Dear Eagle Rock Cycling Club Members:

As we enter a new year our club will be undergoing some exciting and significant changes.  These changes involve becoming part of  Threshold Sports which is currently known as Simply Mac Racing Cycling Club and Race Team. Our reason for becoming part of SMR is to  provide more cycling opportunities for our members without losing our local identity.

SMR is a larger, more experienced club that has achieved what our small local club has tried to achieve.  SMR is based in Odgen, Utah, and has local clubs in Salt Lake, Provo, and Logan.  They are excited to help us here in Idaho Falls grow our club so that it better meets the needs of the recreational cyclist, racing cyclist, triathlete, and mountain biker.

What follows are some of the ways that becoming part of SMR will help us achieve our club goals:

While some may be concerned that we will lose local control and comradery, we will continue to have local officers of the club and will be able to make most club decisions locally.  What we gain is experience and support for local cyclists, triathletes, and mountain bikers.  We also continue to solicit local sponsors.  We have presented what we are doing and where the club is going to several old and new local sponsors who have agreed to significantly increase the amount of their sponsorship.  Simply Mac has been and will be for the 2012 season the premier sponsor for the recreational cycling  and racing club.  Once the local sponsors are confirmed and in place we will make the names of those sponsors known.

Using a structure suggested by SMR our local weekly group rides with be more organized and better supported.  We will start group rides for newer riders with a short instruction session on road cycling skills.  More experienced riders will take turns leading no drop group rides for slower or less experienced riders.

With the guidance of SMR we will have local Criterium races each week for four or five weeks and then join with the Annual Allen Butler Criterium for our finale.  We will also have one or two fully supported Century rides (with lesser mile options) for club members at no cost followed by a picnic for club members and their families.

Starting this cycling season we will have Triathlon and Mountain Bike divisions.  SMR clubs in Utah already have these divisions. Current and new local club members who have experience as triathletes and mountain bikers are excited to bring those riders into the club.

The benefits of past club membership will not only remain in place but will be enhanced by our association with SMR.  Many of the problems our small local club experienced with such things as clothing orders will be almost eliminated. (We are still working with Louis Garneau to resolve last season’s clothing order problems).

We invite you to check the SMR website at simplymacracing.org.  SMR has an iphone app and an android app (in development) that makes information about club events readily available for club members.  Our local calendar will be accessible from the apps.

We are excited about our new relationship with the Simply Mac Racing Cycling Club and Race Team. We hope you are too.  As this relationship develops we will be providing more information as to how you can be a part of a club whose primary interest is to increase opportunities and provide a better cycling experience for all cyclists in our community.

Eagle Rock Cycling Board