Prez Sez

John Chester

OK, who is sick of snow, gray and cold? Raise your right hand! (Note, I am now typing only with my LEFT HAND!)

On Saturday January 22, 2011, the Cincinnati Cycle Club held its annual dinner and meeting. I’d like to thank Scott Ebbing, Carrie Schneider, Steve Wegener, Kevin Armstrong, Deborah Komar and Cindy Male for all that they did to make it a fun evening. We had around 65 members for the evening. Currently the board is discussing having a similar set up for January 2012, or perhaps we will go back to a hall with a caterer. I’m hoping for another evening at Terwilliger Lodge, with a few changes – A DESSERT COMPETION! Best Dessert would get a free 2012 CCC membership. We could even branch out to Appetizers and Side dishes. Just a thought……

With 65 members in attendance, there was not a quorum present. Thus the 2010 Officers continued. A number of positions were vacated at the end of the year, and we are going about filling them. As always, if you are interested in helping out, please give us a buzz. There were no motions or amendments presented by the board or any members for the club to vote on.

On Saturday February 26, 2011, Twelve Board members met for the annual retreat. As it was not as miserable and unpleasant of a day as it had been the last few weeks, a number of these members gave up attending a Saturday bike ride. I greatly appreciate their giving a Saturday up to help the club.

We divided the retreat into three parts: The Chili Century, The 2011 Ride Calendar, and Cluster Events.

VP Scott Ebbing is taking over The Chili for 2011.

Dates for the Club Picnic and a large number of other events were set, and then we discussed growing each cluster’s membership.

As an overall part of the Retreat discussions, we continually came back to one subject: “What value do you get from being a club member?”

To help stress what value a member receives, we are supporting MEMBER DISCOUNTS for all of the events that the Club produces. All members will receive $5 off any National Ride, $5 off any Bicycle Safety Class. The Club has also worked out a number of bicycle events where you will receive a discount: TWO Ride to the REDS and the 2011 CCC Club Picnic at THE BEACH WATER PARK. More information on these events will be coming in future BikeWriters.

We will note that if you attended both National Rides and a safety class and the Club Picnic, we would have given you more discounts than your online dues would have cost.

Lastly, I would like to give you a bit of information about three bike paths that are coming to fruition in Spring 2011.

The City will be dedicating two sections of its new bike trail near Lunken Airport. We hope to get a heads up on the actual dates so that we can have a ride to these dedications.

The third is a new project called “Mill Creek Watershed Confluence Project”. The Mill Creek project was dedicated on Wednesday March 2, 2011. Eventually this park’s trails will follow the Mill Creek south, connecting with new bike trails in Evendale, and then connecting to the now 2 year old trails near where Geoff Thielmeyer sponsors his Monday night ride. If you see me on the Monday night ride, odds are I would be leading the slow group. I LOVE to take folks on the new trail by the Mill Creek on the return leg. Not too many people know where it is, and so far everyone that I’ve taken on it loved it. In 2012, that trail will also go further south, behind COWAN Auctions, and eventually hook up to a new trail across from Spring Grove cemetery. More details about that as the summer comes along.

The Mill Creek Watershed Confluence Project is a wetland creation and stream restoration project is located in the Upper Mill Creek (UMC) watershed where the East Fork Mill Creek flows into the Mill Creek main stem at the confluence of the Mill Creek’s main stem and the East Fork of Mill Creek within sight of the I-75 and I-275 interchange. The 25 acre site will become a new stream-side park.

Project Features:

• 8 acre floodplain wetland.
• Bio-engineered stream banks with meandering bends.
• Man-made riffles and other in-stream features.
• Stream-side and wetland plantings with native species.
• Scenic nature trail with interpretive signs. (BIKE TRAIL!)

Project Goals:

• Improved water quality.
• Channel decompression.
• Improved land and water habitats.
• Reduced flooding.
• Recreation and educational opportunities. (BIKE TRAIL!)

So, you see, there has been a lot going on while I rode my exercise bike in the basement these last few months. But personally – I WANT IT TO GET WARM so I can get out on my bike!

See you at the SPRING OPENER on Saturday April 16th!

Remember – Get on your bike, go for a ride, it’s fun

Time to renew your membership!

To our Members:

As most of you may know, March is the month to renew your membership to the Cincinnati Cycle Club. Memberships expire 3/31/11.

This year, we will not be offering a paper newsletter, as the vast majority of the members have been receiving the newsletter by e-mail for most of 2010. Without a mailed newsletter, you won’t be receiving a paper application to use to renew your membership.
There are (2) ways to renew:
You can renew on line using our form at the Eventbrite website: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1131443177

The advantage of renewing on-line is that you save $ 3.50 plus the postage to mail in the application.

If you still wish to renew by mail, the application form can be found at our website at: http://www.cincinnaticycleclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2011application.pdf

Happy Cycling

Joe Bohlen

Membership Director

Have you seen it?

It’s a bike that has been converted into a table! Its located in one of the Greater Cincinnati Bicycle shops. If you haven’t seen it you aren’t shopping the local bike shops enough!

If you have seen it please let Mr. Cranky know at AskMrCranky@gmail.com. Each month we will display another interesting photo from one of our local bike shops.

Knocking the rust off

Coach OB

Spring is almost here … time to knock the rust off!

It has been a long tough winter for every cyclist, even for the outdoor enthusiast. We have been cooped up indoors and are raring to get outside and enjoy the nicer weather. Hopefully you have been doing some sort of activity to keep the muscles and bones moving.

Ahhh, but spring is almost here … we hope! So, where to begin?

Even if you have been working out indoors over the previous months, your body will need an adjustment period when you venture outside. Your lungs are not used to taking in the colder air and could be in for a shock when you put in an effort. In general, I allow 4 to 6 easy rides to acclimate to the weather before I start putting in any hard work. Once my lungs and breathing are accustomed to the “new” air I then feel more comfortable doing short efforts, usually at 1 to 3 minutes. From here, I can slowly build up to longer sustained efforts at a higher heart rate. Your muscles will need time too. They are used to a controlled environment and will feel sluggish and heavy on your first rides. All the extra clothing that has to be worn adds to this feeling.

Once you have these rides in to knock the rust off, you can then start to focus on getting back into riding form. My biggest piece of advice is to start slowly. Try not to expect too much too soon even if you have been on a solid winter program. Don’t plan on a century your first day out. Start with short little bits and work your way up to your target. Climb the hills slowly; no going for the KOM points jersey yet. Pace yourself. It is much better to climb the hill at a steady and consistent pace the whole way up rather than going too hard at the bottom and blowing up half way to the top.

Make sure you are properly fueled too! Your body requires more calories to stay warm. So be smart about your pre-ride and during ride nutrition.

This advice is simple yet sometimes hard to follow when you are excited about getting outside for the first time in the new year.

Please let me know if you would like any specific topics covered in future newsletters. Thank you and be safe!

– Coach OB

About Coach OB:

O’Brien Forbes began racing as a University of Cincinnati student in 1986. Coach OB, as he is known now, has more racing experience than any other area rider. He has competed in over 800 races across the country and in Europe and has won more than 100 races. Between training and racing, he has logged over 220,000 miles. When OB first began racing his successes came in the shape of trial-and-error coupled with heart. Over the years, it has only made sense to help new riders by passing on some of the lessons he learned the hard way. In fact, some of the first Juniors Coach OB trained are seniors on the road today—and still riding successfully. This desire to see the sport of cycling thrive in the Cincinnati area first came in the form of informal friendly advice and has grown into a passion and a career. Whatever your goals, Coach OB has the experience and resources to help you improve your cycling abilities. Coach OB Has custom plans designed specifically to fit your goals with a custom built training program to fit into your schedule. See http://coachob.com/ for more information.

Riding from the Ohio River to Lake Erie
John Chester

The Ohio River to Lake Erie – ON A BIKE TRAIL – in 2013?

One of the goals that many cyclists have is to ride their bike from one border of a state to the other. RAGBRAI and GOBA are examples of organized rides that do this. If you want to do it in one day, try RAIN or WACKY.

How would you like to dip your back tire in The Ohio River, and then dip your front tire in Lake Erie? And have every mile that you travel be a bike trail, or designated bike lane? Well, if things work out, in 2013, in Ohio you will be able to do this!

Right now, here in Southwest Ohio, there is one major gap left in doing this ride. Lunken Airport to Avoca Park. Currently if you have a mountain bike, and it is not raining and the creek is dry, you can get there. But, me personally,I’d rather actually have a bike trail than a dry creek bed!

As of 2007, The Hamilton County Park district owns the land to connect these two points. A study was completed and the Park District wants your input on how to complete this. The study looked at two routes to the Ohio River Trail from the State Route 32/Beechmont Avenue interchange:

The Elstun Corridor, a route east of the Little Miami River that would connect an area near Elstun Road to the Magrish Preserve on Salem Road;

or

The Beechmont Corridor, a route west of the Little Miami River that would connect to the Otto Armleder Memorial Park/Lunken Airport trail system. A $2.8 million link between Lunken Airport and the Magrish Preserve is scheduled to begin next year.

The best way to describe these two options is to visualize yourself on the Lunken Airport Bike Path.

Option A: Another trail would be built on the other side of the Little Miami River, starting at the current parking lot where you would find the Lunken Farmers Market. Building the trail this way would eliminate the need for a bridge, but the costs for the trail itself would be larger.

Option B: THE BEECHMONT CORRIDOR

Take a Ride COUNTER CLOCKWISE from the Airport Terminal, and you will find yourself riding along the top of a floodwall. As you get to the end of the floodwall there is a sharp steep downhill back to the golf course. But if instead of turning and going down the hill, you would currently see a 10 foot wide cleared, but unpaved path blocked by a chain. If you were to go 3.6 miles, crossing a few rough areas, you would end up at Avoca Park -the current southern terminus of the Little Miami Scenic Trail.

Building the trail this way would cause a shorter bike path to a bridge over the River to be built.

I do note that in Option A, this new trail would have been under water for 5 days a year on the current estimated 100 year flood plain. On the date we viewed the plans (March 1, 2011), this trail would have been under water. Another estimate provided that in 1997 (our last major flood), this new trail would have been under water 59 days.

There are positives and negatives to each option. However, the cost estimates are very similar- $5.7 to $6.2 miilion.

Comments can be mailed by March 16 to:

The Hamilton County Park District

10245 Winton Road

Cincinnati, OH; 45231

Additionally, another Bike Trail is in progress – THE OHIO RIVER TRAIL. The Ohio River Trail eventually will extend east from the new Cincinnati Downtown Central Riverfront Park, then along Kellogg Avenue to New Richmond. But that is another article for another day.

Ask Mr. Cranky

Let me introduce myself, my friends call me Mister Cranky. Each month I will try to offer worthless advice to your insincere cycling questions. And if I don’t get enough questions I’ll just make up some to help you get over the fear of asking me something I cannot answer. So if you have a few worthless questions about riding a bike you have come to the worst possible place for advice.

————————
Q: Dear Mr. Cranky,

I am looking to buy a high end performance bike to ride. Its windy and hilly in Cincinnati so should I buy an aero frame to cheat the wind or an ultra light frame for the hills?

Signed,

AeroLight

A: Dear AeroLight,

While aero specific frames slice through the wind and ultra light sub 16 lb bikes climb faster you are simply overlooking the sole factor in what makes a bike fast. The real question you should be asking is which frame comes in red. Anyone who has ridden a red bike knows that red bikes go faster.

– Cranky
————————

Q: Dear Mr. Cranky,

I am going on my first Club Ride, what advice do you have for me?

Signed Bee Ginner

A: Dear Bee,

Advice for a group ride, well that is a book’s worth of advice and my publisher doesn’t pay me by the word so here are some simple steps to follow:

1. Make sure your bike is in good working order – if it isn’t, get it to the Local bike shop before you start the ride. Also be sure your tires are properly inflated BEFORE leaving for the ride.
2. Since this is your first group ride pack two of everything, two shoes, two socks, two gloves, two water bottles – I think you get the idea.
3. Be sure to hydrate – you can always spot the hydrated riders because they are the ones looking for a bathroom five minutes into the ride.
4. Pack at least one back pocket full of food even if it’s only a short ride. Some other beginner may get a flat and you might be there for hours watching them change it. This will also keep all the other riders wondering what you are carrying in your pocket.
5. Be sure to introduce your BIKE to the ride leader, they are much less likely to forget a bike if it gets lost en-route. You can introduce yourself as well but generally it’s the bike most bikers remember because in a riding outfit everyone looks nearly the same.
6. Wear your most retro or outrageous jersey – this is really important. If you show up in the standard blue, yellow or red jersey and someone in the back yells “hey I think we lost the guy in the blue jersey everyone who looks around will see several people in blue jerseys and figure the guy in the back is confused. Now if you have a Coors Light retro Jersey on they will quickly realize your aren’t in the pack. One caution however if you wear racing team jerseys avoid wearing a Landbouwkrediet or a Vlaanderen – Mercator or any other Belgium or Dutch jersey because the guy in the back will be too afraid to pronounce it in public and won’t tell anyone you’ve disappeared.
7. When you introduce yourself to all the other riders be sure to tell them you just won the Megamillions jackpot and thought you would give cycling a try. Now everyone will remember you and most will even wait for you if you can’t keep up in hopes of befriending you for a cool mil or two.
8. Don’t expect everyone to be your best friend from the start. Look around for other riders with that panic look in their eyes, more than likely they are new as well and will be more open to conversation. I met one of my best riding friends by riding over and crushing his bike pump when it fell off his bike. I met another by calling him a “wheel sucker” after he sat on my wheel for half of the Chili ride and then blew past me on the last climb.
9. Down shift a group on your first ride. In other words if you are capable of riding 17 mph on the Loveland trail don’t start off with the 17mph group ride. Group rides are not the same thing as riding alone and the dynamics are quite different. Down shift and ride with the 15 mph group first and if you can ride at the front of the group for the entire ride then consider joining the 17 mph group on the next ride. As they say the scenery from the front of the pack is much better than from the back of the pack.
10. Last and most importantly, follow the golden rule. If you don’t know the group and aren’t sure how well you will ride never ever stick your nose in the front of the pack until the ride is heading down the final stretch and you are sure you know your way home. I have seen too many riders trying to show their bravado by jumping in the front and cranking it up for all they were worth. After about 20 seconds it looks like someone pulled their parachute because they end up getting blown out the back of the group rarely to be seen again. Ride conservatively and if you are lucky maybe someone will call you a “wheel sucker” and you may have made your first friend.

– Cranky

Do you have a question you need help with? Ask Mr. Cranky by sending an email to: AskMrCranky@gmail.com and watch for a response in an upcoming newsletter.

Disclaimer: The advice provided on Ask Mr. Cranky is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice from a knowledgeable bike shop or cyclist. Neither the individual contributor or the Cincinnati Cycle Club nor anyone else connected to this newsletter can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information or disinformation presented in this article.

Cincinnatians LOVE 3–Ways

John Chester

Did you know that there are THREE ways in progress to build a path / route to ride your bike from Downtown to Lunken Airport?

When I moved to Cincinnati in 1987, I had VAGUELY heard of Skyline Chili. I had never had it. When one of my coworkers said to me “You should come to lunch and have a 3-way with us”, I must say that I was shocked. Of course, everyone that is not a native has a similar story.

Currently there are THREE SEPARATE plans to create THREE SEPARATE paths / routes to ride your bike from Downtown to Lunken Airport. All three go from the exact same place to the exact same place. None of the three seem to be working with the others.

Some Background:

In summer 2011, depending on the City of Cincinnati’s budget, a Bicycle Commuter Station is to open at the new Downtown Riverfront Park. Details will be in a future BikeWriter, as we find out more. But expect it to be opened sometime after the new Christian Moerlein Draft House next to the Great American BallPark opens this summer. This Bicycle Commuter Station will be available for both the use of bicycle commuters that work downtown, but also serve as the Southern Terminus for the Bike Trail from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Additionally, Bikes will be available for local rentals.

The THREE SEPARATE PLANS for routes / paths are:

1. Riverside Drive to Wilmer to Lunken
2. Ohio River Trail
3. Ohio River Way Bike Path (http://www.ohioriverway.org/)

I often ride with Mike Sullivan on his Saturday morning Fusion Ride from Newport, out to Lunken Airport, and back. Coming over the Purple People Bridge, we are on US – 52, which changes names multiple times. Pete Rose Way, which then becomes Eastern Avenue / Riverside Drive which then becomes Kellogg Avenue. We take this road out to Corbin Street, where we zig over to a bike path that was built in 2008. That Bike Path ends at the School on Stilts – Riverview Elementary. Riverside / Eastern then changes names and becomes Kellogg Avenue (US – 52). We take Kellogg to Wilmer, to Lunken Airport.

Mike’s route is a combination of on road and bike paths. The Bike Path takes you through a park, and offers some closer views of the Ohio River.

On the way back, Mike takes us up Airport Drive, to Eastern Avenue. Then on Eastern, we go through an old tunnel that goes back to US -52.

By the Way, this ride is an EXCELLENT ride for beginners. Very few hills, Mike has a ride leader and a sweep, and 2/3 through the ride, there is a rest stop at FUEL Coffee Shop (often with a classic car show).

Here is the description and a comparison of the three plans:

Riverside Drive to Wilmer to Lunken

This version is going to be strictly on the roads.

Currently if you were trying to ride your bike to work downtown during morning rush hour, odds are you would be passed by multiple BMWs with ski racks, driven by someone drinking a $6 cup of coffee while simultaneously playing Angry Birds on FaceBook. The other times of the day, this is a great ride into town.

At around 4:30 PM, the ride from downtown back out to Lunken is about the same as the morning commute, perhaps minus drivers having the cups of coffee.

The goal of this plan, besides making this a more bicycle friendly route, is “road calming”. As the speed limit is 35 MPH, and it is usually ignored, the City wishes to “calm the road”.

15-20 years ago, Eastern Avenue was a mix of old industrial, and was an Appalachian community. There are segments where this description would still be valid. However in the last 5-10 years, when the name “Riverside Drive” came into being, many homes of the Appalachian community were torn down and replaced by large numbers of expensive condos. A few of the older structures still exist, and use the street for parking. All of the condos have off street garages.

The benefits to this plan are (in my opinion):

• Road Calming
• Bike Lanes
• Fairly inexpensive – repaint the lanes, and add SHARROWS.

The negatives to this plan are (in my opinion)

• Loss of on street parking for the residents and many small businesses.
• Additional off street parking will be needed by the playground and the
• LeBlond Recreation Center

I do note that one version of this plan includes more than road painting. There could be a separate bike lane and removal of driving lanes. This option is strongly opposed by the residents.

Ohio River Trail

This plan is in progress, and several sections have been built. Two new sections are going to be dedicated in the Spring of 2011.

As a result of Federal Stimulus money being allocated to this project, the current trail that ends at the RiverView Elementary school now goes on to Lunken Airport. There are two sections, one that parallels Kellogg Avenue and another that crosses Kellogg at Carrell Street and ends directly in front of Lunken Airport. The only negative to this stretch is that my request for large mushroom shaped road crossing buttons that could be easily whacked by a bike rider was ignored. Instead, a smaller button the size of a penny has to be pressed by one finger. If that is the worst thing about this, I think we are doing alright!

The rest of this trail is in the planning stages, but would basically go through our downtown riverfront parks – the new Downtown Riverfront Park through Yeatman’s Cove to Sawyer Point to Theodore Berry International Friendship Park (which is an undiscovered treasure to most of us). Exiting the last park, there are current discussions to buy right of way from several businesses, junkyards, the City Water Works and Duke Energy.

Under the current budget environment, it may be a while before the right of ways from Theodore Berry International Friendship Park to Corbin Street make be difficult to obtain.

OHIO RIVER WAY (http://www.ohioriverway.org/)

The Ohio River Way wishes to use a railroad right of way to construct a Bike Trail from downtown to Lunken Airport. Currently the railroad is used infrequently. But the railroad line is used, and railroad rights supercede that of any other development. The current train tracks dead end into the parking lot of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse. In March, the circus will be in town, and this is where all of the animal train cars are located. The Cincinnati Dinner Train uses this track every Saturday night. http://www.cincinnatirailway.com/dinnertrain/ A number of the businesses on Eastern Avenue / Riverside Drive use these train tracks for transportation of raw materials.

Until the railroads decide to formally abandon this track, or agree to allow a bike trail right of way, I do not see this plan as having much success. However, if a right of way were to be granted, this would be a beautiful trail.

In summation: Cincinnatians LOVE 3 –Ways. We have 3-Ways in progress to get from the same point to the same point. Each has its positives and their negatives. Occasionally the three MIGHT discuss things with each other, but I’ve not heard of much of that of late.

If I ever get elected as KING, one of the first things I am going to do is lock up all three of these groups into one room. None of them would be released until there is one unified plan on riding a bike from Downtown to Lunken Airport. Instead of bread and water, I’ll make them live on 3-Ways until they complete the construction. And I don’t care which one.

JUST BUILD ONE OF THEM!!!

Cincinnati Cycle Club night at Performance Bike Shop

Performance Bike shop is sponsoring a CCC member night on April 7th!

Performance is the nation’s leading bicycle retail and mail order company and being involved in the local community is important to us. As you know, grassroots efforts are crucial to the success of growing cycling as a sport. Since your club is influential in the cycling community here, we thought we’d reach out to you with an idea on how to create some excitement and awareness in our area. We’d love to invite your club members into our store one night, Thursday April 7th, so we can get acquainted.

We’ll serve refreshments and offer Cincinnati Cycling Club members an additional 10% off our normal phenomenal values.

Emily Walling

Performance Bicycle

7690 Montgomery Rd.

Cincinnati, Ohio 45236

513-791-3895

Cluster News:

Firecracker Cluster (Jim Thiry):

We recently have had a series of progressively warmer days that means the cycling season is about to begin. Before we get out on the bike for the first time I suggest that we do the following:

1. Know your ability level and do only the work on your bike that you are comfortable with. The local bike shop can do all other repairs.

2. Wipe grime and debris off the bike frame.

3. Replace all batteries on the bike. (cycling computer batteries & blinking tail light battery)

4. Carefully inspect the front and rear tires for wear and signs of tire damage.

5. Inspect the bike to ensure the tightness of handle bars.

6. Inspect the bike chain and replace if there is signs of excessive stretch.

7. Inspect and clean excessive grunge off the chain, the front and rear chain ring, and the front and rear derailleur.

8. Inspect and clean the cranks and pedals.

9. Inspect the cleats and shoes for wear and replace if necessary.

10. Taping the handle bars is a way to refresh the look of your bike.

11. Lube the chain preferably with a paraffin base chain wax. Note: apply to a warm chain for better penetration/adhesion.
12. Inspect the operability of your small bike pump and clean if necessary.

13. Check the wear indicator lines on the front and back brakes and replace if needed.

14. Shift and brake cables should operate smoothly. These may need to be replaced about every two years.

15. Carry a tool kit with the following items: bike tubes, patch kit, small tool kit, identification and a small amount of money.

16. Special medical information wrist bands are available: (Name, medicines taken, allergies, blood type, Primary Doctor, Insurance Infornation, Emergency Contact with phone number.

17. Wear biking clothing to increase your visibility on the road of trail, to wick excess perspiration and help keep you dry.

18. Your helmet should be inspected and replaced if necessary.

19. You should pack water/hydration drinks, energy gel or bars.

20. I recommend a fit kit be done by the local bike shop. This will ensure the handle bars, seat height, position and angle is placed the best ergonomically position for you. It allows the energy transfer between the bike and rider is optimized.

21. Stretch before and after a ride.

22. During a ride start out slow and build your endurance and aerobic capacity throughout the riding season.

Ride Safely,
Jim

Spokes in Motion (The Rock):

SIM’s Rides for January and February,

Even though we had more cancelations than rides (15 to 10). We had 7 bikers per ride and averaged 23.53 miles in 1:41:25 for an average of 13.9 MPH. The average temperature at the start of the ride was 41 degrees and wind at 11 MPH (my OCD is kicking in). I tried to encourage everybody to find their inner dog. However, Timmy the Train said we found our inner Turtle instead. The temperature for March is suppose to get better and I can’t wait to see all of our fair weather friends.

C6 Cluster (Glenn Talaska):

The Central City Cluster is revving up again for the spring. The Sunday College Hill Coffee House Rides (Espresso and Decaf) have been going again for several weeks. We anticipate that the Monday Recovery Ride and the Wednesday Hill Ride will be starting up in the near future as the days lengthen again. The Thursday Wanderers ride has been going all year too weather permitting.

Glenn Talaska and Larry Bloomfield are your C6 cluster co-coordinators. Contact Glenn at: glenn.talaska@uc.edu or 236-3433.

Northern Kentucky (Tom Runyan):

Hi! My name is Tom Runyan and I am the new leader of the Northern Ky Cluster. I have been a member and a ride leader with the CCC for about 25 years and decided it was time to help the club by getting more involved. Those that know me know that I have a passion for cycling and getting others to cycle.

I am working hard to drive up membership and help the club grow young. We need to get more of the younger riders involved with the club activities and the best way to do that is to prove that the membership has value. Hopefully over the next few months we will be able to convince you that the membership to CCC is a great value for cyclist and you will help spread the word.

• We are desperate need of a ride leader for the NO BRAINER ride now that Karen has stepped down. If you are interested please contact me.

• We are planning our Northern Ky All Cluster ride and picnic sometime in August. Watch for upcoming details. We will need volunteers to help with the ride so if you are interested in joining in on the fun please contact me.

• If you are interested in leading a NKy Cluster ride please let me know so that I can get it on the calendar. The ride must be listed on the CCC calendar to make it an official CCC ride. Just posting a ride to the ride line does not legally make it a CCC ride thus you lose some of the benefits.

If you want to have a ride posted on the calendar, have any suggestions or questions about the Northern Ky Cluster, please contact me at the following: http://www.cincinnaticycleclub.org/contact-us/

Safety and Education

Jim Lindner

I just read on the forum the following advice for improving the CCC: “Don’t force bicycle advocacy on membership. Remain neutral on local politics. Most of us just want to ride.”

I was trying to write an article that fit under the subject of my Board of Trustees title (Director of Safety and Education). It seemed for a moment that maybe I should listen to the advice and perhaps recommend that my position is unnecessary to the Club, because even the discussion of helmets or road conditions can be seen as advocacy for helmet laws or road maintenance.

One minor hassle to taking the position is the recommendation that an article should be written each month by each board member. I will point out that I found the following in our bylaws:

“The Newsletter Editor will actively solicit contributions from CCC Members, including letters to the editor, photos, short stories, news items, poetry, tall tales, fitness articles and general cycling lore.”

It is not a requirement of my position to write an article each month, but I think it is a good practice, and may improve my communication skills. I will as I did last month invite others to write articles under my heading or any other heading in support of our Newsletter Editors efforts.

As to should I be discussing bicycle advocacy, our mission is:

“The Cincinnati Cycle Club and its Members are recognized as community ambassadors for encouragement of bicycling. We enjoy bicycling and associated activities. We provide bicycling education and safety services to the community. We seek to help other cyclists improve their bicycling skills, knowledge of bicycling laws and mechanics, and to participate in and enjoy the activity. We provide the non-cycling community with information to aid in their interaction with the bicycling community. We provide the public and the media information to provide safety to all. We create opportunities for all facets of bicycling in the community such as recreation, education, transportation and caring for the environment in which we cycle.”

I see advocacy as part of the responsibilities above, and perhaps for those who just want to ride, an eye opener may be that some communities in the USA have (usually only for a short while) limited or eliminated bike access to roads (http://bicyclecolo.org/articles/black-hawk-bike-ban-pg1118.htm) and closed bike trails (Reference http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/state-clark-county-must-reopen-park-bike-trail-1012512.html).

I was reluctant to use the term “advocate” as it can be confused with Activism as an activity of liberals and associated with unlawful or political maneuvering. The definition of Advocacy I am using here is “active support of an idea or cause etc.; especially the act of pleading or arguing for something”.

This month after listening to comments on the bike lanes on Madison Rd and Spring Groove Ave., and riding the newly finished bike lanes and sharrows on Spring Groove Ave. Lloyd Shadley and I attended a meeting at City Hall to discuss the hazards and difficulties some have seen in riding the routes laid out for us. It seemed that our concerns were appreciated although no changes are likely until spring thaw due to the properties of the paints used.

We pointed out that in some places fewer indications of bike routes might make the route safer as sometimes the best choice of road position for a bike is dependent on traffic conditions and the intended destination. A bike lane or sharrow can at times direct an experienced cyclist into a place that it is best to avoid. I appreciated a comment that they liked being able to use the CCC as a non-activist resource familiar with cyclist needs.

If you ride those roads be careful of places where the bike lane ends, as the change is abrupt and does not transition smoothly. I advise looking to enter traffic before the lane ends, and not to feel you must use the lane where sharrows exist if the lane will soon become a turn lane and your intent is to go straight.

I learned that there is no standard for advising cyclist that their lane is ending or how to transition the end of a bike lane. They have placed “Share The Road” signs near the ends of the bike lanes. It had not occurred to me that we should look for those signs to indicate the end of a bike lane. These signs were recently placed so I cannot advise if they will be useful in judging when to leave the bike lane and enter the shared traffic lane. I will advise doing so before the lane ends as the road narrows at the end of the bike lane and it may be difficult to merge at that location.

Support cycling with a new license plate

You may obtain your plates in one of three ways:

1. Visit your local Deputy Registrar office.
2. Dial 1-800-589-8247
3. Go to the BMV Web site at oplates.com If you choose this option, follow these steps:

1. Select “SPECIAL PLATES” in the left column

2. Select vehicle type

3. Highlight “SHARE THE ROAD” under “SPECIALTY PLATES”

4. Click on “VIEW THIS PLATE”

5. Select whether you want to specify the letters and numbers on the plate or whether you want a stock plate.

Please email Chuck Smith if your local Deputy Registrar is not aware of our new Share the Road license plate, or if you run into any problems which Bureau of Motor Vehicle officials are unable to help you with. The Deputy Registrars should have received information on our new plate weeks ago.