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Good bicycling mag?
On Sep 3, 7:21 pm, (Tom Keats) wrote:
In article , "Claire Petersky" writes: "Ears" wrote in message oups.com... Is there a magazine that caters to the more casual, universal rider with a modest income and also more articles about real world riding? I ride on and off road. Momentum might be up your alley. Three year US subscription is $75.00. You can also see it on-line hehttp://www.momentumplanet.com/. I loved the article, A Field Guide to Vancouver Cyclists: http://www.momentumplanet.com/featur...ouver-cyclists. I'll second that recommendation. snipped The Great Sheldon Brown has a contribution in the current issue. http://tinyurl.com/2ulpfh That "contribution" is a short article with a very negative take on charity rides (Tour de Cure, MS150, Aids Ride, etc). I've seen similar stuff from this individual before, and I must ask "why all the negativity"? I've participated in charity rides both as a rider and a volunteer, and I just don't see the downsides. Sure, the organizers might pick poor routes, offer less than optimal support at times, etc. But the riders really seem to get a big boost from both doing something positive and at least trying to meet a personal challenge. The high percentage of repeat riders attests to the satisfying experience, IMO/E. snipped |
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#2
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Good bicycling mag?
Is there a magazine that caters to the more casual, universal rider with
a modest income and also more articles about real world riding? I ride on and off road. If you live on the east coast of the USA and you can put up with awful spelling and grammar, try The Ride: East Coast Bike Culture. It kind of fits the specs you presented. But seriously, some of the articles are so poorly written that you will have to read them several times to understand the point. Also, if you're a REALLY casual rider, but you like long, scenic path rides, subscribe to Rails To Trails Magazine. |
#3
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Good bicycling mag?
On Sep 5, 2:02 pm, Ozark Bicycle ...
I've participated in charity rides both as a rider and a volunteer, and I just don't see the downsides. Most charity rides are probably great for the rider and volunteers. One possible downside (different from the point of the article you were referring to) is that the ride may also do very little, if anything, to raise money for the nominal charity/cause. It's not necessarily due to fraud, but simply inefficiency (though gross inefficiency directed in certain ways can be tantamount to fraud). A few years ago, I "sponsored" a co-worker for a big name, high publicity, multi-day charity ride where each rider had to pledge on the order of a thousand of dollars just to participate. Unbeknownst to my co-worker, those of us who sponsored him essentially subsidized his wonderful cycling vacation because the vast majority of money raised went for putting on the ride itself. Very little money actually went to the cause. So before participating in a charity ride, especially one where you solicit monetary contributions from your friends and family, it'd be good to check to see if it's a worthwhile application of their generosity. If you want to treat it just as a cycling vacation and pay the pledge amount yourself, no worries, knock yourself out. |
#4
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Good bicycling --- Charity rides..
Is there a magazine that caters to the more casual, universal rider with a modest income and also more articles about real world riding? I ride on and off road. Momentum might be up your alley. Three year US subscription is $75.00. You can also see it on-line hehttp://www.momentumplanet.com/. I loved the article, A Field Guide to Vancouver Cyclists: http://www.momentumplanet.com/featur...ouver-cyclists. I'll second that recommendation. snipped The Great Sheldon Brown has a contribution in the current issue. http://tinyurl.com/2ulpfh That "contribution" is a short article with a very negative take on charity rides (Tour de Cure, MS150, Aids Ride, etc). I've seen similar stuff from this individual before, and I must ask "why all the negativity"? I've participated in charity rides both as a rider and a volunteer, and I just don't see the downsides. Sure, the organizers might pick poor routes, offer less than optimal support at times, etc. But the riders really seem to get a big boost from both doing something positive and at least trying to meet a personal challenge. The high percentage of repeat riders attests to the satisfying experience, IMO/E. ================================================== =================== Years ago , I rode many an MS ride, and all the other disease rides. Had some fun. I never raised any money to speak of. I would just pay the ride entrance fee. Usually around $20 bucks or something. Then, the rides started getting more expensive. They wanted me to raise $$$$$ .. As much as I liked the rides, the people, etc it just became tiresome to try and raise money. So, I stopped riding the charity rides. A couple of years back, a friend of mind got involved in the Mass Challenge ride. This ride goes across Mass in middle of August. She had to almost start a business to raise the money. Thousands,, she had a Christmas fund raiser, a summer fund raiser,, and even then I got emails asking for more money. This is a very worthy ride. The money goes toward Cancer research. Almost every penny. But I can't ride. Why? Because I can't raise thousands of dollars. How does this make me feel? Pretty bad. I wish these rides, and the ride organizations would start to consider that not everyone can raise thousands of dollars. |
#5
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Good bicycling --- Charity rides..
On Sep 5, 6:43 pm, "Sir Thomas of Cannondale"
wrote: Is there a magazine that caters to the more casual, universal rider with a modest income and also more articles about real world riding? I ride on and off road. Momentum might be up your alley. Three year US subscription is $75.00. You can also see it on-line hehttp://www.momentumplanet.com/. I loved the article, A Field Guide to Vancouver Cyclists: http://www.momentumplanet.com/featur...ouver-cyclists. I'll second that recommendation. snipped The Great Sheldon Brown has a contribution in the current issue. http://tinyurl.com/2ulpfh That "contribution" is a short article with a very negative take on charity rides (Tour de Cure, MS150, Aids Ride, etc). I've seen similar stuff from this individual before, and I must ask "why all the negativity"? I've participated in charity rides both as a rider and a volunteer, and I just don't see the downsides. Sure, the organizers might pick poor routes, offer less than optimal support at times, etc. But the riders really seem to get a big boost from both doing something positive and at least trying to meet a personal challenge. The high percentage of repeat riders attests to the satisfying experience, IMO/E. ================================================== =================== Years ago , I rode many an MS ride, and all the other disease rides. Had some fun. I never raised any money to speak of. I would just pay the ride entrance fee. Usually around $20 bucks or something. Then, the rides started getting more expensive. They wanted me to raise $$$$$ .. As much as I liked the rides, the people, etc it just became tiresome to try and raise money. So, I stopped riding the charity rides. A couple of years back, a friend of mind got involved in the Mass Challenge ride. This ride goes across Mass in middle of August. She had to almost start a business to raise the money. Thousands,, she had a Christmas fund raiser, a summer fund raiser,, and even then I got emails asking for more money. This is a very worthy ride. The money goes toward Cancer research. Almost every penny. But I can't ride. Why? Because I can't raise thousands of dollars. How does this make me feel? Pretty bad. I wish these rides, and the ride organizations would start to consider that not everyone can raise thousands of dollars But, OTOH, accepting riders who only come up with the $20-40 "registration fee" actually costs the charity money, thus diverting funds away from the "cause". IMO, charity rides requiring a ~$20-40 "registration fee" and a fund raising minimum of ~$100-150 for a one day event (such as the Tour de Cure) are on the right track. Multi-day events cost more and rightly should have higher minimums. YMMV. |
#7
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Good bicycling mag?
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#8
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Good bicycling --- Charity rides..
I've participated in charity rides both as a rider and a volunteer, and
I just don't see the downsides. Sure, the organizers might pick poor routes, offer less than optimal support at times, etc. But the riders really seem to get a big boost from both doing something positive and at least trying to meet a personal challenge. The high percentage of repeat riders attests to the satisfying experience, IMO/E. I agree that charity rides offer "casual riders," as well as more serious riders, a rare opportunity to do something positive while pedaling away. However, as a former marshall for the Long Island MS Rides, I have to say that some of what I saw on those rides was downright dangerous and irresponsible on the part of the organizers. As the "ride marshall," I assumed my job was to acompany the pack and make sure everyone made it safely through the course and stayed hydrated, etc. I'm not sure the organizers had the same idea of what a marshall does, but I know they didn't assign anyone ELSE to that job. Therefore, I was, by default, responsible for the well-being of hundreds of cyclists, many of whom hadn't taken their bikes out of the garage since the previous year's MS Ride. Like any typical charity ride, the low-impact route of the MS Ride generally attracts a wide array of cyclists ranging from angry geeks who want to show off how fast they can finish the route to much more laid-back folks who prefer to take their time, see the sights, chat with other riders, etc. Also in the mix are some really out-of-shape people who either got in over their heads or are out to achieve a personal goal. These are the people who end up needing a marshall's help. Both years I participated in the ride, I ended up taking almost seven hours to complete a course that was, I believe, no more than 25 miles. This is because I had to keep doubling back to pick up riders who had fallen way behind the pack. And in the end, both years, I ended up roughing it out with the very last rider, who, in both cases, didn't have a water bottle, hadn't eaten a proper breakfast that morning, and was riding a bicycle that should have been turned into a planter years before. I have great memories of coaching both these people through the last miles of the ride. One was a senior citizen who had made a bet with his son that he could finish the ride. The other was a very overweight, mentally-challenged kid riding an adult trike. At the end of the rides, I let them cross the finish line before me so that it would look like they didn't finish last. But it didn't matter, because both years, by the time we crossed the finish line, all the event volunteers and organizers were already gone. Yes, you heard that right. The people who had organized the rides had allowed the roads to be opened, the so-called "support vans" to leave, and the EMT's to go home before they had accounted for the last few riders. When we hit the finish line, there wasn't even a drink of water for these poor guys. Anyway, without beating the point to death, I think there are some dangerous gaps in the planning of these events -- at least as far as the short routes go. The serious riders on the 100 mile routes can surely take care of themselves, but the rest of the riders need a lot of support. Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before someone gets really seriously injured. |
#9
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Good bicycling --- Charity rides..
On Sep 10, 2:49 pm, "Papa Tom" wrote:
I've participated in charity rides both as a rider and a volunteer, and I just don't see the downsides. Sure, the organizers might pick poor routes, offer less than optimal support at times, etc. But the riders really seem to get a big boost from both doing something positive and at least trying to meet a personal challenge. The high percentage of repeat riders attests to the satisfying experience, IMO/E. I agree that charity rides offer "casual riders," as well as more serious riders, a rare opportunity to do something positive while pedaling away. However, as a former marshall for the Long Island MS Rides, I have to say that some of what I saw on those rides was downright dangerous and irresponsible on the part of the organizers. As the "ride marshall," I assumed my job was to acompany the pack and make sure everyone made it safely through the course and stayed hydrated, etc. I'm not sure the organizers had the same idea of what a marshall does, but I know they didn't assign anyone ELSE to that job. Therefore, I was, by default, responsible for the well-being of hundreds of cyclists, many of whom hadn't taken their bikes out of the garage since the previous year's MS Ride. Like any typical charity ride, the low-impact route of the MS Ride generally attracts a wide array of cyclists ranging from angry geeks who want to show off how fast they can finish the route to much more laid-back folks who prefer to take their time, see the sights, chat with other riders, etc. Also in the mix are some really out-of-shape people who either got in over their heads or are out to achieve a personal goal. These are the people who end up needing a marshall's help. Both years I participated in the ride, I ended up taking almost seven hours to complete a course that was, I believe, no more than 25 miles. This is because I had to keep doubling back to pick up riders who had fallen way behind the pack. And in the end, both years, I ended up roughing it out with the very last rider, who, in both cases, didn't have a water bottle, hadn't eaten a proper breakfast that morning, and was riding a bicycle that should have been turned into a planter years before. I have great memories of coaching both these people through the last miles of the ride. One was a senior citizen who had made a bet with his son that he could finish the ride. The other was a very overweight, mentally-challenged kid riding an adult trike. At the end of the rides, I let them cross the finish line before me so that it would look like they didn't finish last. But it didn't matter, because both years, by the time we crossed the finish line, all the event volunteers and organizers were already gone. Yes, you heard that right. The people who had organized the rides had allowed the roads to be opened, the so-called "support vans" to leave, and the EMT's to go home before they had accounted for the last few riders. When we hit the finish line, there wasn't even a drink of water for these poor guys. Anyway, without beating the point to death, I think there are some dangerous gaps in the planning of these events -- at least as far as the short routes go. The serious riders on the 100 mile routes can surely take care of themselves, but the rest of the riders need a lot of support. Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before someone gets really seriously injured. You made this same post about a week ago, complete with the same unacknowledged snipping of my original text. Why the repetition? |
#10
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Good bicycling --- Charity rides..
You made this same post about a week ago, complete with the same
unacknowledged snipping of my original text. Why the repetition? Because I noticed that no one was adding to my other thread, while this one continued to generate comments. Sorry, but I guess I was feeling lonely. Regarding the "unacknowledged snipping," I'm not sure what you mean. But if I offended you, my apology. "Ozark Bicycle" wrote in message oups.com... On Sep 10, 2:49 pm, "Papa Tom" wrote: I've participated in charity rides both as a rider and a volunteer, and I just don't see the downsides. Sure, the organizers might pick poor routes, offer less than optimal support at times, etc. But the riders really seem to get a big boost from both doing something positive and at least trying to meet a personal challenge. The high percentage of repeat riders attests to the satisfying experience, IMO/E. I agree that charity rides offer "casual riders," as well as more serious riders, a rare opportunity to do something positive while pedaling away. However, as a former marshall for the Long Island MS Rides, I have to say that some of what I saw on those rides was downright dangerous and irresponsible on the part of the organizers. As the "ride marshall," I assumed my job was to acompany the pack and make sure everyone made it safely through the course and stayed hydrated, etc. I'm not sure the organizers had the same idea of what a marshall does, but I know they didn't assign anyone ELSE to that job. Therefore, I was, by default, responsible for the well-being of hundreds of cyclists, many of whom hadn't taken their bikes out of the garage since the previous year's MS Ride. Like any typical charity ride, the low-impact route of the MS Ride generally attracts a wide array of cyclists ranging from angry geeks who want to show off how fast they can finish the route to much more laid-back folks who prefer to take their time, see the sights, chat with other riders, etc. Also in the mix are some really out-of-shape people who either got in over their heads or are out to achieve a personal goal. These are the people who end up needing a marshall's help. Both years I participated in the ride, I ended up taking almost seven hours to complete a course that was, I believe, no more than 25 miles. This is because I had to keep doubling back to pick up riders who had fallen way behind the pack. And in the end, both years, I ended up roughing it out with the very last rider, who, in both cases, didn't have a water bottle, hadn't eaten a proper breakfast that morning, and was riding a bicycle that should have been turned into a planter years before. I have great memories of coaching both these people through the last miles of the ride. One was a senior citizen who had made a bet with his son that he could finish the ride. The other was a very overweight, mentally-challenged kid riding an adult trike. At the end of the rides, I let them cross the finish line before me so that it would look like they didn't finish last. But it didn't matter, because both years, by the time we crossed the finish line, all the event volunteers and organizers were already gone. Yes, you heard that right. The people who had organized the rides had allowed the roads to be opened, the so-called "support vans" to leave, and the EMT's to go home before they had accounted for the last few riders. When we hit the finish line, there wasn't even a drink of water for these poor guys. Anyway, without beating the point to death, I think there are some dangerous gaps in the planning of these events -- at least as far as the short routes go. The serious riders on the 100 mile routes can surely take care of themselves, but the rest of the riders need a lot of support. Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before someone gets really seriously injured. You made this same post about a week ago, complete with the same unacknowledged snipping of my original text. Why the repetition? |
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