Frederick Triathlon Club in Frederick, Maryland

Hey club!

As I see the leaves falling from the trees this Fall, just like to remind you to be careful biking through large areas of leaves as you never know what holes are underneath.  Also, wet leaves can be very slippery on road surfaces.  So, take it easy on those rides while enjoying the Fall foliage.

Now that Fall has arrived and Winter’s not too far behind, time to start thinking about your off-season training. Club member Vicki Bate is taking the lead here and organizing CT sessions at Kelley Acres Speed Shop.

 From Vicki:

 ”We will be organizing a computrainer class again this winter on Sunday early mornings. If you are interested, please let me know. Probably be 2 to 3 hours for 20 sessions starting @ January, 2010. The cost could be as low as $250 for the entire winter session, Sundays 8-11 AM . In addition, if anyone would like to investigate the possibility of a weeknight class, let me know and I can try and work something out with Chris Kelley.”

 Note that the price may vary here depending on what could be setup with Chris.

 If you’re interested, contact Vicki at vickibate@hotmail.com

Folks,

This is a second call for volunteers to help at the Frederick YMCA Women’s Tri on Sept 27.  It would be real good press for any of us to be there and I’ve already indicated that I’ll help.  If you can spare some time, please volunteer. 

ALSO, the point of contact has changed for volunteers.  Please contact

Maria Rubeling

mrubeling@frederickymca.org

Phone: 301-663-5131 ext. 1227

Tell her you’re with the club so we can see if we can get working like at a water stop or something like that.

Thanks!  And BTW, it sounds like they may have a coed tri in the works for the future.

Dave

The YMCA of Frederick County is hosting a Women’s Only Triathlon on Sunday Sept 27.  You can pick up a flyer at If the Shoe Fits or the YMCA.  Details and registration can also be found on Active.com:

Date

Sunday, September 27, 2009 @ 6:00 AM local time

Address

YMCA of Frederick County

1000 North Market Street

Registration Closing Date

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 @ 11:59 PM

Brief Description

300 yard indoor swim at YMCA

10 mile bike ride out Motter Ave

5K run out East Street

Additional Information

Packet Pick-Up at YMCA 9-25-09 From 5pm-7pm 9-26-09 From 1pm-3pm No Race Day Pick-Up

 Bike racking – first come first serve

I’m sure the YMCA would also welcome volunteers.  If you can, lend your support.

More info at via the Y’s main webpage: http://frederickymca.org/

Hey club!  I had a brief conversation with a triathlete who trains on route 17 in Middletown like I do.  She said she was pulled over while riding on 17 by a police officer (not sure whether state or county).  She said the officer said she wasn’t allowed to ride on 17 as it’s a 55 mph road.  Well, I couldn’t chat for too long to find out all the details but I was curious as I’ve been riding on 17 for years without incident and so looked up the law.  Turns out the officer was partially correct BUT only if you’re riding on the road part of a 50+mph road, not the shoulder.  Here’s what the law says:

ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND – TRANSPORTATION

 Bicycle Related Definitions and Laws

TITLE 21 VEHICLES LAWS – RULES OF THE ROAD

21-1205.1 Bicycles, motor scooters, and EPAMD’s prohibited on certain roadways and highways; speed limit. (a) In general – Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, a person may not ride a bicycle or motor scooter; (1) On any roadway where the posted maximum speed limit is more than 50 miles per hour [Cyclists may operate on the shoulder of a roadway where the posted speed limit exceeds 50 mph unless otherwise prohibited.];

Now, in some references, on the MD State Highway Admin site, the clause in italics is not there.  Therefore, I looked a bit more at the code.  First off, (1) above uses the word “roadway”.  Well according to Title 11-151, the roadway does not include the shoulder. 

Keeping this in mind about the shoulder, part (b) of 21-1205.1 states the following:

(b) Roadway with bike lane or shoulder paved to a smooth surface. –

(1) Where there us a bike lane paved to a smooth surface or a shoulder paved to a smooth surface, a person

operating a bicycle or a motor scooter shall use the bike lane or shoulder and may not ride on the roadway, except in the

following situations:

(i) When overtaking and passing another bicycle, motor scooter, pedestrian, or other vehicle within the bike lane

or shoulder;

(ii) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway;

(iii) When reasonably necessary to leave the bike lane or shoulder to avoid debris or other hazardous condition; or

(iv) When reasonably necessary to leave the bike lane or shoulder because the bike lane or shoulder is overlaid

with a right turn lane, merge lane, or other marking that breaks the continuity of the bike lane or shoulder.

(2) A person operating a bicycle or a motor scooter may not leave a bike lane or shoulder until the movement can be

made with reasonable safety and the only after giving an appropriate signal.

(3) The Department shall promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to this subsection which will include, but not

limited to, a definition of “smooth surface.”

———————————————————————————

 All this can be found at http://www.marylandroads.com/exploremd/bicyclists/OPPE/Bicyclists6.asp

So know the law and know your rights.

Volunteers are still needed at this weekend’s Youth and Sprint Triathlons.  The Youth Triathlon sign-in/packet pickup begins at 4:30 PM on Saturday afternoon with the race starting at 6:30 PM.  The Sprint Triathlon sign-in/packet pickup/transition opens at 4:30 AM Sunday morning with the race starting at 6:30 AM.  All volunteers receive T-shirts.  I know from personal experience that the Youth Tri is a blast to watch and support.  Please contact club member Ken Racine at Kcracine@myactv.net if you can volunteer.

There may have been a problem with the PDF file (i.e. possible virus) that I cut and pasted sections from for this post.  We’re checking and I’ll repost as soon as I’m sure we’re clear.

Hey Club! As you can see on the website, we have a new logo!  This logo links Frederick with our club and triathlon with the three steeples and with Maryland by the state flag in the background.  If anyone ever needs logo work done or something similar for not too much cost, contact me and I’ll put you in touch with the designer of our new logo.

Last August, Cervélo SA announced a voluntary recall of the True Temper Wolf SL carbon fiber fork because of a potential safety issue involving the True Temper Wolf SL fork steerer which can crack and eventually break during normal use, causing the rider to lose control, fall and suffer serious injuries.

To date, we have replaced a significant percentage of the recalled forks, though there still are some recalled forks in the market. If you have a Wolf SL fork, please visit your nearest authorized Cervélo dealer immediately to have your fork swapped out for a free replacement. For many of you, this is the off season and an ideal time to have the replacement done!

If you are receiving this notice for a second time, we apologize. Your safety is our main concern, and we would like reach all customers with this fork and have them replaced as soon as possible. Replacements for the recalled True Temper fork are quickly available and we are sure you will appreciate the upgrade when you head out to start the 2009 season.

Please share this notice and web site with your friends, riding groups, clubs, an d any other Cervélo owners you know. We appreciate it.

For additional information, contact Cervélo Recall Hotline toll-free at 1-866-296-3137 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.cervelo.com/WolfSLRecall

Our next club meeting will be at our sponsor Bike Doctor of Frederick on Wed Feb 11 at 7PM.  I’ve asked Brian Wisowaty, the shop owner, if he or one of his folks will talk to the club about bike repairs you might need to do while racing.  This would include flats (clincher and tubular), small tire slice, chain problems, spoke breaks, CO2 catridges, etc.  Members may also share their experiences with what worked for them as well afterwards.

Bike Doctor website with store location:  http://www.bikedoctor.com/

Folks interested in the club are welcome as well!

See you there!