Nado Natterings
A weekly column by David Axelson Back to Index

18 August 2010 Issue #33

One of the older organizations in Coronado is also one of the city’s least formal. The Crown City Cyclists are celebrating their 30th Anniversary next week and despite having a pair of attorneys and law partners as their founding members, the group is remarkably short on rules.

“Basically the rules are show up with a bike and a helmet and bring $1 for the bagel and doughnut fund,” said Co-Founder Tim Sullivan last Saturday morning. “Those are about the only rules we have.” The group has no organizational dues and no bylaws.

Sullivan and law partner Pat Callahan started the tradition of meeting in front of Callahan’s home at 633 Margarita at 7 am on Saturdays, lo those many years ago. Although the club’s formal rules are minimal, the customs surrounding the morning ride are straightforward. The ride begins at 7 am sharp proceeds to 7th Street and Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach. The ride down is largely social and maintains a pace between 15-17 miles an hour. Riders join the pack from side streets in Coronado, the Naval Amphibious Base and even the Cays on the way down the Strand.

The return ride is the real deal, with the cyclists traveling at their own pace. With a tailwind Saturday on the return leg, the more elite riders in the group reached a top speed of 31 miles per hour. According to Sullivan, the return ride is normally in the 26-28 mile per hour range. The roundtrip spans 17 miles.

Last week there were a total of 57 riders according to Counting Committee Members Dave Fairchild and Greg Sheffer. Everyone is welcome to ride and nobody cares when you finish. The average number of weekly cyclists is normally in the low 40’s.

The group, or peloton if you prefer, returns to Callahan’s house, with the faster cyclists completing the round trip by 8:05 am. The serious riders hang for coffee and light banter until 8:35 am and they then depart for another circuit to Imperial Beach and back.

Callahan brewed the first of several pots of coffee that were dispensed that morning before he left for his ride. He acts as host and keeps everyone’s coffee mug full. Juice is available if coffee isn’t your drink of choice. To accommodate his Saturday guests, Callahan, must have one of the largest private coffee mug collections in Coronado.

The personable Callahan shuffles around in his cycling gear and fluffy slippers, maintaining a steady stream of conversation with the Crown City Cycling members on a variety of topics. The slippers as a fashion accessory do have a practical side, as the shoes with metal clips that bicyclists wear to keep their feet on the pedals do not mix well with any known indoor flooring surface.

Member Marsha Banks, who joined the group in 1996 and throws her bike in her car and drives over from South Park to join the festivities with her friend Peter Scott, said the group’s longevity is no secret. “It’s lasted so long because Pat Callahan is just a friendly, welcoming guy. It’s a great group with nice, friendly people.”

One of the conversational highlights of the morning was supplied by Dallas resident Stewart Rogers, who spends two to three weeks at the Coronado Shores annually, and has been riding with the group for 20 years. Rogers, one of the first to arrive for the Saturday ride complained about the cold weather in Southern California. Rogers stores an older model bike locally so he can ride with the Crown City Cyclists when he is in town. “I found out about the group from Holland’s Bicycles,” said Rogers. “In every city the bike shops know where the riders are.”

The confederation has gone through five iterations of their distinctive riding shirts, which are bright yellow and contain images of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge and the Hotel del Coronado in blue and red. The letter ‘O’ in the word ‘Crown’ is upon closer inspection a bagel, with a bite taken out of it. Club legend has it that the first edition of the cyclists’ shirts contained the word ‘Coronada’ which led to a major discount on the purchase price of the apparel.

Another bit of Crown City Cyclist lore is that the group has now out-lived four different doughnut shops in Coronado.  Imperial Beach resident and longtime member Zeke Mazur picks up the week’s supply of goodies in his hometown a day ahead of time.

Early on in the group’s history they welcomed female cyclists, with Debbie Callahan, Pat’s wife, joining in the fun roughly two months after the inaugural ride. The eclectic group also contains an occasional rollerblader or two, who keep pace with the cyclists. Coronado City Manager Blair King and Mauricio Saad are two of the newer members participating in the rides. Mike Woiwode and Kathy Woiwode are longtime members, with Mike saying he enjoys the rides, but really enjoys the social gathering afterwards.

The weekly rides can take a serious tone, according to member Ray De Lagrave. He noted that the club presented a commemorative ‘thank you’ plaque to the Coronado Fire Department for quickly responding to assist riders involved in accidents over the years.

Perhaps the most important member of the Crown City Cyclists, aside from the Callahans who have hosted the club for 30 years, is club Secretary Larry Hofstetter who maintains the mostly official E-mail list for the club. Or the semi-official list. Or something along that line.

Saturday, August 28th, the Crown City Cyclists will celebrate their official 30th Anniversary with all past and present bike riders invited to attend. The food, music and festivities will run from 5:30 to 10 pm and will be held at Roeder Pavilion in the Coronado Shores. RSVPs should be directed to Debbie Callahan at dbcallahan@hotmail.com.

Water Polo Clinic to be Held at BBMAC

Sunday, August 29, the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Center will be the site of a water polo clinic for both parents and players from the ages of 13-18 years old.

The player portion of the clinic will cost $75 per player. Instruction will be provided by UCLA Women’s Water Polo Coach Brandon Brooks and UCLA Men’s Coach Adam Wright. Other instructors may include current National Team coaches and players, including former U.S. Olympians. The player clinic will begin registration at 9 am and the clinic itself will run from 10 am to 3 pm.

From 10 to 11 am, a parent clinic will be conducted by Coronado Head Boys Coach Randy Burgess and college coaches in a classroom setting. The topic will be “The Realities of the College Process for the High School Student-Athlete.” The parent portion of the clinic will include both a lecture and a question and answer session. This portion of the clinic will cost $35 per parent.

Coaches who attend the clinic will be charged $50. Group discounts are available by contacting Coach Burgess at rbpolo@gmail.com. Net proceeds from the clinics will be directed to a fund to assist with lifeguard staffing expenses for the “Learn to Swim” aquatics classes conducted by the Coronado Unified School District.