The Oxbow Incident

We had a very sprightly, scenic ride from Gardiner to Bowdoinham last Saturday - a fast-paced 40-mile ride on fine back roads in beautiful weather, ably led by Roger Rocque - thanks Roger!  This ride is a very popular one, and we may revisit it later for those who may have missed it.  This Saturday we will meet in Newcastle at the Oxbow Brewery for what promises to be a great ride around Damariscotta Lake.  Our previously scheduled ride in Wilton, the "Blueberry Metric," had to be CANCELLED - please pass that info along to anyone who may have seen an earlier ride calendar.  Leanne Moll has stepped up to offer this new ride in its place - thanks Leanne!

Saturday, August 2 - NEWCASTLE

"The Oxbow Incident" - a scenic house & garden tour around Damariscotta Lake, followed by a local brewery visit.

START: 9 AM at the parking lot of the Oxbow Brewing Company on Rt. 215 in Newcastle, less than a quarter-mile east of the junction of Rt.s 194 and 215.  Look for the sign on the right of a owl carrying a cask.

DISTANCE: 28 or 45 miles.

TERRAIN: moderately hilly to hilly.

HIGHLIGHTS: Damariscotta Lake, with many stately lakeside homes, and lots of great scenery.  Plus a post-ride stop at the Oxbow Brewery, where they have a tasting room that opens at noon, and picnic tables - it is suggested that folks may want to bring snacks, such as nuts, crackers, cheese, etc.  Non-riders who wish to join us after sightseeing and shopping in Damariscotta are welcome!

LEADER: Leanne Moll.

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at hjmerrick@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook.

Back Roads to Bowdoinham

We had terrific weather for the ride over the eastern extent of Augusta Saturday morning - sunny and dry, with little wind and low humidity.  We managed to take advantage of recent road work without the hassle of construction-in-progress, and the route was very pleasant.  Next Saturday's ride will start in Gardiner and head down to Bowdoinham and back - a bit longer than average (40 miles plus) but well worth the trip.  A REMINDER: the August 2 ride scheduled in Wilton has been CANCELLED, and we are working on an alternative.  We should know more by this weekend.  Hope to see you Saturday in Gardiner!

 

Saturday, July 26th - GARDINER

"Back Roads to Bowdoinham" - a tour of the southern Kennebec Valley through Gardiner, Richmond and Bowdoinham.

START:  9:00 AM, at the Laura Richards School, Rt. 201 in Gardiner, 1.5 miles south of the junction of Rt. 201 and Rt.s 126/9 (the junction near the A-1 Diner).  The school is a new brick building with a "spiked ball" sculpture, on the west side of Rt. 201, on the left past the Gardiner Armory (just as you enter the "thickly settled" area).  Park in the lot on the north side of the school.

DISTANCE:  40-45 miles.

TERRAIN:  Moderately hilly.

HIGHLIGHTS:  quiet back roads along streams and farmland south & west of Gardiner.

LEADER:  Roger Rocque, rbrocque@aol.com.

 

Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club rides are open to members and to the cycling public.  Helmets are required of all riders at KVBC events.  It is also recommended that you bring with you on KVBC rides:  a map of the area in case you stray off route; tools for simple roadside repairs, especially a tire pump, spare tube and/or patch kit; water bottles or hydration systems; personal ID and a small first aid kit; and money for purchasing snacks & drinks en-route.  In case of severe weather, scheduled rides may be postponed or designated as "show & go" rides at the discretion of the ride leader.

 

We welcome suggestions for improving our rides and encourage active participation of all members.  For more information, contact Jim Merrick at hjmerrick@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook.

Ride Leaders Wanted.

RIDE LEADERS WANTED. (Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.)

We have some open dates in the KVBC Ride Calendar coming up, but first some additional info on this Saturday's Capitol Breakfast Ride in Augusta:

The ride will be arrowed - the arrows are straight blue arrows with a horizontal base. Post-ride breakfast options in the vicinity are Lisa's Restaurant at 15 Bangor Street: http://www.lisasrestaurantandcatering.com/ or Rebecca's Place at 434 Eastern Ave. (Rt. 17): http://www.rebeccasrestaurant.net/. Does anyone have a preference or a recommendation? Last year we stopped at Rebecca's, which is a little bit off the route. Here again is the ride info for Saturday's ride (weather looks nice!):

Saturday, July 19th - AUGUSTA
"Capitol Breakfast Ride" - a tour through the stately residential areas and outlying farms of our capitol city.
START: 8:00 AM at the parking lot of the Hussey Elementary School on Quimby Street in Augusta. Quimby is right off Rt. 100 at the traffic light across from Auclair's Cycle heading north; detailed directions here: http://www.augustaschools.org/schools/hussey_elementary_school/directions.php
DISTANCE: 27 miles, arrowed.
TERRAIN: moderate with a few hills.
HIGHLIGHTS: An optional breakfast stop (TBD), some really fine touring roads east of the capitol, new and intriguing routes - and did we mention breakfast?
LEADER: Jim Merrick, hjmerrick@gmail.com.

RIDE LEADERS WANTED. We have openings coming up in August, as we have had to cancel the scheduled Blueberry Metric in Wilton on August 2 due to unforeseen logistical problems associated with the Blueberry Festival parade. The open dates are: Aug. 2 or 3, 9 or 10, and 30 or 31. If you can lead a ride on any of those weekends please let me know. Looking ahead to September, the open dates are Sept. 6 or 7, and 20 or 21. In October we have openings on Oct. 4 or 5, 18 or 19, and 24 or 25. So far we have had a great season of riding and I hope we can continue right into the fall. If you have a ride you would like to lead or help lead, let me know at hjmerrick@gmail.com. And hope to see you Saturday!

A Capitol Breakfast

Just exceptional weather this past weekend, and lots of great cycling opportunities.  While Leanne stepped forward to lead the KVBC ride from So. China (Thanks, Leanne!) I opted to "Make mine Moxie" and ventured down to Lisbon Falls to check out the 1st Moxie Bike Rally - nice route, well marked, but not so well attended, perhaps due to it being the first.  The only rider I recognized was Scott Bennington, who I ran into at the rest stop.  The organizers will no doubt get over their "learning curve" and it may become a popular event.  This Saturday's ride will have additional opportunities including breakfast in Augusta after the ride, which is a really nice route on some first rate roads east of the Kennebec, originally laid out by Connie Brown.  We have some options for breakfast, to be determined when we get together Saturday.  This will be an arrowed route in case you can't make the 8 am start - but we hope you can ride with us!

Saturday, July 19th - AUGUSTA

"Capitol Breakfast Ride" - a tour through the stately residential areas and outlying farms of our capitol city.

START: 8:00 AM at the parking lot of the Hussey Elementary School on Quimby Street in Augusta.  Quimby is right off Rt. 100 at the traffic light across from Auclair's Cycle heading north; detailed directions here: http://www.augustaschools.org/schools/hussey_elementary_school/directions.php 

DISTANCE: 27 miles, arrowed.

TERRAIN: moderate with a few hills.

HIGHLIGHTS: An optional breakfast stop (TBD), some really fine touring roads east of the capitol, new and intriguing routes - and did we mention breakfast?

LEADER: Jim Merrick.

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at hjmerrick@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook.

Moxie by Proxy

While some of us with a craving for Maine's Official Soft Drink may be heading down to Lisbon Falls on Saturday for the Moxie Bike Rally, those of us with a more universal craving for ice cream have another option, as Leanne has offered to lead a ride from So. China out to Lake St. George. Thanks Leanne!  And I suspect you can probably find some Moxie by proxy somewhere along the route, if that suits your fancy.  The weather looks great for a ride on Saturday, so we hope you can come join us!

 

Saturday, July 12 - SOUTH CHINA

"St. George, Sans Dragon" - a tour from So. China to Lake St. George and return.

START: 8:30 AM at Erskine Academy, 309 Windsor Road (Rt. 32), 2 miles south of the jct of Rt.s 3 and 32.  School is on the right.

DISTANCE: 40 miles

TERRAIN: moderately hilly with some significant (i.e.: long) hills.

HIGHLIGHTS: lots of farmland, Lake St. George, and an ice cream stop.

LEADER: Leanne Moll.

 

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at hjmerrick@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Sidney Ride Rescheduled for Sunday

 

 

 

We had a quorum for the ride in Sidney on Saturday morning, and while the skies showed signs of clearing, it was still wet, windy, and cold (mid-50s) and there were incidents of minor road flooding.  So the optimists were persuaded by reason (and a forecast for sun and 80s for Sunday) and voted to reschedule the ride for tomorrow, same time, same place.  Let's do it again tomorrow! 

 

 

 

Sunday, July 6th, SIDNEY:
"Independence Day Ride" - a tour through the middle of Sidney & the middle of a prime farming district & the middle of Fourth of July preparations.
START:  9:00 AM at the James H. Bean Elementary School on Middle Road in Sidney.
Directions to the Bean School:
From south: I-95 North exit #120. Turn right at end of exit ramp onto Lyons Rd. Follow Lyons Rd. to stop sign. Turn left onto Middle Rd. Bean School is approximately one mile on the right.
From the north: I-95 South exit #120. Turn left at end of exit ramp onto Lyons Rd. Follow Lyons Rd. to stop sign. Turn left onto Middle Rd. Bean
School is approximately one mile on the right.

DISTANCE:  16 or 30 Miles.
TERRAIN:  moderate with a few hills.
HIGHLIGHTS:  some fine back roads and Kennebec River views, and some Fourth of July paraphernalia, most likely.
LEADER:  Jim Putnam.

 

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at hjmerrick@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook.