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FROM THE SUMMIT
The weekend began on Friday when Ed Tanaka, Sally Wilson and I began gathering meats, lasagnas, breads, fruits, brownie mix and assorted cyclist energy foods from a number of reliable sources and began delivering them to the James Logan High School cafeteria. James Logan cafeteria personnel never blink an eye when they witnessed their cafeteria storage hijacked by a small local bicycle club. Saturday morning Jim Herman and his helpful supplies distribution volunteers picked up truckloads of supplies from our locker and delivered them to James Logan. When I inquired as to what supplies were picked up, Jim’s reply was “everything.” By the looks of the schools loading dock, I could not help but agree with him. It was not long until the crew of helpful volunteers had sorted, stacked and organized everything into neat piles ready for pick-up by rest stop captains. Trucks began arriving around 11:00 A.M and the dock was cleared of any sign of supplies by 12:30 p.m. for another job well-done. Sunday morning began before the crack of dawn when school personnel who opened the doors, parking lot volunteers led by Wynn Kageyama directed cyclists to appropriate parking locations; registration volunteers received last minute instructions from Dave Epps and Louis Friedenberg and SAG drivers received route assignments and packages of supplies from Ron Mitchell and John Goeschl. It was not long after arriving to the school when smells of coffee began wafting from the kitchen as volunteers began preparing trays of bagels with cream cheese and cookies for registration volunteers. What is it about early-morning coffee that is so darn irresistible? Brownies also soon began sending their sweet, tempting aroma throughout the kitchen and registration areas. Despite the bleak weather forecast, the predicted rain never arrived. The day was beautiful and the faces of returning cyclists shone with enthusiasm. No cyclist was more enthusiastic than the half a dozen children who completed the 25-mile family fun ride. The looks on these little faces reminded me why cycling is such an enjoyable sport destined to provide an eternal fountain of youth for all persons involved. Helping with check-in provided a splendid opportunity to hear the many positive comments from returning cyclists. It is always nice to hear remarks such as, “this is my favorite century ride” and “you always do such a wonderful job.” Many Northern California centuries have been the recipient of my registration fees but there are very few I can say do a better job of putting on a top-notch ride then we do. Thank you for being there to make Primavera 2007 the success in the cycling community that everyone expects. Until next time, good riding, be safe and support your favorite bicycle club by volunteering to lead a ride and assist on a committee.
Karen White |
Primavera weekend began with a big bang Friday and was not over until the last rider arrived back to James Logan Sunday evening sometime after 6:00 p.m. Clearly, the weeks of planning, beautiful weather, helpful volunteers and eager cyclists provided an unforgettable Primavera weekend once again.