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| The ride schedule is posted and available at http://surf-ici.com/chaingang
As some of you may remember I said that I was stepping down as the club's President as of March. I even pleaded for someone to step forward and take over. Well, nobody did. I actually am not surprised. Everyone wants to ride and no one wants to do the few things it takes to run the club. We had good rides last year and I am willing to continue as President as long as people go on the rides. I like how things have been moving to "Auto Pilot" with the weekly schedule and these rides have the potential to grow this year. I have been loosing enthusiasm and just thought some new blood would spice things up. If I don't continue I guess that the club would just dissolve. This is a strange way to get reelected. It would be crazy to let the club die when the rides have a decent turnout and there is money in the bank. The first thing I plan to do is reestablish the ride schedule for this season. I have learned a lot about this during the last two years. Starting places need to be easy to find and have bathrooms. A water fountain is always nice. The downtown Court House Plaza is ideal and was a big hit last year. This start location will continue this year for the Tues. and Sun. road rides. Thumb Butte Park is close to town, easy to find, and has many different trail options that we never got to last year. I plan to continue this for the Thurs. MT bike ride but the annual Prescott MT bike race is going to be held on May 12-13 and logically people want to ride the course whether they intend to race or not. So the every Thursday evening MT bike ride will take place at this years racecourse until the race and then will move back to Thumb Butte. (See ride schedule below) I am not sure what is going on for the Mon. morning and Sat. Chino Valley road ride but I have left them on the schedule until I hear otherwise. The second thing I am going to do is use the club money to increase membership and especially participation. I am not sure of the exact amount of money that we have but I would like to give away 25 free memberships to anyone who attends at least 5 club rides and lives in this area. So unless I hear that we do not have the money or any other legitimate opposition this will be our new policy. Members of the Chain Gang Cycling Club get a 10% discount at Bikesmith's Cycling and Fitness, High Gear Bike Shop, Mountain Sports, and membership in the Greater Arizona Bicycle Association (GABA which includes a monthly printed newsletter).
Avoiding White Spar will not spare anyone from meeting the "Eagle Electric" guy with a vendetta for bikers. Bob and I were riding Sat. on Williamson Valley Road past the Outer Loop and the cattle guard when we saw EE pull out from a developing area dirt road. He rolled his window down and told me I should know how dangerous it is to ride on these roads. Bob saw him but his words were directed to me. Not sure if that means he is more apt to run women bikers off the road than men? I spoke to the Prescott Police about it even though it is not in the city because I think they need to know every time he does something. I also spoke to the sheriff's dept. Could we suggest everyone be on the lookout for this guy - especially to get the license # whenever the van is spotted and let the sheriff know. I spoke with Roger Felker, badge# 423. We do not have to be on the bikes to get the license # and report it to him. This guy is scary and we need to get him stopped before someone is hurt. Nancy
If you want to get into cycling or are an experienced cyclist looking for fun, friendship, and fitness the Prescott Chain Gang is the place for you. It doesn't matter if you prefer Road or Mountain Biking the club offers a wide variety of rides and other bike related activities. You do not need to be a member to come on a ride and we always welcome new riders. Every Saturday Morning Leaderless Ride
Meet at church parking lot at the corner of Hwy. 89 and the Outer Loop Rd. in Chino
Valley. From there we have a lot of options to be decided that day based on who shows and
what they want to do. We could do Hwy. 89 north varying distances, Williamson Valley Rd.,
Pioneer parkway loop, Chino Valley Prescott loop, or the Chino Valley loop. Every Sunday Morning Leaderless
Ride The Sun. ride is an all abilities road ride meeting
at the south side of the courthouse square in downtown Prescott. Some racers come for
training and do not wait up while others can regroup at various points. This weekly road
ride has several route options depending on the mood of the group but they usually do the
Skull Valley loop (50 miles). Riders are responsible for tools, tubes, water and be self
contained. Every Monday Recreational road bike ride.
Ride the "Spars" starting from the Safeway parking lot on Whitespar Rd. Ride
this scenic route at your own pace and distance. George: 771-1731 gwoodsno smamnorthlink.com Every Tuesday Leadless Road Ride The Tues. ride is
an all abilities road ride beginning at 5:30 p.m. from the south side of the courthouse
square in down town Prescott. Some racers come for training and do not wait up while
others can regroup at various points. This weekly road ride has several route options
depending on the feelings of the group (usually Whitespar 25 - 30 miles out and back) and
the amount of daylight with the average ride lasting 2 hours but with the option of
individuals to make it shorter. Every Thursday MT Bike Ride Leaderless Ride May 17 - Sept 27 Thursday 5:30 p.m This ride meets at Thumb Butte Park. You can park nearby and ride in if you don't want to pay the $2.00 parking fee. This weekly Mt. Bike ride has several route options depending on the mood of the group and the amount of daylight with the average ride lasting 2 hours or less. Individuals have options to make this shorter.
We have moved! Our new site is located at http://peteandedbooks.com You Thanks, P.S. We also have a new site featuring bicycle-related gifts & awards at
March 2001 1) Introduction of Guests / Awards of Appreciation March 2001 The Prescott Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC), a committee of the City Council, works with city staff, transportation officials and the community to develop bicycle transportation facilities to help minimize congestion and noise, keep our air clean and reduce motor vehicle miles traveled per capita. Attending: Marcee Keller, Steve Becker, Dale Wachs, Debbie Cotton, Eric Smith, J.J. McCormack, Chris Frederiksen, Cindy Lee, Councilman John Steward, Tim Coons, Sgt. Mike Kabbel, Officer Mark McClain. 1. Road projects update -- Dale Wachs, City of Prescott Senior Civil Engineer, reported that City Council approved the Willow Creek Road and Whipple-Zuma striping and signage proposal. The phases of Willow Creek Road widening will be striped as they are completed. Exactly when the completed first phase, from Four Points to Green Lane, will be striped has not been determined. Dale reported that PBAC member Derek Brownlee met with him and Public Works Director Tom Long to discuss traffic-signal sensitivity. The city is looking at making signal loops more sensitive and looking at the associated costs. 2. Trails projects updates -- Eric Smith, Open Space and Trails Coordinator for the City of Prescott, announced the date of the Greenways fund-raiser this year. It is set for Saturday, April 28. Eric reported good progress on the Granite Creek Park Trail, thanks to some hardy volunteers who have been working hard despite inclement weather. He said he wanted to get as much of the trail done by National Trails Day, June 2, as possible. He said the trail was holding up well in winter weather. Two trail bridges were complete. Two additional bridges were in the works. The second phase of the Peavine Trail (north from Highway 89 A) remains tied to long-range planning efforts for the airport. Those efforts are reportedly on the fast track. The trails budget for FY 2002 will consist of matching funds for grants to help fund the city connections to the circle trail and to continue work on the downtown greenways along Miller and Granite creeks. The Open Space Alliance is considering funding a contract employee to develop an information packet and start talking to property owners along the creeks. National Trails Day events are to include a Granite Creek Park trail dedication, hikes and rides. The activities are being coordinated with other organizations such as the Yavapai Trails Association. 3. OTHER: * CYTPO update -- Marcee Keller, PBAC Chairperson, gave a presentation about PBAC at the February CYTPO meeting. The group, which is the transportation planning organization for Central Yavapai County, now knows what PBAC is and is aware of the committee's mission. Marcee engaged PBAC members in a discussion of behind-the-scenes relationship building with CYTPO members. How do we convince CYTPO that "transportation isn't about moving automobiles, it's about moving people," as PAT President Sue Knaup put it. Dale Wachs suggested the grass roots efforts are needed to build the relationships and keep alternative transportation in the forefront of transportation planning. * Marcee said PBAC will be sending letters supporting properly engineered pedestrian ways and bikeways in the 69/89 interchange design and in the Hillcrest extension. * Earth Day Festival -- Discussion of possibly doing a bike helmet survey at the fair, sharing a booth with Eric Smith, etc. * Helmet law discussion -- Discussion of the next step for PBAC, since a majority of City Council members registered strong opposition to an ordinance during a meeting earlier in March. Councilman and PBAC member John Steward said he believes enforcement was an issue with Council. Sgt. Mike Kabbel of the Prescott Police Department said you can't have a law without enforcement. PBAC members discussed a possible ordinance requiring helmet law violators to attend a diversion program where they would be educated about helmet safety and bicycle safety and laws. Members discussed possible incentive programs aimed at inducing helmet use. Sgt. Kabbel suggested doing some media promotion regarding helmet use and safety. A good way to get media attention is by writing a letter to the editor. PBAC members agreed writing a letter was a good idea. They also agreed to continue working with Prescott Police to pursue a helmet safety program and/or regulation. * Marcee reported that she is participating in an Effective Cycling Training Program the League of American Bicyclists is conducting in Prescott on May 27. Once certified, Marcee will be able to train others in effective cycling. Next meeting: Wednesday, April 4, 2001, City Hall basement.
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