WRCC's Paceline News

Through the continued generosity of the Greater Lafayette community and local businesses, t he  WRCC Ride Scholarship presented in memory of M. Neal Eckard  was able to provide two  recipient packages in 2022. We would like to first thank our sponsors again for their donations and support! Connie Deerman-Eckard Tippecanoe Mountain Bike Association Velo Wrench Mobile Bicycle Repair Tippecanoe Animal Hospital L & M Dixon Farms Virtuous Cycles In addition to the donations from the community, it goes without saying this scholarship would not be possible without the overwhelming support from members of the WRCC. Thank you! This scholarship was created with the aim to demonstrate the Wabash River Cycle Club’s commitment to a healthy and inclusive community while improving accessibility to cycling in the Greater Lafayette area.  In that spirit, Cindy has graciously provided us with an interview to share with us how the scholarship has impacted her cycling journey. She is now riding a bran

The 2022 WRCC Ride Scholarship was the first year we received a generous title sponsor donation, and it is with pride we presented last year’s scholarship in the memory of M. Neal Eckard. This sponsorship allowed us to award a second scholarship, providing two full packages to individuals who exhibited financial need and a desire to explore the Greater Lafayette area on two wheels.  Through this donation, Connie Deerman-Eckard wished to support those under-represented individuals often missing from the cycling scene and to make a positive impact within her community. Connie first heard of the scholarship through her brother-in-law, J. Eric Eckard. A member of the WRCC, he found cycling when life threw him a few curveballs, and the scholarship was a way to give back to the community that helped support him in his journey.  While some of us have ridden with Eric, not everyone within the WRCC has had the opportunity to share miles with him. A writer by profession, members of the scholarsh

Dear Cyclists: I asked Steve Yaninek, our entomology professor member, for some info about the insects that riders at the WRR might see at this time of year. I was just expecting some quick, fun trivia to share on Facebook in my role as social media coordinator. But he actually sent me a really informative piece that I think would be of interest to anyone traveling through our area on two wheels— us most of all! Steve mentioned butterflies, and if you follow club member Jane Yatcilla, you’ll have noticed some amazing butterfly photos she’s taken in her garden. Jane graciously allowed me to use her photos here. Thanks, Steve and Jane! —Melissa McCurley From the Desk of Steve Yanninek, Entomology Professor at Purdue Univeristy & Local Cycling Enthusiast: It’s still hot and humid, but the days are already getting shorter and many insects have completed their summer work, and will now begin to prepare for winter. This is the time of year when riding your bike out of town through field

Unexpected Benefits of Membership By Kathy Schroth Some of you may remember that Molly found a young cat on the middle of the Granville Bridge, apparently looking for assistance. Being Molly, she tucked him in her jersey and gave him a ride. We were thrilled to adopt him and named him Carl after the handsome young man in The Restaurant (which I highly recommend, by the way). "Carl" hitchhikes home in Molly's jersey... The vet said he was at least a year old despite weighing only 5.1 pounds and he had definitely spent the winter outside because of his heavy coat. The first week or two he ate can after can of cat food with no apparent preference and plenty of crunchies in between.  Zac Ready, a DVM student at Purdue, gives Carl a checkup Six weeks later, when he was (finally!!) neutered after a delay due to the virus, he weighed 6.8 pounds and seems likely to remain kitten-like in size. And he now has definite preferences when it comes to cat food flavor

Ride Across Wisconsin:  August 17th & 18th WRCC members Drew Hallet and Molly Cripe Birt attended the 5 th annual Ride Across Wisconsin, a 225-mile ride from La Crosse to Green Bay that directly supported the Wisconsin Bike Fed. This was the first year of the new course, and there were multiple options for participating in Ride Across Wisconsin (RAW). Drew & Molly opted for the two-day course. Why RAW? After two (Drew) and three (Molly) years of participating in Ride Across Indiana, we opted for checking out a new state. We had heard some really cool things about the new state Ride Across Wisconsin (RAW) for several years. When it was announced that the route had changed from what seemed like a doable 175-miles to a bigger 225, we had some reservations. It turned out, however, that there are options for tackling such a big ride! We could take on the full 225 miles in one day, or in two days by over-nighting in Plover. We could opt to ride day one for 130 miles

Editor's note: I happen to be the poor schmuck that edited Lydia Trott's original document of Paris-Brest-Paris back in September. PBP, as it will be lovingly referred to, is a 750-mile (1200 km) self-supported brevet through France that entrants must qualify for. Both Melissa McCurley and I encouraged her to submit it to the WRCC Blog, either partial or in its entirety. She elected to submit her introduction, which is hardly a scratch on the surface of the immense adventure she and husband, Steve Trott, undertook by completing the world's oldest bike race. Melissa & I encourage you to click on the link at the bottom of Lydia's report to go to the full detailing of her ride. There you will find every emotion & adaptation she had. You will also be able to click around the Trotts' website to read about their other qualifying brevets. - Molly Cripe Birt, aka MCB There & Back Again: Paris-Brest-Paris 2019 As much as I want to blame not hav

The Wabash River Cycle Club's "Closing the Gap On..." blog series is a brief minute spent getting to know your diverse cycling community! If you know of someone who wouldn't mind sharing just squeaks of information about their cycling life, please contact us at wrccindiana@gmail.com to nominate them (or... yourself!) What is your name? Blake Hurd What town do you consider your original hometown? Columbus, Indiana What kind of work do you do? If retired, what was your life’s work? I am a middle school teacher. What is your cycling background? Have you always biked? If you got back into cycling as an adult, how did that come about? I started cycling a long time ago with my parents, but stopped when I went to college. When I decided to start losing weight, a couple years back, I made it a goal to get back into cycling. Do you lead any WRCC rides? If so, how do you plan your routes? Another member of the club {Allen Hackney) and I lead a ride on Monday

The Wabash River Cycle Club's "Closing the Gap On..." blog series is a brief minute spent getting to know your diverse cycling community! If you know of someone who wouldn't mind sharing just squeaks of information about their cycling life, please contact us at  wrccindiana@gmail.com  to nominate them (or... yourself!) What is your name? Ryan Stremke What kind of work do you do? If retired, what was your life’s work? I work in information technology at Purdue. Do you engage in any hobbies when you’re not cycling? Photography What is your cycling background? Have you always biked? If you got back into cycling as an adult, how did that come about? I rode my bike frequently growing up, but it wasn’t until a couple years after college that I bought my first road bike. It was a new-old stock steel bike from a shop in Milwaukee, and I rode it regularly until I got a modern road bike. Do you lead any WRCC rides? If so, how do you plan your

by Tracy Richards This is my story about two decisions and the impact of each on me.   The first decision took place when I was 17 years old and my boyfriend at the time asked me to go on a bike ride with him.   I thought that he meant a nice ride around our small town so I agreed.   I was wrong.   This ride went for hours in the summer sun.   I was completely unprepared.   I didn’t even have water with me.   I was so miserable that I had absolutely no interest in ever riding a bike again. Fast forward 23 years and I’m spending a lot of time with my new boyfriend as well as a close mutual friend. Both are avid cyclists.   They have been trying to get me to ride with them for several years but I have stubbornly refused.   They tell me how fun it is and I’m incredulous.   Finally, while trying to improve other areas of my life, I decided that a bad experience from my past was not going to control my future any longer.   I made it a personal goal to find a way to enjoy riding a