Archived Posts

Pie Ride...posted 7-13-10

Many fellow bike club members enjoyed a 35 mile ride to Buffalo Prairie, Illinois for a nice slice of Pie.
The riders met at 1pm from the Pearl City Station...

Cyclist Presentation...posted 7-2-10

RAMCO 2010 - Riders Happy With Rain Date...posted 6-17-10

A very rainy Saturday caused an early morning decision to reschedule RAMCO for the following day. So on Sunday, about 45 riders assembled at the Fuller Park Shelter and began the 2nd annual "Ride Around Many Counties".

A dozen or so riders from the Quad Cities and Iowa City Bike Clubs accepted our invitation to join us this year - eager to discover a new route.

Other than a gusty head wind on the way to the Swinging Bridge, the weather was perfect - and everyone enjoyed the tail wind ride back to town!

Both food/rest stops - The Farmer's Bar & Grill in Letts, and the Ardon Creek Winery - agreed to open early for us on Sunday to accomodate our rain date. They really put out the welcome mat and were great hosts.

A big thank you to our Bike Club volunteers, Joyce Vesey and Bill Heither, who took on the duties of route signage, and setting up our picnic lunch. It was great to have the route so well marked, and a nice lunch ready and waiting for us.

Mother Nature's attempt to spoil our event failed, as all who rode enjoyed the day. Looks like there will be a RAMCO III to look forward to next year.

2010 Melon City Criterium...posted 6-2-2010

The 2010 Melon City was a huge success thanks to the many club volunteers. Race Director Greg Harper organized this event with lots of great help from dedicated club members. Quite of few club members participated in this year's event:

Category 4
Josh Long - 25th
Jon Sulzberger - 38th.

Master's 40+
Greg Harper - 16th
Bill Ford - 22nd

Master's 50+
Greg Harper - 4th

Juniors 10-12
Annabelle Henricksen - 9th
Allison Harper 12th

Category 3
Chad Bishop - 1st
FULL RESULTS

(BELOW: Chad Bishop sprinting to win the 2010 Melon City Category 3 Criterium)

Bike Route Signage Approved...posted 5-27-2010

The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors has approved signing over 40 miles of county roads with bike route and share the road signs. Over 150 signs are being ordered with installation to begin soon. The approxiamate cost for this project is $7,000 with a portion of the funding being provided by the Melon City Bike Club. Fellow bike enthusiast, Larry Koehrsen, headed up this project and worked diligently to make it a reality. A request will also be made for a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine and tax deductible contributions will be solicited from individuals. Bob Hayes is assisting with the fund raising efforts. Please contact Larry Koehrsen for more information.

Ride The River...posted 5-21-2010

Muscatine-Buffalo Ride (MRT) - Jun 20 - 7:00 a.m. Muscatine Riverfront
Enjoy a 44-mile ride along the Mississippi scenic river valley with the Muscatine Melon City Bicycle Club and Quad-City Bicycle Club!!!

Ride with Buffalo residents in the one-of-a-kind Bike!Trike!Walk! Buffalo MRT parade and have a pancake breakfast at Biscuits!!! Join the Buffalo residents and MRT bicyclists for a group photo opt.
A special 44-mile Muscatine-Buffalo-Muscatine ride will be held on the same day as Ride the River, Father's Day, June 20th, 2010. This Mississippi River Trail (MRT) event will help to highlight the need to complete the Iowa MRT section of the MRT from Muscatine to Buffalo.

Riding on Highway 22 dictates that our participants be avid cyclists, at least 18 years of age, and capable of riding 13 mph and up. The fee includes a t-shirt and a midpoint pancake breakfast in Buffalo. There will be a SAG stop in Wildcat Den on the return leg. The group will depart from the downtown Muscatine riverfront bike path at 7 a.m. on June 20th.

Register at the River Action website: http://www.riveraction.org/

You can learn more about the Mississippi River Trail up and down the Mississippi by going to http://www.mississippirivertrail.org/

Thanks for helping River Action promote the expansion of our wonderful Mississippi River Trail system.

For additional information about the Muscatine-Buffalo-Muscatine ride, contact
Harper's Cycling and Fitness at 563-263-4043
or River Action at 563-322-2969.

Melon City Criterium at Weed Park...posted 5-18-2010

Harper's Cycling/Melon City Racing Team...posted 5-6-2010

Regulars at the Tuesday Night Race Training Rides took a break to pose for some pictures. Members of the 2010 USAC racing team use these rides to train for upcoming events, while others simply enjoy the rewards of a good workout.

Mike Doyle wasn't able to ride due to an injury... However, as you can tell, he is still "Number One" in our book.

Quadrapedalling...posted 5-3-2010

Mark Evans, Dine Tank, Peg Heither, Deb Elliot, Julie Evans & Carol Ward participated in the 2010 Quadrapedal ride on Sunday May 2nd. This challenging and hilly event took place in Wisconsin.

Spring Meeting Review...posted 4-29-2010

COMPLETE MINUTES FROM MEETING

1) RAMCO Update - Peg Heither
-Saturday, June 5th at Fuller Park
-57 Mile Supported Loop
-Deluxe Breakfast stop
-Start/Finish food/drink
-FREE to members!
-Iowa City and Quad Cities Club members joining... bigger and better than ever.

2) Weekly Rides
-Monday, 6pm, Riverfront
-Tuesday, 6pm, Riverfront, Beginners/Relaxed Pace Ride
-Thursday, 6pm, Bike Shop, Paceline/Training Ride
-Sunday, 1pm, Riverfront
-Safety/Courtesy Reminder for all rides (Yield to traffic, etc.)

3) Annual Newsletter
-Content Submissions Requested (Ride Calendar, Ride Reports, Photos, etc.)

4) Special Event Updates
-Melon City Criterium - May 30th - Weed Park
-Ride the River - June 20th (Muscatine...Buffalo...Wild Cat Den... Muscatine, $10)
-Century Ride - June 27th

5) Bike To Work Week
-May is Bike To Work Month
-May 17th - 22nd is Bike To Work Week
-May 22nd is Bike To Work Day

6) Downtown Bike Racks
-Members constructed plan to initiate placement of bike racks around town.

7) River Trail Signage and Stripes
-Signage near Pearl City Station proposed with rules (stay on right, speed limit, etc.)
-Placement of center line stripes proposed to keep pedestrians safer.

8) County Signage
-Group agreed to support Larry K.'s future communications with the county to designate certain county roads as bike routes and to add signage for national bike trails that run through Muscatine County.

Kent Park Race Photos...posted 3-29-2010

Chad Bishop, Greg Harper, Bill Ford, and Josh Long competed for the Melon City Bike Club on Sunday, March 28th at Kent Park's Annual Spring Classic.
(Above: Chad Bishop leads a group of Cat 3 racers up to the main field.
Below: Greg Harper sets the tempo as the Master's 50+ field crests a steep hill.)

Team Results

2010 Racing Team Spring Season Begins...posted 3-25-2010

The Harper's Cycling & Fitness Racing Team, which is partially sponsored by the Melon City Bike Club, has begun their 2010 racing season with some great results.

Greg Harper won his Master's age division and finished 5th out of 46 competitors at the Cody Race, which was held March 21st, at Scott County Park.

Bill Ford also won his Master's age division and finished 8th overall.

The team meets every Tuesday night at the Harper's Cycling and Fitness bike shop. Non-members are more than welcomed to join in this training ride. The rides usually features a good mix of competitive cyclists, triathletes, endurance riders, and extreme fitness enthusiasts... mostly men, but Tonya Amrstrong and Connie Mann have been known to join in the fun. We don't discriminate based on gender or physical ability when dropping invididuals. The pace is geared toward simulating racing conditions, so please consult with your physician prior to attending.

Weekly Rides are Rolling...posted 3-16-2010

Melon City Bike Club Weekly Rides have begun!

The Monday Night Ride is meeting at 6pm (5:30pm through March) at the Muscatine Riverfront. Participants are encouraged to grab some post-ride fuel with the group at the Missippi Brew.

The Tuesday Night Race Training Ride meets at 6pm (5:30pm through March) at Harper's Cycling & Fitness.

Annual Winter Party Report..posted 1-22-2010

The 2010 Melon City Bike Club winter party was held Thursday, January 21st at the Missippi Brew. Approxiamately 60 members attended the event and enjoyed an all-you-can-eat Taco Bar sponsored by the club. After the meal, a brief meeting was held. Here is a summary of what transpired:

1) Membership dues were collected...( please remit your 2010 application, if you weren't able to attend the meeting.) Thanks to Greg Harper for being interim Treasurer.

2) Bike Club President, Chad Bishop gave his presidential address and graciously accepted another term as club president.

3)Deb Phillips was elected as Treasurer to replace John Fletcher. Thanks to John for his past services and to Deb for accepting the nomination.

4) Mike Doyle was elected Vice-President, and will be in charge of coordinating various group rides, including the Dinner Rides.

5)Peg Heither was elected Secretery and her duties will include helping Connie with the Bike Rodeo and annual printed newsletter, taking minutes at club officer meetings, organizing the 2nd annual RAMCO event (Ride Around Many Counties), & misc. club support/participation.

6)Joe Mann volunteered to organize the club's annual Century Ride

7) Dave Cooney was awarded monies to support his RAGBRAI tree planting program.

8) MelonHead representatives reminded group about their annual ride May 21/22.

9)Greg Harper informed group regarding a Father's Day Ride that will leave from Muscatine to connect with the annual event along the Davenport riverfront. He also confirmed the 2010 Melon City Criterium.

10) Members spoke regarding the status of the County's refusal to allow bike route signage and caution signs. A discussion about proper/courteous/safe road riding techniques was held. The county will be approached again with another proposal later this year.

11) Weekly rides were discussed and members were encouraged to find a ride that fits their interests and to organize their own rides and communicate them through yahoo group posts.

12) Connie Mann reminded group to sign up for the club's RAGBRAI charter. Currently, the number of people signed up is lower than usual.

There will be an officer's meeting this spring that everyone is encouraged to attend. Specific decisions regarding club events & sponsorships will be decided at that time.

Thanks for your support of Muscatine Cycling. 2010 should be a great year to appreciate all of the ways that cycling can enhance the quality of your life.

Bike Club to Endorse Bike Routes Initiative..posted 11-19-2009

This program will be an asset to Muscatine County for a variety of reasons:

1) Bicycle traffic will be directed to those roads that are designated as bike routes and away from other roads that are less hospitable for bike traffic.
2) Positive safety factor for both bicyclists and motorists.
3) The nationwide American Discovery Trail will be identified all the way across the County. Muscatine county will be prominently identified on maps and publications and will be seen a leader.
4) The Mississippi River Trail will be identified spanning the County. This will reinforce the County’s unique situation at the crossroads of these two national resources.
5)This bike route network will provide connections between Muscatine, West Liberty, Wilton, Atalissa, Moscow, Fruitland, and Durant, as well as to Wildcat Den State Park and Saulsbury Recreation Area. Access is also provided to bike routes in Cedar, Johnson, Louisa, and Scott Counties
6)Muscatine County will be seen as a leader in the safe and responsible accommodation of bicycle and vehicular traffic for the benefit of all.

Proposed County Bike Routes Map

The project will include the preparation of mile by mile descriptions
& Signage for various rides and loops...
American Discovery Trail across county
Mississippi River Trail across county
Muscatine-Wilton Loop(s)
Wilton-Durant Loop(s)
Muscatine-Lone Tree-West Liberty Loop (includes Johnson County)
Muscatine-Wapello Ride (includes Louisa County) Etc.

Questions, concerns, want to help?.... Contact Larry: koehrsen@machlink.com

Club's Gift Recognized in Muscatine Journal...posted 11-13-2009

Velo Gourmet ...posted 10-7-2009

Members of the Melon City Bike Club Enjoyed a great day of food, fun and fitness during the October 4th VeloGourmet. Pictured above are members gathering in front of Mike Doyle's home for dessert.

Muscatine Racing Results...posted 9-23-2009

Some local Muscatine cyclists enjoyed a rewarding weekend of racing...

Harvest Hammer Duathlon - Sept. 19th, 2009
Chad Bishop - 1st place Overall - 1:09:19
Tim Armstrong - 7th place overall - 1:17:28
Jeremy Oepping - 10th place overall - 1:17:38
Jon Sulzberger - 14th place overall - 1:23:24
Mark Evans - 29th place overall - 1:32:58
Tonya Armstrong - 6th place overall female - 1:35:49

(John Sulzberger, Mark Evan, Tonya/Tim Armstrong, Chad Bishop)

(Chad Bishop finishing the 21mile bike leg as the 1st Male Individual)

TriHawks Triathlon - Sept. 20th
Chris Mann - 1st/23 age group (M20-24) - 1:12:19
Connie Mann - 1st/8 in age group (F45-49) - 1:23:46
Eric Furnas - 5th/30 in Clydesdale - 1:24:57
Kelsey Davis - 2nd/25 in age group (F20-24) - 1:25:29
Julie Evans - 4th/4 in age group (F50-54) - 2:02:13

(Chris and Connie Mann)

(Julie Evan riding over the Coraville Dam during the race)

(Chris Mann during the cycling portion of the TriHawks Triathlon)

State Criterium Championships ...posted 7 -6-2009

Four riders from the club sponsored Harper's Cycling Racing Team competed in the 2009 Iowa State Criterium Championships. Greg Harper, Chad Bishop, Jon Sulzberger and Robert Hayes battled against some of the fastest talent in the region in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Greg brought home a silver medal and Robert's efforts were rewarded by earning a bronze.

Above: Chad Bishop leads the Masters field with Greg Harper racing attentively on the far left. Team Results

RAMCO Recap ...posted 6-1-2009

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