Firemen's Breakfast

The weather for both days this weekend is looking excellent, so we have added a ride in Readfield Saturday to take advantage of the Readfield Fire Department's annual Breakfast, which has a reputation for being really first-rate.  You don't have to take part in the breakfast (although you may regret it) as we will be starting the ride at 9 am just down the road at the Elementary School on South Road (not the Maranacook Schools on Rt 17).  Sunday's ride will be in Vassalboro - hope to see you this weekend!

Saturday, June 2 - READFIELD

"Firemen's Breakfast Ride" - a breakfast supporting First Respondors, followed by a ride through Readfield, Winthrop, Wayne, and Fayette.

START: 9 am at the Readfield Elementary School, 84 South Road. Breakfast is from 7 to 9 am before the ride at the Readfield Fire Dept. at 1154 Main Street in the center of Readfield.

DISTANCE: about 29 miles, may include a mile or more on gravel, which can probably be bypassed.

TERRAIN: flat to rolling.

HIGHLIGHTS: a pre-ride Firemen's Breakfast ($8) to benefit the local Fire Dept. and a tour of the many lakes and ponds in the area.

LEADER: Jim Merrick, 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com.

LINK to ROUTE MAP: https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7247828

And don't forget the KVBC Ride Sunday in Vassalboro:

Sunday, June 3rd - VASSALBORO

"Velo Vassalboro" - a scenic tour around the China Lake region

START:  9am  at the home of David and Laura Lipman.  Condo is after Natanis Golf Course on ARROWHEAD DRIVE off of Webber Pond Road heading north. (Not to be confused with Fairway Drive. Use Barrows Road on your GPS and we are the next road on the  left after that)  Please park after the garages in the large dirt parking lot after the condo buildings.

DISTANCE: approx. 19 or 31 miles

TERRAIN:  Moderate to Hilly

HIGHLIGHTS: Views of China Lake and Webber Pond,  gentleman farms and country homes along the Neck Road.   Stay afterwards for a light lunch and to socialize with fellow bikers.  Please RVSP to laura.lipman@roadrunner.com so Laura can get an idea of how many will be staying for lunch.

LEADER:  David Lipman, dlipman@lipmankatz.com

LINK TO RIDE MAP (2015): http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6796302

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.

In Vassalboro We Velo

I was away last weekend (getting lost in the back roads of New Hampshire) but I am informed that some folks rode in the rain on Saturday, others opted to ride on Sunday, and some even rode both days! Thanks again to John for leading and to those who rode, rain and/or shine. This Sunday we will return to Vassalboro for a ride around one of our club's favorite areas. Please note that there will be a post-ride luncheon at the ride leaders' so an RSVP (as detailed below) to let them get a head count would be much appreciated. Hope you can join us!

Sunday, June 3rd - VASSALBORO

"Velo Vassalboro" - a scenic tour around the China Lake region

START:  9am  at the home of David and Laura Lipman.  Condo is after Natanis Golf Course on ARROWHEAD DRIVE off of Webber Pond Road heading north. (Not to be confused with Fairway Drive. Use Barrows Road on your GPS and we are the next road on the  left after that)  Please park after the garages in the large dirt parking lot after the condo buildings.

DISTANCE: approx. 19 or 31 miles

TERRAIN:  Moderate to Hilly

HIGHLIGHTS: Views of China Lake and Webber Pond,  gentleman farms and country homes along the Neck Road.   Stay afterwards for a light lunch and to socialize with fellow bikers.  Please RVSP to laura.lipman@roadrunner.com so Laura can get an idea of how many will be staying for lunch.

LEADER:  David Lipman, dlipman@lipmankatz.com

LINK TO RIDE MAP (2015): http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6796302

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.

KVBC Bike Rides for June

Things are heating up - both weather wise and otherwise. Looking ahead, here is the KVBC ride line up for June! Lots of great riding ahead - and don’t forget this Saturday’s ride in Manchester, the “Cobbossee Odyssey“ starting next to Fielder’s Choice at 9am. See you then!

Odysseys Are Fun

We had a nice, dry ride last Sunday in Vassalboro - remarkably so, considering the forecast. We saw an abundance of alewives, both the scaly, piscine kind, and the chewy, gummy kind. Our thanks to Tammy for leading and to Jeanine for organizing, and to the dozen cyclists for riding. Next Saturday we venture out on another odyssey around Lake Cobbossee, starting and strategically ending right beside Fielder's Choice Ice Cream in Manchester. Definitely worth checking out - see you Saturday!

Saturday, May 26th - 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, john.lanoue@avid.com.

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, check out the club blog at http://postedroads.blogspot.com, or follow us on Facebook.

KVBC Jerseys

We are placing another order for KVBC cycling jerseys. If you would like to order a new jersey, we will need to know: what size, what background color (either yellow or black), whether you want short sleeves, long sleeves, or sleeveless, and finally, whether the jersey should be in a woman's cut, or a man's club cut or a man's race cut. For information on Champion System's sizing, see here. We will also be ordering matching cycling socks, and you can find the sock sizing guide here. If you plan to order a jersey please contact Jim Merrick at hjmerrick@gmail.com as soon as you can, as we hope to place the next order quickly.

Go Fish

We had a very nice ride from Skowhegan to Fairfield and all points in between last Sunday. The weather was a bit cool, but clear and sunny. We had some great scenery and a great group of folks on hand. Our thanks to John Lanoue for another fine ride. This Sunday the alewives return, and so shall the cyclists, so come join us as we go Biking with the Alewives! See you Sunday!

Sunday, May 20th, EAST VASSALBORO

"Biking with the Alewives" - a tour along the shores of Webber Pond, the Seven Mile Stream, and China Lake for the Spring Alewife Run.

START: 9:30 AM at Vassalboro Elementary School, 1116 Webber Pond Road, East Vassalboro.

DISTANCE: approx. 26 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate, with some hills and flat sections.

HIGHLIGHTS: scenic river views and a stop at the dam to view the historic alewife spring run.

LEADER: Tammy Jones, tjones@colby.edu.

LINK TO ROUTE MAP (2016): http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6864277

 

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

What's Brewing on the Kennebec?

Despite some overcast skies and a few raindrops we had a really fine ride from Readfield last Sunday. We had 23 riders set out on some of the best cycling roads in central Maine, culminating with a stop at the Apple Shed Bakery in Kents Hill. Thanks go to Lydia for leading us on another fine ride!  This Saturday we will venture north to Skowhegan to see what's brewing on the Kennebec. Hope you can join us!

Saturday, May 12 - SKOWHEGAN
"Acorns and Ales" - a skillfully fermented ride that hops through Canaan, Skowhegan, Waterville and Hinckley.
START: 10:00 am at the Oak Pond Brewery, 101 Oak Pond Road, near the Skowhegan/Canaan town line. Directions at their website: http://www.oakpondbrewery.com/contact.asp. Please park in the area behind the brewery.
DISTANCE: approx 39 miles
TERRAIN: moderate to hilly
HIGHLIGHTS: some little-traveled back roads, river views, and an optional brewery tour at the ride's end.
LEADER: John Lanoue, john.lanoue@avid.com.
LINK TO RIDE MAP (2016): http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7061836

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

Meandering to Maranacook

May and Bike Month are upon us, and they are even predicting some temperatures in the 80s this week!. We had a nice intro to warmer weather on the ride last Sunday around China Lake - many thanks to Jeanine and to everyone who turned out! This Sunday we will meet at the Maranacook School Superintendent's Office (well, his or her parking lot, anyway) in Readfield for a 27-mile ride. This ride is one that is currently featured on the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's new "Where to Ride" interactive ride finder - and that's no surprise to anyone who's done it!  See you Sunday!

Sunday, May 6th - READFIELD
"The Maranacook Meander" - a lakeside tour through Readfield, Winthrop, Wayne and Kents Hill
START: 10:00 am at the Maranacook School Superintendent's Office parking lot, 45 Millard Harrison Drive, off of Rt. 17 about one quarter mile north of Readfield Depot. The Superintendent's Office is the first left on the drive up to the High School.
DISTANCE: about 27 miles.
TERRAIN: moderate to hilly.
HIGHLIGHTS: many lakeside and hill top views; optional stop at the Apple Shed Bakery in Kents Hill..
LEADER: Lydia Leimbach, mrsl330@yahoo.com.
LINK to ROUTE MAP (2017): http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6864286

BCM Where to Ride Link: https://wheretoride.bikemaine.org/ride/maranacook-meander

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