February 2019 Newsletter

Naples Velo Bicycle Club is a not-for-profit organization promoting cycling at all skill levels and dedicated to improving cycling safety and awareness in southwest Florida.

Newsletter

February 2019

We hope you enjoy our fifth Newsletter!

Member Services by Bill Percival

Join the Naples Velo Strava Club

If you are not already aware of it, Naples Velo has a club page in Strava. It's a convenient way to stay in touch with Club and member activity from week to week.

If you have not already joined the site on Strava, it's easy.

To find the page:

From the main menu bar in Strava select "Explore."
In the resulting drop-down list, select "Clubs."
Search for Naples Velo as shown below.
Click on the Club's logo.

Access to the Club's page is exclusive to the Club's members. After you have completed the above steps, the Club will receive an approval request. All requests are reviewed within a day or two. Once your application is approved, you'll receive a confirmation in your Strava feed.

January Time Trials

Individual Time Trial Results

The Club has added a second time trial segment that is designed to recognize individual efforts of Club members.

Congratulations go out to Griffin Van Nest as the first award recipient. He covered the 5.9-mile Trek Tri TT Course in 16:57, averaging just under 21 miles an hour. Great effort Griffin!

Group Time Trial Results

Colleen Clubley started 2019 quickly by setting the fastest time on the Gordon Drive Time Trial on the first day of the year. Colleen averaged 22.5 miles per hour over the three-mile segment. Great pace and a strong start to the new year Colleen!

Justin Bolde won the men's group time trial for the second straight month averaging more than 27 miles per hour on a Thursday night Naples Cyclery ride. These Tuesday and Thursday night rides have the reputation of being fast. Factoring in the impact that Gordon Drive turn-around has on the average time, the pace was most likely over 28 mph most of the time.

Well done Justin!

Instagram Photo Contest

We did not get a lot of traction with the photo contest last month. We're going to make some changes to the process to simplify photo submission and voting. We'll be back with more information next month.

Join Naples Velo

Tech Tips by Greg Pelican

How to replace 3 Bolt Cleats

The more you ride the more you need to replace your cleats on a regular basis. As a bike fitter I often have customers complain about knee pain only to find that the cleat is so worn it creates excessive rocking of the shoe when clipped in the pedals. This is an easy fix, replace the cleat!

A worn cleat can also cause your foot to come out unexpectedly when racing for that town line!

If your cleats were setup professionally or if you have no problems with the position, simply outline the cleat with a sharpie before removing, and install the new cleat in the same position. If you are not sure it's correct this short video will help!

Good luck, shoot me an email if you still need help!

See ya on the road!

If you have any tech questions, want us to run a clinic or have a topic you want covered don't hesitate to email me: gpelican@trekbikesflorida.com

Supporting Youth Cycling by Don Ruppercht

Naples BMX Track is conducting a fund raiser through March 31, 2019 to raise $25000. The track – which has held thousands of races and is 15 years old – is sorely in need of repairs.

The track uses an older style of starting gate that is less safe and reliable than the new roll gates used at almost every other track in the state. The new starting hill and gate will require some additional track modifications that will be covered by the proceeds of the campaign.

The goal is to have the campaign completed by the end of Q1 2019 to allow proper time to permit and coordinate the work that needs to be done before the 2019-2020 cycling season begins. This renovation will allow Naples BMX Track to petition for a State Series Race to be held in Naples in early 2020. These events bring in thousands of visitors to our community and help pump revenue into our local economy.

ALL $2,500.00 DONORS MAY CHOOSE TO HAVE THEIR COMPANY LOGO EMBLAZENED ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE STARTING GATE FOR 3 YEARS TO ENSURE EVERYONE KNOWS WHO HAS SUPPORTED CYCLING AND THE KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

The track is also working to integrate a permanent walk of fame into the new starting hill to thank every donor who is at the $1,000 level. These may be in the form of stepping stones or engraved bricks as a reminder of how the community came together to help create an amazing facility that encourages kids and families to fall in love with cycling.

Naples Velo is managing the campaign through its affiliated company Naples Velo Cycling Alliance, Inc. (NVCA), a 501(c) (3) not for profit corporation.

Anyone interested in helping to support the Naples BMX Track and its cycling program for youth may make a tax-deductible contribution to NVCA. 100% of your contribution will go directly to the Naples BMX Track Renovation Campaign Fund.

Your support of the local BMX track is sincerely appreciated.

To make a donation click on the below link:

https://runsignup.com/everyone-rides-bmx

For additional questions and information contact Matt McCain at 239-209-8891 lafnrhino@yahoo.com

Social "The Hub"

Nothing Planned

Safety First by Don Rupprecht

It’s Tourist Season in Southwest Florida

We are in the midst of the tourist season in southwest Florida and the traffic on the roads confirms it. In addition, the number of car vs. car crashes confirms it and acts as a warning to cyclists to be extra alert. There are many distracted, aggressive and feeble drivers all intertwined on the roads like a veggie omelet. In an effort to awaken motorists to the fact that cyclists are on the roads, Naples Velo has worked in cooperation with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Naples Police Department to have mobile electric road signs display cycling awareness messages. Naples Velo has also arranged for Public Service Announcements to be run on four radio stations and has partnered with Naples Pathways Coalition to conduct a public speakers program seeking to penetrate the general public with the cycling awareness message. However, it is also the responsibility of cyclists to have a heightened awareness of the potential risks lurking at every intersection and driveway as one pedals on the roads of southwest Florida.

Be sure to:

1. Wear a helmet.

2. Have lights on your bike front and rear and use them.

3. Do not wear ear buds, headphones or any other listening device.

4. Maintain your bike in good working condition.

5. Possess and exercise good cycling skills or take a free Naples Velo cycling skills class to improve your skills.

6. Obey all traffic laws. You are legally a vehicle on the road.

7. Stay off sidewalks. More cyclists are killed riding on sidewalks than on streets.

8. Ride with traffic, not against it. Motorists are not expecting a bicycle traveling in the wrong direction.

And be alert for:

1. The Right Hook-a motorist turning right in front of or into you.

2. The Door Jam-a motorist opening the driver’s side door into your path.

3. The Squeeze Play-a motorist changing from the straight lane to the right turn lane crossing over a bike path.

4. The Bike Hater- Based on a random survey of more than 100 motorists in Collier County, 15% of motorists strongly believe that bicycles belong on the sidewalk not the road and are highly irritated by their presence. They will challenge cyclists every chance they get and the cyclists will always lose. Avoid the confrontation and keep smiling.

Let’s all work together to make cycling safer in southwest Florida. Report all confrontations with motorists to your local law enforcement office. Demand that your elected government representatives provide improved and safer road conditions for cyclists. As a community of cyclists we can make things happen for the benefit of cyclists and the population of southwest Florida.

Stay warm and stay safe.

Don Rupprecht

Sponsor's Spotlight: Tom Wyss of Affinity Group Underwriters

Each month we will feature one of our great sponsors... and this month is Tom Wyss of Affinity Group Underwriters. Check out our new Sponsor Pages Link by clicking on our sponsor's logo at www.naplesvelo.com!

Affinity Group Underwriters (agu.net) has a new insurance product that should be a great benefit for those seeking additional insurance coverage while riding. It is featured below.

Balance for Cyclists / Affinity Group Underwriters

Balance for Cyclists is a new injury insurance policy specifically designed for cyclists. Balance was developed and is managed by Affinity Group Underwriters, a specialty insurance services company that has been creating unique insurance coverages for groups like ours for over twenty years.

Balance was conceived out of an understanding that for cyclists who crash, health insurance is not enough. Today’s policies often have high deductibles and other gaps that can leave significant bills to pay. In addition, in the event of serious, life-altering injuries, there can be a myriad of other, non-medical costs of recovery, like loss of income or alterations to one’s home or transportation to accommodate physical disability.

The founders of Balance also realized that the traditional way cyclists help their friends who crash is by holding a fund raiser or starting an online crowdfunding account. The amounts of money that can be raised this way, however, are relatively small. As insurance people and cyclists, it was obvious that an insurance policy could provide a more reliable way of aiding injured cyclists and their families.

Balance is now available to Naples Velo Bicycle Club members at group rates which are 25% lower than the standard price for cyclists enrolling on their own. Member rates start at just $5.95 /month for $50,000 of coverage.

For more information about Balance and to sign up online, check out our club’s own program website www.balanceforcyclists.com/nvbc.

To learn more about Affinity Group Underwriters, go to www.agu.net.

Naples Velo Board of Trustees appreciates the support of our club from Tom Wyss of Affinity Group Underwriters.

Bike Law Review

MID-SEASON SAFETY AND BIKE LAW REVIEW

By: Ted Zelman, Esq.

It is now season in Southwest Florida. This is a good time for a review of traffic laws affecting bicyclists. Adults are not required to wear a helmet. But if you are reading this, you wear one. It is the single most important safety item.

Bicycles are treated as vehicles. This means we are subject to the same laws as motor vehicles. This means stopping at stop signs and at red lights. It means giving turn signals, etc. We are required to have lights on us or our bicycles from one-half hour before sunset to one-half hour after sunrise. There must be a white light shining forward and a red light to the back. We can use lights during daylight hours.

Headphones are not allowed. Ear buds for music are not allowed. One ear bud connected to a telephone is allowed.

We must ride in a bike lane rather than in the traffic lanes when a bike lane is available. We can ride on sidewalks. However, we must yield the right of way to pedestrians. We also must ride on sidewalks in the same direction as motor vehicles do.

It is legal to “take the lane” when there is no bike lane, and the travel lane is less than 14’ wide. Be advised that not all law enforcement agencies recognize this.

A peloton or group ride is not recognized in Florida law. This means that each cyclist is responsible for obeying traffic laws, such as stopping at stop signs. Some law enforcement agencies do informally allow the first rider to stop, and then a line of riders to follow without stopping. It is not lawful to ride two abreast, unless it is in a bike lane wide enough to do so. This means a group with one rider in the bike lane next to a rider in the travel lane is not allowed.

Left turns are specifically permitted from the far-right edge of the left turn lane, proceeding to the far-right edge of the curb lane. This permits faster motor vehicles to pass you without crossing paths.

It is important to recognize that all law enforcement agencies and all officers within them may not have the same understanding of bicycle traffic laws. If you have any questions, please ask. I am willing to answer your questions.

Safe cycling.

To read more about bicycle safety, go to www.zelmanandhanlon.com/blog/

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