Coastin’

Our next club meeting will be at 6:30 on Monday, March 6, 2000, at Alfred & Charlie’s, 815 S. New Hope Rd, Gastonia.  Newsletter Updates: Call Jeanette or Jerry West at 866-4337.  April newsletter deadline will be March 20th.

 

Ride Schedule 

Every other Tuesday starting 9-Novstart 6:00 pm – Huntersville Business Park.  Call Ron Hutchins 827-1234.

Sunday – start 9:00 am – Winn Dixie, S. New Hope Road

Sunday – start 1:30 – Bethel Building Supply on S. New Hope Road, distance and pace depends on who shows up; John Price is

                                    looking for riders to start this one up again.

 

Run Schedule 

Tuesday/Thursdaystart 6:00 pm – Food Lion on S. New Hope Road next to Ashbrook High School.  Distance is 6 miles and the pace is 8-10-minute miles.  The course can be shortened if you prefer.  Contact Paula Weant at 865-6193.  We also have some walkers on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  If interested, call Jeanette West at 866-4337.


Mountain Bike Trip to Raleigh – March 17 – 19th

A mountain bike weekend in Raleigh is being planned for anyone interested. The ride will be at William B. Umstead State Park on service roads and some singletrack.  This park is approx. ½ mile from the hotel.  There are also numerous restaurants in the area of the hotel.  Departure from Charlotte will be on Friday, March 17th , at 5:40 pm via Amtrak with arrival in Cary at 8:55 pm.  The hotel is about 3 miles from the Cary Amtrak station and is called the Studio Plus at 600 Weston Parkway.  Rooms will cost $54 per night and Charlene Angel is holding 5 rooms.  The return train will depart from Cary on March 19th at 7:18 am, arriving in Charlotte at 10:48 am.  The roundtrip fare is $46 for the train (including bike transportation). If you’re interested, call Charlene Angel at 867-9992 by March 1st.

 

Challenge to Succeed Ride – April 9th

Date: Sunday, April 9th                                                           Time: Registration at 9:00 am; Ride starts at 10:00 am

Location: Crowders Mtn. State Park                                      Cost: $7 for GCC/GRR members; $8 for guests

Course: 20-, 40-, and 60-mile routes

 

Sunday, April 9, the Gaston County Cyclists will host the Challenge to Succeed ride.  There will be three courses to choose from: 20-, 40-, and 60-mile routes.  The ride will have two water stops as well as a rolling sag.  The ride will start and finish at Crowders Mountain State Park in Gastonia.  The park is located off Sparrow Springs Road.  To get there, take I-85 towards Kings Mountain.  Take the Highway 74 exit towards Gastonia.  Turn right on Freedom Mill Road, which is located about 1 mile from the I-85 / Highway 74 interchange.  Registration opens at 9:00 am.  The ride starts at 10:00 am.  Cost is $7 for club members and $8 for guests.  For more information call Margot Rott at 803-831-7007.

 

Bicycling Clinic at Ride-A-Bike in Lincolnton / Recumbent Rides

The following ad was in the Charlotte Observer.  It’s being passed along to everyone, in the event you or someone you know is interested:

“Ride-A-Bike Bicycle Shop will sponsor a weekly series of customer clinics for new and casual riders starting April 15.  The clinics cost $10 for each one-hour session.  Class topics and dates follow:

 

Comfort: April 15, May 13, June 10; instructor Chafin Rhyne.

Technique: April 22, May 20, June 24; instructor Billy Cherry.

Maintenance: April 29, May 27, June 24; instructor Jason Huffstetler. 

 

For more information and reservations, call Chafin Rhyne at 735-1746.”

 

Ride-A-Bike also has a group meeting monthly for recumbent rides, for anyone interested, on the 3rd Sunday of each month, starting at Fausto Coffee shop (adjoining the Ride-A-Bike shop in Lincolnton) at 9:00 am, rain or shine.

The Ride-A-Bike website is www.rideabike.com to obtain any future information for which you may be looking.

 

 

Sponsorship of GCC / GRR Sign at the New BMX Course

The club’s proposal of offering the profits of the 2000 Dog Days ride to Tim Bailey and his BMX group (to support the BMX course at Simms Park) was not suitable at this time for the BMX group.  Other suggestions may be made at a later date, as more progress is made at the track and the future needs are a little clearer.  We’ll keep you posted!

 

GCC / GRR Bulletin Board at Cycling & Fitness

Thanks to John Price for volunteering at our February meeting to maintain a GCC / GRR bulletin board offered to us by Tim Bailey at Cycling & Fitness Bike Shop on Franklin Blvd.  The board will display our monthly newsletter, fliers on club rides and other news that may be helpful to cyclists and runners in our area, which hopefully will encourage them to join in on our rides and activities and become members.

 

Rockhill Criterium and Road Race

The Criterium will be held on Saturday, April 8th and the Road Race on Sunday, April 9th.  Marshalls and drivers will be needed to assist the Rockhill Cyclists with this event.  If you can help, please contact Mike Burgess at 803-328-8844.

 

Rockhill Cyclists Website

Mike Burgess from the Rockhill Cyclists visited with us at our February meeting and wanted to pass on the website for their club’s newsletter and information.  The site address is http://web.infoave.net/~wmerritt.  He’s also interested in getting together for some rides with both clubs in the upcoming season. If interested, contact Mike Burgess at 803-328-8844.

 

Relay for Life – April 28 – 29th

This year’s relay for life will be held at Martha Rivers Park on Neil Hawkins Road in Gastonia from 6:00 pm on Friday, April 28th thru 6:00 pm on Saturday, April 29th.  The event sponsors the Cancer Society and involves teams of supporters walking at designated times around a track to raise money for cancer research and programs.  There’s plenty of entertainment planned and meals are provided.  Anyone interested in being a part of our Gaston County Cyclists / Gaston Road Runners team is encouraged to call Kevin Robinson at 825-7982.  If your family or friends would like to join us, you do not have to be a member of our club to participate with us.

 

New Member News

We’d like to announce some new members over the past two months: Ben Bleacher, Vince Cooke, George Pender, Jr., and Brandon Stowe.  Welcome to the club!

 

And One Other New Member

Congratulations to John and Tanya Holloman on the birth of their son, Alexander Matschuck, on January 20th.  We can’t wait to see Lex on the Tuesday / Thursday runs soon!

 

Change in Start Location of Upcoming Monday / Wednesday Road Bike Rides

After DST, the Monday / Wednesday rides that used to meet at Bethel Building Supply will begin meeting at Forestview High School.  This change is due to the decision to change the route to include an inner loop of approximately 10 miles and an outer loop of approximately 15 miles.  This will allow us to include a shorter ride for any beginner rides to take part in more weekly rides, while allowing anyone else to continue on for the additional 15 miles.

 

Race Results

Tallahassie Marathon – 16-Jan-00 – Ronald Hutchins 3:06  1st Place in Age Group and 4th Overall!!

Myrtle Beach 15K – 22-Jan-00 – Ronald Hutchins 1:00; Junior Nations 1:12

Winter Flight 2000 8K, Salisbury – 06-Feb-00 – Troy Bush 33:02; Chris Baucom 35:40; Paula Weant 39:02; Jim Weant 39:02; Hal Angel 39:40; Margot Rott 42:17; Frances Scott 46:40; Reese Wilson 46:40

 

Upcoming Running / Cycling Events

04-Mar  Carolina First Reedy River 10K, Greenville, SC  864-467-5780 (www.greenvilletrackclub.com)

25-Mar  Gold Rush Half Marathon & 8K, Concord, NC  704-786-3312 / 721-4653 Keith Alley

01-Apr  Ellerby Springs Marathon, Ellerby, NC  910-895-2626 Doug Dawkins

01-Apr  Cooper River Bridge Run 10K, Charleston, SC  843-792-0345 / 6611; FAX 843-792-7933

15-Apr  Charlotte Observer Race Festival (1/2 Marathon, 10k, 5K etc), Charlotte, NC  toll free 877-423-9660  (rmsevents@aol.com)

14/15-Apr  Dilworth Criterium, Dilworth, NC  704-376-6812 (nights/weekends); 803-396-1171 (daytime)

16-Apr  Tarheel Cyclists Spring Metric Ride 30- & 64-mile, Charlotte, NC  704-541-1634