Whine and Dine Past 2009

We are going back to Tuesdays
At yesterday’s Wednesday night ride we decided to go back to Tuesdays for Whine and Dine 2010. Just about everybody there agreed that it either did not make a difference to them or Tuesdays were actually better for them. The ride leaders agreed, so it is the plan.

Since I am not on the ACTC e-mail list please feel free to forward this information to that body. BTW – since I am on that subject. Since I am not on that list if a whine and dine mellow ride has to be canceled for any reason, due to heat, rain, illness do not expect to get a notice on from me on that list. I will try to send an e-mail to the whine and dine e-mail distribution list. But, the best channel for last minute, up to the minute, whine and dine news is the whine and dine twitter feed. This feed also shows up on the sidebar of the blog as WND TWEETS. Twitter feeds can be subscribed to from a mobile phone and received as text messages in real time.

The Amestress is back!
Amy Marsh will be leading the mellow ride next week. I am going to LA for a big union meeting. Expect a more aggressive ride for next week than we have been having lately. We will be posting a super-mellow option as always!

WND Twitter feed is here:
http://twitter.com/whinedine

~Steve

WnD Ride, May 27, 2009

Note to Whine and Diners:
The whine and dine rides were conceived from the very beginning as social rides. That is why they are not one ride but a series of rides and even a hike to appeal to a wide range of people. The idea is that people of various abilities, including new cyclists, can go and do social rides that interest them and then come together and socialize as a single group. These rides were never meant to be competitive. These rides will only work if riders share the road with respect for one another.

Last week the routes were such that the fast group ended up overtaking the slowest group from behind. There was a group of cyclists off the front of the fast ride that were riding in a style that seemed very aggressive, as though they were competing. These cyclists needlessly overtook the slower riders aggressively; passing very closely without so much as an “on your left” or any other warning.

Please practice courtesy on the road. If you do not know how to do that I suggest attending the ACTC academy to learn courtesy on the road or find other events more suited to competition behavior than the whine and dine rides.

~Steve

Mellow Ride

“Mellow Ride” Reynolds and Shannon/Kennedy, 5 LM/M

A fun and challenging climb. This is a serious climb! However, there is a “super mellow option,” see below!

[Route Sheet Here] – Please be green, print your own route sheet!

Whine and Dine Ride Details

About the rides

All the Whine and Dine Rides start at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in front of Summit Bikes in Los Gatos, CA. After the rides we go out for fun and food at Una Mas in Los Gatos.

The Wednesday Whine and Dine Mountain Bike Ride

The Whine and Dine Mountain Bike Ride is listed for the same time as the road rides. I will be climbing slowly this year, so the pace is slow and social. The riders can influence which route we choose. The ride is listed for April, May, and June. If there is continued interest I will list it all summer. Meet at the same time and place as the road ride, Summit Bikes 6:00 PM. – Tyler French

The Wednesday Whine and Dine road rides

Quick Spinner Road Ride

Quarry Redwood Gulch

Quarry / Redwood Gulch 24.5 m, 2100 ft (aprox) with some very steep climbing.

Mellow Road Ride

Reynolds: A fun and challenging ride! (See Above)

Super Mellow Road Ride Option

Kennedy/Shannon, Half Hicks

[Route Sheet, Click Here]

Be Green, Print Your Own Route Sheet (when they are available)

I am only printing a few route sheets to conserve paper. Riders are encouraged to print your own route sheets before the ride. This is the only way you can be sure to get a route sheet. I am tired of wasting so much paper.

Hike

No current information regarding the hike. This blog post will be updated as more information becomes available!

Alcohol and Los Gatos Whine and Dine Rides

Please note: Any eating of burritos and/or possible consumption of alcohol will only occur after these Whine and Dine rides. Consumption of alcoholic beverages, including possible brewskies, will not be occurring on the ride, only after! Please drink responsibly.

Other things whine and dine

Want to be able to subscribe to the latest Whine and Dine news? You can even get it delivered to your phone! Check out the Whine and Dine Ride Twitter Feed:

http://twitter.com/whinedine

I have created a calendar of planned Whine and Dine Rides and events.

You can view the calendar at:
http://ical.me.com/s_sloan/WnD%20Calender

You can subscribe to the calendar at:
webcal://ical.me.com/s_sloan/WnD%20Calender.ics

Also, there is a whine and dine ride group on Facebook.

Upcoming WnD weekend events include a full century planned for May 30th.

More Questions

Please contact Steve Sloan for Mellow Road Rides. For other events please contact the respective leaders.

ACTC Ride Sign Up Sheet

[Ride leaders, download sign up sheet here]

Whine and Dine Reflections; April 16, 2009

I had a blast last night. I hope those of you who braved the chilly temperatures to ride and party did too. It seems to me the rides are getting more fun each year.

This is the time of year when we start expanding the mellow ride beyond just Kennedy and Shannon. As we start to extend and expand the ride it becomes a bit more challenging, a bit faster and a bit steeper. That, in the past, has lead some whine and diners to think the ride is not for them. I do not want to see that happen. So, I am going to start bringing a second set of route sheets for a super mellow option of the whine and dine rides.

Next week the WnD Mellow ride is half Hicks. But, I will bring and post route sheets for a shorter alternative.

We talked a lot about Yoga last night. A couple of us whine and diners are members of Downtown Yoga Shala, a great new San Jose Yoga studio owned by cyclist, ACTC member and whine and diner Veronica Cruz. What she and Yoga have done for me is almost a miracle. I am feeling better and riding stronger than I have for years. I know downtown San Jose may not be an option for some folks; but for me it is perfect. (Since joining the studio three weeks ago I have lost four pounds.)

They have a couple of limited time, great promotions now, including 10 days for $10 and a third off monthly memberships. If nothing else, this is the perfect time to just check them out. Hey, we can even do Yoga classes together! Veronica is the real deal. She is one of us. She has been in a major bike accident (and used yoga to recover from it.) Anyway, I promised yesterday to pass on some information so here it is:

• Downtown Yoga Shala Website
• Yelp reviews of Downtown Yoga Shala
• Steve’s Yoga Calendar

Whine and Dine in May
In May we also have a number of whine and dine weekend events on tap including metric and full centuries!