It’s been an exciting season thus far with the Police Unity Tour, Bike New York, Pedal for Promise, and many more exciting rides to come. Okay lots to talk about this week. Like this coming Sunday, May 20th, Evesham Celebrations Foundation hosting its annual Taste of Evesham festival on Main Street in Marlton, after our weekly Sunday ride AND the new Team Jerseys available soon.

Sunday Recap

Last Sunday’s ride was “Interesting” in the words of Dave Bennis. “I never saw so many groups going in different directions.  I think each group leader put their own variation into the ride…” This was meant facetiously of course. As a rule we try to structure our rides as smaller groups based on a specific pace.”Try” being the operative word. We’ll “try” a little harder next week to keep things a bit tighter and more organized. No one got hurt (seriously anyway) and everyone seemed to be having fun. We’re also starting our rides at 8:30am instead 9am for anyone who hasn’t been riding with us lately.

Taste of Evesham Festival

Our own award-winning parent organization the Evesham Celebrations Foundation will be welcoming the public to its fourth annual 2012 Taste of Evesham festival on Main Street in Marlton this Sunday, May 20th, from 1-4pm. You will not want to miss this outstanding celebration of local food, drinks and entertainment. This year vendors will include Mikado Japanese Steak & Sushi, Brio Tuscan Grille, Hard Rock Cafe, Maggianno’s Little Italy, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Rita’s Water Ice, Starbucks, Whole Foods Market, and many others. Local talent includes a cooking demonstration by Chef Fran Davis of the Flavorful Fork Personal Chef Service.

2012 Team Jerseys

This year’s Team Evesham jerseys will be available shortly. The design was created by a young artist named Brooke Murray and is primarily a cobalt blue background with our yellow team logo on both the front and back. The name “Team Evesham” is also displayed prominently on the front and rear of the jersey along with our team’s primary sponsor, the Evesham Celebrations Foundation, as well as the jersey sponsor, Danzeisen & Quigley. Thank you D&Q!

Safety Corner

With the warmer weather and more people joining our rides it is becoming increasingly necessary to focus on safety. A Team Evesham member, who shall remain anonymous (no guessing please, it’s not important who) writes the following about an event that occurred during a recent ride

“I have learned a valuable lesson: don’t turn your head back to try to read a street sign while making a high speed turn.  My shoulder is sore but I think it is fine.  My bike is at [bike shop] and it too will be fine…”

The shadows are hiding the road rash in this photo – ouch! Please remember to keep your eyes focused in the direction you are riding. We are all guilty of not doing this from time to time but the result can be painful or worse.

Upcoming Rides

• Thursday, May 17th, 6pm – Evesham/Medford 20 mile ride. This will be a C+/B pace. Meet up at the Evesham Township Municipal Building (984 Tuckerton Rd., Marlton, NJ 08053).
• Friday, May 18th, 8:30am – Weekly Friday ride from Panera’s. This is a C/C+ pace. All are welcome. Maybe we can get Mike R. & Tom C. back?
• Sunday, May 20th, 8:30am – Our regular Sunday ride from Panera’s. A, B+, B & C. No one gets left behind.
• Sunday, May 20th 1-4pm – Taste of Evesham. Don’t miss it!

Photos

Be safe, be healthy, enjoy the great riding weather and we hope to see you all soon!
- Brad, Chuck, Sandy, Dave & Wendy

Bob Kehoe, Mike Barth, Sandy Student

Sunday’s Mother’s Day Ride

Don’t forget, this Sunday’s ride starts at 8:30am

After some discussion we determine that we must take steps to improve the group riding experience and safety.

Safety is primary. A ride will not be not enjoyable if is not safe.  Common sense and group riding etiquette promote safety.

• Pick the right group – Choose a group within your capabilities. This will be discussed in more detail later.
• Communicate – Communication is key to a safe group rides. Road are full of traffic, rocks, signs, pot holes, parked cars, animals, pedestrians, etc. and visibility is limited for cyclists in a pack. It is important to communicate to the riders in the group of potential hazards by shouting out and pointing out hazards.
  Warnings you’re likely to hear include: 
  • Car Back: there’s a car approaching from the rear of the group ride
  • Car Up: there’s a car approaching from the front of the group ride
  • Car right or left: car is approaching on the left of right of the group ride
  • Rock or Pot Hole: there is a hazard in the road
  • Walker up: there’s a pedestrian on the road ahead
  • Biker up: there is a slower cyclist coming up
  • Slowing/Stopping: you( and the group) are slowing and stopping

   

• No more than 2 abreast – Never ride more than 2 abreast,  stay to right and never ride left of center of the road.  If  “car back” is called out,  ride single file.

 

• Obey traffic laws – Bicycles are considered vehicles and must obey all traffic laws.  You can get a ticket for not obeying the laws.

 

• Be smart and predictable –
  • Stay alert – Group dynamics are ever changing and riders are all around you. Being alert and aware allows you to stay with the flow.
  • Don’t overlap wheels – A small change left or right by the rider in front you can cause you and others to crash.
  • Pass Safely – When passing try to pass on the left, and alert the rider being passed by communicating “on your left”. One should almost never pass on the right.

   

• Hold your line – This is part of be predictable and passing safety. Other riders don’t like a squirrelly rider who is all over the road. It is especially important on turns to hold your line.  More accidents occur on turns when riders don’t hold their line or when riders try to pass on a turn.

 

• Stay off aero bars -  They are much too unstable to be used in a group ride.

Group riding rules

• Respect and listen to the group leader – Leading a group is not a easy task.  The group leader sets the parameters so everyone can enjoy the ride. Riders who don’t respect those parameters diminish the experience for the others.
• Obey traffic laws – enough said!
• Do not leave the group behind – Do not separate yourself more than reasonable distance from the group unless the leader announces a “break away” to specific location.
• Don’t leave riders off – If the group gets separated at intersections, the lead group should soft pedal until the rest join up.  Also, do not run red lights to stay with the group!
• Don’t leave a rider with an equipment problem alone - At least one person should stay to aid with repairs and to help rejoin the group.

Groups / Ride classes

• Group A – speed 20 – 22 mph
• Group B+ – speed 18- 20  mph
• Group B – speed 16 – 18 mph
• Group C – speed 12 -16 mph

Choosing the right group – In order for a group to maintain cohesiveness the riders should be somewhat matched in capabilities.  To maximize your enjoyment and the enjoyment of others in the group it is important that you choose the group that best matches your capabilities. If you believe you are ready to step up in class and want to try a faster group inform the rider leader that you are stepping up in class, and if you cannot maintain the pace let him/her know that you are dropping back to the next group.

Start of the ride – After the announcements the leaders  for the A, B+, B, C groups will  go to locations  away from the main group. The rider will re-assemble in the respective groups to review the ride plan, speed, pace and safety rules before starting the ride.

This year three members of Team Evesham are participating in the Police Unity Tour. This is a ride of over 300 miles that goes from New York to Washington DC.

When the Police Unity Tour comes into a town, everything stops, every intersection is held as the line of cyclists stretches out , everyone rides two by two.

The cyclists are welcomed into every town by school students, bands, church bells, and even senior citizens cheering and calling out from their wheelchairs.

The school kids all want to touch the hands of a rider and the ride marshals hand out Police Unity Tour flags to the kids. People salute the riders and everyone has a smile on their face, both riders and even those who have to stop to allow the riders to pass along the route.

Someone commented that the Unity Tour must be re-creating the drama of the old western movies when the calvary rode into town, everyone is dressed in blue and police officials come from all over the world (England, Canada, Australia, etc.) to ride.

Tomorrow, Thursday, the Unity Tour will be riding along Route 130 from Edison NJ en route to Wilmington DE, the tour stops for lunch on Route 130 at the Abundant Life Fellowship Church, 4151 Route 130, Edgewater Park, NJ. Come and see you fellow team members as they ride to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their communities.

The riders say they “ride for those who died”.

Wow what an amazing weekend!

This past week Team Evesham participated in some great rides over four consecutive days.

On Thursday evening we had a 20 mile B ride and Friday was the weekly C/C+ ride with eight cyclists covering 30 miles through Marlton, Medford, Shamong, and Tabernacle.

On Saturday twelve Team Evesham members rode 50 miles  from Johnson’s Farm in Medford to Tuckerton in the fantastic Pedal for Promise charity ride which raises money to support the Urban Promise Academy in Camden.  A few team members even rode back  to Johnson’s making the ride a century!

Sunday, May 6th saw 28 team members in New York mingling with the masses. They participated in the annual 40-mile, traffic-free TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour (a/k/a “Bike New York”). This is an absolutely amazing close-up tour of Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs. It is also America’s largest bike event with 32,000 participants this year. In addition many riders participate to raise money for a number of charitable causes including the Alzheimer’s Association and the JDRF, both of which we have Team Evesham members involved.

Even with the contingent in NYC, we still had over 50 riders in our weekly Sunday all-level ride! The route was a new one taking us out to Nixon’s with few turns and straight aways, avoiding the maze of roads in some of the developments in Medford.

In addition we had at least one of our team members, Chuck Nowicki, participating in the Blue Cross Broad Street Run. Way to go Chuck!

Upcoming Events

Okay we have the following ride events coming up this week. Please note that goping forward we’ll be starting our Sunday rides at 8:30am.

• Wednesday, 5/9 thru Saturday, 5/12/2012 – Police Unity Tour
• Friday, 5/11/2012 @ 8:30am – Team Evesham weekly Friday ride
• Saturday, 5/12/2012 10am til 3pm – REI Cyclefest. Team Evesham will give a presentation on the benefits of group riding and recruit new members. Come out and Support us!
• Sunday, 5/13/2012 @8:30am – Team Evesham weekly Sunday ride. Happy Mother’s Day!

Photos

Urban Promise

Bike NY

Team Evesham Sunday Ride

Let’s all be safe and have fun out there. We have a great riding season ahead of us!

- Brad, Dave, Wendy, Chuck & Sandy

EVESHAM CELEBRATIONS FOUNDATION RECEIVES 2012 VOICE OF BUSINESS AWARD FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FROM BURLINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

May 1, 2011 – The Evesham Celebrations Foundation (ECF), a  self-funded, IRS-designated public charity dedicated to enhancing the sense of community for residents in Evesham and throughout Burlington County, has been named recipient of the Burlington County Chamber of Commerce’ 2012 Voice of Business Award for Economic Development.

The Voice of Business Award for Economic Development recognizes one outstanding organization in Burlington County for its proactive involvement in promoting business and community growth or revitalization. “We are truly honored to have received this recognition from our county chamber of commerce,” said Thea Crupcala, ECF board member. “When we formed this group four years ago, our greatest hope was that we’d be able to make a positive difference in the lives of residents through community events and outreach. Awards like this demonstrate our success in achieving that goal.”

With little start up funding and a mission to bring events back to Evesham’s Main Street, the group launched in 2008 with a slate of Fourth of July events that included a 5k race, children’s bike promenade, hometown parade and fireworks display. Based on the success of those first events, ECF branched out to develop events showcasing other aspects of Evesham’s business community including Taste of Evesham, Bike Evesham and Evesham Harvest Fest. The group’s charitable giving includes awarding several $1,000 Scholarships to Cherokee HS Seniors and sponsorship of Team Evesham, a cycling team raising money for Cancer, MS and Juvenile Diabetes research. Today, the group annually hosts more than 100,000 Burlington County residents at its annual slate of events and has filled the gap left by budget cuts that have forced other municipalities to cut or scale back their community events.

The Evesham Celebrations Foundation (ECF), founded in 2008 by a small group of Evesham residents, is a self- funded IRS-designated public charity dedicated to restoring a sense of community to more than 50,000 Evesham, NJ residents. ECF-sponsored community events include Taste of Evesham, Fourth of July celebration, Mayor’s 5K Race, Evesham Harvest Fest and Bike Evesham. ECF also fosters outreach and volunteerism through its support of the Team Evesham charity cycling team, Cherokee High School Senior Volunteer Scholarship Awards and Senior Holiday meals program.

We welcomed 61 riders today as we journeyed through the Pinelands, no one  reported seeing the Jersey Devil but we passed lakes, golf courses and great homes. In fact, Lon commented that he was impressed with the variety of homes along our ride.

So how were those bagels at the Medford Bagel store?  This week our ride was designed to cruise through neighborhoods and quieter streets. Please feel free to submit your own suggested routes to us for future Sunday rides (get bragging rights and a special award). Thanks to our ride leaders too for ensuring safety and keeping everyone on course, see this time no one got lost in Marlton Lakes. We welcomed 6 new riders and saw Dave W come back to ride too.

Face of America

This past weekend our own John Murphy rode the Face of America Ride to benefit wounded vets.  This two day event went from Arlington, Virginia to Gettysburg and covered 105 miles with 5,100 feet of climbing. Way to go John and especially our veterans!

Upcoming Events

Ok, there is much to report in our coming events files this week, here they are in order:

A) Thursday- 6/3 night ride 6:00pm from the Evesham Township Building at 984 Tuckerton Road
B) Friday- 6/4 morning ride from Panera at 8:00am
C) Saturday- 6/5 morning Urban Promise from Johnson’s Farms (Jodi’s favorite), out to Tuckerton. This is a super event, register from our site too.
D) Sunday-6/6 Bike NY, the 5 Boro Ride, registration is closed but there are 25 Team Members attending.
E) Sunday-6/6 all level Team Evesham Ride at 9:00 from Panera’s.

Safety

We would like to remind everyone of the following in order to maintain our safety and reputation as a team in the community:

• Follow the instructions of your ride leaders. As ride leaders we’re here to try to keep everyone safe and make sure we all have a great experience. At times we will lead from the front of the line, at other times the middle or rear but try not to get too far ahead of the group. As ride leaders we’re trying to look out for everyone in our respective groups.
• Obey Traffic Laws. The UVC (Uniform Vehicle Code) and the bicycle laws of the State of NJ consider bikers to be vehicles on the road. This affords us most of the same rights that cars have but we are also responsible to obey all of the same rules. Therefore, with regard to road bikes we are responsible to obey all traffic signals & stop signs.
• Share the road. We recognize that rides are a very social event for everyone but we must also remember to share the road with other vehicles and be courteous. When someone calls “Car Back” you should never ride more than two abreast and should most likely ride single-file. It has to be frustrating to drive behind bikers taking up more than their share of the road.

Let’s all strive to practice safe, responsible biking habits.

See you all on the road, come and bring your fellow cyclists too.

- Brad, Chuck, Dave, Sandy, and Wendy

This Week’s Photos

The weather sure got folks confused today, but we still had 51 riders out today for our ride to the Old World Bakery.

And yes we love it there, we have four routes that go out to the bakery as a rest stop. Rich was our historical interpreter for the “B” riders calling out the sites; Smithville Park, The Old Courthouse in Mt. Holly, the prison, etc.

We got to welcome 7 new riders to our group and one person who was on her bike for only the second time, way to go Dana! For your knowledge we get up at 6:00am and check the route and the weather. We will update the website and send out a group email at 7:00am if we need to cancel the ride. At 6:00am this morning the roads were dry but the rain came through about 7:30 and while the speeds were down as we exercised caution on the roads everyone was safe. Just a reminder about the rules of the road, the guideline is only two riders abreast and never impede the cars that are passing us.

Thanks to our great ride leaders; Dave, Phil, Chuck, Brad, Lon, Dennis, and Frank. On Thursday we have two events to talk about, D&Q is hosting a ladies cycling night at the store and for those who can’t attend we will begin our midweek Thursday rides. This week our ride starts at 6:00pm at the Evesham Township Municipal Building, 984 Tuckerton Road in Marlton. We will do the Evesham-Medford loop on Thursday.

This coming Saturday, April 21, the Evesham Police Unity Tour team is hosting a charity car wash at Marlton Classic Car Wash, 8 West Route 70, next to Canals, in Marlton. Come and get your car washed or get an oil change, the proceeds will benefit the Unity Tour Team.

Also, please don’t get left out, sign up for the Tour de shore (Irish Pub) ride and ride with us as we join up with Team Murphy this coming July. This ride is limited to only 1500 cyclists and it sells out early every year.

Welcome back Rob!

Next Sunday promises to be another great day to ride, if you like what we do, invite your friends. And a big welcome back to Rob, great to have you back with us, where are Matt, Bob, Aileen, and Stefani?

- Brad, Chuck, Dave, Sandy, and Wendy

More Photos

Ross, Phil, Dave, Karen, and Sandy

There was not a cloud in the sky as our very own ridermaster Dave lead us on a phenomenal ride through the Pinelands today. We welcomed three new riders and we stopped at Nixon’s, the gourmet deli of the Pine Barrens. Dave piloted the group via various neighborhoods and we had great discussions about the meaning of life and the upcoming holidays.

Ross kept asking Rich if the four questions that are asked at the Passover seder include any guidance on if we ride to eat or eat to ride. But more about this topic later.

Please note, this Sunday there will be no formal ride in observance of the holiday, but I suspect a few folks will still show up at Panera at 9:00am for a ride. Habits are not always easy to change.

Remember, we are about a month away from two of our featured charity rides, on Saturday, May 5, join us in the Urban Promise Ride. The next day, May 6, twenty team members journey to the Big Apple for the 5 Boro Ride.

The date  for submitting design  for our 2012  jersey design contest is rapidly approaching, not only do you get bragging rights but this year one of our sponsors has offered a $100.00 gift card to the winner of the contest. Thank you D&Q. Please submit all your entries tojerseydesign@teamevesham.org before April 12.

Keep coming back to the website for more weekly updates. Have a great holiday, and enjoy Easter and Passover with your families.

Brad, Chuck, Dave, Sandy, and Wendy