What you Need to Knows for Show Low

Tour of the White Mountains

What you need to Knows

When: Race day is Saturday October 3rd
65 mile start 7:30am
35 mile start 8:30 am

Leaving Tucson: Friday October 2nd at approximately 12 noon from the Club house.

So please have all of your stuff ready to go on time.

It is going to be very cold by our desert standards so please think of this when packing. I am providing a gear list at the bottom of this so please pack accordingly. Also remember cotton kills. NO COTTON ON THE BIKE DURING THE RIDE!!!!!!!!!

Weather report as obtained on the world wide web:
Fri Hi 70 low 39
Sat Hi 69 Low 41
Sun low 41

There is a small chance of rain over the weekend so again pack smart.

Returning: Sunday mid day to be back in Tucson before dark. We are going to be camping Saturday night. That means we are camping to 2 nights.

How Much: $30--- this is your race entry fee, food and camping. This is all you need. If you are not racing then $20 is what you need. If you want to bring more for other stuff , swell good.

If you want to bring extra snacks and stuff that is great, however know that $20 covers your major meals. Bringing snacks would be GREAT, oh and you must share, or don’t bring.

HOW WE ARE GOING TO HELP:

If you are not racing on Saturday then you will help Epic rides during the race in whatever way they need. That’s right no questions asked, you are helping if you are there.

If you are racing then you will be helping Epic Rides on Sunday morning packing up their show. No questions asked.

Why: Because Epic rides is great outfit that really helps us out, and gave us 90% off to be able to race.

Of course call Daniela or myself with any question.
Gear List
Camping Stuff
Tent, Sleeping mat, Sleeping bag, Headlamp


Racing Stuff
Bike
Team Jersey, Gloves, Vest, Helmet, shorts
Pump, Multi tool, 2 Tubes,
Bandana, Camel Back

Hygiene
Tooth brush and paste
Soap
Whatever else you need
NO SHWERS ARE AVAILABLE

Food stuff
Bowl to eat out of, Utensil, Mug
Snacks if you are willing to share

Clothes
1—pants 1—Big Sweater Wind breaker/ rain coat
1—shorts 1—Long sleeve shirt 2—socks Wool if you can
1—toque (beanie) 1—short sleeve shirt riding shoes and sandals

Larry Robinson at it again

I am posting an email that I recieved from Larry Robinson. He does bike rodeos at various boys and girls clubs around town and he is looking for help.
Note: All riders who are signed up as Bicycle Ambassadors can get paid for this work, so I believe you call that an incentive. Larrys contact info is at the bottom so you can call or email him any questions about this or the Tumacacori century that some of you very kindly said you might be able to help with.

Ignacio

Hi You All,Would like to ask to put this out to generate some help with the next Bike Rodeo at a Boys and Girls Club. Pascua Yaqui Clubhouse; 5010 W.Calle Torim Date October 15th.2009 Time 3:30 till 6:00 pmDirections to Clubhouse, From Valencia Rd. and Camino De Oeste, go South on Camino De Oeste to Torim. Turn right until arriving at 5010.I would suggest carpooling as it is a long way out there. I could easily use two or three Ambassadors for this, I would like to be there by 3:00pm to organize and set up. My contact information is Larry Robinson,520-237-5792. E-mail LARRYROBINSON08@comcast.net.

Check this Out

I just got this email about this bicycle trailer. No it is not a bus which I still see as the ultimate, but man it would be a huge help. Anyone got $300 to buy this? Or does someone want to start collecting? Thanks everyone for the help.

Ignacio

http://tucson.craigslist.org/bik/1396550073.html

State Hill Climb Championship

That's right a race to see who can go uphill the fastest. It took place this past Sunday at Mt. Graham which is just outside of Stafford, AZ. It is the highest mountain in all of Southern AZ and I want to say the second highest in the state.
The race is a mass start affair so everyone leaves at the same time. I do not have many specifics as to how the race went, however I do know the outcome. The boys Kramer, Avery, Max and Logan all competed in the 10 mile event, not the 20 mile event that the "big Kids" ride.

Max and Logan road the tandem again and broke the state record for the Junior 13- 14 boys. They enjoyed their journey but I have heard that it may be their last hill climbing adventure. Well done boys.

Avery rode with his pop all the way to 10, and yes he did it in his favorite racing socks. The candy cane striped ones that reach his knees. Well done!!!

Kramer, well he really put it all together for his one, and right on time. He won the 17-18 boys event and BROKE the STATE RECORD. That's right STATE RECORD HOLDER KRAMER>

I have known for a long time that this young man had special things in him and for him to put it together in a race that counts for so much is just super thrilling for me. I hope this shows him for a long time that hard work pays off and effort is always rewarded.

Well Done Men!!!!! I could not be happier!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks Ignacio

GABA Needs our help

Hey folks,
Larry Robinson the super rad dude who helps us go on the sweet bike tours is asking El Grupo for help.
GABA is asking if any of us can help out with a one day ride they call the Tumacacori Century. We did this ride last year however this year it falls on the 25th of October a Sunday which just so happens to be the day after my birthday, a scheduled ride up Mt. Lemmon. So I do not believe that any of the riders are going to be participating in this ride however if any of you riders can help or parents can, please call me to get Larrys' number.


thanks

Get Your MTB's ready

Mountain bike that is. We are going mountain biking this wednesday for practice for those that are racing in the Tour of the White Mountains. If you are not racing then Travis will be leading a ride that will start and end with the MTBers, so no worries. You can come by tomorrow to get it ready during open shop hours, or Tuesday at BICAS while I am there teaching, but please have it ready before practice as we will be a bit pressed for time. Thanks and may the dirt stick to your tires and not your butt.

Ignacio

A New Man

That's right this is a shout out to, CONNOR HEISTAND.

Talk about a brand new man, this kid is really putting the effort forth lately. Showing up on time to all practices, asking great questions, getting his bike ready on time and really working his butt off during practice. Like really working hard on the bike. I am super pleased with him and the young man he is becoming and hope this is a sign for the years to come.

You have earned this shout out CONNOR.

Thanks
Ignacio

rider questionnaire - please complete!

Calling all riders...we want your input!

Please go to the link below to fill out the short (only 9 questions!) survey. This will help us as El Grupo understand what everyone's interests are, goals you have for the upcoming year, suggestions you have to improve El Grupo, and so forth.

This will only take you 10-15 minutes, but take more time if you like. The more open and honest you are, the better for everyone. It is anonymous, so no need to hold back! And yes, this is mandatory--we sincerely want your input and expect that you will take the time to complete this within the next week (by October 5th please).

Clink on this link to access it. Let us know if you have troubles doing so. THANKS!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=SVdk_2buDETvvf9xWWhtnC5Q_3d_3d

Click Here to take survey

2 out of 3 Time Trial Championships

Well the race season is winding down, but not with out a huge bang by the El Grupo team. Max and Logan were the only two racers at the team event two weeks ago. They raced on a tandem and almost beat the 4 person Junior team of 4 15-18 year olds that a Phoenix team brought down. NOt bad boys. They also won the Junior tandem division.

Then last week we brought a big group up to the Individual Time Trial Championships and again the kids did great. Almost every rider rode a personal best time, while we had 3 people place over all. Max won the 13-14 boys and Logan got second while Kramer came in 4th in the 17- 18. Connor, Donovan, Pablo, and Ricardo all rode best times.

MAX GOT THE STATE RECORD AS WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A 20 k in under 30 minutes. Like real fast. Way to go Max!!

The last one is this coming weekend. Max, Logan and Kramer will go to Mt. Graham along with Avery and they will go after the Hill Climbing jersey of fastest in the state. Good Luck guys and I will be excited to hear all about it.

REMINDER: Show Low Deadline

Just a friendly reminder...if you have not turned in your registration form to Ignacio today, or made it known that you plan on attending, you need to do so before 12 noon tomorrow (Monday). We must get these in to Epic Rides and start to figure out logistics.

If you will not be riding, but still plan on going, you also must make this known and plan on contributing $20 at least to cover food, camping and gas.

Parents: if you want or can contribute more money, or wish to bake some goodies, toss in some snacks or help out in any way, please feel free to :) And feel free to contact Daniela with questions.

Finally, you must have completed and logged (very important) your outreach hours before Oct. 2nd in order to go (no exceptions--this is only 4 hours!) Ignacio and Daniela will be at the clubhouse on Monday for shop time if you wish to join us or find out about other options.

And thanks everyone for an awesome ride up the mountain today, and for filling up all of Bobo's as we all (18 with Daniela and Damiano included!) filled our bellies with goodness :)

Show Low Mtn bike event

The Show Low Bluff is coming up soon, and we need to make some decisions ASAP. This is a mountain bike event with 65 and 35 mile options in Show Low on Oct. 3rd (2 weeks away!). For those who want to come, and who have made practices and completed outreach hours for September (see below), here are the details:

• You will need to get out of school at least 1/2 day on Friday, Oct. 2nd to drive up to Show Low. We have a number of adult drivers, and none of them want to make that drive in the dark for good reasons.
  
• There is a mandatory rider meeting on Friday night, 8pm in Show Low.
  
• We will be camping on site of the event both Friday and Saturday nights, so camping gear and attire will be needed. (Ignacio will have a gear list for you soon)
• The ride is early Saturday morning, and will take several hours.
• The rest of Saturday is to hang out (you could also get lots of homework done during this time :)
• Sunday morning will involve helping to clean up after the event, which helps out Epic Rides who helps us out so much.
  
• Sunday most likely will involve a ride of shorter distance as well, and then the drive home during daylight to be back in Tucson by dinnertime.
  
• The cost to each rider will be $30. This will cover your ride entry fee, gas money to the drivers, camping and food for the 3 days.
  
• If you want to contribute additional snacks to share, that is welcomed. There will also be food vendors on site during the "jam session" so you would need more money if you want to partake in any of that.
  
• Drivers going include Ignacio, Kathleen, Chad and Kandus. If others are excited about camping out in the White Mountains for the weekend, let me know.
  

Ignacio will have entry forms tomorrow at practice and we will need to get these in by Monday. Again, you must be in good standing at school, with practices, and with outreach in order to join us for this fun weekend.

Outreach opps: there is always Monday for bike shop time, but in addition there is some fliering that needs to happen for the next bike to the market event we will do in October, the swap meet and our very own scavenger hunt. Also, if you would like to contribute a short article to the next newsletter you may use that as outreach time (Ashley is writing about blue loop; Max about nationals). Please talk with Daniela about any of these ideas to make them happen.

State Championship Time Trial this Sunday the 13th

Ok so another chance for us to win some cool jerseys that no one has to pay for. This is a race against yourself, the clock, and your personal records.

I have registered quite a few of you and you know who you are. Everyone has their paper work and I need it by 1pm at BICAS, NO LATER.

We will be leaving the club house at 5:15am on Sunday, so like if you get their at 5:20 you get no bike ride.

Team jerseys of course and black shorts if you got them.

Call with questions.


As for those not doing the race,

Travis and Dean will be leading a practice leaving the club house at 7am. Don't be late for them either.

Thanks Team

Blue Loop 2009

An attempt at a recap of the weekend, I shall make.

But I do want you all to scroll down to my initial posting about the Blue Loop to get the course profile. That is thing with the line that goes up and down like the stock market that tells you how much up and down we do everyday. Officially we did something like 16,000 feet approximately of climbing over the weekend. Approximately up and down Mt. Lemmon twice. We started in Clifton AZ which is at just about 2,500 feet and rode up to 9,000 feet somewhere out side of Alpine, AZ and lost all of that elevation the last day. That is where those insane down hill pictures come from.

So the first day we rode from Clifton, AZ t o Glenwood, NM. A short 60 mile bike ride with 2 intense holy cow up hills with one having us climb over a Mountain, 4,800ft total elevation gain. A small one but still a bump in the road that had evergreens on top. It threatened to rain all day and I know most of us were just waiting to get most of the day but it never happend. The best part of the ride was the top of the Mountain, the trees man the trees. The worst part was as soon as we entered NM the road turned to strait chip seal pebble stuff, with rolling hills, and a fierce head wind. A super crummy section that I am sure happy I had Nelson and Max in front of me to fend off. It drizzled at night but all in all a great day. Also dinner had a high light. All the vegetables of the whole meal were local to the town.

Day two we awoke again to serious scary looking clouds in the distance. Enough to make me make all the kids carry a jacket. The days ride starts in Glenwood, NM and ends in Alpine, AZ. Another super hard day with 2 major climbs, with the second being longer than the first. Total elevation gain 5,346ft. After the tough day of yesterday I allowed the team to break up into smaller groups and to have more space. I think this worked out really well with the team actually working harder. However Max was not feeling well and did not ride. Then about 45 miles into the ride at the top of the days hardest climb the rain said, "Move". I was at the top of the pass with almost every boy on the trip. The thunder cracked and we had to ride the last ten miles into Alpine through freezing cold rain. Julia and Ashley were smart enough to get a ride in via the sag truck and stayed mostly dry the whole time. We boys rode in, got cold, and now I am sick along with Kramer. Dang. That night though we were able to make a fire and dry out while GABA and Linda made an incredible meal for 100 people on little more than a camp stove. The salad with the mandarin oranges was the high light. Best part of the day winning the climb up the biggest hill and watching the team work super hard. Worst having my feet go squish squish every time I peddeled really cold on my way to camp.

Day three well if you look at the pics it is the most beautiful, probably top five hardest rides, I have ever done. I have to say every rider as well suprised and excited me with their efforts on this day. Sometimes, I worry about rider commitment and energy levels, and willingness to work hard, however on a day as hard as today and the fact that not a single rider gave up, complained, never quite, well I should never really worry. This was the type of day that reenergizes me for months to come. Really I just want to thank everyone on the trip for an awesome time and great day, weekend, and year.

Thanks team.

Blue Loop 2009

Here are just a few pics. I was unable to take more as rain was always threatening the first two days and I did not want to take my camera out. So these pics are all from the last day. I will organize them later and put together a nice write up, but for now you can at least enjoy these. Over all though it was like the best trip ever. I had a great time, I know the kids did as well, the riding was great, the weather adventurous, and we are definitely more of a team now then before we left.



It sure did not feel like AZ for most of the trip. Heck the last day it felt we should be approaching a nice town in South Western France with an espresso and croissant at the end.


Alex and kramer like to eat. I think the sag stops were scared everytime they came.


It was only like 35 when we woke up at night. You know just like tucson.

We rode up and over that "hill".

It's all down hill after this tunnel, it leads you into Morenci and home.

This was Julia's favorite part. Apparently she was "caught" by another rider actually yelling out load, "I won't eat Shit!" Oh my so much fun.

Another, YEAH down hill.




Logan really had a rough time on the tour, as you can see.


More of team now than when we left. Twas the goal, so mission accomplished.

bike "shop" time changed!

You will notice that we have added a bike "shop" time to the calendar for Mondays from 4:30 - 6:30pm. This is the same thing that we had started to make available on Thursdays at the clubhouse, but we need to move it to Mondays, permanently (it just works better!). So, this is the perfect time to make sure your bike is in working order, to learn how to refurbish bikes or hone your skills rebuilding bikes for El Grupo, which can also count towards your outreach hours.

Which, by the way, have officially started up again this month of September. You only have a minimum of four to do, so two Mondays of helping out at the clubhouse working on bikes is all it takes! We will post other opportunities for outreach hours in September soon.