FEBRUARY 2013

RY - A GREAT PARTY 35 ANNIVERSA

TH

Us and our funny costumes. Them and their street clothes. And all of us on the street.

Presidents Message
ing like wildflowers. Bicycling is part of these cities cultures. And for those who pedal across the river, you know of all the bikes lanes in New York City. While not yet a revolution, it certainly is an eyeopening evolution. And heres another recent success story. Memphis was once ranked as one of worst places in the United States to ride a bike. Today, its making national news as a city thats enjoying a bicycling renaissance. Memphis had a mile and a half of bike lanes in 2008. Today there are approximately 50 miles of dedicated lanes, and a total of 160 miles when trails and shared roads are counted. Without question, the city is striving to make bicycling part of its DNA, by promoting cycling as an alternative transportation option. So what can we do to promote cycling in New Jersey towns and cities? A good first step is attending the 2013 New Jersey Bike and Walk Summit on February 23. Organized by the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition and held at Rutgers University, the Summit offers a variety of seminars addressing how we can make NJ communities more bike and walk friendly. There is a $50 fee, but the insights youll get will be invaluable. Besides the seminars, the day also includes a light breakfast and full lunch. NJBWC is doing great stuff for New Jersey cycling. They recently led a campaign around the state for cyclists and pedestrians. Through their efforts they preserved roughly $16 million in federal dollars for 2013 and 2014 for bike and pedestrian projects. They essentially fought against these dollars being allocated and spent elsewhere in transportation. It was a big win for NJBWC and a great win for New Jersey cyclists. Im proud to note that the executive director of NJBWC is Cyndi Steiner, a long-time BTCNJ member. And I am also enthused that our board of directors unanimously approved a proposal that BTCNJ be one of the many sponsors of the Summit. So if you have the time and wherewithal come to the Summit and become a voice for the hobby you love. - President, Ralph Monti

Several years ago I was finishing up a phone call with my friend Norma Jean, an exceptional commercial and fine artist. Like many artists, she often views the world from a different perspective. I was mentioning I had just joined a bike club and was eager to get back into cycling. Norma Jeans response was a sarcastic jibe: So, will you be one of those Ralph Monti cyclists prancing around in one of those funny costumes? I laughed and said yes, and further confessed that I had a closet full of funny costumes. Norma Jean, I should mention, is a commuter cyclist preferring street clothes to a funny costume. Until my Norma Jean moment I never thought of my bike wear as funny costumes. A funny costume was something you wore on Halloween, not something you put on to ride a bike. But through Norma Jeans perspective, and perhaps for people who casually ride or dont ride at all, I can see how our attire qualifies. Lets face it, its not unusual that when we parade into a store for a lunch or bathroom break, we often turn heads or elicit funny looks from the streetclothed populace. I do often wonder what these people are thinking: The gall it takes for us to wear such clothing? The amusement some people find in our garish and funny designs? While we funny costume types presently dominate the bicycling landscape, there are major plans in the works in towns and cities all around the country to get people bicycling on the street. All of these initiatives are aimed at people more like the street-clothed Norma Jean. Now the smug among us may sneer that the last thing we need are civilian-clothed commuters or cycling neophytes clogging up our roads. But doesnt this type of thinking put us in company with the angry, horn-blowing motorist seething to get us off their road? In truth, its really in our best interest to get more cyclists out on the streets. Heres why: With more people cycling on the streets, the more leverage the cycling movement has to promote cycling as a viable transportation alternative. And as studies show, when cycling becomes part of the transportation culture, good things happen. Motorists become more tolerant. Local, state and federal officials build safer bike lanes. And best of all, as research shows, there are less cycling accidents and fatalities in cities where cycling is big part of the transportation culture. Last November during a BTCNJ member meeting, our group watched videos of people bicycling in the Netherlands and Denmark. In major cities across these countries, bicycling is the most popular form of transportation. What was striking was that every cyclist in these videos was wearing street clothes as they happily pedaled along their citys well-designed bike lanes and through safe intersections. It was plain for everyone to see that bicycle commuting was a big part of the Dutch and Danish culture. There are the naysayers who counter that a cycling culture cant happen here. That America is too dependent on the automobile. Thats simply not accurate. In cities, like Boulder, Colorado; Davis, California; and Washington, D.C, bike lanes and commuter cyclists are sprout-

On the Cover:
Photo collage of BTCNJs 35th Anniversary Party held at the Indian Hills Country Club last month. Photos were taken by Amado Cabaero, Jr. and the cover was designed by Joel Ringer.

ride caPtains cOrner

By andres tiriBOcchi
New Year resolutions are a great tradition. When it comes to cycling they come in different shapes. Theres reaching higher mileages, changing lifestyles, developing healthier eating habits, exercising more, etc. Now, after completing one month of the year, how many of them are still standing? Sometimes we try willfully to accomplish some of those goals born in the middle of toasts between friends and family, just for the single purpose of honoring tradition. Our proposal today is to aim for something untraditional. Do one completely different cycling activity, different from what you are acccustomed to doing over your years of cycling. Trying something new at least once is the stepping stone of growing as a cyclist, and you should not get frustrated if at first you cannot succeed. Winston Churchill once said that success is the result of learning from a number of failures. If you want to keep improving, try as many innovative things as you can, allow yourself to make bearable mistakes, and finally learn from the errors and embrace whatever makes you feel good on the bicycle (*). After a careful process of thinking, I have put together a few suggestions for attainable goals in the coming year: Sign-up for a slower ride. Contemplate the scenery, smell the flowers, enjoy the food. Sign-up for a faster ride. Challenge yourself, smell victory, taste defeat. Ride in the city. Enjoy the unique experience of travelling on bike lanes and dodging traffic sometimes. Ride in the farmlands. Learn that the beauty of New Jerseys roads goes beyond Bergen County. Climb that hill. Take a deep breath and conquer it yard by yard, it will feel smaller from the top. Compete. Cross the finish line (no matter the position) and your life will never be the same. Ride for a cause. Bicycling can also make a significant change on the lives of others. Ride off the road. Mountain biking is much, much more than youngsters making impossible stunts or daredevils going through a sea of rocks. Ride on the road. Discover that great sceneries and people are not just part of the Tour de France. Sign-up for a bicycle tour. There are plenty of options here, but hurry because they fill up quickly. Take it more seriously. Start a training plan and watch your skills and form improve. Take it easy. Ride for the sheer pleasure of it and find life after the King of the Mountain pin. Give the gift of cycling. Donate that old bike no one wants to enjoy, or just teach a kid how to ride a bike. Bring friends to a club ride. Make them new members and they will be grateful forever. Volunteer for a club event. We need you, and it is a lot of fun. Pick your favorite route and organize a ride there. If you have doubts about how to lead a ride, e-mail ridescaptain@btcnj.com.

Learn simple fixes. Sooner or later everyone needs to change a tire tube. Give your bike a tune up. Your local shop needs your business and we always need them.

Challenging ourselves can make us better cyclists. It is not a matter of abandoning tradition, it is just embarking on a path of discovery of new pursuits that will become our new traditions to share and enjoy. Ride safe and have fun! (*) The steps mentioned are known as the Palchinkys Principle. SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR RIDE LEADERS: At the next February Club Meeting, the new 2012 Ride Leader Jersey will be available for size trial for those members that qualified for the award.

Specialized Bicycle Recalls Bicycles Due to Fall Hazard

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of certain Specialized bicycles because the steerer tube in the front fork can break, posing a fall hazard. The recall affects the Specialized 2012 and 2013 model road bicycles and framesets, including all models of the 2012 Tarmac SL4, 2013 Tarmac SL4, 2013 Crux and 2013 Secteur Disc. The model year and style names are on the sales documents. Cyclists are urged by The Consumer Product Safety Commission to stop using this product unless otherwise instructed. If you think that your bicycle may be affected please stop using the bicycle and take it to an authorized dealer for free inspection and, if needed, a free repair. For further information about this recall you can contact Specialized Bicycle Components toll-free at (877) 808-8154 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or on their website at www. specialized.com. Click on Support and then Safety Notices. Photos are available at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/ prhtml13/13102.html -Larry Schwartz

Despite what many cyclists might tell you, riding a bicycle outside in the winter is often not fun. Cold weather and bicycling typically do not mix well. I know this first-hand. I went to graduate school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and being a poor student (financially speaking) I used my bike as my primary transportation.year round. In Milwaukee, October and April are winter months, and the traditional winter months are SERIOUS winter. Im talking cold with a capital C. And snow. And ice. I rode through the winter but was rarely happy about it.

winter sPinning

Having been there and done that, I am now predisposed to NOT ride my bicycle outdoors in the winter, even though by comparison with Milwaukee, New Jersey might as well be Florida (and with global warming advancing maybe in a few years it will be). But, I am an avid cyclist and like to start my riding season as soon as the weather breaks, usually in mid to late March. To get ready, I use the winter months for training, with an emphasis on INDOOR cycling. Indoor cycling, often known as Spinning, can be a great way to get cycling-specific training sessions without the difficulties of riding in nasty weather. The key is to have a concept, or a game plan, for what you want to accomplish with each ride. I have been leading Spinning classes for over 10 years and have found that structuring the workouts in an incremental pattern allows riders to build endurance and strength and be fully prepared for outdoor riding. Sometimes referred to as periodization training, indoor rides can be used to focus on road cycling skills that build one upon another. An elite athlete who might be structuring an annual work out calendar in such a fashion would normally use the winter months as a resting period, characterized by light or low-intensity workouts, just enough to elevate the heart rate into the lower ranges of the training zone, with very little intensity. For the recreational athlete, the winter period can be designed somewhat differently. I start in December with what is known as base building. These workouts emphasize relatively comfortable cruising speeds and incrementally longer time spent in the saddle. This is the start of building an aerobic base, the capacity that allows your blood to efficiently deliver oxygen to the muscles. January brings endurance workouts. Just as it sounds, time in the saddle is extended, and drills are introduced that begin to challenge the riders mind set. It can be mentally taxing to hold a strong cadence for an extended period of time. Building this ability in small increments conditions the brain to tolerate longer distances and effort as much as the legs, butt, and other body parts. Visualization exercises usually complement this type of training, such as imagining a flat road with a gentle breeze along a sea coast. February emphasizes strength training. The resistance setting on a typical spin bike can be used to simulate climbing a hill. This type of workout builds leg strength and power. Short steep climbs, long gradual climbs, staircase climbs, and accelerated climbs are some of the drills I use to keep the workouts challenging and build leg strength.

As the weather begins to break in March, I introduce interval training. An interval session is characterized by periods of high intensity interrupted by periods of rest. After a proper warm up, we might do a set of acceleration drills, followed by a 3 minute rest period of light spinning for recovery. Then we amp it up again, maybe with a 6- or 7- minute climb, followed by another rest period. This type of workout trains the cardiovascular system to work hard, and to recover from hard work. It is the perfect way to transition from indoor riding to outdoor riding. The cyclist is now better prepared to deal with wind, real hills, and other conditions encountered outdoors with confidence and skill derived from a winter of purposeful indoor training.

Indoor cycling, often known as Spinning, can be a great way to get cycling-specific training sessions without the difficulties of riding in nasty weather.
It is impossible to talk about Spinning classes without saying a word or two about music selection. Every spin class I have ever participated in uses music that is intended to energize the workout, and in most cases music can be selected to reinforce specific on-bike drills. High energy songs with a strong beat are great for interval work or acceleration drills; longer length songs with a slower beat are good for endurance workouts, and among my circle of spin instructors we have a saying which goes You always climb the blues. I like to include a wide range of music in every workout, drawing from current/pop music, classic rock, hip hop, R&B, and even jazz (those who know me as a jazz pianist can understand that motivation) so theres always something in the mix that will appeal to most people. And, every once in a while Ill theme a music program, such as using love songs for a Valentines Day workout, or ghost and monster styled music for Halloween, Im a firm believer that we listen to music with our bodies as much as with our ears, especially when the music is correlated to an indoor cycling workout, and theres no question that a good marriage between music and energy output makes the workout feel exciting and enjoyable, and keeps people coming back for more. All of us are different in terms of physical condition and its important to know where youre starting from as well as where you want to end up. Always consult our resident cardiologist and club member Dan Goodman, or your primary care physician, before starting any type of focused workout program. - Alan J. Horwitz Alan is a Certified Spinning Instructor and leads a regular indoor cycling class in Montclair. He has been a member of BTCNJ since 1986 and has participated in every type of bicycling experience, including a solo self-contained expedition-style pannier tour from Oregon to New Jersey in 1996. Contact Alan at ajh973@gmail.com

Next Club Meeting Feb. 14th - BTCNJ Web Site Review

cluB Meeting news

January Meeting Wrap-Up

Our next club meeting falls on Valentines Day, February 14th. Its a great time to come out, socialize and keep in touch with your BTCNJ friends especially if you dont ride in the winter (or even if you do.) If you are new to the club it is also a great way to meet your fellow club members and make new friends with the spring cycling season right around the corner. On the agenda, Larry Schwartz, Webmaster, will be presenting a brief overview and refresher of our BTCNJ website. Whether you log in to our site regularly or just check it when you are looking for a ride, you are bound to learn something new. Larry continues to polish and update the website and this is a great opportunity to hear more about what changes are expected in the future, and to ask any questions or give suggestions.

On January 10th over 100 BTCNJ members gathered for the infamous Year in Review(YIR). The meeting kicked off with Ralph Monti, our new President, recognizing past President Ethan Brook and presenting him with a plaque and gift of gratitude for his hard work and dedication over the last three years. Ralph also formally introduced the new board. Before the YIR show began, our Volunteer of the Month (Amado Cabaero) and Volunteer of the Year (Charles Cino) were recognized and honored.

The YIR was indeed a multi-media extravaganza of music, photography and video capturing moments and memories of 2012 BTCNJ events and member activities featuring plenty of cameo appearances of our members. Included in the YIR presentation, dedicated to Barry Want to lead a ride but arent quite sure how to post it? Unsure of Wallach, were highlights of the years club rides and main events how to communicate to individual BTCNJ members via our roster? like the Bergen County Bike Tour and Ramapo Rally, weekend tours, Where to find information about weekend tours or other non-BTCNJ and special events. It was a treat for all. Kudos goes out to Jeff Martz cycling events? Learn this and more! for his production talents and coordination and also to the entire committee (Ethan Brook ,Amado Cabaero, Charles Cino, Linda Krauss, After Larrys presentation we will have some special Valentines Day Jimmy Lee, Ray Nutkis, and Diana Shikiar) who contributed their time treats and refreshments for you. Hope to see you there! and energy to make this a top notch presentation that was enjoyed -Terry Griffin by all!

saVe the date! May 11, 2013

Annual Picnic at Campgaw Mountain Reservation: organized bike rides, food and friends. Volunteers needed for all categories!

For those members who may have missed this years event or those who wish to have their own DVD, copies of the 2012 Year in Review are still available for purchase for $5. They will be available at the merchandise table at the February membership meeting. Now get those cameras in gear and start snapping today because the 2013 Year in Review is less than a year away! -Terry Griffin

Volunteer of the Month for January 2013 - Jeff Martz

Jeff joined BTCNJ in 2011 for the mountain biking, starting off with D rides and rail trails. Having purchased a road bike last summer, he is now also an avid road rider and involved in competitive racing. In addition to cycling, Jeff enjoys scuba diving vacations. A club member discovered that Jeff worked as a camera operator for the FOX News Channel for the past 7 years. This led to his involvement in the 2011 Year in Review where he organized pictures. For 2012, he undertook the complexity of building and directing this amazing Year in Review show where a significant amount of video footage was seen. When asked how he did it, Jeff was shyly and modestly overheard responding I have a program. We eagerly look forward to more of his masterful work in 2013. Congratulations, Jeff, on being the January 2013 Volunteer of the Month! -Leslie Felsen, Volunteer Development

BtcnJ tOurs
In the table below is a summary of the upcoming tours hosted by BTCNJ. For a full description of the tours, please visit our website. You must be a BTCNJ member to participate in a tour hosted by BTCNJ. If you are interested, dont delay. Sign up today! DATE April 6-12 2013 TOUR Jacksonville to Melbourne, Florida TERRAIN DISTANCE PRICE CONTACT Ted Semegran: 201.452.7264 Louis Wassong: 201-896-1956 CAPACITY

Flat

50 miles per day

TBD

Open

May 24-27 2013

Annual Memorial Day Weekend in Southern, VT at the Landgrove Inn

Varied

Gentle rolling to hilly

Linda Krauss krauski@gmail.com $310 (3 nights, 2 dinners, breakfasts) Diana Shikiar dianashikiar@gmail.com $210/per person based on double occupancy $2,900/person, includes ground transportation, air, lodging and some meals. TBD Barbara Mallach mallachb@gmail.com Ethan Brook ethanbrook@gmail.com Barbara Augenblick beejayaug@gmail.com Bill & Peggy Telgheder telgheder@aol.com peggytelgheder@aol.com Richard Fine richardfine42@hotmail.com Amy Hass amyhass@amyhass.com

Open

June 21-23 2013

Lake George

Varied

16-65 miles per day

Open

June 28 to July 14 2013

Bavarian Bratwurst, Brezels, and Beer

Rolling

500-600 miles total

Taking names for wait list

July 15 -22 2013

Finger Lakes, Seneca Falls, NY

Varied

30-42 miles

Open

Sept. 27-29 2013

Rhinebeck, NY Tour

Varied

30-55 miles

$190/per person based on double occupancy

Open

Did You Know

that your club has an OUTREACH program? that theres a dedicated group of club members whove offered
to lend a hand, an ear, a shoulder, to visit or other assistance to members in need? that you can volunteer to join this terrific group of people and feel really good about doing so? that you too might be in need of OUTREACH one day? (We hope not, but you never know.) that offering your services is as easy as contacting one of us below.

Rhinebeck, NY Tour
September 27-29, 2013
Come join us as we ride through scenic Dutchess County. Our base, Rhinebeck NY, is just two hours from NYC. Rides will range from 30-55 miles on varied terrain at a C or C* pace. Cost, based on double occupancy, will be $190.00 per person. This includes two nights lodging, Saturday dinner party, two continental breakfasts and more. Contact trip leaders Richard Fine richardfine42@hotmail.com or Amy Hass amyhass@amyhass.com for more information. To reserve your spot, send $190.00 per person to either of us (we pool our tips). Please include your phone, email, and postal address. Our address can be found at www.btcnj.com under membership. -Richard Fine and Amy Hass

If you become aware of any members who are ill, have had an accident or a death in the family, please let us know by getting in touch with our contact for the month listed below: If you would like to join our Outreach committee, please contact Barbara Infeld binfeld@optonline.net

legislatiVe actiOn: Meeting tO iMPrOVe riVer rOad

Public Meeting to Discuss Final Proposals re: Improving River Road from Fort Lee through Edgewater for Cyclists and Pedestrians On Thursday afternoon, January 17th a number of BTCNJers went to the 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM presentation of a final Phase 2 meeting to discuss suggested approaches for improving (for cyclists and pedestrians) River Road from Fort Lee through Edgewater (to the border of Hudson County). A second session was held from 6:30 to 8:00 PM to address similar issues for a second group (I was told that a few BTCNJers were there as well). The 4:00 PM audience at the Edgewater Community Center included as many as 50 folks from Edgewater, Fort Lee and other areas of Bergen County, plus representatives from Bergen County Planning, consultants from RBA and the Berger Group and even a few newspaper reporters. The presentation included slides showing suggested improvements and changes along the roadway as well as at least 40 to 50 feet of photographic maps of River Road from just below the George Washington Bridge to the Southernmost part of Edgewater. The photos showed condominiums, stores, schools, driveways, parking lots, etc. along the route. The reason for holding the meeting was to get public comments concerning the ways to improve the corridor as well as to allow the public to express their concerns about such improvements or lack thereof. Among the most important improvements suggested by the consultants were the following: (1) Need for new sidewalks for pedestrians; (2) Bicycle paths and road shoulders as well as mixed use paths for both cyclist and pedestrians; and (3) The use of bus bumpouts, or cutout areas for picking up and dropping off passengers (to minimize car traffic behind buses); In order to make these changes, the widths of the car lanes would likely be reduced a foot or two. That would likely force the speed of cars on the road to be closer to actual limits Also, in order to make the bike lanes and mixed use lanes safer, some separation from the roadway would be implemented. It is obvious that considerable effort is being made to improve River Road and make it a much more pedestrian and bike friendly roadway. The consultants were also suggesting ways to improve traffic flow. Note - a major requirement for the study was not to make any major construction changes to minimize costs. What is the next step? A final presentation including all the public suggestions will likely be held again in Edgewater in May 2013. At that time, it is up to all of us living in Bergen County to talk to our political representatives and ask them to initiate an engineering study and then implement these plans to reality. No work can be done on the roadway without an engineering study. The least costly and quickest work would be painting road shoulder lines and sharrow markings and possibly put in a few of the bus bumpouts areas. What might be the best time to do such work? Likely when River Road paving work is done as was done in Hudson County this past summer. Hudson County now has about 0.75 miles of 5-foot painted bike lanes on River Road. To see a copy of some of the work suggested for the River Road study go to http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/planning/RiverRoad2 -Ted Semegran, Legislative Action Officer

new or old accounts, participating. There is no down side. TD Bank, a longtime sponsor of the Ramapo Rally, gets new accounts, and BTCNJ gets a welcome addition to our bottom line. How do you get started? Easy. If you want to open a new account, just go into any TD Bank branch. They seem to be on every corner. Tell them that you are a member of the Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey and that we are participants in their Affinity Membership Program. Thats it. Done. Theyll take care of the rest. If you already have a TD Bank account? Even easier. Theyll look up your account and assign our code number to the account. Done. All the your information is kept strictly confidential and is not available to BTCNJ. If you need more information, you can contact Frances Montagnino from TD Bank at 201.864.1014. You can also reach her on her cell phone at 201.218.6658. She is the Store Manager, Vice President and has been very instrumental in getting TD Bank to sponsor the Ramapo Rally. -Barbara Augenblick

Support BTCNJ through the TD Bank Membership Affinity Program

TD Bank has invited BTCNJ to participate in their Affinity Membership Program. The basic details are pretty straight forward. TD Bank will make an annual contribution to BTCNJ based on the average balance of our members who already have existing accounts with TD Bank and any members who open new accounts. Eligible consumer and business accounts include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and retirement accounts. BTCNJ will receive a of 1% contribution on the annual average balances of all participants with checking accounts, and of 1% on all other accounts. It does not include investments. In order to qualify for the program we have at least 100 members,

35th anniVersary Party

According to predictions, the Thirty Fifth Anniversary Party was a blast! But you probably already know this if you were among the190 members and guests who attended this rocking event at the elegant Indian Trails Country Club. DJs Phil and Ian provided music that had everyone moving in their seats. Sasha Valerie, our Latin Dance instructor, motivated all levels of dancers to join her on the floor. The dance floor was overflowing! Whether you participated in the dancing or watched and admired, you were engaged in and entertained by the festivities. The wide range of buffet style appetizers and main courses satisfied a variety of taste buds. Then pulling out our ticket stubs, we all waited patiently as Ralph Monti called out the numbers to see who would win the cash, donated helmets, and Eat to Ride! Ride to Eat! original BTCNJ Diner Jerseys. The best part of the evening though, was the opportunity to reminisce, laugh and socialize with old and new club members and friends. One thing was evident, we are all anticipating the warmer weather when we can get out in groups and ride. When the lights signaled that the party was over, it took the party coordinator, Barbara Infeld, an additional half hour to convince a good number of protesters, that we had to actually had to leave the premises. Thank you, Barbara, for organizing another fun filled and Special Event! -Leslie Felsen, Special Events Photos on this page by Amado Cabaero, Jr

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BtcnJ ride categOries

RIDE CATEGORIES
Category A B* Average Speed (mph) 17+ 15 - 16.9 Description For strong/experienced cyclists. Stops every 30+ miles. Average speed on flats 17.0 - 18.0 mph. For Strong cyclists. Stops every 20 - 25 miles Average speed on flats 15.0 - 16.0 mph. For solid cyclists. Stops every 15 - 20 miles. Average speed on flats 13.0 - 14.0 mph. For solid cyclists. Stops every 15 - 20 miles. Average speed on flats 11.0 - 12.0 mph. For average cyclists. Stops as needed. Average speed on flats 10.0 mph. For new, inexperienced cyclists. Frequent stops. For families, frequent stops, child friendly.

TERRAIN DESCRIPTIONS Hilly: Numerous long and steep climbs Moderately Hilly: Numerous climbs, with no killer hills Rolling: Some small hills, farmland ups and downs Flat: Minimal gear shifting required RESPONSIbIlITIES FOR lEADERS Bring maps and/or cue sheets. Discourage riders with unsound bikes from joining the ride. Within the first few miles, urge riders who are unable to maintain the advertised pace to leave the ride. Adhere to the advertised speed of the ride. Advise riders exceeding your intended pace that they will be considered to be on their own. RIDE LEADERS MUST SUBMIT THEIR SIGN-IN SHEETS TO EARN RIDE LEADER POINTS. RESPONSIbIlITIES FOR RIDERS Riders must obey NJ motor vehicle laws. Bring tools: tire irons, pump, and spare tube. Bicycle must be in good working order. Dont ride in a category that is too difficult for you. Advise leader if you are making an unscheduled stop or leaving the group. Rides will not go in the following conditions (unless otherwise noted in the rides description): rain, snow, wet or icy roads, or temperatures under 32. Rides will leave 15 minutes after the published meeting time (unless otherwise noted.) For rides longer than 15 miles, bring snacks, for rides over 30 miles, bring lunch (unless a deli stop is indicated). Note: anyone under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian on all rides. Every rider is required to wear a helmet that meets CPSC Performance Standards on all club rides. Headphones are not permitted on rides.

13 - 14.9

C*

11 - 12.9

C D

9 - 10.9 Under 9

Varies

A, B*, B Categories: No obligation to wait for stragglers if advertised pace is kept and written directions (cue sheets, maps) are issued. C*, C, D Categories: Group will wait for stragglers and assist those having mechanical difficulty. MTB rides: the slowest participant dictates ride pace; no rider is ever left behind. MTB - B MTB - C Challenging, commonly rocky, trail surfaces. Primarily single track with many and varied obstacles. Extended ascents/descents. Uneven trail surface with minimal obstacles and gradual, moderate climbing. Some single track. Wide trails with a flat, obstruction-free riding surface and little change in elevation.

MTB - D

MASTERLINk SUBMISSIONS
Materials for the MasterLink are due the 23rd of each month for publication in the following months issue. Please send articles, photos, letters, or comments to MasterLink, at our email address btcnj. masterlink@gmail.com. Materials may be edited by the MasterLink staff for length and clarity. Publication of materials submitted is at the discretion of the Editor. All materials submitted for publication become the property of BTCNJ. Due to copyright laws, any articles, photos, cartoons, art, etc., that have appeared in other publications may not be published in the MasterLink without written consent of the copyright holder. Photos in the MasterLink may not be reused or republished without prior permission.

BTCNJ 2013 OFFICERS

PRESIDENT Ralph Monti ralphmonti@gmail.com VICE PRESIDENT Terry Griffin terry.griffin@nuance.com TREASURER Franklin Wimer FBWimerjr@gmail.com SECRETARY Kathryn Davenport kathrynd999@gmail.com MEMBERSHIP Harold Todman htodman@aol.com RIDES CAPTAIN Andres Tiribocchi andrestiri@yahoo.com LEGISLATIVE ACTION Ted Semegran ted_semegran@hotmail.com MASTERLINK Larry Schwartz larryjet@gmail.com WEBMASTER Larry Schwartz larryjet@gmail.com PUBLICITY Barbara Augenblick beejayaug@gmail.com SPCL. EVENTS/VOL. DEVELOPMENT Leslie Felsen felsenleslie@yahoo.com TOURS Bill Telgheder telgheder@aol.com PAST PRESIDENT Ethan Brook ethanbrook@gmail.com

Classifieds Ads:
Indoor trainer, CycleOps Fluid2. It is like new; I paid $275, and I would like to sell it for $200. I have the owners manual to go with it.

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2012 Member Miles

NAME Cliff Mortensen Ed Eagle Ken Levins Wade Wegner Ray Morro Carver Washburn David Pawlyk Jacob Metzger Julie Kavadlo Jeff Brand Jim Kelly Russ Lazzaro Lou Wassong Ed Howard Ralph Pantuso Maryanne Caruso Mary Ann Brand Fred Bennett Joe Gambino Dot Mortensen Robert DeMair Don Schaller Tim Martyn Ed Wiest Leonard Diamond Jim Grady Sal Rizzo Gary Mass Henry Gozdz Steve Greenberg Cyndi Steiner Karl Sarkozi Bill Semanczuk Ethan Brook Paul Sisko Rhonda Pekow Lorraine Henderson Keith Schlanger Mary Maki Andrs Tiribocchi Alan Scherl Hariet Einschlag Carl Flaum Barbara Flaum Ted Semegran Richard Brookler Sharon Carollo Ralph Monti Leslie Felsen Laura Van Riper Stuart Falls Alan Felsen Carmela Schaller Bill Telgheder Surajit (Mac) Mukherjee Frank Wimer Barbara Klein Bob Palestine Barbara Kauffman Rita Tesar MILES 15207 9943 8575 8325 8311 8197 7470 7303 6342 6081 6023 5601 5545 5427 5181 5130 5120 5022 4897 4762 4500 4337 4281 4206 4193 4159 4020 4006 4001 4000 3977 3941 3885 3816 3800 3712 3693 3268 3264 3214 3147 3136 3097 3097 3067 3049 3017 3012 2924 2890 2705 2624 2569 2330 2046 2020 2015 1900 1600 1444 COMMENTS Man that was fun! "Some people just like to ride their bike" JD

Lifetime personal best Hurricane Sandy and new job prevented reaching 8K but great year nonetheless!

Once again beat my previous year's mileage! A personal best! A great year of bike riding and meeting new friends from the club. I want to thank all those who shared the road with me last year.

With a smile on my face for almost all of them!

Personal best!

Includes 14 centuries and 2 double centuries Plus 109 hours of mountain biking A low year for me as I lost four months of riding to major surgery and a broken foot.

Thanks Bike Friends for the encouragement and fun Best year ever Without riding on January and December Best year on the road I didn't make my goal of 3500 but I did manage to ride every month of the year. Had a great year of riding!

I got mileage above 3000 again partly due to my "new" hip My best ever!

Missed my goal of 3000 but best year yet - included 2 centuries Another great year of cycling with my BTCNJ friends! And 20 - 40 more miles on rented bikes with my wife

Why was the first ride of the year (St Mary's GA) so much easier than the last ride of My goal for this year is 2015 miles. I better get busy riding

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17 The owners of all these shops support BTCNJ. Please tell them you saw their shop in the MasterLink. Show them your BTCNJ membership card for a 10% discount off accessories and parts. They are skilled bicycle pros, and we urge you to use their services. Please note that the discount may not apply to sale items and may not allow credit card payment. Please note that the individual shop owners have sole discretion over the definition of accessories and parts and of the items in their stock to which any BTCNJ-related discount applies. Allendale Bike Shop D.J.s' Cycles Brookdale Cycle Get-a-way Cycle Center Bikeland Bikeland II The Bike Path All Body Training Congers Bike Shop Steve's Moped & Bicycle Sam's Bicycle Repair Bike Master Strictly Bicycles Carrera Cycles Marty's Reliable Bike Pad James Vincent Ramsey Outdoor Bicycle Tech D.J.'s Cycles Peddler Cycle Craft Madison Bicycle Shop High Gear Cyclery Diamond Cycle The Bikery Marty's Reliable Cycle World James Vincent Chelsea Bikes Gotham Bike Allendale Belmar Bloomfield Bloomingdale Caldwell Chatham Clifton Closter Congers, NY Dumont Elmwood Park Englewood Fort Lee Glen Rock Hackettstown Hawthorne Jersey City Ledgewood Lincoln Park Long Branch Long Branch Long Valley Madison Millburn Montclair Montclair Morristown New City, NY North Bergen NY, NY NY, NY 201-825-0952 732-681-8228 973-338-8908 973-291-4163 973-403-3330 973-635-8066 973-574-9001 201-768-3086 845-268-3315 201-384-7777 201-797-5819 201-569-3773 201-944-7074 201-857-0106 908-852-1650 973-427-9400 201-420-5151 973-584-7798 973-694-6775 732-870-2277 732-229-6623 908-876-5600 973-377-6616 973-376-0001 973-509-0233 973-744-7252 973-538-7773 845-364-2384 201-869-1901 646-230-7715 212-732-2453 Toga Bike Nyack Bicycle Outfitters Pedal Sports CampMor Ramsey Outdoor The Bicycle II Cycle Sport Cyclery Cycle Craft Bicycle Depot Heino's Ski and Cycle Piermont Bicycle Cycle Center Bicycle Source Bike & Ski Shop Ramsey Outdoor Cury's Sport Shop Marty's Reliable Cosmic Wheel Ridgewood Cycle Bikeworks The Bike Path Original Bike Shop Valley Cycle High Gear Cyclery Bicycle Workshop Toga Bike Town Cycle Albert's Westwood Cycle Whippany Cycle Wyckoff Cycle NY, NY Nyack, NY Oakland Paramus Paramus Paramus Park Ridge Parsippany Pearl River Pequannock Piermont, NY Pompton Lakes Pompton Plains Ramsey Ramsey Ramsey Randolf Ridgefield Park Ridgewood Rochelle Park Rutherford Saddle Brook Spring Valley, NY Stiriling Tenafly Upper Nyack, NY West Milford, NJ Westwood Whippany Wyckoff 212-759-0002 845-353-0268 201-337-9380 201-445-5000 201-261-5000 201-632-0200 201-391-5269 973-227-4462 845-735-8686 973-696-3044 845-365-0900 973-835-6339 973-835-7595 201-327-9480 201-327-8141 201-327-4561 973-584-7773 201-440-6655 201-444-2553 201-843-6409 201-636-2355 973-478-6555 845-356-3179 908-647-2010 201-568-9372 845-358-3455 973-728-8878 201-664-1688 973-887-8150 201-891-5500

suPPOrt yOur lOcal Bike shOP

As proof of BTCNJ membership, you will need to print your membership card through the BTCNJ website. Log onto the site, select Membership Card under the Membership tab. Printing instructions are provided.
Feb 2013, Volume 36, Number 02. Circulation: approx. 1,500 via electronic download. The MasterLink is published 12 times per year as the official publication of the Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey, P.O. Box 839, Mahwah, NJ 07430. Our website is www.btcnj. com. 2013 by the Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey, all rights reserved.