BRBC Weekend Ride Report & Newsletter

BRBC Weekend Ride Report & Newsletter

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Weekend Ride Report –
Saturday, March 22
30+ riders, spread across A, B, and C groups, hit the road in St. Francisville.
(above image is 60 mile route used by the “A” group)
With the goals of avoiding the LSU Road Race and the Audubon Pilgrimage keeping BRBC’ers off their most familiar routes, a few old routes were revisited providing an excellent morning in the saddle for the 30+ riders that started from the Magnuson Hotel in St. Francisville. Overcast skies for the 8:00 a.m. clip-in, giving way to warm sunshine made for perfect riding weather, a real blessing after such a cold winter.

Each time a group crossed paths with another there was a beautiful blur of color upon a background of spring-green foliage. Images of the great tours of Europe would flash across one’s mind with a Van Gogh pallet of tones. The sounds of whirring chains and cassettes, derailleurs quick snip from one cog to another, quick clicks of shifters, all keeping cadence to the ebb and flow of the ride. Fast riders, slow riders, in-between riders all attacking the hill, and enjoying the first deep breath descending getting ready for the next climb. Zen, beauty, transcendence all redefined. Three hours was too short, yet it was enough.

A special tip of the old cycling cap to guest riders Steve Morrisette, and John Robson representing Texas, and Florida respectively. Also a tip of the cap to Shanna Boudreaux, and Rachael Guillory both from St. Francisville, and making their first ever BRBC ride, and first ever 30 mile ride! Way to go Rachael and Shanna, we look forward to seeing y’all again!

We hope to make A,B & C group combo rides a regular feature of all BRBC Saturday out of town rides. Be sure to read your newsletter, and the BRBC calendar (https://batonrougebikeclub.com/event-ride-calendar/) to keep up on the latest ride postings.

Ride leaders for Saturday: Gerard Morgan – “A” group; Mike Constantin – “B” group, Herb Sumrall – “C” group.

Weekend Ride Report –
Sunday, March 23
A few showers? No problem.

Almost nothing can stand in the way of Bruce, and his band of coffee riders. Bruce, et al hit the slightly damp pavement, rode carefully, and achieved afternoon coffee nirvana! If you’ve never made Bruce’s “Tour du Cafe” ride you’re missing out on a great opportunity for an easy ride, great conversation, and yes a good cup of joe. You might even get a “teachable moment” from the ride master himself.

This is the way the “Tour du Cafe” rolls, don’t miss it!
Time Is Running Out!
Order Your 50th Anniversary BRBC Jerseys & Accessories TODAY!
The deadline has been extended, but time is running out!
(above image is 60 mile route used by the “A” group)
We cannot place orders for additional jerseys unless we meet the quotas established by our vendor. That means we need a minimum of 15 pieces of an item to place and order for that item. What does it take to get there? 15 men’s jerseys any size, 15 women’s jerseys any size, etc.

Don’t miss out, get your pre-order in now! This just might be the last chance to order 50th anniversary kit this year.

Click Here To Order BRBC Jerseys & More! (https://batonrougebikeclub.com/store/)

Rides & Events

** Check the BRBC web site calendar for more details about the rides & events listed below. (https://batonrougebikeclub.com/event-ride-calendar/)
————————————————————

3/29
Livingston Ride
3/30
Kidical Mass
Tour du Cafe
March Birthdays! (https://batonrougebikeclub.com/event-ride-calendar/)
4/5
Clinton Market Day Ride
(Ride Leader Needed)
4/6
Wheels To Succeed Ride (http://batonrougebikeclub.us7.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=768d1dbf2fa96a1fe6090840e&id=fea365a382&e=a89b2a82c7)
Tour du Cafe
4/12
Jackson Ride
(Ride Leader Needed)
4/13
Tour du Cafe
4/19
Centreville, MS ride
4/20
Tour du Cafe
…
5/10
Red Bug Hill Challenge St. Francisville (http://batonrougebikeclub.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=768d1dbf2fa96a1fe6090840e&id=7c702214bc&e=a89b2a82c7)
Tour de Cure Mandeville (http://batonrougebikeclub.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=768d1dbf2fa96a1fe6090840e&id=4074eef92c&e=a89b2a82c7)

From Our President
March 17th-21st was a week of big news and input!

Government Street:

Members of the Baton Rouge Bike Club and Bike BR were on hand for the Mayor’s Press conference last Wednesday announcing Government street improvements. The city will be adding bike lanes to Government Street from I-110 to Lobdell as well as making it more bike and pedestrian friendly. The best part is that all improvements will be done by the end of 2015. This is a great step toward making all of Baton Rouge more bike friendly. There are several other streets we are working to improve in the coming months so stay tuned! For more information: http://theadvocate.com/home/8673697-125/government-street-to-become-3-laned

Old Goodwood:

Many riders know the frustration of crossing Lobdell at Seven Oaks. Even though Seven Oaks is a recognized bike route through a neighborhood and has a dedicated path from Lobdell to Goodwood, the Lobdell crossing can be downright treacherous at times. Last Tuesday night the Goodwood Property Owners Association met to unveil a proposal by residents to reduce traffic through the neighborhood and encourage residents to bike and walk more. The proposal includes making several streets one-way with bike lanes on either side much like Capital Heights. While the Association was not allowed to propose changes to the Lobdel – Seven Oaks intersection, many attendees made their opinions clear. The GPOA will be a great ally in our fight to improve that intersection especially to help convince councilman Ryan Heck. Check out the proposal at: http://www.brgoodwood.com/Traffic/Proposal_v4-GPOA_website.pdf

BREC:

Thursday was the last of BREC’s Imagine Your Parks 2 input sessions. This public meeting at the beautiful new Main Library at Independence Park was another opportunity to let BREC know how much we love bike facilities, and with 6 of the 16 attendees being avid bikers I think we did pretty well! Biking and walking trails have been popular answers throughout the input process, though they have been soliciting other ideas as well. Some people in the club really appreciate being able to shower at City Park after a ride. This is a great opportunity to let BREC know how much you appreciate that and would like to see those facilities at other parks! At this meeting we once again heard how important safe crossings of Goodwood, Lobdell, and Independence are for residents around the area to be able to access Independence Park by walking or biking. The process is still open online via MindMixer: http://iyp2.mindmixer.com (http://iyp2.mindmixer.com/) . Even if you don’t have an idea to
add, please visit the site and help us get more support for biking and walking trails by ‘rating’ those posts with 5 stars!

The more voices we have calling for safe streets, the louder we are! The louder we are the more our Councilpeople listen!

Ride Leaders Wanted!:

As you may have seen on the Yahoo! Groups, we are finishing up a year-long effort to create a new ride leader training and certification process. We talked to many of you and gathered your input from an online survey and our member meetings to develop this program. Please keep a look out for more information soon on how to become a ride leader. The more ride leaders we have, the more great rides we can offer!

Kidical Mass this Sunday, 3/30 at 2pm:

Family ride leaving from the gravel parking lot across from the LSU Vet School, bicycle around the athletic fields to go visit Mike the Tiger. This is a ride appropriate for all ages though children should be able to ride without training wheels. Parents must accompany children; be prepared by wearing helmets, bringing water, and dressing for the weather. Hosted by Safe Routes to School and Baton Rouge Bike Club. For questions, please contact Kelli Gilbert or Jennie Kluse: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) , cell: (650) 726-8665 (tel:%28650%29%20726-8665) . This ride repeats every last Sunday of the month.
March Birthdays this Sunday 3/30 at 4pm:

We’re celebrating 50 years as Baton Rouge’s premier cycling club on the last Sunday of every month, if your birthday is in that month, and you’re a BRBC member be sure to join us for a little something special just for you! So this Sunday, March 30th @ 4:00 PM, we’re celebrating the birthday of any club member born in March… cake balls & coffee at “Brew Ha-Ha!” Even if your birthday isn’t in March come on out, and join the celebration, and remember when it’s your birthday month the cake balls and coffee are on the club. Is there a better way to close out a Sunday than riding the Tour du Cafe, and finishing off with a treat? We don’t think so! Rain or shine!

Thanks,

Chris



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