By Warren Bare, BIKES Club President

Thanks the effort of everyone involved in putting on the McClinchy Mile and the participating guests who support cycling in Snohomish County. We will make it to next year’s event and hope for better weather and more folks riding our scenic country roads. In retrospect, we didn’t have the downpour as on the Sunday after our ride and the tragedy in the Oso area didn’t happen until a week later.

I would also like to thank the members participating in the Earth Day event April 22 in Everett sponsored by the Sno-Isle Co-Op. Yes the Co-Op is the same folks that supported McClinchy with fruit for our riders at no charge.

We will also have the opportunity June 17th to have a table for the P.U.D. Health Fair held at their operations facility in the morning near Boeing. That afternoon it will move to the P.U.D. building where we hold our meetings. If you have time and interest contact me and we will have some fun that day.

May is of course Bike to Work Month. So you could take the opportunity to form teams at work to challenge others online and track the mileage.(Gery’s O’s commute from bedroom to coffee pot to desk while in PJs doesn’t count)  Information is on the Cascade website. Also Bike to Work Day is May 16th, with commute stations around the county that could use BIKES Club volunteers - and riders stopping by.  Bill Weber is doing his usual good job of rallying the cycling forces in Everett for their Celebration ride. John Carlin, Peter Hallson and other in the Edmonds Bicycle group will have a celebration ride and station near the ferry terminal. There will be other bike to work events throughout the county and it's great to have BIKES Club members volunteering at each to promote the club. If you have time in the early morning to volunteer on May 16, contact Community Transit or Everett Transit (and get some club bookmarks to bring along).

Our ride calendar is filling nicely with a wide verity of rides, training, multiday and easier ones like the Pedal Pusher rides. If you don’t see one that appeals to you. Schedule one or more yourself. Put it on the ride changes page or send to me for the next combined update in the newsletter and “Ride Calendar” on the website.

This brings me to another point. Debby Grant put a lot of thought and work to revising the “Ride leader Tips” and they are now on the website. In it they provide a great blueprint for entering a Ride Change or a Ride write-up for the Calendar. So when sending a ride to the coordinator use the example on the tips sheet then we will have consistency so everyone can understand the terms and expectations for your ride. Questions or suggestions are always welcome but the final submission needs to look like the example.

So it must be time to ride!!!!

Warren