april 2014

spoke’n word
Barry Roubaix, Hastings, MI
by Patti Maravolo
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official newsletter of the Rapid Wheelmen Bicycle Club
04.2014
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the board
Mike Burden
President
president@rapidwheelmen.com
Randy Higgins
Vice President
vp@rapidwheelmen.com
Tad Smedes
Treasurer
treasurer@rapidwheelmen.com
Rochelle Weiber
Secretary
secretary@rapidwheelmen.com
Dennis Hamel
Director Emeritus
emeritus@rapidwheelmen.com
Randy Higgins
Head Ride Captain
ridecaptain@rapidwheelmen.com
Jesse Munroe
Safety & Advocacy Chair
safety@rapidwheelmen.com
Andy Crowley
Membership Chair
membership@rapidwheelmen.com
Beth Hamel
Special Events & Publicity
events@rapidwheelmen.com
Dave Durkee
Road Race Team Captain
race@rapidwheelmen.com
Jeff Festian
Off-Road Race Team Captain
race@rapidwheelmen.com
Sarah Smedes
Website
website@rapidwheelmen.com
Tony Maravolo
Newsletter Editor
newsletter@rapidwheelmen.com
Susanne Aldridge
Social Media
saldridge@gmail.com
Kim Kordecki
Time-Trials Coordinator
timetrials@rapidwheelmen.com
president’s spin
club news
President
Mike Burden
First, on the off chance that
you’re reading your newsletter
before April 3rd, I want to
remind everyone that our
April club meeting will be at
Schuler Books, and will feature Jef Mallett, former Rapid
Wheelman and author of “Frazz”, “Trizophrenia”, and
“Roadie, the Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer.” Jeff
will be speaking and signing books.
The snow is finally showing signs of receding, and along
with the crocuses, the ride schedule is blooming. If you
have an early season event that you’re training for, don’t
wait any longer to start riding outside!
club meeting:
Spe
Loca cial
tion!
Schuler Books & Music
2660 28th St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512
Thursday April 3, 2014
6:00 pm Board Meeting
7:00 pm General Meeting
(check the Yahoo Group for the latest updates)
Keep the shiny side up, and I’ll see you on the road!
Special Event:
Jef Mallett - former Rapid Wheelmen and author
of Frazz comic strip!
Mike Burden
President, Rapid Wheelmen Bike Club
ride calendar
­- april 2014 sunday
monday
30
tuesday
31
wednesday
01
thursday
02
Mystery Ride, 10am
friday
saturday
03
04
Club Meeting, 7pm
Schuler Books
05
Mystery Ride, 10am
FOBID, 6:30pm
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
Mystery Ride, 10am
Mystery Ride, 10am
Ramblin’ On, 2pm
FOBID, 6:30pm
13
14
15
Ramblin’ On, 2pm
20
21
17
18
27
Mystery Ride, 10am
FOBID, 6:30pm
Adopt-A-Road, 3pm
22
28
19
Mystery Ride, 10am
23
24
25
29
26
Mystery Ride, 10am
Mystery Ride, 10am
Caroline’s
Tues Night Ride, 6pm
FOBID, 6:30pm
Ramblin’ On, 2pm
30
01
02
03
Mystery Ride, 10am
Caroline’s
FOBID, 6:30pm
Tues Night Ride, 6pm
Pedal GR, 6:30pm
Ramblin’ On, 2pm
Pace Info:
16
Easy: 9-11mph
Casual: 11-13mph
Moderate: 13-15mph
Good: 15-17mph
Fast: 17-19mph
Fast Plus: 19+mph
Apr-14
DAY
DATE
RIDE NAME
Ride Start
RIDE DETAILS
CONTACTS
SUN
6, 13, 20, 27
Sunday Ramble
Ramblewood Tennis & Fitness, 4250
Spartan Industrail Dr., Grandville, Mi.
2:00 pm start, a 30 to 35 mile ride at as moderate pace to start out with, this is a no drop ride
and paces will vary depending on who shows, keep your eyes on the Yahoo Group for changes.
Gene : 430-8054, Randy : 540-4550
TUES
22, 29
Tues. night Ride
Kenowa High School, 3825 Hendershot
Ave. NW, Grand Rapids
WED
30
Pedal GR
Founders Brewing, 235 Grandville Ave.
Grand Rapids
Mystery Ride
10:00 am start, WPTH, Belmont
WED 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Fobid
Challenger Elementary, 2475 52nd St.
SE, Kentwood, Mi
SAT
19
Adopt A road
cleanup
Ada Park, Grand River Ave Parking Lot
SAT
5, 12, 19, 26
Mystery Ride
10:00 am, Ada Park, Buttrick side
parking lot
WED
6:00 pm start, a 25 to 30 mile ride at a moderate to good pace, weather permitting, check
Yahoo groups for cancellations and changes
Caroline Blake : 453-7300
12 to 16 mile ride at a casual pace to explore Grand Rpaids, every other week a different route
and place to see.
Joshua Duggan : 446-3601, pedalgr.com
Keep an eye on Yahoo Groups for changes and more details, coffee at Panera at Knapps Corner
at 2 pm on bad weather days
20 to 30 mile ride, all paces welcome and supported, a no drop ride, distance may vary
depending on who shows up, lights required and a must, keep an eye on Yahoo groups for
changes
3:00 pm start, it is that time of year to help clean up the Time Trail course, bring good work
glovels and boots.
Ride depends on weather and road conditions, keep an eye on Yahoo Groups for changes,
coffee at Panera, 28th St. East of the Belt Line, or 44th and Kenowa in Grandville
Ride Paces
check it on:
Easy: 9 - 11 mph, Casual : 11 - 13 mph, Moderate : 13 - 15 mph, Good : 15 - 17 mph, Fast : 17 - 19 mph, Fast + : 19 + mph
Maps to ride start locations are located at rapidwheelmen.com
Groups
Jochen,304-5337, Bob, 780-9590
Mike Burden,915-2048,
mwb@mwburden.com
Carolyn Chapman : 337-4743
Jochen,304-5337, Bob, 780-9590
community
special events:
Adopt-A-Road Clean-up
WHO: Rapid Wheelmen, Friends & Family
WHAT: Clean-up of Grand River Ave from
Buttrick to Kissing Rock in Ada
WHERE: Meet at Ada Park, Grand River Parking Lot.
WHY: This is the Rapid Wheelmen Time Trial course.
Give back to the community.
They share their road with us.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
3:00 pm
(Raindate - Saturday, April 26)
Please join us in our community service efforts to clean up our Time Trial course. We find more trash for the first pick up in
spring than any other time of the year. We will pick up the trash and then the club will provide some kind of treat depending
on the weather. We may ride our bikes to Lowell for ice cream, or we may have some treat right in the park. In any case, bring
your bike if you would like. The club will provide latex gloves, but you may want to bring work gloves of your own. Be sure to
bring some old shoes for walking in. Anyone is welcome to join us. Watch the Rapid Wheelmen Yahoo group for cancellation
and reschedule to our rain date for inclement weather.
Any questions, contact Carolyn Chapman at 616-337-4743 (cell) or 616-868-5217 (home).
Otherwise email: timetrials@rapidwheelmen.com.
10th Annual Grand Rapids Ride of Silence
The May 21st, 10th Annual Grand Rapids Ride of Silence is being promoted by the
Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition this year.
Details can be viewed here:
www.bikegrandrapids.org/events/grand-rapids-ride-of-silence1
Watch for full ride details in the Rapid Wheelmen May Newsletter.
Last year on the third Wednesday in May, cyclists in 372 locations worldwide, in all
50 states & the District of Columbia, in 26 countries, across all 7 continents banded
together by taking to the road remembering our friends and family lost or injured, while raising awareness that we cyclists
are out on the road every day, to please Share the Road with us.
Mark Hagar, Ride of Silence
mark.hagar@rideofsilence.org
Volunteers needed for set-up, teardown, and the welcome table.
Please contact Karen at karendunnam@gmail.com or 616-304-8306.
time trials
Time Trials Begin May 5th
It’s time to beat the clock and put your personal best to the test at the weekly Rapid
Wheelmen Time Trial. The Time Trial will once again be staging at the same location in
Ada Township Park, located at Grand River Drive, just south of Buttrick Avenue and use
the same course as last year.
The first TT of the season will be Monday, May 5th and will be held every Monday
(barring cancellations due to extreme weather conditions or holidays) until August 25th.
Time Trial riding sign-in opens at 5:30 p.m. and closes promptly at 6:15 p.m. The first
rider will leave that start line at 6:30 p.m.
The Rapid Wheelmen Time Trail is open to all Rapid Wheelmen members. If you’re not
already a member it’s easy and economical to become one. For a one-time membership
fee of $25 you can enjoy the club benefit of a time trial, every Monday night for no
additional cost. You can become a member at the TT staging site and be eligible to
immediately take part in that night’s time trial. This year we will be accepting credit
cards on site to make it easier than ever to join. You can also join at any time online by
visiting www.rapidwheelemn.com .
We are very pleased to announce that the Grand Rapids Bicycle Company will once
again be sponsoring the Rapid Wheelmen Time Trials and will be providing
complimentary mechanical support each week at the Time Trials to help you with last
minute mechanicals that might occur. Please make sure to visit the Grand Rapids
Bicycle Company and let them know how much we appreciate their support.
Volunteers: As always we need more volunteers to keep the Rapid Wheelmen Time Trial
wheels turning. If you’re interested in becoming part of this great team please email us
at: timetrials@rapidwheelmen.com
For more information, results and updates, or for Time Trial cancellations due to
extreme weather conditions, visit the Time Trial page on the rapidwheelmen.com
website.
special feature
Rebuilding and Italian Classic:
1990’s Colnago Master Olympic
A Story of Challenge &
Triumph, Part I
Dave Durkee,
Race Team Road Captain
My love for all things Colnago started in 1983 when I purchased
a bare Colnago Mexico frame from Alger Schwinn and built the
frame up from scratch for racing. Compared to my previous two
road bikes, a Schwinn Continental and Schwinn Super Le Tour,
it was like riding the Maserati of the bicycle world. Lightweight
and strong, with superb handling characteristics, that Colnago
became my main workhorse through my racing career in the
1980s.
I was not alone at that time. I saw many Colnagos while racing.
A good friend of mine, Andy Snyder from Breakaway Bicycles
Race Team out of Muskegon, had one just like mine, except it was
blue, whereas mine was black. Just like the main character Dave
from the movie “Breaking Away”, we truly loved everything that
was “Italiano”, and many racers had De Rosa, Masi, Pinarello,
and Guerciotti steel frames. Many famous frame builders and
mechanics from the 1950s and 1960s honed their craft into fine
lightweight racing machines that could take the rigors of the Tour
de France and place legendary champions on the podium time
and time again. Such was the history and birthright of Colnago.
Ernesto Colnago, the father of Colnago frames, was just one such
mechanic. A one time racing cyclist himself, he found himself
later working with the Molteni team, and eventually with “the
Cannibal” himself, the Belgian Eddy Merckx. Merckx set the
world hour record on one of Colnago’s lightweight steel frames
in Mexico in 1972. (Hence the reason for the name of my 1980s
Colnago frame). From there, Colnago frames ridden by Merckx
won many times in world wide competition. Ernesto, being a
shrewd business man, saw the opportunity in the early 1970s at
mass producing his product, and hence many were available at
reasonable prices for the riding and racing enthusiast. Colnago
today is still renowned for its mastery of design, paint, and
craftsmanship. The legend has evolved over the years to keep pace
with technical improvements, and occasionally new innovations.
To own a Colnago, of any era, is to know that when the frame was
made, it was cutting edge technology for the time.
a friend of his wanted to sell. He tells me it’s a Master Olympic
frame. This was something I had been looking for, but when I did
actually see the frame in the flesh I immediately though it was a
work of art, not just a 20 year old racing frame. I paid the asking
price, and took it home.
Little did I know that my adventure was just beginning… (to be
continued)
The actual frame used by Merckx in the 1972 World
Hour record. Notice the holes drilled into the
handlebars and chainring, a common technique at
the time to lighten weight.
Merckx under the watchful eye of frame
designer Ernesto Colnago.
Being a collector, of sorts, I was always fascinated by Colnago
frames made after my Mexico frame. Especially the 1990s steel
frames of the Master series made from “Gilco”, or star shaped
tubing. Not only was Ernesto experimenting with making steel
lighter and stronger, he also was producing works of art in paint
schemes – with real Italian flair. Although it would add cost to
the frame, it also added irresistible appeal to the eye. I knew
someday, when I had time, I’d like to find one to rebuild or buy
for the collection. Little did I know that day would come a lot
sooner than I had anticipated.
Early last Fall of 2013, Bill Thompson, another Colnago enthusiast
and fellow Rapid Wheelmen, contacted me about a Colnago frame
The bare frame as I bought it in August, 2013. The
Shimano bottom bracket and numbers on the fork
are not standard.
ridin’
Most of this year’s race and tour dates have been published. Below is a rough schedule for road and dirt.
Pick your poison. Of course, consult your nearest Google search to confirm the dates below *.
* Non-legal mini-type: Info below is as accurate as I could get at the time of publishing, you might find some discrepancies or omissions.
ridin’ dirty
tailgatin’ roadies
March
22 - Barry-Roubaix
* Every Monday, May thru August - RW Ada Time Trials
* Every Wednesday, May thru August - Wed Night Worlds,
Grattan
April
5 - Lowell 50
13 - Yankee Springs Time Trial
26 - Rust Shaker
May
3 - Mud, Sweat & Beers
4 - Ft. Custer Stampede
June
1 - Hanson Hills
5 - 8hrs of Cannonsburg
21 - Lumberjack 100
21 - Meijer State Games of Michigan
28 - Sweat Shaker
July
12 - Boyne Challenge
19 - 6 & 12 Hours of Ithaca
27 - Big M Challenge
August
1-2 - Night Shift (gravel ride)
2 - 6 & 12 Hours of Pando
9 - Ore 2 Shore
17 - Ruby Gravel 50
September
7 - Kisscross #1, Highland Park
12 & 24 Hours of Hanson Hills
21 - Kisscross #2, Richmond Park
28 - Pando Challenge
October
4 - Mountain Mayhem Gravel Grinder
5 - Kisscross #3, Markin Glen Park, Kalamazoo
19 - Kisscross #4, Lakeside Park, Caledonia
25 - Lowell 50
November
2 - Kisscross #5, Cascade Park
8 - Iceman
16 - Kisscross #6, Manhattan Park
30 - Kisscross #7, Window on the Waterfront, Holland
April
26 - Willow Time Trial
27 - King’s Day Crit
May
4 - Cone Azalia
17 - Ride Around Kent County (tour)
17 - Tour of Washtenaw
18 - Sodus River Time Trial
24/25 - Tour/Gran Fondo of Frankenmuth
June
6-8 - Le Tour de Mount Pleasant
7 - 100 Grand (tour)
7-8 - Bike MS (tour)
8 - Colavita-Zipp Time Trial Series, MI Int’l Speedway
14 - Mountain Mayhem Spring Classic
14 - National 24 Hour Challenge
14/15 - West Branch
22 - State Games of Michigan Time Trial
27 - Zeeland Crit
28 - MSU Gran Fondo
July
12 - Miller Energy Crit
13 - Maple Hills Race for Wishes
19 - Holland Hundred
27 - Hines Drive Time Trial
August
2 - Capital City Cycling Classic
2 - Mountain Mayhem Beat the Heat Tour
9 - One Day Ride Across Michigan (ODRAM) (tour)
16 - Maple Leaf (tour)
17 - Delta Subaru Gaslight
24 - Birmingham Bike Festival & Crit
September
1 - Debaets-Devos Pro-Am Memorial
27-28 - Tour of the White Pine Trail (tour)
October
4 - Colorburst (tour)
miscellaneous
Support your club, ride in club colors! Items will be
available for purchase at club meetings and events.
t-shirts - $12
shorts - $65
bib shorts - $70
jersey - $60
water bottle - $5 (or 2 for $8)
To arrange a purchase, contact:
Randy Higgins at vp@rapidwheelmen.com
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Join the Rapid Wheelmen Yahoo Group!
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Groups
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Get daily ride information, brag about your
new rig, join in some fun trash talk or just
network with other group members.
what the..!?
Grand Canyon. Could this be the end for John Crankshaw?
B
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http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/
rapidwheelmen/
Rapid Wheelmen
PO Box 1008
Grand Rapids, MI 49501
rapid wheelmen
rapid wheelmen time trials
Be sure to support our Race Team sponsors:
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