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LEI EOCENE IEICE IEEE IE HEM IESE IESE IIE SE JIE TERE ICSE IE AE NE SE ACAI TIE ESET SESE IE SEE HEA IE RENEE IE DONC RIOR AEH EM RAIN ‘ SEPTEMBER 1983 % +: ne) * * ewsletter *. * B, i : x : * i * ‘4 * x O President Terry King 474-7698 i : F Vice-President Harvey Lister 927-7097 z * F Treasurer Sue Given 565-0535 ‘ a I Secretary Linda Smith 564-3265 * Pd C Touring Captain Steve & Phyllis Lay 759-1816 ‘ z E Newsletter Lori King 474-7698 ‘ : R * : * t s * Hi Tacoma Wheelmen's Club 4 = P.O. Box 99555 ‘ x Tacoma, Washingcon 98499 . : x : ; i : *

Sept. 20, 1983 - CLUB MEETING - South End Neighborhood Center,

7 p.m. 7002 5. Lot. At this meeting there will be a
discussion regarding possible by-law change
concerning membership subscription, formation of the
Banquet Committee, information on bicycle insurance,
and other Club business.

HHH HHH HHH HH HHH HHH HEH KHER HEHEHE HEHEHE KEKE KHER HER HHHHHHEE HHH

This is a good time to start thinking about nominations for Club
officers for the coming year. Elections will be held at the November
Club meeting.

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Congratulations and many thanks to Eldon.and Virginia Stratton for the great success of this year's picnic. They put a lot of hard work and time into getting everything ready and were also kind enough to have the picnic at their cabin on Haven Lake. It was a lot of fun, the food was great, and the weather they ordered was perfect!

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I, the intrepid tour leader, left People's Bank at 2khth & Pacific at 9:45 a.m. on August 21, 1983, with a pack of hungry velocipedists in search of the ultimate bicyclist's dream—FOOD! As we made our way through broken glass and Zefal dogs, we slowly proceeded to our destination. Sweating up hills and sucking wind down hills, we rounded the corner after our long journey in quest of (not the Holy Grail) the ultimate in pizza parlors—none other than Chuck E. Cheese.

The rest of the ride was uneventful until a Dairy Queen appeared on
the horizon. We indulged ourselves on shakes and bannana splits; but
unfortunately, most of us were still full of pizza so we decided a
water bottle fight would pass the time. We departed once more and
went our separate ways into the sunset.

Tom Miller, Esquire

Haldeman Wins Race Across America

By DOUG SHIDELL

Lon Haldeman, 25, of Harvard, Ill. won
the 1983 Race Across America with a
winning time of 10 days, 16 hours, 29
and a half minutes, just 5 hours and 33

year-old engineering supervisor from
Fallbrook, Calif.

Finishing in front of the Tropicana
Hotel on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City,
N.J., Haldeman had the third fastest
continental crossing ever, despite the
3,150 mile length of this year’s event.

Michael Shermer, 28, of Tustin, Calif., challenged Haldeman for over two- thirds of the race, closing at times to within 15 miles of the leader. But he withdrew from the race at the Indiana- Ohio border for medical reasons Shermer wore a neck brace as he

watched Haldeman finish in Atlantic
City.
Haldeman, !ooking tired but in

control, told the crowd of 250-300 well- wishers ‘| feel a whole lot better this year. Last year | couldn't even talk. | don't have too many aches and pains.” He slept less than 20 hours during the crossing. He attributed his success toa tougher training schedule, more efficient crossing, and to a veteran support crew. “They (the support crew) gave me a 10 percent advantage” compared to the inexperienced competition.

Penseyres, riding a Raleigh bicycle, collected a special $15,000 prize from the bicycle manufacturer. He was the first finisher on a Raleigh. Haldeman rode a custom made RRB frame. Third place finisher Michael Secrest won a $10,000 prize from Raleigh.

Secrest took an early lead ona hill just
outside the city limits of Los Angeles. He
held it for less than 80 miles. Haldeman
regained the lead just west of Victorville,
Calif. and never relinquished it. He
stopped in Green River, Utah, to sleep
for the first time during the ultra-
marathon, 713 miles and two days into
the race. He slept an average of 1 to 2
hours per nigit the rest of the race. The
riders endured 107-degree tempera-
tures in the Mohave Desert and 40-
degree temperatures with a wind chill
factor of zero as they rode down the
eastern slope of the Rockies into

League of American Wneelmen * 983 Reproduction in whole
or in partis limited to bicycle clubs affil:ated with the League of
American Wheelmen, and must include L.A W. membership
application Any other reproduction in whole or in part without
permission is prohibited.

| These,

Denver, Colo

In the Midwest, Haldeman rode 36
hours without the support of his motor
home. The vehicle was replaced and met
him in Rockford, Ill.

Former tandem transcontinental
record holder Peter Penseyres trailed

in the race. Penseyres slept as long as
six hours a night and rode faster while
on the bicycle. He gained over 100 miles
on the leader in one 24 hour stretch
through the Midwest.

Kitty Goursolle, the only woman in the
race, withdrew at the Utah-Colorado

How to claim a
By JOHN S. ALLEN

Reprinted from the newsletter of the
Boston Area Bicycle Coalition

First, consider that there are basically two widths of lanes, as far as bicyclists are concerned; those wide enough to share side by side with a car, and those that are not. If the lane is wide enough, well then, no problem. Ride in a straight line about three feet to the right of where the cars go. Don’t wander off between parked cars, even if the lane gets extra wide: you become hidden there. It’s safer to be where drivers and pedestrians can see you. After all, there’s already room for cars to pass you anyway. Stay far enough away from parked cars to clear the widest door that could spring open.

But if the lane is not wide enough to
share side by side then what? Ride along
as close to the right edge as you possibly
can? Catch your breath each time you
hear a car behind and hope thatits driver
can manage to squeeze by?

No! If the lane isn't wide enough, claim it for yourself. Ride far enough out in that lane so drivers behind you will have to move part-way into the next lane to pass you. This is safer! If thereisn't room for drivers to pass you in the same lane, then don't invite them to try

Don't worry about rear-end collisions. though widely feared by bicyclists, are actually very rare. Ride as quickly as practicable through the narrow section, and ignore any horn blowing behind; at least that driver has seen you.

On a street with one narrow lane going
your direction, ride about three feet inside
your lane. On a street with two or more
lanes in your direction, ride smack in the
middle of the right lane. Make the driver
behind you merge all the way into the next

border after her support van collided
with another vehicle. No members of the
support crew were injured.

Results:

1. Lon Haldeman: 10 days, 16 hours, 29 min.,
30 sec
Peter Penseyres: 10 days, 22 hours, 2 min
Michael Secrest: 11 days, 6 hours, 30 min
Robert Beeson: 11 days, 12 hours, 48 min
John Silker: 11 days, 18 hours, 25 min

. Gary DelNero: 12 days, 30 min. (estimated)

Additional coverage of the race will
| appear in the October American
Wheelmen.

lane

lane to pass, so that two drivers don't try to
squeeze by you at once, side by side.

You have a legal right to claim the space you need for your safety. Yes, you may cause some slight delay to a motorist behind you, but the law is clear: if you are in front, you have the right of way. First come, first served. If the driver cannot get by you fora long time—say a minute or more—the law does not require you to pull aside. But your bicycle is narrow; opportunities for drivers to pass in safety occur frequently. | can’t think of a time in the past week’s riding ; when anyone has had to wait for me for more than 10 seconds.

Don't feel guilty if drivers behind you have to slow down for you sometimes. They'd have to do it much more if you were driving another car instead of riding your bicycle—using much more space and con- tributing to congestion in intersections where traffic really gets snarled up.

By the way, it’s important to be visible if
you are going to “claim a lane” (not that it’s
any less important to be visible otherwise).
Bright colored clothing by day, good lights
and rear reflectors at night, will ensure that
you are seen.

Knowing when to “claim a lane” is one of
the keys to riding a bicycle safely and
confidently in city traffic. Try it, and practice
it. You will find that it opens up a world of
freedom to you, in riding streets you once
thought of as being too dangerous and/or
difficult, and in making better speed because
you have more room to avoid edge-of-the-
road hazards.

LEAGUE OF AMERICAN WHEELMEN
LA.W. Bulletin

Walter K. Ezell, Editor

Mary Alice Bahler, Art Director

Don J. Trantow, Executive Director
National Headquarters

P.O. Box 988

| Baltimore, MD 21203

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