Captain's Corner
The first official training rides used to always be the first Saturday in April. However, this year, we moved the start date up back to April 19th in hopes of friendlier weather (In 2007, it SNOWED the first Saturday in April!!!). Saturday rides will originate from the Grocery Bag at 9:00 a.m. until June when we will move our starting time back to 8:00 a.m.
The Grocery Bag is very easy to find. Traveling east from Raleigh on Highway 70, pass through the strip malls of Clayton and turn left at the stoplight on Highway 42 east toward Wilson. This is just before Talecris. I believe that you can see the Talecris water tower in front of you as you turn left at that intersection. You will cross railroad tracks immediately and then pass the Caterpillar plant on the right shortly thereater. You will drive exactly seven miles from Highway 70 to the intersection of 42 and Buffalo Road. Turn left at the light at that intersection and park on the grassy area across Buffalo Road from the Grocery Bag. The Grocery Bag cannot be missed. It is a three-story convenience store. It takes 30 minutes to drive there from downtown Raleigh. It is well worth the drive to be able to bike in a beautiful rural low-traffic part of our state.
Weather/Rain Policy. We do not have a weather hot line so you must decide each Saturday morning for yourself whether you want to chance rainy weather. A number of us will ride in a drizzle particularly when the weather gets warmer. Our SAG wagon system may break down on those inclement weather days, however.
SAG Wagon Volunteers. Martin Tetreault has graciously volunteered to take over coordination of the SAG Wagon operation this year from Matt and Amy Dean. The plan is to have two Cyclepath volunteers to drive a SAG wagon each Saturday. The SAG wagon drivers do not have to be bikers. Perhaps you have family members or friends who will volunteer for a Saturday.
Please e-mail MartinAmy at martin@smithfieldlaw.com
and sign up for at least one weekend to SAG. We have 20+ weekends to cover but if everyone takes a turn, others of us will not have to double up.
When you drive the SAG Wagon you will have to provide the wagon. SUV's or pickup trucks are ideal but not essential. You definitely need a bike rack, if you don't have an SUV or pickup truck.We have a cooler and first aid kit that can be passed on from week to week. Sometimes SAG Wagon drivers provide fruit or cookie refreshments but that is not required. Everyone should carry their own power snack. (Click for SAG Wagon Guidelines)
Releases. We no longer ask for liability waivers, unless we turn one of our training rides into an officially sanctioned MS Society Training Ride and the form would be only for people who chose to ride that individual ride.
Dues. This year we have decided to have optional recommended dues of $20 per person. We want to continue to do some things like having our traditional team cookout and having a Cyclepath refreshment tent at the tour. We try to meet these needs through donations but most of the time, a small group of Cyclepaths pay for them. We thought that we would ask for these dues to help us defray some of these costs and to spread the financial burden around.
If you are so inclined, please send a check for $20 (or for any other amount) made payable to "Selma Cyclepaths" to our treasurer, Jenny Bradley at
Cheshire Parker
PO Box 1029
Raleigh, NC 27602
(919) 833-3114 (work). These will not be tax deductible contributions.
Registrations. We would love for you to go ahead and register for the MS 150 if you have not done so already. That can be done on line at bikenct.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_NCT_Register.
Be sure to register as a Cyclepath using our team code which is NCTBSELF01 (the last two digits are numbers). The registration fee is $35 if you register before June 1, $45 from June 1 to August 31, and $55 after August 31.
Our goal is 110 Cyclepaths raising $120,000. In 2007, 97 of us raised $108,262.
Send out your solicitation letters. Why not go ahead and get this chore out of the way? You can obtain pledges if you prefer but I think that it is easier to just ask for the check.
The minimum contribution is $200 but we would like for each new rider to shoot for $500 and each veteran rider to increase his or her contribution by $300 over last year. $1000 is a great target in that you will become a Jewelery Boomerang at that level and be entitled to special jerseys and other benefits.
Here is what we need from you now:
1. Register for the tour.
2. Recruit your friends to be Cyclepaths.
3. Mail out your solicitation letters.
4. Show up for the ride on Saturday.
