Rides for the week of March 3 – 9:

As much as we hope that winter is over, it still sneaks back periodically. Remember, the rides are still on even if it is cold out, I just will not be there. Cold combined with rain is a different story. To risky, consider the rides cancelled if it is raining in cold weather. We will keep the Saturday morning rides at 8:30am for a couple more weeks. Once Daylight Savings kicks in we will change up the whole schedule. Saturday will continue to be from Andy Brown East and Sunday will be at Sand Bass Point.

Wednesday, March 5, 9:05a.m.
Coppell Aquatic Center
DA Women. 25-ish miles at 14 - 16 mph average pace. They will be doing drills concentrating on speed and form. Great way to get back into biking-You will not get dropped. Route is generally out towards Flower Mound.

Wednesday, March 5, 6:00 p.m.
ExxonMobil Loop in Irving map
A 1.3 mile lighted loop on Las Colinas Blvd between Royal Lane and Colwell Blvd. We park at the corner of Colwell Blvd and Las Colinas Blvd. Please have a flashing taillight for this ride.
Warm up starts at 6:00 pm. Meet at the South end of the loop at 6:10 to start the workout. This week – Paceline drills. This emphasizes smooth steady pacing. Continue for 30 minutes.

Saturday, March 8, 8:30 a.m.
Andy Brown East Park, Coppell
Distances vary from 25-50+ miles. Groups will form up based upon speed. Focus on longer slower base building type rides. Ride leaders will be assigned to make sure no gets left out alone in the cold. New comers always welcome.

Sunday, March 9, 8:30 a.m.
Sand Bass Point at Lake Grapevine map to Sand Bass Point
A beautiful 30 to 35-mile ride along country roads. Casual pace. This is a leaderless ride.

Weather Policy
Of course everyone needs to use their own judgment based upon their comfort level and experience, but general guidelines for group rides:
Wet roads or rain threatening, temperature below 50 degrees: NO RIDE
Lightning in any conditions: NO RIDE
This being Texas, these storms often move through quickly and normally we can still get the ride in. We will have to watch the radar closely in these situations.
Dry roads, sunny, and temp below 40 degrees: personal choice.
A lot of people will ride when temperatures are below 40 degrees. I don’t enjoy it, especially when there is significant wind chill. Feel free to show your toughness and come on out and ride, but I won’t be there.

Saturday and Sunday, May 3rd and 4th
MS 150 Bike Rally
For those looking for the experience of a two day bike rally, this is it! The MS 150 raises funds for research toward a cure for MS. As the name suggests, it is 150 miles over two days, starting in Frisco and ending in Fort Worth. We will have a training program starting March 8th to prepare riders to two days in the saddle!

See Dallas MS 150 for details on the rally itself.

Saturday, August 23rd
Hotter ?N Hell 100 Bike Rally
We will have another training program for Hotter ?N Hell 2008. We had great fun with this in 2007. Training starts May 31st. The training will consist of organized rides of increasing distance leading up to the event date in August. Our longest rides will be in the 80 mile range. We will participate in one or two local bike rallies as well for the experience of riding in an organized event and to see some different scenery! There will also be a couple of nutrition/hydration sessions as part of the training.

We have made arrangements for group accommodations and a group meal on Friday evening before the ride. Goal here is to keep the cost down but the camaraderie up. After all, this is just as much a social event as it is a workout!

See Hotter 'N Hell 100 for details on the rally itself.

SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL DALLAS ATHLETES MEMBERS.

Sessions located at Dallas Athletes Endurance Sports, 801 Hammond, #101, Coppell, 75019

2007 DALLAS ATHLETES CYCLING INFORMATION SESSIONS

Bike maintenance and repair seminars by Gary Smith. All seminars held that the Dallas Athletes Store and are ?hands-on? meaning bring your bike. There is no fee for these sessions.

March 3, 2008
Changes they are a coming! Daylight Savings starts this weekend so expect changes to our ride schedule. Plus, with DLS we will start the Wednesday night ride from Standridge Stadium. If you want to get a jump on those Wednesday night rides, join us for our ExxonMobil loop ride this Wednesday night (see schedule).

Got Goals? How about a two day rally. A training program to prepare riders for the two day Sam’s Club MS 150 rally starts this week. The training program is free, but participants must be members of Dallas Sports University. The program will prepare riders to complete the two day MS150 bike rally through a series of training rides and nutrition/hydration/strategy discussions. Cyclists entering this training program must have base mileage defined as being able to do a single day 30 to 35 mile ride comfortably. We will focus on back to back Saturday and Sunday rides to prepare for two days in the saddle. My DA email has not been working the last couple of weeks so if you have emailed me at david@dallasathletes.com I have not seen it. Please send a new email to me at david.stonecipher@verizon.net if you want to be part of this training program.

With the construction on SH121 I want to remind everyone to be especially vigilant when riding on the access roads of SH121. In fact I highly recommend minimizing the amount of time on those access roads during this construction period. Consider taking routes that go through the airport to Grapevine as an alternative. My understanding is this construction is only scheduled to last through 2008, so it will be a fairly short term problem.

Stop by Gary Smith’s TLC for Bikes shop at 320 S SH121 N, Suite 303, Coppell TX, and check out his stock of cycling and nutrition gear. It is on the north bound access road to 121, just north of the Fellowship Church. Feel free to give him a call at 214 957 1903 for directions. Here is a map from Andy Brown East Park in Coppell to his shop map

Let’s be safe out there!

David

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Maps Maps Maps
Dallas Athletes cycling route maps are available on MapMyRun.com. Do a keyword search on 'DAAC' to see what is available. I have built a set of basic routes then added additional maps that show extensions or alternates to those routes. Some however will show a starting point of our old location. Be sure you check the schedule to know where the ride start is currently. You can pan and zoom on these maps to see the details and print what you need. Check the Description section of each map for add'l info. New maps are being created all the time. Feel free to add your favorite route. Just include DAAC somewhere in the title so we can search on it.

POLICY & PROCUDURES

************************************************************************
BIKE

Road cycling is an inherently dangerous activity. Knowing and understanding these rules will help us be safe out on the road.

• Obey the rules of the road. Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities of other vehicles on the road.

• Stop at all red lights and stop signs.

• Ride in the same direction as traffic.

• COMMUNICATE with each other ? both verbally and through the use of hand signals.

1. Relay those communications all the way through the pack.

2. Point out obstacles such as CRACKS, HOLES, DEBRIS, GRAVEL, etc.

3. Yell out for cars behind (CAR BACK), in front (CAR UP), or approaching to the side (CAR RIGHT/LEFT).

4. Call out when SLOWING and STOPPING.

5. Call out when intersections are CLEAR to proceed.

• All riders must wear a properly fitting helmet.

• Stay out of your aerobars unless you are in the front.

• Don?t pass on the right.

• Don?t pass up the middle.

• When passing on the left, glance back, signal, then call out ON YOUR LEFT before you pass other riders.

• Hold your line, don?t weave.

• Don?t overlap wheels with the rider in front of you.

• Pay attention to the route. If you are on the intermediate ride, it is each rider?s responsibility to learn the route. Otherwise, ride with the no-drop. DAAC route maps are available on MapMyRun.com.

• Always carry ID.

• Always carry a cell phone.

• Be visible, wear brightly colored clothing.

• Properly dispose of your trash.

• If you get a flat or lose a water bottle, inform the riders around you that you are braking, slowly apply your brakes, and get to the right. Stay to the right until all riders pass before retrieving the bottle or dismounting to fix the flat.

• Check for riders behind you before spitting or ?farmer blowing?.

Hand and Audible Signals
- Use common cycling hand signals such as left and right turns, stopping/slowing and point out road hazards. You can signify right and left turns by pointing whichever way you are turning and saying "Left Turn" or "Right Turn". Slowing/stopping is signified by pointing your left or right hand towards the ground while keeping your arm at a 90-degree angle. You can also yell "Slowing" or "Stopping". Please do not put your hand behind you when signaling slowing/stopping. A gloved hand against black cycling shorts is too difficult to see (and looks a lot like scratching!).

To me there will always be something magical about how fast a human being can move themselves along on a bicycle using only their own power. I have always loved riding a bike, even as a kid trying to see how far I could jump my bike off a ramp made of a piece of plywood and a couple of bricks. I started road cycling in the early ‘80s riding my first bike rally in 1982 - a 16 mile ride from the East side of El Paso to downtown. I continued riding while at college at Texas Tech and after moving to Dallas in the mid 80’s. I gave up cycling for a time while homeownership and family responsibilities took precedent. Then in 2002, I started riding with Tom Ryan’s Dallas Athletes and very quickly rediscovered how much I enjoyed riding.
My goals for 2008 are all about providing a safe and informative cycling program for our members, with a particular focus on beginner and intermediate riders.
To me this means:
1) provide ride leaders for key rides to pace and direct the group;
2) provide training programs for selected bike rallies Hotter 'N Hell 100 and MS 150, and
3) arrange for periodic cycling related presentations on topics such as cycling related laws, riding technique, and bicycle maintenance.
My ‘home team’ is made up of my wife Diana (DAAC member since 2002!) and our three children (all triathlon veterans as well).