:00. It is a good opportunity to meet other bicycle enthusiasts from around the state and participate in bicycle advocacy. The committee was recently restructured to improve its effectiveness so it will be a good opportunity to help establish long-range goals and address statewide bicycle issues that may be of concern to you and others. It is not necessary to be on the committee in order to participate. You will also get to meet Barb Culp, the BAW Executive Director, and Michael Temple, the BAW lobbyist. If you are not on the email list for this committee and would like to be, send a message to ralphdena@earthlink.net and I will add you.

The second event is the Bicycle Alliance fall auction, which will be held in the evening on Saturday, November 4 at the new Adobe headquarters in Fremont. This is a fun event to attend and one of my favorite evenings of the year. Approximately 250 bicyclists and other supporters will be attending. You can get some really neat things at the silent and live auctions such as weekends at resorts, wine baskets, and even some biking gear.

There will be a different dinner vendor this year and it is my understanding the food will be served rather than having the long lines as in past years. They also will not run short on food, as occurred last year with a larger than expected crowd.

Our club has reserved two tables for this event and is offering subsidized tickets (half price!) to the first 20 club members who contact me at (253) 857-5658 and send or give their $17.50 to the TWBC treasurer, Joy Roelofsz. Again, this is a fun event to go to and watch your fellow Wheelmen try to have the winning bid.

And in order to have an auction, there needs to be things to bid on. If you have something you would like to donate such as goods, services, use of a cabin, entrance to an event, or other item, please give me a call or contact the Bicycle Alliance at (206) 224-9252.

Technical Bike Stuff

I’ve been a TWBC member for a few years and since the only “club” ride I’ve done is the Peninsula Metric Century. I’ve never been to a meeting or volunteered my time for any club function. So, I got to thinking, what good am I if all I do to support the Tacoma Wheelmen is pay my yearly dues? I work every Sunday at Vashon Island Bicycles. I would like to write articles for the newsletter that concerns mechanical questions and issues. I could even delve into setting up your bike correctly for a pain free ride (is that possible?). I would like interested members contact me at: eddyj@galaxy-7.net and share your thoughts. What would you like to see in the newsletter that deals bicycle maintenance. Thanks, I look forward to your ideas.

Want Ads

Karen Nye
(253) 756-0167
WANTED TO BUY an adult 17" hybrid - comfort bike with front fork suspension. Would prefer seat suspension, too.

Claire Hagens
(253) 752-0857
FOR SALE Green Trek 1200 Road Bike 49 cm Ritchie clipless pedals, Shimano RSX components, Aluminum frame, chromoly stem. About 200 miles. $600.

Bill Newman
E-mail address: billn@lakewoodpres.org
Need bike rack and panniers.

Lorraine Kupau
e-mail address: Leil@msn.com.
For Sale: Pacemaster Pro Plus Treadmill. Top of the line treadmill. Like new. $1,200 includes delivery and setup. Lorraine 253-581-3717 (home) or 253-988-7234 (cell). Child's Mountain Bike

Ed Josberger
253-265-6282 (Gig Harbor)
For sale: TREK Mountain Lion 20" wheels 5-speed, Red, Very good condition, $100.

The Rub Down

Rinse the bike. Use a bottlebrush for easy-to-get-to surfaces and a scrub brush for the drive train. Gunk can sabotage your braking and wear out brake shoes.

Try wax-based lube for the chain and cables (conventional “wet” lubes gunk up). Drip lube on the chain (rear cog) as you hand-crank. Remove excess lube with a rag. Dab wax-based lube on any cables you can get to. Finally, drip a Teflon-based lubricant on the brake and derailleur pivots. Job done. Your bike is clean, lubed and on the road to a long, healthy life.