GT demo April 11, SLaB clinic May 16, Downieville weekend June 6-7th.

Hi all - 

***MOVED TO TORO PARK IN SALINAS****

Instead of proposed clinic at Freemont Older this Sat.y April 11th, we'd like to invite you to Los Gatos Reservoir to meet the GT demo truck, and test ride any bike you might like to try! Ride around the Saint Joseph's trail and others - from that location!

**email me first, or check with Calabazas shop for details on this. I am not running it, and times/locations may change.

May 16-

Clinic in Cupertino is starting to fill up - hold your spot soon by email.

Downieville weekend. Arrive June 5th pm, ride Saturday the 6th & 7th. Depart anytime Sunday.

I'll post a deadline soon on commitment. A few rooms in our group's block are taken, and maybe you ought to commit to the others! Will be a blast!

Don't forget the Sea Otter - April 17, 18 and 19th

You don't have to race to enjoy yourselves there. Come watch pro's and amateurs, and shop the unique boutique booths to major brands and demo any bike brand!

Mtn. Bike Skills Clinics for Spring 2009!

Hello riders and those who'd like to start riding! 

Winter is waning and our sunshine is lasting longer - this means our riding season is here!

STRONG, LIGHT and BEAUTIFUL has exciting new clinics and events on the calendar!
We've changed the format a little, focussing on clinics and events not membership. No charge to be a Strong, Light and Beautiful rider, simply attend an event (fee based or complimentary events), or purchase a jersey and/or merchandise, ride with us, and you are SLaB! (Website to reflect this by end of March).

CO-ED!
We found that YES, mostly women need and want a group - a no pressure clinic, but there are men out there that haven't tried riding in years as well. Pass along these dates to those guys you know that are ready to get active on the trails, or haven't felt stable maybe on their road bikes, as attending these workshops help every type of rider improve their maneuverability on a bicycle!

GROUP RIDES
We will continue to offer group rides as the Summer and daylight grow. We plan to join other clubs group rides and events and trail volunteer work throughout 2009.

There is still beautiful merchandise available. Jerseys, Arm Warmers, Vests, and discounts at local bike shops and some brand components/accessories. www.iamSLaB.com

SLaB has upped her game this year with the addition of 1 to 2 expert riders joining our clinics and events. These guys can share tricks and expertise from their racing days to mechanic abilities. You'll certainly learn a trick or two from them!

If you have taken a SLaB clinic before, this will review skills from Super Beginner clinics, then go a step further with more intermediate skills, experts on hand, and a ride to practice on, and have a little more physical challenge.

APRIL 11
Skills Clinic and Ride - CUPERTINO, CA
Beginner/Beginner-Intermediate/and Intermediates!
Go thru basic skills & mechanical tips - 9-11a.m. $60pp
Then ride up the fire road to access Freemont Older's trails for on the trail assistance and testing out our new skills! 11:30-1:30pm. 

Enervit bars and energy drinks provided. Bring snack and required to have water bottle or hydration system for ride. If you need a bike or want to try a full suspension or hard-tail GT, 3 mediums available first come first serve. County Parking Fee not included.

MAY 16
Super Beginner/Beginner clinic, CUPERTINO, CA, 9 a.m.-12:30. $50pp
Haven't ridden in years? Want more stability on your road or hybrid or mtn. bike? Learn balance, weight distribution, cornering, braking techniques to encourage you go ride more challenging trails and roads. Bikes available to use - limited sizes and qty.
County Parking Fee not included.

JUNE 13-14 (price will be group rates, a great deal! Weekend of a lot of fun!)
2 nights 2 days in DOWNIEVILLE, CA
Beg-Intermediate riders
Shuttles with expert riders to join us on rides. They will assist, coach and/or guide us for an enjoyable descent!
Yuba Expeditions Bike Shop http://yubaexpeditions.com/
Carriage House www.downievillecarriagehouse.com

December 14 Marin Skills Clinic!

Back to Bikes!

(Whole Foods bike rack - Oct 25th)

Thanks for patiently waiting for this election to pass, and now let's get back to getting on our bikes! SLaB is available during the month of November for skills workshops during week-days and some weekends. We are getting that MARIN skills clinic scheduled... but had to move it to December 14th. I appreciate the responses I've gotten, and we look forward to getting our Marin date accomplished!

Take advantage of these dryer days - and get even a few miles in!

Strong, Light and Beautiful - Skills clinic fun today!

Rashmi, Bev and Rachel enjoyed a perfect day and had the park all to themselves! With two cancellations, we had a private party of 3, and it gave us more time to go on a short ride after we challenged ourselves on the SLaB skills course.

Rash puts in the extra effort on a steep fire road climb - with success!

Rachel demonstrates fantastic limbo form

as we lower bar height more and more!

Commuting in a dress... and...

I can't remember the website/blog I got this from, but it is worthy of repeating. (I'll find out and credit the original poster). Anyhow... Yes... you can ride a bike in a dress and non-cycling shoes. Yes you can run errands on a bike... yes... one can take it to the unsafe level of too far!

Enjoy the added comments on this image!

I feel better finally, and have been commuting again on my beach cruiser... w/ a helmet, with a basket full of my re-fillable CamelBak water bottle, refillable coffee mug, purse, and sometimes groceries on the way home. But yes... I have called my husband while riding down a straight-away to see if he had requests at the grocery store, guilty as charged!

Tomorrow is a skills clinic in Cupertino -

Not to late to join our group!

Email to sign on!

Oct. 18th Skills clinic - Memorial on Saturday 18th

Hi all - 

Saturday morning, same time as scheduled skills clinic, there will be a dedication to cyclists' Kristy and Matt who were killed on Steven's Canyon Road this year. It's a special event, and will have a lot of emotion along with shutting down the road from 8ish to after 9 I'm guessing. 

The location of the accident is next to the entrance to our park where I host the skills clinics.  For multiple reasons, we'll move the clinic to later in the morning, if attendee's can still make a mid-day workshop. Thanks for your understanding.

The City of Cupertino has graciously sponsored a permanent memorial in honor of Kristy and Matt at the site of the crash. There will be a brief dedication ceremony as well as a memorial ride on October 18th.

- Saturday, Oct 18
- 8 am ride start (recommend arriving at 7:30am)
- Ride route: Cupertino Civic Center (10350 Torre Avenue) to Stevens Canyon Road

City of Cupertino's Announcement:
Memorials to be Dedicated for Bicyclists

On Sunday, March 9, 2008, two bicyclists were tragically killed in the foothills of Cupertino. Weather permitting, on Saturday, October 18, permanent memorials will be dedicated to Kristy Gough and Matt Peterson. Please join us for this brief ceremony as we honor the memory of our friends and family who have passed.

The morning's events will begin at 8 AM with a gathering at Cupertino Civic Center. Guests will cycle up McClellan Road to Stevens Canyon Road, near the site of the accident.

Those driving by car should go directly to the memorial site, as the road will be closed to automobile traffic once the bicyclists get under way. Shortly after 9 am there will be some brief comments and an unveiling of the plaques. In words provided by their families, there is one tablet for each rider:

In Loving Memory of
Kristy Gough
November 19, 1977 - March 9, 2008
FREE FROM LIMITATIONS & IMAGINARY LINES

Our hearts forever inspired by
Matthew Wayne Peterson
June 4, 1978 - March 9, 2008
RETHINK WHAT IS POSSIBLE

Please check the city web site for more detailed information as the event gets closer.

SLaB October Update

SLaB clinic Oct. 18 Cupertino, Later in Marin!

Just an update that we are scheduling a skills clinic for October 18th. Early in the a.m. for 3-4 hours in Cupertino. You can email me to sign up, and spread the word! Minimum 4-5 ladies to make it happen!

Stay tuned for more SLaB updates as we get back into the swing of things post Interbike Tradeshow!~

Cheers
Stay in touch
and stay Strong, Light and Beautiful!

Another Successful Skills Clinic! Sept. 7th

Thank goodness we started early as the day got hotter each hour. 8 of us, mostly beginners, and all ages, played on our bikes for another SLaB skills clinic. We limbo'd, teeter-tottered, made switch-backs and ascended and descended in great simulations for future trail rides! THANKS LADIES, GREAT DAY! 

More pictures from our day are on the

www.iamSLaB.com photos page. Enjoy!

Joann, Laurel, Bev, Mandy, Lois, Rhonda, Kathy, Allison

Joann's competitive side shows up, with perfect form to clear the Limbo. Of course... we don't have a picture, once again, of Coach Bevco and her bar ends smacking into the pole and tearing down the whole structure and tossing her to the ground as she demonstrated the leaning the bike over to get even more clearance on the lowest setting. Geesh, great way to encourage the ladies Bev!

SKILLS CLINIC on SUNDAY!

Come Join US! (Sept. 7)

Announcing a skills clinic in Cupertino THIS SUNDAY, 8:30 in Cupertino. A small group, and we have room for more if you - or somebody you think might be interested in joining up. 

about 3+ hours of practicing balance, positioning, straight line riding, corning, and obstacles. $40 non-members, $36 SLaB members. 

see SLaB website's RIDE page for more information.

NEWS: SLaB Skills Clinic Sept. 6 (or 7th), Jill coming!

CLINIC

We are close to having a group for a beginner skills clinic this weekend - if you know anybody or would like to join in, or repeat the clinic for more practice - please let us know! 

Sept 6th, 8:30 a.m. at Freemont Older 

(could easily move to Sunday if it is easier for the group)

RIDE WITH OLYMPIC MEDALIST JILL!

Rumors have it that Jill will be in the area next week. We are hoping to have her join us for a Wednesday night ride! Details to come soon, but it is looking good! 

Don't make plans for:

September 10th - after work - 5:30/45pm in Cupertino/Los Gatos/Santa Cruz mtn. area.

Fact is... get out of work early - so we can not run out of daylight!

SLaB Skills Clinic July 27

SLaB ladies met up for a beautiful morning of 

mountain bike skills training in Cupertino today!

(Jodie mastering straight line riding with ramps & logs to boot)

We had ladies from an avid "roadie" first time on a mountain bike, to one who hadn't ridden a bike in 25 years... and never a mtn. bike, to one who commutes on a single speed to work, but technical trail obstacles still mandating a dismount and walk on some trails. [names for each undisclosed to protect the embarrassed ;-) ]. 

Special thanks to SLaB operations of Terry (my husband) and special guest Rob who came perfectly timed to help disassemble the log board and teeter totter!

Each improved or learned new skills, and my only regret... 

didn't get a group photo of all of us - with our SLaB jerseys post ride!

(Joann concentrates while riding the teeter totter successfully! 

She rode one of our GT demo bikes, until she gets her own bike.)

It's a MOVIE!

(Rhonda impresses us all, with overcoming some fears, and rolling down 4 stairs! Very cool way to end the day!)

We were all "totally SLaB"!

Wednesday Gap Ride - Gorgeous Technical!

Marnie, Rhonda and Bev rode the first part of Saratoga Gap. 

Posed for a few shots at the overlook on the West side of Hwy 35/Skyline then rode the rocky fun single track back. Did a few do-overs, and walked that first switchback. 

I'll get that darn thing before summer is over!

DON'T FORGET... 

SLaB has a Skills Clinic for THIS SUNDAY. $40 non/$36 members

2 GT bikes for demo'ing are available also!

Alum's from previous clinics welcome - 

complimentary w/ space availability!

5th annual ALES and TRAILS

SLaB is excited to be donating it's time and hosting a free clinic during the IMBA fundraiser this weekend. We are big believers and supporters of the good work that the IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) does for maintaining trails, trail access and advocacy.

Come help support IMBA, and say hi to SLaB - we'll be starting at the Paradigm Cycles Booth - look for our jersey's and logos about the picnic grounds - and say hi to Bev and Terry and Robco if you see us!

SATURDAY, JUNE 28th: Beginning-Intermediate Women's Skills Clinic and short ride starts at 9:45 a.m!