Velo City Cycles

Wow! August already!?!?!?!? Howzabout we take a pass on all those tired cliches about how fast time is passing and get right to all the cool stuff goin’ down here @ the cool bike shop? Good w/ you?

BIG AUGUST SALE! Yep…….it’s a good time to get’cherself a sweet deal on a good selection of bikes, clothing and other stuff! Stop in to see what’s up, but you can figure on finding deals like these……….

Men’s and Women’s jerseys …. 20-40% off!

Mavic Wheelsets….25% off!

Assorted Giro and Lazer helmets….40% off!

Bikes and framesets from Cannondale, Salsa, Gunnar, Redline, Terry, and Niner….Up to 35% off!

(More stuff on sale, stop on by to get the scoop)

The usual “Sale Rules” apply - No special orders @ sale price blahblahblah.

SIDEWALK SALE! Not our thing, you say? Not true! This year we’re gonna have a crazy-cool selection of stuff to check out during Downtown’s big Weekend! Look for our Cannondale pop-up tent down in front of JP’s and stop by the shop to see what else is up. This year’s dates are August 8-10.

WEEKLY RIDES STILL GOIN’ STRONG! All modesty aside…..to some local riders one (or more) of the Velo City rides serve as the highlight of their whole week! Attendance is big, but the fun-level is even bigger. If you haven’t joined in yet…whats stopping you? Here’s the schedule:

Monday Mornin’ Mountain Bikin’ - Scratch your itch for a little pre-dawn trail ridin’ w/the Velo Citizens! We leave the lot behind the shop @ 6:00am sharp bound for a variety of local trails and you’ll be back in town before 10:30!

Tuesday Night Ride - 3 groups (Hot, Medium and Mild) all led by Velo-Citizens so no one gets lost or left behind. 25-30 miles and the last Tuesday of the month is Pizza Night! Roll-out is @ 6:00pm.

Thursday Morning Recovery Ride - So named ‘cuz there are lotsa tired legs around the shop after the Wed night races. Meet here @ 8:30am, plan on 25-ish mellow miles and a stop for bagels.

Friday Morning Bagel Ride  - Just what it sounds like folks, a ride followed by yet another bagel stop. (Not that there’s anything wrong w/ that!) 8:30am again, 25-ish miles again, a slightly hotter pace, perhaps.

Saturday Morning Sprint Ride - A Timeless Classic and the only shop ride where ‘the gloves are off” so to speak. A 25 mile loop from the shop down towards Saugatuck w/ sprints for all the stop ahead signs along the way. Pretty fast and a great way to see if you’re up for the Grattan Race Series. “Clip-in” time is 8:00am sharp.

Check out the local club’s website for other local rides - www.macatawacyclingclub.org

12 HOURS OF PANDO COMIN’ UP! One of our fav events every summer and a complete blast! A 12 hour off road race for solo riders or teams of 2 or 4. We wanna put as many teams together as possible ‘cuz the more the merrier! Pre-registration deadline is 8/9 so if you wanna be on a team you need to get on it! (Contact MC or Ted here @ the shop)

ONE DAY RIDE ACROSS MICHIGAN! Another of our favorite events and one of the best days of the whole season last year. The best way to do O.D.R.A.A.M is w/ us as our Velo Ventures division takes all the hassle out of it for you! The fee of $125 covers your bus ride from the shop to the start in Montague, sag support across the 152 mile route to Bay City, dinner @ the park after you finish and a ride back in our chartered bus. As of 8/1 we have about 10 spots left so don’t wait too long. Remember - you have to register for the ride itself via the LMB website! The deadline for pre-registration is 8/10.

WHERE’S TED? If you’ve been by the shop lately (and if not - how come?) we’d hafta forgive you for wondering if our trusty Service manager Ted B was A.W.O.L. Fear not - “Sweet Tea” is in the house, just not so much right this minute. July saw him serving as the Head Mechanic for the Kenda/Titus Pro mountainbike Team as they traveled to big-time races in New York and Vermont. He made a big impression on the team and we’re prepared to fight them for him! As of this writing he’s in Wisconsin w/ our sponsored rider Danielle Musto as she continues her quest fo the top spot @ the 24 Hour National Championships. There’s rumour of a vacation in there somewhere as well…but he’ll be back @ the workbench soon! Keep up @ www.clubveloted.blogspot.com

OKAY THEN, WHERE’S MC? Same kinda deal, sort of. MC’s involvement w/ the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Ride Program continues to absorb more and more of his “free” time. He’ll be the Head Coach for the whole ride in Asheville NC in early August, in charge of the Tech Support for the Montana Ride later that month, back in MT in September as a general member of the crew and then it’s off to Death Valley as the coach of one of the largest teams in the whole dang program - our own West Michigan Team. (Whew!) Again, you can follow along @ www.clubvelo.blogspot.com

Ted and MC would like to thank the rest of our awesome staff who make it possible for them to get outta the shop for their various projects!

IT’S THE END OF AN ERA AS WE KNOW IT…ever since we moved VCC to our current (and final, if MC has anything to say about it!) location Dave Page has been a fixture on our scene. Da’ve Pa’ve, as he’s become to be know, has grown and learned a lot about our sport and the bike biz in general and our customers have benefited from his knowledge and enthusiasm. (As have we!) Well….all good things come to an end (they say) and this is Da’ve’s last month as a full-fledged Velo Citizen. We’re kinda bummed (to say the least) but we’re confident that he’ll be around (on the rides if not behind the counter) and we feel lucky to have him this long. Stop in this month if you wanna wish him well but we wouldn’t be surprised if he pops up around here once in awhile a la Patti Bills!

HOLLAND HUNDRED REPORT. Once again we’d like to take a sec and congradulate our buds in the Macatawa Cycling Club for a top-notch tour last month. Sure..it rained and that was a drag but still….over 1200 riders still showed up to make it the biggest Holland Hundred ever and we think that’s way cool. Having more than a little “inside knowlege” as to what’s involved in runnig an event like that……we’re impressed! Look for bigger and better things in 2009! (For more info on the club and it’s various activities - surf on over to www.macatawacyclingclub.org)

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FALL HERE’S WHAT WE SEE………………The return of the “Fall Fun-Raiser” Series! An even bigger and better Kiss Cross cyclo race schedule! A trip to Las Vegas for a buncha the staff for the Interbike show. A pile of cool rides, races and other events! Lotsa Last Call Band gigs @ the Saugatuck Brewing Company and New Holland! Keep an eye on our website (www.velo-citycycles.com) to keep your finger on the pulse!

SPEAKING OF LOOKING AHEAD…….It’s pretty much 2009 around here mentally as we are neck-deep in info about next years’ bikes and clothing. The Cannondale line-up looks awesome and the price increases that we’ve been warned to expect weren’t as bad as we feared. There’s no doubt that prices are going up…….but maybe not as much as previously thought. (We’re okay /w that). Look for more carbon fiber, more Sram road stuff, more more more! (It oughta be fun)

NEW TEE SHIRT! NEW TEE SHIRT! NEW TEE SHIRT! The next edition of the VCC tee is in and here’s the story behind the quote on the back: About 6 weeks ago good buddy Ross S. borrowed our shop demo tandem to take his 7 year old son Davis on the Tuesday Night Ride. They had a blast (’natch) and after the ride MC was chattin’ w/ them in the shop. Davis opined that whereas a car went too fast to see anything and walking was too slow……. “On a bike you’re just right”.  We couldn’t agree more. Get yours in Texas Orange (Davis’ fav color) but if you want one you better act fast before Ross’ whole family buys them all up!

So, there you have it. There are still a whole buncha reasons to get excited about cycling here in bee-yoo-ti-ful West Michigan! Come and join us!

Da’ve, Ted, Aaron, Matt, Sandy, Greg, Kelly, Austen, Berger & MC

“I want to know different environments. I want to ride to them and completely immerse myself in them. It restores me”  Thom Parks