The April ride schedule
is posted and available at
http://surf-ici.com/chaingang/Schedule/RideSchedule.htm

Hello:

Winter seems to be a hard season for the Chain Gang. Even though the majority of our weather, during the coldest months,  is 50 degrees and Sunny We do gets periods of snow and clouds.   After it snows it usually takes a whole day to clear off of the road and up to a week to melt off of the lower trails.  This fact has canceled some rides recently.   I think that even though 50 degrees is good for January most Prescott cyclist are accustomed to more comfortable temperatures and 50 is to cold.  I still remember riding in sub freezing temperatures for months on end while growing up in Indiana.  Prescott Winters seem easy after that.

Spring is finally here and soon we will be able to ditch the gloves and tights.  I imagine that I will be seeing some old friends come out of hibernation and riders from the valley looking to escape from the heat appearing on the  rides.  It will be a grand season again and I am looking forward to it.

Tim

Correction

The starting place of the Sunday Road Ride has moves from the Real Estate Office to Young's Farm.  This is easy to find because it is at the intersection of 69 and 169.   You can not miss it.  Young's Farm has always been good to us and they have bathrooms and a great restaurant that the club has eaten at several times.   The starting time will be changed from 9:30am to 9:00am   Please consult the ride schedule for more details

Fellow Cyclists:

House Bill 2625 (the "Cyclist's Protection" bill) is nearly law!  It has cleared two Arizona State Senate committees and will be heard by all members of the Senate this week, perhaps even today.  I'm asking you to  Email or call your State Senator and tell them that you support this bill - they will respond to their constituents when they hear from us, and now is our time to be heard!

Call the Senate Secretary's Office at 602-542-4231 for individual member's contact information, and pass this on to your friends.  

FYI, HB 2625 has 3 components. 

First, it mandates that all Driver's Ed. classes teach the law relating to the operation of bicycles on roadways, thus promoting greater  understanding and cooperation between cyclists and motorists.  Such education is crucial for safer roads - How can we reasonably expect motorists to obey laws they are unaware of ?

Second, it requires motorists to exercise "Due Care" when overtaking cyclists (defined also as providing a minimum distance of 3 feet).  This clarifies the ambiguity of existing law, which simply states that road users have a lawful obligation to "safely overtake," with no language specific to the overtaking of a bicyclist.   And while in some parts of the country the minimum is 5 feet, such a provision was initially included in this bill, but amended by the House to the current distance; it's adequate.

Third, it imposes stiff fines - Causing "serious injury" to a cyclist will result in a $500 fine; causing a cyclist fatality increases the fine to $1000.  These punitive measures send a message that society is serious about the safety of ALL road users (thereby hopefully also setting a precedent for future added protection to walkers, wheelchair users, etc.).

Many people have worked very hard to make this happen - it came about when a Tucson motorist killed an experienced cyclist while overtaking and was fined $66.  In response,  Tucson advocates crafted this bill and got it sponsored by House Representatives Debora Norris (as Primary sponsor), Christine Weason and Leah Landrum.   Since then, others have worked the process to bring us to the brink of victory, and HB 2625 really is a huge step forward for Arizona bicyclists - after years of reacting to attempts to restrict our rights, we are at last in a proactive position and can expand our protections.  Call today!   

Doug Banfelder DBanfelderno smammcrsd.org

Dear Tim:

I Am planning a ride with my cycling group in your area in the next month. We are going to do the loop from Prescott, Skull Valley to Kirkland Jct., then back up the White Spar to Prescott. Is this the best direction for this loop, or should we start by going down the Spar? Also, what is the traffic and shoulder like on the Spar? Good, bad, really bad? Thanks. Would appreciate any info you could send along.

Bill Barcus WHEEL POWER Christian Cyclists, Arizona Hub byk4christno smamcybertrails.com

Chain Gang:

please consider adding to links pages the following new updated 2000 sites for the 2000 US Pro Saturn Tour and First Union Cycling for your readers

http://www.usprocyclingtour.com

http://www.firstunioncycling.com

thanks

webmasterno smamusprocyclingtour.com

Hi

Late last year, I read an article about a bicycle tour from Lake Havasu to Phoenix in the September/October time frame. The article was in either the Continental or American Airlines Magazine. I have since lost the article, and can't find the web-site for the company that stages this ride. Can you help me ??

Thank you for your cooperation.

Karl Schreiner KARLSCHREINERno smamProdigy.NET
3754 North Shore Drive Akron, Oh. 44333

Press Release

National Distribution

Contact: Ken Barrett, All About Adventures, 1-208-265-7949

03-08-2000

For Immediate Release

Subject: Bicycle Touring Company Will Sponsor Bicycle Clubs

Sandpoint, ID. -All About Adventures, the outdoor recreation company dedicated to the pursuit of physically challenging, low environmental impact recreational tours has announced the Bicycle Club Donation Program, a unique campaign designed to assist with and encourage the membership building programs of bicycling clubs. Any recognized bicycle club that is represented by three or more members on All About Adventures’ WOW Tour is eligible to participate in this new sponsorship program.

The WOW Tour or ‘Wheelin’ Over Washington’ is a challenging eight day, four hundred-seventy five mile fully-supported road bike tour over Washington State’s famous State Route 20. State Route 20 is regionally referred to as the North Cascades Highway and has received the prestigious designation of "America’s Most Scenic Byway". For three or more riders from the same bicycle club who register and complete the same WOW Tour All About Adventures will donate five percent of each rider’s tour fee to their home club. Any bike club participating can raise up to a maximum of one thousand dollars.

"All About Adventures is dependent on bicycle clubs as a source of clientele and the Bicycle Club Donation Program is our way of assisting them with their biggest obstacle, annual overhead expenses" writes Ken Barrett, owner of All About Adventures. "I hope a lot of bike club members sign on for this great ride and take advantage of this opportunity to raise up to one thousand dollars to grow their club."

For more information on the requirements of All About Adventures’ Bicycle Club Donation Program, call 1-208-265-7949 or double click your Internet browser on their web page www.allaboutadventures.com

kenbarrettno smamsandpoint.net

No article submitted this month.

Tim Travis - President - Chain Gang Cycling Club

Ride Schedule = http://surf-ici.com/chaingang/Schedule/RideSchedule.htm

Chain Gang Web Site= http://surf-ici.com/chaingang/index.htm

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