Wow, I just checked out the Winter Ride Challenge and we have a great crew of riders taking advantage of the good riding weather here in Massachusetts (that is when it isn't raining).  Check out the leaderboard here.

If you are interested in joining the fun and continuing your riding season both outdoors and indoors here are the details.

"Train for tomorrow by riding today," goes the cyclist's mantra. And the best time to gear up for a summer filled with achievements is this winter. The Charles River Wheelers (CRW) are thrilled to launch our annual Winter Ride Challenge from December 15th to March 15th. 

Challenge Tiers:

25 hours: Join the ranks as a 'Recreationalist'

50 hours: Step up as a 'Weekend Warrior'

100 hours: Dominate as a 'Racer'

Raffle Rewards: Participation at any level enters you into our raffle for a chance to win dazzling bike lights, top-notch earbuds, and our exclusive CRW gloves. Five winners per category will light up the podium with these fantastic prizes.

Flexible Log Updates: Whether you prefer daily briefings, weekly summaries, or a monthly roundup, log your hours at your convenience. We accommodate your schedule, with daily snapshots that capture our club's cumulative progress.

Easy Hour Submission: Update your hours with ease, whether you're on-the-go or at your desk:

Via the CRW Member Mobile App (Android, Apple): Sign in, tap on your profile, and enter the hours from your latest ride into the 'Time and Mileage Tracker'.

On Your Computer: Head to our site https://crw.org, log in, navigate to your profile, and update the 'Time and Mileage Tracker' with your hours and distance.

Be sure to save your updates!

Raffle Draw: We'll celebrate our collective achievements and draw the lucky raffle winners at the end of March. By that time, you'll be more than ready to spring into the new cycling season.

Take on the Challenge: Ready to ride out the winter and spin into spring? Log in via app or desktop at the interval that suits you best. Let's pedal into this challenge with zeal!

Happy New Year, CRW Cyclists!

A huge thank you to everyone who has already participated in the CRW Member Survey. Your contributions are shaping our club's path forward.

Survey closes on Friday, January 12th.

Your Survey Response Matters

As a club member, your input is highly valued. It plays a crucial role in guiding our club's decisions and enhancing the overall CRW experience.

Efficient and Impactful

We've designed the survey to be both quick and significant. It's an efficient way for you to share your thoughts on what's working well and where we can improve.

Commitment to Privacy

We are committed to handling your feedback with the utmost care, respecting your privacy in the process.

Join the Community Voice

For those who haven't yet responded, please take a few moments to fill out the survey. Every voice helps in building a more vibrant and inclusive CRW.  The survey closes Friday, January 12th.

Together, let's shape a fantastic cycling year ahead.

Warm regards,

Amy Juodawlkis
Executive Vice President, Charles River Wheelers

CRW Winter Ride Challenge: Your Season Starts Now!

"Train for tomorrow by riding today," goes the cyclist's mantra. And the best time to gear up for a summer filled with achievements is this winter. The Charles River Wheelers (CRW) are thrilled to launch our annual Winter Ride Challenge from December 15th to March 15th. 

Challenge Tiers:

25 hours: Join the ranks as a 'Recreationalist'

50 hours: Step up as a 'Weekend Warrior'

100 hours: Dominate as a 'Racer'

Raffle Rewards: Participation at any level enters you into our raffle for a chance to win dazzling bike lights, top-notch earbuds, and our exclusive CRW gloves. Five winners per category will light up the podium with these fantastic prizes.

Flexible Log Updates: Whether you prefer daily briefings, weekly summaries, or a monthly roundup, log your hours at your convenience. We accommodate your schedule, with daily snapshots that capture our club's cumulative progress.

Easy Hour Submission: Update your hours with ease, whether you're on-the-go or at your desk:

Via the CRW Member Mobile App (Android, Apple): Sign in, tap on your profile, and enter the hours from your latest ride into the 'Time and Mileage Tracker'.

On Your Computer: Head to our site https://crw.org, log in, navigate to your profile, and update the 'Time and Mileage Tracker' with your hours and distance.

Be sure to save your updates!

Raffle Draw: We'll celebrate our collective achievements and draw the lucky raffle winners at the end of March. By that time, you'll be more than ready to spring into the new cycling season.

Take on the Challenge: Ready to ride out the winter and spin into spring? Log in via app or desktop at the interval that suits you best. Let's pedal into this challenge with zeal!

Hello Charles River Wheelers!

I'm delighted to announce new profile options that let us serve you better:

• Dietary Choices: Tell us your preferences for event food planning.
• Gender Identity: Help us address everyone properly.
• Ethnicity: Share your heritage, if you choose.
• Languages Spoken: Communicate with us in your preferred language.
• Education Level & Employment Status: Inform our networking and event scheduling.
• Accessibility Needs: Ensure we're all set for an inclusive ride.

These fields are completely optional. They're for enhancing your CRW experience.

Why Update?

It helps us create events that fit our diverse community and keeps everyone in the loop effectively.

Take Action:

Log in to your CRW member account to update your new profile details and share what you're comfortable with.

Thank you for contributing to our community's richness,

Randolph Williams
President-Elect
Charles River Wheelers

Charles River Wheelers (CRW) invites passionate individuals with financial management expertise to apply for a key financial role on our Board. This position, either Treasurer or Vice President of Finance, involves overseeing our financial operations, including budgeting and compliance. While the role is unpaid, it offers the opportunity to make a significant impact in the cycling community.

If you're interested in shaping the future of CRW, please reach out to president@crw.org for more information.

Your expertise can drive CRW's success!

There was an error in the original posting of the Safety Corner Article "Safety Cameras" in the December WheelPeople.

It has been corrected and can be viewed here: https://crw.org/wp/13286008 

The CRW Board is delighted to announce the 2023 Volunteer Award recipients. This year, the Board selected four members to receive recognition for their service to the Charles River Wheelers.

The Ralph Galen Service Award was presented to Mary Kernan and John O’Dowd, for their tireless and sustained support of CRW.  Mary served on the Board and was the VP of Rides for many years.  John was also a member of the Board including a stint as the Secretary, and is our current VP of Rides.  They have both served on committees and volunteered countless hours to CRW.. 

Sylvia Stoddart was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award for her extraordinary dedication to leading and growing the weekly Gravel and Women’s Program rides throughout the entire ride season.

The Board also awarded Harriet Fell a special lifetime membership award for her decades of leadership and service to the club.  Harriet was not only one of one of the first Americans to complete the iconic 1200 km Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle ride, she also served as a Board member until she moved to the West Coast.

 

This past Sunday, November 5th, the CRW Board of Directors unanimously elected Randolph Williams as the President and Chair of the Board.  Randolph's two year term begins on January 1, 2024. 

The Board is grateful that Randolph has stepped forward to take on this responsibility and we are confident that he will be a successful leader.  The photo below shows Randolph in the middle looking a little worried, Larry Kernan (our former President and outgoing Board member on the right) looking relaxed, and me, Ed Cheng (the outgoing President).

Join me in welcoming Randolph as our new President!

Ed Cheng

President - CRW 

The Bike Thursday Ride Season ended on October 26th with a spectacular ride and party.  Fifty (50) people rode on Thursday morning following 2 routes through Waltham, Lincoln, Weston, Concord and Lexington.  Four (4)  leaders lead a group of about 12-15 riders each.  The temperature was in the high 70's, with blue skies and wonderful foliage.  

What more could you ask for, but a lunch party on the lawn.

Bike Thursday - October 26, 2023

September 14th - 36 Bike Thursday riders

In September, Shimano issued a recall of 11-speed Ultegra and Dura-Ace cranksets produced before July 2019, due to more than 4,500 reports of cranks breaking, sometimes resulting in rider injury. 

For details on the recall and crank inspection information, see:

https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/information/customer-services/corrective-actions/11-speed-hollowtech-ii-crankset-recall-notice.html

and 

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/Shimano-Recalls-Cranksets-for-Bicycles-Due-to-Crash-Hazard