Bits & Pieces September 2004
Calendar
September 11 - WABA Bike Swap - The Bicycle Place - Silver Spring - 301-588-6160September 13 - Club Meeting @ Jennifer's (7:15pm)
September 25 - Club Century (See Below)
September 26 - Mt. Airy Bicycles Tandemo and Bent Event
October 2 - 4th Annual Ed Sander Memorial Ride
October 3 - Frederick Pedalers Picnic (See Below)
October 4 - Club Meeting @ Jennifer's (7:15pm)
October 9 - Adopt-A-Road Pickup (9:00am - 11:00am)
October 16 - Bicycle Safety Fair (See Below)
November 13 - Club Banquet @ Cozy Restaurant Thurmont (Tentative)
Featured Web Sites
Every Day is Brand Newhttp://www.masoner.net/bike/WhyIBike.htm
Getting From Red to Green
http://www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/library/signals/green.htm
Have a favorite website? Send it to us at clubmail@frederickpedalers.org
Frederick Pedalers Club Century
New and Improved with 33% Less Gravity!
The ride commences Saturday, September 25, from the Thurmont Food Lion. Riders should plan to depart on the century ride between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. and the other rides by 8:30 a.m. You may leave at any time you wish, however, as the cue sheets/maps will be available on the web site by mid-September.
The cost to do the ride is exactly zero-nothing except sweat. We'll supply some bagels at the ride start. We'll give you cue sheets and a map. You can obtain food and drink at the many stores along the route.
Full Century (103 miles) Cue Sheet Maps 1 & 2 Map 3
Metric Century (61 miles) Cue Sheet Map
Half Century (51 miles) Cue Sheet
Third Century (38 miles) Cue Sheet
The route is much flatter and less difficult than the last two years. There are some hills, but nothing very nasty.
A club officer or two will be riding the century route at the back and can help you with mechanical problems if necessary.
You will need your bicycle-in good working order. A spare tube or two; patch kit, tire pump or CO2 cartridges, two water bottles or Camelback-type device, money for food/drinks/snacks along the route and a cell phone if you have one.
We are not planning on scheduling a rain-makeup of the ride. Some of us will ride in a light rain, or if it only rains part of the day. If it is a washout, we do not plan to ride.
There are no restroom facilities at the start but there are some at the bottom of the first downhill in Thurmont (less than one mile into the ride).
As with many century rides, there is no advertised pace - just bring your own.
Frederick Pedalers Club Picnic
2004 marks the triumphant return of the Frederick Pedalers Club Picnic. This year's event will take place on Sunday October 3rd at Libertytown Park from Noon until 4:00 PM. We'll have some rides going there and the usual picnic fare. More info coming soon.Bicycle Safety Fair - Volunteers Needed!
On Saturday, October 16, from about 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Frederick Pedalers, along with the folks from State Farm, will be hosting a Bicycle Safety Fair.We'll need lots of volunteers - mostly for bike inspection and to help keep things running smoothly.
Please contact clubmail@frederickpedalers.org to volunteer.
Tip of The Month - Handling Intersections
(condensed from the new booklet "Safe Bicycling in Maryland", from the Maryland Department of Transportation)Nearly one-half of all car-bicycle collisions occur at intersections. In the presence of traffic, your position in an intersection may very well determine whether you safely reach the other side.
Upon approaching an intersection, ride directly toward your destination on the far side of the intersection; that is, do not move right or left otherwise your intentions may be misinterpreted.
When stopped at an intersection do not block the crosswalk. It is impolite and dangerous for a motorist to do it, so it is the same for a bicyclist.
Left turns: if traffic is not moving much faster than you, it is usually possible to move left one lane at a time until you reach the left-turn pocket, make eye contact with motorists to make sure they acknowledge you; if traffic is moving much faster, it is better to wait for a gap and move across all lanes at once. Always hand-signal your intentions. Make your left turn from the middle of the left turn lane to discourage motorists from foolishly passing you on either side. If there are multiple left-turn lanes, use the one that serves your destination best. Do not position yourself next to a vehicle in the turn lane; stop behind it.
If there is no left-turn lane, ride about 4 feet to the right of the center stripe so a left-turning car cannot pass you on the left.
There is a large amount of useful information in this booklet. The above does not even begin to scratch the surface. We are planning to obtain enough copies for club members who are interested. If you would like a copy of this 33-page booklet, drop a line to clubmail@frederickpedalers.org