April 6th - April 12th BLACKBOTTOMS CYCLEWEAR

The on-line store is open for team kit orders. If you are an active participant as fundraiser, donor or volunteer and support our mission, you are eligible for the team discount of $25 per item to be applied when ordering on-line. Code: BADASS Blackbottoms has been our team supplier since 2007 and sizing will be consistent with recent years. There is a sizing chart on the website but if you prefer to try on for size please stop by Blackbottoms Cyclewear. 8522 S 1300 E Suite 203, Sandy Utah. Raise $1000 and get a free kit. The incentive program for those raising money is also in effect and detailed in Events and Community. The BadAss cycling apparel is going to be available for order online until April 17, 2015. Ann

Health & Wellness - Jenny Wright

"sugar overload this week?  Try this simple recipe for your next ride."

Date & Almond Rice Balls (taken from Feed Zone Portables)

Place 2 cups sticky rice and 3 cups water in a rice cooker with a dash of salt and cook.

While the rice is cooking, place ½ cup pitted dates, ½ cup sliced almonds, 1 tablespoon brown sugar*, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1.5 teaspoons salt in a food processor.   Pulse until ingredients are mixed and uniform. 

Heat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

When the rice is cooked, mix thoroughly with the other ingredients.  Press mixture into balls and place on the baking sheet.  Bake for 10-15, cool before wrapping.  Makes 12-15 balls (recipe can easily be halved).

*can substitute ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut.

Ride Calender - Liz Fairbanks Next Ride - April 11th 9:30 am  Saturday, April 11th, rolling at 10:00 am  Start Location: 2400 W. North Temple. Route: Airport to Salt Lake Marina and back. This and next Saturdays' routes have been chosen to facilitate working on group riding and pace line skills. Come have fun, get to know your BA teammates, and work on those "mad bike handling skillz" :). Hopefully it won't be quite so windy this Saturday! SUNDAYS Pastry at the start, pastry at the half-way, and pastry at the end, what more could you ask for on a mellow Sunday outing? NEW Start Location: The park behind Holladay City Office at 4580S 2300 East. This is just up around the corner from where we've been meeting. Be ready to roll at 10:00am for a pleasant stroll down Holladay Blvd to 6100 South, then head west, making our way along 6100 South then Vine St to 900 East/700 East. South to Draper and Bake360 at 123rd South for the turnaround point. Join us along the way if you can. Tuesdays and Thursdays: There isn't quite enough daylight to start the 6:00pm Tuesday Emigration and Thursday Airport to Marina rides,  but the weather has been so nice it's hard to not want to ride. So I'm going to start an alternate as of this Thursday 4/9: Tuesdays and Thursdays, meet at the west side of the International Center at 6:30pm - the 5600 West exit off I-80. Go left on Amelia Earhart Dr and then immediately left on what's called Apollo Dr. Park on the street and we'll work on pacelining, group riding, and/or any other cycling skill for about an hour on the Frontage Rd to Saltair/the Marina. Keep the rubber side down and ride your bike as you would safely drive a car. Liz

Events and Community - Ann M. Hoffman   I am thrilled to introduce Leslie who has graciously volunteered to co-host Events and Community. She is a city girl with street wise riding skills from NYC. If you have not yet met, she is the visual definition of Mini and Mighty.     Thank you everyone who took advantage of the SPRING Bike MS Discount. We are currently a team of 64 with Steve Bills already earning his new kit with over $2700 raised so far. The same incentives for earning team kits are offered as before. Fundraising milestones are $250, $500 and $1000 for diabetes, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis. Your pricing for reaching these goals respectively are Jersey/shorts: $20/$40; $0/$40; $0/$0. Big "THANK YOU" to our sponsors for allowing these incentives to continue. Register under team name: "BadAssCycling" for any of our sponsored events.

Team Work & Safety - - Anna Costa Contact We did AWESOME last Saturday at the marina!  Since the next two rides are about riding together well and safely, let's hone in on some more skills like riding in strong winds or riding in an 'echelon' (see videos below), riding in a double pace-line or in a rotating pace-line, etc.  While group riding/pacelining, the MAIN things to remember are: Don't Wheel-over lap Rotate being in the front There are no gaps in a pace-line, fill it in Be aware of surroundings (look & listen) at all times (look ahead, look at your sides, etc.) Keep a STEADY pace - using a steady cadence instead of spinning and coasting, spinning and coasting Be smooth and predictable when avoiding obstacles - avoiding jerky motions Communicate Clearly/Loudly with the other riders in the group with hand signals and/or verbal call-outs Helpful YouTube videos to look at: How to Ride a Bike in an Echelon | Road Cycling How To Ride In Strong Winds Thanks, Your Team Work and Safety spoke:Anna, Steve M, Frank R.