CRW is pleased to introduce Jim Salvie, who is our new Club Volunteer Coordinator. Members interested in volunteering with CRW are encouraged to contact Jim at: volunteering@crw.org.
Thank you, Jim!
Jim finishing his transcontinental tour.
Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?
I live in Stow, MA, not to be confused with Stowe, VT! I grew up on Long Island in New York and in New Jersey, but like a lot of people gave up cycling when I learned how to drive. However, I do remember my first "ten speed" -- a bright yellow Schwinn "LeTour" with frictionless shifters on the headset. I still like frictionless shifters...
How long have you been cycling, and what initially got you interested in the sport?
I gave up running in my early 40s due to knee problems. One day in the summer of 2007 I was on the elliptical machine, indoors, looking out the window at all the cyclists going by and thinking that they had the right idea. Maybe I should try cycling. Somehow, I convinced my wife to let me buy a decent aluminum road bike. I only rode for a few months until the weather got cold, but I was hooked! I did my first century the following year.
How long have you been a CRW member?
For a very long time. My routine for years was to do the Spring Century (now North to NH) and Climb to the Clouds every year. I'd do the occasional metro West ride too, usually the ones beginning in Sudbury.
How many miles do you typically ride per year?
When riding consistently with no health problems? I can do about 5,000 per year not including indoor riding. When I did a transcontinental ride in 2015, I hit almost 9,000.
What is your greatest cycling accomplishment?
In 2015 I did a transcontinental tour with an outfit called Pacific Atlantic Cycling. It was run by a former Race Across America champion, Lon Haldeman, and his wife, Susan. In the early 80s, I think Lon was the first person to do RAAM in less than 10 days. Fortunately, by 2015, he had slowed down a little, though he could still smoke most of us. San Diego to Savannah in 27 days, no rest days (Lon does not believe in rest).
What is your favorite route to ride?
I have several. Metro West is a perfect place to ride. I have a flat 24-mile route that dips into Sudbury and Marlborough that is fun because I feel fast! I have a couple of beautiful rides through the town of Harvard, including a 53-mile one that I call "Every Hill in Harvard." My legs get rubbery just thinking about it. And I love to climb Wachusett Mtn.
What is your favorite post-ride food or drink?
Anything that isn't healthy.
What is your best advice for a new club member?
The easiest bit of advice is: single up! We're engaging in a slightly dangerous activity and the easiest way to stay safe is to ride single file. Save chatting for before the ride and after. During the ride the only communication should be about the ride itself: "Car back," "Hole," etc.
In what capacity do you volunteer for the club, and for how long?
I just started as the club's Volunteer Lead, a coordinator between club leadership and those members who've offered to help out. There are a tremendous number of opportunities in this club, some really involve a lot of work over a long period, others are briefer. But they are all very important and much needed. This club only get things done through volunteers!
I'm taking John O'Dowd's Ride Leader training over the next few weeks and I'm hoping to share some of the routes that I've discovered out here in the Stow-Harvard-Bolton area! Lots of hills, great scenery, a lot of quiet roads.
