Entries tagged as ‘stuart culp’
A few weeks ago you might recall I made a commitment to try and hang with one of the more spirited group rides in the area before Stuart Culp’s return to the peloton. Well, if you’ve seen the updates of Stuart’s recovery you know he’s making gains everyday and I have my work cut out for me! The days of anyone cutting anything for me are long gone and the wind the peloton cuts seems to close faster than a clap of thunder. To hang on in this group you must ride a knife’s edge between LT and AT and a difference of just 4 heart beats per minute can mean making the cut or cutting loose. With each attack, a strand is cut from the rope that ties you to the group and riders in the front seem to have enough rope to pull a cruise ship. Those of us in the back just get faster at tying knots. With each knot that is tied, the rope is shortened just a bit until it’s easier to hang on to the group instead of the rope!
Last night the city council of Fort Collins met and one of the items brought to their attention was the allocation of a $38,000.00 grant from the Colorado Dept. of Transportation for the Safe Routes to School Program. Compared to the $192,500.00 for the FCBikes enrichment program and $100,000.00 for the bike library program, which are both great programs in their own right, this number seems rather small. I must say, however, that I was really delighted to see the support the city council members have for bicycling in our community as a whole, and how they listened to those who spoke on the matter. Thanks to all in attendance.
And now for some karma…Do you believe in karma? Good or bad?…..Well, listen to this. During the silent auction fund raiser for Stuart Culp’s recovery, Feedback Sports donated a mechanic’s bike stand on his behalf. Since I had commandeered my neighbor’s bike stand for way too long, I placed some bids on the stand, only to be outbid in the closing minutes. This past weekend, the Winter Park mountain bike series ended followed by their end of season raffle and….. I am now the lucky owner of a new Feedback Sports mechanics work stand which, by the way, rocks! Thank you very much! By the way, if you need a nice foldable work stand, I suggest you check the models Feedback Sports has to offer!
Did someone say foldable?……take a look at this new concept foldable bike. It doesn’t quite have all the stop and go problems solved, but it looks to be on the right track and sports 26″ tires to boot. Awesome! Watch the video.
OK, time for this week’s tip. When riding in a group, avoid sudden changes in speed or direction to help the group stay together. Any actions at the front of the group get magnified by the time they reach the back. It’s a little like a ripple effect, or chaos theory, which ever you prefer to think about!
So remember to watch out for cyclists and they’ll watch out for you!
Steve Lacey
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: best bike stand, bicycle stand, city council, colorado, Dominic Hargreaves, fcbikes, Feedback Sports, foldable bike, fort collins, fort collins colorado, Karma, mechanics bike stand, Safe Routes to School, stuart culp
To all those who bought or donated items for Stuart’s auction I give you my sincere thanks……Thanks for showing me that the cycling family is strong and supportive of those in need. I don’t know the exact numbers of the money raised as of yet but I can tell you quite a few of the items got more attention than a teenager’s cell phone, and the bids were changing faster than the ink could dry from the previous ones. In the end, it didn’t matter so much what was bid on and won, as much as who won.
Speaking of winning, did you happen to see the results of the Leadville 100 which took place last Saturday as well? It seems the Tour de France is the perfect training event for the race across the sky as none other than Lance crushed the field and the course record while beating last year’s winner, Dave Wiens, by about a half an hour. Oh yeah, and if you think you could slow him down by letting some of the air out of his tires, think again; with about ten miles to go, he got a flat rear tire and without the aid of his team car, quickly realized he rides better than he wrenches, and finished with the same flat tire.
Photo by Bruce Turner
Another winner you might not have heard about is a guy by the name of Owen Murphy…..Who? O-W-E-N M-U-R-P-H-Y! He finished the Colorado Trail Race in 4 days, 3 hours and change, beating the old record by about a day. That’s 470 miles, Denver to Durango, on a mountain bike without feed zones, domestiques or room service. Only about ten yahoos completed the entire course and to the winner goes……..well, his name is Owen and he is most likely faster than you on a bike!
News from my side….the time finally came…the old Specialized Enduro got replaced. Yep, she was a good ride alright and we had a lot of good times together, but the rough miles, hard landings and fast descents were getting to be a bit too much for the old girl. It was time to upgrade to a new model; better built, firmer shocks, anxious to try new obstacles….The Trek Remedy. Like the Enduro, the Remedy is more of an all mountain bike, meaning it’ll go anywhere and tackle just about anything….Or as much as I can throw at her anyway. With a bit more travel and refined suspension, the Remedy gives the trails a brand new feeling and I can’t wait for the Fall trip to Moab and Grand Junction. We’re still getting acquainted and figuring air pressures and settings, but so far, it’s a keeper. One thing I just couldn’t part with was my old seat, torn up as it is, some things just feel right.
Ah yes, the Fall trip! Is it that time of year already??……Well, no, but planning is key and if you’re planning to ride this winter, might I suggest keeping your eye out for some inexpensive closeout shoes a couple sizes too big to allow room for a thicker pair or two of wool socks and a little wiggle room? You know, just in case you get a snow day!
Finally, don’t forget your summer time goals either just because Fall is on her way…. there’s still plenty of time to reach them!
Steve Lacey
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Colorado Trail Race, cycling, denver to durango, durango colorado, enduro, fall ride, grand junction, Lance Armstrong, le tour, leadville 100, leadville mtb 100, leadville trail, leadville trail 100, moab, new bike, Owen Murphy, Remedy, Silent Auction, specialized, stuart culp, tour de france, trek, Trek Remedy
This Saturday, August 15th, a silent auction will be held to come to the aid of a huge member of our bicycling community. Although Stuart Culp is well on his road to recovery, he still has a long journey ahead of him until he’s back on the pedals again; and a journey like this can put a tremendous strain on a family’s finances. Driving to Denver, take out dinners and family visits from out of state are just some of the expenses the Culps are enduring during his recovery and they could sure use our help. We would like to encourage you to participate in a silent auction for the Culps at the Peloton Cycles bike shop in Fort Collins from 5:30 – 10:00pm on August 15. Donations from a number of bicycling establishments have been received to be auctioned off on Stuart’s behalf. For more information or if you’d like to donate items for the auction, please contact Dustin at Peloton Cycles.
Dustin Folger
Event Coordinator
Peloton Cycles
970-449-5595
We hope to see you at Peloton on Saturday!
Another way you can help the Culps is to purchase gift cards for them for any of the following establishments and mail them to Dan Porter and he’ll pass them onto the Culps.
Food options…
Panda Express
Papa Johns
Qdoba
Red Robin
Wok & Roll
Supper Solutions
Safeway
etc …………………
Vehicle Maintenance and Gas
Conoco
Diamond Shamrock
Jiffy Lube
Grease Monkey
etc….
Send the gift cards or drop them by Dan Porter (Your Group Ride) at 5220 Boardwalk Dr. Unit C11, Fort Collins, CO 80525!
Tour De Fat
OK, looking at the calendar, it looks like there are only about 3 weeks until this year’s Tour de Fat to be held on September 5th, 9:00AM – 4:00PM at New Belgium Brewery, just off Linden St. in Old Town. Imagine Saturday Night Fever, Saturday Night Live, Monster Garage, Myth Busters, and a little Twilight Zone all coming together for the wildest parade to ever test your sense of reality, followed by a party to celebrate the “cycle” of life! WILD! The best part of it is, everyone can be a part of the show. Break out your finest polyester, your favorite two wheeled contraption and maybe your ID and follow your folly to the Tour De Fat! All proceeds from the event go to local organizations and there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer for the event as well. Visit http://overlandmtb.org for more information on where your talents could be used best.
Speaking of IDs, a while back I asked everyone who rides to get some form of ID to carry on themselves in case of emergency. Well, I decided to take Bobke’s advice and order one of the Road ID bands on line and here it is. After a few rides it’s starting to get broken in and hopefully I’m the only one to ever read it. I know it’s a bit gimmicky, but after spending the $20.00, I now make sure I wear it.
Finally, whether on the road or dirt, this week’s tip may help you stay out of trouble. While approaching debris or obstructions on the trail or road, do not focus your attention on the obstacle. Instead, focus on the route past the obstacle and keep the obstacle in your peripheral vision. Chances are, if your looking at the obstacle, your bike will follow (and that may not be a good thing!).
Again, I hope to see you at Peloton on Saturday, but if not, I hope you’re enjoying the day on your bike!
Thank you Frenchista for the pix
Steve Lacey
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: fort collins, new belgium brewery, nbb, yourgroupride, stuart culp, tour de fat, Silent Auction, Peloton silent Auction, Road ID, Stuart Culp auction, fat tire festival, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Boise, Portland, Tempe, San Diego, peloton cycles, donations, panda express, papa johns, qdoba, red robin, wok roll, supper solutions, safeway, conoco, diamond shamrock, jiffy lube, grease monkey, Overland Mountain Bike Club
It’s been a little over a week now since Stuart Culp‘s accident and he is still recovering from his injuries, getting better everyday. Stuart and the entire Culp family have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community. Sincere thanks goes out to those who donated blood during Stuart’s time of need. The lines at the blood bank were evidence of how strong the bicycling community is here in Fort Collins.
I hope this accident does not deter anyone in our biking community from enjoying the bicycling experience here in Fort Collins or Northern Colorado. Bicycling is still one of the safest forms of recreation and transportation you can participate in and our roads are still some of the best in the nation. I have still been riding and I returned to the TTH group ride on Tuesday. I must say, I was a bit nervous on the way over to the Peloton parking lot. As we grouped up and left the parking lot, I was glad to see the tempo of the group hadn’t changed. My nervousness quickly turned to anticipation for the first rotation. Now coming from a mountain biking background, I admit I am not that savvy in a pack, and again I made a tactical error and found myself off the back of the group. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Eventually I’ll learn the tricks of the trade and get better just in time for Stuart’s return! I won’t bet who gets there first though!
Beyond the outpouring of support for Stuart, still more evidence that Fort Collins is a thriving bicycle community lies in the numbers we were able to post during our Bike to Work day — 5,175 participants, 25,463 miles ridden, 1669 work sites, 28 breakfast stations……wait, 28 breakfast stations?? If that doesn’t show community support for bicycling, I don’t know what does! Some of the businesses receiving top honors were REI, The Neenan Company, and you guessed it the New Belgium Brewing Company. The Neenan Company had a whopping 97% participation – way to go Neenan! 
And just because bike to work week is over, doesn’t mean you have to ride alone! There are a number of organized weekly group rides around the city for anyone interested in attending. Organized rides like these are perfect for those just getting into cycling and who want to learn more about riding or to gain confidence riding in a group. Visit http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/ for some of dates and times of some of the rides in the area.
Speaking of riding in groups, how could I not say something about this year’s Tour De France??…..Amazing!!! With only 4 stages to go, there is still plenty of life and scenarios yet to play out. Will Lance be able to make the final podium? Will Andreas Kloden be able to put a spectacular time trial together? Will Alberto continue his reign on Mont Ventoux or will the Schleck brothers gang up on him again? If you don’t watch any other stage – watch stage 20 on Saturday and don’t forget about LEE’S Tour De France bike sale. Great bikes! Great deals! BTW – Ever wonder what the 1274 signifies on Lance’s bikes?? Times up! It represents the number of days he was away from competition.
Finally, a safety reminder — report any close calls while riding your bike in Fort Collins due to a road hazard or motor vehicle at the following site– http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/report.php Comments are read and taken seriously.
Be safe and be seen!
Steve Lacey
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 1274, Andreas Kloden, Bike To Work, bike to work day, brewing company, fcgov, fort collins, fort collins roads, group ride, Lance 1274, Lance Armstrong, mont ventoux, new belgium, northern colorado, rei, safety, stuart culp, tdf, tdf09, The Neenan Company, tour de france, tth, TTH group ride
Bicycle Accident
This past week a member of our cycling community, Stuart Culp, I’m very sorry to say, was involved in an accident involving a motor vehicle.
The accident occurred around noon on Tuesday during a TTH group ride out on Crossroads Blvd in Windsor. Stuart had dropped back from the group and was struck from behind by a motor vehicle. I too had dropped off the back of the group and was the first to arrive at the scene of the accident and stayed with Stuart until paramedics arrived. An EMT nurse also arrived shortly after the accident and gave Stuart immediate care. Within minutes after the accident paramedics arrived and gave Stuart the utmost care and attention and quickly had him off to the hospital.
Stuart is currently undergoing treatment at one of our top ranked local hospitals and is in the best of hands and care. The Culp family has been very grateful for the support the cycling community has given but requests people refrain from calling or visiting the hospital at this time. I hope everyone respects their wishes.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Culp family and all touched by this incident.
After experiencing an accident like this first hand, I can’t stress enough the importance of having some form of first aid training if you frequently participate in group rides or just in general. Something else I NEED everyone who is reading this to do right now – set up an ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact on their cell phone. RIGHT NOW!!!!!! I’ll wait right here while you do this! This year’s Tour de France also makes mention of the RoadID bracelet; forget the lattes this week and buy one of these things, please. At the very least, put an emergency contact card in your tool bag and on your person. You don’t know who will be with you if something happens, or if you are on your own, who will find you. It might be a complete stranger and you need them to know who you are.
Other things to try and remember with any accident such as this -
* Do not move anything involved in the accident – If you must move something, be sure to mark its original location.
* Make note of the time of day.
* Keep people away from the scene or from touching anything around the scene if possible.
Please think good thoughts for Stuart and hold a place for him in the peloton. This is not the first time a member of the cycling community has been in a serious accident. Now go take that First Aid class and organize your cell phone contacts as well as a RoadID bracelet!
Be safe!
This past week a member of our cycling community, Stuart Culp, I’m very sorry to say, was involved in an accident involving a motor vehicle. 
The accident occurred around noon on Tuesday during a TTH group ride out on Crossroads Blvd in Windsor. Stuart had dropped back from the group and was struck from behind by a motor vehicle. I too had dropped off the back of the group and was the first to arrive at the scene of the accident and stayed with Stuart until paramedics arrived. An EMT nurse also arrived shortly after the accident and gave Stuart immediate care. Within minutes after the accident paramedics arrived and gave Stuart the utmost care and attention and quickly had him off to the hospital.
Stuart is currently undergoing treatment at one of our top ranked local hospitals and is in the best of hands and care. The Culp family has been very grateful for the support the cycling community has given but requests people refrain from calling or visiting the hospital at this time. I hope everyone respects their wishes.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Culp family and all touched by this incident.
After experiencing an accident like this first hand, I can’t stress enough the importance of having some form of first aid training if you frequently participate in group rides or just in general. Something else I NEED everyone who is reading this to do right now – set up an ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact on their cell phone. RIGHT NOW!!!!!! I’ll wait right here while you do this! This year’s Tour de France also makes mention of the RoadID bracelet; forget the lattes this week and buy one of these things, please. At the very least, put an emergency contact card in your tool bag and on your person. You don’t know who will be with you if something happens, or if you are on your own, who will find you. It might be a complete stranger and you need them to know who you are.
Other things to try and remember with any accident such as this -
* Do not move anything involved in the accident – If you must move something, be sure to mark its original location.
* Make note of the time of day.
* Keep people away from the scene or from touching anything around the scene if possible.
Please think good thoughts for Stuart and hold a place for him in the peloton. This is not the first time a member of the cycling community has been in a serious accident. Now go take that First Aid class and organize your cell phone contacts as well as a RoadID bracelet!
Be safe!
Steve Lacey
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: emt, first aid, ice, in case of emergency, roadid, roadid bracelet, stuart culp, tdf, tdf09, tour de france, tth, tth group, windsor
