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January 2008
The Duke's Spin
By: Brad Reed
Creative Writer
Burrrr! Shiver, shiver! Single digit temperatures; snow; ice; gloomy cloud cover; coats over sweaters over shirts over T-shirts. Hell, it's cold outside and it makes me want to hibernate until April. The problem is…I need to do the 'clock in - clock out' thing in order to support the family, which demands me to drag my happy butt out into the cold every day. Don't you wonder what you would do if you were given a bottomless sack of cash with no repayments required? Wow! What a dream this would be to live.
Nevertheless, I'm living in the real world and I must face the music every day like most of you. I guess I could pick up a few lottery tickets the next time I fill up the tank, but I always pick numbers that seem to avoid the selecting process like it was the plague. Or I could head to the boat after coercing a few gambling tips from 'Molly - the Wagering Wizard'. Again, past history suggests...donation; donation; donation. I KNOW! I'll spend my time preparing and repairing my 'summer toys' for another year of fun. It shouldn't cost much and it'll keep me occupied indoors until the frozen tundra recedes to it's northern roots.
The first thing I'm going to work on is my bike. Some cleaning, lubricating, adjusting, and replacing of service deprived or broken parts will bode well for this upcoming season. ' An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' really fits here. The world allows for a multitude of lonely, helpless situations, and right up there on that list is the feeling you get when your bike becomes irreparable and you're miles from assistance. "Why didn't I fix this before I ventured out"...it always comes back to haunt you. By the way, how's your bike? Is it road worthy? Does it have a few of those nagging issues dangling around waiting for attention?
Well, once your bike is ready to go, you can join in on the cadence camaraderie that many of us experienced this past season. The New Town Cycling Club is in full swing and is looking for more participants willing to pedal the day away. We plan to expand our ride selections this year by tossing in a few new weekend rides along with the popular 'Bike to Main' weekly ride.
If you're unfamiliar with the 'Bike to Main' ride, it's short and sweet, and flat as a pancake. We ride our bikes from New Town to Main Street in St. Charles one weekday evening, sit a spell while enjoying friendly conversation and a few drinks, and head back before sunset. It's less than seven miles one way and the whole event takes about two hours...or you could perch yourself in front of the television for two hours if you so desire. As many as eighteen cyclists participated in these rides on various evenings; some of whom drove several miles from their homes just to arrive in New Town.
Patios are our favorites. We tie up the horses, err bikes, and gather around a few tables to trade stories and relieve the local proprietors of a bit of their menu fare and imbibery. R. T. Weilers, Trailhead Brewery, Tuners, Main Street Bistro, and the Winery of the Little Hills were some of our ports of call...with many more planned for this coming season. Good fun, good company, and close to home...ingredients for a swell time, Wally.
Our weekend rides are longer in distance and many times, must be driven to before we can hop in the saddle. This past year, we visited Grafton, Elsah, Alton, Granite City, and Staunton in Illinois, along with Clayton, Forest Park, and the City of St. Louis. We participated in the Tour de Donut and the Moonlight Ramble. Planned additions for this coming year are the Tour de Stooges in Lebanon, Illinois and a few of the Trailnet rides. New Town to Creve Coeur Park is a ride many of us want to complete, as well.
All in all, we have a great time. All age groups from teenagers to seniors are welcome, with parental responsibilities for the younger riders a must. Our pace is relaxed, although sometimes on longer rides, the more robust riders can forge ahead and meet up with us down the road.
If you're looking for something to do once the weather breaks, prep your bikes and join your neighbors as they pedal for pleasure. Oh yeah, and exercise too. Look for the New Town Cycling Club information around town this Spring. Informational outlets are still being developed at this writing, but I'm sure you can ask someone and they will point you in my direction. I guess I could tell you my name here, but then I would be exposing my clandestine identity and you really wouldn't want me to do that, would you?
How many donuts do you think you can eat after riding ten miles…after twenty miles…how about thirty miles?
The Duke of Hempstead
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