Las Vegas Bicycling Community Website

It’s time for the Annual Poker Run held by the Las Vegas Valley Bicycle Club!

3/26/11 - Saturday
Start Time: 9:00am
Starting Location: Northwest Career & Technical Academy
8200 W. Tropical Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV

If anyone hasn’t done a poker run before, here’s what you can expect…..
At the start of the ride, you get one playing card. You then proceed to ride their designated route (which I believe is 22 miles) and all along the route, there are stops. At each stop, you receive another playing card. When you are finished with the ride, you receive one last playing card. Now you have enough cards in your hand for a round of poker. Basically, they are awarding prizes for best hand, 2nd best hand & lowest hand.

While we eat lunch, inclusive in the registration fee, they will be sorting through the hands to then announce the winners.

It’s a fun game and ride. I hope you will join me this coming Saturday.

Oh…They also will be raffling off more prizes giving you even more chances to win a prize if you don’t win the poker hands.

Some things you need to know though in order to participate:

1. There is a fee of $25 for non-LVVBC members. $20 for LVVBC Members.
2. This ride supports a non-profit organization, the Las Vegas Valley Bicycle Club, who will then in part donate a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Hospitality and Culinary Student groups at the Northwest Career & Technical Academy.
3. Route is 22 miles, relatively flat, so it’s perfect for ALL LEVELS! Beginners are welcome.
4. Sign-in begins at 8:30am. Ride begins at 9am sharp!
5. YOU MUST REGISTER BEFORE 3/23/11. They cannot allow for same day registrations in order to prepare for the lunch. So, please send in your registration before 3/23/11.

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HOW TO RSVP:
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–Go to the LVVBC’s website here:
http://www.lasvegasbikeclub.org/html/annual_poker_run.html

–Click the link to download the flyer & application (which is in PDF format.)

–Fill out the application and mail it in with your registration fee as soon as possible to get it there by 3/23/11.

Remember….they will NOT be accepting same day registrations and you MUST pre-register to participate.

NOTE:  I am making this the Saturday FUN Ride for BikingLasVegas.com.  If you would like to join me on the ride, please download the application and mail in your registration.  Then, come onto the BLV forum thread and let me know you’re coming.  Let’s show the LVVBC that the BLV supports their club and all of their efforts in our cycling community!!

Link to BLV Forum Thread Here:
http://www.bikinglasvegas.com/cycling-forum/post13893.html

Thanks to Jim Little of the Las Vegas Valley Bicycle Club, Kevin Eubanks (LVVBC and BLV) and Jon Castagnino of Fox 5 News for reporting on the dangers of Bicycling on the Las Vegas Valley roadways.  Kevin Eubanks had a camera mounted on his bike by Fox 5 to capture his daily commutes to and from work.  The video footage captured a few dangerous situations between Kevin and motorists.  Also, Jim Little and myself were featured on the news story because we, too, have had dangerous situations happen when riding our bikes. (Thanks to Don Laczi for sending over the footage of our Halloween ride where an SUV cut off me and another cyclist to get onto the 215.)

To read the news story & view the video, visit Fox 5 Las Vegas’ website here:
(or click the picture above to be taken directly to the story.)
http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/25846982/detail.html

JULY 2010 FEATURED MEMBER: TONY BENNETT

When you think of Las Vegas and the name Tony Bennett, you think Rat Pack.  But our Las Vegas cycling world has a totally different Tony Bennett…one that likes to wear spandex and volunteer at charity rides.

Tony Bennett, Long Time Cyclist & Las Vegas Valley Bike Club Member

It’s not very often that we talk about the cyclists in this town who have really helped to shape our local community.  I’m honored to feature Tony Bennett this month in our Who’s in Your Local Cycling Community Feature.

Dedication to our Community

Tony has been a cyclist since 2003.  He is a member of the Las Vegas Valley Bicycle Club, where he served as their Membership Director for the past 6 years, before officially retiring his position this year.  When I first met Tony, it was at the very 1st BikingLasVegas.com Pancake Breakfast at Great Harvest.  Anyone who knows Tony, knows that he’s an easy guy to talk to and you will take an instant liking to him.  I am one of those people.

Volunteers at Charity Rides

Tony volunteers with many of the local charity rides in town.  He enjoys the camaraderie of cycling and likes to do his part in making our events more fun.  He considers his volunteer work as one of his greatest accomplishments in cycling.  It’s rare to find a cyclist who will volunteer so much of their time as Tony does, but I’m glad he does.  Just recently during the last Tour de Fire, Tony handed me a frozen Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, and at that moment in the ride, it was what kept me going on those tough climbs out at Lake Mead.  Funny how something so simple as a guy with a smile handing you a snack will make you feel that much better during a ride.

Other Notable Achievements in Cycling

Other achievement Tony credits to cycling is the 70 pounds he lost!  He also completed his first century ride in the Spring of 2005.  Using cycling to stay fit and healthy is definitely a way of life for Tony.

Advice for New Cyclists:

As the former membership director of the LVVBC, I asked Tony what kind of advice he would give to new cyclists.  What he feels is the most important piece of advice is to learn the rules of the road, obey ride leaders instructions, and NEVER assume a motorist sees you.  Tony knows from his years of experience on the bike, just how important bicycle safety is.

Send Tony a Message

A special thanks goes out to Tony for all of his hard work and dedication he puts into our local cycling community.   His efforts are greatly appreciated.

Want to send your own message to Tony?

Feel free to post a comment to Tony below…or send him a private message through the website.  Let’s start thanking the people who have made our place a better place to pedal.

Send a private message to Tony by clicking here.

NOMINATE A MEMBER OF OUR CYCLING COMMUNITY TO BE FEATURED:

If you want to nominate someone to be spotlighted in the “Who’s in your Local Cycling Community?” feature, please feel free to email me your nominations with a description of why you think they should be featured. Let’s start showing the rest of the world just how great Las Vegas cyclists really are!

You can send your nomination via email or through the website contact form.