MAY CLUB MEETING:
MOUNTAIN BIKES IN NEPAL
ELECTION NOMINATIONS

Our May TWC Club meeting is
an event in Nepal, and a political
opportunity.

Longtime Club members, Nels and Winnie Bjarke, will take us on a mountain bike trip in Nepal. Nels and Winnie have traveled extensively on their bicycles throughout the United States and abroad.

Did they make it to the top of
Mt. Everest on their mountain
bicycles? Did they find a bargain
at the gift shop? Were they chased
out of the country?

Do not frustrate yourself by
failing to find answers to these
ultimate questions.

Our May meeting also offers the
political opportunity of a lifetime
to Club members. You can run for
one of our elected offices, or
nominate a well-deserving friend.

The By-Laws of the TWC
provides four elected positions:
President, Vice-President,
Secretary, and Treasurer.
Nominations will be taken at the
May meeting, with all positions

TWC
NEW SLEEERR

ACOMA ,
P.O. BOX 112078
TACOMA, WA 98411

open. Election of the four officers
will be conducted at the Annual
meeting in June on the third
Tuesday. A simple majority of
those present at this meeting elects
each officer.

Join us on May 21, 1991 at 7:00 pm at the Oakland Community Center, 4020 S. 31st Street. (Just off Center and Tyler Streets.) Take advantage of the trip to Nepal, and your political opportunity.

PIERCE COUNTY
BIKING TO WORK
MAY 20 TO 24

by Rico Baroga, Tacoma-Pierce County Health
Department...

The bicycle is making a
comeback--not only as a form of
recreation--but also as a valuable
transportation source and a solution
to air pollution, traffic congestion
and energy consumption.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has launched an aggressive county bicycle commuting program with help by the Tacoma Morning News Tribune, Pierce County Parks and Recreation, Department of Ecology and numerous local sponsors.

By providing a bicycling
commuters guidebook, improving
bike paths, conducting free

Page One

4p,
Oey
y

May,

seminars to local businesses and
promoting “Bike To Work Week”
in May, program organizers hope
to stimulate public reliance on
bicycle commuting.

Operating a bicycle costs four cents a mile compared to about twenty-five cents a mile for a car. For distances less than four miles, a person can usually get to work faster on bicycle than by car. Bicycles take up very little space, provide great exercise and are pollution free. Environment 2010 analysis by the Department of Ecology shows that motor vehicles account for a whopping forty per cent of Washington’s air pollution.

Looking back to the 1890s, the nation-wide bicycle craze hit the Tacoma-Pierce County area with a wallop. This era witnessed the construction in Tacoma of the world’s highest, longest bicycle bridge. Tacoma enjoyed miles of bicycle paths, popular velodromes and widespread fame as “the town ~ which has more wheelmen to the square inch than any other city in the world.” Today, bicycles are helping us take the path of a sustainable society.

The Pierce County Bicycle
Commuting Program invites
inquiries and participation by all
interested individuals. For more
information, call (206) 591-6469.

May, 1991

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§

MAY, 1991 RIDES AND ACTIVITIES
Questions about rides or activities? Call the leader!

ES
MILES START POINT ACTIVITY CODE LEADER

6:15 8-12 McDonald’s Westgate Thursday Night Ride 1 Diane Taylor
x PM N. 21st & Pearl Meet:6:15 Depart:6:30 759-4971
2

Louis Boitano
922-6156

wr va
§

50 Wenatchee, WA
Per Day

Louie’s Spring Training
Camp--May 4th to May
19th. See Newsletter
article for itinerary.

Sat 10:00 20+ McDonald’s Westgate Lunch Ride Jim Davis 759-5616
5/4 AM N. 2ist & Pearl : Diane Taylor 759-4971

na

Historical Lewis All
County Ride.

Broken Spokes Cycling
Club & Lewis County
Parks & Recreation.
(206)748-9121 Ext. 135

Engine House No. 9
611 N. Pine Street
Tacoma, WA

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9
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Board Meeting Jon Turnipseed

565-8654

Soar

Patti & Brion Lundgren
862-9105

‘hur American Plywood
Association, 7011 S.

19th(West of Fruit

Thursday Night Ride
Meet:6:15 Depart:6:30

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McDonald’s Westgate Ride to Sumner for 1 Jim Davis
N. 21st & Pearl Lunch 759-5616
Amtrak Station Black Diamond Bakery 3 Brian Wester
1001 Puyallup Ave. Black Diamond 862-3288

3

32 Les Gove Park This Ride is joining Sylvia Russell
Auburn the riders starting from 862-3288
Amtrak Station(See
above for Black
Diamond Bakery).

3.

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5/16

Park & Ride, Auburn, Thursday Night Ride Steve Brown
Black Diamond Road 941-3752
Exit off Highway
18.(Left under Hwy to

Pinches Deli Leader’s Choice 3 Jon Turnipseed

Spanaway 565-8654
McDonald’s Westgate North End sight seeing 2
N. 21st & Pearl with BFW visitors.

ND
We
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5/18

Diane Lister
752-8636

7) Woe
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Call The Rideline
LLERS¥L VAN

Call The Rideline

(May, 1991 Rides And Activities schedule continues on page 3)

TWC NEWSLETTER Page Two May, 1991

(May, 1991 Rides And Activities schedule continued from page 2)

{ Two County Double
Metric Century.

Millersylvania State
Park--South of Olympia

Tues 7:00 Oakland Community TWC Club Meeting
5/21 PM Center. 4020 S. 31st Bike Trip in Nepal.
See Newsletter article.
Thur 6:45 8-12 Subway Sandwich Shop | Thursday Night Ride
5/23 Pl 27th & Bridgeport Way | Meet:6:45 Depart:7:00
1017 West Main

Olympia, WA 98507
(206)956-3321

473-1455

Brian Decker

Sat-Mon Centralia 6th Annual Northwest
§/25-5/27 Tandem Rally.
Centralia, WA 98531
Memorial Day Call The Rideline. Rideline
Weekend 759-2800
8-12 Sumner Library Thursday Night Ride Sylvia Russell
1116 Fryar -- Sumner Meet:6:45 Depart:7:00 862-3288
Rideline
759-2800

Call The Rideline Call The Rideline
Jon Turnipseed
Ride Code Definitions: 1. Easy pace—frequent stops to catch-up and re-group. 10-13 mph. 2. Moderate pace--occasional stops

Southworth Ferry 9th Annual Peninsula
Terminal -- Southworth | Metric. P.O. Box 112078
Tacoma, WA 98411
to catch-up and re-group. 13-16 mph. 3. Steady pace—limited stops. Cue sheets or map provided. 13-16 mph. 4. Fast pace--very
limited stops. Cue sheets or map provided. 16+mph. Maps provided for all rides over 35 miles.

565-8654 ADDITIONAL RIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MAY AND JUNE: On Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout May and June, a group will meet at Jan Wieser’s home at 10:00 AM to ride up to the Enumclaw, Black Diamond, Buckley area. The distance will be 20 to 50 miles depending on who is present and their desires. Call Jan the night before if you plan to take part in the ride, and the gang will wait for you. The phone is 833-6346 for information.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT RIDES, CALL THE RIDE LINE -- 759-2800

LEAGUE OF AMERICAN WHEELMEN OFFERS TRIAL MEMBERSHIP
For a limited time, the League of American Wheelmen is offering a trial membership. For four dollars, you will receive:
two issues of BICYCLE USA, the League membership magazine which contains informative articles, product reviews, bicycle action
information, health and legal advice, and a national ride calendar. Please send four dollars to: L.A.W., 6707 Whitestone Rd., Suite
209T, Baltimore, MD 21207-4106.

TWC NEWSLETTER Page Three May, 1991

PRESIDENT
Jon Turnipseed
565-8654

VICE-PRESIDENT
Bob Myrick
473-7455

SECRETARY
Joanna Johnson
927-7569

TREASURER
Joyce Clifford
759-2393

TOURING CAPTAIN
Diane Taylor
759-4971

Phyllis Lay
759-1816

NEWSLETTER
William Hoehne
759-4464

For correspondence, _ indicate
appropriate officer, and send to:

Tacoma Wheelmen’s Club

P.O. Box 112078
Tacoma, WA 98411

LOUIE AND MARIE’S
SPRING TRAINING CAMP

MAY 4 TO MAY 19
Complete Itinerary

Ride with Louie and Marie in
Central and Eastern Washington,
starting with the 6th annual Apple
Blossom Tour in Wenatchee on
May 4 and 5.

On Sunday afternoon following
the Apple Blossom Tour we will
drive to Pearrygin State Park near
Winthrop for camping and cycling
day trips. The day trips will
include rides up the Chewack River
Road, Twist River Road, to
Mazaina and Methow.

On the afternoon of Thursday,
May 9, we will drive to Sun Lakes
State Park near Coulee City. Day
trips will include rides to Steam
Boat Rock, Coulee Dam, Summer
Falls, Soap Lake, Lake Lenore
Caves, and Moses Coulee.

On the afternoon of Monday,
May 13, we will drive to Central
Ferry State Park on the Snake
River, northwest of Pomeroy.
From Central State Park we will
have a three day Motel Camping
Trip.

The first day will be a ride to Colfax and Pullman. The second day will take us to Wawawai and up the Snake River Canyon to Clarkston. The third day will be back to the Central Ferry State Park.

On Saturday, May 18, we will ride in the Inland Empire Century starting in Richland’s Howard Amon Park. On Sunday, May 19, we will complete the trip with a ride in the Yakima Valley Wine Country Tour.

The daily rides will be a code 2

Page Four

ride(see code definitions on page
3), and each day’s ride will be
about 50 miles. This schedule is
tentative and subject to change.
For those wishing to join us for
the second week, we will plan to
be at Sun Lakes State Park Sunday,
May 12, at 9:00 am. For further
information cali Louie at 922-6156.

PROBIKE
NORTHWEST
CONFERENCE

JULY 3-7, °91

The nation’s largest conference
on bicycle planning and
programming issues in 1991,
Probike Northwest ’91 will address
the energy, environmental and
human aspects of cycling.

Conference topics will include:

1 Sustainable Global
Transportation Systems. 2.
Bicycle Facility Development. 3.
Bicycle Safety and Safety
Education. 4. Off-Road Cycling.
5. Bicycle Organization
Development. 6. Bicycle
Equipment, Clothing, Tandems,
HPVs and Unique Cycles.

Hosted concurrently will be the
American Wheelmen’s 1991
National Rally, expected to bring
1000 cyclists to Olympia for

workshops, cycling races, and
tours.

All of this will be held at The
Evergreen State College in

Olympia, Washington.

For information and registration,
call the Capital Bicycling Club,
(206) 956-3321. (Also see last
month’s issue of the TWC
NEWSLETTER.)

May, 1991

PAST. ..
PRESENT. . .
AND PEDALING

Q:I am very fond of bicycling and am also anxious to do the correct thing even when wheeling. Please tell me if it is proper for a girl to ride with a young man in the early evening without a chaperon?

A:Society distinctly forbids a girl, even if engaged, to ride alone with a young man after six o’clock. But there are girls who have no time to ride except in the evening. Now if the mothers and elderly aunts of these girls do not ride it stands to reason that the chaperon must be done away with. Under these circumstances bicycle etiquette demands that young people ride in parties and that there is no straying away from the fold even in the most seductive moonlight.

(Quoted from the April 17, 1888 Tacoma Sunday
Ledger.)

BIKE COMMUTING
IS A HEALTHY
ALTERNATIVE

You can get to work without
using any fuel or producing any
pollution, and end up feeling great-
-bike to work.

Pierce County is promoting a bicycle commuting program and has designated May 20 to 24 as "Bike To Work Week.” Bob Myrick, City Water quality coordinator, is trying to drum up support for the program at Public Utilities.

"I’d say there are at least 15

people around here that
occasionally show up on a
bicycle,” Bob said. ‘I would

think we might get 30 people
showing up regularly. Ted Coates
used to ride to work, he told me.”

But does Bob bike to work?

"’m going to have to now that
we’re starting this program--at least
a couple days a week,” Bob said.
He says it is a relatively easy, six-
mile ride from his home, despite a
hill on the route.

"It’s not a big serious hill, but
it’s a hill,” Bob said. “You’ve got
to have low gears to get up it.”

Bob Kirchmeier, a City Light
professional electrical engineer, is
also a bicycle commuter. In fact,
he not only commutes regularly in
the spring and summer from his
home near Lacey, he also races

bicycles.
"Commuting from Lacey I ride
about 25 miles each way,”

Kirchmeier said. “It is kind of
along the lines of a bit much, but
during that time of year I usually
ride 250 miles a week anyway, so
riding a 50 mile day is no big
thing.”

"It’s not an unusual amount of
mileage for someone who races.
That’s why I first did it. When I
raced seriously I started doing it
just to get mileage in.”

“If you can keep your commute
so it is only three to five miles it is
possible to commute every day
during the spring and summer
without spending extra time or
additional hassles.”

"If you live in the north end of Tacoma and ride to the office here, it is only a 20 minute ride,” Kirchmeier continued. “It’s ten minutes taking a car, so what’s ten minutes over a day? If you are talking about where I live or Gig

Page Five

Harbor, you are talking about
adding an hour to your day, and
that is not for everybody.”

"The biggest problem is if you
have to carry something, like
groceries or a brief case,”
Kirchmeier said. “A backpack
works pretty well.”

Myrick suggests that riders be
safety-minded, dress for the
weather, and carry high-visibility
equipment like a reflective vest,
lights, and flags.

He uses what he calls the
"European technique,” riding to
work in his regular work clothes.
An alternate technique is to change
clothes at work.

‘l have a short trip, but
someone with a 15 to 20 mile trip
would be a ’shower when you get
to work’ person.”

Although biking has a lot of
advantages, saving money is
apparently not one of them.

"A good bicycle is $400 to
$600,” Myrick said. “It probably
takes forever to pay back in fuel
savings because you have lots of
flat tires and eat lots of donuts.”

"] think probably you eat a lot more on a bike and food costs more than gas. If you are on a short commute, that might not apply. But it saves fuel, and saves air pollution, and it’s a form of exercise.”

"It’s fun,” Kirchmeier added.

May, 1991

The Tacoma Wheelmen’s

The 9th Annual Peninsula Metric Century

Club Presents

Sunday, June 2, 1991

The Peninsula Metric offers you a choice of 20, 50
or 100 kilometer loops that lead you over the hills
and dales of the beautiful Kitsap Peninsula. The
tour begins at the Southworth Ferry terminal on
Sunday, June 2. Seattle riders may arrive via the
Fauntleroy (West Seattle) Ferry. The course will
be open from 7 AM to 5 PM.

Riders who pre-register can purchase ferry tickets for half price - $2.50 round trip - and also save $1.00 on the registration fee. Preregistrations must be received by May 21. _A Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope for ferry tickets must be

sii a ipdaambrntntnrlete and
ning at 7 AM. Fees include refreshments, route
map, and patch to the first 500 registered riders.

In keeping with the deluxe TWC tradition, there
will be four staffed checkpoints for your riding
pleasure.

Delicious FREE food and drink will be available at
all four checkpoints. There are stores and
restaurants along the course, too.

Cyclists should carry a tire pump and patch kit. A
sagwagon will sweep the course to assist stran-
ded riders.

You may contribute, in any amount, to the Bicycle
Federation of Washington. The BFW is
state-wide organization for bicycle advocacy. All
of your donation (whether $ .25 or $25.00) will be
sent to the BFW.

Call Dan Niebrugge 756-9976 or Jon Turnipseed
565-8654, or write: Tacoma Wheelmen’s Club,
Peninsula Metric, PO Box 112078, Tacoma, WA
98411.

< RRR RRR ERR KRAEKREK AER RAE KRAAKRE KAKA AR ERA RR ERR HR RE HH RR RR RH

Name FEES
Address Before May 21 ...........$5,00_
City/State/ZipCode per May 2) Incudéia

day of ride... $6.00
Phone. TWC members............. $5.00

BFW Donation.............
In signing this release for myself or the named entrant (f entrant is under 18), | waive any and all claims for
myself and my heirs against all sponsors, their officers, and members, and any other parties connected withthe Total Enclosed.............
eee Cincy tas peccaain ate Cowes Micie, (raw lenky sescaned WANA fae denn
that wearing a helmet can minimize or prevent head injuries which may occur in a cycling ‘and thatthe Enclose check or money order with
Tacoma Wheelmen's Club strongly encourages all riders to wear helmets. entry form. Please do not staple check

Metric, PO Box 112078, Tacoma, WA
98411.

Signature of entrant (or parent or guardian if entrant is under 18 years old) Date signed