Signs of Spring

There are some definite signs of spring, even though another storm is upon us with two more in the coming week.

So hear are my spring observations:

Song birds are in the trees, even on frosty mornings.
Robins foraging for food in patches of bare ground.
The days are getting noticeably longer.
The fresh snow seems to melt faster.
I saw a car with a bike mounted on the roof!
Daylight savings time is a mere week and a half away.
Paul Sherwin, Phil Liggett and Bob Roll commentating on Versus.
And I heard PVC is starting the Saturday morning rides on Saturday!

Those are my observations. Tell us some of the signs of spring that you are seeing.

~Dana

Head's Up- Tour of California TV coverage on VS

HEAD’S UP-TOUR of CALIFORNIA
TV coverage for the upcoming Tour of California is available on the VS channel.
The TV schedule is as follows:

Sunday, 2/17/08: 5-7 p.m. (EST) Prologue in Palo Alto
Monday, 2/18/08: 1-2 a.m. (EST) Recap
Monday, 2/18/08: 10-11 p.m. (EST) Stage 1 -- Sausalito to Santa Rosa
Tuesday, 2/19/08: 10-11 p.m. (EST) Stage 2 -- Santa Rosa to Sacramento
Wednesday, 2/20/08: 11p.m.-12 a.m. (EST) Stage 3 -- Modesto to San Jose
Thursday, 2/21/08: 11 p.m.-12 a.m. (EST) Stage 4 -- Seaside to San Luis Obispo
Friday, 2/22/08: 11 p.m.-12 a.m. (EST) Stage 5 -- Solvang Time Trial
Saturday, 2/23/08: 5-7 p.m. (EST) Stage 6 -- Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
Sunday, 2/24/08: 1-2 a.m. (EST) Stage 6 -- Recap
Sunday, 2/24/08: 5-7 p.m. (EST) Stage 7 -- Santa Clarita to Pasadena
Monday, 2/25/08: 1-2 a.m. (EST) Stage 7 -- Recap

VS is available on channel 65 on Time Warner cable system out of S Portland.
VS repeats its programming. So, for example, the Sunday 5PM stage is also available for viewing at midnight, or other early morning hours.

Stage 6, on Saturday, seems to be the one to set time aside. One web site describes it as follows:

"With the individual time trial the day before reshuffling the general classification, the top riders fighting to maintain or battling for a spot on the final podium might be separated merely by seconds when they start the HealthNet-sponsored stage 6 near the breathtaking Santa Barbara shoreline. Along the peloton’s 105-mile journey to Santa Clarita, the racers will be hit with four leg-breaking King of the Mountains climbs and three sprint lines, which means crucial points will be up for grabs for riders gunning for the climber’s title and the green sprinter’s jersey. After cruising through Carpenteria on Highway 192, the peloton will face two KOMs on Highway 150 before passing Lake Casitas and entering scenic Ojai. The pack will tackle the third KOM just outside Ojai and descend into Santa Paula. Saving the best for last, the menacingly steep Balcom Canyon climb will be the final KOM of the stage. The last two years, waiting on Balcom Canyon was an enormous enthusiastic sea of nearly 25,000 fans that parted to let the riders pass. Finally three demanding circuits in Santa Clarita remain. The sprinters will be deployed on a mad dash for the finish line at McBean Parkway at the Valencia Town Center"

Phil Leggett and Paul Sherwin will be providing voice overs.

-Russ

Active Transportation Public Meeting Reminder

Portland Trails seeks public input for plan to improve

walking and biking in Portland:

When: Monday, February 25, 2008, 6:00—8:30 pm

What: Active Transportation Public Meeting

Where: East End Community School,195 North Street, Portland

Admission: Open to the public; free admission. Reservations suggested.


Portland Trails, the City of Portland, the Portland Bike/Ped Committee, PACTS, GPCOG, Maine Department of Transportation, and GrowSmart Maine are drafting a plan for “Active Transportation” in greater Portland. The groups will use this plan to develop a network of trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes that makes it easy for people to walk, bike, and use public transit rather than drive private automobiles.

The public is invited to help us identify problem areas that make walking and biking difficult and share their ideas for what can be built—or rebuilt—to improve active transportation in greater Portland.

Our work is part of a nationwide campaign to expand federal transportation funding for 40 communities—with $50 million going to each community to support trails, sidewalks, and bike facilities. Portland Trails is leading the effort to bring this funding to greater Portland.


RSVP to Isabel at 775-2411 or info@trails.org. You can also contact Paul Niehoff for more information.

Active Transportation Campaign, 2010

Attention CCCP Friends and Members:

During the last CCCP meeting it was mentioned that Paul Niehoff is part of the Active Transportation Campaign. I thought it might be good to inform all of you of this project and what it means. I've posted the information from Paul below.

Please keep in mind that there is an Active Transportation Public Meeting on Monday, February 25th from 6 to 8:30 pm at the East End Community School for those of you who are interested in attending. For more information, please email Paul Niehoff at pniehoff@gpcog.org. We thank Paul, and all the others involved for their work in this campaign.

In his work with this campaign, Paul and others are doing a study of the worst intersections in the Portland area and would like you to vote, using the poll to the right. ---------------------->

If there is another intersection you feel should warrant attention, please email that information to Paul.

Active Transportation Campaign, 2010

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is working to expand upon the current federal transportation bill’s Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program in the next federal transportation reauthorization. They envision a program serving at least 40 communities, with $50 million per community over six years, to promote active transportation (trails, biking and walking) for urban mobility. RTC is mobilizing communities to lead this effort. Portland Trails is leading the effort for greater Portland.

“Active Transportation” is travel powered by human energy—walking and biking, etc. Part of Portland Trails’ mission is to encourage the use of our trail network. To accomplish this we aim to work with community partners to create a complete transportation network of trails, sidewalks and bike facilities.

Plan of Action

Many local groups are already studying these issues—we will build on past research to create a detailed vision for greater Portland. We have identified a team to work as the Steering Committee with us:

• City of Portland Planning Department

• City of Portland Public Works

• Portland Bike/Ped Advisory Committee

• Maine Department of Transportation

• City of Portland Parks and Recreation

• Growsmart Maine

• GPCOG/PACTS
  

The team has committed to 5 meetings over the next 6 months. A larger group of Advisors will review our ideas, they include METRO, Portland DOT, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, Mountain Division Alliance, East Coast Greenway, Healthy Portland, Maine Track Club, neighborhood organizations, and many more. A third tier of 30 or more “Partners” will be kept informed of our work (City Councilors, State Senators and Representatives, our representatives on Capitol Hill, etc).

Between October 2007 and April 2008, our team will draft a comprehensive plan for building new trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes, and connecting that infrastructure with public transportation hubs in one seamless system. We will then have two years to develop those projects, so that we are ready to begin construction as soon as the next Transportation Bill is authorized in 2010. Objectives include:

• Portland’s network of trails will be expanded to include critical connections between trails within Portland and those that complete links to networks in other communities.

• Portland’s network of sidewalk and bike lanes will be improved and augmented.

• Public transportation will better integrate with sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails.

• An educational outreach program including such things as a website, speaker’s bureau, and publications will be created to help residents learn to use the new system.

Commitment

We will approach this effort in at least three phases.

Phase I: Creating the vision/case statement. Portland Trails will facilitate 5-6 meetings with our steering committee (plus additional meetings with advisors, partners, and the public) over the next 6 months. Nan and members of the committee will then craft the input into a written and illustrated document.

Phase II 2008-2009, Advocacy. Once our case statement is submitted to the RTC, they will begin to lobby in DC. We will lobby here. RTC will advise us on how extensive our efforts need to be. When appropriate, committee members can help with this advocacy.

Phase II 2010, Implementation. Carrying out the $50,000,000 Plan will require additional staffing for at least 5 years. Preparation for implement is part of the work we’re doing now.

CCCP Trek Team needs YOU!

It's official: CCCP is going to The Trek! Tracey is gathering as many people as possible to be part of the Community Cycling Club of Portland Trek Team. This is Team Recruitment week so we are looking to sign up as many people as possible for this great event by Friday.

Please consider joining us by clicking here to sign up. There you'll see the members that have joined the team thus far. And no, you don't have to go at race speeds to complete the Trek. It's all about fun and riding. But for those of you who want to go at race speeds, you are certainly welcome to do so.

Any questions, don't hesitate to email me or Tracey!

~Dana

February 05, 2008 Meeting Recap

The 2nd Annual Community Ride, which benefits The Bike Shop, is scheduled for Sunday, May 18th and will depart from Whole Foods at 10am. There will be a 4-mile, 25-mile, and 50-mile option. Registration will be $20.00 with a pre-registration option available. This ride is supported by Whole Foods Market who will be providing food and volunteers. It proves to be a great event and we hope you will all plan to attend. Wear your club kit to show we support the Bike Shop!!

Speaking of club kit, order forms are due to Kris by February 14th. We know it’s an early order this year and with the recent snow storms it’s hard to think about ordering club kit right now. But we urge you to do so. There are many more people that haven’t ordered than have ordered. We do plan to order a few extra pieces of the kit. However, if you are waiting to purchase the extras that are ordered, remember that many others might be as well. The likelihood of you being able to purchase what you want, in the size you need, might be pretty slim if you wait. So please, if you think you might like a jersey or any of the other cool gear, place your order with Kris, even if you can’t come up with the 50% deposit at this time. It’s better to have your request in then not to have the new cool CCCP kit!

The reason for the early order is to ensure the arrival of the club kit for the 5th Annual CCCP Memorial Day White Mountain Classic, schedule for May 26th, and to be worn by the club members who are participating in The Trek Across Maine (June 13-16) as a team. (Email Dana or Tracey with details if you are interested in joining them.)

The new kit is being redesigned slightly to look similar to the Priority Health Racing Team kit, with some modifications so it’s not identical. Richard has done an outstanding job with the design and we think you’ll all be pleased. If you are interested in seeing the basic design, you can check out photos of Priority Health Racing Team here.

43 day 'til spring! Group rides will be starting up before you know it. Stay tuned for ride details as they become available.

~Dana

Meeting Reminder

Just a quick reminder about the club meeting Tuesday night at 6:00 pm at Forest Gardens on Forest Avenue. Hope to see you all there!