Bike May Day!

May Day!  Time to kick off Bike Month straight off on May 1st with a challenging route around Lake Cobbossee next Sunday.  In spite of the chilly April weather we had a great ride in Hinckley last Sunday - thanks to Jeanine and all the folks, new and old, who came out to L.C. Bates to ride and picnic afterward.  Forecast is for the weather to turn warmer and more May-like this weekend, which is fortunate, as the ride starts and ends right next to Fielder's Choice Ice Cream.  See you Sunday!

Sunday, May 1st - MANCHESTER

"A Cobbossee Odyssey":  a tour around Cobbosseecontee Lake.

START:  9:00 A.M., at the parking lot on McArdle Street, just off Rt. 202W past the junction of Rt. 202 & Rt.17, between the Manchester Grange Hall and Fielders' Choice Ice Cream Stand.  The parking lot is the first right after you turn on McArdle Street.

DISTANCE:  27.5 miles.

TERRAIN:  rolling with some challenging hills.

HIGHLIGHTS:  views of Cobbossee Lake, back roads of Winthrop, Manchester, West Gardiner, Litchfield, and Monmouth, and an ice cream stop conveniently at the end!

LEADER:  John Lanoue.

BCM Calendar Link: http://www.bikemaine.org/event2/cobbossee-odyssey

Link to Ride Map (2015): http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6801528

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

Wake Up the Earth!

Greetings!  We are approaching Earth Day 2016, which means Spring should be arriving any day now (assuming we haven't missed it already).  And that means it is time for the annual KVBC Wake Up the Earth Ride!  We'll meet on Sunday, April 17th, at 10 am at the Augusta End of the Kennebec River Rail Trail, riding to Gardiner and perhaps a bit beyond, stopping in Hallowell at Slate's Bakery on the way back.  Certainly hope you can join us!

April 17th, Sunday - AUGUSTA
"Wake Up the Earth" - an early Spring/Earth Day ride along the Kennebec River Rail Trail through Augusta, Hallowell, and Gardiner.
START: 10:00 AM at the Augusta trail head of the rail trail - the municipal parking lot off of Water Street adjacent to the Maine State Housing Authority (353 Water St.) in the shadow of Memorial Bridge.
DISTANCE: 20+ miles
TERRAIN: flat (and we mean flat)
HIGHLIGHTS: the first ride of the season, a pleasant run along the Kennebec River, with some great natural scenery mixed with some urban vistas, kicking off another great year of cycling. Probable stop at Slate's Bakery in Hallowell!
LEADER: Jim Floyd.

NOTE: if you are looking for a new bike, or selling an old one (or both), the Bicycle Coalition of Maine is holding their first of two Bike Swaps in Orono tomorrow, April 10; the second swap is in Portland on May 1.  Details at their website, Bikemaine.org.