Things got a little busy at the end of May and beginning of June for me, so this is a combined June/July TFC Newsletter. There is a lot going on this summer and fall in our tiny corner of the cycling world., and there are many SVVC riders competing in some legendary events like the TSEpic, Wilderness 101, Leadville Trail 100, and Ole Bull.
June has seen some great racing. Kicking off the month was Russell Schmidt; winning several stages and the overall GC for the 30+ age group at the Transylvania Epic Stage Race. Then several SVVC riders punched their ticket to Leadville at the Wilmington Whiteface Qualifier, so this August will see Kurt Steinbacher, Michelle Steinbacher, Kenny Steinbacher, and Mustache Steve (Shaible) lining up to race the Leadville Trail 100.
Liberty Blockhouse 50k Road Race had Heather McCarthy winning the women’s overall! Michelle Steinbacher and Kurt Steinbacher both took first place in their age groups. Kevin McCarthy raced to second in the 40+ age group. In the 25k race, Pam Gass took the women’s overall.Tina Remsnyder first in 30+, Christine Kavanagh first in 41+ Mens: Gregg Saunders first in 30+, Joe Bergen third in 40+, Rick Hoffman first in 60+.
Mike Hammer hosted his Spring Round Up at the Water Authority at the beginning of June, and had great attendance.
Early in June we also had our first Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Tina Carson worked with the folks at Rider Park to put on this great community outreach event. We had 7 kids participate. Heather McCarthy did an awesome job presenting IMBA’s core tenets: Speak, Respect, Build, and Ride. The kids practiced some skills and we went for a ride. Then Pappy (Bill Andrus) burned us some hotdogs. Thank you to all the volunteers for making this event a success.
19 Riders made the trip to Skyline Drive National Park in Virginia a few weeks ago. We had great weather, excellent jambalaya made by Rob’s wife, and a private stunt show. Check out the photos on Facebook. Rumor has it that next year’s road trip has road and mountain biking… details coming soon.
We ended the month of June with 3 Skills Sessions. These were hosted by our local NICA coaches, with around 20 riders attending each session. I was great to see many new riders out there, and several of our Lycoming Composite students were out there getting in some early practice.
Speaking of NICA, practice will start at the beginning of July for our local NICA mountain bike team. The state league is the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League or PICL. Our local team is a composite team, Lycoming Composite, made up of middle school and high school students from schools throughout the county. A group of our club members has been the energy behind bringing this idea to reality in our county. If you know kids that may be interested, or if you are interested in helping, contact me at 717-926-6750.
So what else is going on? Here are a few things:
- Merciless Mondays – Rolls Monday evenings from the Bicycle Center. Even a bridge being out on Sulfur Springs Rd has not slowed this ride! Rick and Devon – Thank you for hosting!
- Wednesday Road Rides from Brandon Park – A, B, C, & D -level rides.
- Rob’s Double Metric Hyner Challenge – July 2nd. There is also a single metric option.
- Bash at the Bear – July 8th, 9th & 10th.
- Ole Bull Midnight Madness – Aug 20
- George’s Annual Picnic – Sept 5
- Keystone Gravel – September 17. We will need about 8 non-riding volunteers, several riding volunteers will be need too. This will be a great weekend of riding and fun showcasing the beauty of the Pine Creek area.
- Iron Cross XIV is on! October 8 & 9. Race day is the 8th. All club members will be needed this day. We are anticipating 400 to 500 riders. It’s going to be huge! Gravel ride day is the 9th. Let’s roll out the hospitality and show everyone why we live and ride in one of the best places to bicycle in the state.
My parting thoughts this month are both sad and happy. There are several people in our club that do most of the work behind the scenes. They don’t seek the limelight; they just get on with the work that needs to be done. To each one of you, I say a heartfelt thank you. This month we will be losing one of these key members. Russell Schmidt is moving out of the area (back to my hometown). Russ has not held an officer’s position, but has been a key person in our formation into an IMBA Chapter. He has served on the Williamsport City’s Bicycle Committee, is an integral part of Iron Cross planning, has helped start the PICL in Lycoming County, and so much more. I am happy for my friend and his new career, yet sad to be losing a hard working club member and training partner. Good luck Russ and thank you for all you have done for us.
See you out there,
Joe
