The LWA apparel store is currently open, but will close at the end of the day this Sunday, December 12th. Ordering details can be found here.
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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.
Instructions on how to subscribe and how to submit an article can be found on the LWA documents page.
We've reached that time of the year when the days are shorter, and colder as well. There are fewer LWA rides on the calendar as a result, but there is an alternative to grinding it out by yourself on a trainer. The advent of "smart" trainers has greatly changed indoor riding. Using Zwift or other similar applications, it's now possible to have an interactive workout and to see the road ahead of you, be it via real video or a simulated reality. But the one thing still missing was the ability to ride with, and talk to your friends. Well, here is an alternative that can get you a little closer to the real thing this winter.
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LWA Menbers and friends,
I'd like to thank the LWA membership for allowing me to serve as the President of the club. At the holiday, party Rich gave me the opportunuity to offer a few remarks. I'd like to share what I said with those who could not attend (remarks in italics).
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We had a very successful LWA Holiday Party and December Meeting last night at Bear Creek with about 75 attendees.
I thank everyone who contributed to making this a great evening especially: Dave Sheffield, Jack Helffrich, Kathy Crampton and Bert Mukkulainen.
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At our LWA Holiday Party and December Meeting last night at Bear Creek we elected the below slate of nominees for LWA officers and board members.
I congratulate our new LWA President Paul Smith.
Position | 2022 Nominee |
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The LWA Apparel Store is open and is set to close on December 12th. Sizing and other details follow below:
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We now have 65 members registered for the LWA Holiday Party at the Bear Creek Lodge on Sunday, 5 December 2021.
Today is the last day to register.
See Meetup for details and how to sign up: 2021 LWA Holiday Party, Sunday 5 December 2021 | Meetup
After dinner, we'll have a brief club meeting including a 2021 year in review, 2022 Officer Elections, Appreciation Awards.
Jack Helffrich is developing a slide show of our 2021 Rides and Jack needs help.
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At our LWA November Meeting on Wednesday, November 17 we received a very informative presentation from Erin Smith Sparrold, a Performance Nutritionist.
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We now have 50 registrations for the 2021 LWA Holiday Party.
If you haven’t registered yet, you can still do so via Bike Reg link in the Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Lehigh-Wheelmen-Association/events/281741801/
https://www.bikereg.com/lwa-seasonal-party
Jack Helfrich will be putting together a photo slide show for the meeting and asks everyone to share with him 2021 LWA cycling photos.
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Our LWA Event Coordinator, Janna Baum, has made arrangements for Erin Smith Sparrold, a Performance Nutritionist, to present at our LWA November Meeting on November 17.
Erin, who holds a sports specific nutrition certification in Metabolic Efficiency for Athletes, will talk about nutrition for athletes followed by a healthy snack for all so please RSVP on Meetup for a count of attendees.
Erin has been helping people for over 20 years live healthier lives and you can learn more about Erin at:
See https://www.meetup.com/Lehigh-Wheelmen-Association/events/279479878 for details on meeting, which you can attend either in person or via Zoom link.
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This past Saturday while at the Philly Bike Expo, Mark & Tammy Doran, Jack Helfrich, Clyde Odom, Carl Zvanut and I attended s 2 session seminar on "How to be a Quality Ride Leader” led by League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructors: https://phillybikeexpo.com/come-on-lets-ride-how-to-be-a-quality-ride-leader/
I learned that we here in LWA do many things related to our rides that are best in class including use of Ride With GPS, Meetup and our ride leader guidelines as articulated in these documents on our website:
- http://lehighwheelmen.org/files/documents/rideleaders-guidelines.pdf
- http://lehighwheelmen.org/files/documents/Guide%20to%20Group%20Riding.pdf
I think we do an exceptionally good job at explaining ride classifications by using distance, terrain elevation, and pace as explained in: http://lehighwheelmen.org/files/documents/LWA%20Ride%20Classifications.pdf
I also learned that bike clubs have various approaches to how to best handle vehicle traffic on the road but most follow the rule not to call out “clear” as we do.
I noted that many clubs are more cautious than we are with stop signs, and we should more completely stop especially when in the towns that we ride in.
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I talked to Dave Sheffield this morning about the LWA Holiday Party at the Bear Creek Lodge on Sunday, 5 December 2021.
As usual, Dave is doing a great job at planning this event that will include a cash bar cocktail hour starting at 6 pm and at 7 pm, a buffet dinner.
After dinner, we'll have a brief club meeting including a 2021 year in review, 2022 Officer Elections, Appreciation Awards.
We will also have a Jack Helffrich developed slide show of our 2021 Rides including a Donut Derby Video.
We urge all who want to attend to RSVP via BikeReg.com as soon as possible:
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At our LWA October Monthly meeting, Tom Kellogg of Spectrum Cycles was our guest speaker.
Tom recently retired from his long career as a custom bike frame maker, and he presented several topics including:
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The Philly Bike Expo is back this year see: 2021 Philly Bike Expo – Nov. 6 & 7
There is a car full of us planning to attend as posted by Jack H on Meetup: Philly Bike Expo | Meetup
Others who want to attend can plan on other car pool options.
I attended several years ago and found the Expo very intesting and made some good purchases of cycling clothing.
In addition to the Expo, seminars are available per: Seminar and Event Schedule – 2021 Philly Bike Expo
Some of us are thinking about attending the 2 sessions on "How to be a Quality Ride Leader."
If you decide to attend just the Expo, then plan on at leaset spending 1/2 of the day.
I urge Ride Leaders to think about attending the 2 sessions on "How to be a Quality Ride Leader." If you decide to do this, then a full day should be planned so you also have time to attend the Expo.
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Tom Kellogg of Spectrum Cycles has graciously agreed to be our guest speaker at our October LWA Monthly Meeting tomorrow, October 27, at 7:00.
Tom will cover several topics that he knows from his long experience of making custom bike frames that will be of interest to cycling enthusiasts like our LWA members.
Please join us in person or via the Zoom link in the attached Meetup: Monthly Club Meeting..All Welcome, Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 7:00 PM | Meetup
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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 love gravel rides but around here it's usually paved roads with some gravel segments. Sometimes I'll ride on a rail trail or canal path, and occassionally on some easy mtb trails. I love hills but I'm a slow cyclist, typically riding 11-13 mph depending on the terrain.
I started cycling to improve fitness in 2012 - first with a hybrid bike and then went to a gravel bike in 2015. I'm a year-round cyclist, fall/winter is my favorite time of the year to ride (I know most people think that's strange!) I've participated in regular group rides with CBBC but not so much in the past few years as I've been training for the Unbound gravel 200 mile event that will take place in Kansas in early June. I've been riding about 4000-5000 miles a year plus a lot of sessions on the trainer. My longest ride has been 150 miles.
I like to encourage cycists of all levels, and to have fun in a social group setting. Also to promote more inclusivity in cycling. I've participated in some gravel events, group rides, and training camps in the mid-west and it was so nice how friendly and encouraging other cyclists have been. There really is a "gravel community". I'd like to pass some of that along. I recently moved to Pennsburg and am looking forward to riding with LWA.
2) Finally, for this season's group of new Ride Leaders, Meet Sebastian Villamil (aka Soby).
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.
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For sale: Garmin 1030
Need a Garmin? This used model is in great condition. Works great for cycling stats, navigation, tracking your rides, and displays phone notifications. Asking $250 (retail price is $599.99).
Email Amanda at ajwsings@yahoo.com
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Christine Penn, our LWA Secretary, is now recovering from a bike accident,
Her fellow members of LWA Leadership team wish her a speady recovery.
For next few weeks, Chris will be recovering at:
St. Luke’s Lehighton Campus
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After hearing how Lachlan Morton raised $700,000 for World Bicycle Relief, I set up a fundraising page in the name of the LWA.
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