Rochester Active Sports Club

The ReCycle evening rides started Monday, March 10th at 6 pm and leave from Bamber Valley School (corner of CR 8 and Mayowood Rd SW). The Wednesday ride leaves from Bicycle Sports at 1400 5th place NW, also at 6 pm. Full details and maps of each day's ride are posted on the RASC Bulletin Board.

The RASC Easy Riders group is back on Monday/Wednesday evenings starting on April 14th. This is a group road ride at a relaxed pace (11-13 mph average speed) for those new to road riding or for those who are just interested in riding at a non-demanding pace. Full details can be found by clicking on the document below.

Join your RASC friends at Glynner's Pub on Thursday, May 15th between 5 and 9 pm to eat/bid your way into the fund raising for this years MS TRAM - The Ride Across Minnesota. The Krebs Cyclers TRAM team, in cooperation with Glynner's and other local merchants and individuals, is sponsoring this event. $4 from every burger basket sold and 100% of the proceeds from a silent auction (bidding until 7 pm on dozens of items and gift certificates) will become part of the team's TRAM donation to the MS Society in the July '08 TRAM ride.

Each year cyclists from all over Minnesota (and even from a few other states) participate in TRAM, a 300-mile, 5-day bicycling event that raises money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society's programs which help to support and educate persons with MS and help to fund research aimed at finding a cure for this disabling disease. This year seven RASC Recyclers recreational road cyclists are part the Krebs Cyclers team which is in its 9th year with TRAM and has become one of its top fund raising groups. They'd be pleased to have your join them at Glynner's (1643 N. Broadway in Rochester) on the 15th. Look for them in the yellow Krebs Cyclers t-shirts!

Are you looking for an opportunity to explore Minnesota by bicycle? Please join us for BAM, Bicycling Around Minnesota, August 20-23, 2008. BAM started in 2006 to showcase the scenic bicycling routes around Minnesota, to promote tourism and to educate bicyclists and motorists about "Share the Road." BAM is a low cost, non-profit and non-fundraising tour intended for moderate to experienced riders with camping highly encouraged.

This year BAM will showcase the Western Minnesota Prairie Waters Area, including the cities of Granite Fall, Benson, Ortonville and Montevideo. The registration fee is $125 and covers support costs, camping, four breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners and a ride souvenir. Registration will close June 1st or when 150 riders have registered, whichever occurs first so register early.

Go to www.mnsbac.org/bam for details of the tour and to register.

Since 1955, Minnesota Masons have been dedicated to helping the University of Minnesota find a cure for cancer. On Saturday, September 20, please join the members of Cannon Falls Lodge #34 and Red Wing Lodge #8 as we host a 20 mile, fun, family orientated ride, using the paved Cannon Valley Trail, to help raise money for the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota. Minnesota Masonic Charities will match every dollar that is raised dollar-for-dollar! The event will start at Riverside Park in Cannon Falls and will go to Welch and back. There will be a water and snack station in Welch and lunch will be served at River Side Park. The cost of the ride will be $35.00 for riders 12 and older and $20.00 for riders under 12. Both of these prices include lunch and a t-shirt. You can get your registration form at http://www.redwinglodge.org. If you have any questions please e-mail us at redwingmasons@yahoo.com, or contact Gary Thomas, Jr. at 651-385-0714. Thank you and we hope to see you there!

Charlie Quigg has a long history of bicycle advocacy. He served for eight years on the Rochester Park Board and for six years on the Minnesota State Bicycle Advisory Committee (including two years as committee chair). More recently he served on the ad hoc Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, providing input to city/county planners for the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). In February, 2005, he was appointed to one of two citizen positions on the Rochester Olmsted Council of Government (ROCOG). ROCOG serves as our federally mandated Municipal Planning Organization (MPO) governing distribution of federal transportation enhancement funding. In July, 2006, the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee was established as a standing committee under the auspices of ROCOG and he was appointed BPAC committee chair. Among other things, the BPAC is currently working with the planning staff to review upcoming capital improvement projects. They have also formed Downtown Bike Lane Subcommittee and have identified streets that could be striped for bike lanes to improve bicycle travel into and around downtown. As part of the LRTP they also review and recommend improvements for bike routes in Olmsted County. This winter, they worked with the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) to host a Bicycle Friendly Community Workshop here in Rochester (March 5.) To improve his effectiveness as a bicycle advocate, Charlie attended the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. March 13-16, funded in part by RASC. He attended a variety of educational workshops and meetings on legislative agenda affecting biking. A review of some of the meetings he attended is given below:

 Used with permission from the Oklahoma Bicycle Society

www.oklahomabicyclesociety.com/hintstips/groupride.htm

• Change Positions Correctly - Generally, slow traffic stays right, so you should try to pass others on their left. Say "on your left" to warn the cyclist ahead that you are passing. DO NOT PASS ON THE RIGHT. In many cases a cyclist may not hear or be aware of you approaching them from behind. An unexpected noise may cause that cyclist to swerve in your direction when you pass. If approaching a lone cyclist, the offer of "good morning" or "nice day for a bike ride" lets the cyclist know your position and intent to pass.
• Watch Out At Intersections - When approaching intersections requiring vehicles to yield or stop, signal your intention with hand and verbal signals. Call out "slowing" or "stopping" to alert those behind to the change in speed. In the event the leading cyclist calls "CLEAR" remember each cyclist is responsible for verifying that there is no approaching traffic before entering the intersection.

• Hand Signals - Hand signals for turning and stopping are as follows: Left arm straight out to signal a left turn. Left arm out and down with you palm to the rear to signal slowing or stopping. And, for a right turn, put your right arm straight out (in areas where this is legal) or put you’re left arm out and bent up.
• Verbal Warnings - Along with hand signals, verbally warn cyclists behind you of your changes in direction or speed. The lead rider should call out "left turn," "right turn," "slowing," stopping," etc. Announce a turn well in advance of the intersection, so that members of the group have time to position themselves properly.
• Announce Hazards - When riding in a tight group, most of the cyclists do not have a good view of the road surface ahead, so it is important to announce holes, gravel, grates, and other hazards. Indicate road hazards by pointing down to the left or right, and by shouting "hole," "bump," etc., where required for safety. Everyone in a group should be made aware of hazards. However, not everyone needs to announce them.

• Watch For Traffic Coming From The Rear - Since those in front cannot see traffic approaching from the rear; it is the responsibility of the riders in back to inform the others by saying "Car back". This warns leading riders to maintain position and the potential of a passing car. Use discretion on the car back warning: on busy roads with continuous passing traffic, the call out of car back tends to lose it’s significance. Use the warning "Car up" on narrow road to warn following riders of approaching traffic.
• Leave A Gap for Cars - When riding up hills or on narrow roads where you are impeding faster traffic, leave a gap for cars between every three or four bicycles. This way motorist can take advantage of shorter passing intervals and eventually move piecemeal around the entire group.
• Wait At Turns - If the group becomes at all separated, even by a few dozen meters, someone should wait at the turn until the next rider arrives at the intersection, and so on until all riders have made the turn.
• Move Off the Road When You Stop - Whether you are stopping because of mechanical problems or to regroup with your companions, move well off the road so you don't interfere with traffic. It is usually best for the lead rider to pull forward in the stopping area and for other riders to pull in behind the rider in front of them. As a courtesy, during regroups the last cyclist in controls when the group will restart.
• Riding Two Abreast - Ride single file or double file as appropriate to the roadway and traffic conditions and where allowed by law. Even where riding double is legal, set a good example and be an ambassador for cycling. Courtesy dictates that you single up when cars are trying to pass you if the lane is wide enough for them to safely do so.