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)