Hello Members!
Donut Derby 2023 will soon open registration. It is only four and 1/2 months away!
As Raffle Chairperson, I am now on the hunt for raffle prizes. Last year we were fortunate with many great donations -- cycling items, gift cards, members crafted goods, wine, and more.
If you have something to donate for this year's Donut Derby Raffle, e-mail me at kath.crampton@gmail.com or call 484-357-0261.
Thank You!
🚴♀️🌭🍉🍔🚴♂️
Hello Lehigh Wheelmen,
A reminder that this year the annual picnic returns to its historic home at Covered Bridge Park in South Whitehall. So mark Saturday Aug. 6 on your calendars, with a rain date of Sunday Aug. 7. We'll have rides (hopefully at all levels) leaving from the park in the morning at times, depending on the ride speed and distance, timed to get back to the park in time for the 12:00 pm picnic. The club will provide some standard picnic fare like hamburgers, hot dogs and plant-based burgers and cold drinks. Please bring a covered dish (salad, side dish or desert) to share with club members.
We'll need volunteers to lead some rides, so post if you're willing to lead a ride. Please sure you can be available for the rain date if necessary. We'd like to have A, B, C and D ride leaders.
Also we'll need a few of people to help with setting up the pavilion, manning the grills, and cleanup. So reply for that below if you're willing to help out!
There are two fun days planned for Lehigh Wheelmen this month of June.
On June16, we have been invited to meet up with and welcome a group of true adventurers passing through the Lehigh Valley. Overall, these cyclists will ride a 23-day, 1,070 mile triangle tour of the 9/11 Memorials in each of the three cities directly impacted by events that September 11. Their journey will start at the Pentagon, ride to Flight 93 memorial near Shanksville, then over to NYC, then back to the Pentagon. They will pass through our area mid-tour, on June 16, as they ride from Reading to Easton, and they would appreciate support from the Lehigh Wheelmen. We will also host lunch for these riders as they make a rest stop at the Velodrome.
This is a "guinea pig" route for the volunteers, with hopes to shift the Tour to encompass the 9/11 week itself a few years from now.
A few days later, on Saturday June 18, we have the rescheduled Blessing of the Bikes. LWA member Pastor Larry Pickens will once again perform a “Blessing of the Bikes” at Ziegel Church at 9:00am. Afterwards, rides of various level will depart.
We hope that you can attend one or both of these events! See Meetup postings for details.
At our recent Members meeting on April 27, our guest speaker, First Aid and CPR Instructor Earl Ostrander, updated attendees on current CPR guidelines.
First Aid was only briefly touched upon and will be the topic of a future Member meeting. However, Earl did review the need for cyclists -- and Ride Leaders in particular -- to assemble a small pack of supplies in case of treatable injury, i.e a fall and bleed situation.
This "Crash Pack" would be a small stock of supples you could carry in either a back pocket or bar bag. A pre-packaged kit was given to some Ride Leaders a few years ago as a recognition gift. It is certainly time to refresh those dried-up supplies inside! You may assemble your own pack using a zip-lock baggie. Here are some items to include:
This list of items is a good idea for any rider to have on hand.
REMEMBER: Assess the situation before treating anyone. If needed, e.g. head injury or loss of consciousness or breathing -- call 911.
This course will be instructed by Craig Lambert, a current LWA Ride Leader and retired professional cyclist. Meet at Jaindl Elementary School, Cetronia side parking lot.
This is a class geared toward bike handling skills, this class is not just for new riders. We all think we have great abilities on the bike until we don't. There are so many things that can get us out where we play hopefully learning or improving on some skills will keep us all safer from including motorist, your buddy not paying attention to what their doing or just yourself.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
This is a FREE event for all LWA Wheelmen dues-paying club members. There is a $15 fee for all non-member attendees that includes LWA Membership for 1-year.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO LEARN:
All participants will be able to build on their current skill level while learning new ones, making you a better and safer road rider. Skills that Craig might cover include: straight line riding, lines and speeds through turns, side by side riding, braking, positioning on the bike, communication, balance and bike handling.
WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE:
Be prepared for a challenging in-the-saddle, hands-on the bars, instructional day that is filled with game-based activities that allow you to practice riding concepts and demonstrate your mastery.
Here is the final installmemnt of our series to let you know about our newest LWA Ride Leaders.
The LWA has now had ten members become Ride Leaders since the Spring. You may have already met some of them on a recent ride. All have filled out a questionnaire as part of the process, and here we share some of their answers (some edited) with our cyclists.
1) Meet Patty Wilson:
I started cycling in 2019 as a way to get back into fitness and lose weight. So far, I’ve been successful at losing over 40 pounds of weight and I am still fighting to maintain a healthy lifestyle and lose some more. Cycling has always been a part of my life but recently I have become more passionate about the sport as it combines adventure, fitness, and fellowship. The type of rides I enjoy the most are long distance with moderate climbing. I make part of two rides every week for the Fitness Central club, TNSR (Tuesday Night Stress Reliever) ride and Covered Bridge C group ride on Thursday. I also like to participate in various organized rides, most recently I rode the metric century French Creek Iron tour and will be riding the 100 mile ride of the Covered Bridge Classic in Lancaster, PA., and the city to shore ride for MS.
I would like to be a ride leader to assist in keeping planned rides from becoming cancelled due to the ride leader's absence when they are absent due to vacation, injury, or any other personal reason. I would like to become a ride leader as well to be better educated in safety when serving as a ride leader to other cyclists and help support and improve the sport in the Lehigh Valley.
Here is continuation of our series to let you know about our newest LWA Ride Leaders.
The LWA has now had ten members become Ride Leaders since the Spring. You may have already met some of them on a recent ride. All have filled out a questionnaire as part of the process, and here we share some of their answers (some edited) with our cyclists.
Here is continuation of our series to let you know about our newest LWA Ride Leaders.
The LWA has had nine members become Ride Leaders since the Spring. You may have already met some of them on a recent ride. All have filled out a questionnaire as part of the process, and here we share some of their answers (some edited) with our cyclists.
Meet....Andy Samuels:
I rode bicycles as a means of transportation here in the Lehigh Valley as a teenager. As an adult, I got back into cycling in 2006. I am a member of RUSA and like randonneuring. My favorite type of cycling is climbing although I am quite slow.
When I plan routes, I like to stay as far away from automobile traffic as I can get. In the past few years I have been riding on trails more often.
Here is continuation of our series to let you know about our newest LWA Ride Leaders.
The LWA has had nine members become Ride Leaders since the Spring. You may have already met some of them on a recent ride. All have filled out a questionnaire as part of the process, and here we share some of their answers (some edited) with our cyclists.
Meet.... Karl Peters:
This is the start of my 3rd season of road riding, having been a rail trail rider for many years. From Bethlehem, I usually drive to the velodrome and ride from there. I have been on many LWA and FC rides and learned to love the roads from Ttown to Kempton. I still ride trails occasionally, but now it is mostly roads. Last year I rode 3500 miles.
I have enjoyed many group rides and would like to share that with other riders and hopefully find some new riders. Some of it is a ‘giving back’ mindset as there seems to be a need.
The LWA has had nine members become Ride Leaders since the Spring. You may or may have met some of them already. All have filled out quesionnaires as part of the process, and I would like to share some of their answers with our cyclists. (Some edited)
First to meet..... Kathie Zapotoki:
1.) Tell us about your riding history, the type of rides you go on.
I have been riding bikes for over 45years and raced bikes on both the road and the track. I started racing at the velodrome with the very first race at the velodrome in 1976. I raced with a women’s team out of New Jersey for ~10years and we traveled to races throughout the United States.
Today I ride mostly B- rides and just want to enjoy the ride.
Pennsylvania will lift all Covid-19 restrictions, except for the order to wear a mask in public, on Memorial Day, May 31.
The LWA Board has decided that ride participant numbers will no longer be limited to 12. However, it is strongly recommended that the practice be continued, and that additional ride leaders and separate groups be provided when the number reaches 12+.
Rider total will be posted at the Ride Leader's discretion/comfort level.
Remember -- The virus has not disappeared. Not all are able or wish to be vaccinated. With that in mind:
There are many road crews out there, and tar and chip is occurring as well. We ask that you respect "Road Closed" signs as best as you can.
In words sent to me by one of our valuable Ride Leaders, "Just because it is possible to ride through it doesn’t mean that we should. I’ve been on a number of rides where the group just blasted through anyway, and that is not a way for us to make friends with the road crews, whose job is tough enough without us in the mix."
Know your routes, approach slowly and ask permission if necessary, then be prepared to take detours.
Thank you, ride on.
Kathy Crampton, LWA VP Touring
LWA Board member Rev. Larry Pickens perfomed a Blessing of the Bikes at Ziegels Church on May 1, 2021. God was asked to hear our prayers covering all aspects of cycling -- for the bikes and their many parts, for the safety and fitness of the humans that ride them, for protection from the winds and sunrays that all encounter, and more.
Hello Riders!
The snow is melting, the days are getting warmer, the sun is staying up longer. A busy ride season is just around the corner.
At our Zoom member meeting on February 24, our guest speaker, Earl Ostrander, presented us with a review of First Aid. Covered situations included head injury, bleeding, sprain and fracture, heat exhaustion and stroke, loss of tooth, frostbite, and when to call the ambulance. If you were unable to attend, it might be a good time to review this matter in any way you can on your own.
The Virtual Holiday Party was held on December 6. Ride Leaders who led greater than or equal to 10 rides from December 2019 through November 2020 were recognized. Their names appear here. This year, in appreciation from the Lehigh Wheelmen, they will recieve gift cards to their preferred Local Bike Shop. An email will be forthcoming.
Our Ride Leader of the year is Tom Donnelly, with 53 rides.
THANK YOU to ALL of our Ride Leaders !
Tom Donnelly 53
It has been an interesting year to be the Lehigh Wheelmen Touring VP…An interesting year in general!
We are well into Fall, and I wish to thank many of our outstanding Ride Leaders. We have some who have chosen to sit out the season in light of Covid concerns. Others have taken on the task with the LWA mitigation guidelines in full effect.
Thank you also to our riders! Your patience as we learned how to deal with a pandemic did not go unnoticed. It was a challenge in the beginning, but your Board Members found suitable solutions in an effort to keep us safe.
As of Oct 1, with ride sheets still arriving and data being updated, below are the Ride Totals over the shortened season thus far. So very appreciated!
Rides Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 5-7
The Donut Derby for 2023 is on for Labor Day, September 4th, 2023
Registration opens May 15th!
The LWA clothing store is currently closed. It will re-open periodically. Club members will be emailed when this happens.