Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

“What kid doesn’t like a good adventure?”

Friday, February 3rd, 2012 by Erica Meurk

This article first appeared as the Cyclist of the Month column in the February 2012 issue of the Cascade Courier, our membership newsletter.

Nominate a Cyclist of the Month!

Cyclist of the Month: WILL SEEGERT
Age: 7
Wheels: Fuji Ace 20
Occupation: Student

Rider #813, all suited up and ready to ride.

Paul claims that his son, Will, is “just a normal kid.” And it’s true, he does look pretty normal. This mild-mannered seven-year-old weighs in at 50 pounds and is about three-and-a-half feet tall. He has brown hair. He likes hot chocolate.

But there’s something extraordinary about this “normal” kid. Last year, when he was just six years old, Will rode Chilly Hilly.

Anyone who stood in the ferry line on that Sunday morning in February 2011 knows that the weather was more than just chilly. It was freezing cold. There was hail. Lots of seasoned bicyclists stayed home in their pajamas.

But not Will, and not his dad.

What was the hardest part? “Walking up the hills with all the other bikers,” Will told me. And yes, they did walk. But Will rode or pushed his bike for all 33 of those hilly miles, without any help at all from Dad.

“I thought that it was the hardest thing that he could do, but that he could do it,” Paul told me. When Will was out of earshot, he added, “I could have carried his bike up the hills for him. But I didn’t need to help him.”

(more…)

Dreaming of far off lands

Thursday, January 26th, 2012 by M.J. Kelly

Boy howdy, it’s that time of year when I start dreaming about a vacation. If Seattle’s wet, dark winter days are getting you down, too, make plans today to leave them behind next year! Cascade is offering five international bicycle tours that will bring sunshine to your cycling world. Join us this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Seattle REI for an introduction to the 2012-13 Cascade-Affiliated International Tours:

Vietnam Grand Tour: Fascinating culture, beautiful scenery and outstanding support crews have made the Vietnam Grand Tour the most popular tour we’ve ever offered.

New Zealand Grand Tour: This 15-day tour features visits to New Zealand’s spectacular National Parks, superb views of alpine peaks and lovely, low-traffic cycling routes.

Cascade Africa Rides 2012: For nine days, tour Zambia with a representative from World Bicycle Relief and learn the ins and outs of their highly-successful programs, which change lives by providing transportation bicycles to rural villages.

Tour Turkey – Aegean to Mediterranean Tour: This acclaimed tour offers a terrific value to a fabulous destination, combing old-world charm and world-class cuisine with outstanding facilities and safe roads.

Beer, Bikes & Belgium: Combining the wonderful roads of Belgium with the very best in world beer and the opportunity to watch the 2012 UCI World Road race championships in neighboring Netherlands, this tour is sure to sell out soon.

Cascade-Affiliated International Tours Night
Friday, Jan. 27, 7-8:30 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N

With special guests:
Michael Kollins (World Bicycle Relief, Africa Rides 2012)
Danelle Laidlaw & Ken Wright (Tour TK, Tour Turkey – Aegean to the Mediterranean)

RSVP lotteries close on Friday at midnight

Thursday, January 26th, 2012 by M.J. Kelly

If you’ve ridden the RSVP — Ride from Seattle to Vancouver, BC and Party! — with us in previous years, you know what a great event it is. The event has proven to be wildly popular, selling out its 1,400 spots faster and faster over the years, to the point that it was selling out within hours. And last year… well, let’s just say the RSVP demand on our event registration system brought the whole thing down.

Out of the calamity of “server meltdown 2011″, RSVP2 was born. And to smooth out the registration process and make it more fair to riders clamoring to get on the ride, we moved to a lottery system.

RSVP lotteries have been open since Jan. 11. This Friday, Jan. 27 at midnight, they are closing.

As we expected, the first RSVP event, on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 17 – 18, is close to full. But RSVP 2 is still wide-open, with plenty of space available. The ride offers the same scenic route, expert support crews and festive finish line party that you’ve seen on previous RSVP rides. The only difference is that riders depart from the start line on Saturday morning, one day later than RSVP 1 riders — which means that if you work Monday through Friday, you can save a vacation day!

Though we can’t guarantee that entering the lottery will score you a registration for either event, your chances at this point are very good.

If you’ve already entered one or both of the lotteries, tell your friends! And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for? Enter the lottery now. Detailed instructions can be found here. If it doesn’t matter to you which event, we suggest entering both lotteries. If RSVP1 gets filled before your name is pulled, you’ll still be in the drawing for RSVP2. There’s nothing to lose by try.

Lottery entrants whose names are drawn will receive an email with registration instructions on Monday, Jan. 30. They will then have two weeks to register for the event. If there are still open spots, registration will open to the public in late February.

You can read more about the 2012 event registration process here. If you have questions, please email support@cascadebicycleclub.org.

Event registration fees support Cascade programs that make our streets safer for bicyclists and encourage people across the Puget Sound region to ride bikes for transportation, fitness and fun. Thanks for your support!

Spin your wheels, support a great cause

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 by Erica Meurk

Click the image to enlarge.

Come show your support for kids and bikes with the sweat on your brow and the strength of your legs!

Cascade Bicycle Club and Allstar Fitness will host the second annual Major Taylor Project Spin-A-Thon on Thursday, Feb. 16. All proceeds will support our efforts to introduce the joy of cycling to underserved communities and empower the next generation of riders through the Major Taylor Project.

Our goal is to raise $15,000 in one evening, enabling us to expand the program to a sixth location, Highline High School in Burien, for the 2012-2013 school year. And we think we can do it. But we need your help.

Major Taylor Spin-A-Thon
Thursday, Feb. 16
5 to 8 p.m.
Allstar Fitness,
2629 SW Andover St., West Seattle

How does it work? Well, you have several options:

  • Just sign up to spin for one, two or three hours between 5 and 8 p.m., with a minimum donation of $25 per hour.
  • Sponsor-a-Spinner: Collect pledges from friends and family — encourage them to give enough to keep you on the bike for all three hours!
  • Sponsor-a-Student: Donate, then let one of our students ride so you don’t have to.
  • Match-a-Spinner: If you work for an organization that will match tax-deductible gifts, you can double your support.

You can include an online donation with your RSVP, mail a check to Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation at 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Suite 101s, Seattle, WA 98115 (make sure it’s payable to Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation and include “MTP Spin-A-Thon” in the memo), or  pay at the door with credit card, check or cash.

And even if you can’t be with us, you can support the cause by including a donation with your regrets.

For more information, contact Emma Epstein, Major Taylor Project Outreach Program Assistant, at mtpa@cascadebicycleclub.org or (206)957-6960.

Get ready for a fun, fast-paced, sweat-filled evening. We’ll see you there.

What does it take to go the distance?

Thursday, January 5th, 2012 by Erica Meurk

Imagine riding the STP. Three times in a row. With four times as many hills. During the same two-day time frame.

Sound crazy? Well, they just might be.

Mick Walsh climbing the Yarnell Grade during the 2010 Race Across the West.

Chris Ragsdale and his support team at the finish of the 2011 Paris-Brest-Paris

Mark Thomas with some randonneuring mates during the 2007 Paris-Brest-Paris.

Brian Ecker on the podium at the 2010 Furnace Creek 508.

This pantheon of four local “ultra-distance” cyclists includes some of the strongest in North America. They’ll be at REI on Tuesday to share insight into what it takes to ride far, pedal fast and finish strong.

Come to make STP look like a walk in the park. Come to get your training tips from the masters. Or come to find out what they eat for breakfast.

(I’m guessing oatmeal. Lots of it.)

Hope to see you there!

CASCADE PRESENTATION SERIES
Going the Distance: Insights from Pacific Northwest Cyclists

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
FREE!

Looking for event registration information?

Monday, December 19th, 2011 by M.J. Kelly

Event registration dates are staggered this year. Mark your calendars for these key dates.

Registration for RSVP 1, RSVP 2 and all Regional Tours will be held as lotteries.

As a thank you for their continued support, Cascade members have an advanced registration period.

If you register for an event and cannot ride, you’ll want to review our refund policy.

If you register for a tour and cannot ride, you’ll want to review our transfer policy

Still have questions? Check the Registration FAQs

Here are all events that are currently open for registration.

Need more help? Send us an email.

Ciao papa!

Friday, December 9th, 2011 by Peter Verbrugge

Breaking Away
Friday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
**Free**

By popular demand, we will be showing the Mother of all American Bicycle films, the Academy Award winning* 1979 classic, Breaking Away. We’ll have separate seating/cheering sections for both fans of The Cutters & Team Cinzano plus fabulous prizes for best movie related costumes. It’s fun and it’s free, so bring down the whole gang to enjoy this festive end of the year presentation.

*Amazingly enough, Breaking Away was nominated for five Oscars (including best film) and won one for best screenplay.

Bicycle Film Series Holiday Party – Breaking Away!

Thursday, December 1st, 2011 by Anna Telensky

Breaking Away
Friday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
**Free**

By popular demand, Cascade will be showing the Mother of all American Bicycle films, the Academy Award winning* 1979 classic, Breaking Away. We’ll have separate seating/cheering sections for both fans of The Cutters & Team Cinzano plus fabulous prizes for best movie related costumes. It’s fun and it’s free, so bring down the whole gang to enjoy this festive end of the year presentation.

*Amazingly enough, Breaking Away was nominated for five Oscars (including best film) and won one for best screenplay.

Return of the Metal Cowboy: A Guide to Falling Down in Public

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 by Anna Telensky
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
Advance tickets are available at: Brown Paper Tickets
Cascade members: $5

General public: $7

Back for another year of hilarious, endearing, and insightful storytelling, Joe Kurmakasie, aka the Metal Cowboy, will be making an appearance at REI for one night only to regale and delight with stories from his new book, A Guide to Falling Down in Public: Finding Balance On and Off the Bicycle.

Joe’s stories will celebrate beautiful wrecks on five continents, the extraordinary people met along the way, and all the awe-inspiring, sweat-soaked miles ridden in between. If you’ve seen him before, you know how entertaining a night with the cowboy can be. If not, you’re in for a treat. This will be the Metal Cowboy’s only scheduled appearance for Cascade Bicycle Club over the next 12 months, so don’t miss it!

An Evening with Tyler Farrar

Friday, November 18th, 2011 by Anna Telensky

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.
Theater 47 at Magnuson Park
7120 62nd Ave NE, Seattle
General public: $14 (Cascade members get $2 discount)
Advance tickets are available at  Brown Paper Tickets

Two years ago, Washington native Tyler Farrar spoke to a packed house about his career and experiences as a member of Garmin-Cervélo‘s professional men’s team. At the time, he had just completed his first year on the grand circuit tour.

Since then, Tyler has won stages in the Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, and Tour de France. He’s overcome crashes and personal tragedy and continues to prove himself as one of our country’s most talented racers.

Now widely considered the greatest sprinter to come out of the USA, Tyler is competing against the world’s fastest cyclists and riding at the very top of his game.

This special event will feature a 75-minute talk by Tyler, hosted by PT Eric Moen, and followed by a question and autograph session. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet one of cycling’s greats!