Monday, September 25, 2017

Field of Smiths

We are coming up on the end of September and only now are we getting the dog days of August. Too early to say if we will have an extended season of late Fall riding weather, but we had a great ride last Sunday in Wayne thanks to Fritz and his gang. Slightly cooler temperatures are predicted for this Saturday's ride in Smithfield. Let's hope for more great Fall riding ahead!

Saturday, September 30th - SMITHFIELD 
"Route 8 Figure 8" - a scenic tour through Smithfield, Belgrade, Rome, and Mercer.
START: 9:00 AM, at the new Smithfield Fire Station on Rt. 8 in Smithfield, about a quarter-mile north of the junction of Rt. 8 and Rt. 137.
DISTANCES: approx. 15 and 30 miles. 
TERRAIN: moderate to moderately hilly.
HIGHLIGHTS: many scenic lake views and back roads with some early Fall foliage.
LEADER: Larry Childs, lrchilds@roadrunner.com.  
LINK to ROUTE MAP (2015)http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6800182  

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 293-3784 or hjmerrick@gmail.com, and check out the KVBC blog at http://postedroads.blogspot.com.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Wayward Wayne

We have had some beautiful late-Summer weather of late, and we had a fine ride from Livermore last Sunday. I was especially fortunate, as everyone patiently awaited my late arrival, with nary a mention of my rule of arriving at least 15 minutes before the scheduled ride start. And even then we were just a bit early at the apple orchard, arriving just before it opened. Our thanks to John for leading, and to Missy for kindly driving the apple shuttle back to the start. Next Sunday's ride will explore more of our western frontier starting in Wayne.  Hope you can join us!

Sunday, September 24th - WAYNE
"Which Way to Wayne?" - an early Fall ramble from Wayne to Fayette, Leeds, and Winthrop.
START: 9 am at the Wayne Elementary School, 48 Pond Road, Wayne. DISTANCE: 37 or 24 miles.
TERRAIN: flat to moderately hilly.
HIGHLIGHTS: scenic back roads with some great views, some early Fall foliage, and a possible post-ride stop at Tubby's Ice Cream in Wayne. 
LEADER: Fritz Onion, fritz@pluralsight.com.

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com, or check out our club blog, "Posted Roads" at http://postedroads.blogspot.com, or keep up to date via our Facebook page.

Monday, September 11, 2017

An Apple A Day

We had a really nice ride last Sunday starting and ending at Tree Spirits. We got to see some very scenic roads in Smithfield, New Sharon, and Norridgewock, and we would have seen some more in Oakland if we weren't barreling through them. Many thanks to Tammy for leading and for rescheduling her ride a week for better weather. This Sunday we will head out into apple country for a pomological adventure. See you then!

Sunday, September 17th - LIVERMORE
"Boothby"s Apple Ride" - a tour of the ponds and ridges around Livermore and Chesterville, with an apple orchard stop.
START: 9:00 am Pike's Corner Oasis at the junction of Rt.s 106, 133, and Campground Road in Livermore.
DISTANCE: 40 miles.
TERRAIN: moderately hilly with several good hills.
HIGHLIGHTS: great back roads with numerous scenic views, and a stop at Boothby's Orchard, a family-owned farm for seven generations going back to 1865. We may have a vehicle at the orchard to transport any apples you buy back to the start.
LEADER: John Lanoue, john.lanoue@avid.com
LINK to BCM CALENDAR: http://www.bikemaine.org/event2/kvbc-boothbys-apple-ride-2
LINK to ROUTE MAP (2016): https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6799282

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club contact Jim Merrick at 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com, and check out the KVBC blog at http://postedroads.blogspot.com, or the KVBC Facebook page.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Roll Out the Barrel

We had a fine ride last Saturday, organized at the last minute by David Lipman after the forecast of rain caused a rescheduling of Sunday's ride. A small group of fast riders, chased by your Keeper of Ride Maps, rode from Richmond to Wiscasset, where we had a nice stop at Treats. Many thanks to David and to all who turned out on short notice. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program... We will give it another go in Oakland this Sunday. The weather forecast is optimistic and we are ready to go. Hope to see you Sunday!

Sunday, September 10 - OAKLAND
"Barreling through Oakland" - a tour around Oakland, Norridgewock, New Sharon, and Smithfield.
START: 9:00 am at Tree Spirits, 152 Fairfield Street (Rt. 23) in Oakland. Use both sides of the driveway for parking. Additional parking may be found at the Oakland Post Office nearby on Water Street.
DISTANCE: about 40 miles.
TERRAIN: moderate with some hills.
HIGHLIGHTS: fine back roads with lakeside views - a visit at the Tree Spirits winery at ride's end.
LEADER: Tammy Jones, tjjones@colby.edu.

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim at 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com, find us on Facebook, or check out our blog at http://postedroads.blogspot.com.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Tomorrow in Richmond - Oakland Sunday Ride POSTPONED

Due to the forecast of steady showers on Sunday, the KVBC ride from Oakland has been postponed to the following Sunday, September 10.  We do have a treat in store for tomorrow, as David Lipman has offered to lead his ride from Richmond to Wiscasset, with a stop at Treats in town - and there may be another stop at the Old Goat in Richmond at the end of the ride.  Hope to see you Saturday!

Saturday, September 2nd - RICHMOND
"Wheeling Down to Wiscasset" - a tour along the river through Richmond, Dresden, and Wiscasset.
START: 9 AM at the public landing in Richmond (also known as Fort Richmond Park) at the junction of Front Street (Rt.24) and Main Street (Rt.197). Park in the public lot next to the landing.
DISTANCE: approx. 35-40 miles.
TERRAIN: moderate with one or two significant hills.
HIGHLIGHTS: scenic views along the river and Wiscasset, with a possible stop at Treats in Wiscasset and the Old Goat at the ride's end.
LEADER:  David Lipman, dlipman@lipmankatz.com.
LINK to RIDE MAP (2015): http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6791013
 
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 via the club blog, Posted Roads at http://postedroads.blogspot.com, or check out the KVBC Facebook page.