New club president Jim Zearfoss presided over the first meeting of 2000. 11 members and friends attended the meeting. Jim not only presided, he gave a slide presentation about he and his wife’s ride across the state with Cycle North Carolina. (See “Cycle NC” in last month’s NC Bicycle News.)
In summary, Cycle North Carolina was 16 days of riding and covered 813 miles. Jim pointed out that the ride was advertised as only 720 miles, and the ride organizers were apparently not aware of the 93 mile discrepancy as late as the second week of riding. The long distance made for some very long days. Most days were over 60 miles. The last day covered 85 miles. The temperatures were okay for riding, Jim said. Most days were in the mid-50’s through the low 60’s. He wore arm warmers and a vest most of the time. The organizers had done a good job marking the route. The cue sheets were accurate. There were rest stops about every 15 miles and there were generally no problem with lines. Jim pointed out that they didn't camp, however, so he couldn’t speak for that experience.
Super scenery, local entertainment
In the mountains Jim experienced several 7, 8 and 10 mile uphills, which were sometimes very steep. He distracted himself from the climbing by enjoying the fall colors. “Super scenery,” he said.
Every night the riders enjoyed the hospitality of the mountain towns through in which they stayed. “We had a lot of good times in each town,” Jim said. “Each town had an event.”
One of the highlights, of course, was riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. “The Parkway is close to the best riding I’ve ever done. The tunnels were awesome” Jim said. It was here they hit the highest elevation of the ride, close to 5000 feet. They also reached their fastest speed, 44 mph. Jim and Liz good a good meal at the Parkway Restaurant. “I can’t recommend it enough.”
Charlotte and Raleigh bad for cyclists
Charlotte was a disappointment. A NASCAR race that was scheduled for the day after the cyclists’ arrival attracted a lot of traffic and some of the race fans were intolerant of the cyclists. Jim described them as a “drunken mob, throwing things and such.” Jim also noted that the area set aside for camping looked bad.
“From the western end to here was interesting, from here east was very dull,” Jim said. They left Raleigh at rush hour, in pouring rain, without any police escort. Several riders were deliberately run off the road by impatient automobile commuters.
Next year’s ride
Next year’s Cycle North Carolina will be shorter, Jim explained. It will run from Boone to Wilmington. Only 10 days of riding are scheduled. Jim said that the ride was “for the most part, very well organized.” A lot of things could’ve been better, though. Throughout the ride, for example, riders familiar with the local roads said there were better routes than the ones that were chosen.
For 2000, Jim wants the club to focus on increasing the number of riders on the rides. He wants to re-start the EZ-Riders rides so that there is at least one every weekend. EZ-Riders ride leaders will ensure that the riders adhere to very specific rules concerning the pace and conduct of the ride. For example, the pace of the ride on hills as well as on the flats will be published in advance so the riders can know what to expect. Last year’s president, Carol Schroeder, explained “We’re trying to counteract the impression that NCBC is a bunch of hammerheads.”
The fast riders will not be forgotten, of course, but “we need to serve the rest of the club as well,” said Jim. During the discussion that followed Jim’s announcement, Carol volunteered to write a member survey that will be published in NC Bicycle News. The officers will also discuss ways to get more ride leaders and to reward the ride leaders.
Jim also proposed a new meeting schedule. The officers will meet from 6:45 to 7:00. The business part of the meeting will be set for 7:00-7:30, followed by a presentation or social event from 7:30-9:00. This schedule will start with the March meeting.
David Cole, speaking on behalf of Rally Director Jack Powell, outlined the Spring Rally plans. Jack wants to support pre-registration this time. The Rally will be publicized in the NC Bicycle News . Registration forms will be available in the March issue and on the club web site.
David proposed that the club acquire its own World Wide Web domain name and move to a new Internet Service Provider with enhanced facilities and more file space. The cost would be $70.00 for the domain name registration and about $25-$30 per month for the ISP.
David said that unfortunately the ncbc.org domain is already used. However, the club can probably get ncbicycle.org. David’s motion was carried by acclimation.