Socialize and exercise with a weekly cycling group

Pedaling through Madrona Park beside a choppy Lake Washington a few weeks ago, I was struck by a strange, happy feeling of uv àjéd. (That's déjà vu backward.) For as I followed this string of 20 neon-clad cyclists on their weekly jaunt, I had the sensation, not that I'd been here and done this before, but rather that this was something I could imagine myself doing all the time 10 or 15 years in the future.

That is, spending Friday mornings and afternoons — while everyone else in the world is cooped up inside office-cube farms — cycling the roads and trails of the Puget Sound area with like-minded individuals. All of us in our spandex and obnoxious yellows, puky lime greens, unfortunate purples and the like. Serenaded by the pleasing metallic whir of bike chains coursing through gears and the laughter and good-natured ribbing of my fellow riders.

My feelings of uv àjéd came to me while I was tagging along on a Cascade Bicycle Club FRUMPS ride. FRUMPS stands for Friday Ride for Unemployed Merry Pedalers. Which is not to be confused with the MUMPS ride, which stands for — you guessed it: Monday Ride for Unemployed Merry Pedalers. Our 40-mile route was as follows: From Log Boom Park in Kenmore, we followed the Burke-Gilman Trail south to the U District and down to Leschi and crossed the Interstate 90 bridge to Mercer Island and Bellevue before returning to Kenmore via Juanita and Kirkland.

The cycling life

Bike Expo this weekend

Seattle International Bicycle Expo, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, features bike-themed exhibits, booths and presentations including mountain-bike stunt riders and BMX demonstrations. Also talks by triathlon legend Sally Edwards and Tour de France veteran Frankie Andreu, among others. $8 at the door, or $10 for a two-day pass. Cash only. Hangar 27 at Warren G. Magnuson Park, 7400 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle. More information: www.cascade.org.

Scheduled rides

Here are some of the recurring rides and programs offered by Cascade Bicycle Club. All are welcome to join the rides; club membership is not required. For information such as ride routes and where to meet, see www.cascade.org; click on Events & Rides, then Daily Rides.

Bagbalm Not Included, A RAW Training Series: Monthly "Steady" (12 to 14 mph) to "Brisk" (16 to 18 mph) rides geared toward those training for Ride Around Washington (RAW) or anyone else who just wants to push it. Usually 50 to 90 miles with hills. Next ride is 10 a.m. March 24.

Cascade Training Series: Four-month training program for those interested in finishing long events such as STP and RSVP. Weekly program starts with 23-mile preview rides at 10:30 a.m. March 17 and 18 from Gas Works Park. Ride will break into groups depending on ability.

FRUMPS (Friday Ride for Unemployed Merry Pedalers): Rides are usually 40 to 50 miles at a moderate (14 to 16 mph) pace.

High-Performance Cycling: Weekly (and some weekday) rides for those who want to push themselves but don't necessarily want to race. Rides are usually long and hilly, and the pace is Strenuous (18 to 21 mph) or Super Strenuous (22 mph plus).

MUMPS (Monday Ride for Unemployed Merry Pedalers): Leaves 10 a.m. Mondays. Rides are usually 40 to 50 miles at a moderate (14 to 16 mph) pace.

Newcomers Series: Rides every other weekend from spring through fall. The first one this year is 10:30 a.m. March 24. The 20-mile Kent Valley Loop is about 20 miles at a Leisurely (10 to 12 mph) pace.

TREATS (Tuesday Regular Eclectic Active Tours): Leaves 10 a.m. Tuesdays for Steady (12 to 14 mph) rides of 25 to 50 miles.

Easy riding

For those with physical limitations, newbies interested in getting in shape or anyone else who just wants to go slowly, the Easy Riders Bicycle Club offers Easy (under 10 mph) 6- to 12-mile rides almost every weekend. Saturday's ride is a flat 6 miles along Elliott Bay. For information, call 206-817-0746 or see seattleeasyriders.net.

East of the mountains

Want to do some early season Central Washington riding? And lots of it? Head to Wenatchee at the end of April for Northwest Crank, five days of organized rides in the Wenatchee Valley with forays up to Lake Chelan. Each day features several options for excursions of 40 to 100 miles with some offering killer climbs. Northwest Crank is sponsored by Seattle International Randonneurs (www.seattleinternational randonneurs.org) and is a great way to get in some base miles for summer riding. Dates: April 26-30. Cost: $65. Information: www.northwestcrank.com.

Most of the FRUMPS riders were unemployed, yes, but retired, thus voluntarily so. In their 60s, many of them spend the greater part of their golden years riding bikes or planning rides, not only in Washington, but around the world.

Hardcore retirees

FRUMPS and MUMPS regulars — as well as Geezers, a sobriquet some club riders have given themselves if they're old enough to be eligible for Medicare — Jane and Don Volta started road riding seriously about seven years ago, after they retired. They'd had hybrid bikes that they enjoyed puttering around on, but one day, Don took a ride with a friend who was pedaling a fast, feather-light road bike. Trying to keep up was nearly impossible, and when Don got home, he had one thing to say to Jane.

" 'That's it, we're buying road bikes,' " Jane recalled.

Which they did, and since then, the Kirkland couple, who are both 67, hasn't looked back. They ride 6,000 miles per year, most in the nine months excluding winter (during which they ski), and have biked through Europe 10 times. Later this summer, they'll make it 11.

"We're riding from Athens to Olympia," Jane said. "375 miles."

Two years ago, the Voltas, along with a handful of other Geezers, rode STP (the annual Seattle-to-Portland ride), all 200 miles of it, in one day. It was mere warm-up for the following month's RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day). That's 154 miles with 10,000 feet of elevation gain.

That sounds hardcore (because it is), but Volta told me that cycling's gentler motion — as opposed to, say, the pounding of running — enables one to ride such epic distances.

"Riding is something you can do when you have other aches and pains," Volta said. "I've got a bad knee, but it doesn't stop me from riding."

I guess not.

Plenty of options

Both the FRUMPS and MUMPS rides — as well as TREATS (Tuesday Regular Eclectic Active Tours) — are among the 1,200 day rides that the 6,700-member strong Cascade Bicycle Club offers throughout the year.

"There's everything from leisure riding to super strenuous," said George Meredith, who led our FRUMPS ride. It was classified as a "Steady" ride, meaning we averaged 12 to 14 mph with stops for lunch and to regroup from time to time.

Easy and Leisurely rides generally average 10 mph or below, with Super Strenuous on the high side of 22 mph.

Cascade is also behind this weekend's 2007 Group Health Seattle International Bicycle Expo at Warren G. Magnuson Park. The event celebrates all things bike-related and, along with last month's Chilly Hilly ride, serves as the unofficial kickoff to the cycling season.

There'll be 150-plus features, exhibits and presentations, including mountain-bike stunt riders and talks by triathlon legend Sally Edwards and Tour de France veteran and former Lance Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu. (Andreu, who admitted to taking EPO, a hormone that induces red blood-cell production, in preparation for the 1999 Tour de France, will, I'm betting, be questioned more than once about pro cycling's reputation as a dirty sport.)

For riders interested in pushing themselves but who aren't interested in bike racing — perhaps the specter of potential high-speed crashes or of having to shave one's legs turns them off — Cascade offers a couple intriguing programs. The Cascade Training Series (CTS) is a four-month program of organized rides for those who'd like to build up to riding centuries (100-mile rides) including classic events such as STP and RSVP (Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party). This year's CTS starts next weekend with a couple of 23-mile preview rides leaving from Gas Works Park.

If hills are your thing (and you'll know this because when you ride uphill you imagine Phil Liggetts' voice raving about how you're dancing on the pedals and climbing like an angel), Cascade's High Performance Cycling (HPC) might be for you. Rides tend to be long, hilly and fast-paced.

"We get a very competitive group but without the handlebar-banging mentality of the typical criterion," said Tom Meloy, who started the HPC program a couple of years ago.

"The focus is not on racing, but on informal and fun competition in a safe riding environment. Cascade has not usually been recognized for this, and we hope to change the Club's image and branding a little bit."

HPC rides are offered year-round and include weekend and weekday rides, all of which are rated Strenuous or Super Strenuous.

Biking and espresso

Back on the FRUMPS ride, I mixed three of life's great pleasures — espresso, bicycling and talking about bicycling. (Is there anything else worth talking about, really?)

During a regroup stop at a Starbucks in Leschi, Seattle's Jim Shedd (Geezer), 68, and I sipped double-short Americanos while sharing stories of bikes we've loved and how our current rides entered our lives. I found myself coveting Shedd's 16-pound custom-made titanium Serotta and again was struck by a feeling of uv àjéd — I could see myself in the future riding a bike like that and quite enjoying myself. (Though when I envisioned my wife's reaction to the $7,000 price tag, I saw much pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth.)

Americanos drained, Shedd and I rejoined the FRUMPS pace line as it wound through neighborhood streets and made for the I-90 bridge. The clicks and snapping ticks of gears and shifters and chains upon chain rings was again music to my ears, and I found myself smiling, imagining where I'd be in 15 years.

Right here, baby.

Right here.

Mike McQuaide is a Bellingham freelance writer who admits to being bike-obsessed. The tip of the iceberg of events he's got planned for the next six months includes the Wenatchee Century Apple Bike Ride, Methow Classic Stage Race, RAMROD, Nooksack Omnium, Mount Baker Hill Climb and whatever else he comes across that looks fun. Reach him at mikemcquaide@comcast.net.