Another memorable night is planned with a delicious buffet at Michael’s at Shoreline and dancing to the Megatones. Don’t miss this great event!

The following website has all the details. Web based payment is preferred, but there is also an option to pay by check.

http://appreciation2012.eventbrite.com/

Categories: Club Events
No Comments »

UPDATE:  The dates for the Russian River Rally are August 19-21, 2011.  The prior week was erroneously shown on this post previously.

by Brian Chun, Committee Chair

Let’s Go to the Rally; Don’t Call Me Sally! As a member your are invited to join ACTC’s annual RRR. Advance reservation and payment is required. ACTC’s treasurer has reserved sites which may include spaces 109,109B and 110. RV reservations are not included. For directions, click Campground Map or www.casiniranch.com. Please park away from the campsites, perpendicular to the campsite road, pick a space for your sleep gear, and set up away from the RRR outdoor kitchen, fire rings and dining tables  which are centrally located near a  hose bib and a large tree. Hot coin- free showers and restrooms are a short walk from either end of our area. Picking your site within our  area will be first camper- first serve, but please be considerate to minimize your footprint, pick up after yourself, and observe quiet time after 10pm and before 7 am! Greet your fellow members (no nametags) and non ACTC neighbors and be courteous about mitigating annoyances, offering and asking for help. The Casini Family Ranch kiosk staff will have a list of all those registered for RRR and will issue a prepaid and conditional parking pass for members who drive in. Cars not displaying a pass on their dash are subject to tow.  Casini staff,  with approval by the Chair, may turn away or allow unregistered members entry, provided that they pay fees to both Casini and ACTC upon arrival, space permitting.  Day members may enter without paying ACTC but must be registered with ACTC, and on the list at the Casini kiosk.  To be clear, all RRR members must be registered to participate, campers, Key Volunteers (KVs) and non-campers alike.

Hours d’ Oeuvres: Camping for RRR opens on Friday at ~12 noon with some KVs available to host and prep the campsite for our group (please help them). Traffic, impromptu issues, and shopping sometimes affects RRR opening time. Anyone planning on arriving before this time may do so at their own time and expense separately from, but in conjunction with, RRR. (Casini, Monte Rio Inn, Bohemian Club, Armstrong Redwoods SP, Duncans Mills Camp, and other area hosts may  provide  non-RRR lodging options).  RRR closes and vacates Casini no later than 12 PM PST on Sunday.  Please write a comment on your registration if you are arranging lodging separately from RRR. A KV will inspect your area in the morning on Sunday, settle the Casini bill, and refill the propane tanks across from the Casini store, so please be prepared and organized for leaving RRR clean and neat.

Food Glorious Food! Your registration provides 4 RRR meals plus any surplus treats. Enjoy  Friday’s outdoor group dinner,  along with club supplies,  cooking gear and foods for two breakfasts and  two carryout lunchs on Saturday and Sunday.  These meals, along with some hot and cold beverages,  are served and supported by all members and KVs. Our dining venue is our club’s outdoor kitchen  which may include propane cooktops, Webers, Steele’s Chuck Wagon & contents, coolers, ice, provisions, utensils, dishware, and firewood, set up within our Casini group site with its’ picnic tables, fire rings, shade trees, and hose bibs.  Saturday dinner is a potluck with all members contributing a dish to share with four or more.Safeway in Guerneville is a handy source for RRR supplies and for shopping  for  potluck contributions.  There is no electricity or indoor plumbing at the RRR campsites.

Saturday morning breakfast will be served hot by our volunteers, starting as early as the sun rises. Members often pick blackberries earlier and bring them to share at breakfast, which may include hot pancakes, eggs, potatoes, sausage, cocoa, juices, seasonal fruits,  teas, and decaf.  Whenever possible, fresh scratch cooking will be emphasized with vegetarian items prepared separately and prior to meat containing items. Oil is Olive. There will be deli-style items if you wish to wrap a lunch to carry on your ride. Saturday night we have a potluck BBQ in camp. Please bring meat to grill for yourself, and a nice dish to share with  four or more for the Saturday potluck and fireside happy hour. Instructions on RRR protocol including  kitchen use and organization, charcoal  and firewood  support will be provided by KVs.  When in doubt, clean up, wash your hands, put on gloves when serving,  and clean and put things back after every use.  Ask a KV or someone  with more RRR experience whenever you need help.

Sunday morning, everyone helps assemble and cook breakfast, cleanup, pack and ride or rideshare home.  Early bird cyclists will be up before sunrise for breakfast and cycle back home. Many people ride into Occidental or Duncans Mills before packing up to go home. The campsites need to be cleared by everyone, with the KVs checking for lost and round items, before  noon. We ask that all campers be prepared to lend a hand with the housekeeping and cooking as needed. RRR is a cooperative member-only event afforded in part by our club, where everyone pitches in!

What Shall I Wear, Gear, Grin and Bear? Mark you name on your items and maximize your RRR experience with a tent, sleep gear, spending funds, bike lock, all day biking gear like Camelbacks, polar bottles and Bento boxes, maps, route sheets, thick tires, spare LDTR gear like tubes, tools and tire boot materials, cell phone, camera, Safeway card/phone number, pump, sun screen, bathing suit, socks, gloves, eye protection, first aid kit, musical instruments, hoola hoops, flip flops, medications and summer recreational items. RRR Rides do not have SAG support, so please buddy up and know in advance where you are going. It goes without saying that proper cycling etiquette and wearing a bicycle helmet during all cycling is mandatory. Practice Safety First, and set a good example for our club. Anything otherwise will be noted and subject the violator to immediate suspension! If you tend to get hot, carry a soakable bandana, and use extra ice and water.  If you tend to get cold, dress in  layers.  If you tend to get hungry, pack some compact high energy foods. The closest fire station is in Monte Rio, the closest trauma center is in Santa Rosa, and in case of emergency, dial ” 911″  from a land phone (or program a local Emergency phone number into your cell phone) and have your location (road marker/landmarks) and description ready. Mountain gearing is highly recommended

Many  members ride or rideshare to RRR, and bring a cooler for their own beverages, appetizers, and any other snacks and drinks for the weekend, since there is no refrigeration or electricity available at our campsites.  ACTC coolers are  packed with RRR beverages and foods, and thus any items stored within them will be appreciated as a contribution! Cell phone coverage is limited in the campground, or none at all. There may be free WiFi in some areas of the campground, but not where ACTC is camping.  Pets are allowed, but please be respectful of their natural behaviors and how this may affect other members and guests, and please bring all supplies and a leash to make your non human companions cooperative, clean, and comfortable.  Lost and found items may be returned to a KV for safekeeping, also check with the Casini staff upon departure. Leave expensive items at home!

Ride Sally Ride! The Russian River area offers a mixed bag of terrain and tourist activities like bucolic vineyards and the charm of  Fort Ross coastal towns. The area to the south generally has rolling coast ranges. Higher ridges are shaded with redwoods while the lower ones are grasslands. To the north, redwoods dominate and the hills are steeper. To the east, a large valley stretches from Healdsburg to Santa Rosa. There you will find rolling hills, apple orchards, and vineyards. You can do your own ride, or join others for a ride, or choose to not ride at all. Please sign up for rides at the rally and check your ride stats afterwards for any corrections.

This link is to a file of all the routes created by Don Axtel: RRR-routes . Please print out which routes you might be interested in and bring to the rally. To see the individual routes click here.  For a list of the current ACTC billy goats in the area, click here. Some club members will be listing rides  to and from the Russian River Rally. Please refer to the ACTC ride schedule and contact them directly if you are interested in joining. Also go to www.ACTC.org to view past photos under the Smug Mug “Camping” section.

Weather Whether Warm, Hot, Cold or Whatever! The Pacific Ocean dominates the climate of the Russian River area, and it is easy to pick the weather you want by moving up and down the river. Generally, the coast is foggy and cool in the mornings and late afternoon. Healdsburg, a major inland city, is usually fog free and 20 degrees warmer. If you want to sunbathe at 10AM, you need to head inland towards Healdsburg. If you’d like to swim at 4 PM, it may be a little too cool at Duncans Mills, but 5 miles to the east, in Guerneville, you can still get a sunburn. The coast also affects the winds. In the morning, the winds come in from the coast. By l0AM they’ve usually died down. By 2PM they have started up again. Plan your riding around the wind. Winds are the strongest in the afternoon where the sun is still strong with no fog. They’re less powerful after the fog has rolled in. So, if you’re pooped, stop and shop in a little town and wait for the wisps of fog, and then start riding. You’ll encounter less wind.

Rally: Birth, Growth and Now: Howard and Bev Saling founded the rally in 1978. The first site was at a campground near the Korbel Winery. The following year it moved to Monte Rio. The year after that, it moved to Duncans Mills. The campground eventually became private, and the rally was moved to Casini Ranch until 1998 when it moved to the Faerie Ring Campground, and returned to Casini Ranch in 1999, its current home. In 1985, the first ACTC tour book was produced. Nowadays we put the information on the website.  Casini Ranch is also a used for lodging by our club’s stupendous Sierra to the Sea Tour (STTS).

From Russia with Love: The river and nearby Fort Ross were named after the Russians, who settled the area in 1812 as fur hunters. They employed Native Americans, established a thriving community,  and traded goods with China, where sea otter fur was highly prized as a garment accessory and status symbol. The otters suffered near extinction when the hunters  withdrew in 1841. During the next 60 years the river and terrain kept the area isolated. Fort Ross Road, formerly a stage coach road , includes  steep ACTC billygoat(s).  It connects Healdsburg  to the east with Fort Ross to the west, which is now a spectacular State Park with docent tours, overlooking  the Pacific Ocean, at cliff’s edge.  Fort Ross Road was routinely washed out by 120″ rains during the winter, and the Russian River can suddenly flood, although flows are  now regulated by a dam system.

At the turn of the century, the redwoods brought railroads. The railroads in turn brought tourists. By the mid 1920′s, San Francisco’s resort of choice was the Russian River area. After the depression, wealthier San Franciscans went to Tahoe, and by the mid 1970s, the Russian River was in a deep depression. Most resorts were dilapidated until the 1980′s when the gay community of San Francisco came and revitalized the Russian River area, centering the town of Guerneville as their hub (just south of and adjacent to the billygoats of Armstrong Redwoods State Park). Cyclists and tourists may now enjoy vacationing here, within a community that takes pride in its’ tolerance, environmentalism, wineries, recreation, natural beauty, and social diversity.

Russian River Rally EZ Registration: Opens July 1st at 5:00 PM  PST until filled, with a standby list, prepaid, with no refunds after August 1st.  Day members not camping at RRR are free of charge but must still register and help!  All members  help prep, cook, serve and cleanup  for at least 30 minutes per day and as needed. All registrants  must have current membership and contact information.  Upon acceptance, you will be confirmed by email with shift assignment(s).  Key Volunteers are designated by the Chair and are eligible for reimbursement for qualified expenses. Ride sign up is during  RRR, the ride director is the Chair,  and you may contact www.actc.org “Russian River Area” or  the Chair via board@actc.org. Report all stats  directly  to the statistician.   Have a Safe and Sweet Russian River Rally!

Please register online, please click here.

Categories: Club Events
No Comments »

by Brian Chun

Agenda

Same as BSO 2010. Beds are now reserved  for the first three willing to room share (and maybe more on the floor), using my current reservations (2 Cowboy Rooms), at the Hacienda Lodge, Fort Hunter Liggett.  Newbies are  especially invited, as well as veterans, so please start your Century Billy Goat training now.

Stories

Check the photos from BSO 2010 at actc.org, to get a peek at what to see. We don’t always have the great weather from these photos, however, with heavy clouds, wind and rain a possibility, especially along the stunning Big Sur Coast.

Cost

$50 for this trip with all of us helping with SAG, shared lodging, and scheduled meals/rest stops, per same plan as BSO 2010. Less if no SAG, or if you have your own reservations.  I will ask our web team to post on-line registration, with a section for your comments, starting after September 1, 2011, payments prepaid to BSO 2011 Ride Director: “Brian Chun”, and non refundable after October 22, 2011 5:00 PM PST.

Green Option: Home to home tour (start or merge from 707 Fremont Avenue, Los Altos McKenzie Park tennis courts) in conjuction with BSO 2011.

Categories: Club Events
No Comments »

The recent Tierra Bella was a great success, thanks to the many ACTC volunteers.  Thanks to all for helping us once again.  Many photos have been posted here.

Categories: Club Events
No Comments »

We invite you to a presentation by Liz Jessen, of the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs (VA) DoubleVision Program, a tandem cycling program for vision-impaired veterans.

A very special guest will also be there. Master Sergeant Gil Magallanes served in both the Gulf War and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Gil and his 11-man Green Beret unit were one of the first in Afghanistan after 9/11, as depicted in the book “The Only Thing Worth Dying For.” Everyone in his group sustained injuries and several lost their lives. Gil sustained a massive brain injury leading to vision and hearing loss. Gil’s recovery in itself is inspirational. He has had a second lease on life and has come back from an inability to feed himself to the point where he is racing in triathlon.

Categories: Club Events
2 Comments »

The annual Black and Blue Ball will be Saturday, February 19th. Once again it will be at Michaels at Shoreline. You can obtain additional information and buy your tickets online here: http://www.actc.org/events/appnight.php

Ticket prices go up on February 11th, so get your tickets today.

Categories: Club Events
No Comments »

For many of the ACTC items we accept payment via PayPal.  We use them because of their lower transaction rates and because they offer a secured system for handling financial payments. You Do Not need to have a PayPal account to make payment but can instead use a credit card.

It can be a bit confusing because PayPal tries to get you to use their PayPal system so you have to look for the link to use a credit card.  If you are paying by a credit card you Do Not  enter any user name or password.  The first screen you will see is shown below.

First decide if you have a PayPal account and wish to use it, or if you wish to use your own credit card.  If you wish to use a credit card, look for the link to click to take you to the credit card screen.  From there you fill in your personal information and credit card information.

Note that if are using a credit card to make payment and enter your email address to matches your PayPal account, they system will once again ask you to log in, trying to get you to use PayPal again.  Do not log in, but look for the link to continue with the credit card.  Make sure you complete through all steps, including receiving an email back with payment confirmation.  Otherwise you have not made your payment.

Categories: Club Organization
No Comments »

The following individuals are running for the 2011 ACTC Board. You can vote by mail in ballot or online. Online voting will open by November 15th and all club members will receive an email with voting instructions.

	President Herman Wadler: A former vice-president of ACTC, I have been an active club member for eight years, as well as Dean of the ACTC Academy, a League Cycling Instructor and a bicycle advocate. I currently serve as chair of the Campbell Bicycle Advisory Committee. I am also a member of two Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) committees -– the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) (former chair) and the Citizens Advisory Committee. Previously I served on the board of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC). Having served two consecutive years as chair of the VTA BPAC, I feel I have the background and training to serve as ACTC president and look forward to a year of progress and growth for the club.
	Vice President Michael Curtis: It has been a an enjoyable year and I would like to continue to serve the club this next year. I have been a member for more years than I would care to count and I would like to make this whole year a celebration of 35 years of the club. We are a great group of people with lots of varied experience and passion for the sport. Lets celebrate our love for each other and the club.
	Membership Chair Brian Chun: Thank you for the opportunity to serve the club as Membership Chair for 2010. I look forward to your consideration for this important club duty for 2011. See you cycling soon
	Ride Coordinator Patrice Carney: For 2011 my focus will be to continue to work towards clarifying the Ride Guidelines for leadership, participation and stats credit. In addition, I hope to work with our new Webmaster to fine tune the online Ride Schedule, and to support the efforts of our Webmaster and Statistician in automating (or simplifying) the stats submittal/collection process. Most importantly, my mandate will be to continue supporting all our ride leaders with their traditional rides, events and tours as well as expanding our offerings of new adventures in cycling!
	Communication Coordinator Tony Le: We will continue to modernize our means of communication within ACTC and to our community but with respect to our 35 years of history. When I first joined ACTC (probably 30 years ago), our club was small and easily manageable (I was the Newsletter Editor). Today, our club is much bigger, many members reside out of the immediate area, and our supporting infrastructure is changing rapidly. For example, Ralph Coole used to haul newsletters EVERY month to the Meridian post office for decades. It was no small task but doable because Ralph lives close to that post office. Today, we can’t drop them off at just any post office; it has to be in Milpitas. The post office rules are constantly changing to make their life easier, not ours. The consequence is that we are taxing our volunteers to the max (remember we all want to ride and some of us still have a job). It does not have to be that way and furthermore we want to have some control of our own destiny. I have some ideas and together we will move forward in a constructive way without abandoning our past.
	Treasurer Paul Vlasveld: ACTC finances deserve close attention in order to assure all members that the club contributions and funds are put to the most effective use. To ensure such close attention requires a treasurer who has demonstrated that he or she is capable of handling money matters with precision. I believe I have demonstrated this capability as Treasurer for the past several years. I am a financial conservative, and I can promise that all expenditures made by ACTC will receive the same degree of scrutiny that I afford my personal cash flow. This coming year, I will be introducing some additional financial controls that will help keep the club financially sound. Finally, I feel that handling other people’s money efficiently and effectively is a matter of honor, and I would be proud to continue to serve as the ACTC Treasurer.
	Secretary Lynn Tweedie:I am a long time member of ACTC and find that bicycling brings me great joy!  I was club secretary in 2007 and 2008 and have a good feel for the position. As secretary for 2011 I will do my best to communicate as concisely and accurately as possible what goes on at our monthly meetings.  I am looking forward to a year of celebration and fun as we recognize the people, places and events that have held us together for the past 35 years.

Categories: Club Organization
No Comments »

As I stepped back into the role of Ride Coordinator and reformed the Ride Schedule Committee, it seemed prudent to review the newly proposed guidelines with the RS Committee before making recommendations for Ride Guideline changes. Unfortunately there was very little time to do justice to review all of the issues in time to determine if guideline changes were really warranted. Due to time constraints it has been decided that no changes will be implemented that affect the ACTC Ride Guidelines at this time.

During the last couple of weeks as I started reviewing our Ride Policies, it became apparent that ACTC had no single location or document that provided a complete list of guidelines. In addition, there were a few guidelines that were not posted but were recognized practices that had been accepted for a very long time.

A comprehensive list of guidelines has been consolidated from multiple locations which also includes the accepted (but unwritten) policies surrounding best practices for Ride Leadership, Ride Participation, and Stats Credit. For now, the intention is to provide comprehensive communication that will set expectations for all members on acceptable Club Ride etiquette and policy.

The growth and diversity within ACTC makes keeping the club consistently on track with happy members a challenge at times. The following is proposed as our updated ACTC Ride Guidelines. Please remember, there are no changes to current policy. Your comments are welcome and will be reviewed by our Ride Schedule Committee members: John Mazzella, Donny Axtell, Franz Kelsch, Harry Lichtbach, Christopher Larson, Brian Birkeland, Mark Pryor and myself.

In Summary, the stance at this time is twofold:

1) Maintain current club policy

2) Provide more clarity by setting concise expectations with a comprehensive guidelines document

By doing these two things let’s all take a “wait and see” approach with anticipation that ride related issues will cease or be greatly reduced in number going forward!

These ACTC ride guidelines for both riders and ride leaders have consolidated existing guidelines.  Click here (PDF)  to to view now.

Members . . . go forth and ride your bikes! Choose rides that allow as little or as much flexibility as you can handle for your own safety and health.

Kind regards,

Patrice Carney
ACTC Ride Coordinator

Categories: Club Rides
2 Comments »

Update 5/28/2010

These guidelines are not being implemented as stated below.  Please see the following information by clicking here.

Update 4/5/2010

From Sandy Lorber, ACTC President: “I’ve asked Marie and the board to postpone the implementation of the guidelines until June 1st.  We would like to give Marie a chance to bring all of the feedback we’ve received to the board and discuss your concerns.”

Ride Leader Guidelines

To address concerns that have come up over the last few months, the following guidelines are being published to ensure rider safety on club rides:

1. All Ride Leaders should lead their rides at the pace listed in the Ride Schedule.
2. All ride participants should only attend rides where they feel comfortable riding at the listed pace.  If they are unsure they should contact the Ride Leader prior to joining the ride.
3. All Ride Leaders should strive to provide clear and correct route sheets.  These can be distributed in either hard or soft copy.
   1. Soft copy location (or link) should be identified in the ride description on the Ride Schedule.
   2. Hard copies should be brought to the ride start.  If more riders show up than anticipated the Ride Leader should stay with the group to ensure no rider gets lost.
   3. All rides should strive to include periodic re-groups to make sure all riders are present and accounted for.  If the ride will have no re-groups it should be stated in the ride description and caution any participants to be prepared to ride alone.
   4. If riders join a ride and wish to ride faster than the listed pace, it is at the Ride Leaders discretion whether the faster rides who “go off the front” will receive credit.

To encourage members to join group rides we should strive to have consistency in how we lead our rides.  We have a variety of riders in our club and these guidelines should accommodate all.

Ride Credit Guidelines

The historical goal for recording Ride Credit was to encourage members to join club rides.  The Billy Goats were added (and expanded) over the years to promote trying new hills.  Maybe you wouldn’t try a new hill by yourself, but would if a club ride did.  And this program proved to be very successful.  As the popularity of the Goats grew, another enhancement was added to encourage riders to ride their bikes to and from ride starts, and so ride credit was given for that.  Also over the years the Awards system has evolved to motivate the membership for participation in and to lead rides.  Riding miles outside of the listed rides for credit was not intended, but an outgrowth in the recent past as a “race for the most” evolved.

The guidelines listed below are intended to reinforce the original goals.  The stats are intended to reflect those who participate in club rides, and reward those who do the most.  Accumulating stats for the sake of the biggest number isn’t in that vein.  While more time on the bike is a goal most of us have, the goal with ACTC ride credit is to recognize those who do the most club rides and miles, i.e. promoting club ride participation, not mileage accumulation.  While not mutually exclusive there is a difference.

Going forward the guidelines for Ride Credit will be:

1. Credit for listed rides will only be given for the miles and goats listed.  If a rider does less than what is listed they will only get credit for what they do.
2. Any additional miles ridden will be given credit under a new category to recognize those riders who ride to and from the ride starts.  A new award will be given at the end of the year to recognize the rider who accomplishes the most in this category.
3. Riders must be at the ride start to sign in, or meet the ride in progress at a pre-designated place coordinated with the Ride Leader.  (If a person arrives late and catches the ride in progress they will get credit).
4. Unless listed otherwise riders should stay with the group as is practical.  We all will (and should) ride at our own pace, but we should also strive to regroup on occasion to stay with the Ride Leader.  If a rider “goes off the front” it is at the Ride Leaders discretion to award credit, and should be listed as such in the ride description in the Ride Schedule.

These guidelines will go into effect May 1^st.  This is to allow us to publish them in the newsletter so that they are distributed to all prior to implementation.  I believe that most rides now follow these rules, with the exception of separately recording the “additional miles”.  We will continue to record mileage in one bucket until we get the stats system automated and build in this capability.

Categories: Club Rides
29 Comments »