MHBC Monthly Newsletter

Mid Hudson Bicycle Club

Your Monthly Update

May 2025

MHBC was featured in an article in the Poughkeepsie Journal

Read the whole story-

Poughkeepsie Journal article

Ride for Mental Health registration discount for club members

MHBC Members, save $50 when you signup for the Mental Health Ride ( June 21 & 22). Two special guests will be joining the ride this year: Nelson Vails and Wayne Stetina. Nelson won a silver medal at the ‘84 Games and Wayne is a 3-time Olympian and 13-time National Champion.

The $50 discount code can be found on the Members Info Page by using the club password that was sent in you welcome email.

BISTROS, BITES AND BIKES
The club is excited to announce a new series of Sunday afternoon rides called "Bistros, Bites and Bikes". We will visit one area of the Valley for a 25-30 mile ride starting and finishing at or near a local restaurant, with the participants having the opportunity to stay and enjoy a meal. If folks just want to join us for the dinner part, that is great as well. We plan to start around 1:00pm so we can finish up the ride by 4:30. We will meet on the following dates and locations:
July 20th: Wallkill, Mexican (Dos Amigos ll), August 10th, September 7th, October 19th: TBD.
Submitted by Jason Klock

Spring is here and with the calendar getting filled up with rides, some new and many favorites, the ride leaders are reminding our riders that the following makes for better riding.

While it is common practice for ride participants to pump up tires at the start, some things to do before leaving the house:

1. Make sure that your replacement tube (s) are in good shape and that THE VALVE STEM IS LONG ENOUGH TO WORK WITH YOUR RIM.

2. Have a good patch kit with a item to work as a repair boot. A dollar bill will work but we have had a Band-Aid used over the patch.

3. Have tire levers that can get the tire off the rim (Tubeless ready rim/tire combinations can be tough to work with).

4. Bring helmet/gloves/eyewear/shoes/water bottle are either in car or ready to go.

5. Sunscreen applied

6. Charge cellphone and GPS head unit with route loaded.

We also recommend using "Road ID" as a form of identification. You can have emergency contact numbers plus blood type and any allergies listed.

HELMETS ARE RECOMMENDED TO BE REPLACED EVERY 3-5 YEARS!!! We don't think about it, but depending on time spent riding and in hot cars, the plastic does degrade over time. If the helmet has been in a crash, even if it doesn't look damaged it needs to be replaced! DO NOT TRUST IT!!!

One of the best sources for helmet information is Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings

Submitted by Jason Klock

The next club, multi day road trip is exploring Pennsylvania from Kutztown, June 26 - 29. The primary hotel is the Hampton Inn. Details, including ride routes, ride leader contact info, and sign up are on the club calendar.

Trip Report

This past April the club had a multiday trip to Hagerstown which was enjoyed by all who attended. We had some lovely riding on quiet back roads, lots of farms with sheep/goats/cows and some horses. Some roads were busy, but almost all state highways had full width shoulders and..... VERY FEW POTHOLES!! The second day of riding took us through some of the battlefields and monuments. We could easily have spent more time there. The weather turned out wonderful, not too hot and no rain!. One lunch stop was a favorite - Rocky's New York Pizza. You never know what you will find when you go to different areas to ride. This is part of the adventure. Thanks to Lee for some pictures from the trip.
Submitted by Jason Klock

Thank You to those who helped make the Spring Fling a success

We all enjoyed the beautiful routes, despite the wind, and the delicious lunch catered by Toscos. Special recognition to:

Jason Klock, general organizer
Our ride leaders - Barbara Alstadt, Ron Gall, Jarrad Gilker, Jason Klock, Tim McNamara, and Charles Vigna.
John & Diane Robb for arranging the food
All those who brought a salad or dessert to share.

A big shout out to all the ride leaders who led rides in April. The club acknowledges the time and effort you put in to choose, post and lead these rides. We truly appreciate your efforts!

**To find out more about this year’s ride leaders incentive program go to https://midhudsonbicycleclub.com/2025-rider-leader-incentive

MHBC Calendar Highlights

More info and sign up for all of these dates is on the club calendar. or on the club Teamup app.

June 26-29: club trip to Kutztown, PA

August 2 -Summer Picnic, Red Hook (rain date Aug 3)

Sept 25 - Sept 30 : club trip to the Finger lakes area

Oct. 25 - Fall Roundup

Additional rides are posted on the MHBC ride calendar.

Updating your MHBC membership account

Any changes to your membership information can be done by signing into your account using the unique user name and password you selected when initially signing up for membership. In the account go to the subscriptions tab to make any changes. For credit card updates in the subscription tab select payment method. Do not go to the payment tab to do this. Any questions can be sent to MHBC contact.

Any questions or concerns, contact us

https://midhudsonbicycleclub.com/contact

Newsletter Editor: Gail Thornton, MHBC Secretary

Newsletter submissions should be sent to mhbc.clerk@gmail.com