June 2024 Newsletter
Key Links and Contacts
For everyone's convenience, here are links to key club resources on the website:
Membership Meetings - Summer Break!
We are on our meeting summer break. Monthly newsletters will continue during the break. If you have questions or anything you would like to bring to the Board's attention, please feel free to send us an email or raise it in person at one of our events. Mark your calendars for upcoming member meetings starting in the fall. All meetings are held at CB & Potts at Collindale Golf Course.
Tuesday Sept. 24 (if needed)
Tuesday Oct. 30
Tuesday Dec. 3
2024 FCCC Kit Order Update
Our club kit order with Primal was completed and placed on May 9th. We met the minimums, so if you ordered it you will get it. Orders will ship directly to your address around July 5th.
We also have one women's medium jersey left from the last kit order which we will sell at a discount. There are also two jerseys we ordered to make the minimums for this order. Please send an email to the board if interested.
Discounts for Members!
We are always looking to deliver more value for members than the cost of dues. Here's what we've got so far.
Trek Fort Collins:
10% discount for FCCC members on products and services. Not applicable for new bike purchase, but discounts may be available depending on Trek promotions. Just tell them at checkout you are a member of FCCC.
Road ID:
20% discount for FCCC members. This discount is good for a full year. Here is the link:
https://roadid.com/pages/groupdiscount?rfsn=7945966.59b01a&utm_source=teamsprogram&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=teamsgroupsclubs-20percentdiscount
This link will take you to a page where you submit your name and email. Road ID will then email you a 20% discount code to be used at checkout.
Primal:
FCCC members are eligible for a 25% discount on all items on the Primal online store. The online store is at www.primalwear.com. ; Use discount code 24ATviaQ1 at checkout.
We are working on more discounts, stay tuned!
Ride Schedule
Spring and summer rides are on! We're getting good turnouts at all levels. Always check the Events page on the club website for the latest locations, routes, and start times. Ride registration is now open 7 days prior to the event, and registrations are cancellable in the event your plans change. (To cancel, go to the event page, click "Already Registered", and click the Cancel button.) Please remember to register - people are more likely to show up if they know they will have someone to ride with!
- Saturday rides start at Trek Fort Collins, generally at 8am but check the schedule as timing will vary. Longer (B) rides may move to 7am if the weather forecast suggests that an early ride is advisable. (It's thunderstorm season...) Remember to check the events web page regularly for updates.
- Sunday Elevation Gain supplemental training rides start at Cottonwood Glen Park at 7am. These rides are usually a bit longer and feature more climbing, so they start earlier.
- Tuesday rides start at 6pm at Harmony Market Shopping Center and feature social gatherings at Grey Rock Sports Grill afterward.
- Thursday rides start at 6pm at rotating locations. June rides start at Timnath Beerwerks.
Looking for riding buddies? Don't forget to look at the Band app and the FCCC Facebook page for ad hoc ride announcements by members
Elevation Gain Rides
If you are looking for training rides to help you prepare for big events this season, you can reach out to the Elevation Gain email alias. If you are interested and haven't already done so, please send a request to board@fccycleclub.org and you will be added to the alias.
Estes Park Camping and Ride 2024
Our annual Hermit Park camping trip is set for August 16-18. All five campsites booked by the club are now reserved; however these sites can fit two parties. If you are interested in sharing a site, please send an email to the Board and we'll set something up. If you'd prefer a site of your own, Bobcat loop sites B30 and B32 are still available to book on the Larimer County website.
Ride information for this weekend is included on the club calendar if you want to ride but not camp.
Wanda's Ride
Wanda's ride is on the calendar for August 10th at 8am. This is our big summer ride event! 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. Registration is open! Lunch will be served after the ride; registration for lunch is required at a cost of $17 per person (adult beverages are the member's responsibility and are not included in the registration cost).
June Bike To Work Day - Volunteers Needed
On Wednesday June 26th the City of Fort Collins is again sponsoring Summer Bike To Work Day. We will be hosting a booth on the CSU Oval from 6:30am to 9:30am. If you would like to spend a few hours hanging out, handing out swag, and chatting with hundreds of cyclists, please send an email to the Board.
Gravel Update
We have created an email alias (gravel@fccycleclub.org) for members to easily communicate about rides and events. If you are interested, please email the Board and you will be added. For those who are organizing rides, feel free to use the gravel email alias, the Band app, or the Fort Collins Cycling Club Facebook group to reach out to club members.
Ride Leader Initiative Update
We now have a solid list of participating ride leaders at all levels. Ride registrations on the website are up, and we've established communications regarding ride leadership via the rideleaders@fccycleclub.org. While we're still not perfect, unintended drops and miscommunications seem to be down and participation has been good. Next steps are to increase sharing of real world experiences with the email group and increased focus on coaching riders regarding safety. Anyone interested in joining the ride leaders group should email the Board and you will be added to the alias.
Social Events - June Event On The Schedule!
Our June Social Ride and Dinner is scheduled for 6pm on Thursday June 20th at Mitch Bostrom's in Fort Collins. Registration is open! Please register early so the hosts can plan for the event. We also have a Social Ride and Dinner event scheduled for July 9th. 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 - Riding In Groups
Riding in groups is a lot of fun, and for those who are new or mostly ride solo we strongly encourage you to venture out on group rides. Ride safety and fun are also essential, and safe rides should be fun for everyone. For those of you who haven't yet reviewed the ride safety resources available via 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
This is all a lot of stuff. It's important. But for members who don't have time, here are some highlights for riding in groups. These are both etiquette and safety issues. Thanks for your attention!
- Hold your line. You can waver a little to avoid an obstacle, but minimize your reactions. There may be someone right behind you.
- Try to minimize your use of brakes. Anticipate slowdowns and brake as lightly as possible. Think of a paceline as a line of cars; if the first one brakes hard the effect compounds and at some point back in the line there's a rear ender.
- Ride leaders and others should point out turns, stops, etc. well in advance to give the line to respond safely. The group needs to communicate for safety.
- Point out hazards, especially if you are at or near the front of the group. If you don't have time to point out the hazard, or can't take your hands off the bars, give a loud audible signal (slowing, stopping, right turn etc.).
- You are responsible for your own safety. but don't count on people ahead of you to do so. Watch the riders ahead of you, as people may be avoiding hazards. If people are rolling across a road in front of you, look for hazards before following.
- Keep your hands on the bar tops or drops, where you have access to brakes, at all times in a group. Not only does this help with avoiding people in front of you, it also prevents hooking bars with someone next to you.
- Do not overlap wheels with the person in front of you (if you must, leave three or four feet of sideways clearance minimum). Touching wheels is the cause of most paceline crashes. Happens when the person in front of you swerves.
- Always be smooth. Slowly build up speed after stopping at lights, and if you are on the front, don't speed up when you get there and ride at a steady effort level. This avoids surgy pacelines which are both dangerous and cause people on the back to be dropped.
- If you are feeling feisty, it's OK to go ahead up the road. Be sure there are no cars behind you before moving out to sprint. And please make sure you don't slow down immediately after moving to the head of the group; this causes dangerous slowdowns.
If you have any suggestions, please share with the Board and we will share in future Newsletters.
Ride On!
Your FCCC Board of Directors
