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| The ride schedule is posted and available at http://surf-ici.com/chaingang
Jim and Karen Warrick and Debbie Cotton have saved the day. The new Mountain Bike Rides are on Wednesday evening and are geared toward the recreational rider as well as the racer. See descriptions below. Every Other Wednesday MTB Ride 5:30 pm - 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesdays of each Month. Every Other Wednesday Williamson Valley Trailhead 5:30 pm - 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each Month. Directions: Meet at the Williamson Valley Trailhead parking lot approximately 6.4 miles out Williamson Valley Road from the Iron Springs Road turnoff. Trail: Riders will ride Trail 347 (the Willow Trail) with a variety of options for all experience levels. Ride will last approximately 2 hours. For more information contact Debbie Cotton 772-7482.
Since I am changing the ride schedule I have the opportunity to change the unpopular Sun. morning starting time from 6:30 am to 7:00 am. This will take affect immediately. There have been about 10 riders on this ride and hopefully this will increase the numbers. We have been riding the Skull Valley loop with the casual group taking about 4 hours including a water stop. There is also a faster group that is getting in good practice for the AZ State Road Championships later this season which is held on most of the same route.
Due to the popularity of the Tuesday evening road ride it has expanded to the Tuesday / Thursday road ride. Adding Thursday will round out a lot of peoples weeks. The Thursday evening road ride has already started and will continually meet at the court house at 5:30 pm until the last Thursday in September. This is bound to be another popular ride so please come out and help get it jump started. The Chain Gang's Tuesday evening road ride is becoming a great success. It has broken the old record for rider participation of 18 that was set about two years ago. The Tuesday ride is up to 20 - 25 riders and after the exposure, that the recent race brought to the club, I believe that we will be over 30 riders very soon. It is a beautiful site, as well as a strong political statement, to see this group roll out of town. These numbers may not seem like a lot to people who have lived in other places but regular open to the public training rides are new to Prescott. I can remember, in the not so distant past, a lot of lonely rides where just Cindie and I showed up trying to jump start these rides. These ride are composed of a lot of race-oriented cyclist, who come to train together, and they do form a competitive pack at the front. This group usually goes all the way to Whiloit before they turn around and wait up as little as possible. What is lesser known is that there are usually 2 other groups that are forming behind the front group. The second group is usually people who got dropped on the 6 mile climb heading out of town and reform before the big decent and ride together to mile marker 298 and back. The rear group is composed of cyclists who are new or just not interested in riding so hard that there eyes roll back in there head or just want to socialize and talk. This third group is also a great place for new people to the sport who are just getting started. It is my main goal to increase the number of riders in these second and third groups. I believe that a lot of potential riders are scared off because the see the racer group and worry that they cannot keep up. Although it is true that you may not keep up with the front group there will be a group that you fit into. We have a great bunch of racers, in this town, and they would never look down on you just because you do not ride as fast as them. It goes without saying that a persons worth is not based on how fast they can ride. If you are not sure what group you fit into just come out and ride. We all start together but it breaks us up pretty fast. This is truly the beauty of starting together. Instead of artificially dividing up into groups we all just wind up in the group we belong in.
Prescott Bicycle Advisory Committee July 11, 2001, meeting minutes 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, Steven Gaber, Dale Wachs; Doug McMillan, Debbie Cotton, Tim Travis, Cindie Travis, Tim Coons, Jim Perry, Chris Fredericksen, Derek Brownlee, John R. Steward, J.J. McCormack, Cindy Lee. 1. Introduction of Guest: -- Jim Perry, formerly of Sarasota, Fla., was introduced. Jim moved to Prescott three months ago. He was the secretary of a bicycling club in Sarasota. 2. CYTPO update: Cindie Travis, the committee's volunteer liaison to CYTPO, reported on the latest meeting and other topics as follows: · The committee will want to keep tabs on Chino Valley's proposed annexation of 40 square miles to ensure bicycle transportation connectivity. · Sue Knaup of Prescott Alternative Transportation is working with ADOT on a TEA-21 grant application for bike facilities for the future 69/89 interchange realignment. Cindie passed around a map delineating the proposed bikeways. · ADOT is currently focusing on pursuing Right of Way on major controlled-access roads. Controlled-access means a limited number of driveways and access points, but could have impact on bicycle access. PBAC will clarify. · John Steward noted that the City Council is considering partnering with other Northern Arizona Communities to hire a city and county transportation watchdog, someone who will monitor ADOT and the state Legislature and report back on issues and actions affecting rural Northern Arizona communities. · Cindie and Marcee attended a bicycle advocacy summit in Flagstaff where they learned that ADOT has a new bicycle coordinator. They want to invite the coordinator to a future PBAC meeting. 3. Willow Creek Road striping plan: Dale Wachs, senior civil engineer for the City of Prescott, reported that the Council had approved a striping contract and that contract would include striping bike lanes along the entire widened area of Willow Creek Road (Four Points to Commerce Drive). Dale said he believes the striping will likely take place after the completion in the Fall of Willow Creek Phase 3B. 4. TEA-21 grants: Eric Smith, open space and trails coordinator for the City of Prescott, is seeking letters of support from the PBAC for two TEA-21 grant applications, one for the Prescott Greenways project and one for the second phase of the Rails to Trails project. Marcee and J.J. will be collaborating on those letters, which are due to Eric by July 24. Tim Travis, president of the local recreational bike club, The Chain Gang, offered to write letters of support as well. 5. Hillcrest/Bike Plan updates: J.J. McCormack said she talked to County Engineer Norm Davis and 4-foot shoulders are planned in each direction on the Hillcrest Connector. Norm asked J.J. to pass along to the bike committee that the county doesn't build roads for bicycles. That is the direction he is given by the Board of Supervisors. He suggested that in the future, committee members go directly to the supervisors when questions arise about the design of county roads. Bike Plan: J.J. provided a status report of the bike plan, which is in limbo because of the departure of former city planner Tiffany Rich. She directed the planning process until leaving the city for a job in Coconino County. Some PBAC members met with city staff members in late June to strategize. It was suggested, and city management and legal staff have tacitly supported the idea of hiring a consultant to finish the plan and usher it through the public-review process. PBAC members and city staff are all reviewing what has been done to date to determine what remains to be done and discuss a scope of work for a consultant. The goal is to complete the plan and gain Council approval before late Fall, when the current Council leaves office. Eric Smith is going to check with legal staff about consultant hiring protocol. 6. Safe Kids Program-- Cindy Lee reported what she has learned about the Safe Kids program, which is administered by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and involves government, medical and educational institutions statewide. Cindy shared names and phone numbers of key Safe Kids people and described how the program may be of benefit to Prescott kids and PBAC. Examples include grant funds, bike rodeo equipment, helmet acquisition partnerships and educational materials and assistance. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 1, 5:30 p.m. City Hall basement. We invite the public to our meetings held the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the basement of City Hall. Please contact us via email or call for more information. We welcome your input. New Ride Schedule Prescott Chain Gang Cycling Club Ride Schedule 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.
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