NBCC

NEW BERN CENTURY CYCLISTS

Eastern North Carolina

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This website has but one purpose: To encourage cyclists of all ages in the New Bern NC area to cycle a Century trip and to give recognition to those that have done so.

Why? So we can get cyclists together for monthly Century trips weather permitting. Having a large group of cyclists makes the trip easier and more enjoyable. If you've never ridden with a group of riders it's time for you to discover something new about cycling.

Visitors since 3/6/02

What's a Century trip? It is a rite of passage for all serious cyclists to be able to say that they have cycled a trip of 100 miles in a single day, usually within 5 to 8 hours. Others say one has to be crazy to ride 100 miles. 

Why ride a Century? Because of the challenge! The mere thought of being on a bike for some 5 to 8 hours impresses sedentary folks but anyone can ride a Century that is healthy and prepares for it. I'm 78 and have cycled 55 Century trips since age 69. It's great fun and excellent aerobic exercise. Overweight? You'll burn several thousand calories each trip!

What does one need to do to prepare for a Century? Cycle, cycle cycle! The more you cycle on a routine basis the easier it is to ride a Century. If after riding your bike for 10 miles your legs are sore you're obviously not ready for a 100 miles. You should be able to knock off  at least 25 miles with no pain before attempting 100.

Do I need a special bike? It's going to be hard pedaling an old one-speed heavy bike with fat tires but I'm not going to put down any bike except to say that the trip will be much easier and faster if you have a lightweight roadbike. What's a roadbike? You won't find one at Wal-Mart. It's a bike with a lightweight alloy or aluminum frame, drop handlebars and very skinny tires (appx. 700mm x 23mm). Prices start in the hundreds and go to the thousands. Many folks have popular mountain bikes nowadays. They'll make the 100 miles but they won't keep up with roadbikes. You guessed it! I'm a roadbike nut...

 Why join the NBCC? It costs nothing and simply places you on an e-mail list to be notified when a Century or any other shorter trip is planned so that you may join the group. It also permits you to send messages to all members by addressing your message to nbcc@XXXalways-online.com (remove XXX). Send your request to Dave Wallace at davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (remove XXX). The e-mail list will be sent only to members that are on it. 

Where does a Century trip go? Wherever you or a member that plans the trip wants it to go. The monthly trips that we have been taking over the past few years have departed from River Bend and go to Trenton,  then to Beulaville where we have lunch at Hardees or McDonalds. After lunch we cycle to Fountaintown, Catherine Lakes, Richlands, Trenton and back to River Bend. See mileage chart you can print out. Besides lunch we usually take about 4 short rest stops at stores along the way. Ordinarily we depart on a Sunday morning at 8 AM and return by 3:30 PM. Saddle time is around 6 1/2 hours with the remaining time for lunch and rest stops. Average overall saddle speed usually ranges from 14.5 -16.5 mph depending on the wind. A group of cyclists always makes better time by taking turns "pulling the group" while others draft behind. You'll be surprised at the difference drafting makes. 

How can I be added to the Century Trip Recognition list?  It's easy, provided you live in the vicinity of New Bern NC where you'll be able to cycle with us occasionally. Just complete a Century trip and have it verified by another member. Send your request to Dave Wallace at davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net(remove XXX). As you complete more Century trips send in update info. (By the way it is not the intent of this web page to record century trips of cyclists all over the country)

Dave Wallace 

NBCC CENTURY TRIP RECOGNITION

Click here for the current member list

OTHER CYCLING WEB PAGES

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(Scroll to the bottom for the latest narratives of trips. I try to keep approximately one year of narratives)

The 50-mile Trenton/Cove city trip went well with 9 cyclists at the start: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Susan Hamilton, Travis Bowman, Dionne Evans (Greenville), Richard ? (Key West) and myself. From River Bend, where I joined the group, my saddle average was only 13.5 to Trenton. The problem was that Richard, riding a new hybrid Trek, could only make 13-14 mph and was reluctant to draft so he returned to New Bern alone from Trenton. Our cumulative saddle average picked up to 15.5 at the rest stop in Jasper (about 35 miles). But the next problem was Travis Bowman, who wore himself out racing ahead of us collapsed and lagged behind when we caught up. We had to slow down and wait for him since he didn't know the route so my overall saddle average back to RB showed 15.4 mph. 

  Millard had someone take a photo of the group at the Jasper rest stop:

  Front row: Dave Wallace, Susan Hamilton, Dionne Evans, Gordon Carberry

  Back row: Mac Flythe, Travis Bowman, Bill Sadler, Millard Godwin

    Dave Wallace 5/20/07

Beautiful weather for 7 cyclists this Sunday morning doing the 30-mile Tuscarora/Clarks route from New Bern (21.2 miles from River Bend): Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Holland Patton, Travis Bowman and myself. Nice having Holland back after a long absence (He plans to cycle the Jacksonville Century tomorrow on Memorial Day). We had a fast trip today. My saddle average from RB where I joined the group to the US-70 overpass in Tuscarora was 18.5 and dropped to 18.2 returning to River Bend. 

Where are all the other cyclists that used to ride with us Sunday morning? We should have a dozen or more. The WX won't get any better!

Dave Wallace - 5/27/07

The following is a report from Dan Sosa who rode the Down East Cyclists' Spring Century trip in Jacksonville on Memorial Day May 28. You can see the route at http://racerpig.tripod.com/DEC/Century.htm but the web page may not remain up for long. Thanks Dan, quite a turnout! 

Dave Wallace - 5/29/07

Hi Dave,

We had 39 riders show up and 5 first time riders.

We had 8 blow out on tires and being we no one behind this took us more time to ride which was 8 hours being we did 4 rest stops. But the saddle time was good 5 hours and 46 mins.

My reading on my odometer was an average of 17.33 mph, The fastest I went was 37 mph down the drop on the Atlantic Beach bridge, and one other guy said he did 38 mph and no doubt some where faster but did not ask around.

We had about 5 riders ride in the escort vehicle and then went back to riding later when they felt better. We used up two large coolers of water and Gator Aid and some fruit.

We had people show up from Wilmington, Greenville and even New Bern. They said they liked our way with escort and no one left behind.

Oh mark me up for the 100. And also we collected over $ 1000 for the Wounded Warriors and more to come from pledges, so it turned out a good riding day.

DAN SOSA - 5/29/07

There was no Sunday cycling on June 3 because of rain but today we had 7 cyclists and beautiful 70-degree weather cycling the 30-mile Tuscarora/Jasper route (see map at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=345055) Cyclists were Millard Godwin, Mac Flythe, Bill Sadler, Beverly Rust, Travis Bowman, Randy Allen (JAX) and myself. I only recorded saddle average from River Bend to the US 70 overpass at 17.8 and at the Jasper store rest stop at 17.5. The group broke up returning to New Bern and I returned to River Bend via Glenburnie Rd  with Beverly Rust who lives in Greenbrier. This cut my trip short to 27.5 miles with overall saddle average of 16.8. 

Dave Wallace 6/10/07

Great weather this Sunday morning but only 5 cyclists showed up: Flythe, Godwind, Carberry, Bowman and myself. We rode the Tuscarora/Jasper 30-mile route. From River Bend where I joined the group, the cumulative saddle average was 17.5, 17.9, 17.9, 18.1 at the three rest stops and River Bend. It was a fast trip today, especially downwind. A new cyclist, a Bosch employee, joined us at Clarks. Was hoping he might be a Sunday regular rider but unfortunately he's heading back to Germany, just as Reinhart Otto did last year. 

Dave Wallace 6/17/07

It was supposed to be a Saturday MS-150 training ride. The Sun Journal had a nice article about it, how Craven Regional Medical Center sponsored it, how 40 or so cyclists were expected and how a nice cookout would be at the finish. I send out e-mail to over 1500 addresses. 

It was a big disappointment. Not because of weather either, which couldn't have been better. I was embarrassed for New Bern that the MS folks had come down from Raleigh to set up a nice event and only 10 cyclists showed up. Actually only 8 started, all doing the 36 mile double loop and even then broke up into three groups. Not what I'd call a great MS training ride. Anyway, I ended up the first loop with 14.2 mph saddle average riding with John Jaskolka, Joanne Somerday and Carol Gingerich (Havelock). On the 2nd loop Carol and I decided to step it up a notch alone and finished with an overall 15.2 mph saddle average. NBCC member John Imbriaco was there but took off ahead.

Where was everybody?

Dave Wallace - 6/23/07

PS: Announced my 2007 MS-150 web page at http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/2007ms-150.htm on Friday. 24 hours later, my sponsor total was posted at $761.50. If you're not going to ride a bike why don't you sponsor someone that does.

There were 3 of us cycling the Beulaville Century trip on 7/1: Beverly Rust, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. We departed River Bend at 7:05 AM and pulled into McDonalds at Beulaville for breakfast at 9:40 AM with an average saddle speed of 17.5 mph (43 miles). The rest of the trip was against the wind but rotating the lead helped a lot. At Catherine Lakes our overall saddle average had dropped to 16.5 and when we pulled into River Bend at 2:28 PM it was down to 15.8mph overall. Still not bad!. This was a pleasant trip. The three of us rode together at a comfortable speed. On a couple occasions when  I felt a leg cramp coming on, slowing down a few minutes helped work it out. I want to thank Beverly and especially my counterpart old fart Dan Sosa (76) who drove up from JAX to ride with us. We made a good trio. I chalked up our Century trips on the chart above.  

Dave Wallace 7/1/07

There were 6 cyclists (well - 7 if we include Travis that we saw occasionally) this nice Sunday morning doing the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper/Rhems loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Beverly Rust and myself. This was a fast ride. I joined the group passing River Bend and recorded the following cumulative saddle averages: US 70 overpass -19.1, Jasper - 18.9  and River Bend 18.4 (The RB loop is 25.6 miles). The group stayed together until it broke up from Rhems to New Bern. We passed 4 roadies at the US-70 overpass. If anyone reading this knows who they were please let me know so I can invite them to join the NBCC e-mail list.  

Dave Wallace - 7/8/07

Surprise!  Eight of us this beautiful 75-degree Sunday morning, 3 of whom were new: The usual were Flythe, Godwin, Carberry, Bowman and myself. New cyclists were John Klecker, Dan Wilson and Amy Stanton. Amy and I joined the group as they passed  River Bend on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper/Rhems loop. We stayed together as a group until we left Clarks when Carberry, Klecker and Stanton took off ahead while Flythe, Godwin and I waited for Wilson. I finally tried to catch the lead group but was a block behind upon reaching RB. My cumulative saddle average from RB to the stops was 17.5, 17.3 and 17.2mph overall, much slower than last week. We lost Bowman who usually rides ahead or behind when he missed the turn on Clarks Rd. 

Don't forget the MS-150 training ride next Saturday that starts from Craven Community College. I believe it starts at 9 AM. More info will be sent to members on the NBCC e-mail list.

Dave Wallace - 7/15/07

Well, wonders never cease! After only 8 cyclists showed up for the MS Society's training ride in June, 35 showed up this nice Saturday morning at the Craven Community College. Go figure? The ride was either 18 or 36 miles depending on whether you did one or two loops out US-17 to Rhems/Tuscarora Rd/Clarks Road/Old US-70/US 55/Glenburnie. Most everybody did the 36 miles but broke up into numerous groups. I ended up cycling the 2nd loop alone with Millard Godwin. Saddle average on the first loop was 18.1 because we were in a good group but all except Millard and I stopped at the college for a rest stop. We continued on alone for an overall saddle average of 17.1. Mac Flythe and Bill Sadler were also alone ahead of us. But that's the way the MS-150 goes, only there are many more groups of cyclists to chose to ride with.

Dave Wallace - 7/21/07

Another nice day for the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper loop from Flythe's bike shop (26 mile from River Bend). 12 riders showed up: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman, John Klecker, Amy Stanton, Beverly Rust, Susan Hamilton, Gary Bielejeski, Joby Arthur and myself. Gary is new from River Bend and Joby was here on business from Raleigh. I  forgot to reset both of my bike computers but Mac reported a saddle average from New Bern to the US-70 overpass at 17.5 and 17.7 upon reaching US-17 returning so it was a pretty fast trip. The group broke up periodically but for most of the trip it remained together, except for Susan Hamilton who planned to continue on a longer trip towards Pollocksville and Trenton. I was told Jim Fernandez started with the group in New Bern but dropped out.

Dave Wallace - 7/22/07

Eight riders today on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper trip from Flythe's bike shop (26 mile from River Bend). Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Holland Patton, Beverly Rust, Travis Bowman, Philippe Lafargue and myself. As usual we only saw Travis on occasions. Philippe was new to the group and lives in River Bend. I hope we'll see more of him and also Amy Stanton and Gary Bielejeski of River Bend. This was another fast ride since there was little wind. Cumulative saddle average I measured from RB was 19.5 at overpass, 19 at Jasper store and 18.2 mph overall back to RB. Next Sunday a half-century trip is planned to Trenton/Cove City. 

Alberto Contador (Spain) of the Discovery Channel team just won the Tour De France. Second place was Cadel Evans (Australia) of the Predictor Lotto team and third place was Levi Leipheimer (US) of the Discovery Channel. 

Dave Wallace  - 7/29/07 

Fourteen riders this Sunday morning on the 52.5 mile Trenton/Cove City/Jasper route: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman, Kevin Reynolds, John Klecker, Joby Arthur, Susan Hamilton, Beverly Rust, Amy Stanton, Gary Bielejeski, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. Gary, Amy, Dan and myself joined the group in River Bend for the 43.7 mile trip. See the Google map at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=922642. My cumulative saddle average from RB to Trenton, Jasper and RB was 16.8, 17.7 and 17.2 mph. Nice cool ride in the beginning but got a bit hot at noon approached. 

Dave Wallace - 8/5/07

Eight riders this beautiful cool Sunday morning on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora trip (26 from River Bend). From New Bern: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Beverly Rust & Travis Bowman. From River Bend: Amy Stanton, Gary Bielejeski, Philippe Lafargue and myself. My cummulative saddle average was 18.3, 17.8, for overall 17.6 mph. For most of the trip the group remained together except for Travis who was either ahead or behind as usual. Nobody has been able to convince him to draft in the group. 

Dave Wallace - 8/12/07

Fourteen riders this Sunday morning on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper route. Roadies 11, Bents 3.  From New Bern: Mac Flythe Sr & Jr, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman, John Klecker, Joby Arthur and Beverly Rust. Joining in from River Bend (26 mile): Amy Stanton, Gary Bielejeski, Philippe Lafargue, Joanne Somerday and myself. My cumulative saddle average from RB to the US-70 overpass rest stop, Jasper store and River bend was 18.8, 18.6 and 18.0. This was a fast trip and the group broke up several times which usually happens when someone increases the lead by several mph. Nice having Mac Flythe Jr back and Joanne Somerday join us.  

Dave Wallace - 8/19/07

Eight riders this hot Sunday morning on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper route: From New Bern: Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, John Klecker and Travis Bowman. From River Bend: John Imbriaco, Philippe Lafargue and myself. I forgot to reset both of my bike computers until we arrived at the US-70 overpass rest stop. Millard said the saddle average from New Bern (appx 15 miles) was about 18.2 mph. From there to the Jasper store rest stop my saddle average was 18.9 but ended up 17.2 at River Bend. It really got too hot to run fast.

Dave Wallace 8/26/07

Bill Dickerson reports below on the slower group that left Flythe's shop for the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper trip. This was a great idea. Perhaps Bill can start recruiting cyclists that are afraid to join the faster Flythe group until they're more confident. Good luck Bill. Hey, did you know that Lillian Herderich is 82?

Hey Dave,

Three riders. Yes! besides myself I had two others ride this morning. Was a lot of fun and all really enjoyed the ride. This is what it is all about , looking out for each other and just enjoying the scenery. Near the end it got a little on the hot side but we stopped at the AMOCO on the return and took a break. Names were, Bill Dickerson, Lillian Herderich, and Barry Godwin (Millard's son). Well anyway it was a great ride and put it out there if any others want to ride with us they are greatly invited. Today the average speed was 9.89 and at some points along the way 12 and better. Anyway the good thing all of us stayed together!!! Any other questions please call or send mail to me at ka4ksb@XXXearthlink.net (rtemove XXX). 

Bill Dickerson 8/26/07

The Multiple Sclerosis Society's MS-150 bike tour was held in New Bern on Saturday and Sunday 9/8, 9/9. Over 1800 cyclists were registered. I'm sure many New Bern cyclists participated but I'm only aware of the following 15 NBCC members who completed a Century trip on Saturday:

 Mac Flythe, Mac Flythe Jr., Bill Sadler, Millard Godwin, Hollard Patton, John Jaskolka, John Klecker, John Williams III, Joanne Somerday, Allen & Bambi Edwards, Pat Jacques, Susan Hamilton, Charlie Fetzer and myself. I posted their century trips on the recognition list above.  I'll add more names here as I hear from members. 

We had beautiful weather Saturday, except for some wind, but Sunday started off rainy from tropical storm Gabrielle. The MS Society canceled the 75 and 100 mile routes because of the uncertainty of Gabrielle, leaving only the 30-mile Tuscarora route. Only about 350 cyclists rode the trip in the rain. Other than Millard and his son Barry I saw nobody else from NBCC on the Sunday ride. 

You can see my MS-150 webpage at http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/2007ms-150.htm which has my stats, a narrative on the two-day trip and additional photos at http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/2007ms-150photos.htm 

Dave Wallace 9/12/07

And here's a couple of Bill Sadler (left) and Millard Godwin (right) on their recumbents that appeared in an e-mail message from the MS Society:

Eight Riders. It was a cool Sunday morning in the 60s and very windy when 8 of us cycled the 35-mile Tuscarora/Jasper loop (26 mi from RB where Philippe, Roger and I joined in): Millard Godwin, Beverly Rust, Philippe Lafargue, Travis Bowman, Marsha Arnett, Amelia Griffith, Roger Johnston and myself. Marsha and Amelia rode with the group for the first time a couple weeks ago but it was the first time for Roger. The group stayed together fairly well but should have been tighter in the heavy wind to make pedaling easier. From RB our saddle average was only 15.8 but ended up 16.5 with the wind behind us. As usual, Travis was either way ahead or way behind us as he's not a group rider but he still calls it a "joy ride."

Dave Wallace Sunday 9/16/07

Ten Riders. Great weather again for the following riders on the Tuscarora/Jasper 35-mile loop (26-mile from RB): Mac Flythe, Bill Sadler, Travis Bowman, John Williams, John Klecker, Beverly Rust, Gary Bielejeski, Philippe Lafargue, Roger Johnston and myself. The latter 4 riders joined the paceline in River Bend. It was a fast ride today. From RB I recorded a saddle average of 18.4 to the US-70 overpass stop, 18.4 to the Jasper stop but I then dropped out of the group to pull Roger to RB so our overall saddle average ended up 17.5. Still not bad. I'm sure the main group that went ahead averaged 18 or better for the 35 miles. It was a good ride. Great exercise! We missed Millard Godwin.

Dave Wallace Sunday 9/23/07

Nine Riders. A cool start this Sunday morning for 5 riders out of New Bern and 4 riders joining the paceline in River Bend: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Travis Bowman, Tim Ruth, Marty Kaminski (Jax), Amy Stanton, Gary  Bielejeski, Philippe Lafargue and myself. We cycled the usual 35-mile Jasper route (26 from RB) with a saddle average of 16.4 at Jasper but 17.5 overall. It was quite windy at times. Marty and Tim were added as new NBCC members and Tim was chalked up with his first Century during the MS-150, confirmed by Millard Godwin.

By the way, it's been almost a year since Marine Nathan Rasmussen went to Iraq. I hope he'll be returning soon to join us. 

Dave Wallace  Sunday 9/30/07

Nine Riders. We had 9 cyclists join the Flythe group that departed the Trent Rd bike shop at 8:30 AM this morning for the 35-mile Jasper loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Travis Bowman, John Williams, Mary Hittner, Amy Stanton, Joanne Somerday, Gary Bielejeski and myself. The latter 4 joined the paceline in River Bend at 8:50 AM. Overall saddle average from River Bend was 17.5 mph. The trip was pretty fast and the group did not always remain together. Joanne Somerday did great cycling this morning after arriving home yesterday from cycling across NC all week. Who would have ever expected her to show up for a Sunday ride! John Williams mentioned that he thought some of the cyclists that pushed the group to 20mph and faster and left cyclists behind should be cycling with the faster Velo group on Saturday. Contact Pat Jacques at pjavques@ccvelo.com if anyone is interested in riding with that group.

Dave Wallace Sunday 10/7/07

Seven Riders. Four bents, 3 roadies: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Marty Kaminski (sporting a new Thunderbolt Phantom), John Klecker, Philippe Lafargue and myself. Philippe and I joined the paceline at River Bend giving us only a 26 mile trip vs 35 for the New Bern cyclists. From River Bend I recorded 17.3 saddle average to the US-70 overpass, 17.3 to the Jasper store stop and 17.9 overall at RB. It was a fast trip and with the wind behind us at times we cruised along at 21-22 mph. The group broke up at times but kept regrouping to wait for stragglers. 

A Beulaville Century trip is planned for next Sunday weather permitting departing from the River Bend  Shell Station at 8 AM sharp. So far we have a e-mail list of 11 "maybes." E-mail members will be updated on who is riding and the weather will be monitored to the morning of departure so members can be notified in time if there is a cancellation. 

Dave Wallace 10/14/07

Nine Riders: We had 9 cyclists join us on the Beulaville Century trip: Phillipe Lafargue, Gary Bielejeski, Amy Stanton, Millard Godwin, Mary Hittner, Charlie Fetzer, Enrique Garcia, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. It was a cold start at 8 AM from the River Bend Shell station with the temp in the 50s but by the time we reached Trenton (14 mi) jackets were shedded as the temp rose. We made it to McD in Beulaville at 11 AM just as the lunch menu became available. My cumulative saddle average for the trip was 16.6, 16.3, 15.5 and 15.2 at Beulaville, Catherine Lakes, Trenton and River Bend. I slowed the group down at times by being the only one that got slight leg cramps. Also  in the last 7 miles Philippe developed a slow leak in his tire so I remained behind with him to pump up his tire every mile or two which brought our overall saddle average down. Congratulations go to Philippe, Gary and Amy for completing  their first Century trip. By the way, Millard was the only one riding a recumbent and he left and returned to New Bern so his trip was about 110 miles. It was a good  ride today. Nobody was left behind. We also had fun trying what is called a rotating double paceline. See one in motion at http://bramptoncyclingclub.com/touring_safety.html

    Dave Wallace 10/21/07

Back row: Charlie Fetzer, Dave Wallace
Middle row: Dan Sosa, Mary Hittner, Millard Godwin, Enrique Garcia
Sitting: Phillipe Lafargue, Amy Stanton

Nine Riders: Another cool Sunday morning start (50s) on the 35-mile Jasper loop for Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Mary Hittner, Joby Arthur (Raleigh), Travis Bowman, Phillipe Lafargue, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. Phillipe, Dan and I joined the paceline in River Bend so our trip was only about 26 miles. My saddle average from RB was 15.8, 15.9, 16.4 at the overpass, Jasper and RB. We tried riding the rotating double paceline but we're going to need more practice. We need to keep it tighter to take advantge of drafting. It's a fun maneuver which I understand the French use in the Tour de France. 

By the way, I noticed Travis Bowman is riding on a rear tire that's worn down to the threads. Unless he gets a new time I think it's dangerous to draft behind him.

Dave Wallace - 10/28/07

Millard Godwin - 11/4/07

Ten Riders: A cold start in low 40s but it warmed up quickly for 10 riders doing the 35-mile Jasper loop (26 mi from River Bend): Mac Flythe, Bill Sadler, John Klecker, Millard Godwin, Diallo Sullivan (JAX), Don Day, Beverly Rust, Travis Bowman, Philippe Lafargue and myself. Diallo was new from JAX and we had not seen Don Day in a long time. Both were added to the e-mail list. This was a fast trip and I was the one who could not keep up, arriving alone at the 70 overpass with a 17.5 average from RB. The group broke up again going to Jasper and I arrived with the slow group with 16.5 average. From Jasper the group broke up again and I was with the last group of 4 that arrived at River Bend with an overall average of 17, still a respectable time but nowhere near the lead group that were out of sight. It was like we were in a race instead of a group ride and not cycling much recently I was out of shape.

Dave Wallace  - 11/18/07

Four Riders: Surprise! Despite the dismal threatening weather this Sunday morniing a few die-hards still cycled. Here 's a message from Phillip Lefargue:

Dave,
Four of us went out this morning on the Jasper loop. Bill Sadler., Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman and myself. It was cool with no rain.
Philippe Lafargue - 11-25-07

Seven Riders: The usual riders this cold morning at 43 degrees cycling the 35 mile Jasper loops: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Bill Sadler, Travis Bowman. Philippe Lafargue and I joined the paceline as it passed River Bend. My cumulative saddle average was 17.9, 17.6 and 17.1 at the US-70 overpass, Jasper store and River Bend. The group stayed together going to Jasper but from Jasper to New Bern 4 cyclists broke out ahead  perhaps a half mile. 

Dave Wallace 12/2/07

Ten Riders: Great weather for December with starting temperature almost 60 degrees bringing out the following cyclists for the 35 mile Jasper loop ride: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Pat Jacques, Tim McLear (new) and Travis Bowman. Joining the paceline in River Bend was Phillippe Lafargue, Amy Stanton, Gary Bielejeski and myself. My cumulative saddle average from River Bend was 17.9, 17.6 and 17.5 at the US70 overpass stop, Jasper store and River Bend. It was nice having Pat Jacques back with us and we welcome Tim McLear who just moved here  from Allentown PA. Having enough cyclists we tried cycling a rotating double paceline (see animation) but we'll need more practice for it to work efficiently. Except for Travis who is not a group rider the group stayed together pretty much today for a fast ride.

ROTATING DOUBLE PACELINE

Dave Wallace 12/9/07

There was no ride on Sunday 12/16/07 due to rain. Despite threatening weather on Sunday 12/23/07  6 riders went anyway. Philippe Lefargue reports on the trip: 

Dave Wallace 

Six Riders:  Mack, Bill, Tim, Gordon, Travis and I went out Sunday. Unfortunately we disconnected very early with Travis and Gordon. We did not stop on the overpass. At the gas station after Travis arrived we decided to return to New Bern taking the same road to hopefully catch up with Gordon. No luck; according to Mack the ride was 1.5 shorter way. We ran through a few sprinkles along the way, it was not the most pleasant trip but it could have been a lot worse.

There was no ride on 12/30/07 due to rain

Nine Riders: It was a nice day despite the cool start in the 40s and we had 9 riders on the 35-mile Jasper loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Tim McLear, John Klecker, Travis Bowman, Philippe Lafargue and myself. Philippe and I joined the paceline in River Bend so our trip was only 26 miles. My saddle average to the first rest stop at the 70 overpass bridge was 18.4, then 17.2 at Jasper and overall 17.3 back to River Bend. It was a good ride and the only problem was that Travis's rear wheel almost came off, which bent his derailleur out of shape. It took almost 30 minutes at the rest stop for Mac to bend it back in shape so Travis could at least to ride in one gear back home. Travis was riding a  woman's junker that he picked up at a flea market. The tires looked rotten. We hope he has a different bike next week. 

Dave Wallace 1/6/08

Five Riders: It was a cool overcast Sunday morning and we only had 5 riders show up for the 35-mile Jasper loop. Flythe, Sadler, McLear and Bowman came thru River Bend 5 minutes early so Phiippe Lefargue missed joining the group until he caught up at the Jasper rest stop. Sadler had to return to River Bend with a sore leg and as usual we only saw Travis Bowman periodically as he tried so hard to lead the group and then bonked. I also bonked on this trip with a slight chest pain at Clarks, which scared me since I had never had a chest pain, even when racing. But after slowing a bit and having a nice burp we resumed our usual paceline speed. Thanks to Tim McLear for pulling the group most of the trip, however, there were times when he was ahead several blocks, probably because he was looking at the sky in his rear-view mirror attached to his helmet. I forgot to reset my computer when I joined the paceline at RB so Mac said his saddle speed from NB to the US-70 rest stop was 17.5. From there to River Bend I recorded 16.8, slower because the slowdown I caused at Clarks.  

By the way, Travis is still riding the woman's Schwinn that the wheel almost came off of last week and is now only working in one gear. His rear tire is also about to have a blowout.

Dave Wallace 1/13/08

There was no Sunday cycling on !/20/08 due to rain

Five Riders: Despite freezing weather at the start,  5 polar bears  rode the Jasper 35-mile trip this Sunday morning: Mac Flythe, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberrry, John Klecker and possibly Travis Bowman, according to Millard Godwin who was unable to join them. Too cold for me. 

Dave Wallace 1/27/08

Eight Riders: It was a 40-degree start as 6 cyclists left Flythe's bike show and were joined by 2 cyclists in River Bend on the 35-mile Jasper loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Tim McLear, John Klecker. Scott Brown, Philippe Lefargue and Dave Wallace. Scott was a new member from Morehead City. Cumulative saddle average  from River Bend to the 70 overpass stop, Jasper Store and RB was 17.2, 17.5 and 17.2. It was a good ride as the weather warmed up with very little wind. The group broke up on a few occasions but got back together at intersections. Travis Bowman and Bill Sadler were missing. My guess is that Travis's bike probably fell apart or his tire blew up because his wheel almost fell off the last time he rode and there was a bulge in his rear tire. 

Dave Wallace 2/3/08

Nine Riders: Whew, what a tough ride on the 35-mile Jasper loop. The wind was relentless at times. Returning on Clarks road into a headwind (Wx report 25 mph, gusts to 36) the group broke into 5 groups of 4, 1, 1, 2, 1 spaced  blocks apart and doing 12-14 mph. Nice pull guys! We got to get rear-view mirrors for some of our riders. Here's who rode: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Tim McLear, John Klecker and Travis Bowman. Gary Bielejeski, Amy Stanton and I joined the paceline at River Bend, or should I say Gary and Amy Bielejeski since they just got married! Congratulations. By the way, we didn't see much of Travis except at rest stops. He wasn't riding his old bike with the bubble tire but had the blue one with no brakes and had to drag his foot to stop. My recorded saddle average from River Bend to 70 overpass, Jasper stop and back was 16.5, 16.7, 16.2. Top speed on US-17 with wind at our back was 27. 

Dave Wallace - 2/10/08

Ten Riders: It was a 50+ degree start as 8 cyclists departed Flythe's bike shop and were joined by 2 cyclists in River Bend on the 35-mile Jasper loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Tim McLear, John Klecker, Bill Sadler, Travis Bowman and Sean Skelton. Philippe Lefargue and I joined the paceline in River Bend. Nice having Sean Skelton join us for the first time. Travis had a flat between RB and Rhems from a staple in his paper-thin tire. We suggested he walk back to the Shell station and call for help. Not too much wind today and the group hung together fairly well. We tried a rotating double paceline but need more practice to make it work like in the Tour de France (see animation above on 12/9/07). My cumulative saddle average  from River Bend to the 70 overpass stop, Jasper Store and RB was 17.6, 17.8 and 17.2. The rotating paceline slowed us down a bit. 

Dave Wallace 2/17/08

Five Riders: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin and Gordon Carberry left the bike shop and were met by Philippe Lefargue and myself in River Bend for the 35 mile Jasper loop. It was a cold 42 degree overcast day with a NE wind at 12-15 mph. My cumulative recorded saddle average from RB to the 70 overpass, Jasper store and RB was 16.8, 16.2, 16.2. We actually upped the average to 16.9 returning on Clarks Rd with wind at our back but lost it back down to 16.2 after turning into the wind. It must have been a tough trip for the guys returning to NB in the wind. 

Dave Wallace 2/24/08

Eight Riders: It was a repeat of last Sunday with a 42-degree start and the same riders with John Klecker, Tim McLear and Don Day added. My cumulative saddle average from RB to the 70 overpass, Jasper and RB was 18.2, 18, 17.4. It was quite windy at times returning. I was hoping we'd practice the double rotating paceline on Clarks Rd but the group broke up completely. By the way we heard yesterday that Travis Bowman was hit by a car cycling and has two broken legs. More on this as we find out what happened.

Dave Wallace 3/2/08

Three Riders: This was a Saturday 26-mile Jasper loop from River Bend suggested by Philippe Lefargue and joined by Al Kindler and myself. We intentionally kept the speed down because Al was new to group and it was very windy. Cumulative saddle average was 14.1 at the overpass, 14.6 at Jasper and 13.9 overall. 

Dave Wallace 3/22/08

Four Riders: A cold start at 42-degrees on Easter Sunday and only 4 riders: Flythe, McLear, Klecker and myself. The wind was relentless from RB to the overpass stop but our saddle average was 17.8, made possible only because of the nice tailwind we on US-17. This dropped to 17.4 at Jasper and overall to 17.3 on returning to RB, not bad considering the strong wind, which at times was at our back. 

Dave Wallace 3/23/08

There was no group ride on Sunday 3/30 and 4/6 because of bad weather. 

Four Riders: Great weather but some of our riders were in Oriental for the NC Spring Ride. Today only Mac Flythe, Gordon Carberry Philippe Lefargue and I showed up for the usual Jasper ride. Due to heavy wind my recorded cumulative saddle average from River Bend to 70 overpass, Jasper store and return to RB was 16, 15.2, 16.2. It was a good ride despite the wind.  

Dave Wallace 4/13/08

There was no group ride on Sunday 4/20 because of rain

Four Riders: 

Five Riders: It was supposed to rain but cleared just in time for the 35-mile Jasper loop ride from Flythe's bike shop at 8:30 AM Sunday. The riders were Mac Flythe, Bill Sadler and yes Travis Bowman whose broken leg appears to have healed as he led the group at times. Philippe Lefargue and I joined the paceline in River Bend. Cumulative saddle average from RB to US70 overpass, Jasper and back to RB was 17.6, 17.5, 17.5. It was a good ride and the weather was great.

Dave Wallace 5/4/08

NEUSE RIVER SENIOR GAMES (Cycling 4/30/08)

Well, I finally heard from somebody that enter the senior cycling competition. Below is message from my good friend Dan Sosa in Jacksonville (know as old Fart II, since I'm old Fart I): The competition was held at the Grover C. Fields 400 meter track. I added mph to Dan's times. Nice going Dan! I'm sorry to hear that not many cyclists showed up. Perhaps the alternate rain date screwed things up. 

Dave Wallace 5/4/08

Hey, if you're looking for someone to cycle with and you are a member send a message to nbcc@XXXalways-online.com (Remove XXX) telling folks when and where you'd like to go. After the trip send me a message and I'll post how it went and who joined in. That's what this club is all about. 

   Dave Wallace - davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (remove XXX)

Background wallpaper photo was taken at the National Senior Finals cycling events at DisneyWorld in 1999. See http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/clermont.htm

This web page was created by Dave Wallace davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (removeXXX) on 3/27/2002. If you're not interested in cycling how about joining our Pickin and Grinin group that plays in Twin Rivers mall. See our web site at http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/pickin.htm

Updated 5/11/08