Thanks to everyone who visited our booth at the Seattle Bike Expo.  This was our thirteenth year at the expo.  We were across from our great national & local sponsor Hammer Nutrition.  Brian joined Kyle & Mike at the booth.  Brian the proprietor of Hammer Nutrion, Kyle our Seattle race director and Mike the Seattle spoke director.

After arriving back at Bruce’s home and taking “2-min” showers, we had a fantastic lunch consisting of tuna fish sandwiches, garden salad, and vegetable soup.  Many thanks to Bruce and his wife for preparing this feast.  After lunch, it was on to parking lot exercises.  We rode to a nearby church parking lot where we practiced several drills. These included leaning into each other while riding shoulder to shoulder, touching wheels, making our way up to the front of the pack, and riding in figure 8s.  The drills were aimed at getting comfortable riding in close proximity to other riders and staying calm.  I found these particularly useful as one of my biggest areas of difficulty is riding close to other riders.  Touching wheels was fun too, although Carl took a spill and got a nice gash on his right ankle.

After concluding our parking lot exercises, we headed up to Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View for church service, where we got to worship and listen to an excellent sermon.  Among other things, Pastor Hurmon spoke about the difference between secular love and Godly love and how Jerry Maguire’s marriage would likely end up in divorce because he relied on Renee Zellweger’s character to “complete him” when in fact only Christ can complete us.  After church, we met Bob at Buca di Beppo and fueled up for Sunday’s ride.  We ordered five large plates and an appetizer, which was a bit too much considering there were 10 of us and only 9 of us ate.  Each plate was supposed to feed 4 people so we had basically ordered enough food for 20+ people.  My favorite dish was the Eggplant Parmigiana.  After dinner, we drove to Bob’s beautiful house in Emerald Hills, watched a movie, and got some rest.

On Sunday, we started our ride at the corner of page mill and arastadero. The first climb was on page mill road, an 8.4 mile climb at 4.5%.  After a beautiful descent on Highway 84, we rode along the coast on Highway 1 and then headed up to our second climb, Tunitas Creek.  This was a 6-mile climb at 5.5% and is known for the climb where Levi Leipheimer broke away from the pack during the Tour of California a few years ago and secured his win.  Everyone rode up at their own pace, with Marcus and Ben leading the way and Carl almost bridging up to them.  Finally, we descended down skyline blvd and rode a long stretch on canada road before turning on sand hill and completing our loop. Stats for the day: 4 hours on the saddle, 6100 vertical feet, and 63 miles.  We concluded training camp with a delicious lunch provided by Mike.

Overall impressions:

1)   The length and height of the rides were just right.  Enough to get some great fitness but not too long to kill our legs.
2)   Drank two bottles of water and Perpeteum mix from Hammer on each ride.  This kept me very well nourished and hydrated.  Still felt decent at the end of the ride.
3)   For the less-experienced, single and double pacelines are scary, especially during descents.  I’d prefer to practice this on flats with less traffic. One bad move by anyone can be disastrous for the whole group.
4)   Parking lot exercises were very useful and I benefited a lot from the coaching.
5)   For cycling enthusiasts like me, nothing beats two days of cycling, eating, watching movies, and sleeping.  Except for maybe 3 days.

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See race flyer for race schedule details, cash prize list:12th annual IC3 Hillsboro-Roubaix Spring Classic Race Flyer

The “Ride Your Socks Off” event will be on Saturday, October 20th 2012. After the club collection efforts, club members, and any willing volunteers, will meet at Eastside Foursquare Church in Bothell WA. These cyclists will then take the donated socks, via pedal power, 20 miles (each way) to the Seattle UGM Men’s Shelter in downtown Seattle. At this time the club will also be presenting the UGM with a donation check for the amount of money raised during the 2012 cycling season through sponsorships and sales of team items.

Your support, in the form of sock donations or ride participation is greatly appreciated. All are welcome to join on the ride on October 20th. The club asks that if you join, simply bring your bike, a helmet, some socks to donate, and a willingness to participate in the cause of reaching out to the less fortunate in the Seattle area. Volunteers may be required to sign a liability waiver to participate at the time of the ride.

OFFICIAL SOCK DROP DONATIONS LOCATIONS:

• All Western Washington Bellevue Healthcare locations – www.bellevuehealthcare.com
• InHealth Sports Injury & Performance Care- 4915 25th Avenue NE Seattle, WA 98105
• Center Cycle- 3950 Lind Avenue Southwest Renton, WA 98057
• Eastside Foursquare Church- 14520 100th Avenue Northeast Bothell, WA 98011
• MFG Cyclocross races- Sept. 9th Kenmore, Sept. 23rd Sammamish, Oct. 6th Redmond

The International Christian Cycling Club is a 25 year old organization that is represented in 14 countries and has chapters (spokes) in over 12 states in the US. The Washington/Seattle spoke was started in 2002 and was “re-started” in 2012 with a partnership with the Seattle UGM. Please check out our main organization website for more information including our statement of faith and history at www.christiancycling.com

For additional information or a sample copy please contact:

Kyle Foss – 253-468-3677 – Ic3nwcyclingteam@gmail.com

The Fall Clothing order is here and will close on Oct 12, 2012. This is the time of year to order long sleeve items, warm weather clothing, and kits for early Spring 2013.  The Clothing will ship the middle of December.

Head on over to the online store and place your order.

If you have questions go to the forum page and ask away.

 He is risen indeed! Happy Easter. Our Lord and Savior has Risen! Tell all of the nations. I pray you all have a nice Easter with your family. The weather looks like it will finally cooperate. Everywhere else in the nation it’s in the mid 80’s while were still having snow and cold wet rain…go figure. Enjoy Spring break.

Ride Leader Name: Bob Horn Distance: 30-35 miles Pace: Moderate (14-18 miles/hr) Terrain: Some hills Regroup: Stay together  Weather Cancels: Heavy rain cancels. Prepare for light rain / showers. Forecast: 10% Chance of showers 58/44

MAY is Bike to Work month: The Cascade Group Health Commute Challenge is beginning May 1^st through May 31^st. We already have a Team: IC3NW UGM Cycling Team so if you want to join up go to http://commutechallenge.cascade.org/accounts/login/ and set up your account and look for our team and join in.

BIKE TO WORK DAY-Friday May 18th-IC3 station at Lid Park on Mercer Island-We will once again be hosting a station on Bike to Work Day on Mercer Island at Lid Park from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (setting up at 5:30 a.m.) We give out Hammer Heed from a 5 gallon cooler, bananas, and oranges. We have also provided air for tires and fixed flat tires. I will need at least three volunteers again this year. So let me know if you are interested.

Remember as a local member, Center Cycle in Renton for all your other bike needs. They have agreed to give all of our members a 20% discount on products in their shop. it is a really cool shop and is located just north of Ikea in Renton. They are a huge Specialized dealer as well as a variety of other major brands. They will have a list of our current LOCAL members on hand at the register to ID you, so please make sure you respect our agreement and only use your discount for yourself. Here is a link: http://centercycle.com/

UGANDA IC3 Spoke: Pastor David who is the coach of the IC3 spoke from Uganda said his team is in major need of parts. The carbon race bike which we donated a few years ago fell apart. Go figure! They need rear derailleurs, chain wheels, chains, cassettes, 5,8 and 9 gear and shifters. They could also use a more sturdy race bike, as the road conditions are terrible. Pastor David will be coming soon to Seattle so if you have spare parts or monies you wish to contribute to the Uganda IC3 spoke racers please make arrangements to get them to me so that we can get them to Pastor David prior to his departure back to Uganda.

Reminder: Beginning May 1st, I will only be sending out e-mails to current paid members of the International Christian Cycling Club. If you are not a member and want to know what is happening you will need to go to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/IC3NW.UGM.CyclingTeam?ref=tn_tnmn and check out the events calendar and photos, race updates etc. Check out our sponsors on the facebook page as well.

This last weekend was great for riding and everyone was out.  A lot of exciting things are happening with the club and team.  People are taking notice of the new jersey.  There are two rides this Saturday.   Go to Facebook for updates and to the National website for news as well.   http://www.facebook.com/IC3NW.UGM.CyclingTeam 

Furious Fort Classic UPDATE:  Junior racers Alex Springer placed 2^nd in the Varsity race and Miles Frank placed 1st in the JV race.  I posted the photos on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/IC3NW.UGM.CyclingTeam  

Hammer Nutrition OPPORTUNITY:  Brian will be speaking this Saturday March 31^st from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. holding a nutrition clinic.  This is a clinic be put on by Cycle University for their racers and parents.  The turnout is large so they are holding it at the Cascade Bike Club office.  http://www.cascade.org/About/office_staff.cfm  map:  http://www.cascade.org/About/contact.cfm

Brian said if you are interested in attending you can attend and if asked, tell them you are a member of the International Christian Cycling Club IC3 NW/UGM Cycling Team and that Brian invited you to come to listen to his presentation.

JERSEY UPDATE:  We still have some slots open to the first fifty paid local members to get a free jersey. In addition we will be placing an order the end of the first week of April so if you want to order additional clothing please let me know and I will let you know the price as this will be a pre-paid order.

Reminder: Beginning May 1st, I will only be sending out e-mails to current paid members of the International Christian Cycling Club. If you are not a member and want to know what is happening you will need to go to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/IC3NW.UGM.CyclingTeam?ref=tn_tnmn and check out the events calendar and photos, race updates etc. Check out our sponsors on the facebook page as well.

Remember as a local member, Center Cycle in Renton for all your other bike needs. They have agreed to give all of our members a 20% discount on products in their shop. it is a really cool shop and is located just north of Ikea in Renton. They are a huge Specialized dealer as well as a variety of other major brands. They will have a list of our current LOCAL members on hand at the register to ID you, so please make sure you respect our agreement and only use your discount for yourself. Here is a link: http://centercycle.com/

UGANDA IC3 Spoke: Pastor David who is the coach of the IC3 spoke from Uganda said his team is in major need of parts. The carbon race bike which we donated a few years ago fell apart. Go figure! They need rear derailleurs, chain wheels, chains, cassettes, 5,8 and 9 gear and shifters. They could also use a more sturdy race bike, as the road conditions are terrible. Pastor David will be coming soon to Seattle and in addition one of our members will be going to Uganda on another missions trip soon so if you have spare parts or monies you wish to contribute to the Uganda IC3 spoke racers please make arrangements to get them to me so that we can get them to Pastor David and to Kristin prior to their departure to Uganda.

BIKE TO WORK DAY-Friday May 18th-IC3 station at Lid Park on Mercer Island-We will once again be hosting a station on Bike to Work Day on Mercer Island at Lid Park from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (setting up at 5:30 a.m.) This year the Velocevelo Bike Shop on Mercer Island has asked to be a partner in the booth. In the past, we have given out Hammer Heed from a 5 gallon cooler, bananas, and oranges. We have also provided air for tires and fixed flat tires.  We will need at least three volunteers again this year. So let me know if you are interested.

SATURDAY RIDES-March 31st: Seattle (King County County) or Bothell (Snohomish County) MARCH 31^st.

Team Ride: SEATTLE- IC3 member, Kyle will be leading a team ride this Saturday departing Pert’s Deli at 9:00 A.M., located at 120 Lakeside Ave., Seattle, in Leschi Park. Meet in front of Pert’s Deli (which is across the street from the Starbucks) for prayer and rollout. The route will be determined the morning of the ride. Be prepared to ride in rain with rain gear and fenders.

BOTHELL-  Tenille is the ride leader. Route will start off at Eastside Foursquare Church in Bothell. Then make our way down towards Redmond on the Sammamish River trail. On 124th,  up a nice hilly challenge to Redmond Ridge Starbucks (or stop at Victor’s in Redmond). descend down to 202 (Redmond-Fall City Rd), and find their way back to EFC. Should be a 40-45 mile ride, average speed 14-18mph, stopping to re-group as necessary.  Start Date/Time: 3/31/12 at 9:00 a.m. Eastside Foursquare Church, North Parking Lot (Map at http://bit.ly/GCRAYh)  Weather Cancels: Steady morning rain cancels. Prepare for light rain / showers.

BIBLE VERSE: No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire.
Leviticus 2:11  Any good marketing executive will tell you that in order to sell a new product to the public, you can’t just tell your audience what it is; you must show them how it will improve their lives. In essence, you must show your audience a version of themselves that is happier, more attractive, and more fulfilled than the current, real version — all because of your product. Weight loss ads, movie trailers, beer commercials — they don’t simply tell you about the product they’re selling, but show you how consuming it in some way will make you happier and more fulfilled. Why does this work so well? Because we all want that which makes us happy. We all want to be fulfilled.But when the world is quick to offer you the lure of happiness and the promise of fulfillment, do they really care about a more fulfilled, happier you? Of course not. To the world, you are simply a means to profit; you are a pawn to be played. The world wants us to act like it, dress like it, spend money like it, talk like it — all for the sake of draining us of everything we hold dear. Is it any wonder, then, that in looking to the world for fulfillment, we end up drained? Is it any surprise that in trying to “fit in” with the world, we are gouged by it?

The Israelites had a bad habit of looking to the world and imitating it, just as we often do. But the Lord did not want the Israelites acting like, dressing like, or talking like the rest of the world. They were to be set apart — a “special treasure to Me above all people” (Exodus 19:5) and “a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). Notice in Leviticus 2:11 that the Lord forbid their grain offerings from being made with leaven or honey. This may sound like a small detail to us, but leaven and honey were used heavily by the Gentiles in making sacrifices to their false gods. The Lord was commanding His people to be unlike the Gentiles — to make a different kind of sacrifice. He was calling His people to be set apart from the rest of the world.We, like the Israelites, are called to be set apart. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world.” But where the Lord commanded the Israelites to make a different kind of sacrifice, He calls us to be a different kind of sacrifice. We are to present our bodies a “living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). We are to not only act differently than the world, but to truly live differently. How else will the world ever know the power of God in our lives unless they first acknowledge a difference in us?

Proverbs 4:27 says, “Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.” Today, may I encourage you to look straight ahead into the loving eyes of Jesus, and follow Him — and Him alone — at all costs. Don’t waste time looking to your left and your right. The world has nothing to offer you, but as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have something to offer the world. Be set apart. Look to Jesus, and let Him fulfill you.

It was a great blend of hard-core believers, those with faith questions, and even a few self-proclaimed “heathens” — as well as a wonderful mixture of  racers, performance riders and recreational riders.  God provided beautiful weather for us, and all found an ample supply of great roads, beautiful scenery and hills, hills, and more hills. For the race-set, having many riders on Strava helped to fuel the already competitive rides and intensified the post-ride conversations and stories.

Next year we are already talking about seeing if a nearby bible camp is available for rental since we are growing so quickly we may outgrow our current arrangement.

Top of the climb regroup

David explains how braids would help his riding style by distracting the other racers.

Breathe. Remember to breathe

]]> http://christiancycling.com/4278/tc-ic3-spring-training-2012/feed/ 0 http://christiancycling.com/4278/tc-ic3-spring-training-2012/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/christiancycling/~3/_8mlB4_0aFA/ http://christiancycling.com/4252/indoor-racing/#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:24:53 +0000 Tim Turnquist http://christiancycling.com/?p=4252 Here in Minnesota our winters are enveloped with something we call snow. It is hard [but not impossible] to race bikes in, especially in all those layers of clothes that are required. So, we go indoors.  We are blessed to have a huge field house at the National Sports Center that is large enough to race bikes inside.  Thus, for a few weeks in January and February we participate in Crit racing indoors on the grass carpet.

The first time I went was on a standard road bike and I the tires were a little on the thin side, so they cut into the AstroTurf and made it very difficult.  The Twin Cities Spoke had a great showing both in numbers and results.  It was a great diversion to riding the trainer or “layering up” to ride in the cold.

Matt and Chris ripping it up

For more pics, check out our Club Photographer, Dan Hawkins’, site [click here]

I decided to stick around to see if Michael might show up and to my surprise not only did he show, but so did four other spoke-mates. Who needs to do a stinkin’ shop ride when I can be part of an impromptu IC3 ride.

The lesson is: if you travel reach out to other IC3 spokes. You will not regret it.

We have all read countless articles about planning our training. Setting target events and mapping out detailed training plans on how to prepare to meet those goals. We spend hours pouring over the details and that is before we ever turn a pedal. Then we’ll spend hour upon hour on the bike either bundled up like the Michelin Man in blowing snow or on the mind-numbing trainer getting ready for the first big rides and races of the season. Some of us track our training with scientific accuracy via expensive power meters and record everything into detailed logs that we send to our coaches. We’ll obsess over equipment choice, tire pressure, nutrition and more. It’s all part of the cyclist’s lifestyle. You gotta do it if you want to be stronger and faster.

I want to be stronger and faster. But it has occurred to me that perhaps I should be focusing on getting stronger and faster in a different way.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever made a season plan for your spiritual training? More importantly, how much time do you devote to training yourself for Godliness?

1 Timothy 4:7b-8 says “…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” NIV

I’m willing to bet that for most of us, myself included, we spent a lot more time and energy this past year training on our bikes than we did in God’s Word, and yet the Bible clearly says it should be the other way around.

How can you find the time for that you say? Well, we make time to ride our bikes, don’t we? And most people can’t understand how we have time for that. We have the time because we make the time. It’s a matter of priorities. I’ll readily admit I don’t have all the answers and I have failed miserably more times than I can count, but here are a few things that have worked for me.

Resolve to make a training plan and follow through.

Just like with training on the bike, you have to make a plan and stick to it. Top cycling fitness doesn’t just happen, does it? Why would spiritual fitness be any different? We plan out our riding seasons months in advance with certain rides or races we want to do, how about getting out the calendar and planning some spiritual training?

First, assess where you are. In the past few months I’ve gone from race-ready form to cramping 30 minutes into a ride because life circumstances took me off the bike for a few months. I’m sad to say I’ve had the same thing happen with my spiritual fitness at times too, and though I’d like to blame my spiritual laziness on losing my job and moving twice, those are lame excuses for becoming lax on something so important. When you’ve been off the bike for a while you need to start by just riding consistently before you can progress to more structured training. Have you had some time away from your Bible? Would it be progress for you just to read and pray on a regular basis? Make a plan for how you are going to do that and do it!

For some of us, we’ve got a decent spiritual fitness base and what we need is stimulus to help us grow. Just like more advanced riders move on from just riding when they feel like it to a structured training plan with specific goals,  maybe you need to join a weekly bible study, a small group, or take a seminary class. Just like digging deep to not get dropped on a group ride, sometimes the positive peer pressure of being in a group can help us stick to our plan and keep training.

Some riders do really well if they have a coach to help them train. What about you, do you need a spiritual coach/mentor? I’m sure many of us have heard the Paul-Barnabas –Timothy principle. We should all have someone in our lives more mature than us (a Paul) to help us grow, a peer to encourage us (a Barnabas), and someone who isn’t as far along the way that we can help grow (a Timothy). Do you have those people in your life? I used to and I grew a lot then. I don’t right now and finding those people is part of my plan for growth this season.

Perhaps a missions trip or some other service opportunity will spur the growth you need. Perhaps a combination of things mentioned here and or other things is what you need. Spend some time thinking  and praying about it, and God will help you see where you need to grow if you don’t know already.

Find the time.
Just like finding time to ride your bike you’ve got to figure out what works for you and your schedule and make it happen! It doesn’t matter if it’s early mornings, late nights, crammed into your lunch break, or on your commute. You aren’t gonna get fit if you don’t exercise. And with spiritual exercise, you don’t have to lube your chain or take a shower when you are done so there are even less logistical excuses . You can get a quality spiritual workout in 10 minutes. Of course, some good long workouts where you dig deep into the Word are just as necessary as long rides are to your bike fitness.

Redeem the time.
For me, I’ve found that combining riding time with God time is a great way to redeem the volume of time I spend in the saddle. Especially this time of year when logging the base miles to build my fitness base with long slow rides, usually by myself. I ride with an iPod (left earbud NOT in my ear so I can hear traffic) and listen to podcasts, sermons, books on tape, or music with verses I’m trying to memorize in between the songs.  I’m also blessed to have a job that allows me to listen some of the time while I work. You still need to find time to read and study your bible though, and devote 100% of your attention to it.

How about instead of watching another Tour video while slogging away on the trainer, you listen to or watch a sermon or seminar and exercise your mind as well as your legs?

There are tons of resources out there so there is no excuse not to have something worthwhile to listen to. You don’t have to break the bank for an iPod either, any generic MP3 player will do and they cost less than a decent tire these days.

What do you do to train your self for Godliness? I’ll start a discussion on the christiancycing.com forum where we can share and encourage each other in this pursuit.

Recently, a member of our club got an idea for a re-start in the northwest area that would involve partnering with a local (NW) charity creating a co-labeled team in order to bring awareness, funds, volunteers, etc. to both of those organizations. This re-start would also include a more organized racing component, which has not previously existed in the NW for the IC3. After some prayer, email discussions, and meetings we were able to form a partnership with the Seattle Union Gospel Mission (www.ugm.org) to essentially make the focus of our IC3 NW chapter have two prongs. One to continue to spread the name and love of Jesus to others through cycling with the mission of the IC3 national organization being at the forefront. The other to promote the UGM, they too are a Christian organization and have the same ultimate goal of sharing the word and works of God through the love of Jesus, but instead of cycling they do it through food programs, recovery programs, job training, etc. Combining these 2 was a natural fit in that cyclists, being mobile by definition are always out and about our community riding, talking, and wearing a colorful jersey that can be a rolling reader board and would naturally generate questions such as “what does IC3 mean?” “What’s the deal with the UGM logo on your jersey”, and hopefully “what does it mean to be a Christian?” and then “How do I come to know Jesus?”. This partnership allows both groups to have another chance at achieving our desired and mutual goals.

Although still in its infant stages we are forging ahead with this team re-start and are looking for your prayer and support to make it happen. We have set a goal of raising $5,000 for the UGM in 2012. Most of this money will hopefully come from sponsor money but would also come through donations to our specific spoke via the IC3. The financial structure of the team will now be to split any sponsor/ specified donations money 50/50 with the UGM and the remaining amount IC3 NW chapter and the infrastructure of the Team (jersey program, promotional items, web hosting, printing costs, licensing, etc.)

********* The part that you can help with most, besides your prayers is that we have also set a goal of having 50 paid members of the IC3 NW chapter in 2012. This is a lofty but very achievable goal with your prayer and support. One of the main ways that we can get the word out about our Team/Mission is to get team clothing out to our members. This is another piece of this puzzle that we are extremely excited about. We have decided to use some of our sponsor money to subsidize the cost of a standard short sleeve jersey and a small local club fee of $20 and be able to offer every paid member of IC3NW a FREE jersey with their membership. This local club fee of $20 along with the annual membership (required) to the IC3 of $40 for an individual will get you all the benefits of being an international club member but would also get you a local club jersey, which will have both the IC3 and UGM logos along with our local and national sponsors on it. This is a big leap of faith and will require a lot of trust that God has blessed this idea so we can forge ahead. If you want to be a member of the local spoke you are required to send your $20 local club due directly to Mike at the Seattle Spoke address (see below), this will get you on our “team” list and enable you to receive the local team jersey, etc.. These plans are scalable and will need to be tailored to fit the donations/ sponsorships that we are able to bring in but we think these goals can be met. We hope you will continue participating in the club in 2012 and be a part of our team re-start. We would like as many people around the area wearing these new jersey’s as much as possible. This could take the form of many things from participating or leading group IC3 rides in your community to racing on the weekends (road, track, mtn, cyclocross) to commuting to work wearing your IC3 kit. If you are interested in any specific aspect of the team in regards to volunteering, participation etc. please contact me to see how we can get you connected. We are looking forward to having some organized events this year that will help raise some more funds for the UGM so stay tuned. All of this is for the glory of God and would enable us to participate in the lives of those helped by the UGM.

We are hoping to get a new spoke website soon that will be linked from the national site that will be a great place for communicating news and information about events.  The “official” launch the new and improved IC3 NW/ UGM Cycling Team will be at the Seattle Bike Expo that will happen on March 10-11 in Seattle (at the Smith Cove Cruise Ship Terminal) where we will have a booth representing our club both locally and internationally. If we can get enough sponsors and donations, we will have new IC3NW / UGM Cycling Team water bottles to give out to anyone who makes a small donation to the UGM. I hope you get a chance to come to that event to not only check out all the cool toys but to support IC3NW and the Seattle Union Gospel Mission.

Please feel free to contact Kyle Foss if you have any questions about this team planning in regards to sponsorships. If you know of any Christian owned companies that may be interested in partnering with us via sponsorship Kyle would love a chance to share the vision with them. The sponsors will be a tiered commitment with the amount given corresponding to the size logo that will be placed on the jersey. There are 3 levels; Silver $500, Gold- $1000, and Platinum- $1500. Each sponsor that comes on board will be participating in the 50/50 split with IC3 and UGM. The money will initially go to the IC3 and then the Seattle spoke will write a check on behalf of the IC3NW to the UGM at the end of the year. We want to be very transparent with this program so feel free to ask us any questions.

Thank you for your time and again we are very excited about these changes and look forward to seeing what God has in store for this “new” team. In addition to God’s blessing and provision membership participation is key to our success so we hope that you are also excited about what we are going to be doing. If you know of anyone that is interested in joining our club/team please have them visit http://christiancycling.com/spokes/washington/.   Kyle can be reached at kylejfoss@gmail.com

Remember, you join nationally for $40.00 and get all of the benefits of the huge discounts from our sponsors and then join the local spoke for $20.00 and be one of the first 50 local club members and receive a jersey basically for $20.00 !  *********************Please keep the spoke and all who are involved in your prayers that the enemy would be bound during this transition.

Riding for and with HIM,

Mike

Please pray for this spoke effort and if you have any questions contact Walt Morries at **Login for contact info

For more details contact Jorin at **Login for Contact info**.

Have you seen the movie The Bucket List? It’s the story of two cancer survivors who embark on a series of adventures, life-long ambitions to be accomplished before they “kick the bucket.”

Ever since I began hand cycling more than ten years ago, I’ve harbored the dream of an extended cross-country ride. I’ve done a few “virtual” versions in Fort Collins-1000 miles in a summer, 1250 miles to raise funds for a friend’s cancer treatments, and 3000 miles last year. But I’ve never mustered the courage to tackle the real thing.

The whole point of a bucket list involves acknowledging that time is limited. We tend to put off important adventures, waiting for a better time, until we suddenly realize that it may be too late. That “better time” never arrives and we’re left with wishes and regrets.

During 2011 my age will once again end in “0.” Age may be only a number, but it’s also a stark reminder that I don’t have forever to accomplish this crazy adventure. It’s time to do it or let it go. I want to do it.

My idea is to crank 1500 miles in about eight weeks, roughly along the Mississippi River north-to-south. I’d begin mid-August and hopefully follow cooler weather as I travel south.
Then I add my desire to use the ride as a fund-raiser for a couple of wonderful causes and to speak to groups about hope and dreams along the way-you see that it’s not as simple as jumping on the bike and taking off.

If I had any sense I’d forget the whole silly notion, but I’ve rarely been accused of displaying common sense. Why start now?

I envy people who have faith, I just can’t get my head around it. (Edward Cole)
Maybe because your head’s in the way. (Carter Chambers)

John 10:10; from the words of Jesus, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”.

On September 15th, 2011 I was commuting home on a friends rain bike. I kept the pace high for my

The driver had been exhibiting some odd driving behavior, looking lost, and eventually pulled to the right of the road to stop. I naturally thought he was pulling over to figure out where he was going so I proceeded to pass him on the left at 40 mph. As I came to the trailer the driver’s true intentions became abundantly clear. He was in fact making an illegal u-turn in the middle of the street. I’ve had plenty of experiences on the bike with a good sense of my environment and always have an “Exit”. There was no “Exit”. I scrubbed as much speed off as I could with the milliseconds left but nothing was going to be enough.

I t-boned the truck’s front quarter panel at just under 40 mph summersaulted over the hood of his truck and came straight down landing on the ground head first, whipped around striking my heels with some additional tumbling to finally come to a skidding halt in the other lane of a blind corner. Through the entire experience I never lost conciseness. I was rushed to the ER where I would end up having extensive X-Ray’s and a CTScan done. 4 hours later I was released from the ER with no broken bones or a concussion. It was a Miracle! What I did have were some superficial wounds/road-rash, bruised ribs and heels, a strained right hand and a wealth of bruises. The bike too had a similar assessment as mine, some superficial damage with a dent to the Ti frame, wheels a little out of true but that’s about it.

While flying through the air I recall commenting to God with “Lord?”. I knew the likely outcome I was about to face was unfavorable coming down head first at that speed. My one word prayer was not out of fear or uncertainty but rather a surreal peace knowing and hoping He was in full control. When I came to the end I heard a clear thought inspired by the Holy Spirit, “Jason, you didn’t break anything. You’re going to be okay” as I was seeing stars. He was right as He always is though I struggle to believe on so many occasions. For all intensive purposes a crash like that warranted either a life-ending or life-altering ending.

When I arrived home at 12:30 am we ended up startling a probable burglar next to our home. The man quickly took off eventually jumping in a car a block behind us. I called 911 and right after I was put through to dispatch the guy in his car drove by and allowed me to catch his license plate.
Needless to say after all that had happened it wasn’t easy to fall asleep. I laid in bed and then the scripture “The thief comes only to steal (burglar), kill (me) and destroy (my family, bike, etc…); I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” came to mind. I sat with these familiar words with an entirely new perspective. Christ’s word that He came to give life and in abundance. I couldn’t help but weep. I was moved by being a recipient of this “life”, this “abundant life”.

Not just because I had be spared, though I’m incredibly thankful, but because of what Jesus offered me in that moment mid-air which was peace amidst the crazy and unknown outcome. I was out of control yet He was in full control. As most of us know far too well is that life is full of hardships, stresses and many burdens so Jesus’ offer of abundant, plentiful, large quantities of life in contrast to what the thief or this world has to offer is refreshing. Jesus’ words here in my personal experience does not ring hollow but full and true!

I know my comprehension of God and how He works is extremely limited. He is mysterious to me. But as He states in Jesus’ biography told by John in chapter 10; He is the Good Shepard who lays down and sacrifices His life for His flock, us.

Also stated well by Paul in Romans 5 that “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Only out of the deepest and greatest of loves could this happen even while we were strangers to Him.

Lord that I may hunger and thirst for you and lean not into my own understanding but have faith in your unfailing love of me.

Humbled,
Jason

Head on over to the online store and place your order.

If you have questions go to the forum page and ask away.

PS – if you have your own homemade IC3 kit share you photo here or on Facebook

Here’s my improvised kit I made literally on the sidewalk about 15 minutes before my start time.  Literally a piece of scrap fabric and a couple of sharpies about the size of my race #’s.  Safety pinned it to the back of my jersey and rolled on out….in all my ghetto fabulosity.  No matter what it looked like, I was proud to have IC3 on my jersey  :-).

-Julie

I put her bike in the back of my truck and we headed home. She told me about the cyclist who asked if she needed anything, and I was very disgusted that they didn’t even stop to check if she could actually fix it even though she refused their help.

It made me wonder how many times we go flying by people on the side of the road and yell out to them to check if they are OK. We of course assume that if they are out there they can take care of themselves, especially if they have all the gear to fix their mechanical.

But, maybe what they really need is someone do talk to them while they are fixing it and who knows what else they may want to share of what is really happening in their day to day routine of life.

“Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.” ECCL 4 v 9-10.

You never know when God will give us an opportunity to actually give someone everything they really need and that would be a relationship with Christ. Next time you see someone on the side of the road just stop and help them. Don’t wait for them to tell you they have everything.

Matthew 25: 35- 40 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

In St. Louis, Mo, there are training criterium races Tuesday evenings from spring through Labor Day. Like in many areas, they call them “Tuesday Night Worlds” because some folks take them seriously. There are A, B and C races, with as many as 60 racers per field many weeks. In midsummer it may be 100 degrees at the beginning of the A race at 6 PM. Several years ago we bought a snow cone machine and started setting up our tent and serving snow cones for free for the racers and spectators. The racers love it and flock to the tent for a snow cone- sometimes with no flavor, just ice to pour on their heads. This year Rob Oellerman and his “girls”- his wife and 3 daughters- have taken on the snow cone duties on the hottest Tuesday evenings to bring a little refreshment to bike racers in the name of Jesus. They are a cheerful and welcoming “face of Jesus” to those who know Him, and those who don’t (yet).

If any other spoke is interested in trying this, do not hesitate to contact us for details. It’s not very expensive or hard to manage, and ICCC-Missouri can offer a “Snow Cone Scholarship” to help you get started. But you’ll need your own smiling volunteers!

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7: 14

The Global Day of Prayer Tucson (GDOP Tucson) Cross Walk was from June 2 -11. Each day a cross was carried from a ministry to another ministry, to be finally delivered to the UfA Mall for the final event of the Global Day of Prayer.

The Tuscson spoke picked up the cross at EWOG (Eagles Wings ofGrace) and took turns carrying the cross shouldered, down Swan Rd to Broadway. Everyone who did not walk pushed their bike following the cross. On route they met a man named Joshua. He was shirtless and on his way to an appointment. He asked if he could join them to carry the cross. He shouldered it and carried it the fastest of anyone on his route. They talked a little more, prayed and sent him on his way. After they dropped off the cross they prayed together and rode their bikes back to EWOG. Thanks to everyone who participated and especially praises to our Heavenly Father for enabling them short notice to participate in His event.

Secondly, we are offering IC3 baseball caps. The caps come in black with the IC3 logo on the front and christiancycling.com printed on the back. They are New Era flex fit hats which makes them very comfortable and nice looking! The hats can also be ordered at our online store for $25.

Lastly, we are excited to offer custom engraved IC3 Road ID pendants. If you are interested in getting in on a group order for Road ID please go to www.RoadID.com to see the products they offer and then contact Cody to discuss pricing and ordering. The pendants will be engraved with our logo, but other products can be applied to a group discount as well.

HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY!

Here is a quick look at results from Anthony’s first place finish this past weekend in a tough bike race up in Sterling Mass.  Go Alessio!!!

After the ride was complete, I ran into some other IC3 riders from the North Texas Spoke and had the chance to visit for a while…what a great group of guys!  It appeared that the NT Spoke is very well organized and the members make a real effort to get together for riding and fellowship on a very regular basis.  I was convicted by our talk, and I would like to draw more attention to our spoke so that our cycling brethren will have a venue to fellowship with each other and spread the good word about our Savior as we speed down the road!

I included a couple of snapshots from my ride!  Yes…I did ride my recumbent bike…thus the strange angle on the riding shot!!!  I hope to see more IC3 folks, and potential IC3 members, on the road this coming year!

This year our total purse is $5000.

All IC3 members race for free.

Visit the IC3 PA Spoke page for details.

Currently, the renewal process and the join process are identical.

Get your orders in to make sure you will have your gear for the Spring Rides.

Just visit the Online Store to place your order.

Brad (web@christiancycling.com)

If you are a current member and need a website ID, send an email with your:

1. Name
2. Email
3. Mailing Address
4. Membership Date
5. Requested userID

Well, the Governor’s Health Bowl is underway again this year.  It started on 9/8/2010 and ends 11/1/2010.  Last year we won the most mileage category.  So, if you send me your daily mileage I will enter them into the database so that IC3 can get credit.  The Washington Healthiest State Challenge has been underway all year and we have been holding onto 1st place all year; but it looks as though some schools may catch us now that students have returned to school.  So, you can continue to send me your mileage all throughout the rest of the year, whether its road mileage, mountain biking, spinning, running, swimming, etc.  Thanks so much.

Riding for and with HIM,

Mike Leaman

Seattle Spoke Director

I hope you are all having a nice December with family and friends. I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year. I want to thank all of you for your support and prayers this year. I look forward to 2010 being an exciting year for the Seattle spoke of the International Christian Cycling Club. The Lord has done so many things this year and I feel blessed each day to be a part of His plan.

I also want to take this opportunity to personally thank ride leaders-Bob Horn and Jeary Flener for their tireless efforts in organizing and leading rides. And thanks to the rest of you that sent ride information in and led rides periodically. Without your participation the fellowship with other Christian cyclists could not have occurred. Once again, many, many thanks.

News: “2009 Governor’s Health Bowl” Washington Health Foundation

The club was awarded the 2009 Governor’s Health Bowl “TOP MILEAGE EARNER”. All of the members worked hard to put the club on top to receive this recognition. You all did a great job and IC3 has continued to receive attention, exposure and recognition for all of your efforts. I want to give all of the glory to our savior, Jesus Christ, for this would not be possible without HIM!

I want to thank all of you, including the members in other states that participated, and who are still participating. We also placed 2nd in the top participating organization for miles by average.Many of you continue to enter your mileage from running, stationary trainers, spinning classes, and other exercises.

• Also, we are currently in 1st place in the 25 Million Mile Challenge, leading by 28,000 miles!! There are 20 days to go.
• We also finished 1st in the Turkey Bowl that occurred over the Thanksgiving Holiday!!
• In addition this year, we won the 2009 Spring Training Challenge.
• Currently, there is a 2009 Healthy Holiday Challenge and we are in 2nd place.

I am open to suggestions as to what to do with the engraved glass bowl so as to make the best use out of it. It will be on display at the booth at the Seattle Bike Expo for all of you to see.

Riding for and with HIM-

Mike

From the FAQ page on GoodSearch.com here is how it all works:

How much money could this generate for my charity or school?

Fifty percent of the revenue generated from advertisers on GoodSearch is shared with the charity, school or nonprofit organization of your choosing. We estimate that each Web search will generate approximately $0.01 (image, video, Yellow Pages, and site-specific searches are not included). In fiscal 2006, 2007 and 2008 (October through September), each search actually earned 1.3 cents (however, with the soft economy and falling advertising rates in 2009, we expect this number to be lower). It quickly adds up! Here’s an example of how much your organization can earn:

The sky is the limit. The more people use GoodSearch, the more money will be directed towards causes. There is no cap on how much money we will direct to charities.

Where does the money come from?

Search engines make most of their money from companies that pay an advertising fee when users click on links during a search. At GoodSearch, we’ve developed a patent-pending way to track and direct these search-generated proceeds to charities. In other words, a portion of advertiser dollars (and not your own!) earned as a result of your search, are now passed along to the organization you’ve chosen to support.

Do the users ever have to pay anything?

No. GoodSearch provides people a way to support their favorite cause at no cost. The money comes from the GoodSearch advertisers.

For the new kit we are offering a team short which is a more colorful version and a black short for those of you who want a more conservative look.   There are also options for different kinds of fabrics and  pads.  Please take a look at the online store for all of these options.

One exciting aspect of this years clothing order is that our pricing has been significantly lowered.  We are pleased to offer a good quality new kit for very reasonable prices.  Check out the store to see these new prices.

If you would like to order some new clothing for the 2010 season please have your orders to the national office by Monday, October 26th.  This is a chance to order clothing with the new design as well as get cold weather clothing.  As always, members can order online.

You can also see some of the IC3 Jersey Design process on Trefethen Studios Design Blog.

Now you are probably asking yourself what does the Seattle want my mileage ridden for.  We were in 1st place for a long time and recently the WHF stated that an organization could allow all of its members to enter mileage.  Our 19 riders who had ridden so hard to stay in 1st place have been pushed down a few notches, so with the permission of the head of the WHF I am seeking mileage from all 1,100 plus IC3 members!

Riding for and with HIM,

Mike Leaman

We would like you all to consider purchasing a race kit or jersey for one of our international spoke members. We will offer 25% off the cost of these items as an incentive to help out our international spokes in this way. If you would like to pick a specific rider to purchase a kit for you can go to the rider profiles at kenya.christiancycling.com where you will find the Kenyan rider’s names and sizes as well as contact information. If there is a specific rider you would like to “adopt” and purchase a kit for please let the national office (christiancycling@aol.com) know. If you would like to earmark a kit for a Romanian or Ugandan rider please email the office this request as well.

These riders are so excited to be a part of IC3 and are helping to make an impact for Christ in other parts of the world. Please consider how you can be part of this!

Just wanted to get the word out about a new cycling movie that has a strong Christian Message. It is in the final stage of production now and is slated to release in Fall 2010.

Check out Trailer - www.maxvo2themovie.com

“MAX V02, the riveting action packed drama that takes you inside the never before seen world of Elite Bicycle Racing.”

“Reeling with grief in the wake of a tragic automobile accident, retired veteran cyclist, Chris Carmik, is given an opportunity he doesn’t want, to train a rookie cycling prodigy. Preoccupied with battling his own inner demons, Chris reluctantly acclimates the prodigy, named Jake, to the fast paced world of Bicycle Racing.

Using cutting edge technology and scientific training methods, Chris transforms Jake into a top contending cyclist; however, he struggles to teach Jake the most important lesson prominent in all champions – finding the true POTENTIAL INSIDE.

Filled with spectacular race scenes through some of the most treacherous courses on the East Coast of the United States, MAX V02 is a powerfully moving and compelling drama that examines the heart and soul of a true champion.”

I have  been personally involved in most of  the race scene shoots, as well as other IC3 riders, and have been amazed by how well this movie is being put together. If you pay close attention to the opening of the trailer you will see some of our Kits.

Also, we just got through shooting the opening race scene and the new kit from Northern Cal is being displayed prominently through out that sequence. I got to see the ruff cut of those shots last night and they look great.

For updates, final release dates, and other information please look to the forum.

Voting will close on Sept 29th and all member votes will be counted. Please vote one time. You may edit your vote up until midnight September 29th. You must log into the site to place a vote. Please log in early so we can help you get access if you need assistance.

If you want to make comment on the designs (which we encourage!), keep in mind that these are conceptual designs. We will finalize the sponsor positions, graphics, logos over the next few weeks. And finally, please be mindful of the long hours of volunteer time put in to make these choices available to everyone. Pray before you submit your “feedback” as the goal of all club members is to ultimately honor our God!  Amen!

Design A

Design B

NOTE: The major color of the club shorts will be black.

First, I want to thank Joel Boelke, our Spoke Director. The first year under his guidance has not always gone perfectly smooth, but he handled every situation with wisdom, grace and courage — enabling us to move forward as a club and be a growing presence at local events. Thanks Joel for going the extra mile this year organizing us and keeping us focused.

Steve Gerber has been fabulous as the manager of our newly formed Race Team.  He gave us everything he had and we really came together under his leadership. In our first year as a Team, the racers had some good results including several podiums in the road/crit races, a first place in a mtn bike race, a podium finish in the State Road Race Championships, many new, enthusiastic racers and five or six Category Upgrades. Good job Steve.

While there were many inspirational moments from the year from others, two guys really stand out as consistently motivating — Brandon Manske and Don Callendar. Brandon (known as BMAN) got our Spoke it’s first ever victory in a crit in May, our first victory in a mtn bike race in June and raced nearly every week this summer.  BMAN also is the outgoing sort who, by the end of the race, knows everyone in the peloton and everyone knows him. The best part is that I struggle to think of anyone who reflects the Father’s light as well as he does. He is a perfect ambassador for Christ. Don may be new to racing (this is only his second season of competing) , but he has the most life experience on the team (a nice way of saying he is the oldest) and, yet, he raced nearly as much as Brandon. Almost every Monday Don would post a race report on our forum and, even though he struggled at times, he was consistenly a warrior — both on the bike and for Christ — all season long. Guys, thanks for the inspiration!

In a month’s time over 1000 pieces have been donated along with some new clothing. Andy packages and labels all of the donated pieces and plans to put together in a large shipment for Romania, Kenya and Uganda in the next months. Kits 4 Kids is currently waiting on non profit status from the IRS. If you are interested in finding out more about this ministry you can find them on Facebook.

How can you help? The biggest challenge right now is the shipping costs. It is quite expensive to send large boxes like this over seas. If you would like to make a donation to Kits 4 Kids shipping expenses please contact Andy at andyalbershardt@yahoo.com. If you would like to start a Kits 4 Kits clothing drive in your hometown you can also contact Andy and get details and ideas on how to do this.

It is an expedition measured not in distance…but in the everlasting. This is the story of our journey that has brought us around he world, to witness the moments of eternity.” This Journey began in 1997, when another one ended, but it had its roots in the history of this nation, and the first time I heard the story of Lewis and Clark and their great journey up the Missouri River. It was a journey that forever changed me, and how I looked at missions; One where I discovered you can go to another culture, indeed another nation, and never leave our shores. You don’t need airfare; you don’t even need a passport. All you really need is to confirm the call…and go. Facebook ™ is an interesting phenomenon. All sorts of people can contact you and read all about, some of whom you may know, and others that you haven’t a clue about. Early this year Overland Missions, an organization which I support, announced on Facebook that they would hold a missions conference at an undisclosed location on a Native American reservation in the American west. Using the GPS coordinates that are the only clue they give to the conference location, I found out that it would be held at a location near the Lewis and Clark Trail, long a route that I wanted to travel by bike. In response to Overland’s post, there was a post on Facebook by Elaine Harris, who with her husband, Pastor Tim, are Assemblies of God missionaries in Wagner, SD, asking for help with “A Day in the Park”, an outreach planned for the middle on July on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The Yankton Sioux were the first of the Sioux that Lewis and Clark encountered on their “Voyage of Discovery”. All of these “coincidences” stirred something in my heart, because about five years ago, I had the idea of taking a team on mountain bikes over Lewis and Clark’s infamous snowy September passage trail through the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, to the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base at Kamiah, Idaho. I looked at a map, and the Yankton Reservation also lies on the L&C Trail. Slowly the idea, the vision started to unfold; Build a team, take them to the Yankton Rez for a “shakedown” training trip, then take a smaller team out to the Overland location in Crow Agency, Montana, and take part in that outreach. Well, that was my vision, or so I thought. But I can’t see with God’s eyes. I responded to Elaine, that maybe we could help; after all we are only one state away from there. She replied that they would welcome our team, and we could help in the areas of First Aid and Prayer Ministry. I set about doing what I thought was “God stuff.” (Shows what I know.) To make a long story very short, the Overland Missions conference date was changed, and we already had our annual summer vacation bought and paid for on that new weekend. In addition, the “team” started shrinking from 12 members to 6, to 3 to just me. Summer work schedules, doubts about cycling ability, and funding problems all took their toll, and by the middle of June, it looked like I was heading to Yankton alone. I e-mailed Tim and Elaine and asked if they still wanted me to come as an “army (or “corps”, as in Corps of Discovery) of one. They replied with an enthusiastic, “Yes.” As long as they were in agreement, I was at peace with that. Ultimately, it took me more than a little while to realize that, just as Jefferson had sent Lewis and Clark to explore and open up the west for the many that would follow, God was sending me under the leadership of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to explore doors that would be opening in the future for ministry among the Sioux.

I have to admit that I did not have a clue what I was going to do when I got there. First aid, yeah, no biggie. I do that all the time at sporting events and on trail patrol. But why was I on my way to the Yankton Sioux Reservation with no team, no support? Just some vague notion, as Sgt. John Ordway said of the Corps of Discovery, that “the Missouri calls.” Indeed, so strong was that calling on my heart that I broke into sobs when I first saw the big river in Yankton. Quoting Lewis himself, “The road took us to…the waters of the mighty Missouri…I had accomplished one of those great objects on which my mind has been unalterably fixed for many years.”

Originally, the plan had been to ride our bikes from Yankton, on the Missouri River, to Wagner, about 50 miles northwest, as much as possible along the Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail, then veering north at Springfield, to Wagner. There were a couple of problems with that; One, I was alone. Two, I did not realize that Yankton, despite it’s name, is not in the borders of the Yankton Sioux Reservation. Still I decided to try riding back and forth on the trail, collecting my car each time and moving it forward, then riding forward and back to the car. That lasted two times. I load my gear on my Bianchi Volpe, “Clark”, (named after William Clark) and rode from Yankton to Gavin’s Point Dam, and Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area on the beautiful Auld-Brokaw Trail, then from the dam to the end of the recreation area and back. It was all on a very nice trail, but the back-and-forth bit was kind of draining. We had planned to have a SAG van and driver with the team, but now the van was mine, the driver was me and I was the team. Then, as I was sitting in a shelter at the west end of the state park, eating my lunch and resting, the Lord put a thought into my head; Two words, “Prayer Ride”. In other words, don’t ride to the reservation, ride across it, praying in the Spirit as I go. What a concept!

I pedaled back to my van at the main rec area parking lot, energized not to push through, but to scout the trail, plan the course, then go to Wagner and take part in the ministry there. Once again, I was proceeding on…

Prayer Rides and Practical Ministry

As I started my “scouting trip” from the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area, I came across two cyclists who were traveling the same route that I had planned, struggling up the six mile hill from Lewis and Clark Lake. Other than that, the route seemed pretty tame. Then, as I crossed Choteau Creek and entered the actual reservation, I started seeing groups of riders dressed in matching blue jerseys, more and more of them as I drove into Wagner. They were the college-aged riders from Bike and Build, an organization that “raises funds for affordable housing projects- Over six seasons, Bike & Build has contributed $1,643,145 to housing groups to fund projects planned and executed by young adults”. Still dressed in my L&C Trail jersey and bike shorts, I stopped and chatted with them about their trip…and another piece of the puzzle fell into place, but I wouldn’t know that for several hours. Parting from the B&B riders, two short blocks took me to All Tribes Fellowship Assembly of God, my base for the weekend. I met Elaine Harris and a number of others whom I would be working with at the “Day in the Park” the next day. But Pastor Tim was till “out in the field” working with other volunteers who had arrived up to a week previous, and were doing “helps projects” out on the reservation. Another piece fell into place. The Harris’ invited me to stay in their home, and even let me bring Clark into the house for safe keeping

The Day in the Park was a huge success! Over 800 people came and enjoyed a beautiful day, music, ministry and fun! We had a Prayer Ministry booth next to the health/medical booth. I did first aid (Nothing major.) and took blood pressures. We had free food, bounce houses for the many, many kids, and gave away over 350 book/backpacks, thousand of diapers, sweaters, hats, reading glasses and much more. Local Native American Christian musicians gave a free concert. The biggest blessing was that the tribal elders have asked Harris’ to do this again next year. We, the Travelers have been invited by the youth pastor (with a very moving testimony) to come back next year and do a Prayer Ride across the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation, as well as the Yankton Rez. We have also been asked to bring team members to do helps ministry the days before next year’s event, and not unlike the Build and Bike riders, we Travelers will be able to help in those projects, too. I also got to know KC Kopaska, who’s “Native American Ministries” was one of the sponsors of Day in the Park, and with whom we hope to be working with more in the future. The next day, it would be time to begin the journey home. But first, I rode my bike from Harris’ house to All-Tribes Assembly for church. I was blessed by the testimonies that were offered about the events the day before, and then enjoyed a hearty meal of Indian frybread and salad, and got to know more of the people in that community of Believers. Finally the time came, and we loaded Clark into the back of Pastor Tim’s truck, and headed off to the west side of the reservation. We took my van and parked it in the abandoned town of Greenwood, on the Missouri River, then Tim and Elaine took me up to the point where the main road, SD Hwy. 46 crossed the road into Marty, the tribal capital, then down into old Greenwood. We said our good-byes, and I promised to be back next year if not sooner. As the wind, which had been blowing cool air from the NW all week, now howled hot wind from the south…the direction I was headed. I got started riding and started praying and singing. On a 15-mile ride that should have taken an hour or so, three hours later, hot and tired I pulled up to the van in Greenwood. On the way, I had enjoyed the kindness of strangers, including Sister Pat, a nun at the convent at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, the first Christian church in the Dakotas, and Wes and his family, both of whom filled my bottle with ice water on that hot and windy day. I prayed and I rode, and realized that I have met some wonderful, amazing people, both Native American and white, and heard some awesome testimonies. I met a neat retired gentleman, Jim Yaw, who travels from event to event doing prayer ministry. I’ve seen other people who have traveled hundreds of miles to get outside of their comfort zone and help those in need. I have seen the need, first hand, as I did that “Prayer Ride” across the Yankton Reservation.
And I know that I will be back. The Sioux Nation is my new Karelia. (Of course, if God opened the door for me to go back to Petrozavodsk and rural Karelia, I would go. I love Northwestern Russia and her people.) Right now this is the direction where I am called and I will go back, hopefully with a team that will do “Prayer Rides and Practical Ministry”. (This is our new theme.) For as many as three days before the Day in the Park, people from as far away as Florida set about the task of painting, rebuilding, plumbing, lawn care, even traveling hundreds of miles to find as many children’s school backpacks as possible, as far away as Sioux Falls. And I’ve seen the joy in the faces of over 350 Native children when they received their very own backpack, filled with school supplies. We have been invited to return. We have been invited to do a Prayer Ride across the Lower Brule Reservation, in addition to the Yankton Rez again. We have been invited to hammer nails, paint walls and pray for those who are in need…and there are many. The third week of July 2010;  put it on your calendar now, and pray about it. I’m going back there, and I hope you will be with me.

The Food and Fun Festival Event will host activities like, Quad Biking, Paint Balling, Car Racers, White water rafting, Bungee Jumping, Horse Riding, Tandem Kayaking, Boat Cruise and a lot more.

This year’s Food and Fun festival will attract over 20,000 people to taste the great variety of cuisine on display, view great (cultural music, local artists, sports) entertainment, witness Bicycle race competitors from allover East Africa and United States of America, over 100 different case stalls, and free amusement rides for children all day long, arts & craft vendors; a fabulous food court, live entertainment on two stages; and a Saturday evening fashion show with a dinner gala entertained by top Uganda local media artists and  also featuring Moris Kiira Experience.

Jinja Events will present the Food and Fun Festival event from 11th – 13th, December 2009 at the JInja Show ground starting from 9.00am – 12.00am midnight through out the event dates, which will run through a historical, award-winning.

Your participation will be highly appreciated and will be rewarded.

See the Jinja Events Food and Fun Festival Bicycle Race Flyer!

HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FOOD AND FUN FESTIVAL BICYCLE RACE COMPETITION
DUE 11TH -13TH DECEMBER 2009
Follow these simple rules…

1. Fill out and mail in the enclosed application in its entirety by no later than Thursday, October 1st, 2009, which you can downlaod from our website www.jinjaevents.co.ug. Association Managers are advised to downlaod the copy and print to the number of cyclists who may participate.
2. Completion of the application does not guarantee selection.
3. Provide, with the application form, a copy of your Certificate of Health from renowned ministry of Health Department.
4. Confirmation packets will be mailed out one month prior to event.
5. Upon acceptance, you will be mailed or sent rather issued a Food and Fun Festival cycling Exhibitor certificate and number. This application must be submitted and approved by the Event Cycling Director.
6. Any invitee not cooperating with Food and Fun Festival guidelines will be asked to forfeit his or her presence and participation in subsequent years.
7. All participants will have to follow the Food and Fun Festival regulations and rules.

“I’m so excited to have these cards available.  It’s another great tool that can really help in conversations.  We often find ourselves in situations where people are asking about the club, cycling, life, or our faith.

I often have an IC3 t-shirt on and have been asked about the club or Christ, on rides, at stoplights, at church, at conventions, in restaurants, Safeway–you name it.  Usually my response is, “check my backside, I think there’s a web site listed on my shorts”, or, “here’s my business card…send me an email at work and I will send you some information or a link”, or I do my best to direct them to one of our websites. But, interpersonally–in those one on one conversations that can even be ‘divine appointments’–I feel strongly that there is a better way to ‘represent’ and the idea of a personalized CLUB CARD, so to speak, is awesome.

The custom IC3 Cards will give us a nice way to give information through those random conversations we all find ourselves in, and allow us to hopefully make a deeper, more personal, and memorable connection with someone to the glory of God.  Whether to encourage, build up, recruit, or even share the Gospel, it shows that we expect to get asked questions and are prepared to respond.  (Actually I could’ve used a few of these in some conversations I had while hospitalized).  I find that there are a lot of people out there looking for a group like ours and a lot of people out there who need Jesus Christ.  Our job is to show up and let Jesus work through us and I have no doubt that these eagerly anticipated cards will be another great tool in His hands at my next ‘appointment.’ “

Tony Catudal

Norcal Spoke Member

God is starting to work within our club and and word is getting out about it. It will take some time but we will get there.

Enjoy the article . . .from the NorthEastLedger.com (The Clarion Ledger)

July 15, 2009

Christian cycling club to form in Miss.

Becky Russell
Special to Northeast Ledger

Bicyclists in Mississippi have many opportunities to ride, race, and gather with those who love the sport, through the endeavors of Jackson Metro Cyclists (JMC) and Tri-counties Mountain Bike Association (TCMBA).

Now efforts are under way to bring Christian cyclists together to form a local club or “spoke” of the International Christian Cycling Club, (IC3).

The international club began in 1986 during the World Cycling Championships in Colorado when three friends saw an opportunity to combine their love of Jesus Christ with their love of biking.

“Marlen and Marilyn Wells, along with their friend Pastor Ken Evans wondered what it would be like if the sport could be used as a witness for Jesus Christ. The vision was born, fliers and t-shirts were printed and the trio hit the bike trail. Now the IC3 organization exists in 14 countries with “spokes” in many states,” said organizers on the Web site of IC3.

Conrad Smith, a metro area cycler of more than 20 years is spearheading the efforts to put together the Mississippi “spoke.”

Smith said he hopes many families will take this opportunity to get involved because this cycling opportunity is for both novice and experienced riders, whereas most other cycling clubs are for the more experienced riders.

“This is a very family friendly fellowship. The biggest benefit is to be able to participate with others who share your interest in biking and your commitment to Christ. While some of the fast riders might participate in JMC or TCMBA, but these would be more like fellowship rides which would focus on sharing and witnessing,” said Smith.

Joyce Gunter said being a part of a Christian cycling club would give her access to a group of like-minded people who enjoy the same recreational activity as she does.

“Other riders might be able to encourage me in being a witness in gentle and positive ways, while still being intentional in watching for God’s open doors. As a Christian, I believe that we should honor God in everything we do, whether it is in our work, our relationships, our recreational activities, etc. I think it is important to always be alert to openings God may provide to share His love and His hope with others,” said Gunter.

The Christian Cycling Club uses 1 Corinthians 10:31 as its motto: “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Smith and Gunter both believe cycling is just another way to be a witness to others in everyday activities.

Smith said, “The point is to bring people to an awareness that their Christian walk is not just about going to church on Sunday. It is about modeling for others your witness in whatever you are doing whether it is biking or mowing the lawn. You can either uplift Christ with your witness or not – it is up to you,” said Smith.

“Eventually, people notice that you are different and you have an opportunity to tell them why – the love of Christ. I think that any Christian who cares to share this love by simply riding with and serving others would enjoy participating with this group. Also, it is always wonderful to be in fellowship with other believers while doing something you enjoy, like cycling in God’s beautiful creation,” said Gunter.

“I am glad to be a part of a club like this cause I can tell others I am a member of IC3. They look at me strangely and I tell them it is a Christian cycling club, then they realize what I stand for. Through me being a member of IC3, I can talk to others about biking then share my testimony. If they are not a Christian, maybe something I say will turn their heart and accept Christ,” said Ken Thomas.

Smith is qualified for organizing efforts in Mississippi as more than just a rider.

Smith has just completed a three-day seminar having qualified as a certified instructor from the League of American Bicyclists. The seminars educate participants on how to teach bicycle safety and skills to all levels of riders.

“Conrad has completed in-depth training on teaching skills for cycling in traffic, on trails and with groups of riders. He will now be able to train all levels of riders how to confidently and effectively cycle for fun, fitness and transportation,” said Preston Tyree, education program director for the League of American Bicyclists.

Smith said he hopes to use those skills to hold education rodeos at local churches to help families learn the rules of the road.

“It will be a chance for parents to check helmets and bikes and make sure their kids are safe. For the kids it will be a chance to learn about handling the bike as we put cones out to teach them the rules of the road and give them more confidence on their bikes,” said Smith.

Additional Facts

More information

To register for the Mississippi “spoke” : http://www.christiancycling.com/

Or call Conrad Smith at: 601-953-0474

Anyway, this was a super cool race. They run it as Group “A” which is Cat 1 & 2; Group “B” which is Cat 3 & 4 and 35+ and Women’s Cat 1 & 2 & 3; Group “C” is Cat5, Jr’s and Women’s 4. Our Group “C” had at least 40 to 50 racers and it is a similar course to (our local) Opus — only a little shorter with the “hill” not as steep, but is seeming as long. The other obvious change from Opus was that the Start/Finish was one fourth the way DOWN the hill, not on the uphill. It is a training race so a lot of strange things go on as you will learn as the story unfolds.

IC3 was well represented in the “A” race with at least two or three guys. There were five or six in the “B” race and I was the only one in the “C” race.

As our race started, it was explained that since this was a “training race” and because there were several people who had not raced before, lap one was neutral to ensure that everyone could get used to the course and get the feel of riding in a group. I sat in about tenth wheel or so for that and the second lap, but as things bunched up to climb the hill for the third time I moved to the outside and kept my own rhythm on the climb. When I got to the top I noticed I had a large gap on the field. I was shocked since I had not drilled it, just kept rhythm. I pushed just a little on the downhill, but not hard and “rhythmed” up the back side again and hit the top with a few seconds and only one guy in the gap trying to close it down.

I let him catch me, then tried to work with him, but as I felt him catch me and as I started working again he couldn’t hold my wheel. He was done and I had lost momentum so the pack was closing in. I decided to sit in for a couple of laps. Here’s where it got a little strange. As the pack caught me the guy driving the pace was an IC3 guy. OK, I was sure I was the only one in the race, but since it is a training race, the other riders can “jump on” for a couple of laps and are not supposed to affect the outcome, but can be an on the road coach. This guy was excited that I was driving so hard off the front and he was trying to get to me to give me encouragement. The other “freaky” thing they allow is for riders to “take a lap off” even without a mechanical reason. Just blow up, take a lap off, then rejoin the group at the back: repeat.

Anyway, before I knew it I was feeling as recovered as one can in a short crit, somehow had made it back to third wheel and was approaching the hill again — with one guy off the front with a few second gap. I recognized the guy as THE GUY someone had told me had won it the last few weeks, so I knew if I had anything left I needed his wheel. So once again I found myself “attacking” on the hill just by keeping my cadence up, not shifting and powering through it to get to that guy in green.

By the top of the hill I had his wheel and we had a handfull of seconds on the rest. He and I worked together to double that over the next couple of laps, but a small group of about three or four caught us just as we got the sign saying we were nearly out of time so the three final laps would start at the line. A quick down hill and I was watching the long shadows of the guys who had just joined us. I told the guy who I had been working with that it looked like they were coming up on the outside to set something up and as we hit the hill he started to slow. For the third time in the race I found myself “attacking” on the hill — this time on the inside — and had a gotten a several second lead again. To be honest, I hadn’t tried to loose my break-mate since I knew he was strong and it was way too early, but I soon realized that since I had the gap I either had to make something of it or sit up.

Not being one to back off of a challenge, I decided to see what this fat old guy could do and I started to drill it and increase my lead as the crest of the hill came into view and I only had about 3.25 laps to go. Just then the back wheel went all squishy and I knew my race was over. FLAT! I was offered a wheel by one of the IC3 guys, but since it was the rear and I ride Campy it would have been both uncomfortable to take a stranger’s wheel and not compatable. All I could do is watch on the sidelines as the guy in green cleaned up on the rest of the field — about a five second victory — and thought of what might have been had I not had the mishap.

Even with the flat, this was AN ABSOLUTE BLAST! Maybe because it has been a while since my last race. Maybe it was because I was driving the race instead of the race pushing me out the back door. Maybe it was because it was the perfect setting in a beautiful park on a gorgeous Missouri night. Maybe it was because I had nothing to loose since no one knew me. Regardless of why, it was a fun, Fun, FUN time. (I just wish I had my Gamin data.)

By VIKKI CONWELL

Through bumps and breaks, weather and war, Donald Schaet has kept the wheels of his bicycle rolling.

As a youth growing up in northern New Jersey during World War II, Schaet could not purchase a bike because metal and rubber were rationed for military use. So, the industrious teen fashioned one from scrap parts he found.

When decades of running took a toll on his knees and lower back, Donald Schaet switched gears to focus solely on cycling.

When the nation celebrated the war’s end in 1945, Schaet rejoiced with the purchase of a new, $39.50 English-style bike that he used to deliver newspapers and commute to school.

Now 74, the East Cobb resident pedals about 3,000 to 4,000 miles a year, including more than half a dozen organized rides, and has participated in as many as 12 in one year. He once rode 200 miles in one day.

Despite five serious crashes resulting in two broken fingers on each hand, a broken hip, numerous lacerations and scrapes, three broken helmets and one destroyed bicycle, Schaet rolls on. “I feel great and hope to be on the road for another 10 years, God willing,” said Schaet, who supplements his cycling with light weights, push-ups and crunches, yard work and walking the dog. He also hikes occasionally.
Schaet’s childhood love of play and exercise grew during 25 years of serving his country in the Marines, where he developed an exercise regimen of running 90 miles a week and competing in 10Ks, marathons and a 50-mile ultra-marathon through Maryland.

When decades of pavement pounding took a toll on his knees and lower back, Schaet switched gears to focus solely on cycling.

In 1990, he moved to Atlanta to begin a life of serving others and often pedaled to positions as head of various nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving lives. He later joined The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, which provides four months of coaching to participants who raise money for the organization. The program allows the father of four to combine his passion for cycling with his desire to help others.

“It was an opportunity where I could do something about [the disease],” said the former executive director of Cure Childhood Leukemia who has participated in 31 fund-raising rides and raised more than $100,000 for research and treatment. “My overall philosophy of life is to be of service to others. This fits in with that really well.”

Bob is riding across the United States and is currently (6-19)in Salt Lake City, Utah and has completed 878 miles!  Go Bob go!  You can follow his exploits daily at Bob Horn’s Blcycling Blog. Bob has been blessed with a great ride.  Also continue to keep his family in prayer while he is away on this bike ride across the U.S.

NEWS:  This week-Our team; “International Christian Cycling Club” won 1st place in the Washington Health Foundation Spring Training Challenge in the Organizations category!!  We beat out over 1,000 teams and held onto to 1st place for three weeks!!  Praise the Lord and we give HIM all the glory and honor!  In the top Champion team category we finished 3rd place.

The Washington Health Foundation 25 million mile challenge is still continuing until 12-31-09, and our team, International Christian Cycling Club is in 1st place this week in the top 10 Organizations!! Woo Hoo!!  We pulled away from the leader and are still holding onto 1st place.  I want to thank all of you that are participating in this challenge.  You can still participate by going to Washington Health Foundation (www.whf.org) and signup as a champion and then signup under our team.  Its that easy.

Group Health Cascade Bicycle Club Commute Challenge-We placed 98th place in total miles ridden out of 1,235 teams.  Once again you all pulled through.  You Captain-yours truly, placed 268th place amongst the Captains (1,235) for total miles commuted to work.

The Snohomish County Community Transit Commute Challenge is over and un-officially it appears we tied for 12th place out of 146 teams!! Great job you commuters!!  I will be picking up the socks for the team riders next week that meet the criteria and getting them out to you all.

Anyway, here is a taste of one race that we did last night — the Opus Crit Series Cat5 race — as told from several different first hand angles (check out our forum at TwinCitiesSpoke.com for more race reports):

The start of that race may have been the most fun four minutes I have spent on the bike this year!

Before the race I heard some riders saying that with the wind, any strong group that got away would probably stay away since no one would want to work to bring them back. So, as we were approaching the start finish line after the first lap I was moving up fast through the pack when two guys went off the front. Knowing TheB would grab my wheel I hit the gas and crossed the gap by the top of the hill. Not only had TheB gone with me, but Cory had jumped on too. By the bottom of the hill the two who had started the move sat up. I could not sit for that, so I buried myself up the hill and around the corner. TheB was whispering sweet nothings of encouragement, but I was spent. Just then Cory rocketed past and as everyone came by me I could see the look of hurt on their faces. TheB and Cory still had a little gap at the top and I was settling into a painful rhythm knowing there were seven laps left.

It was so much fun to know the mighty orange was hurting the rest of the field. I found out later that the duo had been caught before the line and didn’t score any points. It didn’t matter to me. We had made a point that we were not just here to ride tempo — we mean business. I also learned that Ben Johnson (Mr. Beau Dacious himself) had “lead out” the last lap and really crushed it. Yet another statement!

It was a lot of fun and our work didn’t go unnoticed — someone had mentioned to Cory about what a strong team we have.

I am much more comfortable being super aggressive than sitting in the pack waiting for someone to crash in front of me. Look for me to continue to make “stupid” moves this season. Who knows, something might stick. Besides, it makes me smile.

Opus 5/5 Race Recap: “Beau Dacious shatters the field”

This was my first experience at Crit Racing, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Like Tim said, it is a lot more fun to be protagonist in the race rather than sit in…so the IC3 decided to play a few cards in the race last night. They may have been the wrong cards and we probably should have talked about what cards we would play beforehand, but it was fun being in the game rather than sitting out.

The game started on lap two when Tim went to the front on the climb heading towards the start/finish. Bman was sitting on his wheel, so I moved up and got behind Bman. It looked like Tim was trying to position the B for some points on the next lap, so when he tired, I went to the front hoping we could get a gap that would last through the next lap. While we strung out the group, we couldn’t get a gap, and I tired heading up the hill into the finish…a less than ideal setup for Bman. First Sprint Lap = no points

The pace relaxed after the 3rd lap and didn’t really get going again until the Second Sprint Lap (Lap 6). Most of the field must have been a little tired from the pace because no one moved as we made the turn into the climb and most of the group stayed together. I moved up on the outside but started a little too far back to be in the best position for the sprint. Second Sprint Lap – 5th place = no points

On lap 7, I was riding in around 10th position when Ben “Beau Dacious” Johnson rolled up and asked who we were working for. We decided we were going to try and lead out Bman, who was sitting a few riders behind me, but probably neglected to tell him the plan. As we headed into the final lap, two riders went down in a crash right next to me on the inside, one of them actually falling into me. I managed to stay upright, but the crash separated the field and left Ben and I in a lead group of only 14-15 and Bman behind because of the crash. No one pushed the pace on the downhill section as we positioned ourselves for the final time up the hill into the finish. As we made the sharp turn at the bottom of the climb, Ben exploded in an attack on the outside. I wasn’t ready for him to go that early, so I lost his wheel almost immediately. However, the attack shattered the field as riders scrambled to cover the move. Guys were all over the road and I just tried to find a wheel to take me into the finishing stretch. A few guys tired towards the finish, but I couldn’t find the top gear and finished a wheel outside of the points. Final Finish Lap – 4th place = no points.

At the end of the day, IC3 came away with no points, but we played some cards and made our presence known with aggressive riding at the front and with a vicious attack into the finish. Congrats to everyone who came out and raced and thanks to everyone who came and cheered on the group.

Criterium with no crashes = fun

Probably the most fun $26 I have spent in a LONG time. Here is my recap…my writing style leaves something to be desired so I apologize in advance:

Kind of a thrilling, semi tiring, fast kind of a fun. Nothing remarkable for me personally happened in the first 8 laps but trying to stay somewhat out of trouble by staying kind of off to the side somewhat in the middle of the pack. I had ZERO expectations coming in other than have a little fun, try not to crash me or others, and get my Heart Rate freakishly high. I forgot my HRM so I dont have the data but really did not feel overly exerted until the end. Like others said the pace was relatively steady from the start with a little bump up on lap 3. I was nervously a little giddy and my HR elevated and first felt a little winded at the line on that lap but then got back into a groove for the next 5 laps as I had no plan to try to get sprint points. Lap 9 is where the action was for sure. I kind of asked BMan and Cory what the plan was as we were all kind of somewhere between 10 and 25 most of the time if I recall correctly.

So with no real “plan” we started lap 9 and I was kind of on the outside most laps with and outside of the wind…meaning that I tried to tuck in on the NW corner of the oval so to speak as the wind was coming from the South West…not to the inside line as I maybe was there for 1 or 2 times around and found it was not much further and much safer just outside. Plus I am built for speed (my manly 215 lbs on carbon = speedy on down and flat and slow up em) on the downhill and flat sections so the first 2/3 of each lap I was in my domain so I just wanted open road on the downhill and then maybe a fast wheel or two in front of me on the flat on the North end while hanging on up the hill to the finish line. About 1/8 of the 9th lap in I heard a bunch of yelling then felt my rear wheel get hit and then heard a nice fast clicking noise on my rear wheel. One of the crashers hit my cadence sensor that is on my lower rear triangle to read my magnet that is on my left crank and also it doubles as a speed sensor that reads the magnet on the rear wheel. It was bent in and making a ton of noise at first. Once I realized it was just noise and I did not think that my wheel was dangerous or out of line I knew that I could fix it in a mile. As I got to about the 3/8 mile mark at the bottom of the hill on the North end I did not see BMan but pulled up to Cory and asked if he was feeling good and if he wanted a lead out (note to readers…I have only seen this on TV but never have actually done one). He said sure and I was on the outside approaching the NW Corner and then I took off (way too fast way too soon in retrospect on about every level) and I was actually in the lead for the West side of the course (which was a total thrill/adrenaline rush) then blew up just starting the hill to the finish on the SW corner of the course. I knew that I did not have the gas to finish with that pace up the hill so just started to slow up but am guessing/hoping that I caused the front of the field to panic a little (I hope that they were saying to themselves, “who is that fat guy in the Orange jersey that just blew past us. Can he possibly stay in the lead til the end?”) and that was worth it all right there. I finished probably like 15-20 or so but think with a little better timing and a little less hill to the finish (meaning that I had 150 yards left in the hill with the lead instead of 250 yards. I could have handled a little more pain but was beyond what I could give) and a little slower or more of a building lead out then Cory or myself could have done a little damage.

We averaged just under 24 for 8 miles and finished in 20 minutes with a top speed of 35.1 according to the old Garmin…I made it to my daughters soccer practice while picking her up at another field by 6:30.

Was a total blast and hope to do 1 or both of the remaining rides and get a podium for an Orange Crush teammate or myself. It was not too hard and just the thrill of doing it with a big group was worth it. Only damage from the race was dirty teeth and sore cheekbones (from smiling so much and at speed!).

massalsa

Ben

Currently there is only one spoke in Arizona. That spoke is in Tucson, AZ. But during El Tour de Tucson we in Tucson received a lot of interest in creating spokes in other cities in Arizona, especially Phoenix and Prescott. So if you are from Phoenix or Prescott send me an email. We already have members in those cities, but currently not enough to establish a spoke. Join us and spread the Gospel of our Heavenly Father and His son our LORD Jesus to the cycling community in your area.

IC3 Tucson
(ArizonaIC3-Rides)
Visit this group

IC3 Phoenix
Visit this group

By His Grace.

The joy of parenthood is frequently marred in the aftermath of obstructed labor. Days in obstructed labor can cause a hole or fistula to the birth passage, the bladder and sometimes the rectum. As a result, the woman leaks urine constantly. She then has an offensive odor. Her husband will leave her and her family and friends will avoid her.

Many a young girl with fistula injuries has suffered a fate worse than death, experiencing a life of rejection, separation, loneliness and “shame”.

The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital is the only hospital in the world that specializes in fistula surgery. It has a success rate of 93%. Up until 2005 approximately 1,200 to 1,400 patients were being treated each year. With the new centers this will increase to 2000 in 2006 and when all five centers are full operational, they will be able to treat 4000 to 5000 patients annually. Over 24,000 women have been cured since the work began. All are treated free of charge.

Their greatest need is for specialist doctors who can help train others in Ethiopia to carry out the surgery. Some volunteers who were to retire early cannot do so now because of the global financial crisis.  Advertisements to the relevant specialist colleges with 11.000 members  in the UK and Australia has resulted in only 2 responses.   Are there any cycling doctors in the US who are willing to pray to see if this is a calling for them?

Please look at the website www.fistulatrust.org – well worth a look through.

Your brother in Christ
Aussie John Mac

Membership:  It’s that time of year-to renew your membership.  If you want to donate to our Washington spoke you may do so by sending additional monies when you send in your renewal.

Now for a year-end wrap-up on the Washington Health Foundation team challenge.  As you may recall the International Christian Cycling Club formed a team some time ago, back in 2006.  For the 2008 25 Million Mile Challenge which ran all year we finished in 7th place in the Top 10 Champion Teams.  This is very significant as there were only two riders on the team that accumulated 25,612 miles!  The first place team was the Evergreen State Volkssporting Association; which had 131 riders; 2nd place was the Washington State Department of Transportation which had 124 riders; 3rd place was the COB-Let’s Get Fiscal team which had 47 riders; 4th place was the Employment Security Department UI Tax & Wage Administration team which had 118 riders; 5th place was Mr. T and the Lady Wolverines with 11 riders’ 6th place was the Employment Security Department Benefit OPS team with 55 riders.  So as you can see with only 2 riders we held on to 7th place out of hundreds of teams.

Now for the Governor’s Health Bowl results.  Our team for this event consisted of 17 riders; and we finished in 14th place out of 100’s of teams.  This is also very significant because we had the least amount of riders in the top 14 teams.  Here is the breakdown: 1st place Evergreen State Volkssporting Association with 131riders; 2nd place Inland Northwest Health Services with 76 riders; 3rd place Team Colbert with 79 riders; 4th place Washington Health Foundation with 119 riders; 5th place Lake Chelan Community Hospital with 65 riders, 6th place AARP with 581 riders; 7th place Washington State University with 216 riders; 8th place Group Health Cooperation with 393 riders; 9th place NW Tulip Trekkers Volkssport Club with 33 riders; 10th place Cascade Bicycle Club with 156 riders; 11th place Edmonds Community College with 39 riders; 12th place University of Washington with 243 riders; 13th place American Heart Association with 1,084 riders; 14th place International Christian Cycling Club with 17 riders!! PCC Natural Markets finished behind us in 15th place with 339 riders!!!

I would like to thank each and every rider that participated this year in all of our competitions!!  The Lord watched over all of us and kept us safe out there.  For all who participated in the commute trip challenges; we finished very well in both.  Many, many folks have asked who are these guys/gals on this International Christian Cycling Club team?   This has lead to more folks joining and more people visiting the www.christiancycling.com website. Having these teams just continues to get the word out about the club and our mission.

I would just like to encourage all of you during these times that GOD is in control and always will be and that HE is our Rock.  As the cycling season gets ready to begin shortly and you see someone along the road with a flat tire or that has crashed.  Stop and take the time to help that person and share with that person.    I am always  amazed on how many people do not stop to help a fellow cyclist that had crashed or been hit by a car or has broken down.  We must set the example and be the light and salt of the world.

And finally;  this is my 9th year as the Spoke Director for the Seattle spoke of the International Christian Cycling Club.  If the Holy Spirit is speaking to you about leadership and you are interested in leading the Seattle spoke of IC3 into the future then pray about it and let me know so that I can pass your name on to the Board of Directors.  There is only one spoke in the State of Washington and I would like to encourage you if so led to consider leadership.

I look forward to seeing you all this year.  God Bless and thanks for your prayers and support.

http://christiancyclingarizona.blogspot.com

Your brother in Christ.

Michael.

The IC3 in Ontario has been running Saturday training rides for riders from Southern Ontario.

Detailed info is available at: http://www.crcna.org/pages/sea_front.cfm

George

The first cause is Redlands Christian School which has for the last few years supported Christian Education for Special Education in a fantastic learning and loving environment with a very low teacher to student ratio.  To continue funding this program is the Mission of Team Learning 4 Life.  The individuals that have taken on this mission, are varied in cycling experience.  Some members have years of cycling experience and others have the burning desire of their cause to help push them over the Rockies.  Their accomplishment will not be by their strength alone but by seeking first the Kingdom of God and trusting in His provision and strength.  Isn’t that where we all need to be everyday?

Only 5% of private Christian schools in California provide for Special Needs Children. Redlands Christian School is one of them.  What would cause men ranging in age from 62 to 17 to do such a thing??  For the love of kids and very special children at that!  These eight men will get on their bikes with the help and support of the school and community to raise awareness and funds for children with Special Needs to be educated. We welcome you to come visit their website: www.teamlearning4life.org and meet some of the kids

If you can support their efforts–you’ll be doing the right thing.

Phillip Naman

By Dan Apgar, IC3 North Texas

For the second season running, the North Texas Spoke of the International Christian Cycling Club (IC3-NTX) is hosting the Horse Country Time Trials (HCTT) in Aubrey, Texas.  Last year, the events ran in 4 consecutive months from June through September.  This year the events will be run in March, May and July with the first event having run on March 22nd. The March edition of the HCTT was well received.  88 riders competed in 94 events.  Categories included Juniors, Men’s P/1/2/3, Men’s 4/5, Women’s Open, Recumbents, 2‑man Teams, and 4‑man Teams.  22 Teams were represented from around the state and Oklahoma.  Stephen Wheeler posted the fastest individual time for the 20k out-and-back course with a time of 28 minutes and 22 seconds.

The HCTT course is an open course time trial that offers sufficient challenges for the experienced racer, while being short enough not to defeat the novice.  The March race provided additional challenge with a stiff wind that met the riders head on at the turn-around.  Several riders commented that their March times were about 2 minutes behind last year’s times.

Kevin Hill, IC3-NTX’s spoke director and the race promoter, said “Our goal is to create an on-going series of events for the North Texas Racing Community. We are still working out some of the bugs, but we hope the Time Trials are a fun event for people of all skill levels.”

In addition to IC3-NTX, the race was sponsored by Richardson Bike Mart, Plano Cycling and Fitness, The Bicycle Path – Denton, Corinth Cycling Club, and Hammer Nutrition.  Plano Cycling and Fitness donated approximately $850 in prizes, including Time Trial Bars for the Men’s P/1/2/3 caetgory, and cyclometers for the other individual divisions. IC3-NTX uses a large portion of the proceeds of the race to support local Christian charities, and programs throughout the North Texas community.

The top finishers by category were:

Juniors
Alex Battle-Woods Team Power Train 30m 37s
Jacob White     36m 52s
Redding Shelby     37m 18s

Men’s P/1/2/3
Stephen Wheeler     28m 22s
Kurt Bickel Joe’s Pro Bikes   28m 24s
Scott Simons Moritz Cheverolet Cycling 29m 37s

Men’s 4/5
Steve Norris  Moritz Cheverolet Cycling 30m 32s
Stuart Harbottle FCS Cycling Club  30m 57s
Todd Hollenshead Mirage    31m 37s

Women’s Open
Tracy Christenson Matrix/RBM 36m 23s
Katja Heinicke    36m 50s
Rachael Byrus FCS / Metro VW  36m 59s

Recumbent
Nelson Ralls RBent   37m 36s
Greg Gross Reclining Flyers 38m 57s
Peggy Petty RBent   39m 55s

2-man Team
Les Akins GS Tenzing  31m 46s
Kyle Russell GS Tenzing

4-man Team
Andrew Armstrong Matrix/RBM 27m 34s
Michael Gacki  Matrix/RBM
Max Miley  Matrix/RBM
Thacker Reeves  Matrix/RBM

- Conrad Smith
Biking 4 Jesus
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http://romaniachristiancycling.com/?page_id=17

Riding for and with HIM,

Mike Leaman

In 1997, I did something that changed my life forever. Actually, GOD did something that changed my life forever, as I traveled by mountain bike through northwestern Russia as a missionary with our “adopted daughter”, Jeannette and a wonderful “old” lady named Dorothy. (Dorothy passed away in 2002 from cancer.) It was, even today, an incredible journey. Here is the story:

B.I.K.E.Russia! For Hans Erdman, Jeannette B. and Dorothy R. it was a trip that would take them to the very limits of their physical and mental endurance. They came to Karelia in northwestern Russia from  Minnesota, not as tourists or adventurers, but as missionaries, challenging the untamed backcountry of northwestern Russia for the glory of God. On mountain bikes and on foot they would travel over 350 kilometers of roads, trails, mud and swamps to bring the word of God’s love to a people cut off from the Lord by 70 years of communist rule. The name of the mission was B.I.K.E.Russia!; “Bicycling Into Karelia for Evangelism.” A team of five Americans and seven Russians, who pushed beyond physical pain and discomfort, to fulfill a vision that the Lord had given to Hans almost two years earlier. Riding mountain bikes, they went “from village to village preaching the Gospel and healing the sick” (Luke 9:6) All five of the Americans involved had connections to Minnesota: Hans Erdman, an avid mountain biker, and, from 1995 to 2000, was the lead ranger of the Anoka County Park Rangers bicycle patrol. Dorothy R. also an zealous bicyclist, who was then age 73, and had already biked across the U.S. twice, across China, through the Austrian Alps since retiring in 1987! Dorothy was a graduate of the Lay Ministry Training Center-International (LMTC) located in St. Paul. Jeannette B., was a marathon runner, recreational cyclist and registered nurse, also a graduate of LMTC, and Steve May, a resident American missionary in city of Petrozavodsk and his 16 year-old son Caleb, who served in Russia under the call from Northwoods Mission to Petrozavodsk, based in Northome, Minnesota. Steve had also attended LMTC before coming to Russia.

Two native Russian interpreters who were also strong Christians joined the American missionaries. Allek B. of St. Petersburg was the lead interpreter, and also led worship sessions and ministered to children and teenagers. Andrei C. was on an internship from the St. Petersburg Christian University, who fulfilled part of his school requirements by being a member of BIKERussia. The remaining Russians consisted of guides from the Petrozavodsk Bicycle Travel Club and the bike unit of the Petrozavodsk Militia. (police) Supporting the team in Petrozavodsk were the remaining members of Steve’s family, Anne and their children Rueben, Rachel and RuthAnne; Tanya P., a teacher, interpreter, missionary working for the Minnesota-based East European Missions Network (EEMN), and also a graduate of LMTC. Their hosts were Lt. Col. Nikoly R. of the Petrozavodsk Militia (police, now retired) and his wife Lena, and the members of the Bicycle Club. Petrozavodsk was chosen as the base for the trip for several reasons, including the presence of the Steve and Tanya. It was also home of the only police bicycle unit in Russia, which was trained and equipped through the efforts of the International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) of which Hans was also a member. Through the support of Pioneer Cycling and Fitness in Blaine, MN, and Trek Bicycles in Waterloo, Wisconsin, the team was able to purchase six good Trek 850 mountain bikes at a substantial discount, as well as other equipment that was needed. Four of the bikes would be donated to the militia after the trip, and two would remain with the Christian Training Center where the Steve and Anne worked. The local police union donated a supply of bicycle parts that would be turned over to the militia after the trip was completed.

On July 16, the team assembled at Hans’ church, having spent the previous two evenings packing bikes, camping gear and personal belongings to meet international travel requirements. Seven bags, and the six boxes carrying the bicycles were loaded up for the first leg of the trip, flying to Amsterdam and then on to St. Petersburg. Ten minutes after the plane lifted off, then entire airport was plunged into a two-hour long blackout, due to an electrical malfunction. The BIKERussia team’s plane was one of the last to make it out before the power went off. In St. Petersburg, all of the bags and boxes made it into the baggage claim area without any problems, and with their visas showing that they had been invited by the Interior Ministry (State Police) in Karelia, they went through customs without any problems. (You have to be invited by a person or organization within Russia to get an entry visa.)

The mission was divided into two bike trips, with a break in between. One goal of the first trip was to visit the abandoned monastery at Lake Yashezyero, 95 km away, and the tiny village across from it, where two elderly people were the only remaining inhabitants. The first night was spent at a beautiful beach campsite on the shore of Lake Onega, near the village Derivanio. Karelia is far enough north that it never gets really dark in July. Fortunately, however, the cyclists were so tired each night that they slept soundly despite the continual light. Tuesday would prove to be one of the two most demanding days of the trip, traveling 59 km through very difficult terrain. After riding on pavement for 25 km, the road turned south, and all but disappeared. Heavy logging in the area had reduced the road to a horrendous collection of ruts, bumps, holes and soft sand that made for arduous travel. The biggest challenge came in the last mile before reaching Yashezyero, where the road (such as it was) vanished into a quagmire of mud. Team members had to dismount and push their loaded bicycles through mud up to their shins. The monastery was another 300 meters down the trail, and that trail was covered with water. Leaving their bikes behind, Hans, Steve, Jeannette and Caleb (Dorothy stayed at camp) waded in to become the first Americans to ever visit the Yashezyero monastery, which had been abandoned in the 1930s.

After dinner, the team decided to leave their bikes, and hike the mile and a half to the tiny village of Yashezyero. When they entered the clearing where the village had been, they found one old log house standing among the ruins of a half-dozen others, smoke lazily rising from it’s chimney. The only other thing the team saw was an old army tank, sitting amidst the ruins. They approached the occupied house, and an elderly man came out, and started talking with Allek and Steve. (Steve and Caleb spoke very good Russian.) As they shared who they were, and why they were there, he started to open up. He was a wounded combat veteran of the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and had fought the Germans at Leningrad. (St. Petersburg). His name was Anatoly, and he told them “I know that you really believe (in God) because you came here from America.” Then, when he found out that he, his wife and Dorothy were all the same age, he went and got his wife, excited that this “Babushka” (Grandmother) from the US would ride a bicycle to come visit them! The wife asked the team to pray for them, for the village, and for their deteriorating health, and Andrei gave them each a New Testament.Day three was the most strenuous of the trip. The roads were better, but each of the Americans (except Steve) were suffering from the effects of the hard ride and hot, dry weather. Due to the swampy conditions the previous night, they had not been able to filter enough water to fill their bottles, and it was probably the hottest day of the trip. The long, east/west road offered little in the way of shade and protection from the sun. Hans, Jeannette, Dorothy and Caleb felt the effects of the heat, and “hit the wall” or “bonked” at almost the same time. Fortunately, Steve and the guides were able to find a “radik” (spring) and the team was able to rest and recover. The group almost didn’t stop in the village of Puhtka. When they reached the other end of town, Volodi P., (“Big Dog” the lead guide) asked what the missionaries wanted to do, and Hans replied that they needed to go back into the town. Tired and sore, but anxious to do some sort of ministry, and also needing vegetables for the night’s dinner, they headed back into the store in town, not knowing that the Holy Spirit would be with them in power. In the village, Allek bought candy and soda in the town store, and asked where they could buy fresh potatoes and onions. Outside, she started talking to some children, who listened to her and ran to get some their friends. Soon she had a large crowd of young children gathered around her, and was telling them stories about Jesus Christ. When she finished, she led about 15 children in a prayer to ask Christ into their hearts. Some of the adults, curious about what was going on, also started to listen, and Dorothy, assisted by Andrei began to talk to and witness to them. When Allek was done, Steve, Jeannette and Caleb joined Allek and Andrei in taking the kids for rides on the back of their bikes. What Hans thought would only take an hour or so, ended up lasting more than four hours. Volodi even sent one of the guides and the militia officers to see what was going on. In addition to bike rides, each child and interested adult was given a copy of the New Testament in Russian, to keep as their own. The team found out that there was no church in the town, and there had been no worship services there in years. The adults asked for someone to come back, and minister to their community, or help start a church. As the team reloaded their bikes for the long, thankfully downhill ride back to Derivanio, two little girls approached Allek and shyly handed her a large bouquet of wildflowers, which she placed on top of the bags on her bike, tears glistening in her eyes.After a couple of days off, the team headed out of Petrozavodsk on the second bike trip, which Hans, Steve and the guides had decided would be only 75 km in length. Led by guide Boris Z., the team headed north and east of the city on roads that changed from paved to gravel, then from gravel to packed sand, then went up a very long hill. More than 5 km later, the team finally reached the top, and enjoyed a short but exhilarating ride down to the tiny village of Berezyoi Mosme (Birch Bridges). The “radik” in Berezyoi Mosme is well known to the members of the bike club for it’s pure, cold water. So while the guides prepared lunch, the team walked into the village to talk to people and fill water bottles depleted by the long climb in the warm sun. They gave away a couple of New Testaments and filled their bottles, but more importantly, they were asked to hold a worship service in the village on their way back to Petrozavodsk on Saturday.

The next village, about 10 km away, was Yalguba. Here the team found a place to camp in a farmer’s field on the shore of an inlet of Lake Onega. The family that farmed the land was glad to let the group camp there, and after some of the team had helped them with bringing in hay, they asked the them to conduct a worship service on Friday night in the town’s “cultural hall.” They willingly agreed. The ride to the next village, Suisar, was only 10 kilometers long. Once again the team set up camp and ate the usual lunch of soup and tea. After the meal everyone rode back into the village to see if they could find people to talk to. As before Allek started conversing with young children, and most of the village’s kids flocked to hear her. The others stood by, speaking with adults, answering questions, and helping Allek with music. After a long talk with Allek, two teenaged girls invited the team to come speak at a youth meeting they have every night. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to reach the young people of the village, so Hans agreed. It was decided that the youth would be best ministered to by the team members closest to their own age, so Allek, Andrei and Caleb went into the “youth meeting.” Later they said that there were about a dozen teens at the meeting, which they have each night to alleviate the boredom of small town living. The team members sang songs and witnessed to the group late into the evening.

The ride back to Yalguba was brief, and mostly downhill. Camping in the same field as before, the team quickly set up camp, rested, and then started to prepare for the worship service. Forty-nine people and three dogs attended the service in Yalguba, listened to the music, watched the skits and heard the testimonies and the message, but when it was over, all but a handful just left. One woman, who is a believer, shared her heart with Dorothy and Allek. She told them that her greatest fear was that God could never bless Yalguba, because there was so much sin in the village. The missionaries shared and prayed with the woman, and promised to continue to pray for the village. Saturday, they rode the short distance to Berezyoi Mosme in an hour, and went into town to meet with people. A woman came up and started asking about what they had planned. Her grandfather was the village’s founder. One of the first things he had done in establishing the village was to build an Orthodox church, which had served the village from it’s founding until 1948, when the communist government had burned it to the ground. Her family had erected a cross at the site of the old structure, and she invited them to hold the worship service there. The team enthusiastically agreed. They walked up to the high point of the village, and into the woods, where a ten foot tall cross had been placed next to the foundation of the community’s one-time spiritual center, In a woodland cathedral they led the first worship service held in Berezyoi Mosme in almost 50 years. All six of the village’s permanent residents took part. They sang along with Allek and Caleb. They watched the skits and listened intently to the testimonies, and then to the message. After the message, the villagers prayed with the Americans. Under the canopy of trees, by the foundation of a church long ago destroyed by the very hand of Satan, the Holy Spirit brought together the people of Berezyoi Mosme, and the team of American and Russian missionaries God had sent there, and He blessed them all.

They rode the rest of the way back to Petrozavodsk without major incident. Andrei tacoed a wheel in some soft sand, but Boris, who is an excellent bike mechanic, quickly repaired it. Before they knew it, they were back at Steve’s apartment. The expedition that was BIKERussia was over. The team only needed to clean up the bikes and pack the gear that would be going home with them. Sunday evening, Hans presented four bikes to Nikoly for the Petrozavodsk Militia, and then gave the other two to Steve M. and the Christian Training Center. There were 16 people at the Petrozavodsk train station to see the team off . New and old friends, including militia officers and the guides, and even a reporter from Radio Karelia, who interviewed Hans and Boris about the trip, showed up at the station. After a few days touring St. Petersburg they flew back to Minnesota.

B.I.K.E.Russia! The first week had been an adventure of the body; pushing to their limits and beyond. Going where no American had ever gone before in Yahezsara. The agony of hard falls and dehydration, of late nights and early mornings. Dealing with horrible roads, shin-deep mud, and water up to their hips. Experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit working in Puhtka. The second week had been an adventure of the spirit. Reaching out to the children and teens of Suisar, ministering to and sharing with the people of Yalguba, and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit while worshiping in Berezyoi Mosme. For three missionaries from Minnesota, BIKERussia was an adventure, unlike anything any of them had ever done before. Americans and Russians, pushing beyond physical pain and discomfort, to fulfill a vision. On mountain bikes and on foot they traveled 354 kilometers to bring a message of hope and love to the people of this northwestern corner of Russia; the Word of God for Karelia.

In 2007, ten years after our expedition, a group of Christian Russian cyclists departed from Varel, Germany in the west, and rode on bicycles, 9,120 miles and 3 1/2 months to Vladivostok, on the eastern Russian coast. Their stated goal: “Four teams of young Russian evangelists have embarked on a transcontinental bicycle journey … across Western Europe … and then vast Russia … over 9,000 miles … preaching the Gospel all along the way!” We salute them. We support them and we prayed for them. Their mission was, by all accounts, a success.

The Gospel is, indeed…Proceeding on…

The Two Wheeled Explorer

If you are Ceasar I understand that you may bow out on this, but for the rest of us the ides of March will be a great riding day.

Depending upon the number of people that want to go we may have several routes open to us.  The desert should be in bloom, and there shouldn’t be too many people on the road.   A few of us rode this last November and it was a great ride, but I think this is a better time of year for the scenery.

There is a cover charge to enter the park, I think it was less than $10. but I don’t remember the exact price, more of a nuisance than a toll.  A one way ride is about 45 miles ( we will have shuttled a car).  The complete loop is 60.  There are additional options for the fool hardy and hard trainers as always. Please let me know if you are interested.

Phillip A. Naman

(909) 335-1861

Welcome to the New Year, 2008. This is an exciting time for us as cyclist. Many of us are planning out our year, plotting training workouts, finalizing race plans and best of all, getting new gear.

Once I set my goals, I start identifying steps I need to take to reach my goals. If you have ever done this before, you know what is next; we have to identify “Limiters”. Those things that will prevent us from reaching our goals, we must design ways to overcome these “Limiters”. One of my major limiters is “Power”. Through the years, I have lost muscle mass and gained body weight. So I have design a training schedule that will help me gain more muscle and loose weight. This will help me improve my power so the rest of the team will not have to wait at the top of every hill for me this summer.

Now on January 1st, several members of our church sponsored an out reach event at a local apartment complex. I was asked to give a devotion between the praise band’s sets. I got with one of our youth sponsors and we came up with a short skit focusing on the differences between New Year’s Resolutions and the renewing power of Christ. The characters, in the skit, come to the conclusion that it is God’s Grace and Forgiveness that allows us to grow and develop. Without this Grace, we would have no hope. Without hope, there is no growth or change. One of the skit’s characters even says “Once you feel God’s forgiveness then you tap into the real Power”.

All of the guilt, anger and unresolved emotions we carry around with us, weigh us down like a cheep pair of steel clinchers wheels. It doesn’t matter what you want to call it, “junk”, “issues” or “luggage”, all it does is weigh us down and help separate from our loving Savior. It is a “limiter” in our Spiritual development.

Sisters and Brothers, as you map out your training plan for the year, set goals and schedule races; make room for some real power training. Start working on your forgiveness. Don’t let the sun set on your anger, find room to forgive that individual who hurt you. Forgive yourself! Think about all God did so we could be forgiven and then share that Grace to those around you! Spend time reading about Jesus and the woman at the well or when Jesus’ Disciples asked how many times to forgive an individual. This is real power training! This will change your life.

As a follower of Christ, we are commanded to act as He did, this means to forgive others and our selves as freely as he forgave.

May you receive the Love, Grace and Peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

James Sells

Indiana Spoke

As I was sitting in my garage this weekend preparing my rain bike for Monday’s commute I contemplated what if I did not maintain my winter bike?  Basically if I did not look at it daily by recharging my light system, checking my tire pressure, checking my chain for rust, check for tire damage, spoke damage, fenders, etc.  If I did not do these things daily then my bike would slowly fall apart, rust and become useless for transportation.

This reminded me of my own daily walk with the Lord that if I don’t stay in His word and fellowship with Him all day long, that I begin to fall apart and rust.

During this busy Christmas season we all get distracted, and it seems like there is never enough hours or sunlight in the day.  During these current times the trend and message is not to offend anyone by mentioning Jesus by name or wishing someone Merry Christmas or by playing the wrong Christmas songs because you may offend someone.

Proclaim Jesus Christ as your Savior and King.  “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Matthew 11:6  “Do not fear those who kill the body but can not kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul & body in hell.”  Matthew 10:28

As we remember why we celebrate Christmas; “For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Luke 2:11  So when your human resource manager says to you, you can’t say Merry Christmas or play Christmas songs remember “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, stand firm.” 2 Samuel 22:2   Knowing we are but pilgrims on this earth and that our home is in Heaven for all eternity.

I want to thank you all for your prayers and support this last year.  I look forward to 2008 and the swift return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  May you and your families have a joyous and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Mike Leaman

Seattle Spoke Director

www.christiancycling.com

The ride will start at 5:30am on December 8th at Waterman ave and the rivertrail crossing in San Bernardino.  We will pick up riders in Riverside and in Corona.  We plan on leaving the Greenriver Trail head at 8:00 am with the final group to head to the beach.  33 miles later we will be in Huntington Beach, have lunch, and start back.

Please contact me early if you can drive as a shuttle or plan on only riding one way.  I want people to have as many options as possible.  This is a self supported ride and all riders are responsible for themselves, but if we know what resources we have, maybe we can help!

RSVP to Phillip@AndrewPhillips.us so I know to expect you and leave a cell phone number for that morning.

January will be the 4th Annual Winter Stagecoach Century Saturday, Jan 12, 2008
Ocotillo – Shelter Valley - Ocotillo  Rides vary in length from 25-100 miles.  We should see the San Diego Chapter in this ride.  February is the Palm Springs Century, another great ride with distances from 25-100 miles.

I hope to meet up with you in December.

God Bless

Phillip Naman

Come join IC3Georgia for 54 or 69 miles of gorgeous, very low traffic country roads west of Atlanta. The terrain is mostly rolling with just one tough climb early in the route and one very fun descent. Store Stop at mile 28.

My group will average between 16 and 17 and will regroup after the first climb. We might have a faster group show that will just regroup at the rest stop. Both routes are marked and maps are provided.

Ride starts at the Rockmart Square. Lunch at Frankies after the ride.

Expect a 45 minute drive from Marietta Square and about an hour from 285 and midtown.

If the weather is questionable, check the latest posts on www.atlbike.org for last minute updates.

Any cancellations will be posted by 7:00 A.M.

Any questions please feel free to contact me.

Mark Oestreich

mtoestreich@comcast.net

Directions to start

From Marietta:    Take Whitlock Ave./120 to hwy 278 (14 Miles) Turn right onto 278 and go 15 miles to Coots Lake Rd. Turn left and go about 3.5 miles and turn left onto  Elm St, go .6 miles to Marble St and turn left. (silver Comet trail sign) Take your first right and you will See old Rockmart Square.  Park on the square.

From 285 North:   Leave 285 at Exit 16, S. Atlanta rd, and head north. Go .5 miles and turn left onto the East West Connector. Go 9 miles to and turn left onto Powder Springs Rd.  Go 4.1 miles and turn right onto Hwy 278. Go 21 miles to Coot Lake Rd Turn left and go about 3.5 miles and turn left onto  Elm St, go .6 miles to Marble St Rockmart Square.  Park on the square. and turn left. (silver Comet trail sign) Take your first right and you will See old

From Atlanta:        Take I20 West to Thorton Rd/278 exit. Turn right (North) and go 29.5 miles to Coots Lake Rd, Turn left and go about 3.5 miles and turn left onto  Elm St, go .6 miles to Marble St and turn left. (silver Comet trail sign) Take your first right and you will See old Rockmart Square.  Park on the square.

As in past years our spoke had a booth at the 26. El Tour de Tucson. Thanks to the help from our members and our sponsor Hammer Nutrition, we were able to give away Hammer Gels, Hammer’s HEED and water bottles. We represented our club for 2 days and can say it was a blessing to help out. There were about 50 new people interested in our spoke. They signed up for our Yahoo! ArizonaIC3-Rides email list and I hope we can plug them in right away.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Eph. 3:20 What an awesome God we serve.

We also had a lot of interest in the club from Phoenix and Prescott Arizona. Let’s start praying for those cities and see if God would want to establish another spoke in Arizona. So if anyone from Prescott or Phoenix reads this blog, check out http://www.christiancycling.com, pray about getting involved, shoot me an email at arizona@christiancycling.com, become a member (membership in 2009 is only $30 per year) and get your friends, family and members from your church involved.

It is by the Grace of God that we were able to establish the spoke in Tucson. WOOOHOOO !!!

Tucson IC3 Spoke

Hope to see you there.  Riding for and with HIM,

Mike Leaman

Do you find yourself living in the rain during mass amounts of your training season? Do you dread getting on the bike when rain is in the forecast? Do you need motivation to get moving when it’s cold and wet outside? Now you have it. Join your fellow IC3 friends as we compete against each other across the country.

Log your trainer hours and see how others are doing. Just go here and check it out.

The FBC McKinney (TX) cycling ministry got off to a fantastic start on Sunday afternoon, October 21st with our first scheduled event.  With the support of Kevin and Carroll from IC3 North Texas, 14 riders participated in the fellowship ride that left FBC around 2:15pm.   The ride covered almost 12 miles in just a little over an hour of riding time.  The group included riders from many different area churches and varied riding skills.  Special recognition goes to our only female participant.  Way to go Lindsay!  We will work on getting more ladies out in the future. In addition to road biking, there were two other riders who met at Erwin Park to do some mountain biking.  Thanks to Chris Blair for leading that ride.  That brings our total participants to 16 for our first event and I believe Kevin said that was the most there had been for any IC3 NTX fellowship ride to date.  There was a lot of good fellowship during and after the ride as some riders stayed in the church parking lot talking until around 4:30pm.

What an exciting way to get things started!  Thanks to everyone who came out to participate and make this a success.See you at the next event!

FBC McKinney

IC3 North Texas

Phillip

Phillip@AndrewPhillips.US

August 24-25, 2007
Wichita Falls, TX

The North Texas Spoke was able to fully experience God this weekend at the 26th annual Hotter’n Hell Hundred Rally and USCF Road race. We attended this event to promote the entire club, the local spoke and most importantly we looked for opportunities to share Christ with those that do not yet know Him.

God made this event happen for us, starting way back in April or May of this year. We have an IC3 brother (Ken “Woody” Smith) that works for Richardson Bike Mart in Richardson, TX. RBM has been a HHH sponsor and exhibitor every year and has a tremendous relationship with Roby Chrisite, Executive Director of HHH. Woody was kind enough to mention us to Roby when negotiating floor space for his shop. Roby is a Christian and offered us a tent in the “Finish Line Village” at no cost. Less than two weeks before the event, Roby let us know he had a booth inside at the Consumer Expo as well…also at no charge. This additional space was a blessing, but left us scrambling to find the additional people, banners, etc. to work both locations for 2 days. God will never call you to a task without giving you the tools to accomplish it!

Brother Gary Pennington flew in from Southern California to be part of this event, taking some of his own vacation time to do something that would likely benefit North Texas far more than hisown spoke.

We made it to Wichita Falls on Friday about an hour before the FLV opened, and just a little after the Consumer Show opened for the day. We were immediately swamped inside with people wanting more information and signing up to be on our contact list. A few people that were personally known to the NTX spoke came by to visit as well. The FLV started getting very busy as the USCF race Start/Finish was just a few dozen feet away from our tent. We got a semi-harried call over the walkie talkies from Brother Pat as traffic started increasing there as well.

We made it through the evening making friends, meeting Christian Cyclists and just talking to folks. We packed it in after 9pm and headed out to the empty house we were allowed to borrow from a relative of Pat’s. Indoor camping is definitely the way to go. Wichita Falls is about 90 degrees in the evenings, and the hotels sell out for 30 miles around 10 months ahead of the ride. Some are likely already booked NOW for 2008.

The rally and USCF Road Races are on Saturday (Elite men and women Crits are Friday night), starting around 6:45 and 7am. Brother Craig was set up early providing free mechanical support in the IC3 tent, and handing out free bottles of Fuze Fruit drinks that had been given to us free by the vendor (she was not returning for Saturday). Pat and Kevin grabbed their floor pumps and walked the start line looking for anyone that need to be pumped up or topped off. Someone on the BikeJournal.com website saw this and referred to us as good SamAIRitans…

The FLV tent was the hotspot for the day, as riders starting coming back in from the various distances around 9am and continued well past 3pm. we had probable 100-200 people come through to chat, get support or just rest in the shade we had available.

Brothers Dan, Tyler and Gary were able to go out and do the ride, so we had a presence inside, outside and on the road. Dan got his first Century, Gary got through a very hot metric, and Tyler was able to finish a metric despite having been ill recently.

We packed it in around 3 and realized we were blocked in and may have to sit for several hours. But…after a few minutes of enjoying the free entertainment a hole opened up in the tent traffic and we made our escape back to Dallas.

Special thanks to all that worked this event:

God – for everything
Gary – Lovin’ the rental bike
Pat – “I’m so hungry my stomach is about to eat my spine”
Craig – Wrenchmaster and his cousin – sorry…forgot his name :(
Tyler – Prince of the forgotten jersey
Robert – Gotta get him on a bike someday
Dan – rest stop 30 miles, 60, 80, 90, 91, 92….

We made the club known and impacted the cycling community for Jesus this weekend.

–Kevin

The North Texas spoke-to-be hosted the 2nd month of the Horse Country Time Trials on Saturday, July 28. This event was put together in mid season due to a lack of any time trial events in the North Texas area. The series run last year was dropped by the promoter.

With less than 10 members and a few friends of the club, the group has been able to pull off a 20K TT for the second month in a row with good weather, no injuries and great prizes.

The different events being run are based on it being as simple as possible:

• Mens’s open
• Women’s open
• Juniors
• Recumbents
• Tandems
• Teams

The prize money is limited to $100 for the Men and Women’s open class, paid out over 7 places. Everyone else gets a medal (5 places) or a cheesy trophy (fastest team)

This month, we were very pleased to improve our attendance from 49 to 54 racers. We had hoped for more, but are very happy with at 10% improvement. Especially since we were competing with a large and very popular rally on the other side of town. Also, there was a large track event in the evening at our local velodrome. Many of our top TT racers did the track event as well.

The previous course record of 27:18 by Kenny York/PACC was destroyed by 19 year old hotshot Shane Densmore (Compliance Depot) with a new record of 26:32. This is a very hilly course, so these times are exceedingly fast. Almost 28mph is fast on a flat course.

We want to also make note of our Title Sponsor, Richardson Bike Mart (www.bikemart.com) for providing funding for law enforcement. Also, IC3 National sponsors ROL Wheels and Hammer Nutrition contributed a set of race wheels and a significant amount of product for primes, goodie bags and door prizes. The wheelset giveaway was very well received, and a new generation of HEED addicts was born among our junior racers.

Above all, we want to thank GOD for His protection, and IC3 for their support in making this a truly successful series. The spoke made approximately $1000 dollars, of which a significant portion will go to Prestonwood Baptist Church for their ministry efforts. The rest will be kept for spoke development.

Next up: August 18…month 3.

I met Brian Grasky last year at the ICTN (International Christian Triathlon Network)camp, and have had him as coach for the last 2 seasons.

So far this year, In the 45-49 age group I’ve placed 2nd at a small Xterra race at R.B Winter State Park (PA), 10th at the regional championship in Richmond, VA (where 6 of the top 10 finishers in my age group were from other regions), and fourth at this latest race at Rocky Gap State Park, MD. This last race was the most rewarding personally, as it had many of the local competitors there. I wear the IC3 singlet at races, and while chatting after this race I noticed one of the guys choke back some expletives.

These results put me in 3rd place for the regional points series. The top 4 at the end of the season are invited to race at the national championship race at Lake Tahoe.

Here’s the report . . .

The race was sold out this year. 280 tris, and about 40 duathletes.
They started us in 2 waves, 3 minutes apart. 40+ and women in 2nd wave.
Swim went well – it was very warm water. I pushed myself a bit harder
than before and was able to swim with minimal interference. Only 2
buoys to get around is nice!

Bike went well – passing frequently, was passed once or twice. Saw a
familiar face on the first climb, from the Mifflinburg race. A younger
guy (Ed) whose wife (Amy) also races. He called me a roadie (I’d told
him about the coming Ironman race) and he took off, I eventually caught
and passed him (reminding him I’m not a roadie!) and we road most of
2nd lap more or less together. On the second time thru the single track
around the lake, I caught a long train of slow pokes. On my second
holler (!) they started pulling over.
My bike times were 2nd best in age, confirming it as my strong sport.

The run started off roughly. I had stomach issues for a mile or so. I
hung just behind a pair of guys that chatted quite a bit, which kept my
attention off the gut. The stomach problem cleared and then I hit
Emmit’s revenge, walking about ½ of it. Cramp twitches arrived at that
point, and made me very cautious for the coming ravine. When out on the
road to the finish I tried to hammer, but the twinges came back a bit
more, so I just maintained a 90% pace and finished pretty well. There
was an age grouper about 100 yards ahead, but I couldn’t close it.
Talking with a competitor afterwards, he repeatedly stated that 2:30 is
a fast time.

It was great to have Marlene (a friend’s wife) there cheering everyone on. The added personal touch is very nice!

I was near the end of 1st bike lap at 10:10 (IC3 prayer minute). Thanks all!

2:28, vs 2:41 last year. 4th of 25 in age group.

My upper body is sore today, but I think that is more from the high
ropes course at IC3 National camp Saturday PM than than the race. Legs
are fine today.

Scott

We started working on this spoke in May 2006 and have slowly grown it to 10 + members with God’s leadership and guidance. We will be submitting for “official” spoke status in July 2007. All we lack is the Pastoral recommendation of our spoke director…this is in progress.

We try to get together for rides at least once a week (when its not raining 5 out of 7 days a week ;) )

Some of the other things we are doing include a USCF Time Trial series, and we are going to be manning a tent at the Finish Line Village at the Hotter’n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls. Come on by!

Whether you are new to riding, “new again” to riding, or have been racing/rallying/touring for decades, if you call Jesus LORD, you have an open invitation to come ride and fellowship with us.

Thanks for looking us up,

Kevin Hill

Spoke (to-be) Director

IC3 North Texas

• - Regular club rides all year (ok, trainer rides until April)
• - 8 targeted events to create a presence in our local cycling community
• - display booths at 2 major events – 5k and 10k participants!
• - We’re starting a race team this year!
• - Expanded church partnerships and participation

We also have a great leadership team that has stepped up to help give us a strong start when spring arrives.  Here’s a quick look at who’s making our spoke successful:

Joel Boelke – Director: external club interface

Brandon Manske – Administrator: internal task manager

Joel Alberts – Treasurer

Aaron Weins – Web admin  and communications

Cory Binder – Events coordinator

Steve Gerber – Race Team Manager

Chris Hamilton – Membership coordinator

Jim Mayland – Sponsorship coordinator

Steering/advisory committee:

• Mark VanHolland
• Tom Barnard
• Tripp Welborne
• Ben Schinke

Check out our website to see what events we have coming up, our training log, discussion forum (chock full of endless banter), our “Shout Box”,  or just to see who’s online.  We are excited to be one of the “hands and feet” of the IC3 for Christ!

Still single he is almost two years with us 5 ft and 8 inches he is 61 kgms.

Married with one lovely girl of one year old. He has been with us for one year and he is 5ft and 7inches.Also he is 68 kgms in weight.

married. He has 3 lovely boys a set of twins of 3 years and a two year one.

He has been with us for 5 years 5ft and 10 inches he is 78 kgms

Married with two children a boy of 4 years and and a girl of 2 years he
has been with us for 5 years and is 6ft and 3 inches Joseph is 85 kgms
in weight.

Still a student,he has been with us for two years he is 5ft and 10inches, Adams is 60 kgms

Were is also married one boy 2 years and three girls 8, 4 and 1.5 years.

he is making a year with us, he is 5 ft and 8 inches 69 kgms in weight.

He is our Youngest riders single 5 ft anf 5 inches He is 55 kgms. He has been with us for three months praise the Lord