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Potomac Pedalers News

Newsletter

 Mid-August 2013
In This Issue
Welcome
2013 Jerseys and Kits
Harold Goldstein - Ride Leader
Back Roads Century
2013 Farm Tour and Picnic
2013 Annual Free-For-All-Picnic
Bike Shop Discounts
Renew Your Membership Online
About Potomac Pedalers
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links

Potomac Pedalers Website

 

Club Ride Schedule

 

Impromptu Ride Schedule

 

Regional Cycling Events

 

Ride News Forums

 

Potomac Pedalers FAQ's

 

Join Potomac Pedalers

 

Back Roads Century Website

 

Welcome

Dear Greetings!:
 

News Welcome to the latest edition of Potomac Pedalers News - our electronic newsletter which keeps you informed of the latest happenings in the world of cycling.

 

Throughout the summer we'll be sending out e-mails twice per month, usually around the 1st and 15th.  We'll tell you about upcoming club events, regional cycling events, the latest club news and more. Past newsletters are posted on our website for review.  Click here for the newsletter archive page. 

 

Sincerely,

Deb Reynolds

 

Feel free to contact me with questions or comments.    

 

Ordering is now open for our 2013 Jerseys and Kits until 09/30/13

    

Jersey Our beautiful new Club Jerseys and Kits are available for order now!

We're offering the following matching products -
  • Short sleeve jersey
  • Shorts
  • Bib Shorts

 

 

There are several options including Club Cut, Race Cut, 3/4 zipper, Full zipper; in both Men's and Women's sizes. 

 

Click here to order now!
  • Orders must be placed by 09/30/13 for inclusion in the next production run
  • Ordering will close on 10/01/13 and will not reopen until 2014 
  • Your order will ship to you the last week of October 2013
Potomac Pedalers Ride Leader - Harold Goldstein

 

Harold Goldstein
Harold Goldstein at the Patuxent Legacy Ride
Ride leaders are the heart and soul of Potomac Pedalers, and without them we wouldn't have a club.  In each issue of our e-mail blast we feature one of our terrific ride leaders.


Harold Goldstein is one of the most prolific ride leaders in the club.  A native of Brooklyn who moved to the area in 1974, he is a long time bike rider.  Also an active caver and rock climber, Harold taught civil engineering at the University of the District of Columbia for over 20 years.  He loves to travel, having spent many summers roaming through developing countries, once spending a year on the road, mostly in Africa and Asia.  He also did the Cycle Across Maryland ride for its first 11 years.

As a co-leader, for some 8 years, of the Bud Bike Friday ride out of Buddy Attick Park, you can count on seeing Harold on almost any Friday of the year, and on many impromptu Tuesday rides too.  This is just one of a series of rides he has led since becoming a member of Potomac Pedalers in 1989. It was Jerry Leight who corralled Harold into leading rides. In 1990, he took over the Wednesday night A/B Poolesville Flyer that became a club staple through the 90s.

Harold has also been responsible for organizing the Black Hill picnic ride since the mid-90's.  We just enjoyed this ride in June.  He also organized the 1999 club century with George Haas and the 2000 version with Barbara Good. These were the first 'ice cream and music' centuries and more than doubled previous ridership.

Harold urges YOU to lead a ride! Contact your ride coordinator to see how easy it is. And he suggests that if you already are a ride leader, you urge riders on your rides to lead one in the future.

Back Roads Century - Sunday September 22, 2013

Back Roads Century
Fewer than 300 spots remaining!

You can expect beautiful countryside, well-stocked rest stops, and helpful volunteers to give you the positive experience and the great ride you have come to expect from Potomac Pedalers. We'll also have musical entertainment, massages, and other extras lined up. You'll receive a free t-shirt and water bottle at the event.

Click here to register now
Click here for our Back Roads Century website where you can learn all about the event.


Back Roads Century Price Increase on September 1st
  • Current pricing is $45.00 for Potomac Pedalers Members and $50.00 for non-members
  • Price will increase to $85.00 for all riders on September 1st 

Volunteer Volunteers Needed

We're still in need of volunteers at the Back Roads Century, and volunteers ride for free. Many jobs require only a portion of your day, so while you may not be able to ride the full century, you can certainly get in the half century or the metric.  Volunteers also receive a free event t-shirt and logo water bottle.

Contact our Volunteer Coordinator if you're interested in volunteering at the Century.


Group Ride Group Rides at the Century

What's better than riding in a Century?  Riding in a Century with a group of cyclists going the same speed and distance as you. 

Potomac Pedalers wants to make sure that you have a great time at the Century, and you may even make some new friends.  Our Club ride leaders will be leading 10 different groups at distances of 100, 65, 50, 30 and 25 miles at a variety of speeds.  Whether you're a novice going 25 miles or a hammerhead going 100 miles; we've got a group ride for you.

Click here for the Group Ride information page on our website where we list each ride distance, speed and starting time.  We request that participants register for Group Rides and we''ll be opening up Group Ride registration on September 1st.

Back Roads Century Group Rides are only for participants who have registered (paid) for the Back Roads Century.


2013 BRC Jersey Back Roads Century Jersey

Jerseys ordered after July 5th 2013 will ship to your home in December.

We're pleased to present our 2013 Back Roads Century jersey which pays tribute to our ride.
  You can order your jersey during Century ride registration or you can click here to order now

Jerseys are available in both men's and women's sizes.


TwitterFollow Us

We recommend that you follow our Back Roads Century Twitter Feed.  All ride-related information will be posted here as soon as it happens.

twitter.com/BackRoadsCent -  @BackRoadsCent

2013 Farm Tour and Picnic - Poolesville, MD - September 29, 2013

 

Peaches Montgomery County's Agricultural Reserve is much more than just a favorite local cycling destination.  It's home to more than 500 farms and orchards that supply much of our region's fresh produce.  There is no better way to experience our local farms than by bicycle!   Please join us on Sunday, September 29, 2013, for the fifth edition of the Montgomery County Farm Tour.

 

Lots of Ride Choices
Whether you choose a route of 17, 25, 35, 55 or 70 miles, you'll enjoy lightly traveled roads and rural landscapes dotted with the local farming community's red barns, silos and grand open spaces.

Click here for ride information

Purchase Fresh Fruit
And depending on which route you choose, you'll have an opportunity to enjoy cider and fresh fruit pie � la mode at Homestead Farm (we'll start a little later this year, so the earliest early birds can get a slice!), and local honey at the Comus Market.  As in past years, volunteers will deliver the apples, cider and homemade jam that you purchase at Kingsbury's Orchard back to your cars.

Picnic Lunch (optional)
Picnic Basket In addition to the rides and farm visits, we'll have an optional picnic lunch at Kingsbury's Orchard from 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm.  The cost of the lunch is $12.00 per person and you must register and pay for the lunch in advance.

Click here to register for the picnic lunch

The Montgomery County Farm Tour is co-hosted by Potomac Pedalers and Montgomery Countryside Alliance.

Click here for full event information

 

2013 Annual Free-For-All Picnic - Nokesville, VA - September 1, 2013
Nokesville Park Pavilion
Nokesville Park Pavilion

by Mike Divine


Come out to the Nokesville, Virginia countryside on September 1 for a day of riding and fun ending with a barbecue/picnic open to members and prospective members. Through the years this event has grown into one of Potomac Pedalers' largest events, regularly drawing over 200 riders of all ages and abilities. As always, it's open to everyone - new, old and nonmembers.  

 

This is a multi-class ride with something for everyone, with rides from 11-51 miles, covering classes from A to D. It's a great way to meet people who are not in your usual ride class. After the ride we will gather at the pavilion for food. We are stressing going "green" at this picnic by encouraging lots of recycling and reuse. We'll provide main dishes, drinks, plates, napkins, cups, utensils, and condiments but feel free to bring your own reusable plates or utensils to keep the trash down. As always, everyone is encouraged to bring a dish - salad, chips, other side dishes or desserts - to share. The potluck is usually excellent!  

 

We hope for a lovely day although this is a rain or shine event (and the pavilion is large and quite nice). An information table will be available before and after the rides to answer questions anyone might have from finding the right ride to how to join the club. We could use some help with setting up, cooking, cleaning up, and manning the information table. There will be a special volunteer's ride of about 20 miles before the picnic. Contact Mike Divine if you wish to volunteer.  

 

Rides will be listed on the website in mid-August, and printed in September's Pedal Patter.   


Bike Shop Discounts

Potomac Pedalers members receive discounts from many of the bike shops in our area.  We've posted a page on our website which details each bike shop's discount on various products and services.

As proof of membership, you can print your membership card directly from our website or show it to the store directly from your smartphone.   
  • Sign in to the website with your username/password
  • Under My Profile on the right side of the screen
  • Click on Manage Profile
  • Click on Membership Card and print - or - 
  • On your smartphone, navigate to the same print screen above and show your onlilne Membership Card to the bike shop
Membership Card  

 



Renew Your Membership Online - Save a Tree
recycle
You can renew your membership on our new website and help save the environment - mailing checks are no longer necessary!

Renewing your membership the Old Way -
  • Our office staff "runs a report" to see whose membership is expiring
  • Our office staff prints mailing labels, using up ink, toner and paper
  • Our office staff prints a "renewal form" and stuffs it in an envelope
  • Our office staff applies postage to the envelope and mails 
  • You fill out the renewal form - using up valuable time
  • You write a check - using up more valuable time
  • You apply postage to the envelope and mail - an unnecessary expense
  • Our office staff receives your envelope
  • Our office staff endorses the check and fills out a deposit slip
  • Our office staff deposits your check in the bank
  • Our office staff has to manually enter your renewal information into our membership database and update your record as "paid"
  • You have to wait until all of the above steps are completed before you can login to your account 

Renewing your membership the New Way - Membership Info

  • Go to www.PotomacPedalers.org and login 
  • Click on Membership Info
  • Click on Securely renew your membership now
  • Enter your credit card information
  • Click Submit 
That's it- You can renew online in less than 1 minute!  The environment thanks you and our office staff thanks you as well.

You can renew up to 1 year before your membership expires.  So it doesn't matter if you're expiring in May, June, July, August or any other month.  Renewals will extend your membership for an additional 1 or 2 years from your previous expiration date.

At any time you can click on the Membership Info link to view your expiration date. 

About Potomac Pedalers

The Potomac Pedalers Touring Club, Inc. is a non-profit educational, recreational and social organization for bicycling enthusiasts. We're one of the largest bicycle clubs in the United States, and the largest in the Metropolitan Washington DC area. Potomac Pedalers is affiliated with the League of American Bicyclists and we're recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization.

E-mail Marketing Team
Potomac Pedalers Touring Club, Inc.
 
Save 15%
with a
2 year membership.

Membership in Potomac Pedalers provides many benefits.  Each year, we offer over 1,000 Saturday and Sunday rides for cyclists of all abilities, with distances ranging from 10 to 100 miles.  You can also join us for evening rides during the week so that you can cycle after work.  Our cue sheet library contains hundreds of local rides that have been time-tested by our members.  And you'll receive our monthly newsletter "Pedal Patter" which is packed with stories, events, rides and more.  Plus, most local bike shops offer discounts for Potomac Pedalers members. 
 
A one year membership is only $30.00 for an individual and $37.00 for a family.  Two year memberships offer a 15% savings over the one year price.
See our Membership page to join.