Your Pedal Bicyclical – Warm at Last
Hello!
Over the most glorious Memorial Day I can remember in some time, I heard someone around me — maybe even someone I didn’t know — say, “Yeah. That winter was horrible, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy about summer.” Too true. And so it is that I find myself finishing the Bicyclical on my back porch on a fantastic late Spring evening.
Fun Things to Do
One day I looked up and found a poster in the shop door advertising Mountain Bike 101, put on by our own Southwest Michigan Mountain Bike Association. If you’re curious about this super-fun cycling genre, this looks like a great way to start. June 8th (that’s this Sunday) from 11-1 at the Al Sabo land preserve. Register here.
I’ve been talking about it for months, but June is time for Tour de Taylor. Grab your bike, your friends and go for a very nice supported bike ride. All proceeds benefit the Michigan Make a Wish Foundation.
An oldie but a goodie, the Kal Tour, unleashes 100 miles of hillier ride than you might have believed possible in this glacier-scraped area. Well-supported and always popular, Kal-Tour is a great way to spend a Sunday with friends new and old. Sunday June 29th. Note: many (more sane) options other than 100 miles.
The weekend of July 12th and 13th brings us the Miller Energy BTR Crit and the Lawton Race for Wishes. Get your road bike racing on!
And there’s the Dream Ride on August 9th. Good, good stuff.
Around the Shop
Our theme this month is that you can take it with you… to a point;
- Our cool Scandinavian friends at Thule have created some really cool bike accessories, very interesting racks, clever bags and gizmos you might not have imagined. We have a few in the shop and they’ve been very well received.
- Touring tough? You want gear tough enough for your long-haul tour? We’ve got you covered with very nice things from Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Ortlieb. Waterproof, well-considered handlebar bags and panniers for your rack. This super nice equipment will get your stuff to your destination safe, sound and dry. Nice.
- I well remember when my family went from a big car to something smaller, and we bought a box top gizmo to make up the difference. What a revelation! For a fraction of the price difference between a large and smaller car we darn near made up the cargo capacity. If you’re planning a big road trip this summer and are worried about your ability to carry it all, please give us a holler.
Rides, rides, rides. Mountain Bike Monday continues. 5:00 at the shop or 5:45 at the Fort Custer trailhead. Experience bona fide Michigan mosquitoes and poison ivy just minutes from your home! Seriously, many folks abandon the trails in the warm months due to fear of itch. I understand. However, there’s nothing like being up close and personal with the lush countryside on a bike. It’s very beautiful. Bonus: nature. We saw five (5!) snapping turtles laying eggs last time out.
Shop rides are Thursday at 6:15 from, you guessed it, the shop.
Ramble
Speaking of rides, did you notice that our very own Kalamazoo Bicycle Club won an award from the League of Michigan Bicyclists for Bike Camp? Did you notice that our very own Paul Selden won the Advocate of the Year award for his work with Bike Friendly Kalamazoo? These awards are terrific things, signs that two-wheeled life is alive and well in our lovely community. And I’m happy that Bike Camp and Paul received the recognition they deserve and happy that they’re ours, yours and mine. We’re fortunate to live among these powerful advocates for cycling.
How can we — those of us with limited time and resources and connections and whatever — contribute vastly to the cause of Riding A Bike? By being a good ambassador for cycling. By signaling our intentions. By not riding more than two abreast. By obeying the law. By sharing the road. Almost every cyclist can tell a harrowing story about a bad experience with a car, but many drivers can share stories of entitled behavior on the part of someone riding a bike, stories that are poison to the broader acceptance of cycling. And (I think) the broader acceptance of cycling is required to make it easier/safer/better to ride to work, ride with our kids, ride for fitness and run errands on a bike.
So: I wish you a wonderful summer. I hope you achieve the cycling-related goals you’ve set for yourself. And I hope that all of us can represent the joy of cycling to our greater community.
Big Finish
We’re here to help, and we sincerely, strongly appreciate our wonderful customers.
Sincerely,
Tim