Number One Reason to Belong to a Bike Club

There are dozens and dozens of reasons to belong to a cycling club. You can have friends to ride and race with, to whom you may pretend to be a totally awesome bike racing juggernaut and then - after you are exposed as a not-so-awesome juggernaut - tell lies to about why you are not fit anymore... the list goes on and on.

But one of the best reasons in my mind is the team kit. You get top-quality stuff at good prices and (with any luck at all) it looks good too. So here's the deal:

The club I belong to (A World of Pain in Delaware Ohio) is taking orders for team kit. We're not snobby and figure the more the merrier. So if you can read this you are now part of the team and can order up some snazzy new gear. Congrats!

We buy our stuff from Hincapie Sportswear and I can vouch for the quality. It is really very nice gear. Prices are good because we are buying a lot of stuff at once. We even snuck a PKR logo onto the ass of the shorts. Instructions for ordering are below.

Click here to go to the Hincapie Team Center and create a new account. 

The access code is: aworldofpain

Form there, just choose what you want and you're done. Once the order is all totaled up you'll be contacted by Hincapie to make your payment. The reason why you do not pay immediately is that if we order a lot of product the price might go down. 

The kit design is shown below.

Remember All Those Caps you Bought Last Year?

This time last year, many of us were dealing with the passing of our friend, Giuseppe "Beppe" Maino. Beppe died on the Richland B and O bike trail after accidentally slamming into a center bollard on the trail. Our friend's death galvanized the cycling community in Mansfield to adopt a unified front that demanded a re-thinking of bollards on the B and O. We wrote letters, raised some money, and two men stood up to take the lead in working with city government to make a change. Paul Bender of Richland Moves! and Pete Medek led the effort that began twelve months ago and resulted in a unanimous decision by the Parks Board to remove all center bollards from the length of the B and O trail and upgrade the signage on the trail. Below is a message I received from Pete Medek recently giving me an update on how things are going. Thought you guys would like to know. When you see Pete and Paul, make sure to thank them for the hard work they have done to make this happen.

p.s. The dough we raised during our cap sale is waiting patiently to either help fund necessary safety equipment during the trail upgrade or to be used in some other way to memorialize Giuseppe. We'll let everyone know once the dollars have been allocated.

Hi Jay,

The park board had originally intended for the bollard removal to be completed by March 1. But Paul and I pointed out that a number of the crossroads along the trail have no "No Motor Vehicle" signs or anything else to signal drivers not to drive onto the trail. In those locations the bollards are serving that purpose.

So the next step was to do a sign inventory to see how many were needed. That turned into a complete signage upgrade, as it was found that some stops signs were faded out, missing, etc.

So I worked up a quote for the board which was approved in early March, I think. They approved up to $6k for new trail signs and gave Richland Moves! permission to handle the installation. I should mention that Paul and I lobbied for improving the effectiveness of the signs as well. That lead to a new (custom) sign being approved as well (see attached).

We are going to check out a few different sized mock ups of the new custom sign that we are going to use. Once we do that we can place the order for all the signs, posts and hardware we need.
Also, not that sign installation is rocket science or anything... but if you know anyone with experience in that area, let me know as well. We want our volunteer installers to do a first rate job. So any installation tips and tricks would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete Medek

Fly the Flag, Fool the Masses

Over the years, the Peckerhead Invitational has benefited from a small group of fellas who make significant contributions that help defray the costs of making the event happen. Their help and our work at HQ have kept the Peckerhead growing (you have no idea how much fun that is to write) and - most importantly - free to all comers.

At the same time, the most frequent request we get is for us to make some stuff people can take home and use to embarrass their friends and family.

After giving serious consideration to exotic dancing, management decided that the best way to cover costs and fly the flag would be to make some stuff you can use to wave your PKR all over your hometown without freaking out the neighbors. Bottom line: The Peckerhead Invitational will always remain free to anyone who wants to show up and ride. This year, we are setting you up to look very stylish before, during, and after.

So here's the details...
CASH OR CHECK
You can order via cash or check by filling out the order form (download it here) and dropping off payment at Y-Not Cycling in Lexington. Their address is 64 East Main Street, Lexington OH 44904. 419-884-6135. You can mail payment there as well.

CREDIT CARD
Pay online via PayPal to my e-mail, lawsonallred@yahoo.com.
Make sure you leave a note via PayPal so we know exactly what you want to order. Include sizing if you are ordering a t-shirt.

PRE-ORDER ONLY! ORDER DEADLINE IS MAY 1, 2013

EVERYTHING WILL DELIVER IN JUNE

The John Holmes of gear buys -- $30.00 for one of everything

Finally, a window sticker worth having -- $6.00 for 2

100% cotton t-shirt -- $18.00 each

A coat for your best friend -- $6.00 each

Specialized bottle -- $7.00 each

Rest in Peace, Possum

Riding around heaven on his recumbent drunk on angel tequila.

As many of you know, one of the Peckerhead Invitational's founding fathers passed away this past February. Obviously, we are all very saddened by the loss of a brother, but get this... Paul a.k.a. Possum- believe it or not - actually specified long ago that the Invitational after his passing was to be ridden in his honor. Well, let me tell you, the management is freaking committed to making that happen. Stay tuned for more details.

In Case You Were Wondering...