Hi Tracy, I hope you had a good ride last Sunday and it helped you decided to do the Tour de Scottsdale. My colleague has decided to ride in the Tour de Scottsdale. Have you decided? If you are, my colleague is still looking for someone to at least start the ride with. He's a nice guy and in good shape - he rides 30-40 miles in Colorado at 6500 feet. As we discussed, he will beat you down ANY hill. :>)

If you are riding, you can reach him at chuck.wain@siriuscom.com.

Good luck on the ride, if you decide to do it.

mpt - how did your ride go this weekend? I hope you had a great ride and lots of fun. I'm real interested in what you thought of it and whether you think it is worth travelling to, for next year.

Lastly, for everyone - Tracy and I were talking about which LBS we like - meaing who treats women well. If you are interested, please let us know you you think we should be patronizing - or not. I'll put in my 2 cents.

I bought my mountain bike from Bicycle Ranch in north Scottsdale and enjoyed the experience. I was helped by a guy named John. when I went back to get a road bike, John had left and it was a VERY different atmosphere. The guy wasn't too interested in me, just in selling me a bicycle. I had made my preference clear for a bike with a women's geometry requirements in mind and he really tried to sell me a man's bike - because he didn't have any thing in stock in my size. I won't go back there unless someone I trust tells me they've had a different experience.

I ended up at Bicycle Wheelers in Tempe because Dominec was open on the 4th of July and he had a 50 cm WSD Trek in stock that I could test ride. He was excellent to work with; he helped me with getting the bike fit properly, ensuring my pedals and shoes were properly positioned, my seat was at the right height and my brakes were in a position I liked. He invests in products designed for women, by carrying them in the shop. He also gave me some hints on keeping my arms flexed - he said I would probably have some pain in my neck and shoulders unless I bent my arms slightly. Dominec also owns Dominec's in Tempe. I would go back there in a flash. His wife also works at the shop and she was very good to work with as well.