The Chainletter

Each time I had done the Mt Hamilton Challenge, I had run into riders climbing Mines Rd. Since I learned they were doing the “Devil Mountain” Double Century, I got curious… I had done double centuries before (13 since 1999), but one that included the two big summits of the Bay Area, Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton, sounded appealing. It became a bit scarier when I learned that the organizers, not quite satisfied with these two mountains, had included all the climbs they could find in the route: Mt Diablo, Morgan Territory, Patterson Pass, Mines Rd, Mt Hamilton, Sierra Rd, Palomares and Norris Canyon!

In particular Sierra Rd was a particularly nasty inclusion: by itself it’s a tough hill that climbs more than 1700 feet in 3.5 miles with some long parts approaching 20%. But putting that at mile 150, after you’ve climbed already 15000 feet, that ought to be considered an “unjust and cruel punishment”.

The other thing was that it is a bit early in the season, so I hesitated a few years before taking the plunge this year. I tried to log as many miles (and feet) as possible during the Saddle Challenge, did the Solvang Double Century as a training ride (!) and try to ride all the parts of DMD separately in the weeks before (to get a sense of what that means, you can view my GPS logs).

It seemed to have paid off. In the first climb, Mt Diablo, I got a bit worried because I kept seeing many more riders ahead than behind, so I was not sure I could make it to the 1 PM cut-off at Mines Rd. That’s also at the top of Diablo that I saw Will for the last time - I was not going to see until the finish, where he had been already asleep for 2 hours when I arrived!

As a matter of fact, during the entire ride (the 19 hours of it…) I felt surprisingly good. The hardest part was probably the back side of Mt Hamilton, because it was still pretty hot. Even Sierra Rd went ok, and I got rewarded by a beautiful sunset on the whole Bay.

What about the title? Oh, it’s just that I had done as a training ride the north part of DMD and my most difficult moment was something nobody had warned me about: Patterson Pass. On paper, it seemed like a reasonable little climb. The problem was the headwinds: near the top, they actually prevented to ride, and I had to walk! So I was very happy, last Saturday, to notice that the windmills (they haven’t put them here by accident!) were still. At that point, I felt it was going to be a good ride.

If you want to get a sense of it, you can view the logs on my Garmin Vista or on the Garmin Edge, which ran out of batteries in the beginning of Sierra Rd.

You can also see the results: Will finished a brilliant 52nd position, before 10 PM!, whereas I was happy to arrive around midnight, with some 20 riders behind me

Now, I can get back to normal activities…

A view of the course with Google Earth

On Sunday, Team Different Spokes San Francisco held our Fourth Annual team fundraising party at Michael Schmucki’s house to eat, drink, and talk about the upcoming AIDS LifeCycle.

We had a wonderful turnout and we raised a ton of money.

San Francisco AIDS Foundation volunteer Beau Thomsom spoke about the ride, the organization and the spirit of the ride.

Different Spokes members and guests to date pledged $7736.00!

We want to thank everyone who came to the party and made a contribution.

For those who could not make it but would like to lend their support, please visit AIDS/LifeCycle Team 146. Every dollar goes to support the programs and services of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and is tax deductible.

The DSSF March Saddle challenge has come to a close and what a
spectacular month of riding it was for our participants! Larry
Litalien maintained the lead for the most miles ridden in March: 778!
Congratulations Larry! Jerome Thomere stayed in 2nd with 740 miles
and Will Bir hit 595 miles for 3rd place! Will & Jerome both did the
Solvang Double Century in March, thus they tied for the most miles
ridden in a single day: 192.5 miles - yikes!!!

Larry continued his almost daily riding routine throughout the month
for a total of 28 riding days! I was next with 27 days (in case you
haven’t guessed it, we both commute to work on our bikes).

The Saddle Challenge is also about achieving the mileage goals that
we set at the beginning of the month. Will topped that list at nearly
120%! Others that reached their mileage goals included Sharon Lum,
Larry Litalien, Jerome Thomere and myself. President Gaus and Don
Dodge came very close to theirs as well.

When participants registered for the Saddle Challenge, we gave them
the option to continue supporting Project Inform in the name of Ron
Wilmot - a former DSSF member. This could be done in a pledge per
mile basis or a fixed lump-sum contribution. Collectively we raised
over $500.00 this year!

Thanks to everyone that participated this March! We hope this has
helped to get you on your way to a great year of riding! Be sure to
continue watching the DSSF Ride Calendar for upcoming rides.

Viel Velovergnügen alle!

Peter Bejger attended the first (of a series of three) open houses at Magnet, the gay men’s health center and community space in the Castro yesterday. This was a last minute showing on the part of Different Spokes, and big thanks to Peter, who agreed to represent the club at the last minute. Peter contacted Jaime Guererro, who had also shared the information about this event and was attending with the San Francisco Hiking Club.

Peter reported that Jaime was very helpful in throwing together some print matter for display and distribution. The DSSF banner was also displayed at the event. Not terribly busy but some traffic and some nice networking with other sports clubs.

Thanks Peter & Jaime!

Photos courtesy of Bob Callori SF Track & Field Club

April 5th DSSF had our own metric century — the Evil Stepsisters timed to coincide with the Cinderella Classic, with Michael S, Joe H, Ann D, Wanderson, Jeff P and Erik L. It was a real pleasure to have
Marty C. join us. Marty said he hadn’t been on his bike in nearly a year. He’d been at a Battlestar Gallatica season-opener party the night before. He started talking to Michael. Got inspired and got up
at the crack of dawn game for taking on Mt. Tam.

The route is the Alpine Damn loop and we took the Fairfield first route. The group was small and stayed fairly close together. We had a pit stop at Ruilli Gran Cafe in Larkspur, where we picked up some food and another at Fairfax.

It was a great day for riding — sunny but pleasantly clear and cool.

Lunch at the dam was a tranquil as usual. Alpine Dam is such a peaceful place. Climb up Mt Tam — check. But the seven sisters were the real evil stepsisters on this ride. Big. Ugly and Hostile.

Little did we know that during this time Roger C and Will B were leading a later ride hoping to catch up to us. Apparently, they just missed us at the PanToll station but Schmuki was able to have a coffee with them when they met up a Peet’s.

Last night Different Spokes held the 2008 Kick-off Membership meeting at the new Sports Basement Potrero Hill, and what a great turn out! Over 30 members, several having just joined, and many returning members came out to meet the 2008 board and kick-off this new year of cycling and events for Different Spokes.

Highlights included:
* Stephanie Clarke, Ride Coordinator
She spoke to members about the need for rides. There is a growing library of routes available in the Yahoo! group Files section, both member developed and routes from various organized rides. She also mentioned a great way for first time ride leaders to jump in, ask a member or board member to help one co-leading a ride!
* William Bir-Event Coordinator
Will announced the club’s weekend trips and dates for the year. Back this year is the ever popular Russian River weekend, 7/25-27, with a ride to the River on Friday, various ride options on Saturday, and a club dinner being planned for Saturday night. The Amador County weekend returns with three days of riding in the Sierra foothills, staying at the Far Horizons 49er Village, 10/16-19.
* Lorri Lee Lown-Velo Girls
Our guest, USA Cycling Coach Elite, Lorri Lee Lown did a presentation and demonstration on bike fit, with yours truly as the guinea pig on the Computrainer. She went over the issues cause by an incorrect fit and spoke of technique and correct positioning and while we ran out of time, members had lots of question and issues. For more information on a bike fit session with Lorri, check out Velo Girls Coaching Services.

We closed the evening with a raffle and then all members hurried off to shop and take advantage of the 20% off beads for those attending, compliments of Wendy at the Sports Basement. I heard the check out line grew quite long, so we were glad to know that members did take advantage of the discount!

Special thanks to — Chris Contos for organizing the space with SB, Roger Chapman & Chris Contos for coordinating the pizza and beverages, Patrick Heryford for handling reception and the raffle, Lorri Lee Lown for her time and knowledge, Raymond Pelayo for photographing the event, and Sports Basement for providing the space.

Well, most of them anyway…

The first 10 days of March have passed and the DSSF Saddle Challenge participants are starting to rack up some serious mileage - collectively they have logged over 1,400 miles! Larry L’Italien leads the way with 263 miles ridden in 9 of the 10 days - just over 40% of his 650 mile goal. The President, Mr. Gaus, is catching up with 232 miles, and Jerome (the frenchman) is not far behind with 226 miles!

When we registered for the challenge, we set a mileage goal for the month. The highest percentage achieved to date (73%), as well as the most days ridden (10 for 10) goes to yours truly

David Gaus currently has the most miles ridden in a single day: 101! I suspect this was the day of the Solvang Century. That record may be broken before the month is over though - there have been rumors of a couple of people doing a double century in the weeks ahead.

The weather has been beautiful so far this March - let’s hope it keeps up!

Happy riding everyone - hope to see you on the road soon!

Have you been slacking over the winter months? Has your bike been collecting dust in the garage? Are you looking for an excuse to get out and ride again? Well then you sound like a great candidate for the DSSF March Saddle Challenge!

This annual DSSF event lets you set a mileage goal for the month of March. We have set up a logging system on our website that allows you to enter your miles on a daily basis. The tracking system will tally your miles and let you know how close you’re getting to your goal. There are charts available that let you see how other participating members are doing as well.

To get started, you will need to create your login here (use “sc2008″ for the password.)

Then on March 1st, just sign in on the same page and start logging your miles!

The Ron Wilmot Ride will not be happening this year, but DSSF is continuing with the tradition of supporting Project Inform in his name. Ron Wilmot was a DSSF member who founded the ride in 1995. He died of AIDS in 1997 and we would like to continue supporting this cause. When you sign up for the Saddle Challenge, you have the option of making a pledge on a per mile basis or as a fixed, lump-sum contribution. Again, note that this is optional; you may participate in the event without a donation.

This event has been enjoyed by members for several years now and, as is the case with most events, the more people that participate, the more fun it is! So whether your goal is 10, 100 or 1000 miles, we hope you will join us in the DSSF March Saddle Challenge!

- The DSSF Web Team

For questions, please contact Jerome at webmaster@dssf.org or Michael at webslave@dssf.org

Date: Saturday, February 9, 2008

Time: Immediately following the Jersey Ride

Present: David Gaus, Chair, Will Bir, Roger Chapman, Chris Contos, Dave Glidden, Patrick Heryford,
Michael Schmucki, Jerome Thomere

1. Call to Order

David called the meeting to order at 3:40. Agenda was reviewed and no changes were made.

2. Public Comment

No members present for public comment.

3. Approval of Minutes

As this is the first meeting of this board, there were no Minutes to approve.

4. Board Reports

A. Treasurer: Roger reported that he had a transition meeting with Scott Steffens. There are two keys to the club’s Post Office box. Roger will keep one, and Michael will have the other and volunteered to check the box when Roger is away. The primary expense this time of year is the club’s annual renewal with the Insurance League of American Bicyclists. The premium is approximately $100 and is based on the number of members. Other annual memberships which will be renewed are San Francisco Bike Coalition and California Mountain Bike Association. Roger reported that the club has $3,200 in its credit union account and $800 in its Citibank account. Roger noted there is a $10 monthly fee for the Citibank account. He questioned why we have two accounts, particularly since one charges a service fee. He recommended closing the Citibank account and moving all money to the credit union account. Board unanimously accepted this action. Roger, Chris and Jerome will meet to clarify membership and PayPal instructions.

B. Membership: Chris reports there are currently 57 paid or pending members. Chris will send an email to those who have not renewed. Patrick suggested after the second email that the board divide the remaining non-renewals to see if a personal call will encourage them to renew, or give them an opportunity to discuss why they did not renew. Some work needs to be done to update the PDF that includes the membership card. The PDF still refers to the old eGroups distribution list, and the list of benefits should match benefits listed elsewhere (on dssf.org, in renewal correspondence, in the Member Guide, and other places where club benefits are listed). Chris will update the benefits list. At Pride and for the remainder of the year, memberships will be $10 for the rest of the year.

C. Web Content: Jerome will present suggestions at the next board meeting for combining main website with Yahoo! features. We need a list email function and a polling feature. It might make it easier for members to only have to go to the dssf.org website instead of also the Yahoo! Group site.

5. 2008 Board – Appointed Positions

Four positions are open: Ride Coordinator; Newsletter Editor; Women’s Outreach; and Men’s Outreach. Board discussed potential appointees who will be contacted to determine interest.

6. Newsletter

Board agreed that the newsletter should be a quarterly, four-page publication. We would like to distribute the newsletter to local bike shops as a way of promoting the club. Because of this, the newsletter should avoid “inside jokes” and have appropriate design and graphics to present the club in a positive view. Patrick suggested that a team be formed to help produce the newsletter. Patrick and Chris will oversee the newsletter until the team is formed.

7. Rides and Events Calendar

The calendar was discussed and final decisions were made on key events. David will finalize the calendar in the absence of a Ride Coordinator and post. All rides will be listed on the calendar, but it was decided to make a distinction between those rides actually organized by DSSF and those in which we are participating as a club. Rides used to be referred to as “club sponsored,” which was confusing to some people in that it implied DSSF was more involved, i.e., providing SAG support, making trip arrangements for members, rather than just as a team of riders. Rides will now be designated as either “DSSF Sponsored” or “DSSF Involved”.

Dave reported that the Team DSSF Fundraising Party for AIDS/LifeCycle is Sunday, April 13, 2008. We will continue to have a parade contingent and a booth at the San Francisco Pride festival. We should discuss having a presence at other Bay Area Pride celebrations. Project Inform is no longer organizing the Ron Wilmot Ride, but DSSF will continue to organize the March Saddle Challenge with donations going to Project Inform. Michael will handle the weekly Saddle Challenge reports.

8. Member Guide

David presented a draft of a new Member Guide which will provide helpful information for both new and renewing members. David will continue to work on the guide and all board members are encouraged to send him suggestions and ideas.

9. Website Updating Needed

Two pages need to be updated: Links and Discounts. Michael volunteered to check and update the Links page. We need to work on updating the Discounts page since there is a good deal of bad information there, such as bike shops that no longer exist and a few that have new addresses. There are also new bike shops in San Francisco that have never been solicited to be included in the DSSF discounts program. Jerome mentioned that the most traffic on dssf.org comes through the Discounts page as people are searching for bike shops and the follow a link to our site. So, even if a shop does not give a discount, we should include them on the page. Patrick recommended that perhaps the page could be divided into two, with shops that give discounts more prominently displayed at the top, and other bike shops listed below and less prominently.

10. Communications

A. Monthly Email Blasts: It was suggested that, as a way to further communicate with members, that we institute a monthly email blast, including a President’s Message and other information of interest to members. This would include more pressing information rather than the quarterly newsletter.

B. Annual Report: Patrick will be preparing an Annual Report at the end of the year. He shared a draft of the information that will be collected through the year.

11. Annual Awards

Patrick shared an idea for encouraging participation on rides: a set of annual awards given at the Holiday Party in December. The data for these awards will be collected from Ride Waivers, so it will be critical for ride leaders to return the waivers. Members will be told about these awards early in the year so that they can set a goal of winning one (or all!).

A. Most Road Rides Led
B. Most Mountain Bike Rides Led
C. Most Miles Logged on DSSF Rides
D. Highest Participation on DSSF Rides

12. Meeting Calendar

A. Board Meeting: David will let the board know about the next meeting in March or April.
B. General Membership Meeting: David, Will, Dave and Chris will work off-line on the General Membership Meeting.

13. Jerseys

A. Refunds: When the last jersey order was placed, the club eventually ordered extra jerseys, and as a result the price per jersey was reduced after members made payments. This means that some members are due a refund. Unfortunately, the refunds were not processed at the time the jerseys were received. In fact, so much time has passed that some people are no longer members. However, the board feels the refunds need to be given to the jersey owners with an apology for this not being handled sooner. Records show that two former board members already received their refunds. A total of $738 is owed ($27 per jersey). Roger will email those remaining members due a refund and ask them to confirm their mailing address so that he may send them a check. If they decline the refund or if Roger is unable to locate the jersey owner, the money will be applied to the club’s next jersey order.
B. Inventory: The club has some jerseys left in inventory. Some jerseys were never delivered to members who purchased them at the time of the last order. The jerseys are marked with these names. Michael will follow-up with these members (or former members in some cases) to deliver the jersey. If they no longer want the jersey it will be donated back to the club inventory. Chris will do an inventory on remaining jerseys and send an email to the club offering to sell them to members.
C. New Order: David has had conversations with Voler and will oversee our next order with Dave. If we have an order to Voler by March 17th we would have delivery by the end of April. Pricing: Short-sleeve jerseys: $99; Sleeveless jerseys and wind vests: $92; Long-sleeve jackets: $103. It was suggested that perhaps this time we only order short sleeve jerseys since those are the most popular garments.

14. Adjournment

David adjourned the meeting at 6:58.

Aaron reports on Tuesday’s By the Light of the Silvery Moon ride. He was joined by new member Thomas Outt, along with Bill (who was a Tuesday nite regular last summer) for a beautiful ride last night! The weather was stupendous with fresh clear air, no winds, calm waters and diaphanous views of glittering lights around the SF Bay. The city itself was just glimmering like the jewels of the Modonna!

Thanks Aaron!