February 2024 Newsletter
February 2024 Membership Meeting
Mark your calendar! Our February 2024 membership meeting is scheduled:
Date and Time: Next Tuesday February 27th 2024, 7:00-8:30 PM (arrive between 6:30 and 7:00 for socializing and dinner)
Location: CB & Potts Restaurant and Brewery clubhouse meeting room, 1441 E. Horsetooth Rd, Fort Collins
Agenda:
- Devon Pia of Trek Bikes Fort Collins (Harmony location) will speak to the group about their products and services, followed by open Q&A from members.
- Update on the Estes Park camping weekend August 16-18.
- Potential FCCC kit order later this spring.
- Ride Leader Program update.
Future member meetings are scheduled for March 26th and April 23rd. Location will be CB & Potts. Member meetings will resume in the fall.
Winter Bike To Work (Or Wherever) Day Update
On February 9th, Fort Collins Cycling Club hosted an aid station on the CSU campus Oval. We handed out 100 bagels courtesy of Gib's NY Bagels (Oakridge), along with Fort Collins bike trail maps, stickers, and other schwag. CSU tells us there were 609 visitors to aid stations on the Oval, which is a new record for WBTWD. Particularly impressive as it was fairly cold out! Aid station host volunteers included Kim D'Auria Vizira, Jeff Kessler, Dorsi Smith, and Geoff Landon. Many thanks to CSU for providing the site and support, and of course to our volunteers. Special thanks to Kim for convincing Gibs to donate the bagels!
Trek Bikes Fort Collins Discount
We are please to announce that Trek Bikes (Harmony location) has extended their discount for FCCC members! They are offering 10% off accessories, parts, and service. Discounts on bikes will vary based on model, year, and other factors; however they will work with individual members to cut the best possible deal. We will also be moving the Saturday ride starts from Obstacle Brewing to the Trek parking area at Harmony and College starting March 3rd to make it easy for members to stock up for rides! (Weekday ride start locations remain as before.)
Event Update
At the January club meeting, Kathy Collier presented information about major FCCC events and also interesting regional and national events that may be of interest to members. Club events ranging from normal group rides to our summer Estes Park camping event are listed on the FCCC web page. We have set up a google docs list of events for members to look at, indicate interest, and see who else might be attending the various events. The idea is to facilitate connections between members who will be training for the events and might be riding buddies during the events themselves. The google docs list may be found here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CLyxshfThImteQTlVO54z0dRra5Zi8Cg/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100670812067697489670&rtpof=true&sd=true
Kathy Collier's presentation is attached. These resources are there to help you prepare and find buddies for those big rides you want to tackle this year!
Rides - FCCC 2024 Final1.pdf
Estes Park Camping and Ride 2024
We have set the dates for our annual Hermit Park camping trip to August 16-18. We have booked campsites in a group so participants can hang out before and after rides! Look for an email soon with info on cost and how to register!
Winter and Spring Ride Schedule
Winter has finally arrived in full force! We're still getting in some rides weather permitting. The ride calendar is regularly updated to take advantage of good riding opportunities (and also to avoid blizzard rides). If you are trying to keep riding through the winter, or just suffering from cabin fever, the latest ride schedule is posted at
https://www.fccycleclub.org/events
Note that weekday rides will move to 5pm departures starting March 12th, just a little more than three weeks away. With the beginning of Spring we'll move back to Tuesday rides from Harmony Market Shopping Center and Thursday rides starting from rotating locations.
We are also tentatively planning our Spring Century Ride for May 25th. Unlike most of the centuries around here, this one is free! Mark your calendars.
Finally, keep an eye out for Ad Hoc club member ride announcements on Band and Facebook! And if the day is nice and you are looking for friends to ride with, by all means use those resources to create Ad Hoc ride announcements of your own!
Ride Leader Initiative
The most consistent and compelling feedback we've had from previous member meetings and informal conversations with members is that more discipline is needed on club rides; specifically with regard to pace and no-drop rules. The club has an excellent set of established guidelines posted on the website under "Essential Information", which members are encouraged to review upon joining the club and then periodically for a refresher.
While we don't plan on doing a wholesale overhaul of the ride guidelines, we also recognize that great ride leadership can play a big role in keeping ride pace under control, keeping the group together, and enhancing everyone's enjoyment of the ride. That involves watching out for riders that might not be having a good day, allowing riders to go up the road provided there's communication about regroup plans, managing pace at an effort level (not necessarily speed) that's consistent with the ride level, and of course stopping and waiting when riders have flats or other mechanicals.
In order to expand our pool of experienced ride leaders, we are recruiting ride leaders for all ride levels A-D. Ride leaders may be the leader or the sweeper for a larger group. Basically any experienced rider who regularly does club rides is a candidate! Ideally we will have one or more ride leaders at each level for every ride, although any individual ride leader is not expected to show up for every ride (we all have lives outside of cycling, or at least most of us). We already have 12 signed up, but need more; particularly at the A and D levels. We are creating a ride leader alias to share tips, ideas, best practices and to coordinate ride coverage. We also hope to use some of the club rides for mentoring of new ride leaders.
If you haven't already signed up to be a ride leader, please send an email to board@fccycleclub.org with your name, ride level(s), preferred days (M-F, Saturday, Sunday, etc.) phone, and email so you can be added to the alias. Thanks!
Social Events - Call for Volunteer Hosts
Reminder! If you are interested in hosting a social event or ride combined with social event, please reach out to the board for more information: board@fccycleclub.org
The weather is kind of sketchy and hard to plan for right now, but there's no reason we can't put events on the calendar for spring and summer now!
Winter Riding Tips
Ever get caught out on a ride where the nice weather changes, and suddenly its cold, wet, or snowing? Be prepared. A Buff, glove liners or nitrile gloves, and an extra layer can make all the difference as you finish out your ride! They are easy to stuff in jersey pockets or small packs.
If your bike has the frame clearance, tires that a bit larger and lower pressure with knobby treads will provide extra traction through snow, slush, and puddles. Plus the knobby treads provide a little extra flat protection!
Speaking of flats, fixing a flat when it's cold and wet is no fun. Flats are far more likely to happen when the roads are wet, as those evil sharp objects tend to adhere to wet tires much better than they do to dry ones. Remember to avoid debris-prone areas on wet days!
Finally, you may not be thirsty but you still need to hydrate! Ride nutrition needs do not take the winter off. Remember to drink lots of fluids and carry a snack on longer rides.
Ride On!
Your FCCC Board of Directors
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