OH CANADA!

AS WE PREPARE TO CELEBRATE OUR GREAT COUNTRY'S BIRTHDAY IT ONLY SEEMED APPROPRIATE THAT OUR JULY ALLEYCAT RACE CELEBRATED THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH AS WELL.

IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THIS RACE I'LL BE SHARING SOME DISTINCTLY CANADIAN IMAGES FEATURED ON OUR RACE POSTERS. TODAYS EDITION FEATURES THE START LINE OF A BIKE RACE HELD AT THE CNE IN TORONTO SOMETIME IN THE MID-THIRTIES.

I ride bike with a little help from my friends

I had a great bike ride on Sunday.  Two dudes (Vic and KK) from the city were celebrating birthdays and a group ride was the event.  About 20 riders took to the streets of Winnipeg to have a little fun.  The event included some riding, a beer and burger stop at Dari-whip, more riding, another burger stop at Nicks Inn, more riding, and post ride beer and banter at base camp.  The birthday boy was turning 50 so we decided 50 miles was the goal.  As the ride was coming to a close, it started to rain, high winds had gotten the better of us, and a keg of Little Scrapper was calling.  It was agreed that wind blows.  A great group of bikers and a good chance to ride in the city.

Pre ride gathering

Piss club

Fueling up at Nicks

Looking forward to our Thursday night ride - Tuesday edition.  Go biking!  Go Bomber!  JS

Bikes and Bombers

I love bikes, but I also love the Bombers.  There is a long list of things that I love that start with the letter B, but that conversation is best saved for the clubhouse.  

Thursday is bike night AND the season opener for the blue and gold.  I propose...Canada day eve road ride.  Meet at the clubhouse on Tuesday at 7:00, leave at 7:15.  Ride two hours and retire to the clubhouse for a pre Canada day gathering.  If thats not enough bike love for ya, meet at the clubhouse on Thursday to see if anybody else is up for a second ride.

Go Bomber!

JS

ABE Devinci

Logos from the desk of Dan K

Photo finish - hahahaha

It looks like the Sign of the Times for ABE’s is looking bigger and better than ever. 20 stinking riders registered for the 3rd alley cat race of the season. Dan organized a photo alley cat where riders were given 12 pictures of signs around town. Each photo was altered and it was up to the racers to plot the course and discover the changes. The final 13th clue brought us to Dan's home/the finish line. Only 3 people/teams got all the answers right. I was penalized once but still managed to eek out a 25 second victory over Paul K (sucka) who finished with a perfect score. Coming in third was Mark who has entered 2 races and has finished 1st and 3rd – not too shabby. Cash prizes to the top three riders. Gavin was finally shut out of the money after having his name pulled in one race and winning the second. Dan set up a couple of screened tents and provided nachos and salsa (including a raspberry salsa that was delightful) for the post ride festivities. Well done Dan! I loved that you had to ride to the opposite side of the John Deere sign - terrific stuff. I can't believe Paul B showed up for a race. What is this world coming to?
David is planning an awesome/crazy alley cat for July (not for the thin skinned) and Paul K has agreed to organize an August alley cat that may be darpcentric. Sweet! This is good, good stuff! JS

Dan provides the following info...The Signs of the Times Alleycat Results:

Name Rank Ride Time Penalty Total Time
JS 1 29:53 2 31:53
Paul K. 2 32:16 0 32:16
Mark 3 31:09 2 33:09
Bruce 4 31:30 4 35:30
Dave 5 32:08 4 36:08
Shawn & Jeff 6 33:05 4 37:05
Gavin & Steve W. 7 33:50 4 37:50
James 8 40:15 0 40:15
Gordon 9 36:45 4 40:45
Tom & Steve 10 39:17 2 41:17
Myron & Paul B. 11 44:37 0 44:37
Ben & Charles 12 43:55 2 45:55
Loren, Giles & Albert 13 43:53 4 47:53

In the end those who could read the signs of the times correctly were rewarded – or was it those who couldn’t read the signs correctly that suffered? Either way it was a great race where those with skill and wisdom got to the Promised Land.

Hey Gord – I found $10 in the south tent in the morning – to bad it wasn’t the ten bucks you lost. Also “left behind” was a pair of riding gloves, a helmet, cell phone, clip board and a Tim’s Travel Mug.

11 Logo Entries

For those of us wanting to see all the ABEs logo entries click on the photo album below to see them all.  I think we should vote soon and get some shirts made.

From prolific Paul

CCM by ABE's

Reminders from the desk of race coordinator Dan Kehler:

Sign of the Time registration: $5.  Bring a pen/pencil.  Convene at ABES headquarters at 9pm.  Post race bragging and chips at Dans house - BYOB. 

El Brasidente has agreed to organize the July alley cat (July 16).  August - October is still available.

Looking forward to a gooder on Thursday.  JS

Check it out...

A sweet logo entry from Paul K.

ABES Alley cat

Pastor Dan Kehler has organized the "Signs of the Times" alleycat race for this Thursday.  It will be interesting to see Dan's vision.  Does he foresee children singing merrily about buying the world a Coke or is it a post-apocalyptic Mad Max/Blade Runner version.  In either case they'll both include riding bicycles.  Meet at my place at 9pm to see his creative version unfold.  JS

To all the ladies in the house (the ladies, the ladies)...

The first ever BABES of ABES Alleycat race took place in Altona on Sunday with 5 racers. Checkpoints included: carrying raw eggs, pumping up inner tubes while shackled with surgical tubing, firing air pistols in at an indoor shooting range, and the obligatory racing around town. Cindy took the first place prize and was also the shooting range sharpshooter. Cheryl won the silver medal and was the draw prize winner for half the pot. Rounding out the contestants, a pregnant Julie took the bronze, then Nada and Sandra. The ladies gathered for brownies, beer, bragging and bitching at the bicycle workshop. A solid core of riders for the first race of the season. There were several notably absent riders – you know who you are. The registration may have been low due to brief showers before the race, and general apprehension and intimidation. Ladies - if you’re tough enough to push a baby through your yahoo, then a little race and riding through puddles should be nothing. The ladies plan to ride every Sunday at 9pm. ABES, get your BABES out there! Pictures coming soon. JS

Inspired by the Co-ops

The latest submission from Myron.   

Keep em coming.  JS

Thursday Night Ride Report

A good turn out for Thursday's Ride, 10 in all. After a quick tour of the town we headed to the Miller track to laid down some sprit time (one lap) and then a 8 lap relay race and finished with the Eliminator (last man on a lap is out).

Good to hear the debate about the logo is still going on. We are liking the new logos but are looking for a local logo not from an outsider. One member suggested change the name the the West Nile Bike Club due to the influx in the mosquito population.

Results for the Eliminator:

1st - Johnny

2nd - Jeff

3rd - Albert

4th - Mark

5th - Charles

6th - Gavin

7th - Ben

8th - Shawn

9th - Dan

10th - Steve

1 Lap Time Trails

Mark - 39.53s

Jeff - 39.00s

Gavin - 37.00s

Steve - 40.15s

Shawn - 44.01s

Ben - 41.00s

Albert - 41.20s

Johnny - 40.78s

Dan - 39.7s

Charles - 38.9

Anybody wishing to donate some stop watches. After not really having the most accurate time pieces it would be a nice piece of equipment for the ABEs to own.

8 Lap relay Standing

1st - Johnny and Mark

2nd - Jeff and Ben

3rd - Shawn and Gavin

4th - Albert and Charles

5th - Steve and Dan

See you next Thursday for the Alley Cat to be put on by Dan K. Signs of the Times theme.

Carving out some bike time

Anybody up for an early morning road ride?  Leave my place Saturday at 7:30, ride for an hour, then turn around.  Maybe a quick nip at the golf course on the way back?  Ride leaves at 7:32 sharp.  Talk to me.  JS

Thursday night ride

Thursday night ride, race and ride is on.  A lap around the town to warm up, then races at the track, then a cool down lap (whatever that means).  

Still looking for an alleycat coordinator to commit for June (and July, August, September, October).  

Clubhouse agenda is varied and open - as usual.  ABES sponsorship will now be tied in to support the Southern Cross race.  Logo discussion, name, jerseys, hats, belt buckles: everything from the brilliant to the benign. 

There is a BABES of ABES Alleycat race taking place Sunday Night for the ladies (Beautiful Altona Bike Enthusiast's?).  Invitations have been sent.  Open to all grrls.  

See you Thursday at my place at 9.  JS. 

JagerABE's logo from Paul K

Advantages: German. Conjures gears not deers. No cross.

Better late than never alleycat race?

I noticed we missed our Alleycat race last week.  Who can lead the charge and organize a fun little inky-dinky-doo for this Thursday (June 18)?  ABES needs a hero - it could be you.  JS 

Another logo entry

Chris H likes to help his fellow brothers out.  

He submitted this very tasty logo with the following commentary:

Pros: doctored beer logo, and a bike-friendly one at that (see: http://www.newbelgium.com/), looks sweet 

Cons: not done by the Duker, does not feature me

Thanks Huebner.  JS

Is There Any Way to get this on our Jersey?

Thursday night ride report

The rain looked like it was going to prevent our ride but the sky cleared and allowed our tradition to continue.  Paul K was the only casualty of the rain as he got caught in the downpour riding in from Neubergthal.  A few stragglers joined the ride mid-stream to make the numbers more than respectable.  Lorne, Paul K, Paul B, Albert, Tom, Dan, Shawn, Dave, Myron, and I did the usual noodling around town with an unprecedented smoke break mid-ride.  We were also joined by Derrick Schellenberg who was coaxed off the couch and on his bike.  Good to see you at ABES Schies.

 

Clubhouse banter:

Congrats to Tom on the procurement of his new home.  We can't wait for the housewarming party.

Dave has unagreed to help with sponsors, so Tom in his eagerness to get the ABES jersey rolling has stepped up to the plate to approach prospective businesses. 

Entries are still encouraged for the ABES logo.  Myron's John Deere'esque entry is the frontrunner in our search.  Sure glad we have a guy like The Duke. 

The Saturday morning road ride has been cancelled due to lack of time and/or fitness.  Group road rides will continue to be attempted. 

Paul K will check with local authors regarding the grammatical specifics of ABES.  A possible taping of the interviews may be pending. 

Dave's family gathering last Saturday was postponed.  Apparently he was at home napping during the Krahn Barn Kermesse.  A committee will be formed to ensure that he has plums so that they may be kicked.  

 

Good times.  JS

 

Another hard core logo

The Duke puts in his submission.  Looks pretty good.  

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

If you ain't riding, you're hiding.

Thanks for the poster Duke.

ABES logos (sunflower references need not apply)

Honorary Captain?

Paul Krahn is not only a fine host of race, house and barn, he is also doing what he can to further the ABES movement. He has provided three logos for our consideration. Paul asks that we "feel free to hate/be indifferent/reject/love/hale as brilliant".

Logo submissions and comments are welcomed and encouraged. I'll put it on the agenda for the Thursday night ride. JS

We ride, we eat, we ride

Is anybody interested in a group ride to Plum Coulee for breakfast Saturday morning?  We'll leave my place at 8am, ride down and around the 243 and the 306 to PC for food.  Same return route, or cut back on the 201 (or get picked up by car in Coulee and call it a day).  The pace will be moderate.  As usual the weather conditions will change all plans.  Let me know who's up for a road ride.  JS

biking like a big girl

Last Friday my daughter Mia and I were at the greatest store in the world - the Altona MCC thrift store.  Mia (turning 4 in August) wanted to try to ride a little bike.  I gave her a push and she started riding down the aisle.  She was pumped - me too.  We went home, took off her training wheels and she took off.  We rode to the "big" park to play.  She had a nice spill on the park paths; like father, like daughter.  With all the bike events that took place this weekend, this was my favorite bike moment.  Just thought I'd share - and brag.  I'd post a picture or a video but it's clear that I have computer issues (the issues are mine, not the computers).  JS

Joy and Pain, Sunshine and rain

The Back 40 mountain bike race was great.  There were about 100 people registered to race.  City slickers love this race because the trail is so great.  There were 16 km options of 1, 2 and 5 laps.  I chose the 1 lap event.  A great move for me - 16 kms hurt just enough.  I  enjoyed my ride and came in in just over an hour (thats right, I said in in).  The trails were awesome and the weather was perfect for a race.  Jeff Elias won the 2 lap race - this kid is a freak!  He is crazy good.  I left before the end of the 5 lap race.  Those guys are idiots.  Awesome stuff though.  Among others, Chris H, Jonny G, Ian, and Hal (all at the KBK) were battling in the 80 km race for the coveted belt buckle.  Another great and local race that ABES should ride next year.

Krahn Barn Kermesse Report:

KBK report:

There was a good mix of fans and riders at the the inaugural Neubergthal race. It was a challenging half hour of racing over grass, a corn field, grass, road, spongy grass and driveways. The race included a game of poker (derby). The Winnipeg crowd was small but effective. They dominated the race and took the poker prize to boot. It was great to see a lot of kids cheering away too. Paul and Marguerite did a splendid job of hosting, preparing the course and a fire at the pit for dogs.

Hopefully our webmaster will post the pics of the Thursday night ride and more from the KBK.

Results:

Chri

Hal

Jonny G

Ian

Paul K

Johnny S

Tim

Gavin

Jeff

Lorne

BenP

Hal had the best poker hand. His straight beat Gavins full house. Hal won $24, and Chris won a bag of zote and bragging rights for being the fastest dude in the darp.

Thursday night ride report

The weather cooperated enough for us to get our spin on. A smaller group took a quick warm up spin around town before going to the track for some races. Gavin won the individual time trial followed by Steve, Charles, myself, James, then Tom. Everybody finished within 5-6 seconds of each other. The relay race was an 8 lap event (2+2+2+2). Jeaner and I took the gold, Gavin and Tom took silver and James and Steve brought home the bronze. Another spin around the darp and town, then to the clubhouse where we were met by Paul B, Lorne and Myron. Discussions were scattered. New group name discussed: Altona Bike Enthusiasts Society - ABES. A great name for a bunch of mennonite dudes. Races were talked about and commitment was vague - classic ABES. There was also talk of a bike related interventions for those that need encouragement to get off their A and on their B. Thanks to Jeaner for the pictures. See you at the races. JS

Hey, lets all ride our bicycles!

Anybody up for riding bike?  Games at the track;  time trials, a relay and a last-man-out race.  Cruise around town before and/or after the track, then Grumpy's.  

Sounds like a mighty fine evening to me.  Same bike time, same bike channel.

JS

Dudes and dudettes

The Krahn Barn Kermesse is taking place this Saturday (June 6) evening at Paul and Margeurites abode.  This race is open to anybody that loves to ride bike and  hang out with good people.  The course will zig-zag and noodle around a small section of Neubergthal.   Most of the course in on grass.  The race starts at 7:00 with a $5 registration fee (for prizes/dogs).  A fire, hot dogs and beer will ensure a delightful and delovely evening.  Come out to race or watch a fun bike event.  BYOB (and hot dogs if you don't register).  Let me know if you plan to race as registration is limited.    

JS

Vancouver Thursday / Wednesday Ride

Wednesday May 27th was a beautiful day for riding in Vancouver, BC.  One day into my thirty-ninth year of existence I enjoyed a full day of cruisin' with my lovely wife Cynthia and our beloved sones Jacob and William.

 

Renting our bikes (I'll describe them as moderate renters) from Reckless Bikes on Davie and Pacific we cruised along False Creek on the Seawall.  Check out this awesome interactive map...

 

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Vancouver-Seawall

 

We headed out cruising along False Creek, past a few parks and all the way up to Stanley Park.  Here we branched out checking out the Totem Poles, a water park, a few beaches, and almost anything else we found interesting.  I must say Vancouver is the most amazingly bike-friendly city I've ever experienced.  Cycling is god.  Bike lanes abound, motorists actually RESPECT cyclists and no matter what you're looking for (flat/hard/mountains/off-road) they've got it.  Talked to a friend of my cousin's who had spent Saturday morning riding up Cypress Mountain.  He was wasted (this coming from a guy who biked from Vancouver to Winnipeg last summer).  Awesome.

 

Looking forward to this week's Thursday night ride...

 

El Presidente