1997 Thunder Bay Cycling Club Executive

The Thunder Bay Cycling Club has a past history of being friends with a social atmosphere. I feel the 1998 season just ahead of us will follow that tradition. I would like to personally thank Graham Stewart, our past president, Barb Noga, past treasurer, and Dana Dooley, past promotions, for their great contribution to our club during their terms in office. We've put Jim Bidnall in the history books as past president and thank him as well for his great work over the years. We have some new directors this year, among them Doug and Marva Taylor for road touring. They bring a new enthusiasm to our Sunday rides. This year we are promoting short and long rides for all abilities. Hank Makkinga heads up the road racing and time trial series, and has set a schedule of races for various age groups. Steve MacDonald has some great ideas for the Mountain Bike Racing Series. We look forward to his second year at the helm of this exciting program. Welcome back to our secretary Madeline Creighton, she keeps our notes and records in immaculate order for our meetings. Jodi Marks is our new treasurer, she will keep our finances up to date. Mountain bike touring will be done by me, and with some changes it should be a great season.

Our big news for the 1998 season is the addition of the Kamview Nordic Centre as a new venue for mountain biking. Mountain Bike Kids will be run by Jamie Dermott, who helped Aladar with the program last season. The program will run at Kamview this spring. Thanks to Paul Higgins and the Thunder Bay Nordic Trails board of directors for their support. With the use of their trails, chalet and parking lot it should prove to be a great program for the young kids.

As your new president I look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions. I can also be contacted to update our hotline (626-8725). With an early spring on the horizon, we'll be dusting off our bikes soon. I hope to see you on the roads this spring. Please feel free to stop and talk to me anytime.

John Victor

Kids will meet fellow mountain bike riders, learn safety skills, technical riding skills and how to use gears and brakes properly. Look for some exciting additions to the program this year. For more information call Jamie at 345-6020.

Laurie Leslie has offered to deliver a Women's Cycling Clinic again this year, provided there is enough interest. It would be a one day clinic, probably held on a Saturday in early May. If you're interested in learning basic cycling skills or would like to meet other female riders, give Laurie a call at 475-8160. All ages and abilities welcome!

When you read this you might still be in skiing mode - if so good for you, it's called cross training. But likely you can't wait until the roads are dry and clean, ready to consume mile after mile or kilometre after kilometre.

Our first race will be on April 18 at 1:00 pm for a 40 km, kicking off the season. Try to make it out for this "easy ride" start. There are 4 more races planned during the season, and don't forget the weekly time trials that will be held every Wednesday night. You will be able to ride against the clock so you can try to improve your time from week to week. But don't forget to take rest days to recover, as pointed out by Massimo Telsa from the Motorola Team. Groups are divided according to male and female, and by age groups from 0-19 years, 20-39 years and 40 and over. Points will be awarded for each road race to determine an overall winner in each category at the end of the season. Prizes will also be handed out to winners of each road race when they are available.

Volunteers are always appreciated on race days, so if you're coming out to cheer on your friends, consider signing up to help out! We are looking towards a fun and exciting road season. We hope you will come out to challenge yourself and others in 1998. If you would like to volunteer your time or have any questions or comments about the road race series, please call Hank at 768-1752.

Hank Makkinga, Road Racing Director

This year all races for the points series will be held on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. They will be held every second Tuesday, starting on June 2. The locations will be announced on the hotline prior to the race. The majority of the races will be at Shuniah Mines and Kamview Nordic Centre, although some new venues are being considered. There will be a short and long distance race, with four age categories (14 and under, 15-19, 20-29, 30+) in each. Cross country mountain bike racing remains a great sport for the beginner cyclist to get into because it isn't necessary to spend a great deal of money on equipment to be competitive. New this year, the club is planning to organize some weekend trips to Minnesota through "Off the Beaten Path Adventures" to attend the NORBA Salsa Series. These races usually have a good technical cross country race as well as a downhill or slalom. A NORBA license is required for these events. Application forms are available at Cyclepath, Fresh Air Experience, Bailey's Sea and Ski, and Petrie's Cycle and Sports. Aside from the license expense, transportation costs will range from $25 - $35, race entry fees are usually $15 - $20 (US currency), and campsite costs usually range from $8 - $12 (US currency) per person per night. Bookings for these events are required at least one week prior. If there is interest, the club will sponsor points leaders in the local series by covering race entry fees if the rider would like to race in the NORBA series.

TBCC Jackets and Jerseys
(Available in all sizes)

Wanted

A great way to meet other riders. We will explore our countryside on gravel roads. Distances will range from 20 to 30 km at a relaxed pace. Check out our hotline and web site for updates.

The Thunder Bay Cycling Club once again organized a number of ski days, in an effort to help cyclists to keep in touch and keep in shape over the winter months. We enjoyed a night ski at Lappe as our first event of the winter. It was the first ski of the season for many but the conditions were good, as was the pot-luck dinner afterwards. Mid January saw a trek out to Eldorado Beach for some classical skiing. The trails were in super shape - thanks to Brian who knew we were coming and worked extra hard to make sure the trails were in tip-top shape. If you've never skied there and you're an avid classical skier, put Eldorado on your calendar for next year. We rounded out the ski with a pot-luck dinner at Roger and Ann-Marie's . Many felt the ski was worth it just to be able to come back to enjoy Ann-Marie's great cooking and hospitality. Our next adventure was a ski night in Murillo at the Dawes, who share a trail network on their properties with Al Comeau and Mary Ellen Ripley. It was a mild night with a bright moon - perfect for a night on the trails. We were excited to have Mary, Edan and Niamh join us for the evening. They were over on a week's holidays from Ireland to visit with friends and catch some cross-country skiing. February also saw a ski day at Kamview followed by an apres ski at Mike and Suzanne's. Our final outing was March 1, which offered a ski/cycle at Sleeping Giant Park, followed by an apres ski sauna and dip in the lake at the Pantry's. Dave managed to keep the sauna nice and warm for everyone. Thanks to Ruth and Doug for their never-ending hospitality. All in all a great winter of skiing, despite the lack of snow this year. But who can complain about all those warm days? Let's hope El Nino is as good to us this spring for the start of our cycling season!