2005 Rides

From Tyler: These are the updates I am making.

Billy goats leave them as they are.

Mountain goats:
Delete   Silver City / Virginia City
Add   Skyline Regional Park

Grizzly bears:
Add   Time Trials (under Special Ride)
Add   Saratoga Maze (under Special Place) description: 3 1/2 mile route from Hwy 9 & 4th to Prospect & Via Roncole
Add   Guy Fawkes Day   (under Special Day   11/5)
Add   Blessing of the Bicycles   (under Special Ride) description: A ride to a Church that is scheduling a day to bless bikes.

All Awards stay the same.

BBB, Feb 2005 Issue Stories

I have posted the first story to the new story que for the Feb 2005 issue here.

Copy Editors: if you choose to copy edit a story just follow the link and either download the file or E-mail me and let me know you want a copy and I will E-mail you a copy of the story. If you download the story, let me know you have.

Either way I will put you down here as the editor so the writer will know who has his/her story.

My intention is to put stories here, so the status of them can be tracked, folks who are doing copy editing can check stories out for editing, we can get a visual of what is going into the newsletter before production and contributors can know the status of their submissions.

This is the start. My goal is to have some work flow mechanisms in place, so please let me know what you think!
~Steve

New Years Ride Route

The route sheet for the mellow ride for tomorrow's new years celebration is posted here! Unless it is raining in the morning, the ride is on!

Lance Racing Cyclocross

Vince Cummings sent this link to a great series of photos of Lance Racing Cyclocross.

Big Thanks to Specialized!

I hope everybody was able to make it last Thursday to the party at Specialized, what a great event, what a great opportunity that was. They really opened the door to the place and we all were able to meet some amazing people, the people who make the bikes and test the bikes were there along with some great professional bike racers. It was a fantastic party! We owe them a big thanks for being such great hosts.

Raising Money for Cyclocross World Championship Team

The local team Velo Bella has received the exciting news that two of our 6 elite cyclocross riders have been named to the US World Championship team. Barb Howe and Sarah Kerlin need to raise $3,750 each to attend Worlds becuase USA Cycling does not provide funding. As a member of the local cycling community, Velo Bella is seeking contributions from individuals and other local clubs to help send these two talented Bay Area athletes to Worlds. If you are interested in supporting our riders at Worlds, there is a link to PayPal set up on the www.velobella.org website to contribute. You can also send a check. Make checks payable to:
Velo Bella
724 Eureka Canyon Road
Watsonville, CA 95076
Thank you so much,
Erin Kassoy
Velo Bella Cross Elite Team

Improving membership retention in ACTC (Re: BBB Jan. 2005)

In an Email Michael McGeough said:

I am glad you are looking into improving membership retention for the ACTC.  I went through all the positions from chairman to president of an engineering organization called ISA back in Rochester, NY.  I was membership chairman there for several years.  One of the duties of the membership committee was to call each expiring member and find out why he/she was terminating membership.  It turned out that better than 50% just needed a phone call letting him/her know that someone noticed, or cared, that his/her membership was expiring and the membership was renewed.  Our chapter was about 700 people, not much different than the ACTC, but dues could be paid for many years or for life, so we didn't have as many expirations at any one time as the ACTC does.  I am sure that few people look at the BBB to see when their membership is expiring, so a nudge may be in order, (not a sales pitch).  

Anyhow, I would like to suggest that the membership chairman generate a list of names of expiring members to be sent to the committee.  This list would include members who are 2 or 3 months late on renewals.  That list could be sent out to several volunteers who would call a designated selection of members from the list.  Reasons for termination or renewal could be classified, monitored and addressed.

This is a Hot Link!
Hot ACTC News Here! (Important Weblog Entries)

Final version is of Jan 2005 BBB posted!

I have posted the final version [Final version 1, PDF Format, 1.1 MB] of the January 2005 newsletter here.

This version is the version that has gone to the printer, it has the corrections I have received and it has the stats. Thank you to all of you who have followed this process on the weblog and helped me edit this. You rock!

~Steve

Beta version of Jan 2005 BBB Newsletter Posted

I have posted the "beta version" [Beta version 1, PDF Format, 1.1 MB] of the January 2005 newsletter here.

What is a "beta version"?
A beta version is a version that is essentially complete, but may need some revision before being released. It has minimal holes and is not missing material that will be in the final version.

The table of contents is missing, so I would guess this version is 98% complete. This version has the rides, it has more stories, it has the corrections I have received and it has the stats. But, as before, I want to get this out so folks can let me know what I need to fix before I send it to the printer. Do not expect another Beta version. I will get the final edits done from this version. Then we will go to press!

Folks, this is your last chance to tell me what I missed, then it goes to the printer!

These will only be announced on this blog, not the general mail list.

Please let me know what you think! Special thanks to those of you who have sent me edits. You rock!

If you send edits, it is helpful to note the page number.

Thanks for the help.
~Steve

Last Alpha of BBB, Jan. 2005 Newsletter here!

I have posted the last "alpha version" [Alpha version 3, PDF Format, 1.1 MB] of the January 2005 newsletter here.

What is an "alpha version"?
An alpha version is an early newsletter version that is not complete, it has blank pages and has holes and is missing material that will be in the final version.

I would guess this version is 85% complete. It has the rides, it has more stories, it has the corrections I have recieved, but it is still missing the stats. With all the holiday stuff going on time is tight! We have a party tonight and I am awaiting a story from President Elect David Hoag before I wrap this up. But, as before, I want to get this out so folks can let me know what I need to fix before I put more in. Expect at least another a Beta version. I will get the final edits done from that. Then we will go to press! Folks will have a chance to tell me what I missed, then it goes to the printer!

These will only be announced on this blog, not the general mail list.

Please let me know what you think! Special thanks to those of you who have sent me edits. You rock!

If you send edits, it is helpful to note the page number.

Thanks for the help.
~Steve

Steve's Bike Shorts

One new feature I am planning to incorporate into the newsletter is "Bike Shorts." Immediately after becoming publisher elect I noticed that a number of folks seem to like to send little bits of information with the request "please put this in the newsletter." Also I would run across blurbs of info that are small, anywhere from a sentence to two paragraphs, too small for a story, but too important to be left out. I may just do a three dot column (just like Herb Caen, the master of three-dot journalism) under the heading "Steve's Bike Shorts."

Yes, I am having fun with this stuff! (I hope it shows)
~Steve

Second alpha version on Jan 2005 BBB posted!

I have posted another "alpha version" [Alpha version 2, PDF Format, 1.1 MB] of the January 2005 newsletter here.

What is an "alpha version"?
An alpha version is an early newsletter version that is not complete, it has blank pages and has holes and is missing material that will be in the final version.

I would guess this version is 75% complete. It has the rides, but it is missing the stats. With all the holiday stuff going on time is getting really tight! But, I want to get this out so folks can let me know what I need to fix before I put more in. Expect at least another alpha after this. When I have all the material in place we will go to a Beta version. I will try to get all of the edits done then we will have a release candidate. Folks will have a chance to tell me what I missed, then it goes to the printer!

These will only be announced on this blog, not the general mail list.

Please let me know what you think! If you send edits, it is helpful to note the page number. Thanks for the help.
~Steve

Alpha version of Jan BBB posted

I have posted an early alpha [PDF format!] version of the January newsletter here. What is an "early alpha"? An early alpha is a newsletter version that is not complete, it has holes and is missing material that will be in the final version. But, I want to get this out so folks can let me know what I need to fix before I put more in. Expect at least another alpha after this, at least one beta, then at least one release candidate.

These will only be announced on this blog, not the general mail list.

Please let me know what you think!
~Steve

First version of BBB posted

The newsletter Pages that list everybody's names are located here:
http://homepage.mac.com/s_sloan/temp/200501_1to3.pdf

Please let me know what you think!
~Steve

Nisene Marks issue (off ROMP)

We will be having out monthly meeting on Monday and we will be discussing the Nisene Marks issue.

David Baskin will be there to answer questions on the legal issues surrounding the case. He will also update us on the ruling (which still hasn't been issued yet). State Parks has 60 days to appeal *after* the ruling has been issued.

I would like to float the proposal of a mountain biker "critical mass" in Nisene Marks to about a week or two before the appeal period will expire. The reasons for a critical mass would be for:

• A show of support for State Parks.
• A way to raise funds for a legal defense.
• A media event to raise awareness of the issue.
• A great way for like minded groups to come together.

It would be great to get at least 1000 mountain bikers for this event. Is that possible? I think there are at least 1000 mountain bikers in the SF and Monterey Bay Areas.

Also, there was another article in the Sentinel this week.

This article recognizes the letter writing campaign but misses the point that the purpose is to urge State Parks to appeal. The best thing about the article is that it prominently features David Vincent - State Parks superintendent for the Santa Cruz area - who has a pragmatic perspective on the issue.

Piet Canin has volunteered to write an opinion piece for the Sentinel to reflect the concerns of the biking community. Thanks Piet!

The meeting is 7 pm Monday at Seabright Brewery in Santa Cruz.

--Mark

Department of OOPS

Hi Steve -
In your blog entry on Re-Cyclery, it looks like you inadvertently provided a link to Crissy Field.

The link for Re-Cyclery is http://www.tripsforkids.org/thrift.htm

( And thanks for the reminder, I have a hybrid I never ride any more that I could donate )

Take care, - Jo.

The Trips for Kids Inner-City Youth Biking Program

The Trips for Kids Inner-City Youth Biking Program needs your used bikes and bike gear. You can donate them at Re-Cyclery, Trips for Kids' bike thrift shop and training center is located at 610 Fourth Street in San Rafael.
More Info: 415-458-2986
www.crissyfield.org

Newsletter News and Views

I really appreciate the work my predecessors have done and especially appreciate all Franz has done and continues to do to help me get started. I do not want to lose a single person who has helped with the newsletter and do not want to make any changes in current roles or workflow (which I am still trying to figure out.)

Having been elected to the post of publisher I thought folks might want some idea of what I have planned for the newsletter. For the first edition I do not want to go over 20 pages.

I only want to make changes in small steps. About the ride listings: I will probably just take the Word file from Jerry, clean it and place it in InDesign.

I have been combining all of the Files from the December newsletter into one file, so that stories can be jumped from the first page to inside. Also, I am creating a new set of character and paragraph style sheets. I have standardized on two font families, Futura Std and New Caledonia Std (using all Adobe OpenType fonts.) The general design plan is to always try to use the center spread as a two page "double truck" photo spread. That way pictures can eventually jump the gutter. Like the center spread of another famous magazine, I’d like to see a center photo spread be a trademark of our newsletter. The ride list will jump around the center spread.

I am going to try to have at lease three stories on page one with stories jumping inside. Ideally at least one page one story will be a news story and at least one page one story will be a local (ACTC) human interest story.

What makes ACTC great?

In a word it is the people.
We have a great group of folks who are passionate about cycling and who care for one another. That is evident in our rescue committee and in the fellowship we enjoy at the many events we have in our club. Just look at a list of the great events we have, the Tierra Bella, the Great Western Bike Rally, the Black and Blue Ball, the Sierra to the Sea, the Progressive Dinner, the Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast, The Russian River Rally, etc.
We have tradition, fun, fellowship and also; great bike rides.

ACTC Webmaster Position

Bob Evans is currently unable to continue to serve as the ACTC Webmaster. I have been keeping the website up to date for the past few weeks and will continue to do so until the new ACTC Board (to be elected at this December 7th General Meeting) decides how they would like to proceed.  You can continue to  use the club email addresses webmaster@actc.org, rides@actc.org, listadmin@actc.org, stats@actc.org, publisher@actc.org  and membership@actc.org and they will be directed to the correct individual.  After tomorrow's election the new board members will be added to the board@actc.org email address and the retiring board members (such as myself) will be removed from that group email address at the end of the year.

Remember the General Meeting will be at Leigh High school rather than the normal location.  There will be election of the 2005 Board members.  I had a chance to preview some of the entertainment and it should be a great meeting so please plan.  See you there.

Regards,

Franz Kelsch
ACTC Publisher

Meeting Location Reminder

Just a reminder that the meeting Tuesday will be at Leigh H.S. in the cafeteria. Corner of Leigh and Los Gatos Almaden Rd. about two miles south on Leigh, from the church we usually meet at.

Please come and cast your vote tomorrow. Only one position is being contested but please come and vote to show your support for the Board. Or to throw your hat in the ring.

Bring a gift for gift exchange if interested and a dessert to share for the evening.

Hope to see you there,

Michael Curtis
President ACTC

December 04, Mellow Ride Routesheet

Routesheet posted for today's mellow ride here.

Political Action/Los Gatos Creek Trail

By Rick Madden

Members of Responsible Open Mountain Peddlers, Western Wheelers, the Silicon Valley Bicycling Coalition and ACTC have recently organized to discuss the Los Gatos Creek Trail corridor between the village of Los Gatos and Bear Creek Road.

Attention has been focused on this area recently after the death of 65-year-old ACTC and Western Wheeler member Jim Mills while leading the popular Hills R Us ride. An accomplished cyclist, Jim had completed the Everest Challenge and fulfilled a dream by climbing Alpe d’Huez, Le Tourmalet and Mont Ventoux on a recent trip to France. Each year he participated in the Multiple Sclerosis Bike tour and was one of the top fundraisers.

One of Jim’s weekly rituals was leading the popular Wednesday ride, which typically works its way from Los Altos up to Skyline. On August 4 the group headed south on Skyline to Old Santa Cruz Highway and Lexington Dam. Jim was having a particularly good day, as he had missed many previous rides acting as caregiver for his terminally ill wife. On this day he got a few hours away to ride his beloved Calfee.

Upon finding the Los Gatos trailhead gates locked at Alma Bridge Road, Jim led his group down Highway 17, the only paved alternative. The closure was not announced by the San Jose Water Company, which was working on the trail below. Ironically, public safety was the impetus they had closed the trail. The reason for Jim’s crash is still in question, but eyewitnesses point to bad pavement as the possible cause. Jim went over the guardrail and struck a fencepost, sustaining massive injuries. Although rescue crews arrived very quickly, it appears he died almost instantly. As a sad footnote, Jim’s wife Carolyn died weeks later.

James Porter, (president of Western Wheelers), Rebecca Lucky (executive director of Silicon Valley Biking Coalition) and myself began talking about safe passage for all cyclists through the very important Highway 17 corridor. Realizing all cyclists, regardless of specific interests, needed to work together on this project we contacted Paul Nam, president of ROMP. Paul quickly threw his hat into the ring. ROMP has extensively lobbied municipal agencies to include bicycles on trails.

Possible solutions identified by the collective cycling groups are:

- Advance notice of trail closures on the Los Gatos Creek Trail corridor
- Paving the steep grade near the dam
- Resurfacing the trail with a finer material more suited to compaction than the current surface.
- Petition CalTrans to remove obstacles from the shoulder of Highway 17. This includes pavement heaves and bumps and repositioning of the storm sewer grates. Periodic sweeping to remove glass and debris will also be requested.
- Identify funding sources for bike trail improvements in the Los Gatos area, including alternatives to the creek trail during periodic maintenance closures

Over 2,000 members belong to the four organizations working to provide safe passage past Lexington Dam. This is a unique opportunity to work with other area clubs to achieve a common goal. In the coming months, you may be contacted to lend support to this cause by writing letters or emails to public officials. Please be generous with your time. Let public officials know that rider safety is important to us and should be important to them.

If you have any comments or questions, I would be happy to address them on the new ACTC ride forum at http://actc.21-speed.com/forum/index.php. Look under the political action topic.

Bike for sale

kestrel KM40 with 650 wheels, size 58 (center crank to top tube); $995; contact gracevoss@aol.com

New Info on Coleman/Winfield Lot

Via Bob Halem:

This email actually got forwarded to me earlier this morning. VTA is looking into this issue internally, and will be talking to City of San Jose Parks (since Los Alamitos Creek Trail is under their jurisdiction.)

Ithink the ACTC bicyclists got caught up in an on-going parking issue with the Almaden Lake Village: VTA has been trying to deal with overflow parking issues with their tenants/guests; and in order to be fair and consistent, VTA has to enforce the policies equally across the board. I understand we've suspended issuing parking citations at this lot until Feb 1, while we sort things out.

VTA is sympathetic to having the excess parking made available for occasional recreational bicyclists on a nearby trail; our challenge is to develop a clear policy to cover legitimate non-VTA users, that would prevent abuses (i.e. people parking their car to advertise it for sale)

Cheers,

Celia Chung
Bicycle Program Coordinator
Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)

Los Gatos Creek Trail Closure

The Los Gatos Creek Trail from Main Street in Los Gatos to Alma Bridge Road at Lexington Dam will be closed December 6-24, 2004.

The text of the official announcement from San Jose Water Company may be viewed here.

--Jerry Schonewille

December's general meeting

Clubmembers,

Please spread the word that December's general meeting, on 12/7/04, will be held at Leigh High School, 5210 Leigh Avenue at the S/E corner of Leigh Avenue and Los Gatos/ Almaden Road. Enter the parking lot on Leigh Avenue which closest to Los Gatos Almaden Road. The cafeteria doors will be open and the lights on so it should not be too difficult to locate.

After the business meeting, the dessert line will be open. Soon after, Tony Le and Bob Thompson's presentation will follow. The gift exchange will start right after the presentation.

See you there,
John Mazzella

Cyclocross article in Sunday's Chronicle

Check out this Cyclocross article in last Sunday's Chronicle.

McKean Road Sports Complex on SJ City Council agenda tonight!

Are you concerned about the impact of traffic on McKean Road due to the proposed McKean Road Sports Complex?

It is item 7d on the agenda for the San Jose City Council meeting tonight, Monday, November 29. Do your best to be there by 8:00 PM to give your 2¢ worth.

Esther Snively

Due to a number of other agenda items that precede the above item on the Planning Commission agenda this evening, [Nov. 29] we have posted on the agenda on our website that Planning Commission item 7d, the McKean Road Sports Complex EIR & General Plan Amendment will be heard in agenda order, but not before 8:00p.m.. This is in order to help alleviate overcrowding in the Council Chambers.

Stan Ketchum

Dec. 4th Ride Alternate Start

Anybody who is concerned about parking in the Coleman/Winfield Parking lot on my Dec. 4 ride is welcome to meet at my house 30 minutes before the ride. I live at 1645 Canna Lane and you can park assured not to get a ticket or a tow and get in a few more miles to boot!

We will be stopping for burritos on the way home from the ride, so if you want to ride back to my house after the ride with me you may want to allow for that.

There is a great burrito place near the end of the ride!

~Steve Sloan

I will post info of this and any other related changes here:

http://theblackandblueblog.blogspot.com/

And will also update the forum here:

http://actc.21-speed.com/forum/

Coleman/VTA Lot Issues

This is clearly a hot-button issue for several ACTC members and serves as a good example of how a discussion forum can be used. I’ve created a new category for this topic on the experimental discussion forum and set it up so that you do not have to register or login in order to submit or reply to a post. If you would like to express your opinions or view what others have to say then please visit

http://actc.21-speed.com/forum/

Thanks,
Jerry Schonewille

---------------------------------

Sorry to bother all of you again, but this issue is important.

We can help the situation by parking in the farthest quadrant from what Light Rail Customers would use, and at the same time isolate us from the Condo/Apartment people, who are the root cause of the problem, as I understand it.

The farthest quadrant in my lexicon is the far end of the lot on the left as we enter the parking area (at the end, over next to the bike path). The extra distance is immaterial to us, but might help drive our point home. I have NEVER seen a car parked there.

Frank

---------------------------------

I thought others might have an interest in a letter that I sent off to the VTA Board regarding parking at the Coleman/Winfield lot.

Frank La Fetra

To the VTA Board of Directors--

I am not only a VTA, CalTrain and BART customer, but also a bicyclist for both practical and recreational uses.

Recently, I was warned by other bicycle riders not to park my car in the Light Rail lot at Coleman/Winfield in San Jose for fear of receiving a ticket. I many times bicycle, but not always, the 22 miles RT from my home in Evergreen. Recently, the group I frequently ride with, Almaden Cycle Touring Club (ACTC) were accosted by VTA officers and threatened with legal action if they continued to park their cars at the mentioned lot and then ride away for a few hours mid-morning to mid-afternoon.

If this lot was in anyway heavily used, ACTC's presence could be a problem, BUT in the almost two years I have ridden from that start point, NEVER has there been any lack of parking ANYWHERE in that lot. Ten to 20% of the spaces might be used. That leaves a lot of space rarely, if ever used. Other stations could have problems, but certainly not, in my observation, Coleman/Winfield and many, if not all of us are also customers, if not at that moment at other times.

Please review this and take some reasonable steps that preserves the Light Rail Parking (it really is for the transit riders when needed), but 'cut some slack' for a sport VTA should be encouraging at no cost to themselves.

Frank La Fetra, South Evergreen

ACTC December rides and future web hosting

Looking out your window at the rain? Wondering when you can do your next ride? Well, the web based version of the December Ride Schedule is now online:

http://www.actc.org/schedule/2004/dec-rides.html

When you view it you will notice the format for December's ride schedule looks different. This is the great work of Jerry Schonewille, our Ride Coordinator, who had developed a database and a program to automatically generate this web page. Not only is the process becoming automated, but we are looking at offering a more dynamic way to view the ride schedule, allowing you to see the types of rides you are more interested in.

That will require a lot of work, including moving the ACTC website to a new host provider. We have a committee setup that is looking at the requirements to undertake such a move. Your feedback is appreciate. We want to make sure we are focusing our efforts in the area that best benefits the club members.

Franz Kelsch
ACTC Publisher

ROMP Christmas Party Reminder

To all ROMP members & nonmembers: Saturday 12/4 is the ROMP annual Christmas Party.

Tom Ritchey, National Racer & Founder of Ritchey Bike Designs Inc. will speak!

Plus dinner, drinks, party etc. Hope to see everyone there!

Anyone may attend - for info or the sign up form see www.romp.org & mail in by next week 12/2. Any questions, call Linda Wegner at 408 257-8284.

NOTE: You do NOT have to be a member of ROMP to attend

Cycling Performance Lecture

Efficient Cycling and Bike Fit for performance and health

Where: Palo Alto Bikes
When: Thursday December 2nd at 6:30 PM
Cost: Free
PLEASE RSVP – limited space

What: Find out how to be a more efficient cyclist – strength, flexibility, pedal mechs, bike fit, training etc!

Who: Curtis Cramblett, PT, CSCS, Licensed Cycling Coach
Contact info: (408) 371-8844
Curtis@Revolutionsinfitness.com

Whether you are looking for improved performance, efficiency, comfort or health on your bike this lecture is for you!
From John Mazella

Re-scheduling cancelled ACTC Oct. ride for Tuesday, 11/30

Ride to Ladera
9:30 AM . . . . . . . . 48 mi, 1-2 LM-M
Grizzly Bear . . . . . . . . Coffee Ride
Meet at the Los Gatos Park and Ride. From Los Gatos we will go Foothill Expressway and then to Ladera for coffee.
Bill Gallagher . . . . . . . . 997-0216 billtg@earthlink.net

This ride is listed as an LM/M. If there are LM riders who are interested and not sure about doing an M pace, we may break into an LM group and an M group. If this happens I'll lead the LM and will get someone to lead the M.

OLN doing tour marathon

Today, Thanksgiving Day 2004, OLN is doing a TDF marathon. All of the tour stages are being broadcast back to back!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Steve

Calabazas Cyclery new sponsor

Our newest sponsoring shop is Calabazas Cyclery at 6140 Bollinger Road, San Jose, CA 95129. Please follow this link for more info.

Cyclocross event for Nisene Marks "Free The Trail" cause?

From Kathleen Meyer in a letter to her:

Greetings-
my name is David Gill and I'm an officer of Team Santa Cruz, the race team of the Santa Cruz County Cycling Club.

Our team will hold a cyclocross race on Sunday January 16th, 2005, at the Watsonville fairgrounds and we've come up with an idea to help out the Nisene Marks "Free The Trail" cause.

There will be several races and categories during the day, but we plan on holding a special team relay category at 12 noon.  The plan goes something like this:  Four persons per team, $40 entry per team, each rider does one lap.

All proceeds from this category will go to MBOSC.

To make this even more challenging (and entertaining for the spectators!), we've decided to gather the starting riders' bikes and remove their rear wheels.  We will stage a LeMans-style start, where each rider will run to their bikes and put their wheels on, go out for their lap and come back to the finish&nb! sp;where they will tag the next rider on their team, who will have to run to their own bike which is waiting for them without the rear wheel.  This continues until each rider completes a lap. We are planning on anywhere from 150-200 riders for the other categories, so I am confident we will be able to attract a significant number ofrelay teams. One idea that has come up is why not give four "Free The Trail" T-shirts to each team that signs up.  This basically makes it "buy a shirt, get a free race," or another such way of spinning the text, but you get the idea. The logistics have yet to be figured out since the shirt sizes would have to be dealt with, but I might suggest that someone from your organization come out to the event with a bunch of shirts not only for the teams, but also to sell to the rest of the riders and spectators.  You could set up a tent or booth with information, shirts, etc. Please let me know your thoughts on this proposition, we are eager to hear them!

Thank you for your consideration,
David Gill

p.s. check out the preliminary website, http://www.cyclocross.cx

Local paper looking for Almaden cyclists

From a co-worker of Paul Metz:

Hi,
You may have heard the story of Bo down in Campbell. He is a team mate of mine, a road racer who was attacked and beaten by some motorists. We are trying to apply pressure to the two girls who were driving the car that two men jumped out of and attacked Bo. We are trying to find Almaden Residents for a story that will run in a local paper there.

Any Almaden Residents?

Please read the email from Moryt Milo below.

In case you may not be familiar with the story:

• http://www.pbase.com/bohebe/campbell_reporter
• http://www.pbase.com/bohebe/beating_2004

Thanks,
Alon

Moryt Milo writes:
hi bo, the editor for almaden is thinking of using the story in his almaden paper, but we need to find some almaden residents asap. On this list ( see above) there are 27 people from San Jose. Hopefully some from almaden, any way to find out. or can you hook me up to some almaden cyclists he can talk to. If you want you can send them directly to him. His name is Greg watkins, editor for the Almaden Resident, email is gwatkins@svcn.com or 408.200.1066. Hopefully people contact him quickly.

Thanks, it would be great to spread the word down there.

Moryt
Moryt Milo
Editor, The Campbell Reporter and Willow Glen Resident
408.200.1051
mmilo@svcn.com

Dead Cyclist Identified

A source quoting Bay Cities News Service said, the Morgan Hill bicyclist killed Sunday when he collided with a vehicle has been identified today as 58-year-old David Bishop, according to a Santa Clara County Coroner's spokeswoman.

The source said, Bishop was riding his bike around 1:36 p.m. along Santa Teresa Boulevard near Tilton Avenue when he collided with an oncoming vehicle, according to the CHP.

There were no further details about the collision immediately available.

Ride Scheduler Jerry Schonewille starts rides forum

I'm planning on doing several self-contained tours next year and as I mention this during rides I encounter others with similar interest. Now is the time to be planning spring tours and it occurs to me that this is a good topic for a discussion forum.

Unlike this e-list where postings are "pushed" to all subscribers, you only get content from a discussion forum if you "pull" the information.

If you're not interested you will get nothing. Amen.

I've set up an experimental discussion forum on my personal web host with the dual purpose of discussing self-contained tours and to get some experience with forums in general to see if this is something that ACTC might want to add to their website.

It could be a rough trip – I'm totally new to this – but I think it might be fun and useful. I've set this up (I think) so that anyone can have a look but to make a posting you need to logon with a user name and password.

There is much potential here and I'm hoping others will pick up the ball.

http://actc.21-speed.com/forum/index.php

Enjoy,

Jerry

Nisene Marks Info

From the ROMP List by Mark Davidson:

Hey Everyone,

There seems to be quite a lot of momentum and activity surrounding the Nisene Marks (pending) ruling against mountain bikes. I'd just like to summarize some of the activity so far.

Gary Sprung - senior national policy adviser from IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) has formally written a letter to Dave Vincent, Ruth Coleman and Tom Ward urging them to appeal the ruling banning bikes in Nisene Marks. His well written letter summarizes the representational reach of IMBA, mountain bike participation in California (5.2 M participants, $2B/year to the California economy), perceived user conflict and comments about the interpretation of the Nisene Marks deed. I've posted his letter here:

http://www.mbosc.org/2004/IMBA_appeal_request.pdf

I would encourage those interested in this issue to read it. If you haven't sent your letters yet then this can act as a template for your own letter.

Gary also included a really informative paper summarizing the impacts of mountain biking on the environment when compared to other forms of trail travel:

http://www.mbosc.org/2004/ScienceOfMtnBikes.pdf

The paper concludes that mountain biking doesn't cause any more environmental impact than hiking.

Elayna Caldwell-Grim a marketing manager at Fox Racing Shox is working on the "Free the trail" campaign. Fox is selling T-shirts and the proceeds will go to a legal defense fund for MBOSC (Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz) and IMBA to help with the appeal. T-shirts are available at local bike shops or bought online at:

http://www.free-the-trail.org

Fox also includes a letter with each T-shirt that you can sign and mail to David Vincent (be sure to include Ruth Coleman and Tom Ward).

http://www.free-the-trail.org/Free_The_Trail_LETTER.PDF

Our very own David Baskin will be contacting the attorney from State Parks to get an update on the Nov 19th hearing in which the Judge was expected to issue her formal ruling banning bikes from Nisene Marks. This is the ruling that State Parks needs to appeal. Dave will let us know what the ruling is.

The *best* course of action for us as a user group is to write to Ruth Coleman, Tom Ward and David Vincent of State Parks to appeal the ruling. If they don't appeal then all this activity is moot and biking is banned in Nisene. Period. I have included more details and contact information at the MBOSC website:
http://www.mbosc.org

Finally, at the next MBOSC meeting on Monday December 13, 2004 7 pm at Seabright Brewery we will be discussing the Nisene issue. I'll send an agenda later but please mark that date in your calendar. Hopefully by then we may know if State Parks has filed an appeal - they have 60 days. If the appeal is filed then we would need to figure out a strategy for the next phase which probably includes filing an amicus brief and may include fund raising for the legal battle.

We still have recourse to ensure that biking remains legal in Nisene. If it does then State Parks can implement their general plan - which includes new multi-use trails.

Many of you may be saying: "So what if biking is banned? The riding at Nisene sucks. It's just fireroads". That may be true now but the general plan allows for the development of additional trails - singletrack - which would be open to bikes, and possibly open existing trails as well.

The fight for Nisene Marks is an investment in the future trail systems in northern California. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Thanks for your time.

--Mark
President, MBOSC
BTW, write those letters!

Cyclist killed on Santa Teresa

John Mazella posted this to the list: "After Marcia and Susie's ride today in Morgan Hill/Gilroy, Leroy Becker was heading home in his vehicle and saw an accident on Santa Teresa in the vicinity of Willow Springs. It involved a car and a recumbent bicyclist and appeared to be a t-bone type of accident. The rider and recumbent were trapped under the vehicle. The EMTs were not able to revive the rider and he died at the scene. Leroy says the recumbent appeared new and was a purple color. Does this sound like anyone in the club?"

Tom Ritchey to speak at local event

Tom Ritchey

Paul Nam of ROMP wrote, and asked if I could cross list the ROMP Xmas party with Tom Ritchey (Sat. Dec. 4 evening). I have been to a couple of the ROMP Christmas parties and they are great events. They are great opportunities to get to meet some great figures in cycling. This should be a lot of fun and the price is very reasonable!

Newsletter Mailing Location

Tonight's newsletter mailing party is at Elizabeth Lococo's house at 1324 Wylie Way in San Jose. It is near Hamilton and San Thomas Expressway. Map is here!

December Black and Blue Bottom

The December edition of the Black and Blue Bottom has been finalized and the PDF version is online. You can access at the ACTC website or click this link: www.actc.org/bbb . The Web Pages for the December ride schedule will be posted by the webmaster. Until that occurs please access the December ride schedule via the PDF files using the above link.

NOTE the December 7th General Meeting will be held at a DIFFERENT meeting place. Due to a building conflict, we will be meeting on December 7th at Leigh High School, which is at the corner of Leigh Ave. and Los Gatos Almaden Road.

Please be sure to come to the December General Meeting. Not only will we have the election of the 2005 Board Members, but it will be our annual Christmas Social. A great program is also planned (see the Black and Blue Bottom page 1 for details).

Since this is my last issue of the Black and Blue Bottom with a new
Publisher taking over for the January issue, I would like to thank those that helped me during the year in putting the newsletter together and getting them to you. I thank Vladimir Baicher, Richard Brunner, and Nancy Ross for great proofreading and editing, Joanne Mitani for the monthly Getting to Know You column, Keith Giles for photo editing, Jerry Shonewille for the ride schedule and Richard Brunner for getting it ready for printing, Larry Brandt for picking up the newsletters from the printer and packaging them for the shops, Don Axtell for putting the Statistics together, John Blaine for setting up the mailing parties and for many club members that showed up monthly to help at the mailing parties. THANK YOU ALL!

Regards,

Franz Kelsch
ACTC Publisher
publisher@actc.org

Dec. 7th Meeting Location Determined

It was announced at last night's board meeting that next month's December 7th club meeting will be at Leigh High School. This is on the corner of Leigh Avenue and Los Gatos-Almaden Road. Please stay tuned for more details.

Local road rage incident in the news

Campbell paper runs story on cycling safety and road rage
Joanne Mitani sent the mail list a link to this article that appeared in this week's Campbell Reporter: Close Encounters - Better road relations is the aim of cyclists.

The story, by reporter Moryt Milo of the Campbell Reporter, is about how local cyclist Bo Hebenstreit's life changed after the cyclist was assaulted by motorists on Campbell Avenue.

ACTC ride parking issue at the Coleman/Winfield

ACTC Ride Scheduler Jerry Schonewille posted this to the mail list, while gathering for an ACTC ride at the Coleman/Winfield VTA parking lot this morning we were approached by a Santa Clara County Sheriff Deputy. She explained that the parking lot is for VTA patrons only and that she has been writing citations for violators. However, due to complaints about the sudden enforcement from people who routinely park there to use the Los Alamitos Creek Trail, her sergeant instructed her to not write any more citations until VTA places prominent signs in the parking lot. This could happen tomorrow, it could happen next year. No guarantees that other sheriff deputies/sergeants will follow the same policy. In other words, if you park at this lot to participate in an ACTC ride then you are at risk of receiving a citation. We appreciate the heads-up from this deputy.

There are many ACTC rides that start at this location. For the remainder of November and for December I suggest you park at Almaden Lake Park on Winfield just south of Coleman instead. Contact the ride leader. Chances are the ride will go to Almaden Lake Park anyway for a bathroom break. Otherwise, you can take a short ride on the bike trail to Coleman/Winfield VTA.

Ride leaders, for future rides please start at Almaden Lake Park instead of Coleman/Winfield VTA.

Meanwhile, I hope political activists in our club will take up this matter with VTA. Perhaps the Los Gatos VTA starting location is a problem too.

Please act to save cycling in Nisene Marks

Friends of cycling in Nisene Marks - Urgent. Time is running out. Please take the time to compose your letters to preserve this great place to ride today.

Address them to:

Ruth Coleman
Director
California Dept Of Parks & Rec
1416 9th St, Rm 1405
Sacramento, CA  95814
Email: info@parks.ca.gov

Tom  Ward
Manager, Recreation
Calif Dept Of Parks & Rec
1416 9th St Room 1404-2
Sacramento, CA  95814
Work Phone: 916-322-3085
Email: TWARD@parks.ca.gov

David Vincent
District Superintendent
Department of Parks and Recreation
Santa Cruz District
303 Big Trees Park Road
Felton, CA 95018
Email: dvinc@parks.ca.gov

East Side Hills Ride Changes Sunday, Nov 21

Patrice Carney is adding in some extra/optional goats and miles for her Sunday ride this weekend. Information on Sunday Ride Changes is here [ PDF File ] This is an 8 page file and is 157.9 KB in size.

Photo site for ACTC cyclist photographers

ACTC Publisher Franz Kelsch reported earlier this month that ACTC has established a new site for viewing photos of club related events.  In the past if was necessary to go to various individual sites to see the pictures that club members were sharing.  This site is being offered as a central place to those who want to post their pictures there.  We will be adding a link to the ACTC home page shortly, but for now bookmark this link:
http://ACTC.smugmug.com  

At the time this was written we had 7 "ACTC Photographers" who are posting photos there.  (There may be more now! ~Steve) The most recent photo can be seen by clicking the "View Recent Photos" link in the upper right corner.  Once photos have been on the site for over a month, that gallery will be moved to one of the various categories we have established.  Some of the recent galleries include the Big Sur tour, the ACTC Academy Graduation ride and Loma Prieta summit club ride.   As I was looking through some of the older galleries posted, Franz said, "I saw myself in some photos I have never seen before!"

It is anticipated that photos will be posted to this site frequently, so check back periodically to see what's new.  If you wish to become an ACTC Photographer, please send me an email to gain access to posting photos at this site.

Whine and Dine, Last 2004 Ride

Whine and Diners, friends and cats celebrate last ride of 2004

The last whine and dine ride of 2004 happened last weekend and was celebrated with a party at the Sloan's. Everybody had a great time, even the Sloan cats!

Nisene Marks - Important Mountain Bike Issue

Fellow ACTC members. We are a mixed road and MTB club. Is this an issue somebody would like to take on?
~Steve

___________________

Dear California Mountain Bikers,

Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz and IMBA are asking you to get involved in saving trail access at Nisene Marks State Park. Please take the time to write a letter or send an email to the California Department of Parks and Recreation asking them to appeal a recent court ruling that would close bicycle access to existing and future trails.

A Brief History:

Mountain biking has been successfully managed at Nisene Marks for more than 15 years. In 2003, the California Department of Parks and Recreation adopted a new General Plan that expanded mountain biking opportunities on existing and future trails in the park. Shortly after the plan's adoption, a group called Citizens for the Preservation of the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park filed a lawsuit to restrict mountain biking.

In September 2004, the Sacramento Superior Court sided with the Friends group. The decision will prohibit biking at the park.

Mountain bikers are urged to ask State Parks to appeal this ruling. If an appeal is successful, State Parks will be allowed to proceed with its General Plan and allow mountain biking on fire roads and on appropriate singletrack. The importance of this potential appeal cannot be over emphasized.

What You Can Do

Please write a letter or send an email ASAP to:

David Vincent, Superintendent
Department of Parks and Recreation
Santa Cruz District
303 Big Trees Park Road
Felton, CA 95018
dvinc@parks.ca.gov

Points to make:
* Thank State Parks for all the work they have done to suggest expanded mountain biking at Nisene Marks State Park.
* Thank them for supporting mountain biking for the last 15 years at the park and for defending shared-use trails.
* Ask them to please appeal the Sacramento Superior Court ruling that would limit mountain biking at the park.
* In your own words, tell them how you value these trails and appreciate the opportunity to experience nature by riding at Nisene Marks.
* Ask them to please defend (again) shared-use trails and mountain biking (one of their largest constituency groups).
* Mention that mountain biking is a popular sport in California with 5.2 million participants last year (2003 Outdoor Industry Association Participation Study).
* Ask them to please defend (again) existing research that demonstrates the impacts of hiking and biking to be similar and that mountain biking is a legitimate, low-impact, human powered sport that is compatible with other trail users.
* In your own words, note the stress this closure will put on other trail systems throughout the area with increased bike traffic.

For more detailed information on this issue visit Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz at: http://www.mbosc.org.

McKean Road Sports Complex, Should we try to cover this?

For all who like to ride out to Calero Reservoir

Here's an update on the McKean Road Sports Complex--

The Planning Commission public hearing on the McKean Road Sports Complex Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and General Plan amendment will be postponed to November 29, 2004. The City Council hearing date remains December 7, 2004. The First Amendment to the Draft EIR is anticipated to be available on November 19, 2004. Copies will be mailed on that day to all individuals who submitted comments on the Draft EIR. The document will also be posted on this website.

Long Distance Training (First story in for Jan edition)

Long Distance Training Ride Press Release
November 8, 2004
by Rick Madden

Do you want to maintain your riding legs throughout the winter? Are you looking to improve your endurance and speed? Have you added a century or double century to your New Years resolutions? If so, block out each Sunday this winter for the Long Distance Training Ride (LDTR) series.

Experienced ACTC ride leaders have organized a series of LM, M and MB paced rides for each Sunday starting in January and ending in April. All levels of riders will start and end at the same location and follow the same basic route, with M and MB riders adding options on to extend the ride distance. Each week, ride distances and/or difficulty will gradually increase. However, these rides are not designed to be thigh burning goat rides. The emphasis will be on smooth riding techniques over long distances. Our final goal will be for riders to comfortably complete a challenging ride such as the century or double metric century at the Tierra Bella Workers Ride or one of the hilly double centuries offered throughout the early summer.

LDTR riders should be able to maintain a LM pace over a long distance to participate. There will be no sweep, and each rider must be able to perform minor repairs, such as repairing flats. We ask that you make sure your bike is in good working order before you arrive at the start location. Pack a lunch, bring plenty of water and snacks and be prepared for changeable weather conditions.

LDTR may push your comfort zone, but the option to drop back to the less speedy group is always available. Breaks will be abbreviated, usually about 5 or 10 minutes. We will reserve socialization to before and after the ride. Most rides will begin at the Almaden Coffee Roasters, located on the corner of Meridian and Redmond Avenue. Feel free to show up early and enjoy coffee and conversation before we hit the road!

If you have any questions, please call Deborah Lefferts at 408-267-3038.

The ride leaders have a goal of improving your strength and endurance. If you have a similar goal, please join us on the first ride. You will soon find yourself building a foundation that will carry you through the summer!

Intro to the Black and Blue Blog

The purpose of this blog is to create a single point of contact for all the folks who are involved with putting together our club's great newsletter. I am hoping to use this as a tool to help foster communication and community in the club. I know I have not been elected yet. But, assuming I am I will have to hit the ground running with the December issue. So, I am going to need all the help I can get!