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.

2014 is going to be a great year for cycling in Sumner County

For all the Fogbee members who are recent additions to the club, the staff at the Bikers Choice is thrilled that you have made the decision to join the largest riding club in the North Nashville area.

2014 has some great riding opportunities coming up and we would love to help all the club members prepare to accomplish their fitness and cycling goals. As a member of the Fogbees, you automatically receive a 10% discount off every purchase at the Bikers Choice. If our staff members haven't met you yet, please stop in, introduce yourself and let us know you are a member of the club and we will gladly give you your discount at the time of your purchase.

As many club members are aware, the staff at the Bikers Choice has had some changes this past year and we are very fortunate to have our new Service Manager, Chris Smith with us(some of you met him last Monday at his first Fogbee ride on his single speed).  Chris brings nearly 10 years of local Nashville bicycling retail experience to The Biker’s Choice, and he is one of two active bike fitters in Tennessee who holds certifications through the Serotta International Cycling Institute (S.I.C.I.). As we are entering a new cycling season, if you did not get the opportunity to get your bike tuned up or get fitted to it at the end of last year, feel free to stop in, meet Chris, and get your bike ready for the new season which is almost upon us. 

Looking at the calendar for 2014, it amazes us that we are less than 2 1/2 months away from the Pedals for Paws ride on April 12th this year. The ride has been included in our Grand Tour series of events for 2014. Along with the wonderful cause, fantastic support, beautiful course, live music and post-ride meal, this event will now have $1000 in prizes given out to participants of the event. There will be $500 in gift certificates from the Bikers Choice given away in random drawings to participants of the event as well as $500 total to the fastest male and female rider who climbs our Strava segments on the course that day.

Again, we are happy and proud to be a part of the Fogbee cycling family and look forward to a great season of riding with our friends in 2014.

RAGBRAI Route Announcement Tonight

We currently have 10 riders committed for RAGBRAI.  Tonight when they announce the route I will be attempting to reserve rooms near the end point for our first night in IOWA.  Register today on our team to ensure your place and a first night hotel room.  Go to the RAGBRAI event link on this blogsite and follow the registration instructions.  I will check the registration at 7:00 and make sure we have double occupancy rooms for all that are registered on the ragbrai site.  If you want a single room, contact me directly.

SPRING TOUR

Bruce and Dave_S have been busy putting together a unique Spring Tour.  

They have a website with all the details.  Click here to learn all about it.

If you plan to join this ride, PLEASE REGISTER on the ride website (CLICK HERE). We will use these registrations to plan shared transportation, SAG support, and lodging shares. If you don't register, you still can join, but you are ON YOUR OWN.

You know your gettin old...

With great sadness I note the passing of Russell Johnson, the "Professor" on "Gilligans Island" at the age of 89...

RAGBRAI Information and Organization Meeting Wednesday Jan 15 7:00pm

For those of you who are not aware, the FOGBEES are forming a group of riders to participate in the Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa July 20 to 26 known as RAGBRAI.  We are blessed to have 2 former participants who will share information and experiences about the ride, Shan Boone and SpinJunkie Charlene Alcorn.  We will have registration information available too.  The meeting is at my house (Doug Depew's) at 7:00pm Wednesday.  Snacks and soft drinks provided BYOB.

Even if you aren't interested in this year, this will be a great time to come hang out with friends and learn about this grand ride!!  Help us by posting, if you need address or directions call me on my Google Voice Number at 431-9821.

Great Fogbee Spin turnout tonight!

16 Spinners working hard to get fit for the coming bike season. (Not pictured Mike K. , Kristi D. and Woody)...

Safe Group Riding and Etiquette for Sumner County Riding Clubs

We are seeing record numbers of riders showing up for the Fogbee weekend rides, even in January. As a cycling community, the Fogbees take on the responsibility of helping new club members not only become better, more efficient riders, but also safer, more responsible club members. With that in mind, we, at the Bikers Choice have discovered some great resources that will help new Fogbees become safer and better riders as well as helping experienced club riders become more efficient at teaching new riders safe practices while out on group rides.

Active.com has a great resource page filled with helpful tips on group riding and safe techniques while riding in pace lines, handling tight corners, as well as climbing and descending. Along with that site, Bicycling.com has a great online page with a test that has helpful tips on group riding also. You can access both of these pages at the attached links above.

70 plus? Race Across the County in a Week.

. . Michael Patterson started biking in his 40s and began entering races in his early 60s. Having heard for many years about the 3,000-mile Race Across America—known as the ultimate cycling endurance challenge—he decided that going after the record for the 70-plus age group "would be a reason to look forward to turning 70."
. . In 2012, he and three teammates rode from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md., in six days, 13 hours and 13 minutes. The four-man relay team averaged just over 19 miles an hour and set a record for the 70-plus and 60-plus age groups.  Click here for the story

Awesome and huge turnout for this mornings FOGBEE ride. Over 35 riders counted.

SHARE YOUR JANUARY NEWSLETTER

. . The January FOGBEE Newsletter has several important announcements along with an invitation to other bicyclists to join our group.  Unlike our other monthly newsletters, which issue only to members, we request everyone share this release.  Click here for a website link to it.
. . This newsletter also kicks off the update of our Membership roster.  If you are a FOGBEE, are reading this post, and have not received your newsletter, we have a problem.  Please contact us at FOGBEES@gmail.com for help.

Cycling Books and Fogbee Ball Cap

I am doing some housekeeping and have a number of books on cycling and a never-worn Fogbee ball cap. I can bring to Spin Saturday.

I am giving these away but if whoever takes the books would like to pass them on to another, it would be nice.

Membership Update

. . We need your help.  Click here for a list of people that we plan to remove from our Membership List based on their rating with MailChimp.  This rating is based on their OPENING of our newsletter in HTML format.
. . We can't track those who have set their email client to open in TEXT, which we recommend against.  If you feel you must open the newsletter in TEXT mode please send us a note as to your reasoning.  TEXT mode is a horrible and incomplete way to view the newsletter.
. . These people may not be opening the newsletter for three reasons: we have their wrong email address, their address domain is an employer who blocks personal mail, or the newsletter is ending up in their SPAM folder.
. . Here is how you can help.  If you know anyone on this list and they don't want to be deleted from our membership list, please contact them and have them send us a note to Fogbees@gmail.com.  People deleted from the membership list will also be deleted from access to post to our blog.
. . This update is a pain to do and we REALLY appreciate your help.  Thanks in advance.

New Year Ride and Membership Update.

 

Click on picture to enlarge.

. . Starting next week we will initiate our annual update of FOGBEE membership records.  We use "Opens" of the newsletter as recorded by MailChimp to determine who is still active. (Yah, we and NSA know who is reading our newsletters.) If you have been opening the newsletter, then we know we have current info for you.  If you have missed the December newsletter, then we have problems.  We will delete you from our roster.  

. . On Sunday 1/5/2014, I will issue a short newsletter explaining this process.  We will use "Opens" of that newsletter as part of our update record.  If you don't receive it, please contact us at Fogbees@gmail.com.  We have had problems with some members not receiving the newsletter, which we work to clear up.

Now is the time to work hard for yourself...

Join us at the Ymca at 6:30 pm on Thursday

Great start for the New Year!

Almost 40 Fogbee riders happily hit the rode for 32+ miles and celebrated 2014 at Bluegrass Bar & Grill!

Bring InThe New Year Ride, Jan. 1st

Due to popular demand, we will ride from Bluegrass Bar and Grille at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 1st.  Late night News Years Eve partying no excuse.  We will do a 30 mile ride.

See You There,

Mike   Knake

31 Mile Route

Ate too much, drank too much, need to ride Rde-Saturday, Dec 28th

Saturday looks like a good time to rid yourself of some of those bad radicals that you have been storing over the last few weeks. We will shoot for a 10:00start time from Bluegrass Bar and Grille.  I will post two routes of about 30 and 40 miles by Friday.  Ride will be followed by food and beverage at Bluegrass Bar and Grille.

See you on the road,

Mike Knake


30 Mile Route

36 Mile Route

MERRY CYCLING AND A HAPPY RIDING NEW YEAR!!!!!

What do Big Red Bicycles, Christmas Lights Rides, and Polar Bears have in common ???

   

 FOGBEES, of course !

Christmas Card from David Irvine

Bicyclists march to their own music, really.

Frostbite Run - January 1'st

Sumner County YMCA Frostbite 5k & 10k

Wednesday, January 1

Time(s)/(Cost):

8:00am- Registration

9:00am- Kid's 1 Mile Fun Run ($5.00)

9:30am- 10k ($30.00 or $35.00 on Raceday)

9:45am- 5k ($30.00 or $35.00 on Raceday) 
10:45am- Frostbite Freeze ($10.00)

Register to Run here: https://give.ymcamidtn.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=429&cid=1&ceid=47 ; or pick up a registration form at the Sumner County YMCA.

Can't Run? Don't wanna Run? In town? 
Still wanna be a part of the excitement?

VOLUNTEER!

Bring your New Years Eve Noise makers, Christmas Bells, Cowbells, Family Friendly Music, a big travel mug of something HOT and wear your craziest warm hat!

The Frostbite 10k/5k Course Volunteers have almost as much fun as the runners themselves! PLUS!...you get a free shirt!

I NEED lots of COURSE VOLUNTEERS!

Email me at: spinjunkie@comcast.net if you can volunteer.

Charlene Alcorn, Frostbite Volunteer Coordinator

THE FEW. THE PROUD. THE FOGBEES...

Feeling good after an hour Spin.