Bennington Cycle Club: News

Woodford Uphill Time Trials - Info on Facebook

Information for the 2013 Woodford Uphill Time Trial Series can be found on Facebook. Check out dates, details and results at Bennington Cycle Club. See you there!

Important new legislation

House bill h.209 is a new legislative effort to improve conditions and interactions between motor vehicles and "vulnerable users" - basically any roadway user not in a motor vehicle.

This law greatly expands on the legislation passed 2 years ago. I'll let you look at the bill, but the main points are

motor vehicles must yield to vulnerable users whenever making a turn.

Motor vehicles must pass vulnerable users with a minimum of 3 feet clearance at 30 MPH, and an additional foot for each additional 10 MPH over 30.

any collision between a motor vehicle and a vulnerable user at an intersection will be considered prima facie evidence the motorist didn't yield.

This law is based on the New Hampshire law passed recently. Law enforcement there feels it has worked very well in protecting vulnerable users. With this history, our legislature seems much more favorable to this kind of law than they were 2 years ago. I've included a link to the law as the URL on this article.

Please write or call your legislators to voice your support for H.209. It is also being introduced in the Senate, but I don't have a bill number there.

Woodford Hill Climb Series Rereturns for 2012

The Bennington Cycle Club will host three time trials for the summer of 2012 as part of the Woodford Hill Climb Series.

Tuesday, June 19 at 6:00pm

Tuesday, July 17 at 6:00pm

Tuesday, August 21 at 6:00pm (Finnegan Payne's Birthday)

These time trials start at the Woodford Town Hall on Route 9 and finish at the Prospect Ski Area parking lot. Participants must sign in at the town hall 15 minutes prior to start. Riders go off in one minute intervals. Results will be posted here. Helmets are required of all starters.

The course is 3.7 miles long with an elevation gain of 1,375 feet. The course record stands at 14:50 by Jon Rowe and was set in 2010.

This series has been held since 2002 and was inspired by SBOG Productions, HEW and the folks at Bennington Cycle Club.

Woodford Time Trial Results

Results for this week's Time Trials:

1 Jeff Johnson 15:27

2 Jon Rowe 15:53

3 Colin Brant 16:18

4 Art Haytko 19:32

5 Tim Schroeder 20:01

6 Julie McKenzie 21:11

7 Tom Dockum 21:34

8 Keith Rodney 23:27

9 Karen Schroeder 25:23

Great job everyone!

Mountain Bike Rides

Intermediate level mountain bike rides every Monday @ 5:30. Rides are 1.5 hours long and will usually leave from the Rec Center parking lot. There will be weeks that we will start from different locations. Please email me at missnjon@comcast.net if you would like to be on the mtb email list. Rides are cancelled if it's raining out.

Jon

Racing Against the Clock

Summer is coming so it's time to dust off your road bikes and get ready to race against the clock. We offer a rolling, double loop at the Bennington airport on the first Tuesday of the month. For those who like to climb, we offer an uphill ride to Prospect ski area every third Tuesday of the month.

All races start at 6pm with riders asked to sign in with the time keeper starting at 5:45. All racers must wear a helmet. Most importantly, all riders are welcome.

Airport loop TT

Tuesday, June 7
Tuesday, July 5
Tuesday, August 2

Uphill TT

Tuesday, June 21
Tuesday, July 19
Tuesday, August 16

The Wicked Needs Your Help

Volunteers are needed to present the Wicked Creepy Cyclocross Race at Willow Park on Sunday, October 31st. Volunteers are needed for race set up the day before and staffing registration and tear down on Sunday. Please volunteer. If you are able to help, please contact Tim Payne at 442-7238.

No More TT Racing This Year

There will be no TT up Woodford on Tuesday, September 14th. You are invited to join the Club on Sunday, October 31st, in hosting the Wicked Creepy Cyclocross Race at Willow Park, All assistance is welcome.

Results from last TT of the season

The Bennington Cycle Club held its last time trial of the season on Tuesday evening under very warm and humid conditions. Tim Payne posted a 29:10 followed by Tim Schroeder (31:06), Bob Butterfield (31:53), Miles Yucht (33:08) and John Wade (33:23). Race support was provided by Laura Hain and the series will return in June 2011. The Bennington Cycle Club will next host the Wicked Creepy Cyclocross Race on Sunday, October 31^st, at Willow Park. All riders and spectators are welcome.

MAUHS Won Hwa Summer School -- Presentation

The four boys who completed the Montreal Bike Trip, a Won Hwa Do Seminar and the Equinox Hill Climb (still to come, but they will do so Saturday morning) would like to invite you to a community presentation about their experiences. They will be sharing photos and personal stories at the UU Meetinghouse on School Street (red building behind The Lucky Dragon) on August 15th at 7:00 pm.

MAUHS Won Hwa Summer School -- Presentation

Airport TT #2 in the bank

Despite a light drizzle and 100% humidity, eight riders took to the airport loop for a battle with the clock. Thank you Laura for the following results ....

Tim Schroeder : 30:58
Tim Payne: 30:05
Marie Litowinsky: 42:45
Julie McKenzie: 31:51
Mike Spangenberg: 25:13 *
Colin Wentworth: 35:23 My mistake before it wasnt 35:07 he started @ 6:07:19 finished 6:42:42
Miles Yucht: 31:40
Bob Butterfield: 32:00

A reminder that the TT series continues in 2 weeks with a race from Woodford to Prospect starting at 6pm. See you on the road - Tim

Airport TT Up Next

The Airport time trial is scheduled for Tuesday, August 3rd, at 6pm. Riders should meet at the airport entrance at 5:45 so we can draft a start list and send the first rider off at 6pm. The course is two laps of the loop and a helmet is required. Riders of all abilities are welcome to join us.

MAUHS Won Hwa Summer School -- Arrival Plans

In case we do not have internet access tonight, we want to let everyone know we plan to arrive at the high school between 2:00 and 2:30 tomorrow afternoon (Sunday). We'd love to see you all there!!!!!!!!!

MAUHS Won Hwa Summer School Friday, July 23

Though we were in a college dorm, we awoke to what most college students don’t. It was an early morning which we all love, right? What fun it was to see those who have trouble waking up early get up slowly except for the regular early risers: Anya, Story, John, and I. The reason for getting up was an eight o’clock tour at Vermont Technical College. It is a nice campus and school, but most of us do not plan to go in to technical fields. Dianne, who works in the admissions office, gave us some idea of what we would want to look for in schools. After the viewing the college we set off on our adventure for the day. From the beginning of the ride we were met with massive climbs up to six miles long and treacherous dirt roads that left our tires spinning. As we rode up towards the top before the drop down in to Barnard, John and I came across two young boys who were selling freshly baked rolls and chocolate cake. Both were delicious and all of us ended up eating something from their stand. What magic it was to run into someone selling such delicious food on the top of a ridge.

In Woodstock we enjoyed cold cut sandwiches and leftover pasta salad. After we ate we headed to Gillingham’s General Store which has a little bit of everything from cleaning products, weird shaped guitars, to toys and delicious treats. Josh found a thin guitar to play while the rest of us joined in with harmonicas and penny whistles. From there we went to get ice cream at the Mountain Creamery. This was a delicious treat, and we got multiple things such as strawberry smoothies, maple walnut ice cream in a waffle bowl, and milkshakes. We then said goodbye to Woodstock and pedaled off towards Springfield. There was one more gigantic hill to go up which we all made and the rest of the ride was fairly easy. Close to Springfield we stopped at Seedhouse Café where we were offered more ice cream and some blueberry pie. Unfortunately, we had to turn down the offer since there was already enough sugar coursing through our veins, but we really appreciated their warm bathrooms.

The rain picked up for the last fifteen miles of the day’s 58-mile ride and made us rush to the showers when we reached the campground. We were given a pavilion to set up our tents under. The dinner plan was some delicious stir-fry with a large assortment of vegetables, tofu and chicken. While waiting for dinner, Owen crafted some guacamole (including garlic grown by Mikala in Quebec) for us to eat with chips and carrots. We all made dinner together and it certainly felt like we were a family as we sat around the picnic table. We only have one family dinner left after tonight, and we are all upset that the trip is almost over. As the sun sets we will study and play games to pass the time, all while wanting the trip to never end. We are already planning our first reunion!!

By Mike Sigsbury

MAUHS Won Hwa Summer School--Monday and Tuesday 7/19 & 7/20

The 79 mile ride out of Montreal to Frelighsburg, Quebec, was our longest so far, but thankfully it was flat. It was great to get back on the bikes even though no one wanted to leave the city.

We rode a bike path for almost 50 miles and roads for the remaining distance. The back group had to fight the setting sun for the last 20 miles. In the end it was probably the most physically, mentally, and emotionally draining thing any of us had done. We stayed with a woman who was so generous and welcoming that we all felt pampered and at home. She had a delicious dinner ready when we arrived and we all had mattresses to sleep on. Josh and I followed her tradition and played guitar while the others did the dishes.

The next day’s ride was 10 miles shorter but full of some of the most challenging hills we have faced so far. There were a lot of ups and downs both literally and metaphorically. The day started with an interesting border crossing. We weren’t allowed to bring our tomatoes, oranges or apples into the US so everyone pitched in to eat them before we crossed. It ended up looking more like a hot dog eating contest than anything.

Realizing that everyone was feeling differently after the last ride, we split into groups of one student and one adult. We each went at our own pace and got a chance to stop at some interesting local markets for snacks along the way. One place had the best peaches I have ever had. We took a road into Irasburg that had hills so long and so steep I lost my balance three times trying to climb them. The downhills were a great reward for all the hard work. Everyone struggled and everyone hit their walls, but we all made it to Hardwick one way or another. We have to send a huge shout out to the good folks who graciously gave us rides to and from Irasburg. The house we are staying at seems like heaven: great view, shower, grilled chicken for dinner, plenty of space to sleep, and an endless supply of ice cream. We’re catching up on some reading, writing, and going for a swim in the morning.

Written by Danny Risatti

MAUHS Won Hwa Summer School--Thursday 7/22

After some fun in the sun at Caspian Lake the group went back to Story’s aunt’s house to get ready for a ride to a horse farm. Right when we were about to depart we could hear some thunder rumbling in the distance. The rain came pouring down seconds later. We planned on just waiting it out in the house and doing some reading. It was becoming too late to ride and the rain was not letting up so we all decided to stay another night in Hardwick. We spent the evening reading, playing cards, and having some deep discussions. Dinner was some delicious homemade macaroni and cheese prepared by Martha. We all sat around a television and watched Seabiscuit as we ate our dinner. We figured if we can’t see horses we might as well watch a movie about them.

Wake up this morning was earlier than it had been lately. The morning was full of sleepless faces packing the car. We headed down the monstrous hill as the rain poured down upon us (no thunder this morning), and we were covered in mud by the time we reached the bottom. Before we knew it, we were in Montpelier in front of the glorious capital building and we had time for a tour even though we thought we had missed it. We met gubernatorial candidate Matt Dunne and then headed into the Senate chamber with Mike Doyle, state house tour guide extraordinaire. The tour was short, but entertaining. The ride to VT Tech was hilly, but it went by quickly and everyone’s spirits were high after a 59 mile ride. We’re staying at the Nutting Dorm and hanging out in Danny and Owen’s room writing this article having a grand old time. For dinner we kept with the college experience and ate pizza and probably we’ll eat some cold slices for breakfast. Tomorrow we head for Springfield, only three days left, but it feels like it’s ending too soon.

Owen’s quote for the day: “It seems like all we do in Vermont is go UP!!”

Written by Owen Kenyon, Danny Risatti, Josh Reed, Mike Sigsbury, & Martha Cornwell (The Fab Five)

Uphill TT #2 Results

Almost perfect conditions brought out a big field of 17 riders to test their legs on the climb to Prospect. A check of the archives showed lots of folks set new PRs tonight.

Special thanks to Laura, queen of all that is race support, as we have all been to paid events that don't meet her standard of courtesy and professionalism. Also, make sure you support the Banner as Zach was once again on the hill to take pictures and get quotes.

A reminder that the next TT is at the airport loop on August 3rd, look for details in the Banner. You will find your times posted below...

Melissa Rowe: 20:38
Meg Campell: 24:11
Keith Rodney: 24:33
Bob Butterfield: 23:17
Tom Dockum: 20:32
Tim Payne: 19:23
Art Haytko: 19:07
? Lew Fisher: 16:47
Dukes Love: 15:46
Craig Robertson: 17:57
Dave Delano: 23:59
Jon Rowe: 15:18
Steve Vargo: 15:34
Mikes Yucht: 19:17
Julie Mckenzie: 20:19
Brian Vargo: 18:08
Jeff Johnson: 15:11*

Green Mountain Girls - A Band of Sisters

Good luck to the Green Mountain Girls at the Vermont Sun Triathlon Series and with their ongoing training. You go Girls!

MAUHS Won Hwa Summer School

We are writing from Saint Phillippe, Quebec. Our bikes are holding up great. We really want to thank Dan and Faith of Roads and Trails for supporting us in endless ways.

After rising at 6am a majority of the group took a jog around the campground and down to the beach. There, we did some stretching to get our muscles ready for the day’s ride. Everything was going smoothly with an excellent tail wind for the first hour but then the weather took a little turn for the worse. It began to rain pretty hard for about a half hour or so. The first group arrived at the resting point before it even began to rain; they peddled at an average speed of 25MPH! Unfortunately, the last group got soaked, completely drenched. After some coffee at the Vermont Welcome Center in Alburgh we headed off to the border. Once at the border, the group was filled with ecstasy as our paperwork got checked by the border patrol and we saw our first glimpses of Canada. The rest of the ride went by perfectly through the farm lands of southern Quebec. We stopped at a tiny horse farm whose friendly owners are hosting us for the night. The scenery is extremely beautiful and so are the three horses. Martha, Anja, and Owen immediately befriended them. The gelding named Big got pretty up close and personal with Owen and was licking his face and neck. The rest of the group got their clothing nibbled on as well. Everyone decided that we wanted to show our appreciation to these gracious and generous people. So, we are putting ourselves on manure duty. The rest of the night will be filled with reading, writing, studying French and a swim in the pool.

Written by Byron Adams, Owen Kenyon, Josh Reed and Mike Sigsbury