GVCC President's Column: May 1, 2013
Bicycle Spoken Here, GVCC President: Doris Phinney
968-3143, cyclebug@aol.com

NEWCOMERS RIDE: Saturday, May 11, 9:30am, Java Station, Doris, 968-3143. Everyone is welcome to join this leisurely paced ride around Goleta or downtown for coffee. No one is ever left behind. You must wear a helmet to ride with the Goleta Valley Cycling Club.

GREAT WESTERN BIKE RALLY: Join several thousand other riders at the Great Western Bike Rally in Paso Robles. This is a family event with lots of different activities and rides for everyone. GVCC members will be attending. For more information : www.greatwestern bicyclerally.com

NEWCOMERS RIDE: Saturday, June 1, 9:30am, 6219 Avenida Gorrion (Lori & Stu’s home), Doris, 968-3143. Everyone is welcome to join this leisurely paced ride around Goleta or downtown for coffee. No one is ever left behind. You must wear a helmet to ride with the Goleta Valley Cycling Club.

GVCC ANNUAL MEETING (Members Only): Saturday, June 1, following the Newcomers Ride, 6219 Avenida Gorrion. The feast will be potluck, so bring food to share. The club will supply cups, plates, utensils and bottled water. Please RSVP to me (cyclebug@aol.com or phone 968-3143) by May 29, if you plan to attend.

GVCC TANDEM: We have a nice Santana tandem donated by Hal and Fran Finney in 2010. Contact me if you would like to ride it sometime.

WANT TO SUGGEST A RIDE? Contact Lori anytime to get your ride on the calendar: lorbonz@gmail.com

SHELBY, WHERE ARE YOU?! It is a cold and dreary day with moisture drizzling from the sky. Due to an accumulation of stress, I am determined to ride 9 miles to Yoga class. About a mile from home I begin to think this ride is a bad idea. However cold and damp I am getting I keep on going, ending my ride after less than 5 miles with a rear flat tire.
Just past the intersection of Los Carneros and Cathedral Oaks I stop and put my bike on the sidewalk to check the tire. It’s too wet and cold to think about fixing the flat, so I decide to walk home really fast, pushing my bike, hoping to get home in time to drive to Yoga. On Los Carneros heading south, a vehicle pauses and the woman driver asks if I have a problem.
“Yes, I have a flat tire.”
She asks where I’m going and if I would like a ride.
“YES!”
We put my Bike Friday in the back of her vehicle and head for Ellwood and home.
“My mother rides everywhere, so I’m tuned in to cyclists.” she says. “I passed you on Cathedral Oaks and then turned around to check on you and you were out of sight, but then I saw you on Los Carneros. Helping you is going to give me good karma.”
Needless to say, I have no trouble getting to Yoga on time in my car. The glow of Shelby’s kindness is warming me all over, even if my clothes are a little damp.
So wherever you are, Shelby, thank you again, you made my day. Now whenever I have a flat, I’m going to stop and call “Shelby, where are you?

New Santa Barbara County Bike Touring Site

Bike touring fans can find a wealth of information on bike touring in Santa Barbara County on a new website: bike-santabarbara.org

Join our rides for fun and fitness!

The club offers a variety of rides from monthly newcomer rides to tougher tours up the local hills. Check the calendar and come ride with us!
Although many of us wear colorful biker clothes and have road bikes, we are tourers, not racers. Our greatest passion, and perennial source of discussion, is safety on the roads -- how routes can be configured for better bike safety and how bikers can make wise riding choices to maximize safety.
While it is true that some GVCC members enjoy chasing down younger race kit-clad speedsters, club rides are cooperative, not competitive..
Non-members are always welcome to come meet club members and try our rides out. Check the calendar and join us.

GVCC Email Mailing List

Goleta Valley Cycling Club has an email list at Google Groups. Club members can join or get off the list by contacting Lori.
Please be aware when you reply to a group email, the reply goes to the whole group. If you only want to reply privately to the sender, don't send the reply to the gbike group. Instead, copy out the email address of the sender and send your email to that person.
In order to avoid exposing GVCC members' email addresses to the public, the messages and message archives are only viewable by group members. The mailing list is also not listed in the Google Groups directory and does not have a Google webpage.
Email posts go to all list members. Post by emailing gbike@googlegroups.com. Learn about Google Group options at Google Groups.