TWBC
NEWSLETTER

Tacoma Wheelmen’s

Bicycle Club

P.O. Box 112078*TACOMA, WA 98411

Inside This Issue:

May ride calendar on
pages 2-5.CarLess Com-
mute.

Ride Line news flash,
ride notes, and Kent's
corner, pages 6-7.

“Cloudy With A
Chance Of Bicycles”, on
page 8.

Government Affairs,
Sentence Due, and June
elections, on page 9.

“Giveaway,” on page
10.

Cycling Ads, on page
11.

Please note, and use,
the inserts for CarLess
Commute and _ Bike
Spot Improvements.

The next TWBC Board
meeting is on Tuesday,
May 2, 1995, at the
Skyline Village Apart-
ment’s Recreation
Building, 5702 N. 33rd
Street, Tacoma, WA.

The meeting starts at
7:00 p.m. All members
are welcome. Bring
your own food and bev-
erage. Call 759-4464
for directions.

Local Cyclists And Their
Products Featured At May
Club Meeting

by Dave Tison, TWBC Vice-President

The May TWBC meeting will spotlight local
cyclists who have developed bicycle related
products.

Kevin King of King’s Cyclery in Tacoma will
talk about his HindSight cycling mirror. He
will also discuss Team Vent Noir, the bicycle
racing team he sponsors.

Steve Forsness of Gforce Bikes will talk
about his custom bicycle frame painting ser-
vices.

Several other local cyclists who have devel-
oped bicycle related products will also be at
the meeting to present their products.

The May TWBC meeting will be on Tuesday,
May 16, 1995, at 7:00 p.m. Our location is the
South Park Community Center, 4851 South
Tacoma Way. Door prizes, food, Club infor-
mation, ride shirts, and sometimes a surprise
are all possible. For more information call me
at 272-4571.

CarLess Commute—
Drive Less Than More!

by Bob Myrick, TWBC Director Of Community And Govern-
ment Relations

Ride the bus. Walk or bicycle. Join a carpool
or vanpool during CarLess Commute. Now in
its 4th year, CarLess Commute will take place
May 15-28. The program is an innovative
effort designed to minimize the heavy reliance
on the single occupant vehicle (SOV) through
the promotion of bicycling, walking, ride
sharing or other alternative forms of trans-
portation.

The great thing about participating in Car-
Less Commute is that you can count all your
destination based trips, not just your work
commute! You can count your walk to the
grocery store for eggs and milk or your bike
trip to the video store for the latest hot release.

Founded In 1888

My ,
19a5

May, 1995

This is a fun way to get the family involved
and learn the affects driving alone has on the
environment.

The unique aspect of the CarLess Commute is FUN! Everyone that participates is eligible for prizes including a new bike, and your company’s team will compete with other teams for awards. Contact Jeannette Sieler, at 593-4176 to register your company and com- mute!

Or, if you want to participate as a TWBC
member, just use the enclosed form, list the
Club as the Team Captain, and return the
form to the address on the form.

PMC Update
by Carla Gramlich, TWBC Past-President

After all the hard work for the Daffodil
Classic is now completed, we now turn our
attention to the Peninsula Metric Century.
During May all the hard work will come
together to provide a great bicycle ride on
June 4, 1995.

Volunteers during May will be painting the
course, ordering the food, and publicizing the
ride. We will also have some fun by going out
and riding the course. See the ride calendar for
Pre-Ride information.

Take time to help the Club by spending
three hours on June 4th as a volunteer. Your
rewards are riding for free and a great pizza

party.

To volunteer call me at 752-4038.

TWBC RIDE CALENDAR FOR MAY 2 to JUNE 4, 1995 Questions about rides or activities? Call the leader!

Tues AM + Call The Ride Line Tuesday Ride Call The Ride Line
5/2 759-2800
Tues Kent Wienker
5/2 474-9395

Skyline Village Apts. TWEC Board Meeting

Recreation Building Call 759-4464 for
5702 N. 33rd, Tacoma directions.

Wed 5:45 p.m. 30+ Katie Downs Joyful Cycling Joyce Clifford
5/3 : - | Ruston Way Browns Point 759-2393
Thur 5:15 p.m. Fort Steilacoom Park Mountain Biking Dave Tison
5/4 Entrance. 272-4571
B

Thur 6:15 p.m 0 26th & Proctor Thursday Night Ride Scott Pierson
5/4 759-9519

4 Bob Myrick
473-7455

135+ | Bob’s House Ride To Clark County

6015 Pacific Avenue (Maybe)

Fi
5/5

Bi
: 5/5
Sat
5/6
Sat
5/6

U1:
ri

Tacoma, WA
Tri

Carla Gramlich
752-4038

. | 20-25 | Southworth Ferry Friday Tea Ride
Dock Pre-PMC (Lunch in
Port Orchard)

Louis Marret
564-8599

Bob Myrick
473-7455
Vancouver Bicycle
Club, 360-693-0195.

ver, WA.

31,62, | Clark County College | Ride Around Clark
100 Gym, 1820 Fort Van- County.
couver Way, Vancou- | $10.00 Day of ride.

McDonald’s Little Park for break-

6311 6th Avenue fast.

Tacoma, WA
Carla Gramlich
752-4038

Troy Wells
475-2918

20-100

Sat 10:00 a.m 35-40 | Fred Meyers
5/6 72nd & Pacific Avenue
Sat-Sun AM 35 Libby, Montana Scenic Tour of Kootnai
5/6-7 River.
Enumclaw High Green River Head- All Green River Bicycle
School, 226 Semanski | waters Century. Club.
Street S., Enumclaw, $17.00 singles. Brent
WA. $30.00 Tandems 206-833-8409

Sun
5/7
Day of prices.

2
3
All
1
2:
2
All
2
2
All
I
Sun 3:00 p.m. Fred Meyers Point The Wheel 2 Troy Wells
5/7 72nd & Pacific Avenue 475-2918
Tues AM 30+ Call The Ride Line Tuesday Ride 2 Call The Ride Line
5/9 : 759-2800

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 2

0: 0: 1 3 3 1 2

4
Sat 9:30 a.m. 5 Gasworks Park Burke-Gilman Trail to
5/6 Seattle, WA the winery.
Susie Rice
406-293-8775
0

473-7455

Government Relations
Committee ride and
meeting (Point De-

Tues 20-30 3
5/9
fiance).

Wed 30+ Starbuck’s 26th & Joyful Cycling 3 Joyce Clifford
5/10 Pearl. Crescent Valley 759-2393
6:15 p.m. Jerisich Park
Downtown Gig
Harbor

Y
Thur 5:30 p.m. | 10-20 | Park & Ride Thursday Night Ride Troy Wells
5/11 6th & Skyline 475-2918
Thur 5:30 p.m. Fort Steilacoom Park Mountain Biking | _ All Kent Wienker
5/11 Entrance | ~ -1°474-9395
Fri 10:00a.m. |] 20-25 | Bread By Rebecca Friday Tea Ride 2 Connie Reitzug
5/12 40th & Bridgeport 265-2127

Fri e 10-12 | Engine House #9 Adios Amiga! 1 Peggy Fjetland
5/12 611 N. Pine Dinner, then ride.
Tacoma, WA
Sat 17, 46,
5/13 72, 100
Sat 15, 30,
5/13 60
PMC Pre-Ride

Sun 100K
5/14
Your Home CarLess Commute All
: See insert in this
Newsletter.

Mon-Sun 2 Lots
5/15-28
Tues AM 30+ Call The Ride Line Tuesday Ride 2 Call The Ride Line
5/16 759-2800
South End Community | TWBC Club Meeting

Tues
5/16 Center, 4851 S. Tacoma | Local bicycle products.

Way, Tacoma, WA
Wed

521! The Old Spaghetti Joyful Cycling 4+
5/17 Factory.
Bikes inside for dinner.

Thur 5:30 p.m. Fort Steilacoom Park Mountain Biking All Dave Tison
5/18 Entrance 272-4038

Engine House #9
611 N. Pine
Tacoma, WA

Connie Reitzug
265-2127

Lewis County Histor- | Historical Lewis All
ical Museum. County Bicycle Ride

L-5 Exit 79 $18.00 Day of ride.

599 NW North Street
Chehalis, WA

Lewis County
Recreation
360-740-1135

All

West Sound Cycling
Club :
360-405-1843 2
360-779-6676

Green Heron Espresso
Shop, Paulsbo, WA

Paulsbo Countryside
Classic.
$12.00 Day of ride.

Carla Gramlich
Steve Brown
752-4038

Park & Ride
Gig Harbor

Dave Tison
272-4571

Joyce Clifford
759-2393

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 3

DATE TIME MILES START POINT ACTIVITY CODE LEADER
7

Thur 15 Starbuck’s Thursday Night Ride 1 Carla Gramlich
5/18 Proctor 752-4038

Fri All Day ¢ Your Home National Bike To Work All You!
5/19 Day.

Fri 11:00 a.m. 50K Southworth Ferry Friday Tea Ride 2 Carla Gramlich
5/19 PMC Pre-Ride. 752-4038

Lunch, Port Orchard

Sat 8:00 a.m. 3 UPS Fieldhouse Pancake Breakfast 2 Steve & Phyllis Lay

5/20 N. 11th & Union Spanaway 759-1816
230 a. Peggy’s, Freighthouse | Southworth to Vashon 3 Bob Myrick
Square. to Tacoma. 473-7455

McDonald’s 3 Kent Wienker
474-9395

14900 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma, WA

Bob Myrick
473-7455

70 “Old Or Any Metal
Ride”, Fort Lewis.
Lunch provided. See

ride notes.

Bob’s House
6015 Pacific Avenue
or, Spanaway

McDonald’s at 6:30

7:00 a.m. Millersylvania State Two County Double All
to noon. Park, East from I-5 at Metric Century.
TWBC Exit 99. $18.00 single, day of.
meets at $18.00 tandem.
9:00 a.m.
|

Bob’s Three County
Double Century.
(Bring a Powerbar)

Capital City
Bicycling Club.
Terry Mauerer
206-705-0331

Call The Ride Line
759-2800

Bob Myrick
473-7455

Call The Ride Line Tuesday Ride

Engine House #9 Point Defiance
N. 611 Pine
Tacoma, WA

Carla Gramlich
759-4038

Carla Gramlich’s
home, 3218 N. 28th
Street, Tacoma, WA.

Final PMC Planning
Meeting.

Point Defiance ferry. Joyful Cycling

Greg Torfin
Vashon Island 537-5823

(ring a light)

Fort Steilacoom Park Mountain Biking. All Kent Wienker
Entrance 474-9395

Thur 5:45 p.m. 15-18 | Park & Ride Thursday Night Ride Connie Reitzug
5/25 6th & Skyline 269-2127

Fri 11:00a.m. | 20-30 | Freighthouse Square Friday Tea Ride Connie Reitzug
5/26 265-2127

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 4

Sat Bob’s House. Packwood Hotel 3-4 Bob Myrick
5/27 6015 Pacific Avenue Bad weather may 473-7455
Tacoma, WA. cancel.

Ee 10:00 a.m. Sumner Library South Center Len Shumway
Ee Pig Out! Lunch. 841-2713
Sat-Sun Victoria, B.C. NW Tandem Rally Team NW
5/27-28 Tandemunium.
503-222-4922
Sun 9:00 a.m. Park & Ride PMC Pre-Ride Kent Wienker
5/28 Gig Harbor 474-9395
Sun 9:00 a.m. Restaurant at Randle. Assault On Mt. St. Bob Myrick
5/28 Helens. 473-7455
Mon 9:00 a.m. 60or | Downtown Mortonat | Ride To Tacoma. Bob Myrick
5/29 100 stoplight. 473-7455
Mon 10:00a.m. | 30-35 | Kopachuck State Park | Fox Island, Cromwell 2-3 Connie Reitzug
5/29 Gig Harbor Rootbeer Float Ride. (Hilly) | 265-2127
Tues Call The Ride Line Tuesday Ride 2 Call The Ride Line
5/30 759-2800
20-30 | Engine House #9 Point Defiance Bob Myrick
5/30

N. 611 Pine 473-7455
Tacoma, WA
Wed 5:45 p.m. 30+ Park & Ride Joyful Cycling Joyce Clifford
5/31 Roy “Y”. 759-2393

5:30 p.m.

Fort Steilacoom Park Mountain Biking Dave Tison

Entrance 272-4571
Call The Ride Line Thursday Night Ride Call The Ride Line
759-2800
20,50, | Fauntleroy, South- 13th Annual Peninsula Carla Gramlich

100K, &
100mile

752-4038
Dena Wessels
857-5658

worth Ferry, P.C. Fire
District #5, Gig Harbor

Metric Century.

Ride Code Definitions (See column six in ride calendar): 1.Easy pace—frequent stops to catch-up and re-group. 10-13 mph.
2. Moderate pace—occasional stops 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.

For More Information About Rides, Call The Ride Line At 759-2800. (To record
your message on the ride line without waiting for the other messages to play, press the *
button on a touch tone phone.)

Wear A Helmet, And Carry Repair Items And First Aid Supplies On Your Ride!

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 5S

Ride Line News Flach:

Ride Leaders Needed, Wanted, Aud Appreciated!

So far, we have had a great start to another riding season. There has been a lot of participation in the rides that have been offered. I would like to thank those of you that, month after month, supply the Club with fun rides. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. But, just as I wish I did not have to grovel every month to fill up the calendar, I bet you wish that others would also feel inclined to lead rides.

I remember the first ride I led. I took

by Connie Reitzug, TWBC Touring Captain

my car out the day before and drove the route to make sure I knew exactly how long the ride would be. I studied the turns that evening and restlessly tossed and turned in my bed as I envisioned losing half the riders and leading the others down a dead end road. It was pretty scary for me, and I imagine many of you are also hindered by these anxie- ties.

Well, it really isn’t so bad. I survived
and now feel like an old pro—well,

maybe just old. I do not do my pre-ride
drives, and I sleep the entire night
before a ride. No one has castigated my
choice of turns, and my wrong turns
were the source of many a joke, but all
in good fun and fellowship.

I encourage new ride leaders. If you
feel nervous about doing it by yourself,
give me a calland I will co-lead a ride or
two with you. Try it! It will be fun for
both of us. Give me a call at 265-2127
and we will chat.

9 wilt update the Ride Line twice a week—Sunday for the entire next weeks schedule, and Tharsday night for the
prlloutng weekend s rides. Ride Line: 759-2800.

May Ride Notes:

Dry Out The Tahuya: Attention mountain bikers! Have you put some “sweat equity” into a local trail system? If you have you know how rewarding a little hard work on a trail you ride can be. If not, why haven’t you?

A work party to “Dry Out The Tahuya” is being held on May 7, 1995 at 9:30 a.m. at the Elfendahl Staging Area of the Tahuya State Forest west of Belfair. The work party is being coordinated by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with the Single Track Mind and Backcountry Bicycle Trails Clubs.

Contact Dave Tison at 272-4571 for more information.

The “Old Or Any Metal Ride”: On Saturday, May 20th, this ride will begin in Spanaway, and then go on to Fort Lewis.

Polish your bike—there will be ribbons awarded for six categories. Tandems are welcome. This is for the bike that has been in storage, or for anyone that would like to come. Rain will not cancel.

Two sandwiches will be available—turkey on wheat or white, and a meatless veggie patti. Both will be served with fruit salad. Water will be provided at the turnaround.

This is an out and back ride of about 70 miles. This is not a race. Call 474-9395 and place your food order by May 17, 1995. Donations are accepted for food. The address for McDonald’s in Spanaway is 14900 Pacific Avenue. Phone is 537-9353.

Again, any bikes are welcome.

San Juan Islands, Memorial Day Weekend: Steve Brown and Carla Gramlich will catch the noon ferry at Anacortes on
Friday, May 26, 1995. We will camp at Spencer Spit on Lopez Island. Day trips from Lopez Island will include a couple of the

Islands.

Call Steve or Carla at 752-4038 to get more information. Plan to spend a long weekend or a couple of days on a

wonderful island trip.

June Ride Notes:

Mountain Biking Trip To Winthrop, WA To Ride The Sun Mountain Trails, June 15-18, 1995: 1 will be leading a mountain biking trip to the Sun Mountain trail system in Winthrop where the Woods family has spent several weeks over the past three summers exploring this great trail system.

You will not be disappointed! This is a great cross-country ski trail system meticulously maintained by the Methow Valley Trails Association. The trails are suitable for all skill levels. We plan on camping at one of the several local camp grounds, or you may opt for more plush accommodations.

Having explored a number of areas throughout Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, this area remains our favorite. If you are interested, or would like additional details, please call John Woods at 565-1729 evenings or weekends.

July Ride Notes:

Summer Road Trip: Saturday, July 15, is the start of our excellent adventure down the spine of the Cascade Mountains.

The route has been planned using a book entitled The Pacific Crest Bicycle Trail, and using our knowledge of the best and most
eclectic accommodations available. Five code 4 cyclists have signed up for the trip, and we are looking for about five more code
3 or 4, reasonably fit cyclists. We are looking for a person or persons to drive a sag and luggage car. The car will allow cyclists

(Continued on page 7)

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 6

(Ride notes continued from page 6)
to share a day’s cycling, or to rest a day along the way.

The trip itinerary looks like this: Day 1: Tacoma to Hotel Packwood. 74 easy miles and about 2000 feet of climbing over the incredible Skate Creek road. A good dinner and a hot tub in a remodeled 1910 era hotel. Day 2: Ride a few miles to Randall for a real, big breakfast. Turn south and climb about 4000 feet between Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens. Riding 92 miles delivers us to the St. Martin’s Hotel in Carson. This unremodeled 1910 era hotel is a hot spring and mineral bath resort with vegetarian food and massage therapy. An optional side trip could take us to Windy Ridge on Mt. St. Helens. Day 3: Ride 75 miles and climb up to 6000 feet to reach Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. We pass Hood River, world headquarters for the sail boarder crowd. Enjoy an excellent dinner in the world famous 1930’s lodge. Go for a swim in the pool and take a sauna. Day 4: Ride 74 miles and climb 1600 feet over the Cascade crest to Detroit, Oregon, and stay in a motel right on the lake. Today, we pass the Breiten bush hot springs resort along the way. Day 5: Ride about 89 miles over Santiam Pass, through Sisters and Bend, and arrive at The Inn of the Seventh Mountain at Mt. Bachelor. Take another hot tub—you climbed about 3800 feet and have a big, beautiful day tomorrow. Day 6: Ride 114 adventure miles today and enjoy 22 miles of packed dirt and gravel road over 5850 foot Windigo Pass. You climb about 7000 feet today to arrive at Crater Lake and the historic lodge which re-opens this summer after being remodeled and rebuilt the last few years. Day 7: Tired? Ride 59 miles to Klamath Falls, or take a longer 106 mile trip to our hotel. Day 8: Take off your pedals, turn your handlebars, and get on the train for a restful and beautiful ride back to Tacoma.

This great 566 or 613 mile exploratory trip will cost about $300.00 for hotels, transportation, and spartan lunches. Your personal meals should cost about $125.00. The rooms at Timberline Lodge and Crater Lake fill up very fast and have some cancellation penalties. If you want to go call me, Bob Myrick, very soon at 473-7455.

Marysville Strawberry Classic Bike Ride: The Marysville Rotary Club announces the Second Annual Strawberry
Classic Bike Ride. Several hundred riders enjoyed last year’s event and have expressed interest in this year’s Classic.
When: Arrive 7:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 22, 1995. Where: Leave Marysville High School and head north for ei-
ther the 20, 40, 70, or 100 mile loop. Who: Anybody can enter this event. It can be leisurely or challenging, and is sup-
ported by 75 Rotarians with several complimentary rest stops, toilets and motorcycle or van overseers. Why: Fun and
community projects. 100% of the funds go to community interests, most of which include scholarships. How: $20.00 in-
cludes the ride, famous strawberry shortcake, BBQ chicken, salad, bread, and beverages. The newly designed long-
sleeve T-shirt will be available at extra cost. Contact address and telephones: Strawberry Classic, P.O. Box 349, Marysville,

WA 98270. Hotline: 360-653-1570, or 659-3772.

Kent’s Corner
Time And Gears III

by Kent Wienker, TWBC President

As we shift gears from one ride to another, I thank all of you who give so unselfishly of your time. It is the one commodity in these plentiful times we can not produce. We only get so much time—everything is tugging, nipping away. The reward is trying to make a difference and many of you do that so well. The people who benefit certainly are not just us, but cycling in Pierce County and be- yond.

Peninsula Metric Century: Next
month our 13th Annual Peninsula
Metric Century takes place. Call Carla
and volunteer for a rest stop, or more.
You could ride the bike to your posi-
tion. There are lots of possibilities.

Come out and meet some of the Club
members on June 4th—it’s fun.

Penny Farthing Replica: | talked to Lynn Kwakenbush, who has a penny farthing replica. He cannot make the PMC due to vacation plans. He has not ridden the penny farthing this year. It is hard to get on and off—the step to the seat is two feet off the ground. There is one gear, no brakes, and you have to push it up hill and usually down hill. His knees know well the big gears he has pushed on hills. He is 75 years old or young.

Herringbone: Speaking of gears, Bill
(Herringbone) Herring was seen re-
cently on a ride with the “Bonney
Lake Gang.” Bill is riding a 60 tooth
big ring, and when he gets to the top
of the hill he starts yelling at every-
body. I think the only people who
will catch him this year might be Ray,
Marty, Bob, Brian, or Jan.

There have already been some great
Club rides this year. I look forward to
seeing you on the road or trail. Re-
member to signal others your inten-
tions.

TWBC Welcomes New Members
For April, 1995

John Bierman; Steve Boyd; Bob Koreis;
Peter Lindahl; Carolyn Nelson; Richard
& Sharon O'Neill; Sheila, Jeff, Andrew &
Amy Pudists; Ernie, Karin, Scott &
Adam Stephenson; Linda Stern; T. Teit-
zel; and Craig Youngberg.

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page7

Cloudy With A Chance Of Bicycles

by Judy Wagonfeld
A First Bike

“1 got my first bike when I was five...I was liquid, hurling my red bike...I didn’t know how fast I could go...I smelled new things and heard strange dogs... went to the edge of the earth...Thenceforth I was free...I searched out mud and flung myself through it...I felt sorry for kids who had to ride in their Dad’s car and couldn’t squish dog shit and smell it on their wheels. Or feel speed and howling in their ears...1 was emancipated...Me on my bike—I could go anywhere.”

A boy and a bike. A kid on wheels. Childhood emotions exquisitely captured by Mark Jenkin’s Off The Map: Bicycling Across Siberia. But for many youngsters, they might as well be in Siberia. Thoughts of owning a bike rank right up there with Pie in the Sky lottery dreams. Yet, according to an old French proverb, “It is by believing in roses that one brings them to bloom.”

Dump Bicycles

Precisely the sentiments of Dave Sellars, chair of Clover Park Kiwanis Club’s Bicycles From Heaven. Unlike Chicken Little who worried that the sky was falling (Did she live in the Northwest?), Sellars beseeched the heavens to dump—bicycles. ‘In the face of his raw optimism and determination, you had better don a helmet. When he asks, bicycles pour forth, chafing at the brakes to transform a child’s life.

Major Surgery

Hold on. Not so fast. Most times, bikes sprinkle from some massive Good Will in the sky. Not UPS delivered, slick, shiny models preening on bike shop racks. Nope, these babies have seen life. And they show it. No simple face lifts suffice—we are talking major reconstructive surgery. Can’t slip by with a tube and lube. This job calls for lights, spokes, screwdriver, operating arena, chains, freewheels, brake pads, and torrents of money. No problem—Clover Park Kiwanis had a plan.

Finally, A Home

Imbued with intrepid enthusiasm, they rendered this daunting challenge trivial. Lakewood Center Mall loaned unleased retail space, at least until paying tenants rated priority. Like itinerant laborers, the bike operation settled in another storefront, then a dental office’s basement, and finally a permanent home in a Fort Steilacoom Park barn. Lakewood Refuse scoops up bikes on its routes, delivering repairables and disposing rust buckets. “It was Herculean to get rid of those useless bikes until we developed a cooperative thing,” says Sellars. Bridgeport Cyclery provides discounted parts to supplement used equipment sources.

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 8

Repair Expert Found

However, without repair experts, Bicycles From Heaven would collapse like a flat tire. The Salvation Army’s Christmas coffers would stand barren of bikes. No pedal power for kids in the Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center (for battered women and children), Hilltop, and Salishan. Children’s faces would not beam with joy. Well, that is not the case, relates Sellars, who finds “giving a kid a bike the greatest warm fuzzy ever.”

Fortunately, Kiwanis latched onto Eldon Stratton, his fingers itching for grease since retiring in 1984 from his South Wells Bike Shop (now Dale Carlsen’s Bike Tech). A half dozen people repair a few bikes, but Eldon earns the gold. Working several hours a day, five to six days a week, he readied 104 bikes for 1994's Christmas rush. Anxious to work, he loads his Ford pick-up with 8 to 10 bikes bound for his garage workshop. Back at the barn, Kiwanis work parties, Key Clubs, and Circle K kids spit polish the refurbished bikes for adoption. Though all repairable bikes find homes, Sellars relishes the “blessing and grace of getting a beautiful bike we can turn right around.” He gushes praise for Kent Wienker’s and Dave Parker's spiffed up bikes donated through TWBC.

Painless Honor System

Now four years strong, Bicycles From Heaven has given 800 kids the privilege of tasting bicycle freedom. Sellars and Stratton emphasize this is not a freebie, nor do they repair bikes for resale. Kids cannot ring up or drop by. Sellars describes it as “a painless honor system. An adult or organ- ization must tell us about a child, other than their own, who is in need.” The bike gets picked up and delivered by the recommending person or a Club member. Kiwanis tells kids this constitutes a valuable gift, though they attach no strings. The Club views the opportunity to give “as grace to the kid involved.”

Elegant Project

When receiving such grace, these needy children must feel,
“Somebody Up There Likes Me”— an elegant project bringing
joy, responsibility, freedom, and growth. Its goals reflect Karl
Menninger’s belief that, “What's done to children, they will do
to society.” We can only hope.

(If you would like to help, or have a donation, call Dave Sellars at
582-1630, or Kent Wienker at 474-9395.)

Peninsula Metric Century
Sune 4, 1995

Government Affairs

by Bob Myrick, TWBC Director of Community and
Government Relations

Bike Spot Improvements

The month of May and your CarLess Commute will be a good time to carry the enclosed Bike Spot Improvement Re- quest form (see insert in this Newsletter) on your bike to report needed minor street spot improvement needs. Your government affairs committee decided to develop a form to encourage your participation in this program.

The local cities, counties, and the state have budget monies available for Amer- icans with Disabilities Act (ADA) im- provements and maintenance improve- ments. During my commute, I often ride the sidewalks for my safety, and to not offend motorists during peak traffic times.

Quite often, I have to get off my bike
at intersections because of curbs. When
riding on the street, I sometimes see
storm sewer grates that are in need of
repair to make them safe for bikes.

During your spring commute, please consider listing locations where minor spot improvements need to be made for your traveling convenience. The govern- ment affairs committee will gather your suggestions and present them as a pack- age to the various public works depart- ments.

Please include the following types of improvements and any other types you think of: =Curb ramps. =Missing sidewalks. =Storm sewer grate crossbars. =Need for mid-block street crossing.

Scott Pierson and I will gather these
lists. You may send them to our atten-
tion at the Club’s address, call us, or
give us your list at a Club meeting.

Club Insurance

Excess medical benefits insurance
should now be available to cover acci-
dents on Club rides or on the Daffodil
Classic and Peninsula Metric Century.

The insurance works like this: up to
$5000.00 medical costs can be paid over

and above any other insurance you have’

in place. If you have deductible insur- ance, this insurance will cover your deductible costs. If you have absolutely no other insurance coverage, this insur- ance will cover your medical costs up to $5000.00. This insurance also provides $5000.00 of accidental death and dis- memberment insurance.

It is very important for ride leaders to
report the correct number of riders,
because a year end count will be neces-
sary to report our number of rider days
to the insurance provider.

Killer Of Bicyclist
To Be Sentenced

by Mat Reitzug

Last October my brother-in-law, David Juarez, was run over and killed by a drunk driver while riding on a Cascade Bicycle Club ride. Fellow cyclist Skip Gal sustained permanently damaged vision and brain injury which will hin- der him the remainder of his life.

The driver, Barbara Jean Morris, also hit several other bikers and fled for two and one-half miles with the impression of her victims firmly imprinted in her shattered front windshield. Two young men chased her and finally were able to reach into her car, take her keys out of her ignition, and hold her until author- ities could take over. This woman at- tempted to bribe them and then threat- ened and scolded them with racial slurs. She was arrested and released the fol- lowing day, and is still not behind bars.

On April 9th, Ms. Morris begrudg- ingly pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide, one count of vehicular assault, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident. At the hearing, a relative of hers told my sister, David’s widow, that Barbara was “not responsible” for David’s death!

On June 2, 1995, Ms. Morris will be
sentenced in King County Superior
Court. The standard sentence for these
offenses is 36-48 months in prison with
additional time of having her driver's
license suspended after release.

If you wish to express your sentiments
regarding this matter, please write a
letter addressed to: Honorable Kathleen
Learned, Regarding: State of Washing-

ton vs. Barbara Jean Morris. Your letter
should be sent to the victim advocate
Mary Kirchner, W554, King County
Court House, 516 3rd Avenue, Seattle,
WA 98104.

The recommended format for your letter is: =State your relationship(s) to the vic- tims, David Juarez and Skip Gal. =What do these victims represent to you? For example, vulnerable fellow cyclists on the road. =How has this or similar crimes affected you? =Have you observed any effects of this crime on yourself, your friends, or the family of the victims? =What type of sentencing would you like to see in this case? =How do you feel about drunk driving and hit and run accidents? =Add any other thoughts and feelings you would like the judge to take into consideration.

The letter may be any length and
should be received by the judge no later
than May 15, 1995. This will give her
plenty of time to read your letters.

TWBC Elects New
Board Members In June

by Dena Wessels, TWBC Secretary

Yes, our annual meeting for the elec-
tion of officers is in June, and this is
your opportunity to run for the position
of your choice.

If you have wanted to be in one of the
Board positions, and have an influence
on the direction the Club takes, you can
put your name on the ballot.

There are eight positions from which
to choose (The past president fills the
ninth position.). Like to be the big
cheese? The President's position is for
you. Like to encourage speakers at the
Club meetings? Then run for Vice-Pres-
ident. If you have a keen organizational
capacity, then you might like to be Sec-
retary. If you like to keep track of
money the Treasurer's job would be
perfect. The Touring Captain organizes
the Club ride calendar and encourages
people to lead rides. The Newsletter
editor gets to see everything in print .
before anyone else. The Director of

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 9

(Continued from page 9) Community and Government Relations helps to promote the Club to those elect- ed types. The Director of Special Events oversees the Daffodil Classic, The Peninsula Metric Century, the Seattle To Portland ride and other happenings in the Club.

Consider your strengths, and give the
Secretary a call to get your name placed
on the June ballot.

Giveaway

by Maynard Hershon

(Introduction by Kent Wienker, TWBC
President:

Maynard Hershon writes an article
entitled “At The Back” for Velo News, The
Journal of Competitive Cycling. He has
agreed to let us reprint two short stories
from his books. At Bike Expo I asked him
to autograph “Tales From The Bike Shop.”
This led to my purchase of his new book,
“Half Wheel Hell.” In them his stories are
of professional bike racing and his own
perspective of our sport, hobby, or what-
ever it is to us.

. Therein lies his talent as a writer. This is

“social commentary at its best.Maynard

gets inside the mind of the cyclist, the peo-
ple that try to run us off the road, and the
idealist inside us.

I highly recommend both books—like a
good movie they entertain and enlighten.
His first book “Tales” has the answers to
what it was like before lycra, and some
fiction. “Half Wheel” represents his trav-
els around the world for the last 15 years.

Call 1-800-234-8356, ext. 6, for a book.
He also now contributes to the “Bicycle
Paper,” published in Seattle. Maynard
also rides a lot—that’s where he gets his
stories.)

I guess it had been there forever. I know it was already there in the basement, covered by an old tarp, when I first started to hang around Bob's shop. No one had disturbed the dust and cobwebs on it for years; it looked like the oldest racing bicycle in the world.

Not that it was all that ratty, really.
The paint had faded but you could still
read the decals. The colors in the
enameled Cinelli emblem on the head

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 10

tube stayed vivid all that time. I was
struck, when I first saw the bike, by the
strange old- fashioned shapes of some
of the parts: the gear changers, the
rusty toeclips and the waterbottle
cages.

The handlebar cage was empty but
the one on the downtube held an oxi-
dized aluminum bottle with a cork
stopper, like you'd see in old racing
photos. All the bike's alloy parts had
dulled and filmed over with age.

The cotton tape on the bars had lost
its color and frayed above the brake
levers. No one had fussed over that old
bike for years.

Occasionally, after I started working at Bob's, my tasks took me down to the cellar; naturally, I sneaked a curious look or two at the old Cinelli. When I asked Bob about it he said it didn’t be- long to him; it was just stored down there. I should ignore it. After a while I forgot about it almost completely.

There was no reason to think about that old bike when Bob's nephew Charlie began staying with Bob in the summers. Charlie was 16 or 17 when he started spending two months at Bob's house each year, helping out part-time in the shop. At first, the shop was just a place for Charlie to work. He'd keep the store looking straight and he'd sell parts when we got busy. Quiet times, he'd kind of stand around and stare out the window as if he wished he were someplace else.

Bob gave him a reasonably nice used bike to ride around. Charlie got from place to place on that bike but he by no means seemed interested in bi- cycle riding, if you know what I mean. I don't know how he felt about us bik- ies, dressed funny and smelling like wet wool, but he was always pleasant if a little distant. We were nice to him because ‘he was generally OK and, af- ter all, he was Bob's nephew.

Most of the year Charlie lived with his mom, Bob's sister, in a town smaller than ours an hour's drive away. Bob told me the boy had lost his father in a car accident when Charlie was just a kid. When I would see Char- lie and his mom together, it seemed to me they didn't get along so well.

In fact, he didn't appear to be espe-

cially close to his uncle, if you ask me,
or to anyone else. I wouldn't say he
looked unhappy but he kept to himself
and watched what went on.

The second year he worked for Bob,
Charlie had grown taller and more
curious. He'd added a couple inches of
height by magic during the school year
and he seemed more interested in us
bike riders and in cycling.

He wanted to know how far we rode and how fast. He wanted to know if we raced all the time or did we just pedal along and look at the scenery. He asked me if we felt trapped, locked to our bikes by the toeclips and straps. A couple of times I saw him heft my bike, then his, then mine again, shak- ing his head.

He began riding more, spins around town at first, then longer trips on the country roads we trained on. Once our group met him on the road; he fell in with us but took another route after a few miles. It was as if he didn't care if he rode with people or alone.

He still had no actual cycling
clothes even though Bob would have
sold him anything he wanted at cost
and let him work off the price.

Bob didn't act any different around Charlie than he did around the rest of us. He answered his nephew's ques- tions carefully but he didn't appear to be just jumping up and down over the kid's new interest in cycling. Bob was getting in lots of miles himself at that time but he never, as far as I know, went out of his way to convince Char- lie to join him on a ride.

Bob, too, kept mostly to himself and
watched what was going on.

We began to see Charlie on his bike in the mornings, when we'd be out on our training rides. Sometimes he'd sit in a while and drop out, or he'd start up a hill with us and not be able to keep up and we wouldn't see him again. He invariably insisted afterwards that he was glad we'd gone on, that he wouldn't have wanted us to wait for him and spoil our ride.

As the summer went on, it took lon-
ger and longer to drop Charlie. He still
rode in cotton shorts and sneakers but
he kept that loaner bike immaculate.
He raised and lowered the saddle and

bars and adjusted the brake levers un-
til he looked pretty good on his bike.

Soon he wasn't getting dropped at all. He became one of the boys, riding in the mornings and helping his uncle in the afternoons. He showed all the signs: his suntan was arms-and- legs- only and he had suspicious dark patches on the backs of his hands.

He began to take more time with Bob's customers, especially those who were just getting started in athletic cy- cling. Since his own knowledge was only a few weeks old, he could under- stand beginner problems better than the rest of us.

Bob saw all this happening and.
supported the boy in his off-handed
way. He sprung for a pair of cycling
shoes for Charlie, sold him some shorts
for half of cost and gave him an old
but not so worn jersey of his own.

He showed the boy how to wash wool clothes and how to shine the whole leather cycling shoe, sole and all. When it needed it, Bob would. work on Charlie's bike while the boy watched. Mostly, after watching once, Charlie could do the repair himself the next time.

Late in July, Bob asked the boy and me to stay after closing on a Saturday night. He disappeared down in the basement for a moment, emerging with the old Cinelli on his shoulder.“I thought, oh wow, he's going to give that bike to Charlie.”

Bob stuck the bike in a repair stand
and asked us if we felt like doing some
restoration work. “Sure we did,” we
said, and Bob handed us tools.

I took off the wheels, cut the spokes
and threw them and the old rims
away. I repacked and polished the
hubs and laced up two new rims,
ready for Bob to true.

Bob took off the cranks, bottom
bracket and headset, cleaned the parts
in solvent and reinstalled everything.

Charlie removed the derailleurs,
shift and brake levers and brake cali-
pers to clean and relube them. He pol-
ished the aluminum parts and rubbed
down and waxed the frame.

He and I put on the changers, le-
vers, brakes and new cables. We taped
the bars while Bob finished the wheels.

Bob glued one tire; Charlie and I did
the other.

Bob got out a tape measure, checked the bike Charlie had been rid- ing, and set the Cinelli seat to the same height. We all three stood back and looked at the resurrected old bike. Bob asked Charlie if he'd like to ride it around the block, under the streetlights.

As the boy went out the door, Bob
reminded him to be careful on the
freshly-glued tires.

“You're going to give that bike to
him, aren't you?,” I asked.

“T can't really do that,” Bob said,
“it's already his.”

“T don't understand,” I said.

“ That bicycle's been his since he
was five years old,” Bob said. “That's
his daddy's bike.”

Cycling Ads

For Sale:
~ Bike parts, accessories,
camping equipment, clothing,
and a bunch of stuff.
Call Harvey at 752-8636

For Sale:
Mike Melton Tandem.
2342 21%.
$1350.00
18 inch Klein Kirsten Road
Bike.
$650.00
Call 761-1304

The Tacoma Wheelmen's
Bicycle Club

Board Members
PRESIDENT
Kent Wienker- 474-9395
VICE-PRESIDENT
Dave Tison-272-4571
SECRETARY
Dena Wessels: 857-5658
TREASURER
Hazel Giddings 894-2643
TOURING CAPTAIN
Connie Reitzug - 265-2127
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
William Hoehne- 759-4464
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Bob Myrick-473-7455
DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS
Mat Reitzug 265-2127
PAST PRESIDENT
Carla Gramlich- 752-4038

Staff
MEMBERSHIP
Phyllis Lay-759-1816
PUBLICITY

SAFETY & EDUCATION
Jan Wieser - 833-6346
EQUIPMENT MANAGER
Steve Brown - 752-4038
RIDE LINE
Connie Reitzug- 265-2127
MAILING
Don Izenman-565-2720

Annual Committees
DAFFODIL CLASSIC
Joyce Clifford 759-2393

PENINSULA METRIC
Carla Gramlich 752-4038
BICYCLE SHOW BOOTH
Kent Wienker- 474-9395

S.T.P. COORDINATOR
Hank Giddings: 894-2643

BANQUET COMMITTEE
Bob Myrick-473-7455
ANNUAL PICNIC
Peggy Fjetland -841-4458
Joy Roelofsz 847-1843

Send correspondence to: The Tacoma Wheel-
men’s Bicycle Club, P.O. Box 112078, Tacoma,
WA 98411.

Send Newsletter articles to the editor at: 5702
N. 33rd, Apt. 17B, Tacoma, WA 98407.

Send e-mail to the editor via Compuserve,
User # 71570,446, or America Online,
WHOEHNE.

Article deadline for the June, 1995 issue is May *
16, 1995.

TWBC NEWSLETTER May, 1995 Page 11

CARLESS COMMUTE REPORT
by Bob Myrick

In this newsletter you received a brochure on the Carless Commute program. There is also a participant log sheet so you can record your mileage for the week of May 18 - 22. You can recruit friends where you work and report with your company, or you can identify yourself with the Tacoma Wheelmen’s Club. Please try to turn your log sheet in to me or to Pierce County - help us reach the goal of 50,000 Carless Commute miles! (In addition to your work commute, you can also count miles for errands, etc.)

Prizes for bicycle mileage include an Eccosport
garment carrier pannier for the most bicycle
commute miles ridden, a second place prize of a
Nicelight headlight. Third prize is a Vistalight
flashing tail light. There will also be drawings
for more Vistalights.

Planning ahead for 1993; a search is underway for a volunteer to present Bike-to- Work programs emphasizing participation by the bicycling community. Please call Carla Gramlich or me if you are interested. The new state law called Commute Trip Reduction program becomes effective in 1994 so we have one more year to experiment with different activities that achieve Carless Commuting.

Make good use of PMC flier: The enclosed flier costs

TACOMA WHEELMEN’S CLUB
PO BOX 112078
TACOMA, WA 98411

MAY, 1992

May Club Meeting

Rail Trails/ TWC Nominations

May 19th is National Bike-to-Work Day. After riding to
work, plan to attend the monthly TWC meeting at 7pm.

Club business leads off our meeting. During this time we will accept nominations for officers for the upcoming year. The election will be held in June. The club is always looking for people to take a leadership role. Join us, as a potential nominee, or as an interested club member who wants their voice to be heard.

The May program features Fred Wert, author of a
recently released book, Washington’s Rail Trails. His
slide show will focus on 40 trails that are available to
bicyclists and hikers in Washington. He will also give a
little history on this trail system.

TWC meets the third Tuesday of the month (May 19) at

the South End Community Pool. (402 East 56th street, ; between McKinley and Pacific Avenues, just east of

Concordia Lutheran School. The pool building is set back

about 300 feet from the street, so don’t be surprised. It is

on the bus line, or there is space to bring in your bicycle.

(Oh yes, there is a parking lot for cars, too.)

Coming in June - Bicycle Safety

SUNDAY, MAY 3

5¢. To get a good return on this investment, please register yourself or pass the flier on to a friend. Thanks for helping promote the ride!

_Page 1 May 1992

TWC Rides &

Questions about rides

Activities - May 1992

or activities? Call the leader!

Sat 9:30 2

Sat 31,62, | Clark College

5/3 registr | 100 Orting, WA

Sat 7am to} 10- Lewis County Museum
S/9 1:30 pm| 100 mi | Chehalis, WA

ues 20-50 | Call the Ride Line
5/12 759-2800
ues 5:45
5/12 pm
urs 12 UPS Fieldhouse
5/14 pm North 11th and Union

Sat

g

A
S

un 10:00 40 UPS Fieldhouse
IS/17 am North 11th & Union
Sun 1

e|5

Sun

i=

[Tues day your house
5/19

” {Tues 7:00 South End Community Pool 5/19 pm 402 East 56th ed 4 0 Tides Tavern 5/20 (2hrs) | Gig Harbor ur | 6:30 12 or Black Diamond Park & Ride 5/21 pm 20 off Highway 18

Sat/Sun} 10:00 75,126 | Pickle’s Deli - Spanaway
5/23,24) am 75,66,60

1 Peggy’s - Freighthouse Square} Point Defiance and Ruston Way
near Tacoma Dome

ues 7:00 Joyce Clifford’s home TWC Boaid Meeting Bob Myrick 5/5 pm 3811 North Madison all members are welcome 473-7455

ur | 6:00 12 UPS Fieldhouse 1st Official Thurs Night Ride 1 Bob Myrick

S/7 pm North 11th & Union (dinner after - Engine House #9) 473-7455

0:00 7 Littlerock Store Mnt. Bike Ride up Rock Candy Mtn.
(2,000 foot elevation gain)
20 - Millersylvania State Park Two County Double Metric Century
5/17 registr 125 south of Olympia (20, 35, 65, 85, 125 mile loops)

2 Carla & Steve
206-941-3752

:
565-8654

all Bob Myrick
473-1455

Ride Around Clark County

= = & : S 5 ‘a e 2

volunteers still welcome!

Historical Lewis County all
Bicycle Ride

Jim Dick
206-736-6856

1/2 Jim Davis
759-5616
Amy Kelley
206-939-7492

2, Ride leader potluck
759-2800

Cynthia Hammer
752-0801

1 Bob Myrick
473-7455

Bob Myrick
473-TAS5

Z Carla & Steve
206-941-3752

2 Tony Schwab
759-7173

all Mary Beth Hayes
206-956-3321

You!

Coffee Break Ride

Tuesday Rides

Thursday Night Ride

Rhododendron and Bonsai Trees
($2.50 admission)

RIDE TO WORK DAY all

Carla Gramlich
206-941-3752

TWC Club Meeting
Fred Wert - Washington Rail Trails

MC Ride Series

: 4 rynthia Hammer
Gig Harbor Loop 752-0801
Thursday Night Ride

lor2 | Steve & Carla
choice of 2 lengths, 2 speeds 206-941-3752
3/:

Motel Trip (hot tub) Packwood Hotel 4 Bob Myrick
2 or 3 days (2nd night in Centralia) 473-7455

_ Page 2 May 1992

(TWC Ride Calendar continued from page 2)

DATE | TIME START POINT
Sat-Mon 150+ South Albany High School
5/23-25} Albany, Oregon

on
5/25

6:45 12
pm

9:30

am

9:30 67 HWY 16 Park & Ride

am Gig Harbor (3.5 from bridge)
Southworth Ferry or
Gig Harbor

Northwest Tandem Rally
local info: Harvey 564-1422

/4
9:30 90? Dunkin’ Donuts Ride to Seattle via Bremerton 3/4 Bob Myrick
am Sixth & Howard using Pen Metric Route 473-7455
20-40 | Call the Rideline Tuesday Ride 2; Ride Leader Potluck
759-2800 759-2800
5:45 30 Pickle’s Deli - Spanaway MC Ride Series 5/4
pm (2 hrs) McKenna Loop
/4

Cynthia Hammer’s home Peninsula Metric Packet Stuffing
4116 North 39th Potluck (see article)
75 UPS Fieldhouse Ray Maines Hilly Pierce/King Co
North 11th & Union Ramrod Training Ride
PENINSULA METRIC PRE-RIDE

Round Table Pizza after

PENINSULA METRIC CENTURY
volunteers needed!

Spoke & Sprocket Thursday Night Ride Stan & Joan Sanders 27th & Bridgeport meet at 6:45, ride at 7 pm 564-4280

3 NWIR
503-926-6415

Cynthia Hammer
752-0801
Cynthia Hammer
752-0801

Bob Myrick
473-7455
Cynthia Hammer
752-0801

Cythia Hammer
752-0801

4
3,
all

Ride Code Definitions (see column six in ride calendar): 1. Easy pace-frequent stops to catch-up and re-group. 10-13 mph. 2.
Moderate pace-occasional stops 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.

TWC RECOMMENDS ALL RIDERS WEAR HELMETS, AND CARRY REPAIR ITEMS AND FIRST AID SUPPLIES For more information about rides, call the Rideline 759-2800

(To record your message on the reideline without waiting for the other messages to play, press the # button

on a touch tone phone.)

Ride Not : :
> On May 15, Bob Myrick will travel Tides will start promptly at 5:45 pm and

to Richland, Washington, for the Inland

Empire Century on Saturday. On Sunday, the bike gods willing, Bob will arrive in Thurston County for the Two County Double Metric Century. If you need a ride, or wish to ride together, give Bob a call.

Marvelous Cycling > Last summer we had a great
time cycling every Tuesday evening. Mark Smith
and Cynthia Hammer plan to do it again. Cynthia
wanted Wednesday evenings, using the same starting
point and the same route. Mark wanted Tuesdays
with varied routes. So, they "compromised". The
tides will be mostly Tuesdays with varied routes.
The rides will be called MC Rides which you could
think stands for Mark/Cynthia - but, it actually
stands for Marvelous Cycling. Clip and post the
schedule on your refrigerator, then come out and
join us. Please note that the rides with an * are on
Wednesday, instead of the usual Tuesdays. The

. Page 3

we'll be cycling about 25 to 30 miles in 2
hours at a code 3/4 pace.

MC Rides Schedule:

4/28, 6/9, 7/21, 9/1 - Black Diamond Loop, departing
from Park & Ride lot in Auburn.

5/5, 6/17*, 7/28, 9/2 - Tour de Pierce route, depart
from Puyallup Fairgrounds green lot.

5/12, 6/23, 8/4, 9/16* - Brown’s Point Loop, depart from Mountaineer’s Clubhouse, N 30th Street.

5/20*, 6/30, 8/1, 9/22 - Gig Harbor Loop, depart
from Tides Tavern.

5/26, 7/7, 8/18, 9/29 - McKenna Loop, depart
Pickle’s Deli in Spanaway.

6/2, 7/14, 8/25 - Vashon Island, depart Pt. Defiance
Ferry 5:55 pm, return on 8:10 ferry.

May 1992

Peninsula Metric (PMC) Becomes User Friendly

The caustic might say the only way to make this ride
“user friendly’’ is to level a few hills. But to those
who love the ride’s challenges and scenery, be
reassured - the route has not changed - but a few
other things have:

1. Riders can start the 100K loop at

Southworth or Gig Harbor. This seems
to be a popular alternative as 75% of
the riders registered so far have opted,
to start in Gig Harbor.

2. Riders can register in Fauntleroy
while waiting for the ferry.

3. There will be four evenly-spaced
reststops, all in new locations. The
Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce
will be sponsoring on e of the
Teststops, and two of the reststops will feature
Cytomax (an energy drink).

4. The map will highlight the reststops as well as local grocery stores and scenic highlights.

5. Riders will be given numbers to wear and asked to
complete ID information.

6. There will be two styles of jerseys for sale.
READ ON. . .AT YOUR OWN RISK

A wonderful committee of bright, energetic
hard-working people are doing all they can to make
the ride popular and successful. But, we still need
more help, especially on June 7th. We’ll need about
50 volunteers! Save me the trouble of calling you, by

calling me, Mark Smith, Volunteer Recruiter for the
PMC. (752-2061 eve.) Sincerely, I would love to
hear from you. If you can’t reach me, call Cynthia
Hammer, 752-0801, evenings.

Do you want to know the
advantages of being a ride volunteer
(giving us 2 or more hours of your
time)? You’ll get to:

1. Do the ride for free.

2. Buy a shirt for a discounted price
(polo shirt for $15, T-shirt for $8).

3. Come to a free post-ride pizza
party and watch a video of the day’s
highlights.

Doesn’t all this sound too good to
resist? Pick up the phone and call me now! Extra
benefit to the first 10 callers. P.S. If you are
volunteering, complete a registration form and note
volunteer on it.

Save this date - May 29th - Stuffing Packets Potluck
Party - Friday evening starting at 6pm - TGIF!
Cynthia will make spaghetti and meatballs. Bring
salads, garlic bread, beverages and desserts. No one
is a stranger...please come as we need your help.
Location - Cynthia Hammer’s home - 4116 North
39th Street. To get there take North Proctor to North
37th. Go left 2 blocks and turn right on North
Monroe. Travel 1 1/2 blocks. Road turns into a dead
end. Go left (this is north 39th). Last house on the
left.

STP Checkpoint

Yes, it’s that time of year again - time to think about
volunteering to work the STP checkpoint at Spanaway on June
27 & 28. Those of us who have done it in the past enjoy the
comeraderie and the opportunity to see all those riders
(including some of our friends) on their way to Portland. We
need volunteers for both days, so sign up to work Saturday,
Sunday, or both! As a special treat last year, STP volunteers
were treated to a Salmon and hamburger BBQ put on by
Cascade later in the summer. Volunteer now - let’s continue
our reputation for manning the best checkpoint on the whole
STP route! Call Rocky (752-6257) or Karen (938-3706 -in
Seattle) to volunteer.

anted - riding partners - goal of 7 hours
to complete the Daffodil and Flaming

eyser Centuries, 9 hours for the Two
(County Double Metric Century. Call
(Cynthia, 752-0801.

TWC NEWSLETTER Page 4 May 1992

Tacoma Wheelmen’s Club

Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
Bob Myrick + 473-7455
VICE-PRESIDENT
Carla Gramlich + 941-3752
SECRETARY
Sylvia Russell + 862-3288
TREASURER
Jovee Clif ford + 759-2393

Staff
TOURING CAPTAIN
Jon Turnipseed + 565-8654
MEMBERSHIP
Phyllis.Lay + 759-1816
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Bob Myrick + 473-7455
PUBLICITY
Cynthia Hammer + 752-0801

Sylvia Russell » 862-3288
L.A.W. REPRESENTATIVE

Sue Given ¢ 565-0535

B.F.W. COORDINATOR
Diane Lister + 752-8636

SAFETY & EDUCATION
Jim Davis * 759-5616
Jan Wieser + 833-6346
EQUIPMENT MANAGERS
Tom Cornell « 582-0903
Louis Boitano + 922-6156

RIDE LINE
Steve Lay + 759-1816

Annual Committees
DAFFODIL CLASSIC
Tom Cornell + 582-0903
PENINSULA METRIC
Cynthia Hammer + 752-0801
BICYCLE SHOW BOOTH
Sylvia Russell + 862-3288
$.T.P. COORDINATOR
Karen Whitney + 938-3706
BANQUET COMMITTEE
Jan Wieser + 833-6346
ANNUAL PICNIC
Diane Taylor + 759-4971

Newsletter
EDITOR
William Hoehne » 759-4464
MAILING
Don Izenman + 565-2720

For correspondence, indicate
appropriate officer, and send to:
Tacoma Wheelmen’s Club, P.O. Box
112078, Tacoma, WA 98411.

So you want to ride your bike to
work but it is a thirty mile ride.
The first ten miles on back roads
aren’t too bad, but riding on the
main arterials is a challenge.
What do you do?

Starting May 18, “‘Carless Commute Week’’, Pierce Transit will expand your options. As part of a three-month demonstration project to promote alternatives to commuting alone in a car, the transit agency will allow bikes inside all buses traveling within Pierce County on a space available basis.

Generally, bikes will be stowed on-board in the area reserved for wheelchairs. If this space is already in use, cyclists will use the area of the bus with wider aisles. The cyclist will be responsible for loading and securing the bike, as well as for respecting the comfort and convenience of other passengers.

Ride Reports:

The Tacoma Wheelmen’s Club recommends that cyclists bring along a toe strap or bungee cord to secure their bikes on the bus. Pierce Transit is inviting the group to help identify ways to improve and expand the program if it becomes popular.

To test vehicle mounted racks, Pierce Transit will install bicycle racks on the front of Route 10 buses, which travel along Pearl Street from Tacoma Community College to Point Defiance. These front-mounted racks are similar to those used by Seattle’s Metro Transit and Intercity Transit in Olympia.

This demonstration is similar to successful bike programs in Sacramento, Santa Clara, and Dallas. To learn more about the bicycle demonstration project, call Pierce Transit at 581-8000. (Coming soon - enclosed bicycle lockers for rent at several transit centers.)

WE MISSED THE BOAT! On Sunday, April 5, the ferry to Vashon left as the three "stalwart" cyclists huddled in the rain, deciding where to go, what to do. After completing 5 Mile Drive in Pt. Defiance and getting thoroughly wet, we headed south to Dupont and dryer but still cold weather. The major achievements of the day: Bob Myrick rode 50 miles without getting a flat and Cynthia Hammer can now relinquish her perjorative label of “rain weenie".

The April 19th ride to Ft. Lewis got off to a wonderful start with 7 riders showing up in their Easter outfits. One cyclist, who had neglected to pay his dues in a while, set an excellent example of what to do when you’re in arrears. He gave the leader a $100 bill to put himself back in the Club’s good graces. He succeeded!

Although the leader had spent 2+ hours getting prior approval to enter the Post, it all came to naught when we went to the wrong gate. The MP there had no idea what we were talking about, but he, fortunately, let us proceed. The riding on the

Post was great, with flat, no-traffic roads.

The route from the UPS fieldhouse included 4 memorable hills (instead of the advertised 3). We pressed on, survived, and still returned by 3 pm. Needing sustenance, we sought out the Engine House, but only received a "Closed for the Holiday" sign. I can’t speak for the others, but this rider "limped" home and

promptly fell asleep.
Page 5

May 1992

The 10th Annual Peninsula Metric Century (PMC) <~
Sunday, June 7, 1992 7 am to 5 pm eS RN

A great training ride through rural areas of Kitsap County, with easier 20K and . 50K rides available, presented by The Tacoma Wheelmen’s Club.

If You Can Do The PMC, You Can Do The STP. 1992

Two Registration, Starting Points: Mementos Available:

eFauntleroy, Southworth ferry landings—see ___ @ Patchkit guaranteed for each pre-registered map and ferry schedule on reverse side. rider.

eGig Harbor Park 'n Ride lot—about 3/4 H : : :
miles from Narrows Bridge. Take Gig Harbor City ride ahs Doon ge ee Lh
Center exit of f Rt. 16 West. See map on reverse T-shirt with enlarged ride graphics (see above) on
side. Front of jersey.

Reasonable Fees:

Four Routes: $10.00 individual(with $3 discount for

020K ride from Southworth to Manchester, registration before May 10). and return. This is a level ride with gorgeous views ©$25.00 family(with $5 discount for of Puget Sound and the Olympics. registration before May 10).

e50K loop from Southworth, Beautiful and *Round-trip ferry tickets from Fauntleroy to varied scenery. Includes Port Orchard and some hills. Southworth cost $3.80 day of ride, but only $3.00

065K loop from Gig Harbor. Rural scenery. with early registration.

Includes Olalla and many hills.
©100K loop from either Southworth or Gig

Harbor. A memorable, varied, and challenging ride. Special!
$3.00 discount on ride if you become
Good Ride Support: a new member of the Tacoma Wheelmen.

(See reverse side for benefits of member-

4 checkpoints with rest areas serving snacks
and beverages.

¢Maps available. Routes well marked and
patrolled.

Riders are registered and wear numbers.

eHelmets are required.

ship.)
$9.00 Individual(usually $12)
$12.00 Family(usually $15)

Ride Coordinator: Cynthia Hammer. Tacoma--752-6621 (day). 752-0801 (evening). Registrars: Ralph & Dena Wessels. Gig Harbor--857-5658(evenings). Clip and mail registration form to: Tacoma Wheelmen--PMC, P.O. Box 1402, Gig Harbor, WA 98335.

Names of alll emtrarats
Address: Street_—____City fe ep
Telephone: (home)____{work) So ee Date

Starting ride at Southworth__Gig Harbor Riding20K SOK65K_100K_ Circle and Total following choices: Registration before May 10: $7 Individual $20 Family Registration after May 10: $10 $25 New Club Membership($3 off ride) $9 $12 SM L XL Polo Shirts = ss |. ___x$17.50(inc. tax) T-Shirts peas __x$10.00(inc. tax Round trip ferry tickets before May 10: ___x$3.00 (For round trip only, include self-addressed, stamped envelope.) TOTAL ENCLOSED:

Important: Release form on reverse side must be signed and dated. \\\

This Is Your Invitation To Join.

P.O. Box 112078
Tacoma, WA 98411
Rideline 759-2800.

Benefits From Joining The Tacoma Wheelmen’s Club

As a TWC member you will receive. . . You will also. . .
¢a monthly newsletter with the ride ehave a chance to meet people with
schedule. common interests. '
+a subscription to Northwest Cyclist *be able to exercise any interest you have
newspaper(10 issues per year). in bicycling, from recreation to legislation.
¢a subscription to Bicycle Touring elearn new cycling routes.
newsletter(4 issues per year), + learn to ride better and safely.
- discounts at participating bicycle shops. «be able to attend social activities planned
ea Club patch and a roster of members. for Club members.

. And, Of Course, You Will Have Lots Of Fun!

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Approx. érossing

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= * cell | crossing

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Blake /

oe meee
/

oe gtarton rh LERRY.
outh Ps,

/ Vashoy@
if = Vashon Heights
Dolphin Pt

PMC ae ae for Fauntleroy and Southworth(approximate crossing time 35 minutes): Leave Fauntleroy: 7:00 am, 7:40, 8:25, 9:00, 9:45, 10:30, 11:15, and 12 noon. Leave Southworth: 12 noon, 12:45, 1:30, 2:15, 3:00, 3:40, 4:30, and 5:15.

Representation And Acknowledgment

I hereby represent that 1 am in good physical condition for the Peninsula Metric Century. I understand that the route is
challenging and not chosen for its satety. I further represent that I have the ability and equipment to handle the route and
weather contemplated. I acknowledge that I have been warned to wear a helmet designed for bicycle riding, and | am aware that
wearing a helmet is required. ]
Release From Liability

In consideration of your acceptance of this registration, by signing this release, I(or the registrant, if under 18 years of age)(I, or the registrant, if under 18 years of age, are hereafter referred to as “l°)hereby release for myself and my kin, and waive any claims or causes of action | may have against the Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club, its officers, directors, members, agents, and all other persons or entities, participating in the Peninsula Metric Century, from any and all liability arising out of any injury to person or property, and any other loss, damage, or expense, arising out of my participation in the Peninsula Metric Century, or any activity with the Peninsula Metric Century.

Date SIGNATURE(S) in ink of all adult registrants with parents signing for children under 18.