Greetings all!  I am looking forward to starting our weekly rides as soon as we get some consistent summer weather.  Like last year, I will organize two rides weekly.  Wednesday evenings, I will lead a ride out of Confluence Park in Denver and on Sunday, I will lead a ride out of Boulder.  These rides will be “no drop” fun rides and will go at the speed of the group.  Distances will vary based on environmental conditions (i.e. rain and sunlight) as well as the desires of those that show up.  These rides will be finalized based on who I hear from at least a day in advance.  In other words, if I do not hear that anyone is planning to ride with me on a Wednesday evening, I may or may not go for a ride that evening.

These, however, are not the only ride opportunities.  I am up for whatever the group is interested in.  Already this year, the gang in Colorado Springs has posted their weekend plans and invited others to join.  Let’s continue this practice.  This year, we have a JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes – Rocky Mountain Facebook page to help.  I encourage everyone to post their ride plans there.  It is the best way to find company for a ride.

In addition to these JDRF group rides, we are blessed to live in a wonderful biking community. Click here for a selection of organized rides that we all have access to.  Each of these rides has multiple lengths to support the most gung-ho riders and those that would prefer a relaxing jaunt.  They are all organized, well supported and allow us to explore some new territory around our beautiful state.

I am planning to do a number of these rides myself.  As it stands now, I am committed to the MS 150 ride in June and the Courage Classic ride in July.

In addition to these large organized rides, there are no shortage of organized rides sponsored by local bike shops and clubs.  Below are a list bike shops that I am familiar with that have evening and weekend ride opportunities.  Check out their websites for more information and schedules.

Another opportunity is to join your local bike club.  Each of these clubs has a broad array of ride opportunities.  Like the bike shops, these clubs all have a published ride schedule on their website.  In addition, most of these clubs have special relationships (i.e. discounts) with bike shops and suppliers that usually more than pay for the membership.

I am a big fan of riding with a group.  In addition to the obvious safety issues, riding with a group teaches good handling skills and provides the comradery that makes riding even more fun.  Please feel free to reach out in any of these directions if you are interested or focus specifically on your JDRF goals.  In any case, I am a resource that is available to each of you.

I look forward to working/riding with each of you.  I am available to draw up an individual training plan if you would like.  I also have LOTS of strong opinions about almost every aspect of biking from choosing the right bike to proper post-ride nutrition.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to me.  Both Ruth and I are committed to your success both in developing as a rider as well as reaching your fundraising goals.

Tom Kissinger
JDRF Rocky Mountain Chapter Ride Coach
tom_k@pipeline.com