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Greater Arizona Bicycling Association
Where cycling is more than just riding a bike
Slideshow
March Show

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Owls Head Butte Metric Century
Sunday February 2, 2025
Route Distances: Metric Century or 40 miles

   Both routes are Semi Loops
Start/Finish: Ora Mae Harn Park, 13250 N. Lon Adams Rd, Marana, AZ 85653
The Owl Head Buttes consist of six Buttes or peaks of which all beg for your interest. The reward is wonderful views of Picacho Peak, The Catalina Mountains, and the rural greater Tucson areas. The area is thick with Sonoran Desert vegetation

The 66 mile route with long stretches of straight flat roads will be perfect for practicing group or pace-line riding skills. Not ready for that many miles? The 40 mile Loop is a fun alternative. Pick the distance that suits you and come ride with us, more information provided by the link below:

Owl's Head Metric Century and 40 miler 2025

A Message of Thanks for GABA’s Bike Repair Program

While the program operates under the auspices of GABA, the program could not function without the generous donations of time and effort of over 40 GABA members that have volunteered for bike repair.

Our bike repair program has collectively contributed over 1050 hours to GAP ministries, the Pascua Yacqui Boys & Girls Club Tucson (PYBGCT), the Pima County Health Department (PCHD) and El Tour Bikes for Change to put more bicycles into our community - contributing both to our robust cycling culture and public health.

At GAP ministries, this year while contributing 736 volunteer hours, 277 bikes were repaired during 17 repair events. These bikes, returned to “big box” stores were purchased by GAP by the semi-trailer load, would otherwise be discarded but through these volunteer efforts are repaired and then sold at a reduced cost to members of the GAP community.

At the PYBGCT, this year 85 bikes were repaired over 155 volunteer hours. Many of these repaired bikes were ridden in El Tour de Tucson by the club members.  As part of that work, GABA conducted one Bike Rodeo, where bike handling skills were emphasized.

GABA repaired 34 out of a planned 48 bikes for use by PCHD during 66 volunteer hours.  The other 14 will be repaired in 2025.

During four and a half hours at El Tour's Bikes for Change event at Amphi Middle School, 20 GABA Bike Repair volunteers (a total of over 90 volunteer hours) constructed 82 new bikes that were donated to the community living near Amphi Middle School.

I would be remiss if I did not recognize those who have volunteered more than 50 hours of their time to our community this year through the bike repair program:
    • Bob Willman
    • Barb Sterling
    • Wayne Cullop
    • Timothy Connor
    • Scott Rosmaier 
    • Tom Mouch

Thank you for your generous contributions to our community and our bike repair program this year. We couldn’t do it without you!

 

And there is the opportunity for others to join: all Bike Repair events are advertised on Meetup (just like our day rides). So please sign up and help out, no matter your bike repair skill level.

 

Matt Harmon

President

The Greater Arizona Bicycling Association (GABA, Inc.)


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Hello to all of our GABA members and friends of GABA.

 

Thank you for helping make this year’s Toy Ride a success!

 

We gathered more toys than ever for The Salvation Army to give to kids that Santa might otherwise overlook.

 

Here are a few stats – all very happy numbers.

 

The 2024 GABA Toy Ride:

  • Had five rides – with more than 125 riders
  • Collected 500 toys
  • Raised more than $1,400 in monetary donations through the GABA website. We used these funds to purchase additional toys and also donate dollars to The Salvation Army’s efforts.
  • Collected more than $900 in checks made out directly to The Salvation Army, which we handed to them at the event.


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We were part of a larger project:

The Salvation Army, helped by GABA and others, including volunteers and donors from the Voyager RV Resort, provided toys to 4,817 children

 

And we had a lot of fun…

Happy Holidays! And thank you again.

 

Bruce Tucker

GABA Toy Ride Committee Member

btucker4sos@cox.net

520-661-6210


Announcing a New GABA members only Strava Club


We have learned that GABA members would like a member’s only Strava Club. Rather than close the existing GABA official Strava club off from public participation (because it allows GABA to promote its existence in the community), the board has created a second, closed Strava club that will be available to GABA members only.


To join the new Greater Arizona Bicycling Association (GABA) (Members Only) Strava club, log in to Strava and go to: 


https://www.strava.com/clubs/gaba-membersonly


and click on the button labeled “Request to join”.


If your GABA membership is up to date, an administrator will approve your request to join.



Here's a sneek-peek of some upcoming events

Announcements will be sent out by email and on Facebook/Instagram

when registration opens, see you out there!

GABA EVENTS


E-Assist Etiquette
Bob Willman

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GABA’s goal is to support all types of active riders. We are in a transition period where the ratio of e-bikes to analog bikes is increasing, and it is our goal to make this a seamless transition. As we age, and want to continue participating in group rides, some of us will transition to an eBike or eTrike (both henceforth referred to as eBikes). So, the question arises,” Are eBikes allowed on GABA Rides?” The answer has several levels.


The first level of yes or no is from Greater Arizona Bicycling Association. The answer there is yes, ebikes are allowed on GABA rides.

The second level of yes or no is from the ride leader. Most ride leaders allow eBikes on their rides. And some ride leaders will sometimes allow eBikes on their rides depending on the type of ride they are leading. So, if the ride posting does not exclude eBikes, eBikes are allowed on that specific ride.


The third level of yes or no is the eBike rider and how well they ride with the group. Ebike riders should maintain the ride leader’s pace and avoid disruptive actions. So, if you are riding an eBike you need to blend in with the non eBike riders not the other way around. Before you join a GABA ride on an eBike, are you familiar with how your eBike handles? Can you maintain a constant speed or are you constantly speeding up and then slowing down, making it extremely difficult and dangerous for the riders behind you to maintain a constant pace. Please practice with your new eBike on several rides prior to joining a GABA group ride or you may be asked by the ride leader not to participate in his future GABA rides.


There are good and some not so good bike and Ebike riders. I asked one of our particularly good and considerate eBike riders to help with a list of “Suggestions of Etiquette for Riding with a Group on an eBike.”


  • Zooming along on an eBike is lot of fun, but your riding should not adversely affect the comfort and safety of other members of the group. You may still want to have friends at the end of the ride.
  • If you really want to zoom, do it on your own or with a group of other eBikers.
  • Try riding your eBike so that no one knows that you are on one.
  • Try to ride within the group, as you would if you were on a regular bike, not using your power to stay up front.
  • And if the Ride Leader tells the group to ride at their own pace, don’t desert your friends.
  • When climbing up hills, be particularly respectful of those riders on regular bikes; this means not zipping by them, and, preferably, not passing them while spouting snide remarks.
  • If you must pass another rider, let them know, and do not do it at high speed.
  • Try to pedal with the same cadence as those around you; zipping along while barely pedaling might still be exercise, but it is not being a member of the group in good standing.
  • As much as possible, avoid the use of throttles. They may be needed at startups on heavy bikes, but to others it may seem like you are riding a motorbike not a bicycle.
  • Again remember, try riding your eBike so that no one knows you are on one. 



Looking for a Day Ride?
Check out our MeetUp page!
We have social rides, scenic routes and even training rides!
Join a Bike Repair here also!


Join GABA Supported Rides Group

GABA Wants You...for the Supported Rides Group! Join the Supported Rides Group and help GABA make the magic of the Supported Rides program happen!

 

Have fun and make new friends while helping your club be the best it can be and learning from one of the best-supported rides teams in the country. No experience necessary!

Supported Rides is responsible for coordinating and organizing the Century and Overnight Rides for GABA. These rides and events are the pinnacle for this organization. Having someone new with new energy and ideas for Supported Rides would be great for GABA and the Tucson community.  This position is open to more than one individual.

The Supported Rides Coordinator is a Board member position. The Supported Rides Coordinator is responsible for the direction of Supported Rides and will contribute to the success of GABA.  If you’re interested in becoming a Supported Rides Coordinator, please contact John at supportedrides@bikegaba.org or Matt Harmon at president@bikegaba.org.

 


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