Hi there
ya'll!
Happy Friday the 13th!
The
weather has been
great- I hope everyone who wants to ride has been able to- it’s too
nice to
miss. And, the harsh cycling days of February will be here before you
know it. Get some miles while it is still not too uncomfortable.
But still, we are in
Memphis, TN, not Minot, ND. Realistically we can ride in decent weather year round.
The club continues the Saturday and Sunday Super
Lo rides year round. And, check the club calendar at this link-- we have the annual Burn the Turkey Ride, Jingle Bell
Ride, and Polar Bear Ride coming up!
But by far the most
stellar event in the immediate future is the club meeting on Monday, 12/7/09 at 6:00PM. Come listen to Bill Waters talk about his biking experiences
in France. It will be entertaining. Register
Here.
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Hey, check this out! Benjie
K. sent this in. The CA ran a 125 year-old item about the local bike club’s
trip in 1884. I think Charlie Finney and Lewis O’Kelly were on that ride.
The file has been
uploaded to this
link which is the club’s online library. It is called ‘1884 Memphis Bike ride report’ It is an image file.
If you have trouble with
the library for some reason I stuck one on Flickr at this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28953238@N03/sets/72157622668262605/
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Speaking of the Library, there’s
some good basic safety info
located there
under the category Bike Skills and Safety Tips. Study and learn,
grasshoppers. You do not know as much as you think you know about
riding safely.
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Burn the Turkey Ride
Members Only ride on
11/28
2 routes, 40 and 60
miles, starting from the Shelby Forest Park area, maps and cue sheets will
be on the website.
We would like for a
volunteer to do a rolling sag- club will pay for mileage and lunch (like the
Gilt Edge Café, but probably not for Folk’s Folly).
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Starry Nights is returning to Memphis and the Memphis
Hightailers Bicycle Club will be running the show on Friday, December
11th. We need volunteers to help with traffic, tickets, and the gift
shop, which will help benefit the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy. We will
have 2 shifts, from 5-8 PM and 8-11:30. Volunteers will not have to pay
to see the electrical light show. Family members can volunteer, too!
The MHBC will provide
the pizza, drinks, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. for the night. To
volunteer or if you have any questions, please contact Vic Butcher at vbutcher@aol.com
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Weekly Hightailer Rides
The Superlo Morning
Rides: Saturday & Sunday Morning 9 am Map
Link
The weekly Saturday
& Sunday morning rides will leave from the parking lot in front of Super Lo
on Southern between Perkins and Colonial. The rides usually travel between
25-30 miles. Avg. speeds range from 12 to 18 or so mph. Saturday's group
is usually larger and often has a wide variety of riders from beginner to
advanced. Sunday is generally smaller and a bit more relaxed in general. The
rides have rest stops at grocery or convenience stores near the midpoint.
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Saturday Morning Vic's
Ride -- Lakeland Outlet Mall
on Canada Road and I-40.
The ride starts at 8
AM. We average 16-18, with rest stops every 12-15 miles.
More info? Email vbutcher@aol.com
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Sunday Afternoon -- Hustle & Flow with the Saints and
Sinners, 2:00 p.m. Super Lo Map
Link
Are you a saint who went
to church on Sunday morning? Or are you a sinner who partied too much and just
woke up on Sunday afternoon? Either way, this is the ride for you. Not for
beginners, though.
Intermediate pace (16-19
mph) 25-40 miles. We try to be aware of riders with different abilities
and pace preferences-- we will try to not really drop anyone, but sometimes we
fail at this endeavor. Varied routes, mostly urban. fixedgearcliff@gmail.com
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Tuesday Night at
Howard-McVay Park -- Suspended until spring or...?
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Tuesday & Thursday
Night, Shady Grove Soiree -- Suspended until Spring or...?
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Thursday Night Thrill
Ride -- Suspended until Spring
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Saturday Downtown
Farmer's Market Ride -- Suspended until Spring
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Odds and Ends-
Support your local bike
shops-- They have rides of all sorts. Riding with a shop or with the
Hightailers is a great way to learn new routes and make new friends, some
friends might even come with benefits, eh?
Get to know your shop's
mechanics, tip them now and then, and buy stuff from the shops. When you need
an emergency repair the day before a major ride Performance mail order will not
help you one bit.
Bike Shops and links to their rides
are listed here.
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Critical Mass - Overton Square - Cooper and Trimble. Last
Friday of the month, 6 pm or so.
No charge, no t-shirt,
no plan other than to gather and ride together. http://memphiscriticalmass.blogspot.com/
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Local Bike Culture Blogs
Anthony has a nice bike
blog at http://www.anthonysiracusa.blogspot.com/
Fixed Gear Races -
Advocacy info, events and more http://fixmemphis.blogspot.com/
Mason writes well about
Memphis and biking at http://www.biketofeel.com/
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Out
of Town Rides: Riding a bike is a great way to get a feel for an
area.
Enjoy the rides, ya'll--
Cliff H.
cliff@bikememphis.com
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Deadline: If you have an
item you would like to have included in the newsletter, get it to me no later
than the Wednesday afternoon before the newsletter is mailed.