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Dear Fellow VVCC members,

In case you don’t know me let me introduce myself. My name is Heather Parris. I’ve lived in Cottonwood since 2007 and have been a member of the VVCC since 2007/8 and served on the board as secretary for 4 years.

I started Chain Reaction in January of 2017. My endeavors began after a question was asked of me - “could the homeless use bikes?”. I thought that if a homeless person had a bike to get to a job interview and then to a job, what a huge difference it would make in their life. After putting several posts on Facebook asking for unwanted bicycles and rounding up a few generous volunteers to repair the bikes I made my first donation to Angie Lozano of Angie’s House. Chain Reaction was born.

For the past going on 2 years, I’ve had the privilege of donating bicycles to those without any transportation in the Verde Valley and beyond through Chain Reaction. I’ve been working with Catholic Charities providing bicycles to our area homeless vets. We’ve donated bicycles to Angies’s House in Cottonwood, as well as the Sedona Area Homeless Alliance. We’ve provided bicycles to women in need through the Verde Valley Sanctuary. All together Chain Reaction has donated nearly 100 bikes to those in Northern AZ with no means of transportation.

The VVCC has been an incredible help! Shout out to Kevin Adams for his help in obtaining Chain Reaction's 501c3 as well as helping Chain Reaction become an AZ Qualifying Charitable Organization for tax credit purposes. Rick Leever has also been a tremendous help with providing monies through the VVCC to help pay for the repairs to the bikes Chain Reaction receives. Another wonderful angel of the VVCC has donated over $200.00 of his own money to help as well. Chain Reaction couldn’t do it without this help. Many friends and family have given to Chain Reaction even though many of them don’t even live in AZ. I am thanked continuously for the work that Chain Reaction is doing.

I’m reaching out at this time because I need your help. I work full-time to pay bills and overtime to run Self Propelled Tours and Chain Reaction so my time to seek out sponsors, grants and donations is very limited (it turns out I am NOT Superwoman!) Chain Reaction needs your financial assistance as I feel Chain Reaction is slipping from my grasp. I cannot afford to continue to dip into household monies to support Chain Reaction.

I’m asking today for you to search your heart and your pockets to generously give to Chain Reaction at this time to ensure that it is able to continue to help our area friends and neighbors who need transportation. I have placed donation boxes at Verde Valley Bicycle Company and Absolute Bikes. You can donate through our website, www.chainreactionaz.org, or Chain Reaction's Facebook page. You can also mail a check to Chain Reaction at 1639 S. Broken Rock Dr., Cottonwood, AZ 86326. 

All donations made prior to April 15th can be applied for tax credit on your 2018 AZ State Tax Return. Chain Reaction's QCO Code is 21024.  

If you have a bicycle to donate please call me at 928-274-3109.

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! Chain Reaction is changing lives and you can help!

Heather Parris

Executive Director/Founder of Chain Reaction

heather@chainreactionaz.org

Please join the Sedona Trail Keeper annual donation event to celebrate a partnership geared towards Sedona's trail maintenance, sustainability and expansion.

On Thursday, February 28 from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. at Girder Trailhead at the Sedona Cultural Park, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce will donate $70,000 to the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund, thanks to Sedona Trail Keeper’s incredible long-term generosity.

At this event the chamber is also going to acknowledge the Bike Fix-It station sponsors and will award a $30,000 check for the Western Gateway Project.

Join us in celebrating tourism dollars put into action.

SedonaChamber.com | VisitSedona.com

Two Western Gateway workdays in 48 hours attracted over 100 volunteers from all over the Verde Valley and Flagstaff. These volunteers constructed over 1.5 miles of new trail - Outer Limits - lopped overgrowth on Ledge-n-Airy and performed rock work on Girdner. When not building trail, these same volunteers consumer 40 pizzas, 50 twelve ounce cans of Lagunitas and 4 dozen cookies.

At $22.63/hour, the 400 volunteer hours were valued at just over $9,000!

Thank you to Justin Inglis of REI for bring raffle prizes for the volunteers and arranging for over 20 volunteers from Flagstaff including the 17-20 Gear Girls.

With two volunteer workdays cancelled due to the government shutdown, volunteers from all over the United States made the effort to attend the 1st 2019 Western Gateway Volunteer workday. 

Many of the volunteers at today's workday

Specialized is in town with a dealer event and over 20 Specialized dealers and employees from all over the United States decided to give a little back. Justin Ingles from REI raffled off several prizes and the volunteers appreciated the Famous Pizza and Lagunitas beer at the après.

With such a large contingent of volunteers, over 1 mile of new trail was constructed and much of Ledge-n-Airy received trail corridor lopping and trimming.

Photo courtesy of Bret Edstrom

On January 23, 2019, two four-person youth crews from the American Conservation Experience (ACE) began eight weeks of construction efforts on the Western Gateway. The ACE effort is funded by a National Forest Foundation (NFF) matching award grant awarded to the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund and mountain biker contributions from all over the Verde Valley, State of Arizona and United States that helped the VVCC raise the required NFF grant match. The ACE crews are working on the Girdner re-route along with several new miles of trail added to the system should be completed in time for the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival that begins on March 1, 2019.

The VVCC is celebrating 15 years of bicycle advocacy to the Verde Valley by reprinting this Red Rock News article from November 11, 2009. Thank you Daniel Paduchowski for the treasure trove of history!

VVCC Member, Evan Puglia, recently caught up with 5 Minutes With via email. 5 Minutes With is too old and slow to catch up to Evan.

How long have you lived in the Verde Valley?

Approaching 3 years here in Sedona.

Where did you move here from?

I was living in Vail, Colorado for 11 years.

What have you been doing since you got here?

Exploring Sedona and different areas of the Southwest. Coming from Colorado, being able to ride 365 days a year was quite enticing. The past two years I've been working for Hermosa Tours running MTB day tours out of Sedona and multi-day trips along the Arizona Trail (AZT). Exploring different segments of the AZT has been an incredible experience for me. Its diverse nature has increased my understanding of Arizona's ecosystems and how they coexist with one another. My other job is working at Over the Edge Bike Shop in West Sedona. I am forever grateful to this shop for welcoming me into their riding community. My experience here in Sedona would not be the same without them. Finally, I had an amazing summer where I spent most of my time in Northern Italy mountain biking and bikepacking through the Italian Alps with my partner Amaryth.

Favorite Trail Network?

Impossible question. I will give you my top 3. So far it's been tough to top Squamish BC, Finale Ligure, Italy, and Sedona, AZ.  

Favorite Trail Snack?

Epic bars, bag of mixed nuts. We loved seeing how many croissants we could fit into our frame bags in Europe.   

What's new in your life?

The newest adventure in my life is the launch of the Sedona Mountain Bike Academy (SMBA). This is a brand new Sedona business, which is a collection of fun loving local certified mountain bike coaches. 

Who's SMBA's customer base and offering?

We're offering effective, unique, and affordable coaching options to both youth and adult mountain bikers. Our Youth Program is called S.H.R.E.D. - Sedona’s Home of Riding Education and Development - which currently has rides and clinics for youngsters ages 7-17. For adults, we have private lessons, group lessons, women's specific offerings, and clinics.

That sounds great, who are your instructors and their qualifications?

This is the part that I am most excited about! We have 4 certified coaches on staff right here in Sedona. Our qualifications include years of experience teaching mountain biking in the industry; Level 1 and 2 teaching certifications from PMBIA, Terra Method, ICP (IMBA) as well as safety certifications such as CPR, Wilderness First Aid, and Wilderness First Responder.   

Any special VVCC member offerings?

Absolutely.  All VVCC members are offered one initial 2 hour group lesson for $50 per person (2 or more riders) which is 60% off our regular pricing. All private lessons, youth lessons or consecutive group lessons will be 30% off until March 5th (subject to availability). Long term coaching plans and discounts are available to all VVCC members.  

When's your next clinics?

Youth Clinics: Monday, February 18, President's Day SHRED Mini Clinic, $35 each (Ages 7-17)

Saturday, March 2, Sedona MTB Festival Mini Clinics, early bird $25 each (Ages 7-17) 

Adult Clinics: March 16-17, Women's Clinic, Intermediate to Advanced

Anything else you are excited about this spring?

Yes of course! We are super excited about volunteering for several youth cycling programs. More specifically we will be volunteering for the Verde Valley Bikes4Kids at West Sedona's MTB Club and also the Sedona High School NICA Team. Come out for a ride and watch these kids grow!

How can VVCC members find out more?

Visit our website at www.sedonamtbacademy.com or call us direct with any questions: 1(888) 288-0603

Verde Valley Bikes for Kids is drawing national attention for its work getting kids on bikes. Just recently, Trek President John Burke awarded the program a $2,000 grant as a "thank you for doing GREAT work in your Community!"

Trek is the VVCC latest Gold Level Sponsor.

Thank you John and Trek!

The first 2019 VVCC Mountain Bike Friday FUNdraiser Ride on January 4th attracted 20 riders with three from Colorado

If you think that mountain biking and beer go together, the VVCC Mountain Bike Rides MeetUp Friday FUNdraiser ride is for you.

Each Friday, 10-25 mountain bikers meet at the Verde Valley Bicycle Company at 743 N. Main Street in Cottonwood for a ride on the trails at Dead Horse State Park. The ride starts at 11:15 AM (wheels rolling) and is a no-drop one that covers a little over 11 miles taking just about 2 hours to complete. The park usually waives the entry fee - plenty of regulars have annual passes or are Patrollers - and the trails offer a challenging experience.

Après ride, beer from Lagunitas Brewery and socializing opportunities abound. A donation box is available, but the après' emphasis is on FUN, not "raising".  Since the first ride on October 19th, $456.00 has been raised for Western Gateway trail construction.

Hope to see you there!

Q. With the new year approaching, what do you see as the VVCC's biggest:

Strengths?

A. Our leadership position throughout the Verde Valley. The many years of hard work has resulted in our club being the "go-to" organization for anything and everything involved with bicycling in our geographic area. From roadway safety initiatives to our "Bikes for Kids" program, we represent the best of our bicycling community. 

Q. Weaknesses?

A. As with many organizations whose programs are run entirely by volunteers, our ability to recruit and keep our people excited about what they do, can be difficult at times. 

Q. Opportunities?

A. There are many new and exciting adventures for us to initiate in the future. A city-wide bicycle pathway, improved bike lanes, new mountain bike trails, etc. The possibilities are wide and far-reaching. There will never be a shortage of opportunities.

Q. Threats?

A. As I alluded to previously, involved volunteers will be the key to our success in the future. Recruiting new people for leadership roles, as well as simply getting new volunteers to serve on committees, is our main goal. The threat to our continued success and future growth, will be our ability to attract more volunteers. I already see some of our volunteers getting "worn-out". 

Q. Where do you see the VVCC by the end of 2019?

A. I see 2019 as one of the most exciting years since our inception 15 years ago. We will continue to gain new members, albeit at a slower pace than 2018. Our wide variety of advocacy groups and programs, will experience continued growth and interest.

Q. What do you like most about the VVCC?

A. That's simple...our wonderful members and volunteers. 

Q. What do you like least about the VVCC?

A. The continuing efforts needed to encourage our membership to step-up in their volunteering. 

Q. If you had the power to change one thing associated with the VVCC, what would it be?

A. I have a pet peeve that I can't shake. There are MANY bicyclists in the Verde Valley, that for a number of reasons, shun our group. While they certainly enjoy the fruits of our club's labors, they not only refuse to get involved in the only bicycle advocacy group in the area, but they actually go out of they way to demean our group and our members. In Marty's perfect world, we would obtain 100% membership from all bicyclists. 

Q. What's stopping you from changing it?

A. I've tried and in a few cases, I've succeeded. However, quoting Mr. Gump, "stupid is as stupid does". I have a problem with ignorance.

Q. Anything you'd like to add?

A. I'd like to ask all members to chose a committee or program and get involved!