NBCC

NEW BERN CENTURY CYCLISTS

Eastern North Carolina

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This website has but one purpose: To encourage cyclists of all ages in the New Bern NC area to cycle a Century trip and to give recognition to those that have done so.

Why? So we can get cyclists together for monthly Century trips weather permitting. Having a large group of cyclists makes the trip easier and more enjoyable. If you've never ridden with a group of riders it's time for you to discover something new about cycling.

Visitors since 3/6/02

What's a Century trip? It is a rite of passage for all serious cyclists to be able to say that they have cycled a trip of 100 miles in a single day, usually within 5 to 8 hours. Others say one has to be crazy to ride 100 miles. 

Why ride a Century? Because of the challenge! The mere thought of being on a bike for some 5 to 8 hours impresses sedentary folks but anyone can ride a Century that is healthy and prepares for it. I'm 77 and have ridden 53 Century trips since age 69. It's great fun and excellent exercise. Overweight? You'll burn several thousand calories each trip!

What does one need to do to prepare for a Century? Cycle, cycle cycle! The more you cycle on a routine basis the easier it is to ride a Century. If after riding your bike for 10 miles your legs are sore you're obviously not ready for a 100 miles. You should be able to knock off  at least 25 miles with no pain before attempting 100.

Do I need a special bike? It's going to be hard pedaling an old one-speed heavy bike with fat tires but I'm not going to put down any bike except to say that the trip will be much easier and faster if you have a lightweight roadbike. What's a roadbike? You won't find one at Wal-Mart. It's a bike with a lightweight alloy or aluminum frame, drop handlebars and very skinny tires (appx. 700mm x 23mm). Prices start in the hundreds and go to the thousands. Many folks have popular mountain bikes nowadays. They'll make the 100 miles but they won't keep up with roadbikes. You guessed it! I'm a roadbike nut...

 Why join the NBCC? It costs nothing and simply places you on an e-mail list to be notified when a Century or any other shorter trip is planned so that you may join the group. It also permits you to send messages to all members by addressing your message to nbcc@XXXalways-online.com (remove XXX). Send your request to Dave Wallace at davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (remove XXX). The e-mail list will be sent only to members that are on it. 

Where does a Century trip go? Wherever you or a member that plans the trip wants it to go. The monthly trips that we have been taking over the past few years have departed from River Bend and go to Trenton,  then to Beulaville where we have lunch at Hardees or McDonalds. After lunch we cycle to Fountaintown, Catherine Lakes, Richlands, Trenton and back to River Bend. See mileage chart you can print out. Besides lunch we usually take about 4 short rest stops at stores along the way. Ordinarily we depart on a Sunday morning at 8 AM and return by 3:30 PM. Saddle time is around 6 1/2 hours with the remaining time for lunch and rest stops. Average overall saddle speed usually ranges from 14.5 -16.5 mph depending on the wind. A group of cyclists always makes better time by taking turns "pulling the group" while others draft behind. You'll be surprised at the difference drafting makes. 

How can I be added to the Century Trip Recognition list?  It's easy, provided you live in the vicinity of New Bern NC where you'll be able to cycle with us occasionally. Just complete a Century trip and have it verified by another member. Send your request to Dave Wallace at davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net(remove XXX). As you complete more Century trips send in update info. (By the way it is not the intent of this web page to record century trips of cyclists all over the country)

Dave Wallace 

NBCC CENTURY TRIP RECOGNITION

Click here for the current member list

OTHER CYCLING WEB PAGES

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(Scroll to the bottom for the latest narratives of trips. I try to keep approximately one year of narratives)

It was at least below 40 degrees when Millard Godwin and Mac Flythe departed at 8:30 AM for the Pollocksville loop. Here's what Millard wrote:

Hey Dave & Fellow Cyclists,

It wasn't quite "Polar Bear Cycling" this morning but pretty close. It was a chilly start, but it warmed up before we finished. There was only two cyclists this morning; Mac Flythe, Sr. and me. It seemed there was a head wind at times no matter the direction we were headed. It was a little more windy and cooler than last week. Our average speed was 17.6 at Pollocksville where we began to peel off outer layers, down to 17.3 at Brice's Creek, and finally down to 17.1 back at the bike shop. We saw no other cyclists this morning. We were stopped by the bridge opening down town, but it felt warm waiting in the sun.

Millard Godwin 11/5/06

It rained all day Sunday November 12 so nobody cycled. Millard Godwin sent mail suggesting we do the Pollocksville loop on Tuesday, the 14th because of the WX in the 70s and surprisingly 6 showed up: Max Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, John Imbriaco, Dan Sosa (JAX) and myself. Cumulative saddle averages from River Bend where Dan and I met the group were 17.9, 18.4, 17.6 and 17.1 to Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and River Bend. Remember the railroad track we always cross under the Trent River Bridge? Well we got held up quite a while a freight train was stopped on the track. Traffic backed up blocks behind us. When we finally got underway, another traffic jam was ahead because the drawbridge was open. Lastly, when we turned on to Pollock Street it was closed because of digging so we all rode on the sidewalk. It was a nice trip but seemed like an obstacle course today. The Flythe group departed from the bike shop at 10 AM instead of the usual 8:30AM which I thought was great. Nice having Dan Sosa drive up from JAX to ride with us. Dan's the oldest cyclist in Jax and really hangs in. 

Dave Wallace 11/14/06   

It was a cold 40-degrees when I left home to meet the Flythe Group consisting of Max Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, John Imbriaco and Gordon Carberry. Whatever happened to all the cyclists that used ro ride with us on the Sunday 30-mile Pollocksville loop? Today my cumulative saddle averages were 18.3, 17.9, 17.1 and 16.6 at Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and RB. We always have a rest stop at Pollocksville and Brices Creek. 

Dave Wallace - 11/19/06

We had 8 cyclists this Sunday morning on the 30-mile Pollocksville loop: Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Ben Rauch, Beverly Rust, John Imbriaco and his son-in-law Mike from Easton PA and myself. Bents 2, Roadies 6. We kept pretty much together, which happens when we keep the pace under 20mph. From River Bend where I joined the group my cummulative saddle average was 18.3, 17.6, 17.1 and 16.7 at Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and River Bend. Nice having Bev back. If she ever replaces that hybrid with a road bike, we're going to have trouble keeping up with her. Great WX today for working off all those turkey calories. We all burned about 1000 on the trip. See http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/6434/CalCalcApplet.html. 

Dave Wallace - 11/26/06

Same 6 cyclists as usual on the Pollocksville loop this Sunday morning: Flythe, Godwin, Sadler, Carberry, Imbriaco and myself. I met the group in RB as usual. My cumulative saddle average was 18.7, 16.9, 16.4, 16.7 at Pollockville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and RB. Nice tailwind to Pollocksville but heavy headwind to Brices Creek. It was a cool start at about 40+ degrees but warmed up in the 50s. Don't know why we can't get more cyclists to join us. Even when I suggested an all mountain bike trip recently at slower speeds nobody responded so we have no idea what the problem is with cross-country cycling in New Bern. 

Millard Godwin sent the following note to me later on Sunday:

Dave Wallace 12/3/06 

Below freezing was TOO COLD for me on the 30-mile ride - but not for some. Millard really had me believing 19.8 mph to Pollocksville! At 27-degrees, that would have made the wind chill feel like 13-degrees, unless they had a 19.8 mph tailwind! Here's Millard's report:

Dave Wallace 12/10/06

Hello Cyclists,

Was it a "Polar Bear Cycling" this Sunday morning? Hummm. Didn't see Dave Wallace....so it must have been a "Polar Bear Cycling"!!!!

There were five Polar Bears cycling this morning. They were Mac Flythe, Sr., Bill Sadler, John Williams (Calif.), Ben Rauch, and me. Our average speed on the Pollocksville Loop was 19.8. We were able to cycle faster as we didn't have to wait for Dave Wallace this morning! It must have been too cold for Gordon Carberry and John Imbriaco. Those damn Yankees! They can't take the cold. I called them on their cell phones before we left the bike shop, and they had their phones turned off. I left them a message, but I ain't telling you what I said.

Bill said he recently saw Kelly Green, and he encouraged him to come out and cycle with us. Kelly told him it was "too cold"! Kelly needs to get some warm gear.

Seriously, we had some head wind all the way to Pollocksville, and it was 27 degrees without the wind chill factor. Our average speed to Pollocksville was 16.1. After we turned onto Island Creek Road, we still had head wind most of the time, but our average speed to Merchant's Store increased to 16.4. And, we still had head wind almost all the way back to the Bike Shop, and our average speed decreased to 16.2. The temperature was up to 54 when we returned to the Bike Shop (without the wind chill factor).

We saw two other cyclists this morning. And, while back at the Bike Shop, a Sun Journal reporter (doing a story on hobbies) stopped and interviewed us about cycling. Watch for the article in the paper.

COME ON OUT NEXT SUNDAY AND BE A "POLAR BEAR"!!! (IF ITS COLD.) YOU MIGHT JUST GET INTERVIEWED BY A REPORT, TOO!

Millard Godwin 12/10/06

It barely made 40-degrees when I met the Flythe group passing River Bend on the 30-mile Pollocksville loop at 8:50 AM. That's probably why there was only the usual 5 of us - Flythe, Godwin, Sadler, Carberry and myself. Almost didn't make it since I has a flat at 8:30 AM and barely fixed it in time to meet the group. Cumulative saddle average from RB were 17.1, 17.5, 17.1 and 16.8 to Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe shop and RB. Slower than usual but an enjoyable ride. Temperature rose into 60s. 

Dave Wallace 12/17/06

There was 8 of us today on the Pollocksville loop: Flythe, Godwin, Sadler, Carberry, Beverly Rust, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. A black fellow named Travis was with us all the way to Pollocksville and surprised everybody by keeping up and even leading the paceline. We lost him on the way to Brices Creek. Two accidents occurred on the way to Pollocksville. Carberry and I were both forced off the road when the paceline suddenly slowed. In my case my front tire scraped against Godwin's rear tire and we both were fortunate not to go down. The perils of a paceline! My cumulative saddle average from River Bend were 17.7, 18.1, 17.3 and 16.8. We split into 3 groups after the Brices Creek rest stop. I hung back with Sosa and Rust. Tenp was in the 60s. Nice ride. 

Dave Wallace 12/24/06

Nice WX today with starting temp about 55 as I met 7 Flythe group cyclists in River Bend on the Pollocksville loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, John Imbriaco, Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman and Beverly Rust. The group broke up on the way to Pollockville and to Brices Creek rest stops so my cumulative saddle averages are tail-end from RB: 18.1, 16.1, 15.7, 15.8 to Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and RB. We experienced heavy wind at times going to Brices Creek. 

I later heard from Millard that Bill Dickerson started with the group in New Bern but didn't keep up and turned off on the Rhems -Tuscarora road to return home. Special Olympics athlete Travis Bowman is surprising everyone lately at the speed he's riding his old heavy bike, although for most of the trip he rides alone. Millard said he gave Travis a pair of gloves and at the bike shop today they gave him a new helmet. By the way, today was his birthday - age 29. the youngest rider with us.

I spoke with Beverly Rust who has cycled Century trips in the past and she would like to do another one. We tentatively decided to wait until the spring when the weather is more certain and the days are longer. More on this later.

Happy New Year folks! It's been a good year for cycling. I just wish we'd hear from more cyclists on the member list. 

Dave Wallace 12/31/06

Great weather for January with starting temp close to 60 and going to the 70s. Only 6 today for the Pollocksville 30-mi loop: Flythe, Sadler, Carberry, Imbriaco, Sosa (JAX) and myself. From River Bend where Sosa and I joined in to Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythes and River Bend the cumulative saddle average was 19, 18.4, 17.5 and 17.2 in very light wind. Dan Sosa and I lagged behind from Brices Creek and had a nice conversation and leisurely ride. We missed Millard Godwin today and learned later that problems cropped up at the last minute that prevented him from coming. I don't plan to mention Travis Bowman any more since he never stays with the group and is always either way ahead or way behind. 

Dave Wallace 1/7/07

What a disappointment! Perfect weather into the 70s in December and only 4 riders show up: Flythe, Godwin, Carberry and myself. I even sent e-mail inviting slowpokes to form a 2nd group and I'd ride with them, letting the slowest rider set the pace but nobody showed up. From River Bend where I joined the paceline, our cumulative saddle averages were 16.9, 17.5, 17.3 and 16.4 at Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and River Bend respectively.

I wasn't going to mention Travis Bowman anymore because he never stays with our group but today he was cycling faster than ever and each time we'd catch up he'd accelerate and leave us. The reason was that Mac Flythe gave him a real road bike (old Fuji) to replace the heavy clunker he'd  been riding so he's now much faster. He seems to enjoy staying as far ahead of our group as possible. As we approached Brices Creek for our usual sprint, I managed to catch and pass him at 30.4 mph which shows how fast he's now riding.   

Dave Wallace 1/14/07  

Hey cyclists,

There were six (6) "Polar Bears" who cycled the Pollocksville Loop this morning. They were: Mac Flythe, Sr., Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, John Williams (Calf.), Travis Bowman, and me. It was 32 degrees when we started out and warmed to about 40 when we finished. As it was 40 when we got back to the bike shop, we looked for you! 

Travis took off and was way out front on the way to Pollocksville. Mac and John pushed it to catch him before Pollocksville. It may have been in part possible because Travis stopped to pick up some coins in the road. We had somewhat of a tail wind part of the way to Pollocksville, but we had some strong head wind most of the way from Pollocksville to Brice's Creek. Travis finally cycled with the group during this time. He was complaining about the wind, and several of us were able to convince him to ride with the group. Our average speed was 18.5 to Pollocksville, 16.6 to Brice's Creek, and 16.4 back to the bike shop. Although it was cold, it was a nice ride and good workout. One of the "Polar Bears", 

Millard Godwin 1/21/07

It was a cold rainy Sunday morning on January 28th so nobody cycled. Millard Godwin reports below on the group that cycled on Sunday February 4th. It was too cold for me with the starting temp below 40 and never getting higher than 45. Nice to see that Doc Williams was back with the group.

Dave Wallace - 2/4/07

Hey Dave,
 
There were six cyclist on the Pollocksville Loop this morning.  They were:  Bill Sadler, Mac Flythe, John Williams (doctor), Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman, and me.  John Williams, who has been recovering from a leg injury and this was his first road ride since the accident, and I rotated pulling to Pollocksville.  After the rest stop, I think John headed back to New Bern as he had things to do.  Said he'd see us next Sunday.  Also, John Williams (Calif.) showed up at the bike shop, and I thought he was going to ride with us.  I was busy and, suddenly, saw he was gone.  Someone said he told us to have a good ride...apparently he had things to do and was just out for a brief ride.
 
We had head wind all the way to Pollocksville with an average speed of 16.9.  After the turn onto Island Creek Road, there was only occasional head wind, and our average speed increased to 17.5.  Then, there was head wind again on the last leg of the route (especially the bridge and after), and our average speed was down again to 16.9.  It was 30 degrees when we started and 45 degrees upon our return. It didn't feel as cold as the temperature (likely because of the sunshine), and everyone agreed we had over dressed.
 
It was a nice workout as no one had ridden for two weeks.

Millard Godwin 2/4/07

The weather finally got above 40-degrees so I joined the Flythe group at 8:50 AM this Sunday on the 30-mile Pollocksville loop ride. There was 4 of us: Godwin, Carberry, Sadler and myself. I don't consider Travis Bowman as part of the group as he's always either blocks ahead or blocks behind and never rides with the group. My cumulative saddle average from River Bend to Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and RB was 18.3, 16.5, 16.5, 16.5. I've noticed that total saddle time is usually between 1hr-45 to 1hr-50 minutes which makes the overall average between 16 - 17 mph. The trip for me is usually around 2hr-10min.

Dave Wallace 2/25/07

There were only 4 of us in the Flythe group 30-mile Pollocksville ride this cold and windy Sunday morning: Mac Flythe, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry and myself. Sorry to hear that Millard Godwin, a regular, was sick. We saw Travis Bowman periodically but can't convince him to be a group rider. He seemed to think it was a race. I joined the group in River Bend as usual and my cumulative saddle average was 17.6. 17.1, 16.3 and 15.8 mph at Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and RB. We seemed to have a headwind no matter which way we went and I struggled alone at 12-14 mph against a 15 20 mph wind for the final 5 miles back to River Bend. The hot shower was wonderful!

Dave Wallace - 3/4/07

The weather improved so we had 9 cyclists this Sunday morning on the Pollocksville 30-mi loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, John Imbriaco, Dan Sosa (JAX), Mary Hittner and brother Joe Anderson on a tandem, Travis Bowman and myself. I've included Travis in the group this time because he actually joined us on several occasions on the way to Brices Creek. He just may see the merits of drafting. Mary Hittner is new to the area in Fairfield Harbour and her brother Joe, visiting from Indiana brought his tandem bike. They really moved along nicely on it and even pulled the group. My cumulative saddle average from River Bend was steady at 17.6mph at Pollocksville, Brices Creek and Flythe's shop. Dan and I relaxed going the last 5 miles to River Bend so overall average dropped to 17. This was a good ride today. Let's get more cyclists next Sunday. We start 8:30AM at Flythe's bike shop on Trent Rd. or 8:50 AM at the RB Shell station on US-17. 

Dave Wallace - 3/11/07

There was no group ride on Sunday 3/18 as the starting temperature was below freezing.

Despite the great weather this Sunday 3/25 morning and hopes that we might draw out some slower cyclists and have a second group, only 5 cyclists showed up: Flythe, Godwin, Carberry, Sosa (from Jax) and myself. We saw Travis Bowman periodically who apparently still thinks it's a race. There was a nice tailwind on the way to Pollocksville but tough going against a 20mph headwind to Brices Creek. My cumulative saddle average from River Bend where I joined the group was 21.2, 17.8, 17.6, 17.2 at Pollocksville/Brices Creek/Flythe's store/River Bend. 

Dave Wallace - 3/25/07

It looked like it might rain Sunday morning but I went ahead and  joined 3 Flythe cyclists as they passed River Bend on the Pollocksville loop: Flythe, Godwin and Sadler. Mac mentioned that a group of slower cyclists were behind expecting me to join them since I has made the offer last week. I dropped out of the paceline until I heard Mac yell back "April Fool!" It was a real gotcha and I had to pedal my ass off to catch up.

We had a headwind all the way to Pollocksville but it never rained. Our cumulative saddle average from RB was 17.2, 18.4, 17.6, 17.3 at Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Flythe's shop and RB. Saddle average always drops going to RB because I usually face a headwind alone for the last 5 miles. Travis Bowman rode blocks ahead of the group as usual since to him it's a race. He definitely doesn't like to join the group. 

Dave Wallace - 4/1/07 APRIL FOOL's DAY (My wife even warned me before I left home)

There was no Sunday cycling on 4/15 due to the heavy rain. But today 4/22 it was a beautiful day with the starting temp in the 60s and ending in the 70s for the 30-mile Pollocksville loop. And yet there was only 4 of us in the paceline: Flythe, Godwin, Carberry and myself. Travis Bowman was around either ahead or behind. Since we have seniors on the NBCC list, I can only assume they're saving their legs for the Senior Games cycling events next Tuesday. I hope we hear from them. 

Our cumulative saddle average from River Bend where I met the Flythe riders today was 17.2, 17.9, 17.4 and 17.0 respectively at Pollocksville, Brices Creek, Fythe's shop and RB. It always drops on the last 5-mile leg to RB because I'm usually alone facing the wind.

Dave Wallace 4/22/07

Another beautiful Sunday for cycling and we had 6 in the group: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Beverly Rust, Kevin Reynolds and myself. We had not see Kevin since last July. There was also Travis Bowman who always rides ahead but he didn't get the word that we took the Tuscarora/Clarks 30-mile route so he went on to Pollocksville alone. We had a rest stop at the 70 overpass and the Clarks exit rest stop. My trip from River Bend was only 21 miles and my overall saddle average was 16 mph. Gordon Carberry had a flat about a quarter mile before Rhems. You can see a map of this route at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=905108. The link is also listed above as the Tuscarora/Clarks 29.4 mile loop from Flythe's bike shop. Hold down your left mouse key and drag the map along to see the route. 

Dave Wallace 4/29/07

The Neuse River Senior Games were held on April 23 thru May 4. 2007. Cycling events consisting of 1-mile, 5K and 10K were held on April 24 at the 400 meter track at Grover C. Fields Middle School. I only heard from NBCC member Dan Sosa who said there were fewer entrants than last year. He raced against member Rudy Becton of Magnolia who was my main competitor. This was the first year since '96 that I did not participate. Dan's times for the three races were 3:12, 10:32 and 20:09. My past times for all races are shown on a MS EXCEL spreadsheet at bikerace.xls   Dave Wallace 5/2/07

 Dan Sosa of JAX (center) racing in 75-79 group 

The 50-mile Trenton/Cove city trip went well with 9 cyclists at the start: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Susan Hamilton, Travis Bowman, Dionne Evans (Greenville), Richard ? (Key West) and myself. From River Bend, where I joined the group, my saddle average was only 13.5 to Trenton. The problem was that Richard, riding a new hybrid Trek, could only make 13-14 mph and was reluctant to draft so he returned to New Bern alone from Trenton. Our cumulative saddle average picked up to 15.5 at the rest stop in Jasper (about 35 miles). But the next problem was Travis Bowman, who wore himself out racing ahead of us collapsed and lagged behind when we caught up. We had to slow down and wait for him since he didn't know the route so my overall saddle average back to RB showed 15.4 mph. 

  Millard had someone take a photo of the group at the Jasper rest stop:

  Front row: Dave Wallace, Susan Hamilton, Dionne Evans, Gordon Carberry

  Back row: Mac Flythe, Travis Bowman, Bill Sadler, Millard Godwin

    Dave Wallace 5/20/07

Beautiful weather for 7 cyclists this Sunday morning doing the 30-mile Tuscarora/Clarks route from New Bern (21.2 miles from River Bend): Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Holland Patton, Travis Bowman and myself. Nice having Holland back after a long absence (He plans to cycle the Jacksonville Century tomorrow on Memorial Day). We had a fast trip today. My saddle average from RB where I joined the group to the US-70 overpass in Tuscarora was 18.5 and dropped to 18.2 returning to River Bend. 

Where are all the other cyclists that used to ride with us Sunday morning? We should have a dozen or more. The WX won't get any better!

Dave Wallace - 5/27/07

The following is a report from Dan Sosa who rode the Down East Cyclists' Spring Century trip in Jacksonville on Memorial Day May 28. You can see the route at http://racerpig.tripod.com/DEC/Century.htm but the web page may not remain up for long. Thanks Dan, quite a turnout! 

Dave Wallace - 5/29/07

Hi Dave,

We had 39 riders show up and 5 first time riders.

We had 8 blow out on tires and being we no one behind this took us more time to ride which was 8 hours being we did 4 rest stops. But the saddle time was good 5 hours and 46 mins.

My reading on my odometer was an average of 17.33 mph, The fastest I went was 37 mph down the drop on the Atlantic Beach bridge, and one other guy said he did 38 mph and no doubt some where faster but did not ask around.

We had about 5 riders ride in the escort vehicle and then went back to riding later when they felt better. We used up two large coolers of water and Gator Aid and some fruit.

We had people show up from Wilmington, Greenville and even New Bern. They said they liked our way with escort and no one left behind.

Oh mark me up for the 100. And also we collected over $ 1000 for the Wounded Warriors and more to come from pledges, so it turned out a good riding day.

DAN SOSA - 5/29/07

There was no Sunday cycling on June 3 because of rain but today we had 7 cyclists and beautiful 70-degree weather cycling the 30-mile Tuscarora/Jasper route (see map at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=345055) Cyclists were Millard Godwin, Mac Flythe, Bill Sadler, Beverly Rust, Travis Bowman, Randy Allen (JAX) and myself. I only recorded saddle average from River Bend to the US 70 overpass at 17.8 and at the Jasper store rest stop at 17.5. The group broke up returning to New Bern and I returned to River Bend via Glenburnie Rd  with Beverly Rust who lives in Greenbrier. This cut my trip short to 27.5 miles with overall saddle average of 16.8. 

Dave Wallace 6/10/07

Great weather this Sunday morning but only 5 cyclists showed up: Flythe, Godwind, Carberry, Bowman and myself. We rode the Tuscarora/Jasper 30-mile route. From River Bend where I joined the group, the cumulative saddle average was 17.5, 17.9, 17.9, 18.1 at the three rest stops and River Bend. It was a fast trip today, especially downwind. A new cyclist, a Bosch employee, joined us at Clarks. Was hoping he might be a Sunday regular rider but unfortunately he's heading back to Germany, just as Reinhart Otto did last year. 

Dave Wallace 6/17/07

It was supposed to be a Saturday MS-150 training ride. The Sun Journal had a nice article about it, how Craven Regional Medical Center sponsored it, how 40 or so cyclists were expected and how a nice cookout would be at the finish. I send out e-mail to over 1500 addresses. 

It was a big disappointment. Not because of weather either, which couldn't have been better. I was embarrassed for New Bern that the MS folks had come down from Raleigh to set up a nice event and only 10 cyclists showed up. Actually only 8 started, all doing the 36 mile double loop and even then broke up into three groups. Not what I'd call a great MS training ride. Anyway, I ended up the first loop with 14.2 mph saddle average riding with John Jaskolka, Joanne Somerday and Carol Gingerich (Havelock). On the 2nd loop Carol and I decided to step it up a notch alone and finished with an overall 15.2 mph saddle average. NBCC member John Imbriaco was there but took off ahead.

Where was everybody?

Dave Wallace - 6/23/07

PS: Announced my 2007 MS-150 web page at http://always-online.com/dave/2007ms-150.htm on Friday. 24 hours later, my sponsor total was posted at $761.50. If you're not going to ride a bike why don't you sponsor someone that does.

There were 3 of us cycling the Beulaville Century trip on 7/1: Beverly Rust, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. We departed River Bend at 7:05 AM and pulled into McDonalds at Beulaville for breakfast at 9:40 AM with an average saddle speed of 17.5 mph (43 miles). The rest of the trip was against the wind but rotating the lead helped a lot. At Catherine Lakes our overall saddle average had dropped to 16.5 and when we pulled into River Bend at 2:28 PM it was down to 15.8mph overall. Still not bad!. This was a pleasant trip. The three of us rode together at a comfortable speed. On a couple occasions when  I felt a leg cramp coming on, slowing down a few minutes helped work it out. I want to thank Beverly and especially my counterpart old fart Dan Sosa (76) who drove up from JAX to ride with us. We made a good trio. I chalked up our Century trips on the chart above.  

Dave Wallace 7/1/07

There were 6 cyclists (well - 7 if we include Travis that we saw occasionally) this nice Sunday morning doing the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper/Rhems loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Beverly Rust and myself. This was a fast ride. I joined the group passing River Bend and recorded the following cumulative saddle averages: US 70 overpass -19.1, Jasper - 18.9  and River Bend 18.4 (The RB loop is 25.6 miles). The group stayed together until it broke up from Rhems to New Bern. We passed 4 roadies at the US-70 overpass. If anyone reading this knows who they were please let me know so I can invite them to join the NBCC e-mail list.  

Dave Wallace - 7/8/07

Surprise!  Eight of us this beautiful 75-degree Sunday morning, 3 of whom were new: The usual were Flythe, Godwin, Carberry, Bowman and myself. New cyclists were John Klecker, Dan Wilson and Amy Stanton. Amy and I joined the group as they passed  River Bend on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper/Rhems loop. We stayed together as a group until we left Clarks when Carberry, Klecker and Stanton took off ahead while Flythe, Godwin and I waited for Wilson. I finally tried to catch the lead group but was a block behind upon reaching RB. My cumulative saddle average from RB to the stops was 17.5, 17.3 and 17.2mph overall, much slower than last week. We lost Bowman who usually rides ahead or behind when he missed the turn on Clarks Rd. 

Don't forget the MS-150 training ride next Saturday that starts from Craven Community College. I believe it starts at 9 AM. More info will be sent to members on the NBCC e-mail list.

Dave Wallace - 7/15/07

Well, wonders never cease! After only 8 cyclists showed up for the MS Society's training ride in June, 35 showed up this nice Saturday morning at the Craven Community College. Go figure? The ride was either 18 or 36 miles depending on whether you did one or two loops out US-17 to Rhems/Tuscarora Rd/Clarks Road/Old US-70/US 55/Glenburnie. Most everybody did the 36 miles but broke up into numerous groups. I ended up cycling the 2nd loop alone with Millard Godwin. Saddle average on the first loop was 18.1 because we were in a good group but all except Millard and I stopped at the college for a rest stop. We continued on alone for an overall saddle average of 17.1. Mac Flythe and Bill Sadler were also alone ahead of us. But that's the way the MS-150 goes, only there are many more groups of cyclists to chose to ride with.

Dave Wallace - 7/21/07

Another nice day for the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper loop from Flythe's bike shop (26 mile from River Bend). 12 riders showed up: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman, John Klecker, Amy Stanton, Beverly Rust, Susan Hamilton, Gary Bielejeski, Joby Arthur and myself. Gary is new from River Bend and Joby was here on business from Raleigh. I  forgot to reset both of my bike computers but Mac reported a saddle average from New Bern to the US-70 overpass at 17.5 and 17.7 upon reaching US-17 returning so it was a pretty fast trip. The group broke up periodically but for most of the trip it remained together, except for Susan Hamilton who planned to continue on a longer trip towards Pollocksville and Trenton. I was told Jim Fernandez started with the group in New Bern but dropped out.

Dave Wallace - 7/22/07

Eight riders today on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper trip from Flythe's bike shop (26 mile from River Bend). Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Holland Patton, Beverly Rust, Travis Bowman, Philippe Lafargue and myself. As usual we only saw Travis on occasions. Philippe was new to the group and lives in River Bend. I hope we'll see more of him and also Amy Stanton and Gary Bielejeski of River Bend. This was another fast ride since there was little wind. Cumulative saddle average I measured from RB was 19.5 at overpass, 19 at Jasper store and 18.2 mph overall back to RB. Next Sunday a half-century trip is planned to Trenton/Cove City. 

Alberto Contador (Spain) of the Discovery Channel team just won the Tour De France. Second place was Cadel Evans (Australia) of the Predictor Lotto team and third place was Levi Leipheimer (US) of the Discovery Channel. 

Dave Wallace  - 7/29/07 

Fourteen riders this Sunday morning on the 52.5 mile Trenton/Cove City/Jasper route: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman, Kevin Reynolds, John Klecker, Joby Arthur, Susan Hamilton, Beverly Rust, Amy Stanton, Gary Bielejeski, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. Gary, Amy, Dan and myself joined the group in River Bend for the 43.7 mile trip. See the Google map at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=922642. My cumulative saddle average from RB to Trenton, Jasper and RB was 16.8, 17.7 and 17.2 mph. Nice cool ride in the beginning but got a bit hot at noon approached. 

Dave Wallace - 8/5/07

Eight riders this beautiful cool Sunday morning on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora trip (26 from River Bend). From New Bern: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Beverly Rust & Travis Bowman. From River Bend: Amy Stanton, Gary Bielejeski, Philippe Lafargue and myself. My cummulative saddle average was 18.3, 17.8, for overall 17.6 mph. For most of the trip the group remained together except for Travis who was either ahead or behind as usual. Nobody has been able to convince him to draft in the group. 

Dave Wallace - 8/12/07

Fourteen riders this Sunday morning on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper route. Roadies 11, Bents 3.  From New Bern: Mac Flythe Sr & Jr, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Travis Bowman, John Klecker, Joby Arthur and Beverly Rust. Joining in from River Bend (26 mile): Amy Stanton, Gary Bielejeski, Philippe Lafargue, Joanne Somerday and myself. My cumulative saddle average from RB to the US-70 overpass rest stop, Jasper store and River bend was 18.8, 18.6 and 18.0. This was a fast trip and the group broke up several times which usually happens when someone increases the lead by several mph. Nice having Mac Flythe Jr back and Joanne Somerday join us.  

Dave Wallace - 8/19/07

Eight riders this hot Sunday morning on the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper route: From New Bern: Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Gordon Carberry, John Klecker and Travis Bowman. From River Bend: John Imbriaco, Philippe Lafargue and myself. I forgot to reset both of my bike computers until we arrived at the US-70 overpass rest stop. Millard said the saddle average from New Bern (appx 15 miles) was about 18.2 mph. From there to the Jasper store rest stop my saddle average was 18.9 but ended up 17.2 at River Bend. It really got too hot to run fast.

Dave Wallace 8/26/07

Bill Dickerson reports below on the slower group that left Flythe's shop for the 34.6 mile Tuscarora/Jasper trip. This was a great idea. Perhaps Bill can start recruiting cyclists that are afraid to join the faster Flythe group until they're more confident. Good luck Bill. Hey, did you know that Lillian Herderich is 82?

Hey Dave,

Three riders. Yes! besides myself I had two others ride this morning. Was a lot of fun and all really enjoyed the ride. This is what it is all about , looking out for each other and just enjoying the scenery. Near the end it got a little on the hot side but we stopped at the AMOCO on the return and took a break. Names were, Bill Dickerson, Lillian Herderich, and Barry Godwin (Millard's son). Well anyway it was a great ride and put it out there if any others want to ride with us they are greatly invited. Today the average speed was 9.89 and at some points along the way 12 and better. Anyway the good thing all of us stayed together!!! Any other questions please call or send mail to me at ka4ksb@XXXearthlink.net (rtemove XXX). 

Bill Dickerson 8/26/07

The Multiple Sclerosis Society's MS-150 bike tour was held in New Bern on Saturday and Sunday 9/8, 9/9. Over 1800 cyclists were registered. I'm sure many New Bern cyclists participated but I'm only aware of the following 15 NBCC members who completed a Century trip on Saturday:

 Mac Flythe, Mac Flythe Jr., Bill Sadler, Millard Godwin, Hollard Patton, John Jaskolka, John Klecker, John Williams III, Joanne Somerday, Allen & Bambi Edwards, Pat Jacques, Susan Hamilton, Charlie Fetzer and myself. I posted their century trips on the recognition list above.  I'll add more names here as I hear from members. 

We had beautiful weather Saturday, except for some wind, but Sunday started off rainy from tropical storm Gabrielle. The MS Society canceled the 75 and 100 mile routes because of the uncertainty of Gabrielle, leaving only the 30-mile Tuscarora route. Only about 350 cyclists rode the trip in the rain. Other than Millard and his son Barry I saw nobody else from NBCC on the Sunday ride. 

You can see my MS-150 webpage at http://always-online.com/dave/2007ms-150.htm which has my stats, a narrative on the two-day trip and additional photos at http://always-online.com/dave/2007ms-150photos.ht

Dave Wallace 9/12/07

And here's a couple of Bill Sadler (left) and Millard Godwin (right) on their recumbents that appeared in an e-mail message from the MS Society:

Eight Riders. It was a cool Sunday morning in the 60s and very windy when 8 of us cycled the 35-mile Tuscarora/Jasper loop (26 mi from RB where Philippe, Roger and I joined in): Millard Godwin, Beverly Rust, Philippe Lafargue, Travis Bowman, Marsha Arnett, Amelia Griffith, Roger Johnston and myself. Marsha and Amelia rode with the group for the first time a couple weeks ago but it was the first time for Roger. The group stayed together fairly well but should have been tighter in the heavy wind to make pedaling easier. From RB our saddle average was only 15.8 but ended up 16.5 with the wind behind us. As usual, Travis was either way ahead or way behind us as he's not a group rider but he still calls it a "joy ride."

Dave Wallace Sunday 9/16/07

Ten Riders. Great weather again for the following riders on the Tuscarora/Jasper 35-mile loop (26-mile from RB): Mac Flythe, Bill Sadler, Travis Bowman, John Williams, John Klecker, Beverly Rust, Gary Bielejeski, Philippe Lafargue, Roger Johnston and myself. The latter 4 riders joined the paceline in River Bend. It was a fast ride today. From RB I recorded a saddle average of 18.4 to the US-70 overpass stop, 18.4 to the Jasper stop but I then dropped out of the group to pull Roger to RB so our overall saddle average ended up 17.5. Still not bad. I'm sure the main group that went ahead averaged 18 or better for the 35 miles. It was a good ride. Great exercise! We missed Millard Godwin.

Dave Wallace Sunday 9/23/07

Nine Riders. A cool start this Sunday morning for 5 riders out of New Bern and 4 riders joining the paceline in River Bend: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Travis Bowman, Tim Ruth, Marty Kaminski (Jax), Amy Stanton, Gary  Bielejeski, Philippe Lafargue and myself. We cycled the usual 35-mile Jasper route (26 from RB) with a saddle average of 16.4 at Jasper but 17.5 overall. It was quite windy at times. Marty and Tim were added as new NBCC members and Tim was chalked up with his first Century during the MS-150, confirmed by Millard Godwin.

By the way, it's been almost a year since Marine Nathan Rasmussen went to Iraq. I hope he'll be returning soon to join us. 

Dave Wallace  Sunday 9/30/07

Nine Riders. We had 9 cyclists join the Flythe group that departed the Trent Rd bike shop at 8:30 AM this morning for the 35-mile Jasper loop: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Travis Bowman, John Williams, Mary Hittner, Amy Stanton, Joanne Somerday, Gary Bielejeski and myself. The latter 4 joined the paceline in River Bend at 8:50 AM. Overall saddle average from River Bend was 17.5 mph. The trip was pretty fast and the group did not always remain together. Joanne Somerday did great cycling this morning after arriving home yesterday from cycling across NC all week. Who would have ever expected her to show up for a Sunday ride! John Williams mentioned that he thought some of the cyclists that pushed the group to 20mph and faster and left cyclists behind should be cycling with the faster Velo group on Saturday. Contact Pat Jacques at pjavques@ccvelo.com if anyone is interested in riding with that group.

Dave Wallace Sunday 10/7/07

Seven Riders. Four bents, 3 roadies: Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Bill Sadler, Marty Kaminski (sporting a new Thunderbolt Phantom), John Klecker, Philippe Lafargue and myself. Philippe and I joined the paceline at River Bend giving us only a 26 mile trip vs 35 for the New Bern cyclists. From River Bend I recorded 17.3 saddle average to the US-70 overpass, 17.3 to the Jasper store stop and 17.9 overall at RB. It was a fast trip and with the wind behind us at times we cruised along at 21-22 mph. The group broke up at times but kept regrouping to wait for stragglers. 

A Beulaville Century trip is planned for next Sunday weather permitting departing from the River Bend  Shell Station at 8 AM sharp. So far we have a e-mail list of 11 "maybes." E-mail members will be updated on who is riding and the weather will be monitored to the morning of departure so members can be notified in time if there is a cancellation. 

Dave Wallace 10/14/07

Nine Riders: We had 9 cyclists join us on the Beulaville Century trip: Phillipe Lafargue, Gary Bielejeski, Amy Stanton, Millard Godwin, Mary Hittner, Charlie Fetzer, Enrique Garcia, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. It was a cold start at 8 AM from the River Bend Shell station with the temp in the 50s but by the time we reached Trenton (14 mi) jackets were shedded as the temp rose. We made it to McD in Beulaville at 11 AM just as the lunch menu became available. My cumulative saddle average for the trip was 16.6, 16.3, 15.5 and 15.2 at Beulaville, Catherine Lakes, Trenton and River Bend. I slowed the group down at times by being the only one that got slight leg cramps. Also  in the last 7 miles Philippe developed a slow leak in his tire so I remained behind with him to pump up his tire every mile or two which brought our overall saddle average down. Congratulations go to Philippe, Gary and Amy for completing  their first Century trip. By the way, Millard was the only one riding a recumbent and he left and returned to New Bern so his trip was about 110 miles. It was a good  ride today. Nobody was left behind. We also had fun trying what is called a rotating double paceline. See one in motion at http://bramptoncyclingclub.com/touring_safety.html

    Dave Wallace 10/21/07

Back row: Charlie Fetzer, Dave Wallace
Middle row: Dan Sosa, Mary Hittner, Millard Godwin, Enrique Garcia
Sitting: Phillipe Lafargue, Amy Stanton

Nine Riders: Another cool Sunday morning start (50s) on the 35-mile Jasper loop for Mac Flythe, Millard Godwin, Gordon Carberry, Mary Hittner, Joby Arthur (Raleigh), Travis Bowman, Phillipe Lafargue, Dan Sosa (Jax) and myself. Phillipe, Dan and I joined the paceline in River Bend so our trip was only about 26 miles. My saddle average from RB was 15.8, 15.9, 16.4 at the overpass, Jasper and RB. We tried riding the rotating double paceline but we're going to need more practice. We need to keep it tighter to take advantge of drafting. It's a fun maneuver which I understand the French use in the Tour de France. 

By the way, I noticed Travis Bowman is riding on a rear tire that's worn down to the threads. Unless he gets a new time I think it's dangerous to draft behind him.

Dave Wallace - 10/28/07

Hey, if you're looking for someone to cycle with and you are a member send a message to nbcc@XXXalways-online.com (Remove XXX) telling folks when and where you'd like to go. After the trip send me a message and I'll post how it went and who joined in. That's what this club is all about. 

   Dave Wallace - davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (remove XXX)

Background wallpaper photo was taken at the National Senior Finals cycling events at DisneyWorld in 1999. See http://www.always-online.com/dave/Clermont.htm

This web page was created by Dave Wallace davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (removeXXX) on 3/27/2002. If you're not interested in cycling how about joining our Pickin and Grinin group that plays in Twin Rivers mall. See our web site at http://always-online.com/dave/pickin.htm

Updated 10/28/07