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February
4, 2009
Welcome to
Arizona Road Cyclist News.
Feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends. If someone
has E-mailed this newsletter to you, you can sign up for your
own free subscription by visiting our Website,
www.azroadcyclist.com.
Breaking stories between issues are also posted there, as are
back issues of the newsletter. The newsletter is usually posted
to the Website two days after it is sent out by E-mail.
Because I have been having problems with my
computer, this issue is mercifully short and basically a list of
upcoming cycling events.
Arizona Road Cyclist News is a bi-weekly publication that attempts
to cover topics of interest to cyclists who ride the streets and
roads of Arizona, be they racers, club riders, or commuters.
In this issue:
Cycling on Versus.
Laveen's
17th Annual Country Challenge Bike Ride
Ride
on President's Day
For Those Cyclists Who Dream of Selling Everything and.....
Upcoming Races in Arizona
The PCCC Midweek Criterium Series
Upcoming Tourist Rides in Arizona
Cycling on Versus:
Those of you who have access to the Versus
sports channel on cable or satellite can watch portions of each
stage of the Tour of California live this month. The starting
times of each broadcast, Arizona time, are listed below. I have
also added the ending times for the first four days, which were
the only complete schedules that I was able to find.
February 14 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
February 15 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
February 16 10:30 a.m.. - 1:30 p.m..
February 17 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
February 18 2 p.m.
February 19 2 p.m.
February 20 2 p.m.
February 21 3 p.m.
The times above are subject to change.
For updated broadcast starting times from the Versus Website
click
here or check the Website of your cable or satellite
provider. Subtract two hours from the time shown on the Versus Website
to convert Eastern Time to Arizona Time.
In addition to the Tour of California live
coverage, Versus is presenting a block of cycling programs on
February 7. A recap of the Tour Down Under will be broadcast
from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. followed by "Lance: The Return from 2:30
to 3:00 p.m. and a preview of the Tour of California from 3 to 4
p.m.
Laveen's 17th Annual Country Challenge Bike Ride:
Those of you in the Phoenix area might want to take part in Laveen's 17th Annual Country Challenge
Bike Ride this coming Sunday. Riders have a choice
of 15, 30, and 62.5 miles, and the best part, according to
people who have participated in the ride in past years, is the
barbecue that follows the ride. To go to Laveen's Web page,
click here. Links on the
Laveen page will take you to more information on the event
including registration. The ride costs $20, the ride with the
barbecue costs $27, and the ride, barbecue and a T-shirt cost
$35. The last price sounds like a bargain to me.
Ride on Presidents' Day:
For those of you in the Phoenix area who
have Presidents' Day
off work, you may be interested in the Arizona Bicycle Club
breakfast ride. The ride is free and starts at 7:30 a.m. from
Granada Park, 20th Street and Maryland. The Club rides in five
different speed groups that vary from near race speed to easy
cruising. There is an optional breakfast at Randy's at 7904 E.
Chaparral in Scottsdale. You do not have to be a club member to
participate in the ride. The ABC also conducts similar rides
every Sunday from the same location and also at 7:30 a.m.
For Those Cyclists Who Dream of Selling
Everything and...:
On
March 21, the Arizona Bicycle Club presents a lecture by Tim and
Cindie Travis, a couple who left home and friends in 2002 in order to
tour the world on their bicycles. They have been underway on
their bikes for almost seven years, and they say they have no
plans to stop. They have cycled through North, Central and South
American, China and Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The couple will also have
copies of their book available as well as some pointers on how
the rest of us can follow their example.
Admission is $5 for non-members
of ABC and a can of food for the hungry for ABC members. More information is
available by clicking
here.
Upcoming Races in Arizona
Saturday February 7 brings the Flapjack Flats time
trial in Florence (Website
here) followed by the McDowell Mountain Circuit Race on
Sunday, February 8 (Website
here).
The following weekend features the three-day John Early Memorial Valley of the Sun Stage race with a time
trial in Buckeye on Friday, February 13, a road race in Casa
Grande on Saturday February 14, and a criterium in Buckeye on
February 15. This race generally attracts top out-of-state
racers, and the criterium can be exciting to watch. The race’s
Website can be accessed by clicking
here.
February 21 brings the Vulture Mine time trial in Wickenburg,
whose Website can be accessed by clicking
here.
The race takes its name from the fact that it is held on Vulture
Mine Road. The Sun Devil
Criterium, presented by ASU's bicycle racing team, takes place in Tempe on February 22nd on a D-shaped
1/2-mile course. The race's Website can be viewed by clicking
here.
Finishing off the month is the Yuma Bike Club's North End Classic
stage race on February 28 and March 1. The February 28 stage is
a criterium, and the March 1 stage is a road race. The main Web site
for the race can be viewed by clicking
here.
The PCCC Midweek
Criterium Series
The Phoenix Consumer Cycle Club (PCCC)
presents its Midweek Evening Criterium Series at 5 p.m. on
Wednesday evenings from now through the end of April. The second
race in the series will be held this
evening, and another race will be held each Wednesday evening,
with the exception of the first week of March, when the race is
rescheduled from Wednesday March 4 to Tuesday March 3.
The races are held in the Phoenix Municipal
Stadium parking lot on the southwest corner of Priest and Van
Buren beginning at 5 p.m. and usually ending shortly after 7
p.m. The best entrance to the parking lot is generally the on on
the south side of Van Buren just west of Priest. There are four races based on ability with the race for
newer riders beginning first. Registration is held on site up
until 10 minutes before the start of each race. One-day or
annual racing licenses can be purchased at the race. The races
feature a low entry fee and are an excellent way for riders to
practice their criterium skills. Spectators are welcome. These
are good races to watch because of the informal atmosphere and
the fact that spectators can see the entire course.You may want
to bring a lawn chair and a cold drink. The best place to park
and sit up your lawn chair is across from the announcer's and
judges' stand. Don't worry if you arrive late, because the last
of the four races is usually the most exciting to watch. For more
information, click
here.
Upcoming Tourist Rides in Arizona:
GABA’s Tucson chapter is sponsoring the
almost-flat Picacho Peak Century on Sunday, February 8 with
options for 100, 65, 35, and 15 miles. The ride starts in Tucson
and gets its name from the fact that the turnaround point is
near Picacho Peak. The ride costs $20 for GABA members and $35
for non-members The ride’s Website can be accessed
here.
The Arizona Bicycle Club is holding the
Wickenburg Overnight on the weekend of February 21 and 22.
Registration is $20 for ABC and GABA members and $25 for others.
More information and online registration are available
here.
The Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club presents the
strenuous Mining Country Century on Saturday, March 14. This
challenging ride features lots of climbing. The standard century
is 96 miles and follows the route of the former Mining Country
Bicycle Race starting in Superior, climbing over the Top of the
World to Miami/Globe passing over El Capitan with its 8-percent
climb, descending into Winkelman, and returning to Superior by
climbing Ray Mine Hill and then the leg-breaking End of the
World, a 1.5-mile climb with a grade of 11 percent. From there
it is a downhill cruise into Superior. The shorter 66-mile
metric century heads from Superior to Winkelman and then returns
by the same route. In exchange for a shorter ride, the metric
century passes over the dreaded End of the World twice! The
ride’s Website can be accessed
here.
The Tour de Cure will take place on
Saturday, March 14. Route maps and directions are posted on the
Bullshifter’s Web site, which you can access by clicking
here.
If we miss listing your club’s ride, send
details by replying to this E-mail or by writing to
editor@azroadcyclist.com.
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