# Triple Bypass Report



## fosbibr (Aug 29, 2005)

Just curious to know how everyone else fared yesterday. 

We took off at about 5:30 in overcast weather and stayed dry until Echo Lake when the skies opened up. The skies of course did not stop unitl the last traffic circle in West Vail. 

Our first stop was the Loveland ski area (right at 4 hours) and my legs were popsicles - I didn't think of bringing knee warmers. Thankfully our fears of snow at the top of Loveland Pass did not come true - but it was far from warm. We ended up getting behind a semi and I, and my co-riders, almost wore our brakes out. I was also shivering on the downhills with only underjersey, arm warmers and light rain jacket - thankfully full finger gloves. 

Vail Pass was painless and quick stop at the aid station for some Oreos and we were off. 

We hit the finish at 8 hours and 4 minutes - just over our 8 hour target. Not too bad considering the weather and being wet for nearly 6 hours. 

Overall, thanks to all the volunteers and the guys I rode with.


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## godot (Feb 3, 2004)

*Wet Triple*

I didn't make it this year for the first time in a long time. Sounds like I picked a good year to skip.

I did have 5 friends that attempted it and got the report from them last night. They got a late start, 7:30 or so. It was raining pretty hard in Bergen Park when they rolled out. It rained on them all the way up Squaw Pass. Two of them were already frozen, so they turned around near the top of Squaw. The other 3 continued over Squaw and then froze on the descent. The 2 that bailed early grabbed the cars, and met the other 3 in Idaho Springs for breakfast. They had a condo in Avon, so they drove out there, showered, warmed up and then went to the Red Lion in Vail and drank a lot of beer.

I was checking out the CDOT cameras online quite a bit yesterday. It looked pretty bad on the whole route.

Congrats on finishing, and in an amazing time considering the conditions.


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## dc8fr8dog (Dec 15, 2004)

Congrats on finishing the TBP!! We started at 7:00am and made good time to Juniper. The descent proved too much. With light rain jacket and half finger gloves, I felt I was riding on square wheels from shivering. We bailed at Idaho Springs with the rumour of snow at Loveland and heavy rain after. Big time bummer for my first TBP. Next Year!!


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## Birddog (Sep 9, 2004)

This was my sixth Triple, and easily the worst of the lot in every way. 4 of us showed up at the start, one DNS because of flu like symptoms (good call on his part) and three of us made the start at about 6:20. The misty rain started soon after turning to a serious rain near the top of Squaw. We all made it to Idaho Springs cold and shaking. My two friends bailed, but I changed into a dry jersey and socks and set out again and with better (wool ) arm and leg warmers. It rained all the way to Loveland rest stop, sometimes pretty heavily. I switched socks again, got a bite to eat, and made for the top. The rain let up as I made the last push, but increased as I made the descent. I again warmed up, this time in Keystone, changed socks one more time and got to the HS in good shape. After a quick feed I pushed on to Copper and Vail Pass. The rain continued, but it wasn't quite as miserable as it had been. At the top of Vail, I switched into a dry jersey and my last set of socks. The ride into Vail and Avon was a breeze compared to the rest of the day. The rain let up and some parts of the trail were actually dry as was I. It took me 11 hours total, a good deal of it spent warming up. Im not sure of actual ride time, but it was probably about 8.5 to 9 hours. I'd estimate that it rained on about 75 to 80% of the route, and it was wet for about 90%. If I hadn't had 4 pairs of socks, two extra jerseys and the spare arm and leg warmers, I never would have made it. I think keeping your feet dry was a key to comfort, I envied all the people I saw with booties.

I would estimate that I saw about 50 or more people with flats, and it couldn't have been much fun changing tubes in the cold rain. At Loveland it was 49 degrees, and coming down there were places where the road was literally covered in about a half inch of water which was running down the road in sheets with waves. If that wasn't enough, during the ride I had to stop twice because my headset had gotten loose. The second time, the on road repair guys from REI fixed it. I told them I was shivering so violently that the headset got loose, that wasn't far from the truth.

I'll probably do it again next year, call me stupid.

Birddog


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Perhaps a blessing in disguise to "cool off" an event that was getting overwhelmed by "anyone can do it" popularity. I skipped this year as well (having recently moved away) but also heard from some friends who bailed due to cold. I also heard a rumor of the course ultimately "closing" ... true?

But I can't imagine riding the TBP without knee or leg warmers as someone above mentioned, even in a better forecast. It is still 125+ miles including lots at altitude...


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## j-dawg (Apr 24, 2004)

*SAG Report*

I had an interesting view of the Triple this year: I drove one of the SAG wagons. It was my job to sweep the course from Evergreen to the second aid station. 

My day started with an alarm at 3:30. I was at my buddy's house by 4:15 (he was riding in the Triple) and we were on our way by 4:30. Traffic was remarkably smooth (I guess it was 5 in the morning!) and we rolled into Evergreen about 6. I dropped my buddy off and waited around til about 7:00. At that point someone approached me and wanted a ride. A little curious I thought to get SAGed from the start but who was I to ask. So we started up the course. This was actually the worst part of my day because I had to drive in the left lane the entire way up hoping that there were no cars coming down! I stopped 3-4 times to help people with flats and give out tubes. I picked up one more on the way to Aid #1 who had a mechanical. I got to Aid 1 about 8:15 and it was raining and a whopping 45 degrees according to my car. I filled pretty quickly with folks wanting to go back down to Evergreen. I tried to get back to the first Aid station 2 more times but filled both times and hauled people back to Evergreen. I finally started my 'sweep' from Aid 1 at 11:00. I probably saw 150-200 people going back down from Aid 1 to Evergreen in my time on that part of the course. 

I drove from Aid 1 to Idaho Springs in some of the steadiest rain I've seen in 10 years of living in CO. On the way from IS to GT I passed about 25 people, all who had relatively high spirits. This worried me a little because I knew the aid station at GT was closing at 12:30 and it was about 12:20. I zoomed ahead to let the aid station know there were riders still out and then went back as far as Downieville. The nice part of being a SAG is you can stop at Starbucks and not lose any time 

I got back to the GT aid station and gathered up 2 people to take up to Loveland (Aid 3). I passed probably 30 people on the way up and picked up 1 more, who then got out at one point to let someone else in. I left Aid 3 and headed up Loveland Pass. I got there around 3 and the weather was the nicest I had seen yet: about 55 degrees and cloudy. But that changed by 3:30 when the rain moved in again. I fiiled with 3 more folks looking to get a ride. More rain all the way to Keystone where I stopped to get my free slice of pizza from Basil Doc's. Good pizza by the way. I think the sun may have shone for a few minutes on Swan Mtn. Rd. I ended up at Summit HS about 4:45. About that time my buddy called to tell me he had made it to Vail Pass and was heading for Avon. Woo-hoo! I had two takers to get the ride to Avon and we made the quick trip over. I rolled in to Avon about 5:30 and waited for the finish line photo of my buddy. He pulled in on the bike path right around 6:00, wet but still in good spirits and glad to be done. 

We got his bike to the car and hit the food. Pretty standard outdoor BBQ but it definitely hit the spot. We finally started back home about 7:15 and we got home by 10:30. What a long day!

Interesting observations of the day:
* Most people at the back of the pack were in remarkably good spirits. 
* My favorite clothing ensemble was the guy in full ski outfit. Ski pants, parka, and, yes, goggles!
* It's amazing what you can 'engineer' with a few trash bags, some sandwich bags and latex gloves to stay warm
* 3 Diet Cokes, a Diet Dr. Pepper and a grande mocha from Starbucks exceeds my stomach's capacity to handle caffeine. Yuck!
* Favorite bikes of the day: Colnago C50 (full Record), steel Black Sheep, co-Motion tandem with S&S couplers, too many Moots to count!, and a shameless plug for my buddy's Tiemeyer 

I hope to be there next year, this time on the bike instead of the car ... unless the weather is like yesterday 

j


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## jimrolf (Sep 22, 2004)

*a soggy first triple bypass...*

My friends (aka 'Band of Brothers') and I left Bergen Park at 6.15 Saturday morning to begin our first attempt at the Triple Bypass. About 30 minutes later, my worst fears were confirmed-- it began to rain on us. At the top of Juniper pass, someone at the aid station asked me if I happen to know the temperature. I looked on my cycle computer to see that it read a cozy 46 degrees. The descent down to Idaho Springs was the most miserable of the day. I was shivering most of the way down telling myself "the descent is always the coldest. Wait to decide on bailing until after we reach the bottom." Sure enough, it warmed up enough by Idaho Springs that we decided to continue. And by the time we reached Georgetown, I was warm enough that I felt soggy, but able to continue. Our wives (aka 'Wives of Brothers') met us at Georgetown and gave us a nice boost. 

Up until that point, I felt pretty strong. But between Georgetown and Loveland, my legs started to tighten a bit. At loveland, Wives of Brothers met us again. We hopped in the car and changed into dry socks and gloves. I'm telling you-- latex gloves on top of my wet gloves saved me Saturday! I was wet, but the rubber gloves kept the wind off of my hands and allowed my body to warm up the water enough that I was able to go on. 

At Loveland, one of our group was told "the sun is shining on the other side of Loveland Pass." Of course this guy must have meant 'on the other side of Loveland pass plus another 50 miles the sun is shining.' I felt strong going up Loveland, but had the pleasant experience of being sleeted on. Our dry socks and gloves stayed dry maybe 20 minutes. The descent was cold, but not as bad as coming down Juniper pass. About halfway down, i realized that i wasn't shivering as I had expected to and i thought 'maybe i can actually finish this thing.' By Swan Mountain, with the help of several gels, I was downright giddy (probably a sugar/caffeine high...). We made it to Summit High School, loaded up on chocolate chip/peanut butter sandwiches and headed off the Vail Pass. I've ridden Vail Pass before and it's definitely one of the easiest passes in Colorado. But boy was I feeling it Saturday! I managed to flat somewhere between Copper and the summit, but after fixing that, we limped up to the top of Vail Pass. We grabbed some fluids and food and headed down to Avon. I was wet, but the adrenaline kicked in when we saw semi-dry roads for the first time all day. So we kicked it into gear on the descent and formed a paceline pretty much all the way to Avon. Our wonderful Wives of Brothers were there at the finish smilling and cheering to welcome us home. 

On the drive home Sunday, the rain kicked in again. My stomach knotted up as I remembered the soggy, miserable day we had on Saturday. I'm glad we finished, but i sure hope i don't have to ride 110 out of 120 miles in the rain again any time soon!

jim


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## ProudDaddy (Apr 19, 2006)

Ahhhh, what a day for my first triple! Weather was about as crappy as could be. Left BP about 7am. Met wife and kids in GT and put on some dry socks - and they stayed dry for about 10 minutes! Had lunch with the fam at Loveland aid, in the car trying to warm up. Still soaked, I left there shivering but hammered on. Got pelted with sleet or hail about the whole ride bombing down loveland pass, only braking for slow driving vehicles - which ended up being a lot of braking. Weather cleared a bit past Copper and the descent from Vail pass on in was mostly clear of rain allowing a clean sprint all the way to the finish. Arrived in Avon just before 4pm - less then 8 hrs in the saddle but nearly 9 hours total time with extended stops. Organization, aid stations, and course support was terrific (including police allowing bikers a free pass through Vail roundabouts). No chairs at finish line to eat my double cheeseburger was my only complaint. Right forearm muscle is really sore today probably from extended descent braking.


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## Woolbury (Oct 12, 2005)

*A day to remember...*

My first attempt at the Triple and some of the coldest, soggiest miles of my life. We left at 6am, rain started by 630, finally had some dry weather as we climbed Vail pass 95 mi later. We rode the event in 8.5 hrs, not bad considering how much the rain slowed you down on all the descents. I rode many of them with brakes fully depressed and pedaling at the same time to generate warmth. The weather totally flipped around your priorities, you dreaded the cold stinging descents and looked forward to the long ,blood pumping climbs. Squaw was definitely the worst, very cold, those that bailed in Idaho Springs(some shaking violently), may have underestimated the ability to keep warm on the long climb up to Loveland. My wife and kids were there with dry socks, booties, new shorts and bags of gear, but I continued on dressed pretty light to stay comfy on the climbs. Pretty cold coming into Frisco, but those choc chip Pnut butter sandwiches made my day, I must have eaten a dzn. Though I burned over 5000cal, like other long events, I gained over 3 lbs with all the carbo loading the past couple days. A sure fire way to put on a few lbs-ride 8-9hrs in cold rain and climb10,000'. Vail Pass descent was orgasmic-dry roads, warm, our energy returned. We got in a great pace line and were blasting through the round abouts at 25+mph. 4 mi to the finish, leading the pace line, I got my 2nd blowout of the day. They dropped me like a stone. Like others commented, I saw at least 50 flats being repaired. 2 folks reported tacks on Squaw-sickos trying to spoil our fun. Overall the day reminded me of a favorite Mark Twight(extreme alpinist) quote "It doesn't have to be fun to be fun". 

Look forward to next year! And props to the organizers and fans along the route, awesome job, thanks for your help and support!


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

sounds like y'all earned that ride. It is a tough ride even in good weather.


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## PaulCL (Jan 29, 2000)

*Why do we do this??*



Bocephus Jones II said:


> sounds like y'all earned that ride. It is a tough ride even in good weather.


I enjoyed reading your accounts of TBP. But I have to wonder some times..."why do we do this" I've been there before. But 8-10 hours in the cold, the rain, the sleet, cranking up mountains, freezing on the descents, for what? The pleasure of having completed the ride. We are a bunch of sick MF's !! (That's according to a couple of my non-riding buddies). Great ride guys!


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*I don't...*

I ride these roads all the time, but I had to chuckle thinking about the misery of anyone brave (dumb?) enough to even start riding that day. I'm strictly a fair weather rider since I like to enjoy the weather and scenery. I ONCE road for 1-1/2 hours in rain and swore to never do it again (purposely). Riding mountain descents in the rain is close to insane, IMO.

I have ridden Mt Evans with winds of 30+ at 38 degrees wearing cycling shorts with only an extra long sleeved undershirt and some knit gloves in addition to my jersey. I won't do that again either.


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## ProudDaddy (Apr 19, 2006)

C-40 said:


> I ride these roads all the time, but I had to chuckle thinking about the misery of anyone brave (dumb?) enough to even start riding that day. I'm strictly a fair weather rider since I like to enjoy the weather and scenery.


I thought the same thing of my sister who went to run a marathon in Paris on cobblestone streets in a freezing cold rain messing up her achilles in the process...but hey, I don't have the running passion and wouldn't consider the challenge. Same goes for climbing Mt. Everest - I think those people are crazy but I don't have a passion for climbing. Same goes for biking I'd say, there are "fair weather riders" as you call yourself, and there are diehard roadies. The Triple Bypass is not for everyone, especially in adverse conditions.

Maybe there is some sick extreme gene some people have and some don't, and when they get a passion, nothing is going to stop them from trying what others consider dumb.


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## fosbibr (Aug 29, 2005)

Well, I basically had to continue since I was staying with, and getting a ride back on Sunday, with friends in Vail. I guess if it got bad enough - and that really is relative because coming down Loveland pass was bad - I could have called someone to come and pick us up. But then I would have stood around for an hour or two and by that time I could have finished what I started. We didn't have anybody SAG'ing for us. 

Also, if the Wheatridge Cyclery guys at the Loveland aid station had been selling leg warmers, booties or socks they would have had as much of my money as they had wanted.


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## norton55 (Jan 10, 2006)

i just got back to sonoma county from vail, after a two day marathon drive. this is how my first triple went. after getting my registration package at around 0615, my son, his father in law and myself left evegreen towards squaw. in front of the fire house my son was hit by a firefighter pulling into the fire station. the first climb wasn't bad but by the time we got to idaho springs we were all frozen. we all changed into warmer, dry clothing and continued on. at loveland ski basin i bailed due the conditions going down the pass. my son ( his 2nd.) and his father in law (his 3rd) continued on. i met them at breckinridge and re-joined them for the ride back to eagle/vail. once we left copper the air got drier and the ride from there wasn't too bad. i did see a ton of people bail at juniper and at loveland. it did teach me a lesson and next year i am bringing foul weather gear just in case. but other than that i had a ball. the crowd was great and the ride was well supported.


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## Woolbury (Oct 12, 2005)

C-40 said:


> I ride these roads all the time, but I had to chuckle thinking about the misery of anyone brave (dumb?) enough to even start riding that day. I'm strictly a fair weather rider since I like to enjoy the weather and scenery. I ONCE road for 1-1/2 hours in rain and swore to never do it again (purposely). Riding mountain descents in the rain is close to insane, IMO.
> 
> I have ridden Mt Evans with winds of 30+ at 38 degrees wearing cycling shorts with only an extra long sleeved undershirt and some knit gloves in addition to my jersey. I won't do that again either.


I think that you overstate the situation. Certainly the weather upped the challenge and the skills necessary to safely complete the descent, but it was doable, as many of us proved. I think we all learned a bit about the limits of our abilities, and the gear neeeded to to safely and comfortably negotiate this terrain in this sort of weather. I'd been getting ready for the event for awhile, and I would have been really diappointed if I couldn't complete it. So I did, no regrets. I also enjoy everyone telling me what a rock I am...


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## jrepko (Dec 27, 2004)

*Post-triple casualty?*

I had an odd experience in the Triple -- not with the event itself (very well put together and run) nor even with the weather (rare all-day all-Colorado summer rainstorm) but with an incident that happened on the return.

I froze/washed out at Idaho Springs - nothing in the closet covers 45 degree downpour - but was still intact enough to head back to Evergreen from IS via Floyd Hill. On CO-40 on the Floyd Hill return we (there were a bunch of us) came upon a cyclist down -- he just seemed to keel over about a quarter-mile up 40.

CRP (performed valiantly by the first cyclists on the scene) Police and Rescue Squad didn'[t seem to bring the guy around, and I've seen no mention of it since. Does anyone know what happened here?

It was a somber group of cyclists who tackled Floyd Hill on return...


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## jimrolf (Sep 22, 2004)

Anyone know how many people finished?


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## Birddog (Sep 9, 2004)

It's only a WAG, but I'd say a third of the field bailed out at Idaho Springs. I also noticed that there was a lot of food still in boxes at Summitt HS.

Birddog


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## Birddog (Sep 9, 2004)

According to the Team Evergreen website, they estimate that about 1500 people made it to Avon.

Birddog


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Hope you can get some info on that. In my experience, Team Evergreen has always swept accidents, casualties, and other major issues under the rug. Both last years major crash into Idaho Springs and the assault on a Triple rider in Vail by a motorist were kept very "secret."

I think knowledge is power and I've always suspected that last year's recklessness contributed to this year's rider cap, but TE has never seemed to agree...


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## vinniedv8 (Jul 2, 2006)

Death on the 2006 Triple Bypass - heard about it from a distraught friend of the guy who died. Sorry, I don't remember his name. Sixty-five year old rider from Evergreen died from hypothermia (no surprise!). He'd started the triple with his wife, she bailed because of the conditions, went back for the car and was going to meet him up the road....but he never showed. He continued the ride, complained he wasn't feeling well, kept pedaling and eventually keeled over.

His philosophy per his friend was to live every day like it's your last. 

V.


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## Merlindog (Jul 27, 2006)

*Team Evergreen is Team Triple Bypass*

Team Evergreen is only about the triple bypass, nothing else seems to be in their field of view. Then for the next year the newsletter will brag about how much money they donated to local groups, many of which are given way too much money. Why don't they spread some around to Clear Creek County which has some really crappy roads that the TBP passes over? And for all the good public relations that the donations are supposed to create, local drivers still hate bikers in the Evergreen area. Heck, tacks again on the road for two years in a row. Maybe they could buy some moonshine and new front teeth for some of the ******** on Squaw Pass to create some goodwill. 

Team Evergreen used to be a good organization, now it is just about the triple and the same stale rides every year. Even the rides aren't great as everyone is given a map and the free for all begins. The Racing team can't even get people out to participate as they have to plead with members to go out and race. Their "training" rides in the winter were also like the normal rides, a free for all.


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## carver (Aug 15, 2002)

*Ouch!*




Merlindog said:


> Team Evergreen is only about the triple bypass, nothing else seems to be in their field of view. Then for the next year the newsletter will brag about how much money they donated to local groups, many of which are given way too much money. Why don't they spread some around to Clear Creek County which has some really crappy roads that the TBP passes over? And for all the good public relations that the donations are supposed to create, local drivers still hate bikers in the Evergreen area. Heck, tacks again on the road for two years in a row. Maybe they could buy some moonshine and new front teeth for some of the ******** on Squaw Pass to create some goodwill.


You must feel a lot better now. That is one heck of a rant. Maybe TE is not for you, but it is for A LOT of others. TE doesn't make donations for "PR", it makes donations because a lot of folks have a lot of needs that need to be met.


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## Merlindog (Jul 27, 2006)

*I Feel Good*

Yes, the rant did make me feel good.

Yes there are those with needs, but Team Evergreen is a bicycle club, not a philanthropic organization. As a bicycle club, they should focus their energies on promoting the sport and protecting the interests of cyclists. For example, when the cyclist was killed in May of 2005 while descending Squaw Pass, where was the outrage from Team Evergreen? The motorist was clearly in the wrong and probably got off with a slap on the wrist: why didn't TE organize an effort by cyclists to lobby for stiff charges against the motorist? Instead all we saw in the newsletter was a small mention of the accident. When motorists seriously injure or kill someone, too often the penalty is minor as there is usually a mitigating excuse(e.g. on the phone, dropped the vibrator, etc). As a cyclist, I worry about this trend and wish groups like TE would take a stand on it. 

Is TE for a lot of people? Only time I have noticed a large turnout is when free food is involved. Sure the membership numbers can be bragged about, but how many are signing up just for the Triple Bypass discount? The old monthly meeting at the Barn used to be the way the club built commraderie, not on rides where everyone just takes off at their own pace. 

As for giving to needy organizations, sure the organizations should receive something for their time, but the amounts given are way more than these organizations could ever raise for such time and effort expended. I can say this as several years ago I accepted the check for an organization that manned an aid station. Instead, give some money, put also channel some back to cycling related things that benefit the club. And is it about PR, you sure as hell bet it is as every newsletter brags about how much was given to charity and there will be several articles about it in the local Evergreen rag. 

Now I feel even better!!


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## carver (Aug 15, 2002)

*ok.....*

Clubs change their personalities over time. In a club with as many active members as TE (say 300 not the 1,200 total members) making things happen (like bike advocacy issues) requires folks with leadership abilities and commitment. Rare birds indeed, in a world where most are fearful of stepping on other's toes. Yes, things can get a little tired and stale. Eventually, new blood changes the scenery. The trickle-down theory definitely applies to large clubs, imo. By the way, my earlier post about needs purposely didn't mention the credit-taking part of things.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

jrepko said:


> I had an odd experience in the Triple -- not with the event itself (very well put together and run) nor even with the weather (rare all-day all-Colorado summer rainstorm) but with an incident that happened on the return.
> 
> I froze/washed out at Idaho Springs - nothing in the closet covers 45 degree downpour - but was still intact enough to head back to Evergreen from IS via Floyd Hill. On CO-40 on the Floyd Hill return we (there were a bunch of us) came upon a cyclist down -- he just seemed to keel over about a quarter-mile up 40.
> 
> ...


A frend told me that a guy and his wife turned back at the top of Squaw Pass. She rode home to her house in Evergreen and he went back to get the car. She gets a knock at the door and it's the coroner saying her husband died. Apparent heart attack. I think he was in his 60's and in good shape. That's about all the 4th hand information I heard.


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## ProudDaddy (Apr 19, 2006)

carver said:


> Clubs change their personalities over time. In a club with as many active members as TE (say 300 not the 1,200 total members) making things happen (like bike advocacy issues) requires folks with leadership abilities and commitment. Rare birds indeed, in a world where most are fearful of stepping on other's toes. Yes, things can get a little tired and stale. Eventually, new blood changes the scenery. The trickle-down theory definitely applies to large clubs, imo. By the way, my earlier post about needs purposely didn't mention the credit-taking part of things.


I admit to a lack of experience here as I'm new to the road riding scene here in CO this year. That said, I joined TE earlier this year, went on several group rides, did the triple, and second a lot of M-Dog's comments. 

Regarding the group rides, although they have been great for me, my observation is that some of the ride leaders could do a better job. I have no problem with allowing the group to split according to ability (I actually like this compared to some other club group rides I've gone on), especially when there are 40+ riders at some of the rides. The leader may be a strong rider, but I would expect the leader to start at the back, not necessarily stay there, but then to wait at designated stop points to make sure everyone is ok. I did see this happen, but I went on one ride where I was with the leader in the lead group. We stopped about a quarter way through the ride, waited for maybe half the group to show, and then left. 4 of us including the leader rode from there to the end. Considering it was like a 60 mile ride and only 4 us rode the last 40 or so miles, I felt kind of bad for the group as the leader was way out front and they probably felt it didn't really feel like a group ride. There probably should have been another meeting point. That said, it was a good ride for me.  

More importantly, I'm admittedly surprised I don't see TE more proactive with bicycle advocacy issues. I'm guessing with the triple, TE probably raises more funds than just about any other bike club in the state? I agree, way too much to the local charities and no where near enough to informing the public and government about issues and getting things done. With the funds that should be there, TE should have a strong voice on many matters. Heck, pay some attorney bicyclist to address local/state governments at every possible opportunity. All I see, via their newsletter, is reporting on the issues. I don't see what TE is doing to tackle them. As a lowly member, I'm surprised and disappointed this is not a focal point for the club. 

Sorry, I didn't mean this post to be a rant. TE does not have a message board on its website so I took this opportunity to validate some of M-Dog's points.


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## j-dawg (Apr 24, 2004)

*A couple of responses*

So I've been following this when people reply and I wanted to chime in with a couple of thoughts:

First, about the reported injuries/deaths. I was one of the SAG drivers with my responsibility being to sweep the course from Evergreen to Squaw Pass and then drive straight through to the end picking people up as I went. Personally, I heard of no fatalities that day nor since. That doesn't mean they didn't happen, just that I haven't heard of them. I swept the course from Evergreen to Squaw Pass around 11:00 and encountered a few people. I asked all of them how they were doing and either got a thumbs up or a response that they were ok. All of them were headed down towards Evergreen. If anyone has any any information that I could verify I would like to hear of it via PM. If there were fatalities there is a good chance the organizers simply don't know about it. 

Second, about the club. I am not a member of the club and only volunteered that day. So I can't make a call about the day to day workings of the club. But I did get to know the organizers that day and many of the other volunteers. And all of them seemed like stand up individuals. Volunteer organizations are always tough. My problem is with people who take advantage of what a club offers and then complain about the way things are done and do absolutely nothing about fixing the problems. Most of the people in the leadership positions in these clubs are not there because of some power trip. They are there because they can't find anyone else interested in taking over and don't want to see something they love wither away. 

With regards to the cost of the event. I agree, it's lots of money. But most of that goes to cover expenses. It's not cheap to hire the state patrol/EMS, close two major roads, and most of all, insure an event like this. They have a definite break even point and after that it all goes to charity. The volunteers I worked with were from one of those charities and I can assure you they appreciate every dollar they get. 

As far as advocacy goes, I guarantee you TE was actively involved with Bicycle Colorado and others to get the state patrol to come around with the rider cap. There is an advocacy chair for the group. I'm sure they could provide more info. about their works.

Finally, a rant:

Rather than sit back and complain about the way your favorite biking/book/knitting/beer-drinking club is run, get invovled! None of these organizations exist for no reason. They all have a mission and a core group of volunteers that keeps them alive. If you don't agree with the mission or the leaders, then either get involved to make some changes or get out. Don't be someone who reaps the benefits and never gives back. All of the officers of TE have contact numbers and e-mails listed on the TE site. If you have suggested improvements or questions about TE, TBP, advocacy or anything, you should contact them, not just complain on a message board. 

Rant off.

j


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

dawg. Thanks for volunteering. I'm not a TE member or connected in any way, but have done the ride 3 times. Each was great and without the volunteers it wouldn't happen. 

As for the price, yes it's expensive. About the same as a round of golf in the mountains and they don't supply food/drink a shirt/jersey and a party after a round. It really isn't expensive for what you receive. If it's out of your budget then just go ride somwhere else. You can even ride the bypass route anytime you want (just don't bandit). 

As for what they do with the money. It's TE's decision. It's good that they support the charities that they want. It's a local, private organization. They can do whatever they want with the money. If you don't like it, form your own team/club and raise money for whatever purpose you want. If I like the route, jersey and support for the price you want to charge, then I'll be there. If not, I'm off on one of my normal loops.

As for the guy who died. I heard, 4th hand, that he went back to get the car and died at the car. Sorry to hear he died, but he was doing something he wanted. Nobody was forced to ride up or down the mountains that day. We all make choices. If it was hypothermia, then maybe a better selection of clothes would have made a difference, then again, staying at home would be another option. We all make choices all the time. Some can be fun, some can be challenging and yes, some can kill us. Roll the dice and live life seems to be common among cyclists. We are willing to take the risk to enjoy our life.


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## Merlindog (Jul 27, 2006)

*You Miss the Point*

Sure TE can do what they want the money, but the club should realize they are a bicycling club, not a philanthropic organization. They should be furthering the interests of cyclists, which was what the club was formed to do many years ago. 

I realize the officers are not paid and volunteer their time, but I don't see anything new being done with the club, just the same things year to year. A past president, David Nelson, started the charitable giving and it has continued ever since and has been the only focus of the club for too long. As for feedback to the board, if the board really wanted feedback they would bring back some sort of club meetings during the summer and/or publicize the time and location of board meetings. Instead the board operates in relative secrecy. Why not post minutes of board meetings to their website? 

A message board like this is a great place to rant about stuff like this as it exposes facts about TE that many people don't realize. And perhaps it will be an eye opener for some who can make some changes to the club's direction (Carver, are you there?).


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

I'm too lazy to re-read the entire thread to see if you mentioned it, but it sounds like you are a PO'd TE *member*. That wasn't clear to me before. If you are a member and the focus of the team has changed then you have a gripe with TE and you either need to run for the board and get it redirected, or find a new team.

From your posts it sounded like you were just PO'd because there was a bicycle club that you participated in their ride and were mad because they weren't an cycling advocate.

I've never been on one of their "training" rides. If it's a free for all, then I have no interest. I have done the Triple three times, but don't plan on doing it again. There are a lot of other rides that I want to give a try.

Have a good one, and hope you can get TE straigtened out. KJ


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## carver (Aug 15, 2002)

*Team Evergreen*

Off the top of my head....

TE board meetings are not secret in any way shape or form. All members are welcome at any time. (prouddaddy - there is not such thing as a lowly member). Held every month usually at the Taj. Contact the president, Janet Saxon, or the vice president and just speak up. It works. As I mentioned in my post last week, I think fresh blood is need to keep the personality of the club getting in a rut. This happens at all clubs.

j-dawg and kjohnson - I agree. Getting involved can be very satifying. IMO, TE is all ears for those who are able to bring energy and commitment to helping the club do its thing. 

There are so many rides available to the membership. All levels, different days.

Advocacy/cycling related issues are important to a lot of members. Charity work is a high priority at the club. 

prouddaddy - if the group rides aren't as organized as they could be, its because generally I think the club lets ride leaders do their thing within reasonable bounds.AS on any ride that is a cross of stucture and "free for all" the participants need to speak up - yes?

One of the things that would work well in this club - is having clubs within a club. TE Racing started this way. It could be a seniors group, highly structured training groups and rides say interval work specifically, or hill repeats, it could be anything.It could be any type of group. Most people don't get proactive on this sort of stuff because they don't want to offend or exclude. All that's being done is offering another choice in a plethora of choices.

At the end of the day, TE is open to all. No questions asked. With that comes lots of upside, and of course, some downside.

Out for now---


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