Share the Road License Plate

NOTE: On-line Registration Only through June 20th! JRCF must submit registrant information to arrive at the state before the end of June. Please register for your Share the Road license plate online through June 20th. Help spread the word about the 3-ft law while providing support for initiatives to better educate both motorists and cyclists across the state. Please support Tennessee cyclists by registering today!

Heat Members and Friends of Heat

Team Magic is offering us a significant discount on their timing services for our HEAT Kid's Triathlon in exchange for at least 12 Volunteers for the OHLT Saturday, June 23. Currently, we need a lot more volunteers to help with Course set-up Friday and Course break down Saturday after the race.

PLEASE GO TO:  http://teammagic.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=551  to register to volunteer.

You don't have to be a Heat member to volunteer with Heat, just type "HEAT" in the "Club Affiliation" box on the registration site and we'll get credit for you volunteering.

Please forward this email to anyone you know who would like to volunteer.

Thanks!

Charlene Alcorn
www.triheat.com
Request forward by Janice.

FOGBEES at Big Hill 2012

. . Click on picture to enlarge.  Now WHO forgot their jersey?  See Demetrius's POST to remedy that oversight.  We even have tiny little jerseys for the girl second and fourth from the left. Imagine the admiring attention our jersey would get when wrapped around such pulchritude rather than the porkritude on the right.  Yes, lot more FOGBEES were at the Big Hill, but getting them all together for a picture is like herding cats (and Dave S is hiding behind the line because he was embarrassed with his nondescript yellow jersey). This group stood still for a few moments.
. .As always it was a great event with great scenery, great weather, over 200 participants, and well supported.  FACEBOOK PAGE. One minor incident with a dog had Dr. Bruce exercising his soothing bedside manner for a fallen rider and delaying a group of us over a half-hour until EMTs and police had a badly shaken young lady stabilized and safety transported.
. . Only complaint -- no pecan pie, unless of course those who did not wait on everyone (you know who you are) snarfed it before the sweep crew finished.

Phil chases down a local beauty to pose at center Hill Lake.

Next Thursday I will be conducting a bike clinic for a group of underprivleged kids in Springfield. Most of these kids are students at Sprinfield Middle School where I work. They are students who are near and dear to my heart. I will be talking to them about bike safety, exercise, and the pleasure and fun of riding a bicycle. I was wondering if you would like to donate items to be able to give these kids something after the clinic. As you know we all like to get a prize. I was thinking of water bottles, helmets, tshirts, This could also be gently used stuff you have acumalated from your many charity rides that you have done. We are also planning on giving away a bike to one of the kids.  I have enjoyed being part of the Fogbees for the past three years and I consider you to be such a generous group. I know it is short notice. Please let me know if you want to donate something and we will work out the details.

Jack and Back 2012

Just wondering who is doing the Jack and Back this year.  Tara and I were thinking of signing up, as it seems to be the quintessential ride of the area!  Is there a Fogbee team registered, or are people signing up as individuals?  Tara and I were also going to do some spinning in front of Kroger in a couple upcoming weekends to fundraise.  Would anyone have a trainer Tara could borrow for an afternoon here and there?  It would be greatly appreciated!  Looking forward to it.

Lindsay

Fogbee Bike Swap Meet

Tom Benim and I were talking the other night and I mentioned how much extra bike stuff I have laying around my house and this led to the idea of maybe having a Fogbee bike swap meet. I am not sure if the group would have an interest in this, but if anyone else has extra parts, clothing, gear, etc that is just laying around and would like to see if someone else in the club could use it, this may be a good idea. We could treat it like a yard sale where you put a price on your item or just bring it with the idea of maybe trading it out for something else that you could use. We also discussed that maybe after we had finished the swap meet, we could take all the left over parts people didn't want to keep down to the Oasis Center's Bike Shop which teaches and helps underprivileged Nashville youth build their own bikes up from scratch and maintain them with the promise that they then pass that knowledge on to other kids in their community. If this is something the group would have an interest in, I could contact the Biker's Choice team as well as other local, non-club affiliated riders and set up a location where this could be held and invite them to join in with us. Possibly the pavilion at Moss Wright Park or at one of the local Hendersonville parks.

Vehicle Tags and Bike Carriers

If you have a bike carrier on your vehicle, be sure it does not block your vehicle tag.  Tennessee State Law (55-4-110.  Display of registration plates -- Manner -- Penalty for violation) requires the vehicle tag be clearly visible at all times.  Law enforcement has been reported ticketing drivers in violation (read here for example). Hendersonville police are also pulling cars over for this violation.

You can still order Harpeth River Ride Jerseys for -- $45. Place your order by June 15th.  I think they look really good, especially the women's jersey.

http://harpethriverride.com/harpeth-river-ride-jerseys

Mid -America 2012 Bike Tour - Journal

Road tour from Westmoreland, TN to Florence, KY. 

For anyone that has an desire to try touring....

2 very hot days, 1 soaking wet day and 2 very pleasant days.  265 miles and 15,000 ft of elevation covered. 

Lots of sweat and dirty clothes.  No flats or breakdowns for any of the 13 riders.  9 are now continuing to Washington DC.  The rest of us are sorry we are not peddling with them.

Below are pictures and narrative of the first four days in Bob Schofield's official journal kept on the "Crazyguyonabike" website.  These are brief and the best way to savor the flavor of the ride.

Day 1   http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=264095&v=Qa

Day 2   http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=264094&v=QK

Day 3   http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=264093&v=PO

Day 4   http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=264092&v=QL

I also added a few pictures to the Fogbee Shutterfly site.

What a great experience to meet 10 new people from GA, MS, IL, OH, FL and Brisbane, Australia.  This is a whole different experience from regular group day rides.  The senses are overwhelmed with the scenery, smells, sounds and constant change of landscape and situation.

Thanks to Bruce and Tom for their support and encouragement.

I highly recommend this experience! 

Dave

Pull Tight FOGBEES

The Harpeth River 64 milers celebrate everyone's conquering Pull Tight Hill.

King of the Downhill, Cannonball, celebrates atop Pull Tight prior to propelling his bike  down the  opposite slope.

 Mike and Sherry share the love having done Pull Tight 2 X 2.

Mid-America 2012 Bike Tour

The group (missing 3) enjoying the euphoria after a LONG downhill into Gratz, KY.  This EXCELLENT adventure was organized and planned by Aussie Bob with Bruce's help.  Bruce, David S and I only got to do the section from Westmoreland to Cincinnati.  To share this ride see Bob's CrazyGuyonaBike journal.  I am sure Bruce and David will echo my sentiment in saying our only mistake was not staying for the entire 3-wk journey!  Believe me when I say, "Biking does not get any better!"

What a great story...

Hey maybe I can run beside you guys on Saturday at the harpeth ride! TO WATCH VIDEO PRESS THE "WATCH YOU TUBE" LINK

Eye have an Update

Well it's now been two weeks since I underwent emergency surgery for a Detached Retina and things are going better than expected. My surgery to attach the retina is so far sucessful. My eye patch came off Friday and the gas bubble injected into my eye to help keep the Retina attached has,thank goodness,finally been absorbed by my eye tissue. This has event has stabilized my abilty to see out of the eye and, with the temporary contact I recieved Friday, I am remarkably able to see almost 20/30. My doctors are amazed at my progress. I still have significant eye pain and headaches but this is normal. If all goes well I may be able to ride the week of June 25th. In the mean time I have rode the trainer ..BOORRRINGGG...I mean absolutely boring. I much more enjoy fast walking on the Hendersonville Greenway. Saturday I did 13.2 miles (verified today by Map My Ride). I would also like to thank Doug for walking with me today at 8am for about 5.5 miles. He and I had the same "Harpeth River" shirt on so I'm sure everyone thought we were a "couple". LOL I severely miss not riding the Tour de Cure, Cram and next weeks Harpeth ride. I'm glad for all the riders getting in tons of miles each week and its tough sitting on the sidelines. I have had some muscle atrophy and I will be useless for a few months once I start to ride again but, make no mistake..I will be back and riding your tail. Have good rides this week. I will be dreaming about them. Sincerely..Gary

Kids Tri Volunteers Needed June 3rd

I was talking with Charlene Alcorn on thursday and she is asking for assistance. I hope alot of FOGBEEs are available for the event, be a shame for me to chase you down like a dog ;-)

 curtis

Course Volunteers are asked to check in with me at the Volunteer table at the band shell by the Parthenon at 7:00am sharp for their course assignments, maps, T-shirts and "snack sacks". We value our Volunteers!

Please have FOGBEE'S who plan to Volunteer for the Nashville Kid's Triathlon go to:

Nashville Kids Triathalon to register to volunteer.

Have them scroll down to fill in the blanks.

For "company/group" type: FOGBEE'S.

Then in the "Comments" block type: Bike Course.

I am the Volunteer Coordinator for this race, so I will be placing all the volunteers that register on the NKT website.

I REALLY appreciate the FOGBEE'S stepping up to staff the bike course! I will use 2-3 FOGBEE'S on bikes. I have an additional 20 Bike Course Volunteer positions available! It will be an awesome site to staff the whole bike course with FOGBEE'S! ...not to mention ya'll would make me look good!

    - Charlene Alcorn

Details:

Nashville Kid's Triathlon

Location: Centennial Park

Date: Sunday, June 3, 2012

Time: 8am-11am

Rumble Status

. . Thanks to everyone who have sent notes to TDOT.  Although this section of SR-258 is within Federal 4-foot shoulder (mostly) guidelines for rumbling, I am hoping if TDOT learns of the importance of this route to bicyclists we can get extra consideration.
. . This morning I sent Jessica Wilson (TDOT Bike/Ped Coordinator) my report on this application. You can access that report here.
. . TDOT does not plan to rumble the 2-foot wide shoulder section between Drakes Creek and Long Hollow Pike, but the current plans are to rumble any part that has a 4-foot wide or more shoulder. The newly repaired and widened shoulder on New Hope improves safety for bicyclists, but it looks like we are going to have to learn to dodge a 8-inch wide rumble on the Fog line.

Sunday Mid America 2012 Kickoff

Aussie Bob Schofield is even now flying over New Mexico on his way to lead another epic mini tour.  This year he and his tour group are cycling from Westmoreland, TN to Washington DC.  Three Fogbees, Tom Evans, David Shumaker, and myself will be joining them for the first week.  We will be leaving from the Fred's parking lot in Westmoreland 9 am this Sunday.  We are assembling at my house on Fairways drive at 8 am and transporting riders to the start.  All Fogbees are invited to join the ride. I suggest riding  from Westmoreland to Scottsville and returning by the proposed route below which includes a couple of steep climbs, or just retracing your path out.  We could actually use one more driver to take either my Honda or Ole Rusty to Westmoreland and back. It's a nice cool down from the CRAM.
Bruce

30 mile route

Rumble on New Hope Road

. . The resurfacing of New Hope (see Phil's picture in an earlier POST) set off alarm bells.  I chased down the Construction Plans for SR-258 and noticed it was included as a HSIP (Hwy Safety Improvement Proj).  To me that signaled RUMBLE.  I have confirmed with TDOT that New Hope is indeed scheduled to be RUMBLED.  In the past couple of days both Bruce and I have written notes to our contact at TDOT expressing the serious potential safety issues to bicyclists for probably the most popular bike route in Sumner County.
. . We plan to continue to try to modify TDOT's plans for New Hope, but I want every bicyclist to be aware of what is in the plans (spread the word!). We are open to ideas.  Once this road is RUMBLED the State has no cost effective way to remove the RUMBLE.

Cedars of Lebanon Triathlon Results

Demetrius and I raced in the Cedars of Lebanon triathlon on Saturday. It was a perfect day for racing; not too hot and lots of sunshine. We actually were numbered 138 and 139, so we started 5 seconds apart. It was a fun race, especially the steeplechase type run to the first transition area. There were 390 total participants ranging in experience from complete beginner to professional. I finished 8th overall, 1st in my age group (24-29) in 47:04. Also had the 4th fastest bike split in 24:54. Demetrius finished 26th overall, 4th in his age group (40-44) and had the 15th fastest bike split. I'd encourage anyone to try this race next year (assuming its the same distance). It's extremely beginner friendly and it's a great feeling when you cross that finish line. Hope everyone had a great weekend and I'm looking forward to a great summer of bike riding! Jason Sexton

New Hope Gets Facelift


Finally, we are getting a new surface north of Beech High on New Hope Road.  Should make for smooth sailing once completed.

TDOT CONSTRUCTION PLAN

A Spectacularly Successful BIKE Summit & HELP Needed

On May 2’nd through the 4’th over 160 govern- ment officials, legisla- tors, and advocates attended Tennessee’s first Bike Summit hosted by Outdoor Chattanooga. Phillip Pugliese and Jenny Park, Directors of Bike Walk Tennessee (BWT) pulled together attendees from across the State to present their perspective on the outlook for bicycle and pedestrian activities for Tennessee.  The meeting was a pinnacle in the efforts of Bike Walk Tennessee to advance interests of active transportation.

IT'S A SAD DAY FOR ME..

Unfortunately I will bee out of the riding circuit for at least two months (just when I was getting into "Miley" shape). An unexpected trip to my optometrist yesterday, bc of a sight problem I had on Saturday, led to over 2 hours of emergency surgery at Centennial Hospital late last night. I'm sorry to say that I had a detached retina in my right eye from unknown causes and I am hopeful for a good recovery. I'm ordered off work for at least a week with no bike riding or hockey for 2 months unless things heal quickly. I was very lucky to catch this in one day and my surgeon is a fellow hockey player that I have known for 20 years. (it's a long story) Hopefully I will gain full sight in my eye and I will bee able to get on the road before the Summer ends. I will stop by Sams every so often to say hello. I WILL be on my bike and ready for the Jack and Back Mr. Miley so don't think for one minute I won't be there to complain about the hills and rollers! With no regrets..sincerely..The DraftMaster...

Seven Annual Ride of Silence

. . On Wednesday, May 16 (roll out at 7:00 PM sharp. Arrive at 6:45 PM) Join other Middle Tennessee cyclists in this silent slow-paced 7-mile ride (max. 12 mph) in honor of those who have been injured or killed while bicycling on public roadways.
. . 2012 marks the seventh year Nashville has held this annual ride. It has grown in size with over 100 riders participating in each of the last few years. Every bicyclist in Nashville is encouraged to attend. Please invite all your bicycling friends to join us in this moving experience, and remember - "In order to receive respect, we must give respect."

Everyone is invited to ride, but they must wear a helmet. Bring a front and rear light for safety since it will become slightly dark near the end of the ride. Ride starts at Centennial Park main entrance off West End Ave in Nashville and the route is

It's the Ice Fogbees!

Heres the Nashville Rumble Beez div

Riding the Silver Comet

Thanks are due to Doug for planning a great trip to Atlanta and the Silver Comet. We had a super Fogbee turnout and the 60+ mile trail was a surprising challenge. I hope someone posts pics from the trip. It was a blast.

Tom Benim post Calvin's Challenge Photo

Reporters were able to get a picture of the elusive superstar bike rider, Tom Benim after his finishing of the Calvin's Challenge 12 Hour Bike Race...Unfortunately, they were not able to get any comments as he was busy...

Calvin's Challenge

The intrepid Fogbee Ultra Marathon Cycling Team completed the 12 hours of Calvin's Challenge in SPringfield, OH. In the early post-finish grin phase, shortly replaced with the ibuprofen phase.

Bike Riders get no respect....

A California cyclist and a friend are hit by a car and the driver speeds away! The driver claims(much later) that his car was stolen. Check out the video begining at 2 minutes

 

The "nomadic" FOGBEES saw pastoral scenes both on and off the prescribed route, with ORLINDA becoming somewhat a "groundhog day" experience for Sarah, Kay, and David

Follow the Yellowbrick road !

Our Stateline trek was every bit as good as Bryan made it out to be. At times we felt like Dorothy trying to find the best way to the Emerald City.

Iphone Cycling/Map Option - Garmin Alternative

Here is a good option for those who like to have map funtions but dont want to buy a pricey Garmin. On the iPhone, you can use RidewithGPS or Garmin data (GPX files) and open it on the iPhone with a program called: MotionX-GPS (.99 cents on itunes).  A good alternate to a Garmin!

Here is how it works:
(1) Get the program (Duh) and install it.
(2) Downloaded the RidewithGPS .gpx file of a route that you want to do to your desktop
(3) Email that to yourself where you can pull it up and see it on your iPhone email program
(4) Open that email on your iPhone
(5) You will see the attachment, that should also have the MotionX Icon next to it
(6) Click on it and it will look like a bunch of numbers, but in the upper right corner of the iPhone, will have a little arrow box that, when you press it, states, Open in MotionX-GPS.
(7) Do that...now!
(8) MotionX-GPS will open and you will see an import button, press that (Duh Duh)
(9) Once that completes, press Menu, then Tracks, then Import and you will see your file.
(10) Select that and your route will pop up

Now in MotionX-GPS, you can select different map types, colors, different modes of transportation, etc... even has a built in photo and share button to take pics along the way and tag/send it to as a part of a route.

The program also allows you to drag and drop .GPX files into itunes, which has less steps than above. The directions for that can be found inside the MotionX program.

Within the program, you can record all the normal data, speed, pace, elevations, etc... plus mark waypoints, email your wherabouts with a few touches, take pics, tons of stuff. Can be also be linked to Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.. linked to other riders with it...
I dont have some of the other gadgets, but can also be compatible with certain heartrate monitors and such...

For what is is worth (.99 cents) it seems like a good alternative to a garmin, but will work your battery a bit.
If you dont have an iPhone; One... you are not cool... two...sorry!

Demetrius

SMALL BIKE PARTS

I came across this site today that looks to be useful for finding unusual components and repairs parts, especially if you have a vintage bike.

http://www.loosescrews.com

Harpeth Bike Club Skills Clinic

This clinic is worth the price of a year's  membership.

REMINDER --- Paceline/Cornering/Contact Skills Clinic - April 29 The HBC is offering the first of our skills clinics for this season: Paceline/Cornering/Contact Skills Clinic -- April 29 Ravenwood High School, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm There will not be a Pancake Ride on April 29; members are encouraged to attend the clinic instead. After the clinic, at 12:00 noon, we will have a club ride for participants in the Clinic and anyone else who is interested. This clinic is a "must" for all HBC members, even if you have been cycling for many years. We guarantee there will be several "a - ha" moments. Understanding the dynamics of group riding is essential to promoting safe cycling opportunities . . . which is what the HBC is all about! The clinic will be held on the parking lot.  Most of the time will be spent on practicing skills.  All you need to bring is your bike! Please let us know if you plan to attend by emailing Phil Scharre, HBC VP, at pscharre@comcast.net There are three parts to the clinic: Cornering Skills: We discuss steer vs counter-steer, proper weight placement, looking through the turn, single rider apex, and touch on apex relative to others in a group. We do drills focusing on each aspect of what we discuss and share thoughts and experiences. The purpose is to put terminology to concepts that people are already practicing so that improvement can be made easier. Contact Skills: Do you get nervous or feel uncomfortable when you find yourself surrounded by other riders during a group ride? Do you know how to react when you have riders on both sides and you encounter pot holes or even worse, the dreaded “road kill” in your lane? The class is designed to build your confidence in group riding. The clinic will teach skills and conduct exercises and drills that we guarantee will make your group riding safer and more enjoyable. Paceline Skills: New to paceline riding? It’s great fun, and lets you ride farther and faster with less work. Done well, it’s poetry in motion. Done badly, it’s nerve-racking and can be dangerous. Pacelines do have some inherent danger and require communication among the riders. The riders have to be confident that the others in the group will communicate well and ride safely. There are three essential characteristics of safe paceline riding: be smooth, be predictable, and be courteous. While several HBC members will serve as instructors, we can always use more folks. If you have significant experience and skills in one or more of these three areas, your participation will be welcomed. We plan to offer additional clinics throughout the year. HBC clinics are open to club members only. This clinic is not intended for beginner cyclists. We will hold clinics for beginners in the near future.

Message from Pedal for Paws

Dear Riders,
Once again, lesson learned! You just can't mess with Mother Nature , can you?  We are so sorry that, due to weather, the Pedals For Paws supported ride did not go on as planned . We are also aware that some of you would have ridden- no matter what- and some did! Several arrived as planned and decided to just take a "practice" ride on the fun and scenic route Curtis had for you today.

Light For Sale

If anyone has been wanting to join in on the night time riding, but doesn't have a light that is bright enough, I have recently purchased a Schmidt Dynamo hub and have an extra powerful battery light I am about to part with. Before I list it on Ebay, I thought I would see if any of the group would have a need for it. It is a Night Rider Minewt 600 cordless light. This Li Ion battery charged light features 600 lumens for 1.5 hours on high all the way to 30 hours of 40 lumens on low. Absolutely a super bright light that would be perfect for anyone riding the Monday or Wednesday night rides. Amazon sells this light new for $127 and I would let it go for $80. Used for about 6 months and comes with the USB charging cord. Shoot me an email at bkortness@comcast.net if you would like to see it.

Good Websites for Cycling Stuff

http://www.chainlove.com/
http://www.steepandcheap.com/
http://www.hucknroll.com/
http://www.backcountry.com/
http://www.pricepoint.com/
http://www.theclymb.com/
https://www.leftlanesports.com/

Many of you already know some of these, but these are some of my favs for gauking, drooling, and dreaming about cool cycling/outdoor stuff. Some sites have pretty good deals that you can purchase for your significant other, which will then lead to him/her allowing you to ride more often!

One Original FOGBEE "LG" Jersey Available

We have found one of the original LG Jersey's short sleeve, new, still with tags.  Size is LG. Owner  will part with it for $60.  First one to give me cash will get the Jersey.  Doug D

Bike Month in Nashville

Like to ride your bike? Like to ride in Nashville?  Then check out this calendar for a whole list of biking events in our area during Bike Month.

Also, Governor Haslam proclaims MAY as Bike Month in Tennessee (click the link on the Bike Walk Tennessee website homepage).