Recreational/Touring Clubs

Here is how Active.com grades a "good" club.  How'd we do?

Clubs should try to promote fun rides and tours. Here are some ways you can identify a club that's doing it right.
1. Good clubs offer a full schedule of weekend rides and occasional longer tours.
2. Good clubs grade rides in terms of distance, speed and ability so that newcomers don't accidentally bite off more than they can chew. One sure sign of a poor club is when a ride rated "easy" turns into a race as the leader shows off his fitness and power.
3. Good clubs have rides that encourage participation from everyone. They sometimes sponsor low-key time trials (safe races against the clock) and encourage everyone to participate, regardless of fitness or skill.
4. Good clubs have social gatherings like potlucks or "restaurant rides" that bring people together off the bike.
5. Good clubs are active in politics. They support local and state bicycle advocacy organizations. They often are the force behind bicycle path construction, traffic ordinances that favor cyclists, and campaigns urging residents to reduce air pollution by commuting to work by bike.
6. Good clubs sponsor a major yearly event, such as a century ride. These rides are well organized, safe and promoted to the regional cycling community. Shorter distances will be included to welcome everyone, not just enthusiasts.
7. Good clubs regularly publish a newsletter to keep members motivated and updated on rides and other events.
http://www.active.com/cycling/Articles/How-to-Choose-a-Bike-Club.htm?page=2 

Bike Month

Bike Month (May) is almost here and we'd love to have your help spreading the word on a couple of key events/activities.

• Bike Month Events
  : Walk Bike Nashville is organizing an bike event calendar for the month. If you're hosting any rides or bike events in May make sure you create an account and list them on the city wide calendar. It's a great way to get new riders for your events and to also show Nashville how active the cycling community is.
• National Bike Challenge:
  Walk Bike Nashville is the local chapter for the National Bike Challenge (May-September) and we'd love to see how many miles Nashville can log and where we stack up against the other cities in Tennessee (we also really need to make sure we beat Memphis and Knoxville!) It's free to sign up so make sure you and everyone you know logs their miles.
• Bike to Work Day: National Bike to work day is May 16. We'll be organizing rides around town to converge on Public Square at 7:45am. Mayor Dean will be speaking and we'll have coffee and breakfast for all riders. We also really need ride leaders! If you live along any of the routes and would like to help lead groups into town please email Liz (liz@walkbikenashville.org)
• Tour de Nash: The tenth annual Tour de Nash is May 17. It's going to be a blast and all proceeds go towards supporting Walk Bike Nashville's work.
• TN Bike Summit
  : May 14-16 in Nashville. People from across the state and country will be coming to Nashville to discuss making Tennessee more bike-friendly. Register today! And if you're interested in volunteering and seeing some of the workshops for free, let Nora Kern (nora@walkbikenashivlle.org) know ASAP! Volunteers get free entry, but space is limited.
• The Big Payback
  !  If you like the work that Walk Bike Nashville does around town and want to help support us, help us out on the Big Payback,  a community-wide, online giving day hosted by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee on May 6. This charitable giving day will help our organization raise much-needed unrestricted dollars and celebrate the good work of all Middle Tennessee nonprofits. 
  

Let us know if you have any questions! We hope to see you at some (or all) of the events!

Cheers,

Nora Kern

Program Coordinator

Walk/Bike Nashville

c: (615) 2601988

NEW FOGBEE JERSEY ANNOUNCEMENT

The finishing touches on the new FOGBEE jersey are being completed. LG has sent us three fit kits for the jerseys.  They were mailed to us today and are expected no later than Thursday of this week.  Once they are in, we will have several opportunities over the course of the next couple of weeks for you try on the sample jerseys for a proper fit.  They are sending us 3 kits, a women's kit, a pro kit and a sport fit kit (also known as club or relaxed fit).  The final cost of the jerseys will be based upon the number and type of jerseys that we order.

We would like to have orders placed by the May 12th.  Once the order is placed, it will take 4 to 6 weeks for production to be completed and the jerseys shipped to us.

Watch the blog to for dates as to when we will have fittings.  We hope to have our first fitting this coming Thursday night at Brixx.  A ride will be posted for Thursday, but Doug, Gary and I are not riding.  We will be at Brixx with the jerseys so anyone who wants to can try one on and place an order.

We are very excited about the new jerseys and have had a lot of good feed back on them.  Hope you all will apprecaite them as much as we do, not that we aren't biased or anything. 

Mike, Doug, Gary and Dave

Stones River Ranger Guided Bike Tours Started April 5th

For those Fogbee members who are history buffs, the Stones River National Battlefield is offering ranger guided bike tours every Saturday throughout the summer. This is a great opportunity to learn some of our areas history through the Civil War as well as lowering your carbon footprint by riding your bicycle. This event is very family friendly and lasts about an hour and a half long.

If the group would like to make it a Fogbee event, I would be willing to get it set up with the park rangers. You can check out the information on this at the link below.

LINK

Nashville Hostel - Our First Stop

Dear Fogbee Bike Group,

Thank you for choosing to stay in Nashville Downtown Hostel for the 1st night of your wonderful adventure.  We are excited to host your group.

I want to double check the booking that I have for your group.  Those staying in our facility please send me an email with your room description and I'll reply back with the confirmation.

We've posted a new hostel introduction video on Youtube.  Please share  with friends.

Cheers, Ron

Great day; Great ride; Great friends!

Beginner Ride 4/19/14 Pictures

Click Here for a slide show of this morning's Beginner Ride.

Art of a group ride

This interesting article is from a cycling lawyer on his site, www.bikelaw.com.  I share some of his frustrations.  Most of what he says refers to a paceline and the good old days he is pining for are really the bad old days of road bike snobbery to which the Fogbees are the antithesis. Still, he has some points for us to ponder.

By Peter Wilborn

Sep 01, 2011 Every so often, I’ll ride a recreational group ride. I love the camaraderie of cyclists, the talk, the last minute pumps of air, the clicking in, and the easy drifting out as a peloton. “I miss riding in a group,” I’ll think to myself.
The magic ends by mile 10. The group will surge, gap, and separate, only to regroup at every stop sign. I’ll hear fifteen repeated screams of “HOLE!” for every minor road imperfection. And then no mention of the actual hole. Some guy in front will set a PR for his 30 second pull. Wheels overlap, brakes are tapped, and some guy in the back will go across the yellow line and speed past the peloton for no apparent reason. A breakaway?!

Click link to read full article. 
Bruce

Fogbee Beginner Ride Series Begins this Saturday!

This Saturday, we will be starting our beginner bike ride series. We will be meeting up in the Indian Lake shopping center parking lot located behind Sam's Sports Bar at 7:50 with the ride starting at 8:00. This will give our riders plenty of time to meet other riders and prepare their bikes for the ride.

This route will be a fun urban Hendersonville ride that will include roads like Stop 30 behind the golf course, Main Street, Bonita Parkway and finishes on the greenway path through Drakes Creek Park. We will be riding at a comfortable pace and will regroup at the top of hills and at intersections with stop signs.

Hope to see everyone there and we are looking forward to a great new ride season for 2014!

ROUTE

Just a reminder...If weather won't let us ride we will still SPIN!

Spring Tour - Final Advisory

. . The Final Advisory for the USBR23 Spring Tour was issued this morning.  A copy can be viewed by clicking here.  It was issued to 34 participants doing from one to all six legs of the tour starting at the KY border on Thursday morning (April 24'th) and ending in Ashland City on Tuesday (April 29'th).  Most participants are ending at the Alabama border on Saturday evening. 
. . Dinner has been scheduled for all on Friday evening (Date Night) at Henry Horton SP at 6PM and in Ardmore at the Alabama border at 5PM.

One moment From the 2014 RedBud Ride

 In this short segment, we see something we've never seen before, I knew she was holding out on us, Janice passing people going uphill !     The ride was great, the roads were well marked, the rest stops served everything from almonds to chili, yes Chili...It was hilly but a good ride.

A Quandry

Today, the Alliance for Biking and Walking issued its Benchmark Report on biking and walking in all 50 states.  Below is an interesting graphic.

Although it is specific to biking/walking to work, it is reflective about all activities, most notably the willing of bicyclists to support their favorite pastime.  After studying these charts for nearly ten years, I haven't figured out why the states lineup this way and sure would like some reasons.  For the full report click here. 

WD-40

A certain senior pedaler started a chain letter about the merits of WD-40.  His was hardly the first about this miracle solvent. After his legitimate uses he ended with

I knew about its several other uses but did not know it was made of fish oil; my local CVS drug store sells fish oil capsules as a health supplement; wonder if a spoonful of WD-40 in my morning coffee might do something for my geriatric issues, eh?

As you might imagine that opened the topic.  Before you get too far, it does not contain fish oil.  However, I found this gem

While WD-40 Multi-Use Product it is not a grease, it is formulated with strong lubricating oils and other ingredients, and is a terrific product to use for bike maintenance [especially chains]. It does not attract dirt or moisture to metal surfaces – just be sure to wipe off any excess WD-40 Multi-Use Product before riding.  For long-term lubrication and other specialized bicycle maintenance needs, check out WD-40 BIKE. Developed specifically for cyclists and mechanics, this high-performance line of bicycle care products is sure to become a mainstay in the toolboxes of bike mechanics for decades.

Also the Duct Tape Guys say,

“You only need two tools in life, Duct Tape and WD-40.  If it’s not stuck and it’s supposed to be, Duct Tape it.  If it’s stuck and it’s not supposed to be, WD-40 it.”

Pedals for Paws Alternative

If you are waffling on the P4P routes, thinking 30 is too short and 62 too long, I have created an amalgam of the two routes, retaining the best and eliminating the most painful.  The route is 43 miles long and I will be riding it at Turtle pace.  If you want to join me, seek me out at the start and/or comment to this post.  I'll head out with the 62-miler group but quickly drop back (more likely get dropped) near the airport. Here is a link to my alternative http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4406276 
Tom_E

I met our Fogbee Cousin today....

Jere's Ride - April 26'th

Dear Fogbees,

I’m trying to help Gregg and his team get the word out about a new ride that is happening April 26, in Lebanon TN.  The ride is in memory of Jere McCulloch who passed away last year during the HOT 100.  Jere suffered a heart attack while on course doing what he loved, riding bicycles.  Some of the Fogbees may have known him.  

The Jere’s Ride group have organized a ride this year for April 26th.  It will leave the Lebanon Ag Center/Fair Grounds.  The longest route is 31 miles. Would you post to your Blog about Jere’s Ride or list it on your calendar.  We would really appreciate it. 

http://www.jeresride.com

Thank you in advance for helping to spread the word.

Cheryl Wilson,Veloteers – Treasurer

Hoover Gran Fondo – Assistant Director

615-405-9079

(P.S. - Many of the Veloteers have plans to attend the Pedal for Paws this weekend.  The weather looks promising!  We always enjoy seeing the Fogbees on the road.)

Pedals for Paws this Saturday

The weather for this upcoming Saturday is looking sunny and warm...Perfect weather for the 3rd annual Pedals for Paws ride in Gallatin. If you haven't signed up yet, don't worry, there is still time to get registered. The organizers of the ride are expecting a record number of riders in attendance and with $1000 in merchandise being given out by our store, this could end up being the largest cycling event Sumner County has ever seen.

If you have not ridden this ride, it benefits the Sumner County Spay and Neuter Alliance. This is an organization that offers quality spay and neuter services to pet owners at affordable prices. This ride features a route for every type of rider, from the experienced distance rider to the 1 hour fitness rider, we have routes of 12 miles, 30 miles, and 62 miles. These routes will be well supported with SAG vehicles and super well stocked rest stops so come out and enjoy the morning on your bike with some of the nicest bike riders in all of Middle Tennessee and all for a great cause!

Online registration is still open at the link posted here or come down to the Gallatin Civic Center early on Saturday and register in person

REGISTRATION

Country Music Marathon Cyclists Support April 26 2014

     Each year ~25 cyclists support the marathon's elite and celebrity runners along with
 fulfilling other tasks happening during the marathon. If you would like to be part of this
 event you will have a day to remember. We typically meet at LP filed ~05:30 and then
 assemble at the start, get our assignments and take off with the runners. Most all are finished  by 10 a.m. so we can still make our group rides .. If you're interested please get in touch with me. You'll  get another t shirt and lanyard to add to your collection along with free concert tickets for the after race evening show.  The cycling requirement to consider is the blistering pace you'll have to maintain for 13.1 or 26.2 miles. These runners move at ~ 12 mph , even up the hills we have in Nashville.

 curtis
 puyand2@yahoo.com
 615 516 9869

**Cycling First Aid and First Responder Class (Monday, April 7th, 7:00pm)**

The FOGBEES and Biker's Choice are teaming up to put on a Cycling First Aid and First Responder class Monday, April 7th at 7:00pm. The location will be at Vol State Community College, second floor of the Thigpen library.  There will be parking available on the back side of the library.  The spots should be marked by orange cones. Address: 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Thigpen+Library/@36.3630638,-86.4978531,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x8d336b8785a76d7

With the season coming into full swing, and memories of a few unfortunate incidents over the past year or two, we feel now is the perfect time to prepare ourselves for the riding season. The goal of the class will be to teach proven medical standards in assessing and evaluating common injuries related to cycling accidents, how to best assist and provide treatment to a downed cyclist, then taking those tools to better assist First Responders if needed. The class is not a certification class for first aid or CPR, nor will it make you a doctor; however, it will cover time sensitive and critical topics that are catered to our cycling community to BEST assist a fellow biker in need. 

This class is designed for new and old riders alike. As our group gets larger and our cycling community is expanded, we owe it to each other and our families,  that if an unfortunate incident occurs, we can have faith in those around us to assess, treat, and make the best decisions possible.

We are going to be lucky enough to have members of our medical community, EMTs, and first responders teaching the class, in attendance, as well as being available for any questions and/or hands on training we need to get us ready for the season. David Hardin from Biker's Choice has been very encouraging and helpful in this dual effort to better educate our cycling community and helping us procure a suitable venue at Vol State. Both the FOGBEES and Biker's Choice are excited to put on this initial First Aid and First Responder class. We hope you will all join us. 

Recumbents Anyone?

Looks pretty docile here, but this woman completed/won RAAM in 2013 on one of these bikes, despite having her follow vehicle and 2 backup bikes destroyed in a crash.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151958974832377&set=vb.59798777376&type=2&theater

May Italy Bike Touring with John Dagostino and Italy Cycling Holidays

This upcoming May, one of our local riders has joined up with the cycling organization Italy Cycling Holidays as an American ride leader and he will be taking a touring group from the states to the Lake Garda area of Italy(one of the most scenic areas in all of Europe) where they will stay at fantastic hotels, eat great food and ride guided tours over some of the prettiest roads in all of Europe.

For those who would be interested in cycling in Europe, John has been going there consistently for the past 10 years. These tours are extremely well planned out where all your needs will be taken care of, food, hotel stays, cycling cloth cleaning and even rental bikes are covered. You can choose to travel with your own bike or use one of their carbon fiber Eddy Merckx bicycles.

These tours can be set up for multiple days and you can choose how many hotels you wish to stay at. Along with that, you will get the opportunity to ride with ex-professional cyclists and these tours accommodate all skill levels. If in the middle of a tour you feel like you have had enough bike riding, get picked up by your support vehicle and they will transport you back to your hotel.

You can check out more on these fantastic vacations at the link below...

Italy Cycling

Pedals For Paws Night at the Bikers Choice

This upcoming Thursday evening, the event planners for the Pedals for Paws Ride, which is happening April 12th, will be at our store, the Bikers Choice in Hendersonville from 4-6. This night will be a fun night for learning about all the plans for the event, meeting other riders, getting cue sheets for the routes, and registering for the ride. There will be food and drinks served and we will have our Trek representative here to show off the new bikes Trek has for 2014.

For every person who signs up or brings in proof of registration that night, we will be offering a 50% off all of our winter clothing so stop by, enjoy some food and good company, check out the new products for 2014 and sign up for Pedals for Paws this Thursday.

http://www.sumnerspayneuteralliance.org/pedalforpawstn

P4P Registration is Open

Registration is now open for the first leg of the Gran Tour. Click Here .  It is on April 12'th and has always been well supported by the FOGBEES.  Each year it keeps getting better. This year David Hardin of Bikers Choice, one of the cosponsors and sponsor for the Gran Tour, is promising a gala event (Click here).  We're anxious to see what they have planned. We've marked it on the FOGBEE calendar.  Add it to yours.

TDOT Announces Active Transportation Awards

. . TDOT has announced the winners of its first group of Active Transportation grants.  Click here for the list.  The candidates from our Nashville MPO did not make this round of awards.  Nothing was submitted from Sumner County. 
. . TDOT has announced that it will be almost giving away $10 Million over the next three years for Active Transportation projects (think bicycle routes) on state highways.  The local municipalities only have to come up with 5% of the project cost.  The big hurdle is, of course, these projects must be essentially shovel-ready.  Usually this means the NEPA has been signed-off  and all the engineering has been completed.  Locally, we have ideas for projects, but nothing to offer as a candidate.  Too bad, the routes we enjoy don't happen by accident.

25 Days Until Pedals for Paws

We are 25 days away from the Pedals for Paws ride. This is the first event of our Gran Tour Series, which consists of 5 Sumner and Wilson County charity rides for 2014. The Pedals for Paws ride features bicycle routes of 12 miles, 30 miles and 62 miles. We are very excited to announce that we will be giving away $1000 in merchandise at this event including $500 in a drawing for participation. Along with that, we will be giving away 6 gift certificates to the top 3 male and female riders who sign up for our Gran Tours club on Strava and record the 3 fastest times up the 2.1 mile long climb on Mt Vernon Road.

This event benefits the Sumner Spay and Neuter Alliance, which is a great organization that provides high quality low cost spay and neuter services to the community.

We are extremely excited about the addition of our newly designed fitness tour route this year. This is a great opportunity for our cycling community to invite their neighbors and friends who would like to join a bike ride but are a little intimidated by the fast pace or long distance rides our cycling clubs offer. With one rest stop, a beautiful, safe route, and all the food, entertainment, and chances to win prizes available, make sure you bring out your "new to cycling" friends.

To register, please visit this link, get signed up and join the 400-500 other riders who are planning on being part of this great Sumner County event!

Sure Hope Winter Is Over

March Newsletter Issued Early This Morning.

Newsletter Issued early this morning.  If you didn't get a copy send a note to Fogbees@gmail.com.  You can retrieve a copy by clicking here.

Fogbees Beginner Rides Start March 15th

We are getting close to the time change which means we will start having some warmer weather along with more time to ride. This past Saturday at the Bikers Choice, I had 6 local people buy new bikes and all of them had an interest in getting involved with a local bike ride once a week so with that in mind, I would like to communicate with the club and get some help in putting on the beginner rides this year.

Firstly, if it is possible, I would really appreciate the Saturday morning ride leaders to contact me before Thursday and tell me where the ride will start(I don't need a route, just a start location and time). I need to get coordination between the regular group and the beginners so they can all start at the same location(so the beginners can meet everyone and feel like they are truly a part of the club). I need to get the notice out before Thursday afternoon so that the beginners can plan ahead. Hopefully by doing this, the beginners will be able to join in for post ride food and meetings.

With the buzz being generated about this upcoming ride year, I suspect we will have record numbers of brand new bike riders in Sumner County and if there were members of the club who would be willing to give a hand leading these rides, it would be greatly appreciated. Last year at the end of the ride season, we were having as many as 20 beginners coming out and it is very difficult to keep a group that large safely together on the road. I wouldn't need people to give up their Saturday ride every week, but if 10 Fogbees volunteered to help, that would be one ride every 10 weeks that you could help these new riders out. Myself or another person from the shop would be available at every one of these rides.

I am really looking forward to 2014 and being back home in Sumner and Robertson County for a full ride season. Let's see if we can expand the club and get a bunch of new riders excited about being Fogbees in 2014!

Newsletter - Next Sunday March 2'nd.

We will issue the monthly FOGBEE Newsletter next Sunday March 2'nd.  If you have an article or an announcement that you want included, please send it Fogbees@gmail.com no later than Saturday March 1'st at noon.  Also, if you live on Indian Lake Peninsula in Hendersonville, look for our monthly Bike 'n Walk Hendersonville article in the Indian Lake Peninsula Living magazine.

FOGBEES and friends turn out in big numbers on a beatuiful February Saturday to ride 39 miles and 32 miles respectfully. The 9:00AM group had 21 riders and the 10AM group showed up with 15 riders. Thanks to Miley for a great route; (he also took credit for the weather).  Just Ride and be safe all!
Woody

FOGBEES RAGBRAI - Last Chance to Register

Thanks to all who are registered to participate in the greatest ride in the world!!  ITS NOT TOO LATE!!  Our registration is open through Saturday Feb. 15.  If you want to go, you must register on the RAGBRAI website with the FOGBEES (follow the instructions on the Ragbrai link on this blog) and have a check for your fees to Doug D by Saturday night.  Call me on my Google Voice at 615-431-9821 if you have questions or need more information.

Touring in Style on the Trek 520 this Spring.

With our club developing an interest in multiple day tour riding, I talked with our Trek rep today about the 2014 Trek 520 which is a steel frame touring bike that has a great reputation and an even better price point at $1430. This bike is a fully designed touring rig made for comfort and ease in handling multiple day riding in all conditions. It comes with a super durable Shimano drive train set up with the tour rider in mind featuring a 48/36/26 chainring combination as well as an 11-32 cassette, making hill climbing that much easier when carrying heavy loads. It also comes with the back rack already installed and has the capabilities of mounting a front rack also.

As all of our blossoming tour riders know, Bruce Day has been riding his Trek 520 for a few years now and I am sure you can ask his opinion on the quality of this bike.

We, at the Bikers Choice are about to put in a Spring order with Trek Bikes next week and we would love to help all our blossoming tour riders get into a bike that is truly built for touring so you have the opportunity to get accustom to the way it rides before you head out on the Spring Tour Ride from the Kentucky State Line down to Ardmore Alabama in late April.

If you have an interest in looking into your first tour bike, you can access information on the TREK 520 here or feel free to contact me at the Bikers Choice Monday through Saturday or shoot me an email at bkortness@comcast.net.

First Charity Event of the Cycling Season is this Sunday

While the Fogbees have been primarily a road bike riding club, I know that there are a few members who venture off roads on their bike riding adventures so I would like to invite the club out for the very first event of 2014 this Sunday. We will be venturing out to Hickman County this Sunday for a gravel extravaganza called Gravel Love Potion #40. This event benefits SORBA(Southern Off Road Bicycle Association) in the purchase of a new trail cutting machine for Middle Tennessee. If you are a mountain biker, this event directly affects you as this machine will be used to expand trails like Lock 4 in Gallatin as well as cut new trails in our area. This ride will feature routes of 26 miles as well as 40 miles with over 85% of the ride on gravel and dirt roads. It will have some tough climbs and a couple of very small water crossings. Registration can be done day of event or online and with your registration you will get beer supplied by Oskar Blues and a hot meal at the end of the ride, a commemorative t-shirt while supplies last, along with the opportunity to win a Salsa El Mariachi 29er mountain bike frame donated by the Bikers Choice.

We currently have 100 riders registered and expect between 125 and 150 riders showing up. If you are interested but would like more information, check out the official event website or feel free to give me a call at the Bikers Choice any day this week at (615)822-2512.

FOGBEE Newsletter

We have just issued the FOGBEE newsletter on Sunday 2/9/14.  If you are a member and don't receive it, send us a note at FOGBEES@gmail.com.  This month's issue is again public and we encourage you to share it with others whom you think might have an interest.

Newsletter and Membership Info

. . We plan to issue the monthly FOGBEE Newsletter this Sunday and if you are planning to submit an announcement or article, I need them no later than Saturday morning.  We go to press that evening. 
. . The newsletter is sent to everyone on our MailChimp registration, which I have updated thanks to everyone's help.  Here is the list of people to be removed.  If you see someone on that list that should remain on our membership list, please have them contact us at fogbees@gmail.com. That list was created from people who no longer open our MailChimp newsletters.  We assume either that we have the wrong email address or that they are no longer interested.
. . Our Private Membership List is available to anyone included on it.  Just login using the account AllFogees@gmail.com and enter the password.  Sorry, if we failed to give you the password when you registered, send us an email at Fogbees@gmail.com and we'll send it to you.  We will have an updated Membership List for everyone to check out by Friday February 7'th.
. . Our newsletter, like our blog,  uses a "responsive" format that makes it smart-phone and tablet friendly.