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Bicycle Touring
"The Past"
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My love for bicycling started when I was a kid riding my bike to school each morning in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. I built some strong legs riding the stiff headwinds often experienced in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. I joined the Navy and eventually was stationed in Virginia Beach, VA in 1977. It was a year later that I purchased a new ten speed bicycle and started riding the local roads. A good Navy friend at the time introduced me to some members of the Tidewater Bicycle Association. A couple rides later I was
riding a Schwinn Le Tour III bicycle and completing my first 100 mile ride round trip from Virginia Beach, VA to Elizabeth City, NC.
The Tidewater Bicycle Association (TBA) in Norfolk, Virginia is still a very fine club.
The following year I decided to brave the cold weather and ride a 300 mile (Triple Century) round trip from Norfolk, VA to Buxton, NC. Gee, I was nuts then but it was a really fun challenge.
A good friend of mine gave me the nickname "Sprocketman" after a number of rides. and I have decided recently to put the name back on my bicycle helmet. There is something to be said for getting out there and enjoying nature and your surroundings on the open road. I made lots of friends and attended various cycling events and TBA club rides. There were a lot of fun bicycling experiences in Virginia and North Carolina. Two of my favorite rides included the Great Peanut Festival Ride out of Skippers, NC. I rode that ride when it was just getting its start. I kept a small newspaper article listing the names of the participants that year. These days the event is bigger and more of a weekend event. TBA's annual Knotts Island Century is another fun ride worth riding if your in the area. TBA's organized Eastern Shore Weekend outing was a lot of fun but I am not sure if they still have such a club event these days. Generally everyone would gather their bikes and gear and carpool across the Chesapeake bridge. We would unload the bikes and enjoy two days of wonderful cycling with a night of camping. I enjoyed TBA and the small hardcore group of riders (Scotty, David, Don, Chris and Frank to name a few). I usually rode with on club rides or small cycling camping trips. We'd have fun trying to outsprint each other on the country roads.In 1981 I purchased a new custom built McLean frame and parts from Colley Avenue Bicycle shop in Norfolk, VA and then moved to Vallejo, CA which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. I went to a bicycle shop in Napa, CA to have my new touring bicycle assembled. THe next day I was on my touring bicycle riding the scenic roads of the Napa Valley wine country in the California sun. The cold and sometimes snowy Winters of the East Coast were no more. I discovered a whole new brand of bicycling in California and the clubs here really know how to throw a party. There are many Century & Metric Century bicycle ride events held throughout California each year. Some of my favorite rides I completed include the Death Ride in Markleeville, CA and the Davis Double Century out of Davis, CA sponsored by the Davis Bike Club - both rides held annually in the Spring. The Death Ride is still looked upon as one of the toughest rides in the country due to the amount of climbing required to complete the three different courses (all varying distances). During this timeframe I joined the Valley Spokesmen Touring Club home based in Dublin, CA. My enjoyment of long distance cycling has primarily been through participation in Century and Double Century rides over the years. The ultimate experience was completing a solo Trans-America bicycle trip on the backroads of America. The crossing was achieved in two stages; Reedsport, OR to Denver, CO (July 1983) and Denver, CO to Virginia Beach, VA (June 1984). I was not able to get enough time off from work to do the whole USA crossing at once. The memories of the people I met and the beautiful scenery made this a memory I will cherish for a lifetime. Check out Adventure Cycling Association's web site for maps for your trip across America. I rode the TransAmerica Trail during my first stage of the trip and then elected to parrellel the trail route from Denver, CO to Virginia Beach, VA. I took a solo nine day trip from Seattle, WA to San Francisco in 1982 as a warm-up for the USA crossing. |
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"The Comeback of 2009-2011"
| I enjoy coming out and watching first hand professional bicycle races in Northern California and the experences bring back past memories of bicycle touring and racing. I decided it was time to take my De Rosa race bike to a bicycle shop in Davis, CA for a full overhaul. On March 14, 2009 I went on my first bicycle ride in a very long time on some country roads near Winters, CA and Davis, CA. I completed my first century ride in over 15 years on March 12th, 2010 by completing the Solvang Century out of Solvang, CA. The ride featured some stiff headwinds the first 52 miles and some mild and step climbs near the end of the ride. I feel so good and it's wonderful to be on the road again and enjoying bicycling. These days I ride primarily on the weekends. You might spot me cycling in the San Francisco East Bay. My favorite ride locally is riding what cyclists refer to as the "Paradise Loop". The ride orginates from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and heads out to Tiburon, CA and back via Sausalito, CA. I am a member of the Different Spokes Bicycling Club home based in San Francisco. You may spot me on their monthly Jersey ride. |
| Event | Date | Distance | Time | Summary |
| Davis Bike Club Ride | 3/14/09 | 30 miles | 3.0 hours w/extended breakfast stop | Davis, CA to Winters, CA roundtrip. First ride on the bike in over 9 years. A flat ride with some headwinds. |
| Tour of Napa Valley Metric Century | 8/16/09 | 69.5 miles | 6.5 hours | First major goal of two accomplished with this ride in personal comeback to long distance bicycling. Course included 3,000 feet climbing elevation and most miles road on single ride in over 9 years. |
| Different Spokes Club Ride | 1/15/10 | 45 miles | 4.0 hours w/extended lunch stop | First ride of the year with only about 500 feet climbing elevation and first ride after about 2 months off the bike. My legs muscles were feeling it on the mild climbs. |
| Solvang Century, Solvang, CA | 3/12/10 | 100 miles | 9 hours, 5 mins | First century ride completed in over 15 years. My Comeback is complete and now I am back to long distance cycling. The ride had stiff headwinds and 5,000 feet of climbing elevation on route. |
| Wine Country Century Santa Rosa, CA |
5/1/10 | 100 miles | 9 hours | A great ride with good support, food and beautiful green valleys and vineyards in Sonoma County. Perfect weather conditions and mild climbs, total climbing elevation approx. 3,000 feet. |
| Lodi Sunrise Century Lodi, CA |
5/15/10 | 100 miles | 8 hours, 15 mins | A nice ride with good roads, scenery and great weather. A lot of green valleys and vinyards. |
| Great Western Bicycle Rally | 5/29/10 | 45 miles | A beautiful hilly ride through the vineyards west of Paso Robles. | Paso Robles, CA |
| Tour De Cure American Diabetes Association |
6/13/10 | 42 miles | A special pledge ride for a very good cause. Thanks to the generous donations by friends I was able to raise $550.00 toward the fight against diabetes. | Palo Alto, CA |
| Bike Around the Buttes, Sutter, CA | 4/16/11 | 70 miles | xxxxxx | A Diabetes fundraiser |
| Tour de Cure, Long Beach, CA | 5/1/11 | 62.5 miles | xxxxxxx | American Diabetes Tour de Cure fundraiser |
| Wine Century Century, Santa Rosa, CA | 5/7/11 | 100 miles | xxxxxxxxxx | xxxxxxxxxx |
"The Present"
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These days I am still cycling and each year I raise money, train and ride in the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure. My husband Dennis lives with Diabetes and I want to see a cure for this disease. I thank everyone who made donations toward my American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure ride in Napa, CA on May 5th, 2013. I raised a total of $1,106.00 and over $1.2 million so far raised at the event for the fight against Diabetes. I have tentative plans to participate in the 2014 Tour De Cure in Portland, OR -- Dave McGrath-Wagner |
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ADA Tour de Cure - Napa, CA - May 5, 2013 Pictures taken at the event in the beautiful Napa Valley of California |
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ADA Tour de Cure - New York City, NY - June 3, 2012 Pictures taken at the event in New York City and portion of New Jersey |
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ADA Tour de Cure "Ship to Shore" - Long Beach, CA - May 1, 2011 A ADA fundraiser to fight Diabetes at Long Beach, CA. |
Bicycle Racing
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I decided to purchase a cherry red color De Rosa SLX Professional racing bike in San Leandro California and take up racing in 1984. I competed as a licensed USCF racer for a few years and proudly wore the racing jersey of the California Pedaler Team when I raced. There were many fun times hanging with the pals at the California Pedaler Bicycle Shop in Danville, CA.
I had the need for speed and bicycle racing fulfilled my fix. Most of the centuries I rode were usually done within 7 1/2 hours and I was always trying to beat my personal best. I decided it was time to test and compete with the racers. I managed to make a lot of friends within the racing circles of Northern California. The criteriums were the most exciting making those tight turns in tight packs of racers. The road races seemed long and very tough. The majority of races featured a lot of climbing. The most enjoyable race I participated in was the Tour De Comstock Pro/Am in Reno, NV. The desert terrain was just beautiful. The time trial was started out of a casino in Sparks, NV and I participated in the criterium in downtown Reno, NV. Most of the races I rode were in Northern California. I did have the wonderful opportunity to do some races in Canada near Vancouver along with training and racing in Japan for a little over a year. I believe I as probably one of the tallest riders among those Japanese racers in the peloton and they could easily spot me if I was making an attack in the field. Some of the best training rides locally included the "Oakland Twilights" series" near the Oakland Airport and training rides up Mount Diablo once a week from Danville. On a clear evening you can see the California Sierras in the East. In early 1992 I was experiencing some burn-out and it was time to put the bicycle away for a while with the exception of a ride or two each year at South Lake Tahoe. I took up interests in international freestyle wrestling. I enjoy attending professional races and watching the racers compete. I have included some pictures below and I hope you enjoy them. |
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The Bicycle
| I currently ride my old classic Cherry red 1983 DeRosa Professional as my primary bike for my comeback to long disance road cycling. The DeRosa is 59cm c-c ~ Columbus SL ~ Campagnolo Super Record ~ Cinelli handlebars ~ San Marco Rolls seat ~ Mavic Open Pro road rims ~ weight @ 20.5 lbs. I would love sometime to purchase another road bike but the prices have skyrocked so I'll stay with my bike that has carried me on many fine roads along the countrysides of America, Canada and Japan. |
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derosanews - il ciclismo del mondo De Rosa on-lineThe Gallery
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Favorite Bicycling Links
| I am a Life Member of the League of American Bicyclists. If you would like to really get involved in supporting bicycling on the national level this is the right organization. I recommend checking out the California Bicycle Coalition to support bicycling in California. I held memberships locally with the Different Spokes Bicycle Club and the Valley Spokesman Touring Club. Both these Bay Area clubs are superb. If your interested in becoming a amatuer racer check out the USA Cycling web site. |
| I have placed below some links to local clubs that sponsor some very good bicycling event rides. I can personally recommend these rides to you since I have done each of them once or twice in the past. My favorite rides of the ones below are the Most Beautiful Bicycle Ride in South Lake Tahoe and the Sequoia Century. I encourage you to participate and ride a metric or century ride at one of these fine events. Also, I included toward the bottom of the list some links to some good web sites regarding the Bicycling Hall of Fame, Versus TV and Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Glossary. |
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