GOLD COASTING NOV/DEC A monthly publication of the Long Island Bicycle Club. Fall and Winter Rides and Other Activities

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1 NOV/DEC 2005 Club Roster Members can receive a copy of the club roster by sending a SASE to Maria Torres, 5-14C 115 Street, College Point, NY (or her at torresm at coned.com). List If you are not getting club s, add your name to the list by sending a message to torresm at coned.com The Standard Ride The club rides every Saturday, Sunday and holiday throughout the year from Westbury High School. Rides leave promptly at 9:30 a.m. Directions: Take the Northern State Parkway to exit 32 north. Go north on Post Ave. The school is on the right just after Jericho Turnpike. Park by the tennis courts. Club Jerseys! To buy one, contact Bill Selsky at or bselsky at juno.com or see him at the lot. LIBC Events Calendar Nov 24 Phil s Thanksgiving Ride 2006 Jan 14 - LIBC-Club Party Apr May - Lakeville,CT Weekend - Memorial Day Weekend Welcome New Members Paul Casalan,Huntington Station Alexandra Lyons,New York City THULE HITCH BAR RACK FOR SALE Thule hitch mount rack for transporting up to 4 bicycles. The rack is in excellent condition and all bicycle frame saddles and retaining bands are in almost new condition. The rack fits a 2 inch square towing hitch bar and is intended for SUV's, pick up trucks, station wagons or other larger size vehicles fitted with a hitch bar. The rack pivots down to permit access to the vehicle s rear window or tailgate. The rack height is adjustable to permit a clear rear view. The buyer must collect the rack from Summit, NJ (12 miles west of Newark Airport). Asking price $75 (new price approx $250) Call or e mail derykharrison@juno.com GOLD COASTING A monthly publication of the Long Island Bicycle Club Fall and Winter Rides and Other Activities By Bill Selsky, LIBC President So we went from this hot, dry summer to this cool, wet Fall. What s a rider to do? Well, if it s really down pouring wet, you can check the LIBCALLGroupsYahoo site, accessible from the club s web page ( Marv Strobing put some suggestions on the site, probably staying up all hours to research and do it. But if it s just a little cool with occasional drizzle, though it may not seem the perfect riding day, it still can be a pretty good one. A mixed bunch of us (A, B, C+ and almost a C) went out on one such day in October. The whole weekend and most of the week to follow was forecast to be gray and wet. One day, though, was prognosticated to be off and on showers (so occasional dry spells) and a few of us took a chance, hoping for more off than on. Daniel came out, riding to the lot, as he does, and astounded to see anyone else, as were two Marvs (not Strobing), Steve Klein, Leah Persik, Steve and, well, I think that was about it. But we headed down Post to the end and into Glen Cove and towards Bayville Road, which had some maintenance workers and some police directing us through the Glen Cove golf course next to Bayville Road to get around it. We went through the golf course, taking the time to explore it a bit, since it is also along the Long Island Sound and is quite picturesque. We then made our way out to Bayville Road below the work crews and headed towards Oyster Bay. One of us needed to stop for a cup of coffee, and some of the rest of us took the opportunity to check out nearby facilities and to refill water bottles. Then it was up Cove Road and through Syosset for some of us and to Huntington and back for the others, giving us all 35 to 40 or so miles of riding and a day on the road. The point of this is, if it s a little bet wet and you are getting cabin fever, you probably can still get a ride in, and if you check the web sites, you can probably hook up with your cycling buddies, something you also might do just by showing up at the lot. You also can hook up with the gang over the winter months to come. Check those web sites and see who is coming out, cold weather, wet weather, what have you. Also, come January 14, you will be able to see people sans helmets, bike shorts and tights and in actual civilian dress. The annual club party will again be held at Singleton s, promising a lot of food, music, awards, raffles and a whole bunch of fun. Details are elsewhere in this newsletter. Also, by the time you read this some (most?) of you will have attended the club s Oct. 27 meeting. More on that and what happened during the cold, rainy months between then and the party in the next bulletin. See you on the road and on the chat sites.

2 LIBC President Bill Selsky / bselsky at juno.com Treasurer Glenn Collins /AverageJoe61 at aol.com Membership Maria Torres / torresm at coned.com Publicity Eric Bertrand-Loesch / embloesch at yahoo.com Recording Secretary Patrick Cuvilly / patrickcuvilly at yahoo.com Away Weekend Planner Domenick Creaco / dcreaco at ix.netcom.com A Ride Chair Phil Ayvazian / biketurn74 at yahoo.com B Ride Chair Daniel Goldschmidt / dgp51 at yahoo.com C+ Ride Chair Ken Schack / ken at schackre.com C Ride Chair Irma Klein ijklein8760 at verizon.net Bulletin Editor Modesta Kraemer th Ave College Point, NY / Msuardy at aol.com Web Page Editor Walter Costanza / wjc at retsambew.com 10% Discount for Members At: Bicycle Planet Syosset Bikeworks Greenvale Brands Wantagh Carl Hart Middle Island Cuevas Bicycles-15% - E Elmhurst Cycles Plus Huntington Mineola Bike Peak Cycles Douglaston Pt Washington Cycles RoadWorx Syosset Tulip Bikes Floral Park Visentin Oyster Bay Guidelines Bicycle Safety is promoted on all club rides, but riders must assume responsibility for their own personal safety. HELMETS ARE REQUIRED! Club rides are graded according to the degree of difficulty: A For very strong cyclists, mph avg, miles, few stops, hills likely. B For strong riders, mph avg, miles, few stops, hills likely. The group will try to wait for slower riders. C mph avg, miles, stops as needed, C hills likely. The group will wait for slower riders mph avg, miles, stops as needed, some hills to be expected. The group will wait for slower riders and assist those having minor mechanical problems If you are in doubt, try out a ride with a slower group and work your way up. Rules to Ride By 1. Arrive 15 minutes early and be ready to leave on time. 2. Make sure your bike is in good working order. 3. Carry a spare tube, patch kit, pump, and water bottle. 4. Practice safety and obey all traffic laws. 5. Leaders are not responsible for those who ride ahead of the group. Try This on Your Next Ride o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o Hush your upper body If you could see a video of yourself riding the road, you might not be as smooth, steady and stylish as you think you are. A "quiet" upper body is one mark of an accomplished roadie. It looks pro, but even more important it conserves energy and improves bike control. Conversely, bobbing and swaying makes it harder to hold a straight line. Upper-body movement wastes energy that could be better used for turning the pedals. What we're talking about is excessive movement. A small amount is natural and even helpful to establishing a pedaling rhythm. And it's true that some very good riders -- Eddy Merckx among them -- rode loudly, particularly when climbing. But for most of us, less upper-body activity is better than more. Do you need to quiet yourself? Here are three ways to tell: ---Watch your shadow. Particularly during the seasons when the sun is low, your shadow can be an excellent coach. It stretches across the road to reveal how much your head and torso are moving. ---Shoot a video. If you have access to a camera, have a friend tape you as you ride by. Or she can do it through the window of a car driven by another friend. ---Use a mirror. Put a large one near your indoor trainer so you can monitor your pedaling action. When you're cranking at speed, glance over to see if your torso is as quiet as you think it is. If you need to correct excessive movement: ---Check your saddle position. Particularly if it's too high, it can cause your upper body to sway as you pedal. A quick check on the trainer is to unclip and put your heels on the pedals, then rotate the crank backwards. You should be able to do this without rocking on the saddle to keep your heels in contact. ---Check your reach to the handlebar. If it's too long, it forces you to ride with straight elbows that can't absorb road shock and lessen movement. If it's too short, the resulting upright position can make you hunch your shoulders and rock as you pedal. ---Check your cadence. Pedaling slowly in a big gear makes you put more upper body into the effort. Spinning a gear that's too small causes bouncing. Find the calmness that comes around 90 rpm. ---Concentrate. Think about what your upper body is doing. Find the sweet spot where your hips are steady and nearly all activity is taking place below them. Don't stiffly resist upper-body movement, but relax so it's minimized. Fighting it too hard could waste more energy (and concentration) than it saves. Best of Coach Fred o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o Which Gloves Work Best in Changing Temps? Question: Now that it's getting cooler, short-finger gloves aren't enough protection for weekend rides starting at 8 a.m. But by 10, long-fingered gloves are too hot and I have to stop to change. Is there a better way? -- Roger M. Coach Fred Matheny Replies: Here's what I do: Start cool fall rides wearing regular short-finger cycling gloves with long-finger polypro gloves over them. Then when the temperature warms, sit up and pull off the long gloves. They're lightweight, so they stash easily in a jersey pocket. For an afternoon ride, do the opposite. Start with your short-finger gloves, then pull your polypros over them as the sun sinks and your hands get cold. Pearl Izumi and other companies make the kind of long-finger gloves I'm talking about. Mine have rubber dots on the fingers and palm for a good grip on the handlebar. They have enough stretch to fit over short-finger gloves without difficulty. You can find these and similar lightweight gloves in bike shops, sporting goods stores and mountaineering shops. Another benefit of wearing regular cycling gloves underneath is that these long-finger gloves usually lack padding. NOV/DEC 2005 GOLD COASTING PAGE 2

3 A Rides Schedule B Rides Schedule Once again a Saturday ride may be changed so that we can get in a last off-island ride. I will call early in the week to let people know and get a consensus on which ride to do. Of course December is a possibility, but so is snow in December. The I'm Healed Ride-50 miles Jim Rand Dr. Jim was off the bike for 9 weeks, but doesn't seem the slightest bit rusty. Jim will probably take us to Centre Island. Phil's Ride-54 miles- Phil Ayvazian Nothing special and maybe we'll even start slowly, but escalate to a frantic, deathdefying finish. Jo's Ride-56 miles-jo Vlastaris Jo likes the Sunken Meadow area and might even be able to do the ride without harassment. If Steve is not there someone will have to do some Jo imitations. The Three Idiots and One More-55 miles. The three geniuses will again attempt to fashion some sort of bike ride. The Beacon, who most likely will be on the ride, will be in constant phone contact with Jesus, who will also be on the ride. Something is going on or is it that the Beacon has finally learned to use his cell phone and wishes to show off to the rest of the riders. Who are the other two higher intellects? The Jesus Ride-55 miles. Jesus likes to go steady and with minimal food. If his cell phone doesn't ring we might be in for a nice ride. The Beacon promises to stop dialing. Jo Leads Again miles. What would a Jo ride be without Steve aiding, abetting and torturing the leader. Jo will lead, Steve will lead and we will all dutifully follow. Go ahead of Jo and risk a tonguelashing. Thursday, Nov 24 The Thanksgiving Day Ride - 42 miles non-stop-phil. The Thanksgiving Day Ride used to be pain, torture and a great appetite builder. For the past several years it has been cold, rainy or snowy. If the weather is good it will be hard and fast. If not, we'll be lucky to get out. The Beacon miles, 300 watts, 92 rpm-chuck Gleason What would a month be without the wisdom and humor of the Beacon leading a ride? The Beacon has been having his senior moments (a prelude to retirement?) and sometimes shares them with us. Sometimes he shares them with himself, but we hear them. Very confusing. He will also lead a bike ride. Draft a Leader or put up with the three idiots Ride. At ride time a leader may be drafted or the triumvirate may share the duties to the great chagrin of the cowering cyclists. We had a good riding year, hopefully the harbinger of a mild winter. This month we revisit some of our favorites. We even have some rides scheduled for December. Remember, with the proper clothing we can keep riding as long as it is dry. If the weather is iffy, check on libcb.. John Howe ( ). We will go to Eaton s Neck again. Let s see if we can all make the whole ride this time. About 68 miles, some hills. Lunch in Northport. Patrick Cuvilly ( ). Patrick will fulfill the request to revisit Caumsett Park. About 55 miles, with lunch in Huntington. Bill Dinner ( ). Will he do his clover? Three leaves or four? A ride with many options, and only short snack stops. Bring bars or nuts. About 47 miles. Rich Suttenberg ( ). 50 Miles to Kings Point, Sands Point, Roslyn and Sea Cliff. If we can hold off, we'll have lunch in Sea Cliff. Bring a power bar just in case. Cecilia Cassidy ( ). You would follow Cecilia anywhere, this time follow her to Centerport. About 55 miles, lunch in Huntington or Woodbury. Eric Bertrand-Loesch ( ). A different route to Bayville, via Cold Spring Harbor, Snake, Fish, Moore's and possibly Beacon. Work up a sweat because it is cold outside. Lunch in Lattingtown (Pizza on Forest). 65 miles. Thursday, Nov 24 Daniel Goldschmidt ( ). A short ride but enough to justify all the food we will get later. About 40 miles, short stops, through Nassau s best areas. Hamid Alaie ( ). We will try the deli in San Remo again. If it is still closed, lunch in Kings Park. 65 miles. Bill Selsky ( ). Bill will probably take us on his signature Wyandanch ride, with a pizza lunch and a total of about 45 miles. Bs there is a schedule for December, Please go to the B chat site, which is accessible from or e- mail Daniel ( address on page 2) and he will send it. NOV/DEC 2005 GOLD COASTING PAGE 3

4 C+ Rides Schedule The C+ group has had a very successful year with new riders and new ride leaders. I would like to thank all of the ride leaders - Pat Mullin, Patrick Cuvilly, Mark Mandell, Glenn Abelson, Steve Klein, Charley Elioseff, Mona Haas, June Robins, Mark Blatt, John Konz, Peter Heller, Bill Dinner, Marvin Bzura, Susan Mrwik, Marv Strobing and Andy Warhol. I hope that we have a mild winter so that we can continue riding and be in good shape for the start of the 2006 season. I ll see you on the road. Kenny Pat Mullen ( ) 55 miles. Northport. 33 hilly miles to Northport. 22 relatively flat miles on the return. Susan Mrwik ( ) miles. Centre Island.. Marvin Bzura ( ) 46 miles. Centerport & Greenlawn Huntington Bay, Mark Blatt ( ) miles. Back-Seat Driver Ride. Will take comments and suggestions from those drafting off the leader. Comments and suggestions may be ignored or followed at the discretion of the leader. Susan Mrwik ( ) miles. Sea Cliff. Marvin Bzura ( ) 50 miles. Crab Meadow Park Kenny Schack ( ) miles. Tibet. I will end the season in a blaze of hill glory as we have the entire winter to recover. C Rides Schedule Unless otherwise specified, C rides are in the mile range at a pace ranging between mph. For more detail about the ride, please contact the chosen leader for the day. Domenick Creaco (516) Okay, so we didn t get to ride in Bucks County blame the weather. To make it up - REMOTE RIDE to Shelter Island. We will meet at Mattituck High School between 9:30 and 10:00 weather permitting of course. Let me know if you are coming. Mary Grady (516) If it isn t too cool we can go to the beach at East Island and then into the Secret Garden a bit on the cool side we can omit the beach. George Cutler (516) To Bayville we will go. Not too far and not too long but enough to make everyone happy they came out for the ride. Al Rutsky (516) A ride to keep you guessing, down one street and up another, but of course if you have been riding with Al you know the ultimate goal is the Bagel Place in Glen Head and then back to the lot. Clara Meyerson (516) Clara s favorites, Duck Pond and Feeks and some secondary favorites to fill in so she can get us to her first choice favorites. Steve Klein ( ) We will help Steve celebrate his birthday with a mile for each year of his age. Still under 100 miles. "Easy Rider" Schedule Easy Rider Group offers shorter rides at a relaxed pace. Most rides are in the mile range with a pace of miles per hour. Riders new to group riding, please make sure you have accomplished a ride of at least miles before you take on the challenge of this longer ride. We rarely schedule Easy Rides in November as the weather is generally on the cool side and demand for a leisurely ride is rare. This year however we have had such a good response that both Clare and Al have agreed to each lead one more ride. Weather permitting, the scheduled dates are: Sunday, November 13 Clare Schwartz (516) Bayville via Berry Hill Road. Sunday, November 20 Al Rutsky (516) Wander the hills and dales with Al and warm up with a bagel and coffee in Glen Head. Irma Klein (718) Sagamore Hill with an extra hill or two thrown in for good measure. Roll your own any volunteers to lead? Mike Woloch (718) Thanksgiving has come and gone and the frost is on the pumpkin once again. Advanced warning - Mike loves the hills but hates cold weather, so if you plan to ride check with your weatherman first. Under 40 we might be rolling our own.. Please go to the chat site, which is accessible from or our Club President Bill Selsky at bselsky@juno.com with questions or ideas for next season. NOV/DEC 2005 GOLD COASTING PAGE 4

5 Club Party January 14 The 2005 party was the best ever, everyone said. So, mark your calendar for January 14, again from 6-10 pm at HR Singleton s, 150 Hicksville Road (Route 107), Bethpage. It s on Hempstead Turnpike and Hicksville Road. Send a check for $39.95, made out to the LIBC, to Bill Selsky, 795 Truman Avenue, East Meadow, NY In return, you will get tons of food, as much as you want (most of you) of rolls, salad, spinach salad, rosemary potatoes, penne ala vodka, grilled vegetable lasagna, vegetable medley, chicken marsala, sliced London broil, seafood pasta, fish, desert, soft drinks, coffee or tea, cash bar. Raffles, prizes, awards, what some call dancing. Directions: LIE to exit 44 south (Route 135) to exit 7W (Route 24/Hempstead Turnpike). Go three lights to Route 107 (Hicksville Road). Make a right. Restaurant is 1 st building on the right. Or, Southern State Parkway to exit 29 (Hicksville Road/Route 107). Go north 3 miles to Route 24 (Hempstead Turnpike). Cross intersection. Restaurant is on right. Ya Win Some - You Lose Some By Irma Klein Our Impetuous trip to the Watch Hill area of Rhode Island, just under 3 hours driving distance, drew raves from all attendees. We stayed at the Breezeway Resort in Westerly RI, a picturesque and beautifully cared for haven just blocks from the beach. The breakfast room was bright and sunny with plenty of table room and featured fresh bagels brought daily from New York what more could anyone ask for well err a nice sunny weekend? Our intrepid dozen who braved the generally miserable weather on the trip up from New York were Domenick Creaco, Clara Meyerson, Susan Mrwik, Mary Grady, Charles Elioseff, Lynn Lettieri, Al Rutsky, Clare Schwartz, Trina Wishy, Fonda Charne, Lee Wrubel and myself. We arrived in time for lunch on Friday and even with Domenick s prompting, immediately ruled out the Friday ride in favor of a walk to the beach for lunch, a wise decision as it turned out as the heavens opened up and it poured minutes after arriving at our lunch destination. The roaring ocean breaking on the shore entertained us, and the red footprints of gulls cavorting across the canvas of the awning protecting us from the elements as we nibbled on crab cakes, chowder and salads. We then returned to our cars to ride the route to see all the highlights we had missed had we been on our bikes. The management provided us with a room for our pre-dinner cocktail hour and then we dined in a restaurant with tasty New England fare. That evening the weatherman promised 90% chance of rain for Saturday and I thought to myself there goes the weekend and You can t win them all. Most of us came to breakfast dressed more for sightseeing rather than bike touring but by the time we were finished with breakfast the sun was shining and we got ready for our 53.5 mile leisurely ride along the Connecticut shoreline including the Watch Hill Light House Returning back to the Breezeway it was still sunny and warm and time for some of us to hop into the pool, a perfect way to cool down. Sunday dawned clear and once again sunny and we headed out for a 38 mile ride to the Stoningtons,. (continue on the next column) Ya Win Some - You Lose Some a ride that took us back in time to the beginnings of Rhode Island and Connecticut, where we came across an original village green and ancient, beautifully kept homes sporting plaques denoting original owners names and the year they were built, some built as early as the 1700 s. Some of the homes even denoted the fate of the owner, to wit died by drowning on a mission of mercy to Block Island in the year. We picked up our lunch at a deli on a very narrow, very old street with the shops crowded together and brought it down to the shore where we watched the sailboats and gulls, eager for the pretzels that Charles and Domenick tossed to them. The terrain on both these rides was moderately rolling with an average grade of 1 and a climbing distance of about 2,600 ft - a great weekend, and a great getaway. Columbus Day weekend found us back in our cars heading for Bucks County, PA same conditions as the Westerly trip but hey, the weather cleared for us in Westerly, why not in Bucks County also. You win some but not all the sun never showed its face, and it rained almost continuously. Those of us who hadn t already cancelled the weekend never got to take our bikes out of our cars. We had lunch on Friday then decided to tour the Mercer Collection, a castle-like building of 6 floors built to house collections of obsolete articles representing every conceivable trade, type of transportation, family life and entertainment. Articles too large for store window view leather working shop, hatter, music shop, wallpaper pattern making, kitchen utensils, general store, - you name it I guarantee you will find it represented there - plus an original stagecoach, other horse drawn vehicles, a collection of Penny Farthings, a whaling boat, and equipment for logging and well drilling to name just a few. Next day Saturday loomed murky and wet and at breakfast I think most of us had the same idea the weather was not going to change so let s check out of our hotels, do some more sightseeing, have some lunch and head for home. If you haven t been there, The Pearl S. Buck house was fascinating and a must see if you are in the area. So ends another year of mostly successful bike touring unless someone can come up with an idea for a ride through warmer, sunnier climates? We are always open to suggestions, so let us hear from you. SAVE THE DATE FOR DINNER ON NOVEMBER 3, 2005 The LIBC official riding season will shortly be coming to an end and our good friends Gary and Bonnie will be heading south for the winter. So let s all get together for dinner to say goodbye to them have some libations and celebrate our triumphal ridding season. ALL ARE WELCOME!!! WHEN: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2005 WHERE: AYHAN'S SHISH-KEBAB REST 1509 OLD COUNTRY ROAD (IN THE SOURCE MALL) WESTBURY, NY TIME: 7:00 PM IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND PLS RESPOND TO SUSAN MRWIK, BY GOING TO THE C+ CHAT SITE, WHICH IS ACCESSIBLE FROM SO THAT ADEQUATE SEATING CAN BE ARRANGED. NOV/DEC 2005 GOLD COASTING PAGE 5

6 Long Island Bicycle Club First Class Mail 5-14C 115 Street Forwarding and Address College Point, NY Correction Requested Information for the next bulletin needed by DEC. 15th LONG ISLAND BICYCLE CLUB MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Membership in the LIBC includes a 10% discount at selected bicycle shops, access to club rides and events, and the monthly bulletin. The cost of membership is $20. Each additional member of the household can join for $5. Name(s): Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Please print your address very carefully Signature(s): Each member must sign LIBC membership: $20.00 additional 5.00 each: Total amount enclosed: Make check payable to: Long Island Bicycle Club Send this form and your payment to: LIBC, c/o Maria Torres 5-14C 115 Street College Point, NY In signing this release for myself or a member of my family who is under the age of 18, I acknowledge that I understand the intent hereof, and I hereby agree to and will absolve and hold harmless the Long Island Bicycle Club and its officers and members and any other parties connected with clubsponsored rides or activities associated herewith. I also consent to and permit emergency medical treatment in the event of injury or illness. I shall abide by traffic laws and regulations and practice courtesy and safe cycling. I also understand that the Long Island Bicycle Club requires the use of helmets when participating in all club rides.