I have spent more than ten years of riding with Team Evesham and meeting thousands of other cyclists. We started this team in 2008 and from the early days our goals were simple, be friendly and welcoming. Teach people how to ride safely, encourage all of those who come to ride and never leave anyone behind.

We got our start with seven other riders (Sam Student, Rob Kaplan, Chuck Kaplan, Mike Barth, Stephen Hallet, Dave Delizza, and Linda Palmer) and the Evesham Celebrations Foundation was our original partner. Early on we even staged our own bike ride, Pedal from the Promenade. We have had entire families come out to ride with us; spouses, kids, and even grandparents. Some of the riders who started off with us have gone off to race and found other groups, all a testimony to the growth of a healthy team.

The continued growth of the team and all of our rides meant that we needed to form a separate group and the team was born as a stand alone organization. Most of our sponsors are fellow teammates. It is just amazing the connection between bikes and business. There a thousands of folks I need to thank, but then this note would run for many pages, with personal stories about all of the people who impressed me on the team.

In my wildest imagination I never saw the potential for the enormous growth of the team. Our original goals were simple, encourage fitness, improve the community, and give folks a chance at recreation and to make new friends. We raised over $1.7 million since 2008 for various charities and we have made the world a better place. Not only from riding but also providing meals to folks during the holidays and assisting those in need through out our community.

The bounds of friendship have been simply uncanny, teammates go off to adventures in other states together; Wyoming, Virginia, Arizona, Maine, California, Italy, New York, etc. We have advocated for better cycling conditions in New Jersey and we will see these efforts in the upcoming revisions to the state driving program. Team Evesham was recognized by the State of New Jersey for our advocacy and community activities a few years back.

Personally I have encountered cyclists I know every place I have traveled. I was at a convenience store outside of Tucson, Arizona and someone recognized me. I have been able to ride my bike in three foreign countries and have participated in more than 100 charity rides.

Our teammates have been instrumental in helping to improve and revitalize many local rides and we have been at the forefront in encouraging more rides (Move for Mental Health, Foster 100, ACS, etc.).

So it is time to say goodbye to my team mates and thank all of you for sharing my vision the past years. There is new leadership and I am thrilled that the team will continue to grow and get better. It has been my absolute pleasure to ride with you, learn from you, and listen to your suggestions for making Team Evesham the best.

Be certain to have this magnet on your car to tell others about your fun on two wheels. “In life, it’s not where you go, but who you ride with”. Thanks for riding with me and I will see you on the road soon. Remember it is all about the bike.

Sandy Student
Team Founder

An incredible evening was had by all at the Team Evesham After Holiday Party. Great food from Rastelli’s, free gifts from the team, music and dancing made for another night of fantastic memories. If you missed this event, read below for the highlights of this event.

We honored several riders for outstanding accomplishments:

Initiative Award – Brett Wartenberg
Future A Rider Award – Dennis Wall
Eastman Award – Michael Gibbs
Ride Leader Excellence – Scott Downie
Ride Leader Excellence – Dave Thompson
Ride Leader Excellence – Rich Bernstein
Spirit of Cycling – Colette Walker

In a moving ceremony (with a standing ovation we presented Dave Bennis with the MVP (Most Valued Player Award). Dave’s many years of service were unmatched by anyone on the team. He’s retiring from the Board of Directors and will be missed by all of his team mates. We hope to again celebrate Dave’s next big birthday as a team in the not too distant future.

In a very special presentation organized by Lori Emma we recounted the various jerseys of Team Evesham riders during the past ten years. These riders also recounted the special moments when they first came to ride with the team. Truly we heard some incredible stories and tales about the growth of the team.

We also want to thank Rick Goldenberg of DJ Connection for saving the night with his music when our original DJ confused the night of our event. Rick was an early rider with the team.

For 2019 Team Evesham Board Members are:

Leslie Breslau
Pete D’Antonio
Scott Downie
Chuck Nowicki
Cathy Rosenberg
Geri Phares
Ross Polinow

The Team Evesham Executive Officers are:

Scott Santos – President
Dennis Dahms – Vice President
Lisa Sleeper – Treasurer
Brad Davis – Secretary

Watch for more exciting happenings in 2019!

We start this week’s recap with a very serious, very important safety message from a long-time fellow Team Evesham rider:

Hi, you know me as Rich Bernstein, ride leader. I want to recount for you an experience I had one day in September. I crashed during a ride. But, aside from a bruised kneecap (I am icing it as I write), I am fine.  You may detect minor remains of road rash on my face, but I suffered no serious injuries. I rode for the 3rd Sunday in a row this week, in fact. I am not writing to you today to tell you about my injuries. I am instead, writing about the injuries, I didn’t have! Look at the the two photos below.

 

Despite the way my face looked, I didn’t break my nose or any teeth. You may be able to detect lines on my forehead. Those are from the vents on the front of my helmet.

My helmet protected my noggin! Yes, it cracked. Right in the front, above my nose. It must have hit first, protecting my nose.  I also have no eye injuries. Why? Because I was wearing goggles. There is a scrape on my right lens where it scraped the tarmac. But, no eye injuries. This was my first crash, after probably, 10,000 miles with the team. We have to accept that there is some risk in our chosen activity (but the rewards outweigh the risks!)

I am writing today to implore you to do what you can to minimize risk!  I believe I had no concussion because I wore the right helmet, that was fitted to me, at D&Q and I wore it correctly.

My helmet then, and now, has MIPS protection. I also bought it at my local bike store, Danzeisen and Quigley, allowing them to confirm that it was the right size and fit me properly.  I also know that I adjusted the wheel in the back, just before leaving the rest stop prior to my crash. I see too many people wear a helmet on the side of their head or pushed back. The helmet fit, and it did its job.

If you don’t have MIPS protection get it. Forgo the next meal out if you must, but your head is worth it! And please, resist the temptation to buy the cheap helmet. Buy the right helmet and have the store fit it and show you how to wear it properly.  Mine was $85, after the TE discount, a very small price to pay.

And, please wear eye protection. I like riding with you people and I want us all to be riding for many years to come.

If you need help on any of these safety issues, contact the team ride leaders or the board.

Rich Bernstein

Geared up and Ready to Ride!

 

Winter Team Evesham Gear

Also order your Team Evesham winter gear before November 5 and have it here for the holidays. This custom cycling gear is a great gift for the active cyclists.

Welcome to the Voler Online Ordering System

Team Evesham is using the Voler Custom Online Order System to collect and process your cycling apparel order. Please follow the steps below to place your individual order for inclusion in the overall team order.

1. Click on this link to access your team order site: Team Evesham
2. Click on “LOGIN” to enter your Login/Billing Info. Click on “Create Account” to save the information and to create your new User ID and Password. You will automatically be directed to the home page for your team order. If you are a returning customer, please use your original Login and Password.
3. Click on “Begin Shopping” to gain access to the orderable products page. To place items in your shopping cart, click on the item you want to order, then the options you want to select, then the “Add to cart” button. You can choose to “View Your Bag” or “Continue Shopping” after adding each item. Repeat these steps for each item you want to order.
4. After placing the last item you want to order in your shopping cart, click on “View Your Bag” to display the items. Carefully review the items and make any necessary modifications or deletions. Because each item is custom built, refunds and exchanges will not be accepted. After you have confirmed your order is correct, click on “Proceed to Checkout” to complete the secure checkout process by entering your credit card payment information.
5. After you have completed the secure checkout process, an Order Confirmation will automatically be displayed and e-mailed to you for your records.
6. After the order deadline date has passed, you will no longer be able to access the order site. If you have not completed the checkout process for your order by this date, any items in your cart will be removed. The Order Deadline and the Order Ship Date are displayed on the order homepage. The Ship Date is the date that your order will be shipped from Voler.

Thank you for your order. If you have any questions, please call 800-488-6537 and ask for assistance from a Voler Customer Service Representative, or send us an email at sales@voler.com.

If you’re planning to participate in any of the upcoming event rides, including the Foster 100, Bike MS: City to Shore, Tour de Pines Bicycle Tour and Covered Bridges Ride then you should also be planning to ride with us – the season is far from over and we’re still going strong. This past Sunday we hosted over 60 riders as they made their way out to Nixon’s and back.

The weather lately has been intensely hot. If you are riding in this weather please remember to drink fluids on a regular basis during your ride. Here’s a great article for riding in warmer weather.

 

UPCOMING WEEKEND RIDES

• Saturday, September 8th at 8:00am – C and B levels 25 mile ride from Rastelli Market Fresh at 710 NJ-73, Evesham Township, NJ.
• Sunday, September 9th at 8:00am – All level (A, B+, B, C+, C) ride starting from Rastelli Market Fresh at 710 NJ-73, Evesham Township, NJ. The routes will be Rastelli’s – Mt. Holly – Pemberton [55, 39 mi.] with a shorter option of Rastelli’s – Pemberton Wawa – Church [36 mi.]. Please park on the outer edge of the parking lot.

 

PHOTOS

 

Saturday’s annual Pancake Ride was well-attended even though the ride itself was cancelled due to road conditions and potential rain. Many thanks to Evelyn at the Red Barn Cafe in Hammonton for hosting this event!

Sunday, on the other hand was a beautiful summer day to ride but it was also HOT. As a public service announcement to our riders please check out this important article: Understanding Heat-Related Illness.

If you’re not riding with us the only thing stopping you is you. The summer riding season is in full swing, so many friends so many good times and so many reasons to ride. Don’t think about it any more, just come ride with us. If you’re not a member you can join here.

Or, if you or a family member is on the fence about getting into road cycling but not sure where to start, let us show you. Every Monday night through the end of August, Team Evesham hosts a weekly No Excuses ride to help you. Bring a helmet, a bike and a bicycle-friendly water bottle (filled with water) and we’ll take you on a one-hour 5-10 mile ride around Evesham Township. You can do it!

 

IMPORTANT REMINDER

• Sunday riders, as a courtesy to patrons of the businesses that are the reason for the parking (Rastelli’s, Marshall’s, etc.) please remember to park your car at the back of the lot – as close to Route 73 as possible. We are invited guests of these stores and can easily be disinvited.

 

PHOTOS

 

 

Under normal conditions we cancel rides when we see rain in the forecast. Road bike tires are generally unsafe in the rain and it is our policy NOT to put our riders’ safety at risk. However during this week’s Sunday ride a massive line of unpredicted storms appeared on the radar. At the last minute thanks to some quick thinking we were able to SAG the remainder of our “C” riders who were still on the road back to Rastelli’s before the rain really came down. That’s what we do!

 

CHECK IT OUT

• Team Apparel. The Voler Team Evesham Gear store is currently open. New TE 10-year jerseys, shorts and just about every conceivable article of clothing is now available. Check the store site for yourself if you don’t believe us. Everybody looks great in our team colors! NOTE: The store closes on Sunday night, July 22nd at 11:59pm.
• Where in the world is Team Evesham now? Team member, Matthew Linden is riding in the inaugural Round Denmark Bike Race which began on July 8, 2018. It’s an unsupported 1,800km (1,118mi) bike race through Denmark with so much climbing that Matt still needs to upload to Strava for a final elevation. He currently has about 100 miles left in his journey and is enjoying a ferry ride after 10 hours of riding. Kudos to Matt for taking on this challenge. If anyone is interested in riding next year, look for upcoming information on their website or Facebook page. You can track Matt on the route through this link (he’s marked as 08M). We wish him the best!
• Surprise visitor. Meanwhile our resident Aussie (pronounced “Ozzie” – short for Australian in case you just crawled from the outback), Ryan Gaskin, is in town for a few weeks before heading back down under where it’s mid-winter. Say “hi” to Ryan (he’s a Team Evesham member) if you see him on a ride.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Meet your teammates. On Sunday, July 22nd our regularly-scheduled ride will be staged from the Gibson House (535 E Main St, Evesham Township, NJ 08053). After the ride enjoy a BBQ lunch and spend a little while to get to know your fellow teammates. Water and soft drinks will be provided but feel free to tring your own liquid refreshments. Photos will be taken at this event. From the office of the CEO: You MUST wear your blue Team Evesham jersey to be in the official team photo.
• Pancake Ride. We will be hosting our annual Pancake Ride on Saturday, August 4th. The Red Barn’s pancakes are the best. Check our website home page for updates.
• Team Evesham Co-ed Softball team. On Sunday, August 26th we have been invited to participate in a township softball tournament. Our team size will be limited to 12 players. If you are interested please contact Kevin Comber at krcomber@verizon.net to sign up.

PHOTOS

 

 

 

This is one HOT Fourth of July! Please remember to hydrate and stay in the shade wherever you can. Make sure your kids are drinking plenty and don’t leave your pets outside in the sun or the car. Be safe and enjoy the fireworks tonight!

Weeks like this with temperatures soaring make us wonder. For some reason riders come out in larger numbers? So we’ve had great rides all week and this Monday’s No Excuses ride was our most successful yet (photo above).

In other highlights we celebrated Dave Bennis’s birthday briefly at our Sunday ride (left).

Please note: We are enforcing a “no sticker, no ride” policy. We all received a 2018 bike sticker in our membership kit when we joined. This sticker must be affixed to your bike in order to ride with us. If you did not receive a sticker in the mail, if you lost the sticker, if the sticker fell off or if you have two bikes and need a second sticker please contact Dave Bennis dave@teamevesham.org with an explanation and your mailing address for additional stickers. If you have three or more bikes, or you need more than two stickers please contact brad@teamevesham.org or sandys@teamevesham.org.

 

UPCOMING RIDES

If you’re looking for a longer event ride this summer the Foster 100 is on Saturday, September 15th. Sign up before the event closes.

 

PHOTOS

 

 

Here’s the scoop: Although weather this week was a mixed bag (Friday and Saturday were a wash), the Thursday evening and Sunday rides were amazing with plenty of sun and great temperatures. If you haven’t been out on your bike yet what are you waiting for?

We’re into our third week of the Team Evesham Monday evening “No Excuses” rides and they’re going great. Do you know of anyone who might be interested in learning the basics of road-biking with a group? A family member or friend? Maybe you? We meet every Monday evening at 6pm through the summer. The ride is staged from the L.L. Bean parking lot in the Promenade where riders will be taught some of the basics of group riding, after which they will participate in a 5-10 mile ride on local roads led by our trained ride leaders. This ride is open to all members of the community at no cost.

This week several Team Evesham members participated in an amazing ride through rural Virginia, Bike Virginia. See the lead photo above for some of the riders who participated.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Foster 100 (Saturday, September 15th). This is an outstanding, well-supported ride starting from Philadelphia, traveling through some beautiful rural areas in South Jersey and finishing in Cape May. Proceeds benefit disabled veterans by offering them service dogs. Space is limited and we expect the ride to sell out again so sign up soon.

NOTE: Team Evesham will begin enforcing a “no sticker, no ride policy”. We all received a 2018 bike sticker in our membership kit when we joined. This sticker must be affixed to your bike in order to ride with us. If you did not receive a sticker in the mail, if you lost the sticker, if the sticker fell off or if you have two bikes and need a second sticker please contact Dave Bennis dave@teamevesham.org with an explanation and your mailing address for additional stickers. If you have three or more bikes, or you need more than two stickers please contact brad@teamevesham.org or sandys@teamevesham.org.

 

UPCOMING RIDES

• Thursday, June 28th at 6pm – B/B+ level ride for 20+/- miles starting from Indian Spring Country Club (115 S Elmwood Rd, Marlton, NJ 08053). You must be a Team Evesham member to participate in this ride. Front and rear lights are REQUIRED.
• Friday, June 29th at 8:00am – C+/B level ride for 33+/- miles from Rastelli Market Fresh at 710 NJ-73, Evesham Township, NJ. The route will be announced later this week.
• Saturday, June 30th at 8:00am – C and B levels 25 mile ride from Rastelli Market Fresh at 710 NJ-73, Evesham Township, NJ.
• Sunday, July 1st at 8:00am – All level (A, B+, B, C+, C) ride starting from Rastelli Market Fresh at 710 NJ-73, Evesham Township, NJ. The routes will be announced later this week. Please park near Rt 73 away from the market entrance.
• Monday, July 2nd at 6:00pm – “No Excuses Ride” A 10 mile ride for the casual cyclist from L.L. Bean parking lot at the Promenade at Sagemore, Rt. 73, Marlton, NJ.

 

PHOTOS

 

 

Join your teammates this Sunday, April 29th for our “Welcome Back” ride. The ride will be staged from the Gibson House (535 E Main St, Evesham Township, NJ 08053) and will depart at our regular time, 9am.

In addition, feel free to bring your friends and family to this once-a year event. All non-members MUST sign a waiver and must be 14 or older.

There will be a multiple routes, including 10-miles, 25-miles & 30-miles. Special thanks to Scott Santos for creating these.

After the ride please do join us inside the Gibson House for a catered, sit-down lunch including sandwiches and drinks.

We look forward to riding with everyone!

In honor of Bike Day which is Thursday, April 19 we are offering you, your friends, and your family a great deal. Join Team Evesham for our normal price of $30.00 and get a $15.00 Gift Appreciation Card from Danzeisen and Quigley. So the effective price is only $15.00. Please send this note out to everyone who has any interest in joining us as this promotion ends at midnight tonight and will not be repeated. Tell your friends and family they will enjoy riding with us as we have miles of smiles.

Do you want to know what LSD has to do with Bike Day then read the article below, (we swear it is accurate):

19th April, 2018 will be…

Bicycle Day does not, as one might expect, celebrate the ubiquitous two-wheeled mode of transport, beloved of city- and country- dwellers alike the world over. Rather, it celebrates a particular historical event that involves a trip on a bicycle. ‘Trip’ is the operative word here, as Bicycle Day commemorates the first time Dr. Albert Hofmann intentionally took Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) having accidentally discovered it three days previously. Following the deliberate 250mcg dose he started to feel a little odd, so decided to ride his bicycle home. What happened on that trip would lead to LSD becoming a very popular recreational drug – not without its problems though, which is why taking LSD is not a recommended way to celebrate Bicycle Day.

Instead, why not read Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest while listening to ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’? Trippy, but perfectly safe.