The Tailwind 12-30-09
Memphis Hightailers! Your club officers wish you a safe, healthy and happy New Years! We have planned an exciting year of rides and programs. See you on the road.
Paul Rubin, President
Got Facebook? MHBC Facebook page. Let’s be friends.
In this Issue:
Club Events and News
Polar Bear Ride
Memphis Ski Freeze
Ride Leader / Sweeper Training
Newsletter Reminder
Other local bike news and events
The Weekly Rides
Other Bike Links of interest
Club Events and News
POLAR BEAR RIDE: Start your new year off by joining us for this Annual Hightailer Ride to watch some Memphis Skiers freeze their tails off water skiing at Mud Island for charity. We meet at 10 AM on January 1st at the Super-Lo parking lot and ride downtown to the Visitors Center, gawk, and return. Some folks may add extra loop to Frazier.
Ski Freeze: The event is a fundraiser for Dream Factory. (Similar to Make-A-Wish.)
The Ski Freeze time is 10:30a til 3:30p.
It's going to be about 34F at 10a, but sunny and increasing to near 40 by noon!
http://www.facebook.com/#/event.php?eid=205227714747&ref=mf
Ride Leader/Sweeper Training Class: if you are interested in helping lead or sweep a MHBC ride in 2010, there will be a class on Monday, January 11th, at 6PM. We have a few spots still open. ‘Dinner’ will be provided by the club. The class will include ride safety, rules of the road, how to ride in a group, how leaders/sweepers should lead/sweep welcome riders, etc. Please contact Paul Rubin at paulr@strategic.com for more details.
Newsletter Updates / Articles: Please submit articles and updates to the new editor email address, mcoxeditor@yahoo.com. The goal is to have our weekly updates out every Wednesday, prior to 5 pm CST. Information submitted after our release will be included the following week unless time sensitive and we’ll try to send an addendum. Thank you for your assistance. Melissa Cox Dwyer
Looking for a unique gift idea? Buy someone (or yourself) a MHBC Jersey or Jacket!
We have Hightailer jackets (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL) for $60 each. Get two or three in case you lose weight from all that riding you are resolving to do next year.
There are only a few Hightailer jerseys remaining and we do not have all sizes or styles. These unique jerseys are a bargain at only $40 each but you’d better get one soon- when they are gone they are gone!
To place an order for jackets or jerseys call Frank Pitts at 832-8811. And hey! You can even try one on before you buy it. Is that cool or what?
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Rides Despite the cool temps, we have the regular weekly rides and some special rides coming up. Check the Club Calendar for details on the Jingle Bell Ride, and Polar Bear Ride.
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.
Saints & Sinners – John Storm has volunteered to be the contact/leader of the Sunday afternoon ride. Please email him at jstorms@thoda-assoc.com if any questions
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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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Other Links of interest
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--
Melissa C.
mcoxeditor@yahoo.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.