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PEDAL PATTER
JULY — 2019 
Note from Vice President of Operations
by Deborah Reynolds

Happy July 4th!

I hope this July finds you well. Pedaling away and eating watermelon, and other fun summer things.  

We have several things to look forward to this month. The Tour de France will kick off and we will have a club happy hour on Friday, July 12th at 6pm. 

And the Shenandoah weekend returns! New and improved! Where have you heard that before? However, we have worked hard to move the weekend to a better hotel and reroute the cues. Sign ups are going strong!

I also want to share something very important with you. We discussed at the annual meeting the draw backs of our on-line registration system. I have had a follow up meeting with our ride coordinators. It is extremely important that all riders be given an opportunity to sign our waiver. The club's insurance policy requires it. This policy protects the ExCom and ride leaders. We have decided it is best to go back to paper for now. The paper sign in sheet has been updated and posted. We ask that if you lead rides you print it and use it. We are working on having a ride leader meeting in August. For more information on ride leader guidelines click here.

Lastly, please consider volunteering for our century . The form is online on the century page.

Thank you, 

Deb
VP, Operations
by Leslie Tierstein

Some friends were planning a June bike tour that included the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), a (mostly) rail-trail conversion between Pittsburgh PA and Cumberland MD. I just joined them for a portion of their tour. Additional factors (besides the planning and company) that provided impetus for me to ride this tour:

  • I would get a chance to use Amtrak’s new-ish (2015) roll-aboard bike access on the Capitol Limited train from DC to Pittsburgh
  • I wanted to actually spend some time in and explore Pittsburgh, after having just passed through the city on previous bike and business trips
  • 16 miles of trail, connecting Pittsburgh to the previously existing trail, had been completed since my last visit. I would get a chance to ride from Pittsburgh
Tour de France Viewing Party
Come join us for a vibrant happy hour and private viewing of this year's Tour de France!

Where: The VIP room at The G.O.A.T 3028 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA (Right off the Clarendon Metro stop!)

When: Friday, July 12th at 6pm. This is the stage from Charlton to Chalon-Sur-Saone, so we'll have plenty of time to eat and mingle and catch spurts of the action!

How: Ride to The G.O.A.T on your bike or the Metro, or park at one of several nearby lots. There's plenty of great food and ice cold beverages to be had here! 

Who: Bring yourself! And guests! The more the merrier! 

Any questions? Contact the of VP Special Events at vtcupcake@gmail.com
Do you suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) ? Well, join us in having a great day of biking on the Back Roads Century, Sunday, September 22 and you won’t miss out! There are six (6!) routes to choose from so go for the 25 miler or push it to the max and crank it out on the 100 miler. Whatever you like, we have it for you. Food, fun, and friends and of course blue grass muasic. Make a weekend of it and ride the ‘Sugar High’ routes on Saturday, a meandering 12.5 or 30 miles through the Antietam Battlefield, ending at Antietam Creek Vineyard with a stop along the way at Nutter’s Ice Cream. Festivities carry on Saturday night at a local beer spot (only 200 slots).

All information is here:  https://www.potomacpedalers.org/back-roads-century  

Hope to see you! 
Volunteering is a great way to meet fellow cyclists and have fun. This is a great way to give back to the Potomac Pedalers, the cycling community and to help us ensure the event runs smoothly.
 
If you're registered to ride and help for 4 (or more) hours, you'll get a $25 rebate after the event. Or if you are not riding, you can simply volunteer because you want to make people happy!

 
If you have questions, please contact Dalis Davidson,  dalis@dancingleaffarm.com .
We’re bringing back the coveted summer weekend trip to the Shenandoah Valley! Join us in July for a weekend of rolling hills, sightseeing on pedal and foot, and excellent company. We’re introducing a revamped weekend with an exciting, comfortable new venue in Woodstock, which features a mix of old favorite points of interest and new sightseeing opportunities. Cycling AND hiking routes will take riders and explorers through the New Market Battlefield, close to the George Washington National Forest, and through the rolling and verdant hills of quiet Northwest Virginia.

Have you ever shown up for a group ride and discovered you don’t have a helmet? How about you drove 4 hours to a beach front destination but your cycling shoes at still drying out back home in the living room. These and other “duh I forgot” items have happened to me over the years and I’ve heard enough stories to know I am not alone. After having done a few of these things enough times I finally decided to create a checklist much list a pilot used to double check everything before taking off in an airplane. It makes sense and makes most of your rides a lot better. Personally, I keep a copy of this near my garage door where the bikes are stored. I have another one taped inside the back of the car I use to take my bikes to group rides away from home. This helps me make sure I have what I need. In addition, I keep a separate list in the garage of what should be in the under-seat bag on my bike. Finally, taped to the inside of the rear hatchback door of my car is a pre-ride check list. Just a few things to go over before starting that group ride to make sure it is fun and safe. Here are my lists. Yours will likely be different based on your needs. I hope you find this a good starting point.