Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 1 of 9
Sacramento Wheelmen Club Newsletter
2023, Issue 2
In this Newsletter Issue
● Membership Report
● Event Calendar Report
● Ride Calendar Report
● Social Media Report
● Travel Report
● Miscellaneous
Membership Report – WELCOME!
The club is growing with 23 new (and newly returned!) members so far this year! Please join me
in welcoming the following Wheelies:
Irene Balderas
Jennifer Barlow
Mike Baume
Eric Birum
Mark Christensen
Tracy Christenson
Rois Davidson
Jim Elledge
John Engstrom
Russell Farley
Victoria Francis
Jack Ghirardelli
Teresa Grossman
Don Haugen
Jeff Hayes
Sue Johnston
Bruce Notareus
Annette Orella
Chuck Orella
Cassie Schumacher
Pete Spector
Melinda Van Rooyen
Richard Wharton
Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 2 of 9
Event Calendar Report
NEXT CLUB MEETING
The next Club Business meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 6:30 PM, via
ZOOM. The Zoom link follows.
Topic: Sacramento Wheelmen club meeting
Time: Apr 19, 2023 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86996350843?pwd=NHhIazd0TjhDS3lvVmErbC9TMVJtZz09
Meeting ID: 869 9635 0843
Passcode: 280306
The Zoom call “opens” at 6 PM; the meeting begins at 6:30 PM.
Meeting Agenda
1. Social time (6 pm to 6:30 pm)
2. Minutes of November meeting (Debbie Finley)
2. Membership Report (Caron McMillan)
3. Santa Cruz Zodiac report (Sandy Yarrow)
4. Winters Zodiac report (Harold Alves)
5. Guerneville Zodiac status report (Lesli Pletcher)
6. Guerneville promotional slide show (Tom Adams)
6. American River Parkway Foundation Clean Up Day report (Debbie Finley)
7. May is Bike Month status (Debbie Finley)
8. Mike Dodson trial (Linda Lasswell)
9. American River Bike Patrol first aid presentation (James Margolis)
10. Social time
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
Tom Gardner is leading the volunteer team to again help with this year’s Great American
Triathlon (GAT, formerly Eppie’s). Volunteers are needed for both the set-up on Friday, July 14
and race day on Saturday the 15. Friday’s setup usually starts around 8:00 and finishes at
11:00. On race day, the volunteer shift starts at 7:30. Tom and Fred Turner get things ready to
go and monitor the bike racks. Members who have volunteered in previous years are welcome
to do the same “job” that they did previously.
Reach out to Tom Gardner at tbgardner@surewest.net if you are able to volunteer for this
important athletic competition.
Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 3 of 9
MAY IS BIKE MONTH!!
BIKE MONTH begins in just a couple of weeks! Miles are tracked and ranked against other
organizations and cycling clubs in the area – let’s crush them! Try to ride every day and see
how good it feels!
Did you know that participants can win prizes from the Bike Month organization and also from
the Wheelmen? Imagine an all expenses paid Hawaiian vacation, new bike, new wheels, new
socks…and maybe more!? Prizes are in addition to the endorphinetic joy and fitness that
comes from riding one’s bicycle! Debbie Finley is again leading the Club’s Bike Month effort.
She says that NOW is the time to register and sign up. Reach out to Debbie at dfinley@dcn.org
if you need help setting up your account.
Ride Calendar Report
The ride calendar can always use more rides! More rides mean more options from which to
choose – short, long, close or far from home. Linda Lasswell has been leading a few rides per
month, usually Sunday or Monday and Tom Adams usually leads one or two Sunday rides in
addition to his regular Thursday coffee ride. Thank you to all our ride leaders, we can’t do it
without you!
Next month’s Enduro ride, held in conjunction with the Sierra Foothills Cycling Club (SFCC), is
scheduled for Saturday, May 13, at Ink Grade Lake Berryessa. Check our club calendar
(https://sacwheelmen.wildapricot.org/Ride-Calendar/) for times and details as we approach the
ride date.
Social Media Report
Meetup is a website (and app) that allows users to organize get-togethers with others who enjoy
the same activities. The Wheelmen have been using Meetup for the past 2 years now to attract
new club members.
Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 4 of 9
The Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday rides are posted on Meetup so cyclists can find our Club
and RSVP for the rides. Our rides are well attended, with 15 – 30 riders the norm, but on
Meetup it usually looks like only 1-2 people are going – no energy. Please sign up for a Meetup
user account and start RSVP’ing to the rides. This shows other users that the club is alive and
vibrant.
Do you need help setting up your Meetup account? Do you need help RSVP’ing to the
Sacramento Wheelmen Meetup Group? Send an email to Debra at deb.lebish@gmail.com for
personalized assistance.
Travel Report
ZODIACS – Domestic Cycling Trips
2023 Winters Zodiac
This was the first year for the Winters Zodiac – if you missed it then you missed some good
rides, a beautiful new hotel in an up and
coming foodie town, and a lot of fun. The
Zodiac itinerary included riding from
Sacramento to Winters on Tuesday April 11,
staying two (2) nights at the Hotel Winters,
and cycling back to Sacramento on Thursday.
Approximately 10 riders participated, some
staying at the hotel while other chose a daytrip
on Wednesday to ride in the area with the
group. The weather was lovely with a high of
70 degrees, although the wind showed itself
on Thursday’s ride back to Sacramento.
According to Zodiac Leader Harold “Big Daddy” Alves, the Hotel Winters is very upscale with a
beautiful patio on which to enjoy happy hours and “I pity the fools that missed this Zodiac”.
Dinner in town included the always-delicious original Buckhorn steak house. Thank you Harold
and co-leader Mary Moore for creating and leading the new Winters Zodiac!
Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 5 of 9
Upcoming Zodiacs
Guerneville – Tuesday through Thursday, May 2-5
th
, 2023.
Santa Cruz – The Santa Cruz area and roads were devastated in this year’s winter storms,
resulting in another trip delay. The Zodiac was rescheduled to August 7-10.
Do YOU have an idea for a Zodiac? It’s fun to plan a Zodiac trip - as leader you get to pick a
place YOU want to go, when YOU want to go… Is there a location where you’ve always
dreamed of riding? Plan a zodiac! In addition, you don’t have to recreate the wheel – the club
has a library of Zodiacs from which to choose. It’s easy and fun, let’s partner up and plan one!
TOURS – International Cycling
The official 2023 Wheelmen European cycling trip is scheduled for September 18 to October 1,
with optional 3
rd
week ending October 18. We will start in Gabicce Mare, and end in Rome, a
unique and special opportunity to ride to Rome. This trip is currently wait-list; please check with
Sandy Yarrow for openings.
2022 Italian Cycling Tour
The trip report for the 2022 Italian Tour is long overdue. Better late than never!
Lake Como, Bormio, Pradt allo Stelvio, Canazei, Trento, Milan
Sept 5-25, 2022.
A trip lead by Sandy Yarrow with co-conspiring by Monica Pappas, this year’s European Tour to
Italy was as good as ever. The trip focus was the northern part of the country and the climbing
afforded by the Alps and Dolomites was enjoyed by all.
Lake Como – The Lake Como area has no equivalent, a resort town so stunningly beautiful in
every way – waterfront, historic squares overflowing with cafes, spectacular flowering plants and
the people! No George sightings. We had beautiful weather even though the forecast was rain
every day. Here we assembled bikes and otherwise adjusted to the new time zone and the
Italian ways. Poor Dr. Dave opened up his bike case to find his bike frame snapped at the back
wheel but he dealt with the misfortune admirably and was able to rent a bike within easy walking
distance from the hotel. Each night the group walked to the restaurant and enjoyed the leisurely
stroll back to the hotel, great people watching on the promenade.
Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 6 of 9
The next stop on the tour was Bormio, a town still teaming with
cyclists and hikers and simultaneously prepping for ski season.
The hotel was ideally located within a short walk of the
cobblestoned historic city center. Meals were included at the hotel
restaurant and what a treat! Restaurant was staffed by skilled
professional wait staff and the food was very high quality. Who
knew there are so many kinds of pork charcuturie? The
sophisticated Carrie Sundahl offered the following sage advice:
“Don’t eat salami for breakfast unless you want heartburn and bad breath all day”. She knows
her stuff! Great riding here, wonderful area.
Pradt Allo Stelvio (“Pradt”)– Half of the group biked to the next hotel
and the other half bussed it with a lunch stop in Switzerland. To get
to Pradt from Bormio, the bikers rode up the “easy side” of the
Stelvio, lol. The “big” ride out of Pradt is the “hard side” of Stelvio,
about half of the group took on the Stelvio while the remainder took a
rest day or had an easy “bike trail” ride. We stayed at the Stein
Hotel, a family-run hotel and here we enjoyed delicious comfort food. The wine here won the
trip’s “worst wine” award, and yet it was still guzzled like it was free!
Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 7 of 9
Canazei – Sella Ronda, beautiful area in the Dolomites. Historic hotel with
great views. Snowed on sella Ronda “bike day”, snowing at the base of pass
so would have been REALLLLY cold at the top so no wheelies rode due to
lack of appropriate cold weather clothing. Riding here was predictably steep
but beautiful. Roads were lightly traveled in comparison to the Stelvio.
Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 8 of 9
Trento – The group cycled and bussed to Trento from Canazei. Trento, a beautiful area and
Monica Pappa’s hometown, is very close to beautiful Lake Garda to which we rode. Some
focused on getting in the last noteworthy climbs before the end of the trip. Others were winding
down and more focused on packing their bikes and getting ready to go home.
The 2022 Italy Tour was memorable in its amazing scenery, challenging cycling, and good
friends. Thank you to Sandy Yarrow for organizing the trip.
Miscellaneous
TRIPLE CROWN HALL OF FAME 2022 INDUCTEES
The California Triple
Crown Hall of Fame
was started in June of
1999 to recognize those
who have accomplished
a significant milestone
in the Double Century
Series by riding over
10,000 Miles or over 50
Double Centuries. In
2022, Wheelpeople
Mabel Wong and Bob
Storelli were inducted for completing 50 Double Centuries. Big
congratulations to Bob and Mabel! Please join me in
acknowledging their accomplishment!
Sacramento Wheelmen Newsletter, 2023, Issue 2 Page 9 of 9
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Richard Zeiszler passed over a year ago on January 5, 2022, departing
us suddenly and unexpectedly at age 72. A longtime Sacramento
Wheelmen member, Richard was an avid cyclist who supported the club
at every level, making great friends along the way. Most of us remember
Richard for being the Trip Leader for the Guerneville Zodiac for several
years. He also held the office of Treasurer for four (4) years, leveraging
his career in finance to give back to the Club, volunteered to work the
Sierra Century most years, and was a frequent ride leader. Linda,
Richard’s wife, is also a key member of the Wheelmen and is a past club
President.
Richard will be honored at the upcoming Guerneville Zodiac with a small ceremony. He loved to
ride in Guerneville and it was one of his favorite places on earth. Memories will be shared at the
Sacramento Wheelmen sign that is in the garden of the Dawn Ranch cottages.
Richard, you are remembered and missed!
