Progressive dinner ride
We have scheduled a progressive dinner ride for the evening of September
11th. We plan on starting to ride at 6:00 at the home of the last course
which is Todd & Laurie Tvrdik’s house at 510 East11th St. This is so that
those who drive their bikes to the start can have a car at the end! The
first food stop is the Heckman’s out at 7325 W 29th St. off of Dove Hill
Road. There will be a half-mile of gravel to ride on for this stop so come
prepared. It is rideable on road bikes, but if you don’t like gravel a
mountain bike might be more comfortable. The next stop will be Jim & Betty
Jo Armagost’s at 3441 Arbor Lane (Cottonmill area) and then on to Tom
Nickerson’s at 3611 Ave E and then back to the Tvrdik’s. This ride is back
because of popular demand. If you have never ridden the progressive dinner
ride you are in for a treat. Spouses and others are welcome to drive the
route in a car so everyone is welcome!
E-mail Alerts!
If you’ve never received an email regarding club activities(and would like
to!) send Mike an email at: mmarchand@kearneygov.org and you'll be added to
the MABC email group.
Hub letter from MABC member
Dean Heaker had the following letter to the editor in the August 5 Kearney
Hub. It was well written and for those of you who missed seeing it tin the
newspaper, here is the text:
Cyclist appreciates waves, wider berth
I’m a bicyclist, one who rides thousand of miles per year, many of which
are in the Kearney vicinity. Recently, while I cycled in the area, a red
pickup passed me with its’ horn blowing. The driver seemed to have some
pent-up rage at having to share a road with a bicyclist.
As he proceeded down the road he found it necessary to raise a particular
finger in greeting, and it wasn’t the familiar Nebraska greeting. I was
well to the right of the road, as the law and safety require, maintaining a
straight riding line. There was no other traffic and the driver was not
being delayed.
After the initial shock of that driver’s perverse behavior, it dawned on me
that this was the first road rage incident I had encountered in several
years. In fact, getting a little long in the tooth, I can’t remember the
previous incident but it has to have been at least two years. Ten years ago
I would encountered just such an uninformed individual weekly.
We’ve come a long way. Drivers now take a great deal of caution when
passing me. Most are careful to give adequate clearance and do not pass
when another car is approaching. They patiently follow when a hill or
traffic makes passing dangerous and doing so increases their travel time.
At least 95 percent of the drivers return my wave. Many still wave and
smile when I’m so exhausted initiating any kind of a friendly gesture on my
part is next to impossible. What a change.
MABC Members Fueled by Kool-Aid
More than nine club members participated in the Kool-Aid ride at Hastings,
Saturday, August 14th. According to accounts, everyone had a good ride,
especially Todd who made some new friends through a razor wire fence. The
course is relatively flat with some rollers, particularly in the Webster
county portion. Organizers did a great job putting on the ride—nice
t-shirt, great cookies and good lunch. Report is that more than one
hundred cyclists took part in the event.
Cycling Information Available at the Kearney Public Library
The Kearney Public Library & Information Center has recently subscribed to
VeloNews magazine. Bicycling and Adventure Cyclist are available at the library
too.
(Editor’s note – Thanks go to Mike Marchand, I suspect that he had a hand
in this!)
2004 MABC Century Tour a success
Exceeding expectations, more than seventy-five riders signed up for this
year’s century ride held on August 28th. Once we managed to get the
Cottonmill Park gate open a little after 6am things rolled along smoothly,
notwithstanding a couple 2x2s, van parts and ubiquitous puncture vine.
Elizabeth Stratton came to the rollout and her presence really underscored
why we were riding this year. A big thank you is extended to Dianne and
Carney for working the Overton SAG, Dave and Marlin for roving SAGs, and
Shauna and Emma for helping with registration. Of course, remember Paul
and the Bike Shed for all he does organizing and contributing giveaway
items for the century. Speaking of Marlin—has a Nebraska bike ride ever
seen a more professional SAG truck?
Upcoming Rides
September 26 - Make A Wish Ride in Percival Iowa
Knights of Columbus/Tier One Bank present Wish Ride 18
to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska
Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 7:00am
Originates in Percival, Iowa
Bicycle ride in southwest Iowa
Early registration fee: $15 (late sign ups $20)
For more information, please contact: Ron Osovski @ 402-873-7607
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October 3 - Ord Octoberfest Ride
Larry and Becki are planning on hosting the 4th Annual Ord Oktoberfest ride
for Sunday Oct 3rd at 1pm. We'll start at Larry and Becki Skrdla's, 5 mi
SW of Ord. Go west on the county road marked Comstock 14 mi. That road is
just before mile marker 119 on hiway 70 (about 68 mi from Kearney). We
have several options for road rides ranging from 20 - 62 miles. The route
will be decided when we see what the weather is doing that day. If you'd
like, bring some ethnic beer to share in the true Oktoberfest spirit. (See
attached file: MABC Newsletter September 2004.doc)
