Saturday July 23rd: SOCIAL: CC Farmer's Mkt / REC-Bronco's Parkway / INT-Bear Creek Lake / ADV-Mt. Evans

Greetings:

Hope this finds you well as we close out both the week AND the month of July!  Wow...school and such just around the corner.

This Saturday we have not TWO...not THREE...but FOUR ride options:  yiippeeee!  (sunscreen-hydrate-sunscreen-hydrate-sunscreen-hydrate)

SOCIAL: (9+ mph average)
Break out the cruisers, flat bars and mtn bikes!!!...Heidi will take you on this easy-going ride as you meander down Cherry Creek Pathway to the ever popular Farmer's Market.  Bring some $$$, a back-pack or pannier, in case you find some goodies, and a lock (even though it's pretty safe there).  A great opportunity whether you just want a break from the fast pace, are new to riding or just bought a new bike and aren't confident changing gears and chewing gum at the same time ;)  About 22 miles round-trip.

RECREATIONAL: (13-15 mph average)

Jeffrey and Malia will lead you on this one.  Glad to have Malia back, she's been busy with the BV Women's Only rides on Wednesday and Sunday (see more below).  Heading out to Centennial area you will loop around and cross Bronco's Parkway once or twice before heading back to BV.  Plan is to get 35 miles out of this so you may have to make up some mileage in the reservoir upon your return.


INTERMEDIATE: (16-18 mph average)
Justin and Patrice (who's been busy with a regatta or two) will venture out to  Bear Creek Lake and back for 39 miles...unless...the majority decides to push it and take a lap around the lake, or something similar...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/39597595

ADVANCED: (keep up or get dropped)
Brave enough or "ever wanted to try"...now's your chance as Chris sags you up Mt Evans!  Ouch!
http://bvauroraadvancedrides.blogspot.com/


WOMEN"S ONLY:
"Last Sunday of the month ride": Up Lookout Mtn from Cherry Creek shopping mall. 
http://www.bvwomencyclists.blogspot.com/


In fairness to the group please make certain you are comfortable
maintaining the average speeds suggested...Thank you
Remember spare tubes, plenty of fluids and sunscreen!!
**Rules of cycling parallel those of driving**
Practice Proper Road Etiquette:

Call-out when passing on LEFT
NEVER...NEVER...NEVER Pass on the Right
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Recap July 23: *Orchard Loop (reverse) / Golden / Deer Creek


Hot...Hot...Hot!  Was the cry of the day as over 30 riders met and departed from Bicycle Village Aurora on their 32, 45, or 75 mile round trip.  Group numbers seemed a bit light, possibly due to Courage Classic underway as well.  Following are your recaps...

Don't forget to check out BV's all Women's rides: http://www.bvwomencyclists.blogspot.com/

Recap for Advanced Group here: http://bvauroraadvancedrides.blogspot.com/ 

RECREATIONAL:

The Garmin was reading in the high 90's to low 100's during the 2nd half of the ride so you know it was a hot one! A pack of 20 started out from the shop with Gene and Justin to brave the heat.  The pack headed down the Cherry Creek path to the State Park and first-time BV rider Damon (pictured in the Triple jersey) was all smiles. He did the E Rock Century and Triple this year and was prepping for Dear Creek but was looking for a group ride he could pace and train along with and he found it!  He stayed strong at the front throughout the 32 mile ride Sat.  The group headed out east on Orchard and then dropped down south of Arapahoe to do a short, quick climb before descending down Longs Ave and connecting to Broncos Pkwy via Jameson.  The heat was starting to zap even regulars like Jim and Steve, and the stop to refuel at the gas station heading north on Jordan was welcomed by all.  However Rocky Mountain Rowing Club member Jenn had already gone for a row that morning and was on her second workout of the day with us - no challenge!  After re-hydrating, we continued up Jordan to the south end of the state park and up through back to the shop.  The pack was in good mid-season form and averaged about 16 mph, over the 13-15 mph posted pace - we couldn't slow 'em down! Another good ride had by all.  Hopefully this "reverse" loop was a welcomed change!


INTERMEDIATE:

Saturday found the intermediate group with a group of 12 riders along with Jeffery and Tom doing a favorite out to Golden and stopping by the Coors plant as our halfway point.  We were happy to welcome Ian to the intermediate ride.  Ian is an Aussie, and a petroleum engineer who just arrived this month from Brisbane. It seems only right to have our own Aussie in the midst of the pack sporting a BMC jesey on the day that Cadel Evans clinched the Tour de France! Tell him “g’day” when you see Ian on the road. But wait, as the late night ads say, “There is more!”  Our bunch of 12 riders included riders from England, Columbia and Poland as well. Quite the "International" peleton as we sped out to Golden and back in the summer heat. 

The weather started out  perfect then the mercury climbed quite rapidly to about 95 degrees by the time the ride was over.  The group had a phenomenal pace of 17.9 miles per hour and the ride leader was leading from the middle a couple of times because the boys were being boys and were having sprint contests through out the day.  (I like it!)  Jeff and Ruan were both fast and sneaky strong and they were battling all day long. The ride down Cherry Creek trail was relatively free of crowds, unusual and welcomed for that time of day and once we hit 23rd street the pace accelerated.  That being said, we regrouped a couple of times along each way for head counts, to be sure everyone was good and fluid intakes were maintained.  The climb up the deceptively hidden cemetery on 26 out by Sheridan was a speedy one and it is hard to believe it was a 1-2 percent grade.  We stopped just once for our major refueling at the halfway point at the Sinclair station and Jeffery saw a perfect place for our group photo.  I know everyone had a great time and I hope everyone can more make it out for more Saturday rides with us.


"GEAR-HEAD" News

Don't miss out on these upcoming BV sponsored events...http://bicyclevillage.com/


* Tri for the Cure 8-7-11
* BStrongRide 8-13-11
* Tour de Cure 8-20-11 (Teamspokin is out of our own BV Aurora location!)
* Deer Creek Challenge 8-21-11
* Wacky W 9-10-11
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Sat July 23rd: REC-Reverse Orchard Loop / INT-Golden

Hello All~

I hope you have a good week and are ready to enjoy some outdoor time.  Hard to believe there are only TWO more Saturdays!
Meet at Bicycle Village-Aurora at 9:00 am for this Saturday's rides:


***NEXT week...we're bringing you a SOCIAL Ride...stayed tuned!***


RECREATIONAL: (13-15 mph average)
Justin and Gene will take you on this popular Orchard Loop...ONLY we're going to mix it up by going in REVERSE...no I don't mean pedaling backwards ;)  This will allow you to enjoy going DOWN Longs Ave...the hill many of you dread each time.  Should pull around 30 miles on this one so raise your hand towards the end if you want more mileage added on in the CC Reservoir.


INTERMEDIATE: (16-18 mph average)
Tom and Jeffrey will take you mean and strong out to Golden via 23rd and then hopping over to 32nd.  This is a great ride with some nice grade disbursed throughout.  Expect 45+ miles.


In fairness to the group please make certain you are comfortable
maintaining the average speeds suggested...Thank you
Remember spare tubes, plenty of fluids and sunscreen!!

**Rules of cycling parallel those of driving**
Practice Proper Road Etiquette:

Call-out when passing on LEFT
NEVER...NEVER...NEVER Pass on the Right
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Recap July 16th: REC-*Denver Triangle / INT-*Surrey Ridge

RECREATIONAL:


The rec group headed out for a tour of Denver via the Triangle. It wasn't our usual crowd with leader Trish being the only girl but she took the helm and led 12 guys out, as Tom brought up the rear.  The Cherry Creek path was crowded but not so much so that we couldn't maintain a great pace down to REI.  Trish and Tom switched places the group followed along the Platte path and before we knew it we had covered 20 miles in just over an hour!

Riding east through the neighborhoods of southeast Denver we encountered some rolling hills that gave us a good challenge.  Stop lights ended up splitting up our group and Trish and Travis forged their own trail.  At the top of the reservoir, the group split up - some went home, some went ahead & the rest rolled in together.  Great day with great weather.
Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/99969226

INTERMEDIATE:



Nineteen people showed up to try the new route to Surrey Ridge with Gene and Jeffrey.  The group included several newbies and a visitor from Georgia who rocked one of BVs rental bikes. Coming past the west entrance of the Cherry Creek Reservoir the back half of the group followed Gene in error onto Gun Club road, but were able to rejoin the group at Meridian, where some of the group cracked off a couple of fast laps.  From there we had a great ride on winding low traffic roads with a long sustained climb up to Surrey Ridge, then back through the park.



The ride was great, no mishaps other than a dropped chain. Everyone agreed and liked having a new(!) route.  This ride sort of parallels Crow Foot but seems a little tamer with less of a grade.

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Saturday Group Ride: REC-Denver Triangle / INT-Surrey Ridge (New Route)

Greetings~
How about those afternoon monsoons???!!!  With tree limbs, leaves and various debris blown around we need to be extra careful riding the bike-paths and roads this weekend. 

Meet at Bicycle Village-Aurora at 9:00 am for this Saturday's rides:

RECREATIONAL: (13-15 mph average)

Tom and Trish will take you on a 33 mile tour of Denver via the "Triangle".  Typically we head out to Happy Canyon then down to the Platte, over to Confluence Park and back along Cherry Creek pathway to the store.  There is a small chance the leaders will opt to do the route in reverse...gotta come down to find out ;)


INTERMEDIATE: (16-18 mph average)

**NEW ROUTE** Join Jeffrey and Gene on this new 40 mile adventure.  Jeffrey's plans are to go south through Meridian then come back southwest and pick up Havana as it parallels I 25.  There is a long climb up (never as steep as Inspiration but long and sustained) until it crosses a bridge over I 25.  There is a Conoco for a bathroom/snacks shop or on a cold day a Starbucks across the street.  I like the part about the steep climb!
In fairness to the group please make certain you are comfortable
maintaining the average speeds suggested...Thank you
Remember spare tubes, plenty of fluids and sunscreen!!

**Rules of cycling parallel those of driving**
Practice Proper Road Etiquette:

Call-out when passing on LEFT
NEVER...NEVER...NEVER Pass on the Right
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RECAP: July 9th - Meridian & Inspiration Point

RECREATIONAL: Meridian

Heidi and Justin lead 26 riders out to Meridian Park for a lollipop route and a warm, sunny cruise back to the store.  We lost a few riders in the beginning who weren't up to the 30 mile trek.  The ride was a smooth, with no mechanical issues and a strong front pack and a steady crew bringing up the rear.  Today was one of those classic Colorado days that make those of us who live here never want to leave and those visit and get a taste of the climate, a reason to move here.
 
We welcomed strong, new rider Patty (pictured) who had done a women's ride once before but this was her first Sat group ride. She was on a hard-tail mountain bike with knobby tires and kept up the 13 mph avg the entire Meridian ride!  She used to live in Craig and ride in the mtns there but now is interested in road cycling. She talked about going to a hybrid setup and after successfully completing the ride she talked to CB about making a bike purchase!  She loved the group and is looking forward to continuing.

Intermediate: Inspiration

For your Intermediate ride we had a good size group of 22 riders ready to tackle the climb "up" Inspiration.  Things started out well with a nice ride through the CC Res. and then it was on to Jordan, Briarwood and then Potomac.  We changed things up a little bit and rode past the Centennial Airport and then down the 470 trail where we had our first mechanical, it was only a flat so nothing too serious.  Our pit stop happened at a gas station on the corner of Parker and Cottonwood.  After getting some water and food and a little small talk we remounted our bikes and headed towards Inspiration.  Just before the climb started we had one more flat which Jeff was nice enough to help out with.  We had a nice short climb up Inspiration where "Hot dog" Shawn met us on his motorcycle.  Once every one had made it up the climb we enjoyed the rollers and had Shawn motor pace us for a little bit.  The ride back to the shop was pretty fast and we booked it down Jordan and then back through the CC Res.

Check out ride stats here:
Inter. Group Ride: Inspiration by edge705cb at Garmin Connect - Details

A surprising number of riders did not have the tools and essentials for changing a flat:  Take ownership and responsibility of riding and by being prepared with the essentials for changing a flat.  Even if you don't have the skill to change it yourself, others will help and respect the fact that you were at least prepared.  Bicycle Village offers a free bicycle maintenance clinics every Monday at 6:00 pm, including how to change a flat...it's a great skill to have if you plan to ride often.  Also, remember to be prepared with lots of water, especially on these warm summer days and some energy food to keep you chugging when we're out.  You can always load up on all these items before we leave the store.  Thanks everyone for a great ride.  See you again soon!

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Sat July 9th REC: Meridian Park / INT: Inspiration


Greetings All~

Hope everyone enjoyed the short week and are ready for some Colorado fun!  Looks as if it will be another hot one so layer on and pack the sunscreen.  Here are this Saturday's rides:

RECREATIONAL: (13-15 mph average)

An all around favorite out to Meridian Park and back.  Once at the park folks usually engage in a bit of a race around or just try to sneak one extra loop before heading back.  Click here for the 30 miler breakdown: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45902423



INTERMEDIATE: (16-18 mph average)

CHris will be leading the Intermediate group out and UP Inspiration, round trip should get you about 40 miles with 1,500' elevation gain: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45848829



In fairness to the group please make certain you are comfortable
maintaining the average speeds suggested...Thank you

Remember spare tubes, plenty of fluids and sunscreen!!
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Recap July 2nd: Sloan's Lake - Crowfoot Valley


Greetings~  My apologies it's taken me awhile to get this recap posted, had a couple bad days but the good thing about bad days is that...it's easier to have a good day!  Had my two week post surgery follow-up and all seems well.  Got the 13 staples removed so incision feels better and I can start applying a bit of pressure to the leg.  Still no driving and the nerves in the right leg are letting me know they didn't like being messed with!  Well enough about me, here's what you are waiting for:
~Jacquette

INTERMEDIATE (Gene): Crowfoot Valley


We had a terrific ride with no mishaps, leading the intermediate group is a breeze.  A few of the regulars helped out at the front end and I worked the back end as sweeper.  We had 22 riders with a couple of them deciding to turn around after a while.  As you know Crow Foot is one of my favorites.  When we got to the Fire Station we were welcomed by a couple of the firemen, one of them commented on my sandles and wondered where my shoes were!  I told him I was headed to the beach afterwords.  We took our normal route through the Res. south on Jordan and over to Potomac, then south to Hess and proceded up Mottsenbacher. 

Photos from both rides: https://picasaweb.google.com/bicyclevillageaurora/July2nd2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCKTojt-X9MqgRA

RECREATIONAL (Trish): Sloan's Lake

The rec group consisted of 22 riders on today's journey to Sloan's Lake. We welcomed Mary Ellen (#2) to the group along with many familiar faces. Chris was kind enough to take the lead as we were short a leader due to the holiday weekend. We set out on the Cherry Creek trail towards REI & enjoyed the temps but not the traffic. The trail was packed with runners, walkers, dogs & strollers but we made it to Confluence Park in no time & with no issues.

After a potty break & water refill, the group headed out on 23rd. The hill & stop lights split us up & several riders had time to enjoy 2 laps around the surprisingly uncrowded lake. Our stand in leader, Chris, had the unfortunate luck of hitting a piece of metal in the road & had a flat tire. Ater waiting a while, Tiffany offered to wait for him while the rest of us headed back to REI. A quick regroup attempt didn't work out so well so everyone just went on back towards the store.

I hope everyone enjoyed the ride & had a good time! Sorry for the chaos!

"GEAR-HEAD" News

The Southeastern Colorado Ride for the Cure is a quality cycling and fundraising event created to support the Southeastern Colorado Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and its promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever. 

Date - July 16th 2011
Click here to view the course
Click here to register
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Sat July 2nd REC: Sloan's Lake / INT: Crowfoot Valley


Greetings All~
Here we go heading into a long holiday weekend and what better way to cool down then feeling the breeze on your face as ride your favorite bike?  Okay, okay, a  swimming pool works too but not an option for everyone.  Here are your Saturday rides to start off the fun:

RECREATIONAL: (13-15 mph average)
A favorite ride - Sloan's Lake and back - and chances are we'll have many new riders to introduce to this mini city wonder.  Join Trish and Tom for this 30 miler.  First break stop will be at Confluence Park and then a couple more miles west will drop you right onto the path encompassing Sloan's.  A beautiful loop or two around and you'll be heading back to the store.  GARMIN: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45902423


INTERMEDIATE: (16-18 mph average)
Here's one more big push for those of you preparing to tackle the Triple By Pass next weekend:  Join Gene (and maybe Chris) as he leads you on this favorite 52 miler with  over 2,200 ' gain to the top of Crowfoot Valley and back by way of Potomac/Chambers.  GARMIN: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/87456955


In fairness to the group please make certain you are comfortable
maintaining the average speeds suggested...Thank you

Remember plenty of fluids and sunscreen!!


Have and excellent 4th...stay safe...and remember...NPR (no passing on the right)!
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