Impromptu Ride Friday Morning

Tim "Crusher" Fox has a ride planned for tomorrow morning at 8:30am at Firestone and Summit. "Winn Dixie" tells me it will be about 40 miles or so at a moderate pace. There are already several riders interested. So, if you have a couple hours to spare in the morning, come on out for the Tim "Grocery" Fox, (that dude has more nicknames than Left Lane has run red lights), Friday Morning Ride!

PS The "New" Coolio will be there...if that makes a difference to you?! He is the designated Ride Scapegoat.

PSS Hey, if you ride Friday, Saturday and Sunday rides you will have about 150 total miles for the weekend. Great training for the Fenner Century in a couple of weeks!

PSSS Don't forget Saturday morning's ride change...we're heading to the Hammock, with a twist! (Twisted Hammock Ride) Actually, the "twist" is part of the Duker Puker Loop. ( Make up your own name) And remember, it's always harder to get out of the Hammock than it is to get in!

See you out on the road,
Bob

Ride Schedule CHANGE

This week's rides will be as scheduled with one exception; the Saturday Around the Sound Ride will be postponed because of the Santa Rosa Island Triathlon. We would be hammering down the beach road from Navarre just about the same time as 1,000 or so of our triathlete brethren are doing the same thing in their race. Could be an issue...especially if Left Lane or any of his apprentices happen to be on the nose of the peloton as we encounter several of the triathageeks with the same attitude...a recipe for a strange and wonderful relationship!

Therefore, after asking a few of our own what would be a good alternative that would help those who are training for the Fenner Century, we have decided to do the infamous Hurst Hammock...with a twist! The "twist" is a partial riding of the ever popular Duker Puker! Yes, everybody loves the Hammock, but combine the Hammock with a little Puker and you have what is sure to be a peloton favorite; The Hammock Puke Loop! Beautiful scenery, hills, the Hammock itself and the wonderful potential of the Puker, all while riding 65 miles at a moderate pace.

Please see the Rides Calendar at the bottom of the pukulation, uh, rather blogulation for all the details. See you then, and...

See you out on the road,
Bob

Two Great Rides for One Low Price!

Yes, cycling fans, you too can get this great offer for just one low price! Tonight, yes tonight...for one night only, at a price you cannot afford to ignore, we will be riding the group favorite Full Moon Ride! This may be the last time this season. This has quickly become a classic and a real crowd pleaser.

Yes, you too can say, "I've ridden the Full Moon Ride and it was an experience I will remember the rest of my life!" (Unsolicited testimonial from an actual rider, not an actor.)

But wait, there's more!

This Saturday morning is another group fave...maybe the all time most popular route among consenting Firestone and Summit adults. Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true; the Around the Bay Ride is back! It's 65 miles of rompin' stompin cycling fun. This ride has it all...flats, (meaning level terrain not punctures), hills, beautiful scenery and even 8 bridges!

Come on out this evening and Saturday morning for two of the best rides in the Panhandle!

What's the cost? $3 to get into Fort Pickens for tonight and believe it or not, Saturday's ride is absolutely free! Yes, it's true...you pay $3 tonight and Saturday's ride is absolutely free!!! I know, what a deal right?! But, you must take advantage of this special offer tonight! Hurry, operators are standing by...

Here's the particulars:

Full Moon Ride: Tonight at 6:30pm at Casino Beach Parking Lot. 20 miles at an easy pace. Some folks will meet us along the way at Chicken Bone Beach Parking Lot. We should arrive there about 6:45pm or so...please be ready to roll. Looks as though the weather will be great for a beautiful sunset on the way out to Fort Pickens and a gorgeous moonlit ride on the way back!

Around the Bay: Saturday at 7am at Firestone and Summit. 65 miles at a moderate pace. Two planned rest stops to fill the bottles and tell stories. (Don't forget the sure to be peloton antics...as well as an unannounced sprint or two.)

You can also check out the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this blogulation for more details.

There you have it; 2 great rides for 1 low price...can't beat that with a stick, so come on out!!!

But wait, there's even more!!! If you show up tonight, we'll throw in Sunday's ride at absolutely no cost to you! That's three great rides for the price of one! Don't miss out on this fantastic offer!!!

Sunday's ride will be the Navy Point Loop. The ride features the ever popular Fried Twinkie Sprint!!! This 35 miler is so much fun that we've had to limit the size of the peloton. Make sure you don't miss out by showing up early at Firestone and Summit at 3pm this Sunday!

What a great weekend of riding starting tonight! See you then, and...

See you out on the road,
Bob

"May I Have the Envelope Please..."

And the winners for the 2010 Senior Games who are Firestone and Summit riders are as follows:

Drum roll please...

Did I mention that our group DOMINATED almost every Senior Games race! Unbestinkinglievable for a bunch of casual weekend riders...ha! I love you guys!!!

What? Oh, you want to see the winners list...okay, uh, where did I put that list anyway?!

Ah...here we go...and the winners are:

Road Race: Men

Age 55-59 A FIRESTONE and SUMMIT SWEEP!!!

Gold: Keith "Big Motor" Irwin
Silver: Chuck "eN Love" Norton
Bronze: Richard "Left Lane" Lopiccolo

Age 60 to 64

Gold: Harland "Happy" Williams
Bronze: Bobby "Coolio" Cooley

Road Race: Women

Age 50-54

Gold: Sandy Norton

Age 55-59

Gold: Sheila Kircharr

Time Trial: Men

Age 55-59

Gold: Keith "Big Motor" Irwin
Silver: Richard "Left Lane" Lopiccolo

Age 60-64

Gold: Harland "Happy" Williams

Criterium: Men

Age 55-59

Silver: Keith "Big Motor" Irwin

And don't forget that our own David "Two Wheels" Mayo and Josh "Big Guns" Sharpe won all the Gold and Silver Medals in every handcycle race in the entire event!!! Congratulations to them and all of our champions and participants!!!

The Firestone and Summit Group has a huge reason for celebration! Let's do some tonight, Wednesday and of course on Thursday's Full Moon Ride out at the beach! Come on out you champions and let us throw roses at you!!!

Can't wait to see you all tonight, and...

See you out on the road,
Bob

"Bridge to Engine Room: More Power!"...and other ramblings.

I don't know about you, but "More Power" was my personal theme for this past weekend's action packed racing at the first ever Pensacola Cycling Classic! What a fantastic event! I loved every minute of it...some minutes more than others. Like the 30 minute crit that seemed to me to be about 10 minutes too long! Even so, I loved being on a crit course again...it's been over 20 years since I raced my last crit! Great fun!

Do you believe the size of the fields? Huge event...and for our first year! This just isn't the usual response to a first year event. It just doesn't happen. And speaking of happen...thanks to all of you that made this amazing event happen!!! Especially, Randy "No Bull" Bullock; David "Two Wheels" Mayo; Tim "Crusher" Fox; John "El Presidante" Brizzard; Dana "The Animal" Foster; and many from our own racing community including Ty, Destry, Codie, Darrell, Don all offering their invaluable experience with the details of putting on an event that brings racers back next year.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Ray Palmer and Sally with Pensacola Sports Association for their endless hours of behind the scenes work and from the City of Pensacola, Cheryl Fox and a huge thank you to the man himself, Sgt Chris "Big Gun" Huffman! (I'm giving you a standing ovation!)

A tremendous thank you to all the volunteers throughout the 3 fabulous stages of racing!!! Especially to Master Sgt Vicki Laue and her huge group of USAF Airmen from NAS Pensacola!!! You are amazing!!! Thank you for serving our country...and us this past Saturday!

What about all those who raced? So many from our group and our area. It was absolutely thrilling to see so many of our own Firestone and Summit Group out on the race courses giving it their all. I'm still smiling thinking about you guys out there suffering like dogs! Ah...but the thrill of finishing!!! Nothing like it! (I'm giving all you Senior Games racers a standing ovation as well!!! I feel your pain my brothers and sisters...uh, literally!)

And, finally all our sponsors, including Anderson Subaru, Bamboo Willies, Subway, Pensacola Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine as well as a host of others that made it all possible! Be sure to patronize our sponsors and be sure to say a special "Thank You" to them all.

I do believe this event has put Pensacola on the cycling map...let's use this momentum to help create a wonderful cycling friendly community for generations to enjoy. Together we really can make a difference. Think about it...who would have ever thought a few years ago, that we would host an event like this past weekend's PCC?! It happened! It all started with a casual conversation between Bill Kimball, David Mayo and myself. We simply said "What if?!" Look what happened in one year!!!

What are the possibilities for the future? For our group? Our cycling community as a whole? Our city? Our region? These are very exciting times for cycling in our area! There are plans in the works even now for future events. But what about City Hall? The cyclists of our area need a unified voice before our local governments. This is really important! There are crucial issues for cyclists...especially as our area grows. We can get squeezed out of routes that we think of as common today.

Wouldn't it be nice to see a Bike Lane on Summit for example? Or, if the railroad ever vacates the rails from downtown Pensacola along Scenic Highway and across the bay, we need to be the first in line for a Rails to Trails initiative. Think about it...leave downtown Pensacola and ride a Bike trail all the way to downtown Milton...I think I'm in love!!! You know, there's a new 3 Mile Bridge in the works somewhere in the next few years...raise your hand if you would like a safe separate Bike Lane on the new bridge?! Or, how about our area as a winter training camp for clubs and teams from around the country?!

I'm only scratching the surface of the many issues that are important to all of us as cyclists. Think about the possibilities. Think about what you think a cycling friendly community would look like. Well, it will never happen unless we take the first step together.

Please, let me know if you think it is important for cyclists to have a unified voice in our area. And, if you think this is a unique time where we actually have a bit of momentum as a cycling community. Let's see if we can start a casual conversation together...

On a lighter note;

The rides this week will be, I'm sure, a bit easier than usual as most are recovering from the hard efforts of racing. Don't forget this week's Full Moon Ride on the beach. Check out the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this blogify for all the details!

Also, for those of you who participated in the Senior Games, there is a wonderful event this Friday evening at Sanders Beach Community Center at 6pm for the celebration of us older folks as well as the presentations of the medals for those who won them. Free food, free entertainment and free fun!!! Come on out for this wonderful closing celebration of this year's Senior Games! For more information contact Pensacola Parks and Recreation Dept. See you there!!! And...

See you out on the road,
Bob

Just a Few More Days!

Well, just a few more days until the first ever Pensacola Cycling Classic stage race! We have put a lot of effort into assuring our community has a great event...and it looks like the weather will cooperate as well. Saturday morning will find the riders in Milton at Adventures Unlimited for the Road Race. This is a brutal 40 kilometer course that will challenge even the strongest riders. Then in the afternoon, out to the beach for the 5 kilometer Time Trial at Fort Pickens. This course is flat and fast and sure to be a welcome sight after the morning's road race.

The Critirium will be in downtown Pensacola early Sunday morning. This timed mass start, multiple lap race is a real crowd pleaser. The high speed course dares the riders to take it's 6 turns at full speed! Watch out, there may to be some carnage on this loop.

Three great venues for our first ever Pensacola Cycling Classic! Come on out as a participant, fan or both!!! This is the premier cycling event this year and you won't want to miss one minute of the racing action...right here in Pensacola!

If you haven't registered yet, just go to www.pensacolacyclingclassic.com and click on the link to register. While there, browse through the many pages to discover all this race has in store for the riders. And, don't forget to download a copy of the Race Bible as well! If you are in the race, you need the Bible.

With all the buzz about the races this weekend, don't forget we have 3 great rides this week as well. Tonight, Wednesday and Thursday, all starting at 5:30pm at Firestone and Summit. This will be your last chance to hone your fitness before the races. So come on out for some peloton antics and the obligatory sprints...you too could take home the weekly bragging rights!

Don't forget next week's Full Moon Ride on the 23rd starting at Casino Beach Parking Lot. This is one of our group's favorite rides. For all the details on all our Firestone and Summit group's rides, just scroll to the bottom of the bloification and click on the Rides Calendar. And I'll...

See you out on the road,
Bob

This Weekend's Ride Schedule

The weather forecast for Saturday's Fort Pickens Ride looks almost perfect! We're talking high 70s when we start and mid 80s as we're heading back across 3 Mile Bridge. Partly cloudy skies with just a hint of a breeze (3mph), perfect! On last night's ride we were discussing the length of the Fort Pickens Ride from Fish and Wildlife. Some guessed as low as 35 miles while others thought as much as 50 miles. Well, I did some checking and the answer is, if we loop through Gulf Breeze both directions, a grand total of 42 miles...plus or minus a few tenths.

There will be a group however, that will start from the south side of 3 Mile Bridge. (So for them it will be uh, 3 miles times 2 equals 6. 6 from 42 equals...uh, 36...plus or minus a few tenths.) Please be ready to ride at 7:15am as we should be cruising through right around that time...plus or minus a few minutes.

Considering so many of our group will be racing next week in the Pensacola Cycling Classic, I think this is a real good selection for a week out from race day. It's long enough to get the blood pumping, yet not too long so as to drain the stores. I'm sure that most of us will keep the pace moderate. A nice Saturday morning spin!

Sunday afternoon's weather doesn't look quite as good with the chance of t-storms. However, a few weeks back we headed out under some of the darkest skies I've ever seen and maneuvered our way around town and never got a drop on us...so there's hope of a ride.

This past week has sure seen some hammerfests for the peloton as well as some rompin', stompin' sprints! Even Codie Brooks won one...go figure! Great cycling with plenty of attacks and lots of antics. Even the flats have been loud! (Anybody ever find the rest of Happy's tire?) I'm sure that most of you who are racing next weekend in the PCC are looking to taper down the miles and intensity. Our rides this weekend will cater perfectly to your schedule. Come on out for some fun and great group riding!

Please check the Ride Calendar at the bottom of this blogify for all the details. And I'll...

See you out on the road,
Bob

Labor Day Weekend was Fantastic for Riding...with more to come!

Hey cycling fans and all around peloton enthusiasts. What a fantastic Labor Day weekend for riding. Several of us rode more than 150 miles over the three days. Saturday morning saw a good group headed out on the Pine Forest Loop under partly cloudy skies. The pace was spirited if not frisky. Randy "Ranoldo" Riche took both the half way sprint and the final sprint, showing he is in peak form and ready for the Senior Games competition on the 18th and 19th. The Senior Games are part of the inaugural Pensacola Cycling Classic organized and promoted by Randy Bullock and our own David "Two Wheels" Mayo as well as the band of renown's, (aka: Organizing Committee).

If you haven't heard about this three stage race, you may want to check your pulse. It has been the talk of the town over the last few months. A huge list of great sponsors, three challenging race courses as well as a purse to rival the Tour itself! (Okay, I exaggerated a bit on that final one). However, this will be the cycling event of the season on the Gulf Coast! If you enjoy riding, racing or just cruising the beach on your, uh...beach cruiser, you are going to get a real kick out of the Pensacola Cycling Classic as a racer, spectator or both. Several of our own Firestone and Summit cyclists have already registered as competitors for one, two or all three of the races! How about you? Come on!!! You can find all the details at: www.pensacolacyclingclassic.com Don't forget to sign up as a team member of Firestone and Summit and wear your jersey!

Back to live action.

As we made the turn onto Maygarden the pace picked up into the low 20s. Just then Sheila Sheila attacked the peloton. (Obviously going for the coveted SheBeast Award...which she received of course) The boys were chasing her down like a bunch of kids playing tag in an elementary school recess playground. We finally pulled her back into the fold just as we started into the final S curve. Just then that rascal Ranoldo jumps from the back of the pack to gap the group as we top out the final hill. Tim "The Hammer" Fox cranked it up with yours truly on his wheel. Ranoldo held off the charging Clydesdales by less than a bike length as the big boys were closing fast!

Sunday we decided to try the crit race at Ellison just for the fun of it. So we did a warm up loop of about 15 miles on the way up. We arrived at the crit course about ten minutes before the race was to begin only to find David "Twin Six" Murphy sitting in the shade waiting for whomever was to run this shindig. Nobody ever showed... Therefore, we did a quick lap through UWF hills and called it a day. Anybody other than Coolio actually like that steep climb?

Labor Day saw the peloton staring at the Innerarity Point Ride. We haven't done this route in several weeks so the group was definitely looking forward to it. We decided to take Jackson instead of the downtown routes so we could pick up Count Fishbone. The Count was absent in body although not in spirit. The pace westward was frisky as Left Lane had the hammer down keeping things around 23 to 24 mph. (Was this a suicide pull?) Others including David "Lawman" Carroll, Tim "Big Boy" Fox and John "Gianni Bugno" Duke kept the pace just outside the city limits of Anarobia. Gianni Bugno, famous for his Duker Puker Ride, did most of the pace making and taking the Point Gate Sprint.

The trip back from Innerarity took us through Navy Point with Left Lane taking the infamous Fried Twinkie Sprint to the consternation of Tim "Grocery" Fox, (That dude has more nicknames than Krispy Kreme has donuts), who hasn't beat Left Lane for the FTS in the last three attempts. However, Grocery and Lawman paid Left Lane back in full over the Barrancas Bridge leaving him as roadkill and gazing into the eyes of Pukeasaurus Rex. Great ride!

It was, in fact, a great weekend full of great riding with great weather to match! If you missed it, "Don't fret yourself Mary." ( From Chariots of Fire, where Eric Liddell was telling his sister Mary he was going to run in the Olympics. Apparently she was uh, fretting herself.) There are plenty of great rides scheduled for this week and coming weekend! Rides like the Hammerfest tonight and Saturday's Fort Pickens Loop as well as the Full Moon Ride later this month. Check out the Ride Calendar at the bottom of this blogulation for more details.

Come on out for some fun and sure to be peloton antics! Yes, you too can be a part of the characters that make up the Firestone and Summit Group.

See you out on the road,
Bob

This Weekend's Ride Schedule CHANGE!!!

This Saturday's SSORES ride will be postponed until later in the month. Our own Gianni Bugno has come up with a pretty good excuse for not leading the peloton on his new loop...and nobody else knows where it is! Therefore, we are starting Saturday morning's ride from Firestone and Summit at 7am. We'll be doing a group favorite and perfect loop for getting the holiday weekend started off right...the Pine Forest Loop!

Then, Sunday we'll do a shorter easier loop downtown or maybe out to Navy Point. Monday, (Labor Day), we head out for another group favorite and one we haven't done in weeks; The Innerarity Point Ride! What a great weekend full of great riding. And, you guessed it...great weather is forecast as well with lower temps and lots of sunshine! Come on out for one, two or all three of these rides...uh, and some sure to be peloton antics!!!

Please check the Ride Calendar for details at the bottom of this blogulation. And, I'll...

See you out on the road,
Bob