Latest News

This is our online newsletter area, where you will find news articles, classified ads, club announcements, and other items of interest to LWA members.

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Roberta Kates

Visions can turn into reality, when you have a dream

Thank you to tonights speaker, Mike Matts, for sharing his vision and fulfilling his dream of riding across American with LWA.  Mike came to us live, from New York, via the LWA Virtual Monthly Membership Meeting.  Back in 1977, Mike had a vision, his vision was to ride across America someday...when he had enough time.  That time came in 2019 when Mike retired.  Mike trained, Mike rode and Mike conquored, the Adventure Cycling TransAM Westward ride on his Surly Disc Trucker. Mike shared his 2019 Adventure Cycling ride, which started on May 12, 2019 in Williamsburg, VA and ended 79 days later in Florence, OR on July 28th.  Mike invites you to read his blog: www.MikesEpicRide.com
LWA Member's if you have the vision to make the ride, contact Mike on his blog site, or if you subscribe to Adventure Cycling Magazine check out the rides posted for late Summer and early Fall 2019.  Adventure Cycling magazine also has a section, Companions Wanted, which provides partners for tours, both domestic and abroad.  
Thank you Mike for sharing your TransAM Westward ride experience with LWA.  We invite you to ride with LWA, when you are in the Lehigh Valley. 
Roberta Kates, LWA Club President
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41 Hits
Roberta Kates

Cycling Group Riding - USA Cycling Recommendations

USA Cycling posted the following two pdf's below, please take a few minutes and read over the Group Riding Recommendations and Team/Club Guidelines. Along with USA Cycling recommendations,  we also will be following the guidelines set by each county.  Our rides often range from Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Montgomery counties. 

LWA Board of Directors will be using these considerations and will post an update by June 5th - when PA will change from red to yellow phase.

Group RIding Recommendations - 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/craft-prod-assets/documents/COVID-19-Event-Resources/Cycling-Group-Ride-COVID-19-Recommendations-21May20.pdf

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58 Hits
Roberta Kates

LWA NO RIDE POLICY UPDATE

Although USA Cycling will be lifting the ban on Group Cycling on May 31st, we need to remember, Lehigh Valley and surrounding cycling counties are still in the red phase, which is under a Stay at Home Order through June 4th. Counties in the red phase are expected to move to yellow by June 5 at 12:01 a.m.

With this update, the LWA NO RIDE POLICY is still in effect through June 4th.  Currently the LWA Board of Directors are dillegently working on developing a "Back to Group Riding Plan" - please watch for updates which will be posted on Meetup and on the LWA Website prior to June 5th. We also plan to hold a Virtual Ride Leaders meeting prior to June 5th.  Please watch Meet-Up for details. 

Until then, please stay safe and ride solo.  

Roberta Kates

LWA President

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60 Hits
Paul Smith

Updates to LWA Ride Library

Hello Cyclists

Our LWA Club Route Library has 182 GPS routes that are availabe to all LWA members who have joined the LWA-Ride With GPS club account.  If you are an LWA member and want to be in the LWA-RWGPS Club Account,  directions on how to join are under the For Members Only / Documents section of the web site.  Scroll down to the Rides section and click on Ride With GPS Club Account. Access to the GPS Club Account is a member benefit that I hope you will find useful.

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44 Hits
Paul Smith

Help with planning solo rides

During this time of enforced solo riding without the benefit of organized rides with the LWA you may be getting a bit tired of riding just the routes you are familiar with but have no other options because you just don’t know where else to go.   The LWA can help you with that!  Several years ago the club established a club account with Ride With GPS.  As an LWA club member you can join the LWA Ride With GPS Club Account. --->   How to join

The RWGPS club account provides the LWA with a way to store and make available to all our members RWGPS routes through our club Route Library.  There are hundreds of GPS routes currently in the library.  The following article explains the benefits to you as a LWA member, and how to take advantage of them.   ---->    Read about it

I hope you find this useful.  More importantly, I hope we will all be able to get back to groups rides safely in the not too distant future.  In the meantime, be safe and enjoy staying fit and getting out on your bicycle.

 

Paul Smith

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55 Hits
Nancy Sheffield

Bill Derby

Bill Derby

With deep regrets, I need to update the LWA membership on one of our longstanding LWA members – Bill Derby.  As many of you know, Bill has been in a memory care facility for several years.  We just heard from Jane Derby, that Bill has lost a lot of weight and is no longer eating.  He’s at the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease and is on hospice care in Florida.

Bill and Jane were active members of the LWA.  Jane served as the LWA Treasurer for many years.  Bill was an outstanding ride leader and good friend to many of us.  We always looked forward to joining his rides.  Many of his cycling adventures took us over South Mountain and down in to the Oley Valley.  Bill is one of the few LWA members who received the “LWA LIFETIME EMERITUS MEMBERSHIP Award” in 2016 at our Holiday Party.  It was a great moment when he was surrounded by many of our LWA Biker Chicks for a group picture. 

Please keep Jane in your thoughts and prayers as she deals with the loss of a true partner and long term cycling buddy.

Dave

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60 Hits
Carl Zvanut

True Signs of Spring

The weather may not be cooperating, but there are true signs of spring in the Lehigh Valley:

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76 Hits
Roberta Kates

May Message from the President

Hello LWA Members, 

I hope this note finds you well.  All I can say is its amazing how fast weeks have gone by and here we are in May, and still in the "No Group Ride Status" - USA Cycling has extended “no rides” through May 31st.  I know how you feel, I feel the same...I don't like being on the "stay at home", but at the end of the day if this keeps me safe from becoming ill, I will do what it takes. As USA releases guidelines for rides, LWA will post the guidelines from USA Cycling to help us continue to ride safe in 2020.  
 
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86 Hits
DMD

Links from Kim Geist, guest speaker at April LWA meeting

Guest Speaker at the April LWA meeting was Kim Geist.  Her presentation touched upon modifying exercise and nutrition for being solo and/or indoors, in the context of restructuring goals and motivation towards them during times of uncertainty.

Why we ride: Finding purpose in training during COVID-19:  http://www.michaelbarkasi.com/2020/04/08/why-we-ride-finding-purpose-in-training-during-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR3-h3dUncJpPeyFeIOZ9_K8qg0OoksKN4WoZ9XKXG3JXpm1opGi26Ia28g

Exercise, Immunity & the COVID-19 Pandemic:  https://www.acsm.org/all-blog-posts/acsm-blog/acsm-blog/2020/03/30/exercise-immunity-covid-19-pandemic

Listening to Fast Tempo Music Delays the Onset of Neuromuscular Fatigue:  https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2020/03000/Listening_to_Fast_Tempo_Music_Delays_the_Onset_of.3.aspx?fbclid=IwAR34kQrtZ6VaxfcBHUbEBDTHis7cr6p5WSzmwKEt0u-58ODNiP56ZUb7Bik

MoveRight Method:  https://www.moverightmethod.com/

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98 Hits
Roberta Kates

LWA Monthly Meeting Invite - Guest Speaker Kim Geist

LWA Member Meeting invites you to join this Webex meeting.

Meeting number (access code): 620 609 360

Meeting password: LWA2020 (5922020 from phones and video systems)

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

7:00 pm  |  (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)  |  3 hrs

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260 Hits
Carl Zvanut

The Joys of Solo Riding.

We all miss riding in groups with our fellow club members, but let’s take some time to enjoy solo riding during these difficult times.  It is spring, the trees and flowers are blooming, and the days are getting longer and warmer.  I find myself in the same situation I was seven years ago after retirement.  Riding solo, working around the house, doing some computer work and reading.  It was great to hook up with the LWA and start riding in groups and develop the great friendships of club members.

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122 Hits
Roberta Kates

LWA Members Are Encouraged to Ride Solo

Members of LWA, 

As the Coronavirus cases keeps rising in Pennsylvania. I wanted to reach out to each of you to remind LWA Members that Governor Wolf has put in place general guidance for Pennsylvanians: Stay home as much as possible. Try to get groceries once per week, instead of daily. Freedom of travel remains, but please refrain from non-essential travel. Essential travel includes things like commuting to an essential job, picking up supplies like groceries and medicine, and checking on family and pets in other households. DO NOT HOST or ATTEND GATHERINGS.   

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106 Hits
Roberta Kates

Group Ride Update

LWA Members, 

The NO CLUB RIDE rule has been extended through May 3rd. 

That doesn't mean you need to stop riding outside, it just means You Need to Ride Safely, Here’s How to Do It Safely Right Now from Bicycling Magazine https://www.bicycling.com/health-nutrition/a31788482/how-to-ride-safely-during-coronavirus/

Another ride idea is to use YouTube videos. Take a ride in Italy, France, or stay in the USA while riding your trainer. If you are of the competitive nature, check out Swift, RGT Cycling and other group ride websites. (some are offering reduced rates during COVID-19) Just be sure to read the fine print! 

Again, it's especially important for those with high risk factors, to follow the CDC guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html 

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129 Hits
Roberta Kates

GROUP RIDES CANCELLED due to CORONAVIRUS

LWA Members:

As we look forward to the 2020 riding season, we are now confronted by the real health threat that the COVID-19 outbreak has on our club and society.  As you can see below, USA Cycling has suspended all permits, and has recommended canceling all Club/Team Group Rides/Events/Meetings through April 5th.  

LWA is a Club member of USA Cycling, therefore all LWA rides posted on Meetup are hereby cancelled through April 5th.  

Be safe and stay healthy! 

Your LWA Executive Team, 

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142 Hits
Rich Ferrera

Ride to Crystal Cave

 

We had 20 participants on a ride to Crystal Cave on Sunday to celebrate the first day of Day Light Savings time.  Thanks to Janna for co-leading and John Wargo for bringing some beverages for the after ride celebration.

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148 Hits
Roberta Kates

March Message from our President

Welcome New and Renewing Members - 

Sunday is the day, "Daylight Saving Time" rides will be starting later in the day for those of us who have the four letter word going on, "work" - for some members, rides may not have stopped during the winter months, for others, it may be our first rides of the season.  Thank you to our ride leaders for posting rides through the winter months: Bert, Carl, Dave, Dick, Frieder, Jack, John Munsch (our ride leader of 2019), Rich F, Richard, Tom D, and Torie.  Again without "YOU", there is no "US". Thank you Ride Leaders. 

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188 Hits
Rich Ferrera

Co-leading rides and other thoughts

Hello LWA Members,

This is my first post and I want to share 2 thoughts:  First, I want to say a big THANK YOU to Dave Drummer and Jim Fullerton for developing and advocating this LWA Blog process.  It took me a while to sign up and I suspect it will take some time to get traction, but I think it will be a very valuable way for us to communicate.

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173 Hits
DMD

2019 VVV and DD photos

In case you didn't see these previously. . .

To view the slideshow from the 2019 Valley-Velo-Vistas ride, click here.

To view the slideshow from the 2019 Donut Derby, click here.

 

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224 Hits
DMD

Roll-out of "Latest News" on the LWA website

Dear LWA member:

As President Kates mentioned in her recent holiday message, we are transitioning from a periodic club newsletter to a blog-like "Latest News" format on the LWA website.  You will

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254 Hits
DMD

LWA Photos - November/December 2019

Photos from Meetup and other sources, taken at LWA events during November and December, 2019.

 

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242 Hits
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