Thursday, February 18, 2021

Go do a Boise road bike ride in honor of Mike and Tom retiring from George's Cycles

L-R, Carol Severa, Tom Platt, Mike Cooley, and Joyce Sulanke

Hi all, 

Some of you may not have seen the media coverage on Mike Cooley and Tom Platt selling George's Cycles to Nathan and Linda Lloyd this week, so I'd like to share those stories. 

As a long-time Boise resident and active cyclist, I have a keen appreciation for what Mike and Tom did in building George's into a real dynasty over 40 years, not only with their bike shops, but also big community events like the Ore-Ida Women's Challenge, Boise Downtown Twilight Criterium, Bogus Basin Hill Climb, Cascade 4 Summits Challenge, Lyle Pearson 200, George's Tuesday-Nighters, etc. 

I thought it'd be fun to write a long-form feature about the whole history of George's growing up from scratch, beginning in 1971, 50 years ago this year. I've been getting great feedback on that story, and people said they enjoyed the history ...

So here are the story links: 

In honor of Mike and Tom moving on, everyone should hop on their road bike and go for a ride in the desert south of Boise. This is the area where George's did their "Tuesday-Nighters," timed races out on country roads.

In my Boise Road Cycling Guide, a two-sided color bike map for Boise rides ... I feature one of the classic courses ... it's a 27.5-mile ride overall. Ride time: 1.25 hours at race pace; 1.75-2 hours recreation pace; Vertical gain: 1,050 feet. 

Start/Finish: Pleasant Valley Road and Gowen Road. Park off to the side of the road. 

Mile 0 - Go south on Pleasant Valley and climb the hill to Ten Mile Creek Road.
Go right on Ten Mile Creek Road
Mile 7.1 Left on South Cole
9.5 Right on Kuna Mora Road
12.5 Right on Cloverdale
16.5 Right on Hubbard
22.5 Left on Pleasant Valley
27.5 Back to Start/Finish.

Have fun out there! It's always windy, and you'll get a workout! Promise!

Natural social distancing out on the country roads in Southwest Boise


 

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