The day began as most Saturday rides do.
An assortment of vehicles and bikes and riders of many colors, genders and vintages all assemble in the parking lot of Brugers at the corner of High House and Cary Parkway.
Today’s ride brought out the following vehicles, bikes, and vintage riders.
Blue van with John Majikes and his brother Matt. Solid performers on solid performing bikes.
An assortment of vehicles and bikes and riders of many colors, genders and vintages all assemble in the parking lot of Brugers at the corner of High House and Cary Parkway.
Today’s ride brought out the following vehicles, bikes, and vintage riders.
Blue van with John Majikes and his brother Matt. Solid performers on solid performing bikes.
No hype just results with these bikes and riders. They are building up to a 100 mile ride to raise money for diabetes. The ride is in California on 6/23/07. Send John an email to learn more Majikesj@us.ibm.com
Gray pickup truck with Ron and Traci Clanton with Tandem. Power provided from the stoker and navigation provided by Garmin. Ron provides rapid responses to navigation system and additional commands from stoker.
Blue VW passat with Sarah Powell and her Classic bike with super campy components. This bike and rider continue to demonstrate that Quality never deteriorates
Blue mini van with the Smit’s. Theresa on her 1979 custom Jeffrey Bock, and Kevin on his new feather light Scott all Carbon Go Fast (if someone else rides it ) bike.
Another Blue Van with Beth Gonzalez and her new Trek. Beth’s speed and cadence are tightly coupled with the level of conversation that is taking place.
Blue BMW with Jae Brainard and her new bike with giant chain rings – she rides a 72 / 65 front chain ring with 11 / 18 rear cluster. Ride with her and count her RPMs they are slower than Lance Armstrong’s heart rate at rest.
Yellow VW THING from WW II with Steve Cope (escapee from Stalag 13) and his original lightweight Vitas aluminum frame that was assembled utilizing the newest space age glues. This was the original bike that started the lightweight revolution leading to newer materials like Titanium, and carbon fiber.
Later on the ride we where joined by Tim Travitz. Tim was discovered a week ago on our ride as we turned from Luther onto Horton Pond and spied a lone rider with his bike propped against the stop sign. He was on the phone as we stopped to ask him if he was ok. “Yea” he claimed – “Broken Chain” he sighed. We had a chain break tool to help him put the chain back together but to no avail. We told him of our group and the fun we had and invited him to join. Well he did not make the start but he did join us this Saturday for a short stretch of the ride.
After coffee, chit chat, introductions, and preparation the riders left the parking lot on schedule. The riders stayed together through the neighborhood of Preston only to splinter at the stop light on Davis. Here the two groups set separate pace lines with the smell the roses group catching the Testosterone riders at the corner of Carpenter Upchurch and Morrisville Carpenter roads. This spurred the Testosterone group into higher gear. The warm up was over. John and his brother Matt took the lead and drove the Testosterone group westward on Carpenter Fire Station Road. Single file they fled.
High rpm’s producing 19 – 21 mph speeds with brief arm movements pointing at hazards in the road. On they rode to the corner of Carpenter Church and Yates Store roads.
The left at Yates Store is where everyone sets up for the run at Up-Chuck hill. Steve Cope falls to the rear behind Kevin. Steve loves to draft the fat man as gravity slings him down the hill with Steve being sucked along. John Majikes loves to peddle as hard as he can to the bottom of the hill hoping that inertia will be his friend and that gravity may not be looking at that instant in time. The others ride in total fear of both Johns frantic attack to the bottom of the hill and the crushing speed of Gravity propelling the Tandem stratled by Ron and Tracy, and the individual riders of Kevin with Steve Cope in tow towards the sound barrier. The G force at the bottom of the hill requires full concentration and a steady grip on the handlebars. The sound of spokes being compressed and the sidewalls of the tires flattening under these forces can be heard over the whistling of the wind through the vents in the rider’s helmets. Only the strongest tires pumped to the ideal pressure can survive this ordeal.
As the hill loomed ever closer John charged ahead soon to be succumbed by the laws of Physics. John does not poses the mass needed to take advantage of gravity’s pull on the downhill. Peddle all he can the math does not work in his favor. Others with greater mass are better designed for the downhill run. Ron and Tracy on the Tandem had the clear advantage followed closely by the combined mass of Kevin and his satellite Steve Cope. These two entities had so much gravitational pull that it actually slowed John down as he was caught in the gravitational pull of these terrestrial bodies.
The three masses almost collided at the point of highest acceleration as two accelerated and one slowed, in a real life enactment of the mathematics behind the physics of Newton’s law.
First the tandem with Ron and Tracy began to slow, then Kevin and Steve began to slow as that same law of physics began to work against them. The tandem had such a tight bond that the two masses remained as one causing a dramatic display of Newton’s law with rapid deceleration as gravity showed its might.
Then it was Kevin that felt the impact and Steve who, like all orbiting particles took full advantage of this law of nature and was able to sling shot on past the larger body freeing himself from the neighboring objects massive gravitational pull.
With in a nano second Steve was flung up over the crest of the hill and into the next county as Kevin and the others continued to struggle against the laws of nature just to reach the summit of Up Chuck.
Like a lone electron Steve circled at the next intersection waiting for the mass of his nucleus. A free electron must seek out a nucleus capable of bonding with others or it will drift forever with no purpose.
All made it to the top of Up-Chuck and through the right turn onto New Hope Church. The group was now falling inline behind the tandem. Ron and Tracy are strong on the flats and down hills and hot on everyone’s heals on the up hills. They were setting the pace for the days ride from the very beginning.
Kevin was riding next to Matt just as a loud Bang and puff of smoke hit Kevin in the side of his face. WOW Kevin yelled.
Everyone turned to see if he was OK.
Matt looked to Kevin to see what had happened to him, not noticing that Matt’s own rear tire just exploded. Kevin pulled to a quick stop. Matt stopped along with him. The tandem took several miles to slow, turn, and then return. A vehicle that large has to first gain approval from the port authority before it can change course. Steve Cope and John had already turned and stopped along Matt and Kevin.
What happened? Kevin announced that Matt’s rear tire blew.
As the group inspected the tire they discovered that not only did the tube blow but the tire’s sidewall shredded. A patch of the tube would not keep the tube in the tire. Ron suggested the use of a dollar bill folded and laid inside the tire between the tube and hole in sidewall to keep the tube from poking out the side of the tire. This is a great roadside repair that has worked in the past. Most of riders carry a spare tube and patch kit but no one carries a spare tire.
Just then Steve Cope suggested the use of his sow up tire. Steve rides Sow ups which are a tube and tire all in one. Upon further review it looked like pulling off Matt’s tire and tube and replace it with Steve’s Sow up would work. The risk being that the sow up would roll off the rim since sow ups are normally glued onto special rims. If the sow up was pumped up real good, and if Matt does not take any corners fast and hard it just might work.
Immediately Steve and Ron began the process of removing Matt’s rear tire, pulling off the defective tire and tube from the rim. Steve pulled the spare sow up from under his bike seat and stretched it over Matt’s naked rim. Ron whipped out his fast CO2 fill cartridge and in an instant the group had effected a tire change that would make NACAR proud.
After coffee, chit chat, introductions, and preparation the riders left the parking lot on schedule. The riders stayed together through the neighborhood of Preston only to splinter at the stop light on Davis. Here the two groups set separate pace lines with the smell the roses group catching the Testosterone riders at the corner of Carpenter Upchurch and Morrisville Carpenter roads. This spurred the Testosterone group into higher gear. The warm up was over. John and his brother Matt took the lead and drove the Testosterone group westward on Carpenter Fire Station Road. Single file they fled.
High rpm’s producing 19 – 21 mph speeds with brief arm movements pointing at hazards in the road. On they rode to the corner of Carpenter Church and Yates Store roads.
The left at Yates Store is where everyone sets up for the run at Up-Chuck hill. Steve Cope falls to the rear behind Kevin. Steve loves to draft the fat man as gravity slings him down the hill with Steve being sucked along. John Majikes loves to peddle as hard as he can to the bottom of the hill hoping that inertia will be his friend and that gravity may not be looking at that instant in time. The others ride in total fear of both Johns frantic attack to the bottom of the hill and the crushing speed of Gravity propelling the Tandem stratled by Ron and Tracy, and the individual riders of Kevin with Steve Cope in tow towards the sound barrier. The G force at the bottom of the hill requires full concentration and a steady grip on the handlebars. The sound of spokes being compressed and the sidewalls of the tires flattening under these forces can be heard over the whistling of the wind through the vents in the rider’s helmets. Only the strongest tires pumped to the ideal pressure can survive this ordeal.
As the hill loomed ever closer John charged ahead soon to be succumbed by the laws of Physics. John does not poses the mass needed to take advantage of gravity’s pull on the downhill. Peddle all he can the math does not work in his favor. Others with greater mass are better designed for the downhill run. Ron and Tracy on the Tandem had the clear advantage followed closely by the combined mass of Kevin and his satellite Steve Cope. These two entities had so much gravitational pull that it actually slowed John down as he was caught in the gravitational pull of these terrestrial bodies.
The three masses almost collided at the point of highest acceleration as two accelerated and one slowed, in a real life enactment of the mathematics behind the physics of Newton’s law.
First the tandem with Ron and Tracy began to slow, then Kevin and Steve began to slow as that same law of physics began to work against them. The tandem had such a tight bond that the two masses remained as one causing a dramatic display of Newton’s law with rapid deceleration as gravity showed its might.
Then it was Kevin that felt the impact and Steve who, like all orbiting particles took full advantage of this law of nature and was able to sling shot on past the larger body freeing himself from the neighboring objects massive gravitational pull.
With in a nano second Steve was flung up over the crest of the hill and into the next county as Kevin and the others continued to struggle against the laws of nature just to reach the summit of Up Chuck.
Like a lone electron Steve circled at the next intersection waiting for the mass of his nucleus. A free electron must seek out a nucleus capable of bonding with others or it will drift forever with no purpose.
All made it to the top of Up-Chuck and through the right turn onto New Hope Church. The group was now falling inline behind the tandem. Ron and Tracy are strong on the flats and down hills and hot on everyone’s heals on the up hills. They were setting the pace for the days ride from the very beginning.
Kevin was riding next to Matt just as a loud Bang and puff of smoke hit Kevin in the side of his face. WOW Kevin yelled.
Everyone turned to see if he was OK.
Matt looked to Kevin to see what had happened to him, not noticing that Matt’s own rear tire just exploded. Kevin pulled to a quick stop. Matt stopped along with him. The tandem took several miles to slow, turn, and then return. A vehicle that large has to first gain approval from the port authority before it can change course. Steve Cope and John had already turned and stopped along Matt and Kevin.
What happened? Kevin announced that Matt’s rear tire blew.
As the group inspected the tire they discovered that not only did the tube blow but the tire’s sidewall shredded. A patch of the tube would not keep the tube in the tire. Ron suggested the use of a dollar bill folded and laid inside the tire between the tube and hole in sidewall to keep the tube from poking out the side of the tire. This is a great roadside repair that has worked in the past. Most of riders carry a spare tube and patch kit but no one carries a spare tire.
Just then Steve Cope suggested the use of his sow up tire. Steve rides Sow ups which are a tube and tire all in one. Upon further review it looked like pulling off Matt’s tire and tube and replace it with Steve’s Sow up would work. The risk being that the sow up would roll off the rim since sow ups are normally glued onto special rims. If the sow up was pumped up real good, and if Matt does not take any corners fast and hard it just might work.
Immediately Steve and Ron began the process of removing Matt’s rear tire, pulling off the defective tire and tube from the rim. Steve pulled the spare sow up from under his bike seat and stretched it over Matt’s naked rim. Ron whipped out his fast CO2 fill cartridge and in an instant the group had effected a tire change that would make NACAR proud.
Matt stared in total awe.
WOW ! That is Great! I didn’t know that was possible! You guys are amazing! WOW ! That is Great! I didn’t know that was possible! You guys are amazing! WOW ! That is Great! I didn’t know that was possible! You guys are amazing!
Steve interrupted Matt
“Get on and ride lest see if it works”.
Off the group rode again with the tandem setting the pace.
WOW ! That is Great! I didn’t know that was possible! You guys are amazing! WOW !
Matt continued to express his total appreciation for the quick thinking and creative problem solving this group was able to demonstrate.
A study in the laws of Physics and the ZEN of Bicycle repair all on one short ride.
The ride continued on its usual 32 mile route with a new twist that kept the group off of 751. As they climbed the last hill on Mt Pisgha Church road they took the left turn onto Earnest Jones Road and then the very next right onto Barbee. This then intersected with Luter. A right on Luter then took the group to the intersection at the strawberry patch and 751. A quick right and immediate left onto Holland Chapel road and they were on the way towards lake Jordan. Left on Ferrington and left again on Horton Pond. The group was settling into a rhythm that had the Tandem and Steve Cope well out front. Kevin, John, and Matt were doing their best to stay consistent with the speed but were falling off the pace. Steve Cope would fall back to chat with the trailing group, and then race forward to harass the tandem team. Matt again was in awe of Steve and his perpetual energy. Kevin was quick to describe Steve as a miniature Chuwawa that likes to nip at everyone’s heals and then run away. As the pack rode on Kevin saw another rider gaining on them from behind. As the rider came along side Kevin recognized him as Tim the rider the group had tried to help on last Saturday’s ride. Tim also recognized the riders and fell into line to ride with the pack until his planned route would take him to his finish. Tim rode with the group for several miles and joined in on the chatter and bantering as if he had been with the group for many rides. The group challenge Tim to consider meeting them next weekend at the start. We rode together until the turn at Wimberly were Tim continued straight towards the finish of his planned route. The group held together to the bottom of Jenks were Steve began his power climb up Jenks Carpenter road. Steve was in the lead followed by the tandem, then John, Matt and Kevin. Kevin slid past John and Matt. He swept silently past the tandem so close that it startled Tracy. His momentum and rpms were working well for him to overtake Steve. Kevin stayed in his stealth mode as he wisped past Steve who was now riding in a relaxed (no one is attacking me) mode. “HEY” Steve yelled. Up and out of the seat, Bike tossed from side to side, Steve responded. Within yards Steve charged past Kevin looking back to announce with facial expression only “Don’t even think about beating me”. That was the last the group saw Steve until they had all arrived at the finish in the Brugers parking lot. He had his bike already packed away, a fresh change of cloths, and food and drink in hand. It was Steve’s way of saying “What took you so long” ?
A 33 mile ride at about 15 mph average including stop for tire change.
We enjoyed having Matt join us again. He came back from a Disney World vacation one day early to ride with the group one more time before he headed back home. Everyone think of him and John June 23 rd as they ride 100 miles in northern California to raise money for Diabetes research.
The group enjoyed meeting up with Tim again. This time he was on his bike rather than calling for a ride home due to a broken chain.
The group enjoyed drafting the tandem and look for their return allowing others to rest in the draft they create going down the road.
The smell the roses riders finished their 25 mile ride entering the parking lot at the same time as the Testosterone laden riders. They did confess that they elected to take the alternate path to Up-Chuck hill by entering the new construction area at the bottom of the hill and exiting at the top of the hill by taking the winding roads thru this new neighborhood.
Ride safe
Ride often.
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