The Pedaler Newsletter
As I sit in my hotel room in Silicon Valley, I'm thinking about what Thursday, March 28, will be like for me. I'm going to head to the airport on Thursday morning and catch a flight to Dallas. After sitting in Dallas for a short time, I'll board a flight to San Antonio. Shortly after touching down in San Antonio, I'll begin my drive to Kerrville.
My plan for Thursday is simple compared to the plan that the volunteers for the 40th Easter Hill Country Tour will execute this weekend. They are planning to provide the registrants with three days of great riding in the Texas Hill Country. The routes have been created, the maps have been drawn and printed, the rest stops have been located, and supplies have been gathered. Some of these volunteers stuffed 1000 packets this past weekend. Talk about an assembly line!
It's now time to deliver on what we've promised. All of the meetings, collaboration, and coordination will pay off. Going into Thursday, we have over 850 registered riders. Many of those riders are traveling from areas in and around Dallas, Houston, and Austin. Good weather will bring out the procrastinators from San Antonio. You and your friends can make this weekend a success by registering, having a great time on and off your bike, and helping us exceed our goal of 1000 riders.
President's Column
At the time I am writing this column, EHCT is a few days away. I've been checking the weather forecast 5 times a day with the hope that we'll have great weather this coming weekend. There are so many factors that can not be controlled when you put together a ride like EHCT. Regardless of any unforeseeable factors that may arise, I am extremely happy with the effort of the group of volunteers making this ride happen. This group deserves a standing ovation. These volunteers have worked hard to make the San Antonio Wheelmen look great by creating and supporting a number of routes during three days of riding. Their effort makes us a better club. Thank you!
On the subject of regular rides, let's take advantage of the weather and wildflowers and get in some riding this month. For those of you too fast for our regular stay-together ride and too slow for the hammerheads, I'll be leading a medium-paced stay-together ride on Sunday, April 7, from the old "Java Junction Cafe". The ride will take us into Gruene, where we will stop at Gruene Grind Coffee. Even better, the coffee is on the club! After coffee, we will do a "scenic tour" of New Braunfels. Let's have fun and wear our club jerseys. If you can keep a 15-17 MPH pace, I promise that you will not be let behind.
See you on the road!
Jose Rojas
Siclovia Returns!
Are you looking for a fun option to the regularly scheduled Wheelmen ride? We have just the ticket for you. San Antonio is celebrating spring with another Siclovia event on April 7 from 10 AM to 3 PM. A Siclovia is a non-competitive event that temporarily turns busy city streets into large recreational areas for people to enjoy. The street can be used for anything from bicycling and jogging to skateboarding and dodge ball. The idea is to get out, get active and enjoy your community. This car-free day is an opportunity for people to enjoy their city in a new way. It gives them an opportunity to ride down a major street on a bike with their family without the fear of cars. At numerous spots along the way, there will be activity demos, live music, food vendors, and all kinds of other stuff for people of all ages. For more information, check out
www.siclovia.org.
Wild West Hammerfest
If you have participated in the La Vernia Wild West Hammerfest in the past, then you know that it was known as a great charity ride for a worthy cause. Of course, the La Vernia area also offers some great riding. We were disappointed when the event didn't happen last year. Fortunately, it's back this year in support of another worthy cause.
Cyclists from Central Texas, as well as those from across the state, will shift into high gear to participate in the inaugural
Arthritis Foundation La Vernia Wild West Hammerfest Bicycle Tour on Saturday, April 6
. The event will start at 8 AM at La Vernia High School in La Vernia. The Arthritis Foundation Wild West Hammerfest Tour connects cyclists of all skill levels, along with volunteers and supporters, as they peddle toward building support and raising awareness about overcoming the challenges of arthritis. More than 50 million adult Americans (one in five) are affected by arthritis, as well as 300,000 children and 4 million Texans.
The bike ride is focused on raising funds to support the Arthritis Foundation as it leads initiatives to support research to find a cure, provides public health/educational programs for those who have arthritis, and continues its advocacy efforts throughout Texas and across the nation. Registration is $25 and the required fundraising is only $25.00. For details and to register, visit
www.hammerfestarthritis.org.
Join our Tour de Cure Team
The South Texas Tour de Cure raises money in support of the American Diabetes Association's mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. This year's event will be held on Saturday, May 11, and will feature a one-day ride that starts and ends at Retama Park. In addition to a 101-miler, this year's TdC will also offer routes of 76, 50, 30, and 18 miles.
Karl Gilbert, a SAW member, will serve as the captain of our team.
What does it cost to participate? The registration fee is $25 and the minimum fundraising goal is $200.
The Wheelmen will donate $25 towards the fundraising goal of each of the first 20 riders who join our team.
Please join the Wheelmen's team and ride with Karl! You can contact him via
e-mail or phone (210-677-5407).
Support the Reed Lee Fund
Cycling is a wonderful activity that brings many of us great pleasure. For most of us, cycling’s benefits far outweigh its risks. Unfortunately, 2012 brought a dark reminder of the life-altering dangers associated with cycling on the road. Our cycling community experienced multiple cycling-related deaths and at least two accidents that resulted in serious injury.
On November 17, 2012, a San Antonio Wheelmen member, Reed Lee, was involved in an accident that left him paralyzed below the chest, with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a cracked sternum. Reed’s road to recovery will be challenging and expensive. The San Antonio Wheelmen set up a fund, the Reed Lee Benefit Fund, to help offset some of those expenses. Please find it in your heart to help out another cyclist by going to the Active.com site below and donating to the fund. All proceeds from the fund go to Reed Lee. Visit
http://www.active.com/donate/reedlee to donate.
Renew Your Membership
If you recently received an e-mail about renewing your membership, you can do so on
bikereg.com (it supports PayPal) or
active.com. You can also complete the
membership application, print it, sign it, and mail it to us. We need your membership and we're constantly looking for your feedback on how we can improve the club. Please feel free to e-mail your suggestions to
membership@sawheelmen.com.
New Wheelmen Jersey
The latest Wheelmen jersey has the same great design, but more lightweight material! Please contact
Vicki Smith.
The Pedaler Online
President's Column
Articles
Upcoming Rides
New Members
Member of the Month
BMAC Minutes
SAW Board Minutes
Tony Beauford
VP, Membership
www.sawheelmen.com 
