April 2024 Newsletter
Key Links and Contacts
For everyone's convenience, here are links to key club resources on the website:
April 2024 Membership Meeting
Mark your calendar! Our April 2024 membership meeting is scheduled:
Date and Time: Tuesday April 23rd 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 TBD.
The next member meeting is scheduled for October after our customary spring/summer meeting break.
Ride Schedule Updates
Saturday rides are now starting from Trek Bikes on Harmony. Sunday training rides have been added to the event calendar and will start at Cottonwood Glen Park.
Weekday rides have moved to 5:30pm departures. Tuesday rides start at Harmony Market Shopping Center (with apres bike gatherings at Grey Rock and Thursday rides start from rotating locations. Note that the schedule may change due to weather or other factors, so always check the club's event schedule for the latest. In May the weekday rides will move to 6:00pm departure.
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!
Event Update and Training Rides
Information regarding major 2024 FCCC club and non-club events of interest is posted in the key links above. If you are considering attending any of these, we have a google docs sign up sheet to facilitate the organization of training rides and logistics for those interested. Since our last update, we've added additional Sunday training rides starting in May and created an "Elevation Gain" communications forum. Members can sign up for any ride on the event calendar. For more communications, tips, tricks, and best practice sharing, you can join the Elevation Gain forum by sending a request to the Board.
Gravel Rides Anyone?
We get a fair number of inquiries regarding the club's offerings related to gravel and mixed terrain rides. The answer is, as of now we don't offer gravel rides but there's no reason we can't. We do not intend to reduce our road ride offerings or our focus on road riding as a club, but if there's interest in adding gravel rides to the calendar we can do so. If this is something that interests you, please send an email to the Board.
Estes Park Camping and Ride 2024
Our annual Hermit Park camping trip is set for August 16-18. We have booked five campsites in a group so participants can hang out before and after rides! These sites can be shared by two groups who can split the cost however they want. Registration is open on the event web page, and cost is $127 including two nights and two vehicles. As of April 1st, three of the five sites have been reserved by members. If you are interested in sharing a site/splitting the cost, please send an email to the Board and we'll make every effort to place you in one of the shareable sites. Once all five sites are booked, please reach out to the board to inquire about potential additional availability. There are still sites available adjacent to the club reserved sites, so if you prefer to book directly that option is available as well.
Wanda's Ride
Wanda's ride is on the calendar for August 10th at 8am. Start and finish will be at Grey Rock Sports Grill as in the past, and we plan to offer A/B, C, and D routes again. Lunch will be served afterward and attendees must register in advance. Mark your calendars!
Ride Leader Initiative Update
We are up to 17 people signed up for the ride leader initiative and have set up a communications forum. Most of the B level ride leaders have been on club rides and are now participating in ride leadership on an ongoing basis. We will be scheduling a clinic for C and D level ride leaders later in April, and will schedule follow ups as needed. As a reminder, if you are interested in becoming a ride leader, please send an email to the Board and you will be added to the communications forum. Please include your name, ride level(s), preferred days (M-F, Saturday, Sunday, etc.) phone, and email so you can be added to the alias. Thanks!
2024 FCCC Kit Order
This month we plan to move forward with a new club kit order. Kits will look very similar to the most recent club kits, but will not have any sponsor logos. Members will place Orders directly with Primal, and the orders will ship directly to their homes. For this order we will be focusing on jerseys, bibs/shorts, and arm warmers. There will be multiple kit levels available so members can order kit(s) that suits their preferences and budget. Pricing will ultimately depend on quantities sold, so we have set up target volumes for pricing purposes. These are conservative so members will get a refund from Primal if we exceed the counts. We have also ordered fit kits that will allow members to try on the different offerings to assure that they get the fit and cut that's right for them. Tentative schedule follows:
- Board approval of artwork 4/7/24, share final design with members 4/14/24
- Fit kits available 4/12/24, schedule/location for try-ons TBA
- Online store open 4/28/24, close 5/6/24
- Estimated delivery date 6/28/24
Details on design, try on dates, pricing, and store online store details will be announced when finalized. Please watch for another message in the near future.
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.
Tips - Ride Safety Refresher
Now that Spring has sprung, it's time for a refresher on ride safety. While most members know this stuff by heart, it never hurts to brush up on good group riding habits. And for newer riders, it's a must. From the club website, select the Essential Information, and review the following menu items:
- Ride Guidelines
- Ride Intensity Levels
- Riding in Groups (including all external links
- Ride Leader Guidelines
While the last item does not imply that all members need to be ride leaders, they do spell out what ride leaders are expected to do. Each participant needs to be part of the group, and to cooperate with the ride leader to make sure there is good communication throughout the group. Understanding what's expected of the ride leader is a key part of this communication.
Finally, safe behavior on group rides is critical. All members are expected to obey traffic laws and be respectful, courteous users of roads and trails. All members are expected to be safe group ride participants by holding their lines, maintaining a steady pace, keeping hands on brakes, avoiding wheel overlaps, pointing out potential hazards on the road, and using verbal and/or hand signals for slowing down, turns, etc. If you see behaviors on a ride that are concerning, please don't hesitate to respectfully bring it to the attention of the ride leader.
Ride On!
Your FCCC Board of Directors
