This week's Topics:

1. Wednesday Wrides: The Usual, plus Tandems!
2. Sunday Ride: Church of the Bicycle
3. Labor Day Monday Ride: Soquel Demo Forest
4. Downieville trip almost full! Extend your Labor Day weekend
5. Parent's Ride, with Babysitting this weekend at Waterdog


1. Wednesday Wrides: The Usual, plus Tandems!

Sunset is at 7:43pm this Wednesday 08/27/08. Check the launch times below.

Special theme this week: The Usual, plus Tandems!.
This week we happen to have a couple of tandem mountain bikes hanging about, and a few willing stokers. So come watch the longest wheelbased bikes negotiate scary stuff in Waterdog. Did you know Charles once captained a tandem to second place at the Sea Otter? It's true!

Please remember to put a light on your handlebar and have a blinky ready for the ride back to the shop! CA vehicle code requires it. Don't get caught out on the streets in the dark! Also, a reminder that we need to be super conscientious about stopping at stop signs and lights, yielding to pedestrians, and operating our bikes predictably and responsibly while on the roads. Belmont PD was kind enough to let us know about a complaint from a motorist a couple weeks ago, and while we are not the only cyclists out there we are certainly the biggest groups and the easiest place to lodge complaints. Let's be safe and kind out there.

We have completely revised our Weekly Wride page to shorten this section of our weekly mail. We now have the longer descriptions of each ride on our website. For all the details about what makes each group unique, please refer to this webpage. If your questions aren't answered there, you can also email us for info at info@passiontrailbikes.com.

There will be the usual variety of rides on the twisty narrow singletrack that makes Waterdog famous. All rides start pedaling from the shop: Passion Trail Bikes, 415 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 94002 650-620-9798

The EARLY ride will go out at 6:00 PM.
The FBG or Fat Bottomed Girl ride will go out at 6:05 PM.
The WHITE SOCKS ride will go out at 6:05 PM.
The TANDEM BIKE ride will go out at 6:05pm.
The RIDICULOUS ride will go out at 6:13 PM.
The REGULAR ride will go out at 6:15 PM.
The STRAGGLERS ride goes out at 6:30 PM.

All groups will meet back here at Passion Trail Bikes shortly before dark (up to 30 minutes after the sunset time listed above) for the usual story telling & beverage enjoyment. We will have stuff for the BBQ along with some carbo laden side dish, chips and fatty snacks and EANABS to pair up with the Devil's Canyon Brewery's Full Boar Scotch Ale, Silicon Blonde Ale, and Backpack Babe Root Beer. We will hang out until about 10pm, so come on down, even if you can't make the ride! Passion Parties are better with YOU in the mix!

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2. Sunday Ride: Church of the Bicycle

This Sunday we will have a group ride launching from the shop at 9:30 to participate in dirt worship. Hopefully it will not involve too much soil sampling while prostrate in prayer. Meet the heathens, pagans, humanists, atheists, wayward Christians, Jews and others who can't do pews on a Sunday morning at 9:00am at the shop for a ride until noon. Lunch is yet to be determined but may involve BBQ, take out, or dine in at the lounge. If this ride announcement isn't sufficiently heretical, try reading this trailwork report.

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3. Labor Day Monday Ride: Soquel Demo Forest

Monday we have a disorganized group heading over to Soquel Forest for day in the woods. There will be a FBG ride, and probably at least two other faster groups doing one, two or three loops. Meet at the I-280 Page Mill Park and Ride at 9:00am, or the slide on Highland Way at 10:00am (unless the slide is passable, in which case we will meet in the main parking lot). We will get a post up on the NorCal board on MTBR by later tonight to help coordinate.

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4. Downieville trip is almost full! Extend your Labor Day weekend Sept 5-6-7-8

Our next trip on the shop calendar is coming up and we still have space for two more riders. We have a block of 5 rooms (with sleeping space for up to 18 people) reserved at the Riverside Inn in Downieville. for riding on September 6th, 7th, and 8th. Come join us as we sample some awesome Sierra singletrack, assisted by some elevation gaining shuttles provided by Yuba Expeditions. If you aren't already spending Labor Day up in the mountains, plan on driving up early Saturday AM, riding DH Saturday, doing an EPIC ride Sunday, and something easier on Monday, coming home Monday night. Patty will be leading White Socks rides suited for neophytes to the hard core granite and shale of the Sierra Nevada. There may be a rest/hike day on Sunday for those who don't want to do the epic. Options include adjusting your schedule with a room added on Friday or Monday night.

The weekend will be fun, casual, and supported with logistics and meals. Patty will do all the shopping, menu planning and cooking and will be serving tasty meals on the deck overlooking the Downie River. She will also providing breakfast and sandwich makin's, bear, eanabs, and more. And on Monday we will have a room reserved just for showers and changing prior to returning to the Bay Area, so it adds a great relaxing element to the end of the weekend.

To secure a spot we require a $100 deposit to claim your space for the weekend. Send Patty an email at patty@passiontrailbikes.com to let her know of your intentions. We split the cost of the rooms evenly between participants unless you insist on a private room. Rooms run between $50 and $60 per night (per person in a shared room), and all meals and beverages provided will run about $40 per day per person. Shuttles are $25 per person. Note that we can accommodate non-riding partners, vegetarian food, and other special needs, however please make sure Patty knows in advance what your needs and expectations are.

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5. Parent's Ride, with Babysitting this weekend at Waterdog

Jen is a new rider and friend of the shop who wants to get together with other parents to share childcare and mountain bike riding. She has a home near Waterdog and this month her Mom is in town. Come ride with Jen!

Here is her ride idea: "I'm interested in seeing if anyone would like to join me for a ride at Waterdog either Saturday or Sunday this weekend! I was hoping to get some sort of a shin dig together where we would go for a nice (not too technical) ride with a pot luck afterwards at my place. All you parents come for the ride! My mother is willing to watch up to ten potty trained children! Please contact me at jewel8004@aol.com if this is something you would like to make happen"

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Happy Trails, the PTB crew
Charles, Patty, Berry, John, Bret, Sterling, Daryl, Daniel, Peter, Reba and Buster