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Santa Fe Seniors on Bikes

Unscheduled rides 

Tuesdays and Thursday rides in February meet on the Museum Hill parking lot at 10:00AM till further notice.


To be sure, please post a comment on the blog if you will be there.

Check out the Photo Archives, click here

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SOB History and background..so far.

“You’re only young once but you can be immature forever.” –Germaine Greer


And just because you’re pushing 50—or 65 or 80—doesn’t mean you can’t wear spandex shorts and form-fitting shirts and ride around on a bicycle. Just ask any of the several dozen members of the whimsically named SOB bike club of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The concept for the SOBs, Seniors on Bikes, was imported by cyclist Joel Stein when he and his wife, Mary, moved to Santa Fe from Boulder in 1997. Through a newspaper ad, he put the word out that he was seeking riders-of-a-certain-age for regular Thursday-morning jaunts. 

Among the charter members were Rennie Finlay, Jim Hallquist and Bob Hilley—all still active members…except when joints or other body parts need replacing.
Joel established regular routes and snail-mailed out the season’s plan to members. Word of mouth attracted Herb Schon, newly arrived from New York City and eager to have people to ride with. He brought in some of his Eldorado neighbors, and with the help of a computer—and his wife--took over the maintenance and dissemination of the membership roster and the annual ride plan.  He instituted a Tuesday ski-hill ride and also injected a social aspect to the club by hosting a summer cook-out. In 2008, he designed and had manufactured a club uniform, nagging members unmercifully until they agreed to order enough to make the price break. Those bright red and yellow shirts are now collectors’ items!

Other innovations introduced since Joel came south include the formation of a board of directors, heading by the unflaggingly enthusiastic Edwin Crosswhite, who established the club’s affiliation with the League of American Cyclists (and its liability insurance coverage) and instituted modest dues to help defray the costs of his colorful weekly 
newsletter. He also rounded up sponsors to provide discounts to card-carrying SOBs, and with his ubiquitous camera he supplies much material for the club web site, 
"http://www.santafesobs.com" , which was created and is maintained by the brilliant ex-Kiwi Ian Norrish.

The SOBs’ social side has grown too, and overnight rides introduced, most recently a three-day Enchanted Circle trip, but the biggest change perhaps is the structure of the Thursday rides: once a casual collection of riders of differing skills who did what they felt like, Thursdays now offer a choice of longer, faster rides (40-60 miles) or rides that average 30 miles at a gentler pace. Each is overseen by a leader, and a sweeper (or HERO—High Energy Rear Observer) is always designated to make sure stragglers aren’t eaten by coyotes. Route sheets are provided at each ride’s sign-in so getting lost isn’t as easy as it used to be. Most rides conclude with a coffee or snack before the members separate.

Though the name Seniors on Bikes implies geezerhood, in fact most members are in their 60’s and a number are a decade younger. And a few pushing 80, God bless ‘em. Some are retirees, some, alas, still work. There are currently about 50 members, a mix of men and women, and an average ride generally attracts half of them. Several rides offer an option for mountain bikes, but most are designed for road bikes. Members are required to wear helmets and obey all traffic laws. Those who flout the rules of the road risk the wrath of Judy Costlow and Devon Dalzell, both frequent ride leaders and sticklers for cycling etiquette. Members are encouraged to know how to fix flats and to carry the appropriate tools and equipment, although no one will be abandoned (unless Judy is late for her next caffeine fix).

The SOBs welcomes all: some of our members are really good, really fast riders, some are, um, less so. We do look for a sense of humor and a willingness to help out when needed (but we also have a number of cranky, dour characters we keep for old times’ sake, so don’t let that deter you). 

Check us out and if you like what you see, and you think you’ll 
look good in red-and-yellow Lycra, come join us.

Copper Triangle, Triangle Tour

is the SOB Fall Trip to Colorado from September 4th (Tuesday) to Friday Sept. 7th or Saturday Sept. 8th. 

 Itinerary

Sept. 4 -  drive to Leadville and spend the night - leave cars there.  We will have two sag wagons to carry luggage.

Sept. 5  -  ride to Frisco via Minturn , Vail, and Vail Pass (65 miles)

Sept. 6  -  free day to ride wherever you like around Frisco or choose to hike, golf, site see, or go shopping.

Sept. 7 -  ride back to Leadville over Fremont Pass (35 miles) and if you want to stay the night in Leadville we will ride around    Turquoise Lake (22 miles). Otherwise you can drive back to Santa Fe.

Sept. 8 -  Drive back to Santa Fe.

 
Accommodations

 
In Leadville: the Columbine Inn & Suites.

1 queen $75.00

2 queens $90.00

Suite $95.00 (family rooms; 1 king bed and a queen couch/bed, jacuzzi, all in one big room)  Continental Breakfast included

 
There would be more of a discount if we book ten or more rooms.

 
Cancellation policy: 3 days before arrival date if people book individually; 14 days if we book a block of rooms.

 
Toll-free phone number is: 800-954-1110. 

In Frisco

 
 **The Frisco Inn on Galena Street (most of us will be here).  It is right downtown.  A double room costs $125.55 a night.  This includes wine and appetizers in the afternoons and a full breakfast each morning.  Their number  is: 970-668-0195.  The only tricky part is, if you make a reservation now and cancel before 45 days, you still have to pay half the cost and if you cancel within 45 days, you owe 100%.  They do sell cancellation insurance for $15 and this would be for reasons that can be documented OR the lodges sells insurance for any kind of reason for 11% of the cost of the rooms.

Hotel Frisco is right downtown for $124/night.  No breakfast, but does have pet rooms. 970-668-5009.

Another much cheaper option is Snowshoe Motel on the Main Street.  It costs $59 for a double room and includes a continental breakfast.  It has pet rooms for $10 more and requires a 48 hour cancellation notice.  970-668-3444

There is also a Holiday Inn on the lake for $89 a night.  No breakfast and is a 10 to 12 min walk from the town center.  970-668-5000

Trail Maps:


This one (below)  has text and trail descriptions and may work in conjunction with the Pioneer Sports Map.


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