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The Freewheel
The New Mexico Touring Society, founded in January 1980.
A recreational bicycling club promoting safe enjoyable road and off-road cycling
via organized day and overnight rides for all ages and abilities.
Web Site: http://www.nmts.org/
January 2015
Helmets Are Required for All Rides
Upcoming One-Time Rides
See More Detail on Page 4
Jan 3
10:00 AM
19th Annual Ride to Rio
Puerco
X-3, 37 miles
Bill Thompson, 299-0302
Taylor Ranch
Library, SW corner
of Unser and
Montaño
Jan 3
10:00 AM
Social C Ride for a Cold
Morning
C-1, 36+ miles
Sandy Gold, 899-1328
Alameda Open
Space parking lot
Jan 8-10
10:00 AM
Phoenix in January
X-2, ~90 miles
Will Ferrell, 903-4415
70th Street &
McDowell Rd,
Mesa, AZ
Jan 10
9:30 AM
Five Fingers and Coffee
X-4, 28 miles
Dorothy Brethauer, 504-5870
Einstein Bagels,
Tramway &
Central
Jan 17
9:00 AM
“The Kickstand” Ride
X-3, 45 miles
Donna Chavez, 856-2710
Foothill Shopping
Center (Juan Tabo
& Menaul)
Jan 24
9:00 AM
Souper Bowl Ride 2015
X-2, 18 miles
Ed Kjeldgaard, 269-7532 (cell)
Roadrunner Food
Bank (5840 Office
Blvd. NE)
Jan 24
9:00 AM
Souper Bowl Climbing Ride
C-3, 30 miles
Sandy Gold, 899-1328
Alameda Open
Space parking lot
Jan 31
Available for Hosting
Ride Leader Wanted!
New Years Day Ride, Jan 1, 2000. Riders from viewer's left: Carl Smith,
Mary Ann Sweeney, Dorothy Brethauer, Tom Sullivan, Kevin Zavadil,
Thom Bruce, Lavilla Capener, Mark Pasnewski, Bob Poole, Lee
Blaugrund, Rhonda Hutchinson, Dianne Cress, Lucy Rudy. Shadow in
foreground from Pete Stirbis.
Vol 36-1
President’s Corner
Endings and beginnings….
One chapter of my life is coming to a close and a new
chapter is beginning. The closing chapter has to do with my
lengthy involvement on the Board of Directors of the local
astronomy club TAAS (The Albuquerque Astronomical
Society). I’ve been a member of that Board for something like
20 of the last 23 years that I’ve been a member of the
organization, contributing to the success of that organization in
many, many ways. So I hope you’ll see that I take my
responsibility of being the President of NMTS seriously and
that because of my great experiences with TAAS, as someone
who has gained some valuable insight into the dynamics of a
volunteer-based organization. I consider myself a “seasoned”
NMTS member now and having the experiences and insight
gained from many years of service to TAAS, I believe that I
can help make a difference in this wonderful organization.
It hardly seems possible that only a little more than 3 years
ago I participated in my first NMTS club ride on a Sunday in
July. Now here I am, writing my first Presidents Corner
column. Quite a journey… From newbie cyclist completely
bamboozled by things like how to ride in a pace line (heck, I
couldn’t even keep up with the pace line in the beginning!) to
how to repair a flat tire on the side of the road (I actually went
an astounding 14 months without having a flat after I joined
NMTS). Along the way I’ve met and become friends with
some very special folks. Plus, as some of you have witnessed,
I’ve become a very capable cyclist. So it’s no small wonder
that I’ve decided to “give back” to the organization by
volunteering to lead all of you as we endeavor to work together
to grow the organization.
Some of the things that I consider important include
addressing some of the negative perceptions our club has
amongst non-NMTS riders, growing our membership and
strengthening our safety education program. These things
don’t happen in a vacuum though and I certainly can’t do them
by myself. They take the concerted efforts of everyone, from
ride leaders doing the little things to make newcomers feel
welcome and encouraged to want to continue to participate to
everyone making an effort to “talk up the club” in a positive
way.
We have a great organization with lots of riding
opportunities throughout the year, some seasoned touring types
only too willing to share in their touring adventures and
experiences, a solid connection with the local and state cycling
political scene and a robust group of volunteers that continue to
amaze me with their dedication.
So consider stepping up and volunteering if you haven’t
done so before. Leading a ride is a great way to “give back”
and a wonderful opportunity to get to know your fellow
members. If we all “give back” just a little, the organization
benefits too. In the meantime, ride, have fun and practice safe
cycling!
Gordon Pegue
The Freewheel
NMTS Board Members
Gordon Pegue
President(@nmts.org)
Bob Griffith
VicePresident(@nmts.org)
Linda Olson
Secretary(@nmts.org)
Dianne Cress
Treasurer(@nmts.org)
Bill Thompson
FreewheelEditor(@nmts.org)
Mary Ann Sweeney
RideChairman(@nmts.org)
Mark Pasnewski
MileageChairman(@nmts.org)
Will Ferrell
Webmaster(@nmts.org)
Chris Marsh
Bike Advocate ([email protected])
Don Simonson
Bike Advocate ([email protected])
History of NMTS New Year's Day Ride
Tom Sullivan
332-2523
897-3122
299-0483
294-2928
299-0302
247-4866
241-2797
903-4415
891-3464
271-9265
When did this tradition begin and who started it?
While I was scanning old Freewheels for the web archive,
I found the answers. It all began on January 1st, 1984.
Ride leader was Illene Renfro. She lead the ride in '85
and again in '86. In 1987 that task was given to Fred
Ream. These early New Year's Day rides started from
Popjoy Hall. Then in 1988, Joyce Rosen led the ride,
again from Popejoy.
As far as can be determined from old Freewheels, no
New Year's Day ride was offer from 1989 to 1995. For
1989/1990, NMTS members who wanted to go on a New
Year's Day ride rode with the New Mexico Wheelmen
starting from Popejoy.
Thanks to R. T. Odinek for taking the lead in 1996 an
renewing the tradition of the New Year's Day rides. His
started from Ladera Shopping Center with six in
attendance. Since then, the ride has been offered every
year without a break. In 1997, Roger Flegel led the La
Llorna ride from UNM on New Year's Day. Roger's son
Daniel led a Taylor Ranch Library (TRL) to Rio Puerco
(RP) ride on Jan. 4, 1997. I ascertained that this was a
sometime ride for NMTS. Then in 1998, Roger again let
the Ride from UNM to Corrales/Rio Rancho. This was
called the 3rd Annual New Year's Day Ride. The
following year Roger led the same ride, which was also
called the 3rd annual.
In 2000, Pete Stirbis took the reins and led the ride
from TRL to RP. This was the first New Year’s Day Ride
to the Rio Puerco (see the photo on the first page). It was
called the 4th Annual New Year’s Day Ride. Eric Russell
led the ride in 2001, starting from REI (18th and
Mountain). This ride was labeled 5th Annual. Since
Roger led two rides numbered 3rd annual, the count is off
by one. And don't forget the missing five from 1984 to
1988.
Then, starting in 2002, Pete Stirbis led the from TRL
to the RP through 2011. In 2004, Pete named his ride the
8th Annual New Year's Day Ride. Then the following
year he change the name to the 9th Annual Ride to the Rio
Puerco. This numbering system continues to the present.
Bill Thompson started leading the ride in 2012 and will
again in 2015. Bill called his 2015 ride the 19th Annual
Ride to the Rio Puerco. Actually it's the 15th Ride to the
Rio Puerco and the 25th New Year’s Day Ride.
Are you curious about other aspects about what the
club was doing in the past? Well, go to the “Members
Only” section of of the NMTS web site and click on
Freewheel Archive. Did you know that in 1994 dues was
$12 single and $15 family and was raised to $14/$17 in
1995. Or that Sunday rides began in 1995 from Popejoy
Hall.
• The Freewheel deadline is 6 PM on the Sunday after
the last the Friday of the month.
• February Freewheel information is due Sunday,
February 1st. Email inputs to FreewheelEditor.
• Mileage information to Mark Pasnewski:
Email to MileageChairman or phone 241-2797(w),
350-9689(c).
• Mileage ride sheets, change of address, and newsletter
distribution: NMTS Treasurer P.O. Box 1261
Albuquerque NM 87103-1261 Treasurer.
• Send web information to Will Ferrell Webmaster.
• Paid advertisements are accepted on a space available
basis.
• Members can post free ads in The Freewheel and on the
NMTS web site.
• Ride submission: Members-only section of NMTS web site.
Ride Rating System
Pace:
Terrain:
Off-Road:
A
B
C
D
X
K
1
2
3
4
5
20+ mph steady pace
15-20 mph a few stops
12-15 mph occasional stops
8-12 mph frequent stops
All paces
Very easy child’s pace
Flat as possible
Minor hills
Moderate hills
Frequent steep hills
Advanced difficult climbing
Easy Intermediate Advanced
Treasurer’s Report (Dianne Cress)
as of 11/13/2014
Last Month’s Balance
$6,213.16
Income
$319.42
Expenses
$599.71
New Balance
$5,932.87
!2
The Freewheel
Weekly Rides
Sunday
9:00 AM
Mary Ann
Sweeney 247-4866
Bosque Trail, X-1, 37 miles
Ride south on the Bosque Trail to the Chris Chavez Loop south of Rio Bravo and
return; brunch / coffee stop downtown at Java Joe’s on the way back.
Alameda Open Space
parking lot
Tuesday
9:30 AM
Don Simonson
271-9265
Ed Kjeldgaard
268-8835
NE / NW Loop, C/D-2, 45-50 miles
Route alternates with 1) the Bosque Trail route on even-numbered Tuesdays
(September 6, 20 etc) with pickup points at Tramway and Manitoba, Top of
Tramway Hill and Alameda Open Space and 2) the North Diversion Channel route
on odd-numbered Tuesdays (September 13, 27 etc) with the same pickup points
except S. Guadalupe at Alameda instead of Alameda Open Space.
Flying Star Café, Juan
Tabo and Montgomery
Tuesday
9:00 AM
Gary Shaw
508-1140
NE / NW Loop, A/B-2, 49 miles
Down Tramway to Alameda Open Space, Bosque Trail with a stop at Flying Star
Café on Rio Grande; return by Paseo del Norte Trail, North Diversion Channel
Trail, Paseo del Nordeste Trail, and Comanche / Morris / Lagrima de Oro back to
Flying Star Café on Juan Tabo
Flying Star Café, Juan
Tabo and Montgomery
Tuesday
9:45 AM
Chris Marsh
891-3464
Westside Ride, C/D-2, 37 miles
Rio Rancho Sports
Starts at the Rio Rancho Sports Complex on High Resort in Rio Rancho and goes Complex (by the tennis
down to join Ed and Don's “NE /NW Loop” ride at one of two locations along courts) on High Resort in
Alameda, depending on whether it is an even or odd day.
Rio Rancho
Wednesday
10:00 AM
Bob Griffith
977-5571
Susan D’Lamater
897-7066
WWAM (Westside Wednesday AM) Ride, A/B/C-2, 25-35 miles
Various routes, mostly in the valley or on the west side. View this week’s ride
description online (www.nmts.org/wednesdayride.php); usually updated by
Tuesday evening.
Alameda Open Space
parking lot
Wednesday
5:30 PM
Mark Pasnewski
241-2797 (w) or
350-9689 (c)
Evening Road Ride, X-1, 20-22 miles
Various routes in the valley.
Old Town – parking lot
on the west side of 20th
Street, north of Mountain
Thursday
10:00 AM;
no ride
January1st
Eric Russell
856-2710
Get Fitter Faster, B/C-4, 40 miles
A route east of Tramway, including the climb to La Luz Trailhead; 4100’ elevation
gain. See the description at http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4551338.
Canyon Center, SW
corner of Tramway and
Encantado. Park in the
lot behind the buildings.
Thursday
9:30 AM
no ride
January 1st
Don Simonson
271-9265
Ed Kjeldgaard
268-8835
NE / NW Loop, C/D-2, 45-50 miles
Down Tramway to Alameda Open Space, Bosque Trail including Chris Chavez
Loop, and food stop at one of several different restaurants Downtown or the UNM
area; return by Constitution / Paseo de las Montañas Trail / Morris / Lagrima de
Oro to Flying Star Café on Juan Tabo.
Flying Star Café, Juan
Tabo and Montgomery
Thursday
9:00 AM
no ride
January 1st
Gary Shaw
508-1140
NE / NW Loop, A/B-2, 45-50 miles
Down Tramway; various routes in the valley or on the west side.
Flying Star Café, Juan
Tabo and Montgomery
Thursday
10:00 AM
Chris Marsh
891-3464
Thursday Morning Westside Ride with a Twist, C/D, 35 miles
Route joins Ed and Don’s “NE/NW Loop” ride at Alameda Open Space until the
lunch stop, and then returns to the start by varying routes.
Alameda Open Space
parking lot
Thursday
11:00 AM
Dee Friesen
681-6094
The Sensible Winter Ride, X-2, 34 miles
This ride meanders through the areas both north and south of Paseo del Norte and
has a high point at the top of Academy Blvd in the High Desert neighborhood.
David Jewell
710-8350
Badass Coffee Ride, B-2, 25-30 miles
The route will change for each week, but will stop at one or two coffee houses for a
beverage and snack. This should reduce the total ride time to 3 hours or less. The
goal is to form a pace line in the range of 16-19 MPH with the group staying
together throughout the ride. We will rotate through the lead position so that
everyone has the opportunity to set the pace (no drops). An example route might
be out Loma Larga to 528 and 550, stopping at the Badass Coffee House, with a
return down 313 through Bernalillo.
Friday
10:00 AM
Cancelled
for Jan 2nd
because of
weather
!3
Shopping center parking
lot by Pizzeria Luca, NW
corner of Ventura and
Paseo del Norte
Alameda Open Space
parking lot
The Freewheel
Upcoming One-Time Rides
Check http://www.nmts.org/displaySchedule.php for updates.
Saturday
Jan 3
10:00 AM
Bill Thompson
299-0302
19th Annual Ride to Rio Puerco, X-3, 37 miles
This ride was scheduled for New Year's Day, but given the weather prediction of
snow on January 1st, that ride is now postponed by two days. From the starting Taylor Ranch
point at Taylor Ranch Library, we’ll go south on Unser, west on Tierra Pintada,
Library, SW
south on Arroyo Vista / 98th Street, west on Central up 9 Mile Hill to Atrisco corner of Unser
Vista, and then west on old Route 66 (I-40 frontage road) to Rio Puerco. Stop for and Montaño
hot chocolate at the Pit Stop travel center and return by the same route. Check out
the route at http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4674556.
Saturday
Jan 3
10:00 AM
Sandy Gold
899-1328
Social C Ride for a Cold Morning, C-1, 36+ miles
The forecast high for this day is 40 with a morning start of 15 degrees. Let's do a Alameda Open
flat ride to Bernalillo and Algodones, distance to be determined by the weather. Space parking
lot
Food stop at Flying Star.
Will Ferrell
903-4415
Phoenix in January, X-2, ~90 miles
The cold weather is already here and by January, we all wish for warmer days.
Enjoy 70 degree weather in Phoenix! We drive to Phoenix on Wednesday,
January 7th. We ride the next 3 days, 8, 9, 10 of January and return the afternoon
of the 10th. The Casa Grande Century ride is Sunday January 11th for those of
you who want to stay and do a little more riding. Here is the link: http://
www.pmbcaz.org/casagrande.html Ride in shorts and short sleeve jersey in a
great bike city, Phoenix!
70th Street &
McDowell Rd,
Mesa, AZ
Dorothy
Brethauer,
504-5870
Five Fingers and Coffee, X-4, 28 miles
Meet at Einstein Bagels, on the southwest corner of Central and Tramway, to
facilitate post-ride refreshments. We will ride north on Tramway to Spain and
turn right. The five fingers are the Michael Emery Trailhead, Canada del Oso,
Elena Gallegos Place, Elena Gallegos picnic area, and the Sandia Tram Terminal.
Prepare to sweat!
Einstein
Bagels, SW
Corner of
Tramway &
Central
Satuday
Jan 17
9:00 AM
Donna Chavez,
856-2710
“The Kickstand” Ride, X-3, 45 miles
Start at "The Kickstand" (now closed). Ride east to Indian School near Tramway.
Now ride a portion of Trudy’s “Get Fitter Faster” route, taking various residential
streets toward County Line restaurant. Enjoy the downhill on Tramway. After the
freeway, go to Balloon Fiesta Park to North Diversion Trail to the Alameda
Trailhead. Continue on Rio Grande to Candelaria. Go East on Candelaria to
Edith, then East again on Odelia/Indian School. Right on the North Channel bike
trail to the University Area. Meander back to The Kickstand taking various bike
trails/routes.
Foothill
Shopping
Center (Juan
Tabo &
Menaul)
Saturday
Jan 24
9:00 AM
Ed Kjeldgaard,
269-7532 (cell)
Super Bowl Ride 2015, X-2, 18 miles
Same as last year. S on NDC, W on Comanche, to Rio Grande, to Alameda Open
Space. Then E to 4th, N to Roy, E to I-25 frontage road, S and E through Balloon
Fiesta Park to NDC, S to Singer, E to Office Blvd., N to Roadrunner Food Bank.
Roadrunner
Food Bank
(5840 Office
Blvd. NE)
Sandy Gold
899-1328
Souper Bowl Climbing Ride, C-3, 30 miles
Join me for this year's climbing version of the Souper Bowl Ride. The Souper
Bowl is Roadrunner Food Bank's main fund raiser; tickets are $40 in advance,
available on line. Cost is $45 at the door. This year, we will ride up Tramway and
then throw in Simms Park Road for an extra climb to burn more calories. Spain
to Wyoming to Osuna and the I-25 bridge for the return to get to Roadrunner Food
Bank. Then back to Alameda after the soup.
Alameda Open
Space parking
lot
Depart
Jan 7;
Ride Jan
8-10
starting at
10 AM;
Return
Jan 10
Saturday
Jan 10
9:30 AM
Satuday
Jan 24
9:00 AM
Saturday
Jan 31
Available for Hosting
Ride Leader Wanted!
!4
The Freewheel
Happenings and Announcements
NMTS Monthly Meeting for the month of January will be at 6:30 PM on Monday, January 19th, at the Trek
Superstore, 5000 Menaul Blvd NE. The presentation will be by Don Simonson and Tom Sanford, about Tom, Don, and
Peter Simonson's bike ride along the historic Po Valley in Northern Italy a couple of summers ago. The ride starts in
Mantova (Mantua), an important Renaissance center of art and humanism. Then Don, Peter, and Tom bike their way to
Ferrara where they feast on numerous well-preserved Renaissance palaces and wonderful cuisine (quaffing local wines
in the same shop as Copernicus did as a student in 1503) and continue through ancient towns like Villa Bartolomea,
Monselice, and Chioggia, finally navigating the back allies of Venice ending with the magic of midnight on world
famous St. Mark's Square.
Twenty-Second Santa Fe Trail Bicycle Trek Open for Registration. Online applications and information are now
available for the 22nd Santa Fe Trail Bicycle Trek. This road tour from Santa Fe, New Mexico to New Franklin,
Missouri departs Sept. 6, 2015 and arrives in New Franklin 1,100 miles and 3 weeks later. During the adventure,
participants, many of whom have been CCCTS members, ride through northern New Mexico, over Raton Pass, across
southeast Colorado, diagonally across Kansas, and into Missouri. The route takes riders past old forts, national
monuments, historical markers, historic Santa Fe Trail tracks, and museums and through small towns and major cities,
all on paved roads.
A reasonable cost of $48 day includes all breakfasts, 3 lunches, all dinners, sag support to carry group and
personal equipment, some historic tours, camping, showers, and water and ice on the support vehicles. (Motel rooms are
available in many stopover towns but participants must make their own arrangements.) Not included are other lunches,
personal expenses (such as laundry fees on days off), and transportation from New Franklin back to the Kansas City
Airport or AMTRAK station for rider, bike, and gear. (However, for a moderate cost, a chartered bus will take riders,
bikes, and personal gear to the airport or AMTRAK.)
A deposit of $250 is required and if the minimum of 30 registrants is not reached by the end of March, deposits
will be fully refunded. Riders must start the Tour in Santa Fe but may elect to do less than the full 3 weeks. A
maximum of 40 riders is accepted for the Tour.
Full details, forms, itinerary, and ride schedule are at www.Santafetrailbicycletrek.com. People who need
more information can email Willard Chilcott at [email protected] or CCCTS member Ken Levine at
[email protected].
Coordination of NMTS riders participating in 43rd RAGBRAI, July 19-25, 2015.
Sam Chavez (505-280-2160, [email protected]) is coordinating an NMTS contingent of
riders participating in RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across
Iowa; www.ragbrai.com). As soon as RAGBRAI cutoff date is known, NMTS
cutoff will likely be 30 days prior to that. Some riders go self-sustained (there are
plenty of places to pitch a tent) but it would be nice to have van support in advance
and arrange for B&Bs or other accommodations. Sam is identifying a ride
coordinator who will reserve 30 spots (no deposit required) for NMTS riders until
end of January, when the route will be announced. Service includes SAG support,
setting up tents and air mattresses, moving “stuff” from one town to the next, and
when the ride is completed, driving everyone (with bicycles and gear) back to start.
Welcome New Members!
Alexcia Trujillo, Scott Mozeley, and Michael Mozeley
George Seus
Mauny and Elaine Muray
Paul Milner
Bob Brennan and Sue Mueller
Russ and Cindy Sage
!5
The Freewheel
Happenings and Announcements, Continued
Call for Annual Award Nominations. For the year 2014, the individual accomplishments of NMTS members will be
recognized in an Awards Ceremony in February 2015. To prepare for this, the NMTS Awards Committee is seeking
nominations for the annual awards in the following categories:
• Tour of the year
• Ride Leader of the year
• Volunteer of the year
• Special recognition awards
• Fun / novelty awards
• Lifetime service award
The Awards Committee is asking for help from all members in identifying those who best deserve these awards.
Please send your nominations to the Awards Committee chairperson, Barbara Titus, at [email protected]. More
information is also available in the “NMTS Awards” document, which is available in the members-only section of the
NMTS web site.
If you have an interest in serving on the Awards Committee and participating in the discussions about award
winners for 2014, please contact Barbara Titus.
NMTS Holiday Party, December 13th, 2014. A festive crowd gathered at the home of Linda Olson for the annual
NMTS Holiday Party. There was lots of food, with Rudy’s barbecue and a huge assortment of appetizers, salads, side
dishes, and deserts brought by the participants. After dinner and good conversation, the evening’s events included a
program by the now world-famous NMTS Magical Music Troupe. As recapped by organizer Ron Taylor, the Troupe is
comprised of Roger Riggs, Gordon Pegue, Rosalie Rayburn, Will Ferrell, and Ron and Karen Taylor, who all came
together strictly by happenstance. Roger brings to the group not only his opera quality baritone voice, but also his down
country banjo (the rest of the group is still trying to master the kazoo). Rosalie is the only one brave enough to start
singing any one of the songs in our repertoire, so she sets the beat and then gets us started. Karen sings and also cooks
up a mean dinner for the group to chow down on as we sit around the table fine tuning song lyrics and music. This
year's musical theme was from “The Sound of Music”. We were on a roll with “The Goatherder" song (we changed to
"Goatheads"), “Do-Re-Mi” that we liked better as "Dough-Ray-Me", and “Eidelweiss" (Our version was dedicate to the
"holier than thou" A Group). We deep-sixed "The Hills Are Alive" because it caused the coyotes near the Taylor house
to howl, and because Rosalie announced that her favorite was, of course, "My Favorite Things". Then 15 minutes later,
with more of Karen's good chow and a great group dynamic, we knocked out fun lyrics to Rosalie's "My Favorite
Things", that finished with a rousing:
WHEN THE CHAIN BREAKS
WHEN THE TUBE BLOWS
WHEN THE SPOKE GOES PING
I SIMPLY REMEMBER TO PULL OUT MY PHONE
AND HOPE SOMEONE HEARRRS
MY RING
(The phone thing was Gordon's idea.)
For next year's presentation, we have contemplated adding full-blown dancing to go along with the music and bikeoriented lyrics, except we don't have anyone capable of doing the choreography, and also because Will Ferrell has
pointed out that we'd probably get arrested! Still, thanks to Linda Olsen for letting us turn her dining area into our stage
at the Christmas Party. And thanks as well to all those who cheered us on . . . instead of throwing tomatoes!
Not to be topped by the musical entertainment, Mark Pasnewski then stood up to read his version of
“Ramblings on the Year in NMTS”, in left / right format to facilitate the gift exchange. The review is included in this
newsletter, pages 9-11. The lapses in present-passing (left and right) were soon corrected, and each participant then got
to open an early Christmas present.
Everyone had a great time; can’t wait until next year. Many, many thanks to Linda Olson, who opened her
house for this party and also provided food and drink.
!6
The Freewheel
Happenings and Announcements, Continued
New NMTS Route Library Over the last year, the NMTS Route Committee has been busy updating and creating over
70 routes for the club website. These updated and new routes have been added to the club route library on the NMTS
website at www.nmts.org/rides.php. The front end to the website has also been updated to make it easier to find routes
in Albuquerque, New Mexico (outside of Albuquerque), out-of-state routes and mountain bike routes. Look for
UPDATED or NEW at the end of the route descriptions to find the new routes. All the old routes that haven’t been
updated are also still available to view.
The new and updated routes now have new downloadable PDF maps and cue sheets, elevation profiles, downloadable
GPS files (in three different formats) and links to the routes on RideWithGPS.com. On RideWithGPS.com you can
view the route on a computer, smart phone or tablet and zoom in to see as much detail as you need. Want to know
where a restaurant is on your ride? How about the nearest bike shop? Now you can! On RideWithGPS.com, you can
switch between Google Maps and USGS Topo maps to view the route. There are actually nine different basemap
formats are available on RideWithGPS.com including very detailed satellite images (is that me riding on the road?).
RideWithGPS is free to use, you don’t have to create an account but more advanced features are only available to paid
users. This will give our club the most comprehensive and advanced collection of bicycle routes available anywhere.
Does all this sound like it might be a little complicated? There is a help file to assist members on how to download the
GPS files and get them on their devices. We are also looking into having classes available to help people figure out
how to use this new technology.
A big thanks to everyone on the Route Committee that made this all possible (Hal Stevens, Bill Thompson, Tom
Sullivan, Chris Marsh, Frank Bouchier, Pat Roddy, Michael Bucher, Eric Russell, and Will Ferrell).
- Chris Marsh
!7
The Freewheel
Jiggle The Handle – Mark Pasnewski
Greetings and Happy New Year, fellow club members.
Another great year in NMTS. We’ll get to the yearly awards in a
minute, but as usual we’ll hand out the monthly hardware first.
The Rider Of The Month for last month was John Gately.
To my knowledge, I still haven’t ridden with him. But I did get to
meet him – he came up to me at the holiday party, introduced
himself, and thanked me for the honor. You’re most welcome, and
well deserving. John took some time off early in the month, but
then started going on rides again. It looked like he might make it to
mileage-patch-ville, but a crash on a late-December ride did him in.
That’s too bad – I think he would have made it otherwise.
Nevertheless, congratulations on winning the award. I’m sure you’ll
get that patch next year.
In most years, the ROTM for December is someone who
puts in an extra ride or two in an attempt to get that to that next (or
first) level of the mileage patches. This year there was a twist. At
the start of the month, our ROTM was at 1964 miles for the year, a
mere 36 miles short of that next patch level. He went on one ride
this month and got credit for another one he did back in October.
That put him over the top with a total of 2031 miles for the year.
(By the way, the ride leader for that October ride submitted the
miles to me several times, and they never showed up in the in-box.
Disappeared into the ether every time, for some reason. So it wasn’t
his fault that the ride didn’t get credited until this month.) On one
recent ride, I got to talking to our award winner, and that’s when I
found out that he’s now working out in California! He’s only back
here in town once or twice a month, but still managed to finish with
over 2000 miles for the year. Congratulations, ROTM. Hope you
can continue to join us when you’re back in town.
The Rider Of The Year award this year goes to a rider who
has been very active in the club all year long. I noticed early in the
year that she seemed to be doing a lot more riding this year. I went
back and checked, and she had a total of 131 miles for all of 2013.
This year she has 3391 miles, which is almost 26 TIMES her total
from last year. (Think of how many miles you’d have to ride to
increase your total by a factor of 26.) Rain or shine, winds or calm,
flat or hills, she seemed to be out there. In addition to all those
regular miles on all those regular rides, she achieved something this
fall that a lot of folks never do. Back in October, she completed her
first century ride. (Think about that for a minute – she had about 30
miles less that one day than she had for all of the previous year.) I
got a chance to ride with her a few times, and from what I saw, she
seemed to really be having a great time racking up all those miles.
Congratulations, ROTY. That is truly a fine set of accomplishments
this year.
The Ride Leader of the Year award goes someone who has
quietly (or maybe not-so-quietly) led a lot of rides this year. By my
count, she’s led at least 10 rides, most of them on the weekends.
She makes no secret of the fact that her rides are the type that she
likes to do. She leads “women only” rides. She leads “C-paced”
rides, where everyone is expected to stay (mostly) together. She
leads rides centered around activities in Corrales, where she lives, or
associated with charities that she believes in. Ten rides led would be
enough to qualify her for RLOTY, but there’s more. She has run for
the position of Ride Chairman several times in the past few years.
Each time she does, she seems to get more votes than the previous
time, but not enough to win. There are quite a few folks, including
me, who think more should be done by the Ride Chairman, but our
award winner actually tries to do something about it. I don’t know
if she’ll keep trying, but if she does, I’ll be backing her. And in the
meantime, I’ll be watching for her rides. Congratulations, RLOTY,
and thanks very much for taking such an active role in ride
leadership.
We had one person qualify as an official Sponge
this year, but he quickly joined up after qualifying, so he
almost doesn’t count. Therefore, once again this year, we
don’t have a Sponge Of The Year. Congratulations, us, for
making folks feel welcome enough to join up.
On the M.A.S.H. front, I thought we were going to
escape with a quiet end to the year. Alas, it was not to be. I
mentioned earlier that John Gately crashed on a recent ride.
From what I’ve been able to piece together, the group he was
with was stopped at a light, and when they started across the
street, John hit a piece of the curb sticking out and went
down. That doesn’t sound too serious, but he apparently fell
just wrong. He tried to go on but couldn’t breathe without
great pain. He eventually went to the hospital where he was
diagnosed with a punctured lung and a pulled muscle in his
back. He reported that he’s off his bike for “the next several
days”. Hopefully, he’ll be back riding soon. As for the rest
of us, let’s keep being careful out there. That’s one New
Year’s resolution we should all make.
Earlier this year, on one of the Wednesday night
rides, I got to talking to one of the folks on the ride. Even
though this was the middle of the summer, we somehow got
on the subject of Christmas. He told me that each year, the
place where he works gives gifts to the children of an
elementary school in a poor part of town. They’ve adopted
that school as their cause. As part of that effort, he,
personally, donates about a dozen brand new bikes (and
helmets) to these kids. He said he does it because he can
remember back to when he got his first bike and how excited
he was. He also mentioned that he doesn’t go along when
they deliver the gifts to the kids, because he doesn’t want
everyone making a big deal over his generosity. I was
thinking that this would qualify him for Rider Of The Year,
but then decided that it would be better to name him Secret
Santa Of The Year. It is really heartwarming to know
someone that generous is in our club. HOWEVER…in
keeping with the “secret” part of that, I’m not going to tell
you who he is, unless he gives me permission to reveal his
name. So stay tuned – you may find out who it is, or you may
have to be satisfied with just knowing that he’s one of your
fellow riders.
One of the suggestions made with regard to the club
budget concerned mileage patches. We may be going to an
“opt-in” policy instead of an “opt-out” one. But at least for
this year, you’ll still get one (if you qualified, and a LOT of
you did) unless you let me know that you don’t want yours. I
talked to one recipient last year who told me to put him on the
permanent “don’t want” list. But for the rest of you, if you
don’t want your patch, let me know and I’ll leave yours off
the order. Deadline is January 18. If I don’t hear from you by
then, you’re in.
On a personal level, I’d like to take this opportunity
to thank all of you who have told me throughout the year that
you enjoy reading these idle ramblings each month. It
certainly makes it worthwhile. Reward enough!
That’s it for this year. Hopefully, you hit your
mileage goal for 2014. If not, you know what to do. It’s cold
out there, but some nicer days can still be found. Put those
warm clothes on and take advantage. Get a good start on the
new mileage year. Enjoy the ride.
!8
The Freewheel
BICYCLING ADVOCATE REPORT -- December 2014
Chris Marsh and Don Simonson
NMDOT Statewide Long Range (2040) Multimodal Transportation Plan. We served on this committee along with nine
statewide working groups and seven regional working groups, most recently meeting on Tuesday, December 2 to participate
and give input to NMDOT’s multimodal plan. We’d met a couple of times earlier in the year on the Visitor Travel,
Recreation & Tourism working group. Our job was to see that the long-range plan served the needs of these travelers.
In the December meeting participants speculated on the development of multimodal transportation under different scenarios
ranging from a case where trends are based on current practices with no change in policies and flat revenues for
transportation to a case where trends would allow ‘aspirational vision and new revenue sources“ that would allow for new
strategic priorities without letting go of current commitments.” (Naturally, we preferred the latter case). A summary of
results from this meeting, including the input of dozens of ‘experts’ in attendance, is being prepared and we will keep you
posted when it’s available. We both agreed that NMDOT’s inclusive planning process is a good one and are increasingly
impressed with the caliber of professionals now employed at NMDOT.
West Route 66 Sector Development. We reported in the past about the City Council’s forward-looking West Route 66
Development Plan. The concept was to emphasize West Central as a retail destination with new housing and progressive
transportation infrastructure accommodating bicyclists and motorists. Unfortunately, the City Planning Commission failed
to approve the plan a year ago and the legislation adopting the plan expired, terminating the project. Central and Unser is
becoming a hub with its new library and fire station construction. The Planning Department and City Council say they will
will continue to consider options for modernizing zoning in the Route 66 corridor but there’s been no planning action since
this project got scuttled.
The Singer Notch. We have tried to get a schedule for construction of the notch (underpass) at Singer and the North
Diversion Channel. It’s the only remaining road crossing on the NDC from Indian School to the Balloon Park. The last
official word was in 2011 when the AMAFCA (Albuquerque Metropolitan Area Flood Control Authority) announced it had
sent engineering drawings to the Corp of Engineers for review and approval. The notch is to extend to about 1,800 feet.
We’ve not seen or heard of any action since then. It’s possible there’s a hang-up on locating the notch east of the Channel on
that part of the trail with the hated nine wooden bridges instead of west of the channel along Chappel Road.
Greater Albuquerque Bicycling Advisory Committee (GABAC). Meeting on December 8th:
• Debbie Bauman, DMD, discussed plans for improvement on 12th between Manual and I-40 to facilitate development in
that area.
• DMD discussed plans to divert bike traffic on Central at Rio Grande into neighborhoods to reduce congestion. GABAC
will protest this decision.
• I-25 and Rio Bravo from Broadway to University will be reconstructed. There are currently three plans being
reconsidered. Hopefully this will provide safer access to University northbound and Rio Bravo westbound under I-25
• NMDOT: Plans are being considered for another bike crossing on I-25 in the Paseo area, construction to begin in 2017.
• Mike Provine with Molzen Corbin Engineering showed plans for reconstructing bike lanes on Gibson to provide access to
development of a business park on the south end of the airport.
• Ladera and Unser: bike lanes will be widened to 8 ft. to provide a 2 ft. buffer between autos and bikes.
• Comanche from San Mateo to Carlisle will remain a bike route, but on street parking will remain.
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The Freewheel
►► Rides That Were ◀◀
Dorothy’s Fast 50 Ride – December 6, Gordon Pegue
A group of about 20 riders turned out at the start (UNM Observatory) on a relatively warm and sunny day. The ride route stays almost
entirely on trails, going north on the North Diversion Channel Trail, west on the Paseo Del Norte Trail, south on the Paseo Del Bosque Trail and
the Chris Chavez Loop, and then returning by the same route. On the way back, we diverted at Mountain Road to head over to Rolling in Dough
Café in Old Town for a break and something good to eat. A great ride for early December.
Fine Crafts Ride – December 6, Sandy Gold
It was a fine morning for a ride, especially with a later start. Don, Ed, Erika, John, and Tom were looking forward to the ride through
scenic Rio Rancho, followed by the Fine Crafts at the Old San Ysidro Church in Corrales. Both Don and Tom made purchases, while Sandy
made her’s later in the day. Leaving the Old Church, we headed south for a second art show, Art for the Animals, which benefitted CARMA, a
Corrales animal shelter. There, Sandy found a magnificent Fat Cat gourd to add to her cat collection. Lunch at Village Pizza followed.
Hollywood is Halfway – December 13, Bill Thompson
A weather front was coming in; the prediction was for rain / snow arriving in early evening, and wind from the south starting after
lunch. However, at the 9 AM start at Alameda Open Space, there was actually a modest breeze from the north. The sun was out, however, so 23
riders took off north, headed through Bernalillo, Algodones, and San Felipe Pueblo to the halfway point at Hollywood Casino and travel center.
With the prediction of rising wind from the south, no one stayed long at the travel center, and soon we were headed back to the starting point.
With a slightly downhill route and a bit of a tailwind, we made good time past San Felipe Pueblo and through Algodones. However, once we
reached Bernalillo, someone flipped the switch and the south wind started. So, the last leg south on NM 313 was more of a struggle. We all
made it back to Alameda Open Space, however, glad that the really bad weather had not yet arrived. Total distance was 52 miles. We did get
rain, starting at about 7 PM that evening.
A Shorter, Climbing Alternative to the Long, Flat Ride – December 13, Sandy Gold
Having done the ride to Hollywood Casino numerous times, experiencing extreme winds on one or more of the legs, Ed and I decided
to do a shorter distance ride and headed up Tramway from Alameda, enjoying a slight tail wind. As we headed south towards Simms Road, we
noticed a head wind and happily turned east, again with a slight tail wind. We returned via Spain, Wyoming, and Osuna, over the I-25 bridge and
onto the NDC where we enjoyed the tail wind back to Alameda. While having lunch at Flying Star, we encountered Samson staggering in and
dripping with sweat, having fought a ferocious head wind returning from Bernalillo. We were very happy with our choice.
Polar Express Ride the Rail Runner – December 19, Chris Marsh
Those who came out for this ride received a “Polar Express” commemorative sleigh bell from ride leader Chris Marsh. The route goes
mostly north to south, from the Los Ranchos Rail Runner station to the Belen Rail Runner station. On this particular day, there happened to be a
good breeze from the north, so there was a tailwind for the entire route. That doesn’t happen too often! Arriving in Belen, the group enjoyed a
leisurely lunch at Pete’s Café, and then a relaxing ride on the Rail Runner train back to the start. A great ride!
Last Minute Shopper’s Ride – December 20, Mark Pasnewski
I was going to submit the shortest ride recap in history for this ride. One word – COLD. That’s it. But then I decided to elaborate a
little on that description. Nobody expects a December ride to be hot and humid, but this ride turned out to be the first really cold ride of the year.
Temperatures the night before dipped into the teens, and by ride time it wasn’t too much above that. A couple folks rode to the starting location,
and they confirmed what the rest of us suspected – it was cold out there. Even the initial climb up to Tramway didn’t do much to warm things up,
and then we faced the long downhill from there all the way to the valley floor. Compounding the problem was that the sun stayed mostly behind
the clouds, which made it feel even colder. We made it out to the west side without incident, and at that point we were glad to see that the clouds
were finally moving out. Those of us riding at the back actually benefitted from riding slower, as we got to spend more of the ride in the sun.
Traffic wasn’t too bad, except around the malls, and we didn’t have to deal with it anyway, being on the bike trails. No flats and no accidents,
which was good. Nobody actually stopped to do any last minute shopping, either, from what I could tell. Only a couple of us hung around
afterward to have lunch at Garcia’s, which was too bad for the rest of the riders. Their food is great, and a warm burrito was just the antidote for
the cold day. This ride is a nice tradition each year, like luminarias and posole on Christmas Eve. Look for it again next year.
Christmas Eve Luminaria Tour – December 24, Mary Ann Sweeney
14 riders met in the Old Town parking lot, including several non-members who were interested in seeing the luminaries and other
Christmas decorations from a new perspective. Leaving just about dusk at about 5:15, the ride leader took us west on Mountain Road to the
Bosque Trail and then south for a couple of miles. We turned off the Trail at Alcalde into the Country Club area. There, we meandered around to
see all the decorations; to look down a street for several blocks and see every house with luminarias along sidewalks and driveways was just
beautiful. We then rode back to Old Town to the Rolling in Dough Café, where the ride leader passed out awards for best costumes and bike
decorations, and treated everyone to their favorite pastry and beverage. A great NMTS tradition each year on Christmas Eve.
Want to Ride? – December 27, Donna Chavez
There were fourteen riders on this sunny but very cold day. “Crazy” is a word that I overheard multiple times before the ride. Some of
us, including myself, were bundled like Ralphie's younger brother in “A Christmas Story”. Five shortened the ride by going north on Unser. The
rest of us trudged up Nine Mile hill. Although the stretch to Double Eagle Airport was freezing, the rest of the ride (mostly downhill) was
warmer than expected. A special thanks to those who participated!
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The Freewheel
NMTS Classified Ads
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Like new, clip-type pedals!! Check the pedals online:
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!11
The Freewheel
RAMBLINGS ON THE YEAR IN NMTS
We have two new practice drills this year. Back in June, I saw an editorial cartoon in the Fayetteville, NC
Observer. It showed two Democratic donkeys talking about Eric Cantor being defeated in the Virginia primary. One
says to the other, “a RIGHT-RIGHT Republican was ousted by a RIGHT-RIGHT-RIGHT Republican. We should
celebrate! RIGHT?” And then in October, Lucy Nichols spotted a cartoon in the local paper. A woman is asking her
granddaughter “How do you spell WRITE?” The granddaughter says “Well, you can spell it W-R-I-T-E, R-I-G-H-T, or
R-I-T-E”. She asks “Which one are you looking for?” Grandma replies “I don’t care, as long as it’s RIGHT”. Anyone
LEFT without a gift?
January 1st brought the traditional New Year’s Day Ride. 18 riders LEFT all those football games on TV to
enjoy sunny and unusually warm temperatures. For the first time in several years, I started the year off on the RIGHT
foot by doing this ride. A quick trip out to the Rio Puerco rest stop LEFT us facing that daunting hill on the way back.
Strong winds kicked up as we got back to town, making it hard to keep your bike upRIGHT. But we made it back
safely, and we all agreed it had been the RIGHT way to start off the year.
Also in January, Ed Kjeldgaard (I hope I spelled his name RIGHT) hosted this year’s version of the “Souper
Bowl” ride. I must not have been in my RIGHT mind when I decided to ride from home. It was downRIGHT cold
when I LEFT my house, and going downhill to the start location LEFT me even colder. Even though this was a
relatively short ride, it seemed a lot longer to me. Early in the ride, one of my tires went flat. Later in the ride, the other
tire flatted. That LEFT me without a spare tube. It was a good thing Ron Zabrocki (I hope I spelled his name RIGHT)
was RIGHT there to lend me another tube. That got me back to the starting location, but I was still had to get back up
the hill to my house. I got a few hundred yards down the road, and had yet another flat. That LEFT me with no spare
tubes (again). Halfway home, with the back tire losing air (again), I was LEFT with no choice but to stop every half
mile to pump it RIGHT back up. It was the start of my year-long tire troubles. I used to really like that Souper Bowl
ride.
February started on a truly festive note. Newlyweds Barbara and Greg Titus hosted us for the aptly named “B &
G’s Giant Little Wedding/Housewarming Extravaganza” ride. A mob of 35 riders gathered to wish the happy couple
well. Since this was part ride and part housewarming, we started RIGHT at their house. The highlight of the day was
watching Greg do the “direction dance”. Instead of just describing the route, with all the LEFT and RIGHT turns we
would encounter, Greg turned the ride description into performance art. When we were to go south, Greg would hop up
in the air and come down facing south. When we were to go east, Greg jumped up and came down facing east. Same
thing with north and west directions. It LEFT everyone smiling and eager to get to riding. Greg hasn’t hosted another
ride since that one, so I don’t know if he does the direction dance every time he describes a route. But it sure seemed
like the RIGHT touch that day.
In March, Chris Marsh hosted the “Mayor Berry’s 50 Mile Loop” ride. This ride was great except for the fact
that we didn’t see any mayor Berrys. That didn’t seem RIGHT for a ride with his name in the title. The following week
brought “Fred’s Favorite” ride. This ride was great except for the fact that it wasn’t hosted by someone named Fred.
That didn’t seem RIGHT for a ride with his name in the title. Steve McKenzie actually hosted Fred’s ride. Participants
in both rides were LEFT highly disappointed.
Also in March, David Satter hosted the “East/West” ride. One rider, the aforementioned Steve McKenzie, didn’t
set his alarm clock RIGHT and was late getting to the ride. By the time he got there, everyone else had LEFT. Steve
eventually caught RIGHT up to the rest of us, though, and we all enjoyed a fine ride and a fine lunch at the Flying Star.
David enjoyed hosting the ride so much, he put it RIGHT back on the calendar two weeks later.
In April, Bill stepped RIGHT up and led the annual Tour de Chavez Ride. As usual, this ride had the most
LEFT’s and RIGHT’s of any ride in the club. The weather was ominous as we started out. By the time we got to the top
of Nine Mile Hill, it was sprinkling, with the threat of more severe weather looming. Several riders decided not to
chance it and LEFT the route early. Those of us that went on made the RIGHT choice – the sprinkles passed, and no
further rain was seen. And talk about Chavez’s - we went RIGHT by more Chavez’s than you could count. A couple of
us LEFT off the last part of the ride, but even with that we were LEFT with enough Chavez’s (and miles) to make the
ride worthwhile.
In May, Gus Cronenberg put on his trio of east mountain rides. Each ride started at Tramway and Central and
went RIGHT out to the intersection in Tijeras. From there, one ride went RIGHT, one ride went LEFT, and one ride
went RIGHT straight through. All of these rides started in town, went east, wandered around, then came RIGHT back.
This is at least the third time he’s led these three rides in May. He’s nothing if not consistent.
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The Freewheel
We certainly lived up to the “New Mexico” in NMTS this year. While most of our rides were in Albuquerque,
we LEFT town several times for rides around the state. We spent a weekend scenically touring Sipapu, and then spent
another weekend riding to Santa Fe and back. We explored Mora, went RIGHT out to Grants for the El Malpais ride,
looped the Gila wilderness, veloed the Valle Grande RIGHT at the start of the summer, and then veloed it again the
following month. We rocked the Tent Rocks near Cochiti and meandered RIGHT out to Mountainair. We rode around
Santa Fe to remember Lee Hilley and rode around the north valley to remember Rob Oakes. And if that wasn’t enough,
we LEFT the state for a week of riding all around southern Colorado, and then spent two more days bucket listing up
there later in the summer. We even LEFT the lower 48 for two weeks in Alaska, and then spent six days looking at the
stars RIGHT in between Texas and Oklahoma. Anyplace LEFT we haven’t gone?
June saw the return of the A.R.T. Ride – Avoid the River Trail. This ride has always featured a death-defying
dash down Avenida Cesar Chavez. Based on suggestions from other riders, I LEFT that part out this time. Instead, we
rode RIGHT past that road and headed for Rio Bravo. To get there, I told folks to turn LEFT on a street that doesn’t
even exist. Folks had to figure out the RIGHT way to proceed. But everyone made it through all RIGHT, and it turned
out to be a good addition to the route.
Later in June, Tom Sullivan hosted the “Five Burros of the South Valley” Ride. This ride had so many LEFTs and
RIGHTs that it was hard to keep track of all of them. In fact, Tom’s cue sheet LEFT off two of the turns that were
actually part of the route. I’m sure the group I was riding with blew RIGHT past a couple of places we were supposed
to turn, but we eventually ended up in the RIGHT place. And as hard as we tried, we only saw one of the five jackasses
we were promised in the ride name. It LEFT us quite disappointed.
And speaking of jackasses…
This being an election year, there were plenty of them in attendance for the Corrales July 4th Parade. Sandy
Gold hosted her annual ride around Corrales and Bernalillo prior to the parade. We tried to stay together for the ride, but
at one point we LEFT the ride leader behind. However, we dutifully waited RIGHT where she told us to wait.
Meanwhile, Sandy blew RIGHT through the turnoff and LEFT us wondering where she was. By the time we finally
made it to the parade, only about half of it was LEFT. That was all RIGHT, though. Once you’ve seen one old-time car,
tractor, or horse’s, um, behind, you’ve pretty much seen them all. As the parade wound down, we LEFT our vantage
point to ride RIGHT over to Village Pizza for lunch. Once again this year, the place was packed, but we were able to get
our food and beer RIGHT away, thanks to Sandy. It pays to know the RIGHT people.
Also in July, Gary Shaw did his best impression of Tom Sullivan. He led us RIGHT up several of the foothills
on his “The Good And The Bad” ride, and then two weeks later, he led us RIGHT up south 14 on his “Oak Flats Loop”
ride. Both of these rides LEFT the participants worn out from all that climbing.
And speaking of Tom, the Bataan Death Ride, also known as the Fabulous Foothills Frolic, was LEFT off the
calendar this year. That thing is a RITE of passage for many riders, though I can’t figure out why so many people like to
do it. Tom tried to hide it last year, moving it to April and calling it the Springtime Frolic, but I saw RIGHT through
that. This year, it was nowhere to be found. Maybe last year’s edition LEFT Tom too tired to put it on this year.
August saw the return of the “Randy’s Real Estate” ride. This isn’t the RIGHT name for the ride, since Randy hasn’t
been around for several years. But when he LEFT the club, he LEFT the ride for someone else to host, so I put it on
occasionally. As we were riding down Tramway, I noticed that the wind was blowing out of the north – the RIGHT
direction to provide a tailwind as we rode south. Twice more during the ride the wind shifted in the RIGHT direction,
which LEFT us with favorable winds all the way back to the start location. There were three rides to choose from that
day, but the 14 folks who opted for this ride made the RIGHT choice. How many times do you get a tailwind in every
direction?
And for the second time in memory, the Club Picnic Ride took place in August. Riders were LEFT confused,
wondering if this was the RIGHT day for the ride. But a lot of folks figured it out. A mob of over 40 riders LEFT the
Smith’s parking lot and found their way RIGHT up Tijeras Canyon and RIGHT up south 14 to the Oak Flats picnic
grounds, where Pete Stirbis and Linda Olson treated us to the usual wonderful spread. This year’s version featured an
unexpected surprise – NMTS’s version of the Ice Bucket Challenge. Club president Greg Titus accepted the challenge
RIGHT there in front of all the participants. His lovely wife Barbara did the honors. Greg was LEFT wet and cold after
getting doused. In keeping with the challenge, Greg then called out Gary Shaw. Gary, in turn, called Greg something I
can’t repeat here. But it was all for a great cause, and it was RIGHTly amusing as well.
September began with a new ride on the calendar – the “I Break for Beers” ride. I had a hard time figuring out
the RIGHT route for this ride. A couple of the places that I thought would be dicey turned out to be all RIGHT, and one
that I hadn’t considered troublesome at all (Alameda east of Balloon Fiesta Park) turned out to be suicidal. Most of the
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The Freewheel
riders RIGHTly LEFT that section out. The route eventually took us RIGHT past 18 breweries, but we LEFT the beer
sampling at those places to other customers. Lunch at Nexus Brewery LEFT everyone happy and satisfied. At least I
think it was lunch that had everyone so cheerful.
Also in September, Lucy and Big Al’s Ball Bearing Factory and Day Care Center played host to the 16th annual
Breakfast Burrito Ride. We were a little late getting started, but that was all RIGHT – the early arrivers got put to work
ferrying food and chairs. The ride itself was uneventful, which is good. Everyone made it back in time to enjoy a great
cookout and the LEFTover burritos. Again this year, we made an extra dozen, but this time there were almost none
LEFT over for the kitchen help. We may have to make even more next year. But everyone had a great time and nobody
LEFT hungry.
October saw the return of Rio Grande Century ride. Chris Marsh put this ride on in April, but the weather was
apparently bad that day. So he put it on again in May, calling it the Rio Grande Century Re-Do. For the October
edition, the RIGHT name would have been the Re-Do-Do. I was meandering in Mountainair that day, so I couldn’t
participate. But 11 riders took part. A few LEFT off part of the ride and got “only” 62 miles, but the rest did the full
100. Two of the riders, Cindy Sommers and Rita Wormwood, were RIGHTly celebrated for completing their first
century rides. Both were LEFT with a feeling of great accomplishment.
In November, Chris Marsh reprised his “Breaking Bad” ride, this time in conjunction with a Breaking Bad
Festival. This ride takes folks RIGHT past several of the locations that were used in the filming of the television series.
Once again this year, I put on an alternate version of this ride that LEFT a little earlier than the one Chris hosted.
Apparently, I still can’t read a map RIGHT, because again this year we missed a couple of the locations. But we got to
see most of the sites, so we didn’t feel too LEFT out.
As a club, we seem to be in love with riding to Belen. We rode down there, had some RIGHTeously good food at Pete’s
Café, then came back on the train. Then we turned RIGHT around and did it again. And again. And again. A total of
seven times this year, and counting. I’m surprised it was LEFT off the December ride schedule. We called it different
things – The Rail Runner Ride, The Belen Blast, Belen and Beyond – but it was still the same ride. We even went down
there as part of a couple of century rides. We sure love us some Belen around here.
Of course, it just wouldn’t be RIGHT if we LEFT out a mention of all the folks who do the RIGHT thing by
helping out throughout the year. Special thanks go out to the many volunteers who lead rides, provide sag support, man
(and woman) the rest stops, and open their homes for holiday parties, “thank-you” parties, or just the RIGHT hospitality
before and after club rides. And we especially don’t want the cooks and bakers LEFT out. Next to our ride leaders they
are the stars of the club and we would be downRIGHT disappointed without their goodies at the rest stops, club
meetings, get-togethers, and food rides.
As always, I’ll include my standard disclaimer – sorry if I’ve LEFT out anyone’s favorite ride, but these are my
ramblings. If you want to ramble, go RIGHT ahead.
Again this year, there are several great rides LEFT before they drop the tiger and lion ball at the zoo in Amarillo,
including the Last Minute Shoppers Ride and the Christmas Eve Ride. There’s also a long Saturday ride on the last
weekend of the year, in case you’re LEFT needing to get those last few miles in.
Then, it’s on to 2015. Start the year off RIGHT by doing some of those January rides. And don’t be LEFT out
of the ride leaders and volunteers party next fall. It’s always a RIGHTeously good time. Plan RIGHT now to lead a ride
or volunteer for a club function. It’s shaping up to be another great year for NMTS, and we’re all looking forward to it,
RIGHT? Enjoy the ride.
Prepared by Mark Pasnewski, and read at the NMTS Holiday Party on December 13, 2014. Thanks, Mark!
!14
The Freewheel
Club Ride Miles Last Month (through 12/31)
Ed Kjeldgaard
803 Bob Waggoner
316 Mark Pasnewski
179 R.T. Odinek
76 Allan Taylor
44
Chris Marsh
762 Gordon Pegue
298 Al Zeman
175 Sybil Keyser
74 Bob Rundle
44
Gary Shaw
665 Bob Griffith
279 Jan Marsh
167 Rosalie Rayburn
71 Maggie Zahm
44
Fred Mitchell
633 John Gillett
270 Johanna DeMay
153 Eric Russell
69 Bob Morgan
42
Will Ferrell
453 Gary D'Lamater
267 Terrance Frame
139 Ralph Butler
67 David Olson
40
David Jewell
452 Susan D'Lamater
267 Roger Riggs
138 John Dyer
67 Gina Corvetto
39
Bill Thompson
443 Scott Mozeley
249 Dee Friesen
133 Judy Odinek
54 Mary Katherine Biesel
37
David Atkins
438 Alexcia Trujillo
249 Peter Marks
127 Frank Bouchier
52 Christa Keller
37
David Satter
398 John Sturtevant
241 John Gately
119 John Carstensen
52 Bill Jacobson
32
Cindy Sommers
387 Saul Segura
221 Jim Fordice
111 Maurice Williams
50 Erika Rimson
30
Barbara Titus
355 Will DeMay
200 Larry Gilbert
108 Brett McDowell
50 Rita Wormwood
30
Don Simonson
343 Steve McKenzie
197 Kathryn Urtiaga
100 Christina Hartsock
50 Steve Moffat
28
Ronald Taylor
331 Tom Sullivan
192 Hal Stevens
97 Art Morganti
50 Patrick Roddy
28
Greg Titus
329 Mary Ann Sweeney
188 Ralph Monfort
94 Roger Chavez
50 Chris Heimerl
23
Gary Jones
323 Donna Chavez
186 Samson Costales
85 Rick Myers
44 Sandy Gold
21
Russell Stolk
316 Tom Snow
184 Dorothy Brethauer
83 Carl Smith
44
Total Club Ride Miles for 2014
Ed Kjeldgaard
9359 Mark Pasnewski
2729 Dorothy Brethauer
1328 Ron Zabrocki
491 Sybil Keyser
199
Chris Marsh
8615 Gary D'Lamater
2557 Larry Gilbert
1275 Christina Hartsock
479 Deborah Stolk
196
Bill Thompson
6412 Tom Snow
2524 Terrance Frame
1127 David Olson
474 Carl Smith
194
John Sturtevant
6260 John Gillett
2482 Jerry Grayson
1121 Sandy Isabell
454 Jeffrey Pifer
175
David Atkins
5609 Roger Riggs
2465 Maggie Zahm
1116 Lester Arakaki
441 Gary Lueck
154
Will Ferrell
5513 David Jewell
2432 John Dyer
1110 Brett McDowell
432 Steve Mahieu
148
Gary Shaw
5197 Mary Ann Sweeney
2423 Donna Chavez
1048 Rick Myers
425 Jeff Burns
141
Gary Jones
5171 Will DeMay
2418 Richard Youngblood
1044 Lauralee Dillon
380 Barry Deutsch
137
Tom Sullivan
4712 Steve McKenzie
2365 Sandy Gold
999 Art Morganti
345 Keiko Ohnama
136
Bob Griffith
4609 Al Zeman
2261 John Gately
952 Mike Hall
344 Scott Russell
130
Alex Zucosky
4299 Jane Zucosky
2177 Rita Wormwood
817 Chris Morganti
338 Jason Buchta
122
Gordon Pegue
4183 Bob Waggoner
2070 Bill Jacobson
778 Bob Rundle
288 Erika Rimson
118
Barbara Titus
4142 Jan Marsh
2046 Trudy Bergen
736 Bob Morgan
277 Tom Sanford
113
Ralph Monfort
4004 Ralph Butler
2031 Samson Costales
720 Christine Satter
267 Allan Taylor
103
David Satter
3850 Ronald Taylor
1971 Frank Bouchier
659 Kathryn Urtiaga
266 Ramona Thomas
102
Susan D'Lamater
3823 Johanna DeMay
1859 Stefan Travnicek
649 Chris Heimerl
254 Carol Meincke
93
Saul Segura
3789 Peter Marks
1710 Jim Shelton
624 Jeff Saul
252 Diane Owens
90
Don Simonson
3717 Ernie Schofield
1674 Jim Allen
598 Scott Mozeley
249 Dan McCamman
87
Russell Stolk
3451 R.T. Odinek
1669 Steve Moffat
598 Alexcia Trujillo
249 Gus Cronenberg
80
Cindy Sommers
3391 Judy Odinek
1533 Mary Katherine Biesel
585 John Carstensen
239 Archie Freeman
77
Richard Cullison
3388 Eric Russell
1441 Maurice Williams
575 Christa Keller
234 Ed Hernandez
75
Greg Titus
3234 Jim Fordice
1396 Roger Chavez
565 Altana Gray
219 Steve Post
75
Fred Mitchell
3161 Hal Stevens
1380 Ken Levine
561 Volney Hildreth
219 Weng Chow
74
Dee Friesen
3118 Patrick Roddy
1364 Holly Evans
529 Gina Corvetto
207 Dianne Cress
74
Max Garcia
2787 Rosalie Rayburn
1362 Margaret Kent
508 Marcy Kupchella
203 Peter Chalamidas
63
Continued Next Page
!15
The Freewheel
Total Club Ride Miles for 2014, Continued
James Rosel
62 Thomas Cantrell
50 Pepper McLaughlin
37 Paul Adkin
27 Richard Torres
Mary Rosel
62 Don Schmaltz
49 Sam Chavez
32 Larry Cash
26 Tim Pegors
Carla Jester
59 Karen Ann Smith
45 Suzanne Taylor
30 Jon McCorkell
21
Kevin Erickson
59 Robert Thompson
41 Paul Henckel
30 Dean Murphy
21
Elizabeth Gatica
56 Jim Weddell
38 John Lee
28 Art Gardenswartz
20
Summary For Calendar Year 2014
Total NMTS club ride miles: 198,556 miles
Number of NMTS riders with club ride miles: 147
Average number of club ride miles: 1,350.7 miles
Median number of club ride miles: 529 miles
Number of NMTS riders with over 1,000 club ride miles: 58
Total NMTS club ride miles for riders with over 1,000 miles: 175,302 miles
Congratulations to All!!
!16
20
6
NMTS Membership Application and Renewal Form
Make checks or money orders payable to:
New Mexico Touring Society
P. O. Box 1261
Albuquerque NM 87103-1261
or, apply and pay online at www.nmts.org
New Member
Renewal
[ ]
[ ]
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Phone:Home__________________________Cell______________________________Business_______________________________
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NOTE: Indicate with an * next to the item any information you DO NOT want to appear in the club directory.
NMTS is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting safe recreational cycling and bicycle advocacy.
Our membership includes road cyclists mountain bikers and tourists of all fitness and skill levels.
Please print a waiver form http://www.nmts.org/Documents/membership_waiver.pdf
Have everyone read and sign it and mail it in with your application.
NMTS
P. O. Box 1261
Albuquerque NM 87103-1261
Do you need to renew? Check your membership
expiration date located above your name and address.
January 2015