Valley Spokesmen Bicycle Touring Club

Mark was a TOSRD SAG man!

Rides For All of Us

If you want to start riding casually and make new friends who share your interests, then you should join us on our shorter rides. We offer at least two rides a month for people just like you! Check the ride calendar and see how many rides suit you!

Join the Club

For a few dollars a year you get all this:
- Monthly newsletter
- A guide to local eateries
- Tons of bicycle advice
- Discounts at your LBS
- New friends!
Mail your application form today!

Ride in style

View clothing information online. Send an e-mail to Jim Duncan if you are interested in club jerseys, shorts, socks, vests, jackets, etc. His address is hey-you at comcast dot net.

Cheers!

Frasier: "Afternoon, all."
Woody: "Hey, how's it going, Dr. Crane?"
Frasier: "Oh, the usual. The crying, the tantrums, the bed-wetting."
Woody: "Yeah, that's fatherhood."
Frasier: "No, that's my therapy group. What a buncha losers."

VS Race Team

Got the need for speed? Head on over to VSRT.

Ride 'n Race News

- NCNCA
- USA Cycling
- California Bicycle Racing
- American Bicycle Racing
- Velo News
- Cyclingnews

Want to lead a ride?

Find out how much fun it can be by looking through our new Ride Leader Guide! View our Ride Leader Awards program!

New Members

Get up to speed quickly! Download and browse through our New Member Handbook.

Cinderella Classic!

Cinderella 2008 is in the books! Click here to view the pictures and relive the fun!

Rules of the Road

Read over our new Rules Handbook to review all the stuff that helps keep you safe out there.

Hey! - it’s Spring!

Which are you most looking forward to?
- Sneezy, wheezy allergies
- Mowing your lawns
- Mt. Diablo’s Summit View
We thought so! You should join the Valley Spokesmen and enjoy these spring days with new cycling friends, so check our ride calendar for dates that look the most fun to you.

May Flowers Put Riders In Good Spirits

Our Cinderella weekend was a huge success, thanks to the Herculean efforts of Jim Duncan and Bonnie and Bob Powers. Year after year they guide us through one of the United States’ premier cycling events. Over 2,000 women from at least ten states came together and enjoyed a top-shelf experience - the Valley Spokesmen Bicycle Touring Club’s fully supported Cinderella Classic ride of 62 or 100 miles. The weather was terrific and the route clear, providing a very enjoyable experience for all. I want to personally congratulate and thank all of the individuals who gave their time. For over two weeks the Powers’ home was the operations center, supporting expert execution during and after the event, including the next day’s swap meet at which all the excess Cinderella food and materials were sold or given away. This was truly a green effort - nothing was wasted. As a retired US Army logistical officer (Colonel), I had the privilege of participating in numerous support operations such as this, and the effort expended by some of our club members and community volunteers matches some of the best I witnessed during my 30-year career.

The entire club was saddened by the untimely natural death of Stephen Boutte. His Memorial Ride on April 12th was truly a fitting tribute to our fallen friend. Over one hundred riders gathered at the Pleasanton Sports Park and pedaled up Calaveras Road to the summit in his honor. Members of the Diablo Cyclists and Valley Spokesmen made up the majority of the riders, but other clubs and even unaffiliated individuals came together in a very fitting tribute to our dear friend Steve. We will miss him.

Tragedy twice struck the bicycle community in San Ramon with the death of a 10-year-old boy killed by a vehicle turning right onto Montevideo from Vera Cruz, and a 14-year-old girl injured while crossing San Ramon Valley Boulevard by a driver suspected of DUI. The Valley Spokesmen e-board was especially moved at our recent meeting by Susan Gibbs’s account of the young man’s accident. Susan came upon the accident scene very shortly after the tragedy occurred. All communities in the area have raised their bicycle consciousness, rules of the road enforcement, and bicycle safety training. Please make these your personal goals while riding so that we can help local officials prevent further tragic events such as these. I had the opportunity to promote our club’s efforts concerning bicycle safety on the Grassroots Community Television show that aired on April 10th at 6:30 pm on Channel 28.

To support our commitment to bicycle safety, our club e-board authorized that battery-operated red lights be prepared for distribution along the Iron Horse Trail EBBC Ride to Work stations in our area. It is a small effort ($1,200) to raise awareness of the rides participating in this event. I hope you will consider participating in the Ride to Work event to show your support of cycling, as both a sport and mode of transportation.

Have a great ride today and every day!
- Jim Kohnen

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