2012 Ride for the Children

The kids and I participated on Saturday in the Ride for the Children in Paradise Valley, AZ, in between Phoenix and Scottsdale. The ride is benefiting homeless children in AZ. Olivia just wanted to ride the 10 miles distance, but I "convinced" them that it would be good to ride the 25 miles because we came up all the way from Tucson. And when we are going to Germany in the summer, my parents ride this distance on a daily basis, so it would be great training. The ride was great. Similar to our charity ride earlier this year, all riders started together regardless of distance. It was not a race, even though we had numbers. We got passed by a lot of riders that most likely rode the 65 miles option. We initially had a police escort. Once we entered the side streets in Paradise Valleys, there were police stopping traffic on all major intersection. It was a great experience for the kids who never rode in a big group before. We stopped at the 2 water stops along our route which were very well organized. After that we rode pretty much by ourselves. Every once a while we passed some riders or they passed us. The scenery in Paradise Valley was awesome. We finished in 2:15 and the kids were finished afterwards. At the finish line we met a gentlemen from Hearts and Hooves of AZ, who took a picture of us and wanted to post it on his web site. It is a Christian organization that takes care of homeless children as well. As you can see from the picture, the kids and I wore our IC3 jerseys representing Jesus and our club. Some riders saw our jerseys and were interested in the club. It was another great opportunity for the family to get involved, praises be to our Heavenly Father for this opportunity.

Weekend Group Ride

Greetings all!

It was great seeing all of you out on the ride this morning.  We had 11 people riding and I liked that a lot. Special thanks to Fernando for leading the ride.  I also want to thank you all for your love and concern. Lou was my physician, Fernando my mechanic, Laura was my heart and the rest of you my encouragement!

Can't wait for the next ride...I'm fine, bike is fine, all is well and God is still Good!

April Meeting and Potluck

April's monthly meeting was converted into a potluck which was held at Lou's house. We had some delicious BBQ chicken and sausages, as well as side dishes for dinner. It was a great time of fellowship. During our meeting we discussed this months events like participating in the Tour of the Tucson Mountains. There are 3 opportunities to serve, at the expo, at the aid station or while participating in the race. We further discussed the idea of having our own IC3 Tucson sponsored ride, like a time trial or pursue ride. God willing He will enabled to give Him praise and honor through our plans.

Judy Bowman in yellow

After the dinner and the meeting it was desert time. WOOOHOOO !!! And there was a special treat waiting for us. We had a visitor from out of town, Judy Bowman from WHEEL POWER Christian Cyclists. She is still touring the country to share the Gospel and be a witness for Christ, not by bicycle anymore, but rather motor tricycle. What a special gift to share the Gospel that way. She encouraged us to do what Christ called us to do and be a witness for Him. And we are not alone in this endeavor. The Holy Spirit, which dwells within us, will empower us at the right time with the right words. That make it so interesting for her. She has a love for our Lord and Savior, and a love for people.

Praises be to our Heavenly Father for the fellowship and Judy's encouraging words.

2012 El Tour de Mesa

Blessings to you from our awesome Heavenly Father.

What a blessed Friday we spend at the expo of the El Tour de Mesa. This years location was at the Hohokam Stadium, the home of the Cubs spring training. It was an interesting setup because we were below the stands in the walkway area. There was a nice breeze and plenty of shade to not roast in the sun. We got to spend some time with Tom Munoz one of the new IC3 members in Mesa. He is anxious to start a spoke and get involved. Tom was very energized and ready to serve the LORD at the booth. He also introduced us to some of his riding partners and brothers and sisters in Christ. We were able to talk to potential new members in the Phoenix area and hopefully get a spoke started soon. So if you read this and are riding in the East Valley and want to join a Christian cycling group or club, contact us. We would love to ride and fellowship with you. Hammer Nutrition as in past years blessed us with Hammer gels and HEED to serve to participants of the race.

Praises, honor and glory to our Lord and Savior.

Women Members on the Rise

WOOOHOOO !!! It is so exciting to see more female riders during this Saturdays ride. I pray and hope that this will continue on and we will be able to group that little group of female riders. Laura has been riding with us male rider for quite some time and it was wonderful to see how she enjoyed the new company.

So if you are wondering and would like to join us, come on out and do. It will be a blessing (See the Rides and Events below).

Praise be to our Heavenly Father !!!

Easter Outreaches '12

"Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead."
John 20:6ff


He is risen!

We had a great time on Good Friday during the Cross Walk on the NW side of town. Lou was able to pick up the cross and bring it to the meeting place. We walked the cross down to Silverbell and Cortaro where Pastor Dixon waited with his group. There was a lot of hunking from cars and we greeted them on our way. It was a good time of fellowship and prayer. What a blessing from our Lord Jesus, our God and Savior.

By His Grace,
Michael


He has risen indeed!

I have many things to rejoice in. The Cross Walk on Friday was worthy and humbling.  I'm already looking forward to next year. The group ride on Sat was really good.  The best part for me, was riding with some awesome club members that I never knew before like our ride leader, Ray and Gabriel, Carlos, Derrick, Charissa, Laura and Bonnie.  If I forgot someone it's only because my memory is about as long as my hair, and so I apologize. The water bottle ministry was so cool.  We talked to quite a few people, including Dwayne the local director from GABA and the Asian gentleman whose name I forgot (got hair?) who was already carrying the IC3 water bottle he got from the club at the El Tour expo.  We may never know when, how or where the seeds we sow will take root.  Let's just keep cycling and sowing!

For His Glory,
Lou

IC3 Visitor From Minnesota

Tim (our visitor), Michael, Jimmy, Todd and Fernando

Tim Turnquist from the Twin Cities Spoke visited us last week. On Friday he rented a bike and rode up Mt. Lemmon with Lou passed the Palisades. It was his longest climb this winter for him because back home, he is mostly riding the trainer or commuting to work. What a blessing to live here in Tucson and be able to ride all year around.

On Saturday we met at Broadway Bicycles and rode out Old Spanish Trail. Tim told us that they had something called the Snipers Ridge, so we had to take him up to Pistol Hill and hammer up that hill. We had to work on the way to Pistol Hill, but once we turned around we flew back down, because the wind assisted us a little.

After the ride we went and got a little cake and coffee for recovery and shared about our Spoke life. Even though the Twin Cities Spoke has many more members, the challenges are similar, just on a different scale. What a blessing it was to spend time with another brother in Christ from our club from another part of the country.