Chesterville Maple Sunday Ride Postponed to April 6

 Hello everyone, the latest weather forecasts suggest that road conditions on Saturday & Sunday will not be at all favorable for a group ride, so we are going to postpone the ride in Chesterville until Saturday, April 6, and use it to kick off a full month of riding in April - wahoo!

Saturday, April 6 - CHESTERVILLE

"Pishou's Sucrerie" - a sweet syrup-sampling ride from Chesterville to Farmington Falls.

START: 11:00 am at the junction of Egypt Pond Road and Main Road (about a mile from the junction of Egypt Pond Road and Tower Road).  As you turn onto Main Road (unpaved) there is a small parking area next to a small green dumpster; additional parking roadside. Signs say No Trespassing except with permission - John says we have his permission.

DISTANCE: 23.5 miles.

TERRAIN: flat to hilly; sandy road conditions call for caution on descents.

HIGHLIGHTS: a postride gathering at the ride leader's house for sap boiling and sugar sampling!

LEADER: John Lanoue, johnlanoue@hotmail.com

LINK TO ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45880277

UPDATE: Saturday's Ride in Chesterville Switched to SUNDAY

 Hi Folks, it is Spring on the calendar but Winter is not quite finished with us yet, so we are switching the Maine Maple Sunday ride in Chesterville from Saturday to a Sunday start to try and avoid Saturday's storm.  If conditions are poor on Sunday we may postpone the ride.  But keep your fingers crossed and your tires pumped, and hope to see you Sunday in Chesterville!

Sunday, March 24 - CHESTERVILLE

"Pishou's Sucrerie" - a sweet syrup-sampling ride from Chesterville to Farmington Falls.

START: 11:00 am at the junction of Egypt Pond Road and Main Road (about a mile from the junction of Egypt Pond Road and Tower Road).  As you turn onto Main Road (unpaved) there is a small parking area next to a small green dumpster; additional parking roadside. Signs say No Trespassing except with permission - John says we have his permission.

DISTANCE: 23.5 miles.

TERRAIN: flat to hilly; sandy road conditions call for caution on descents.

HIGHLIGHTS: a postride gathering at the ride leader's house for sap boiling and sugar sampling on Maine Maple Sunday weekend.

LEADER: John Lanoue, johnlanoue@hotmail.com

LINK TO ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45880277

The 2024 KVBC Ride Calendar

 

Here is the 2024 KVBC Ride Calendar! Thank you to all of our ride volunteers who have helped put together this schedule! We have a number of new rides in store, as well as many past favorites. Please note that this is subject to change, as rides scheduled for a Saturday may be shifted to Sunday due to conditions. There are also a few openings still available - please contact Jim at hjmerrick@gmail.com if you would like to help out.

Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club 2024 Ride Calendar

February 29: HALLOWELL, “Take A Leap”

March 23: CHESTERVILLE, “Pishou’s Sucrerie”

April 8: NEW VINEYARD, “Totally Eclipsed”

April 14: AUGUSTA, “On the Rail Trail”

April 21: TURNER, “Wake Up the Earth”

April 27: VASSALBORO, “Through the Mills”

May 4-5: vacant

May 11: JAY, “May in Jay”

May 18-19: vacant

May 25: WINSLOW, “Winsome Winslow”

June 2: VASSALBORO, “Velo Vassalboro”

June 8: JEFFERSON, “Lupine the Lake”

June 15: MOUNT VERNON, “Eleven Ponds”

June 22: WINSLOW, “Tour of Vassalboro”

June 29: READFIELD, “Maranacook Meander”

July 6: SIDNEY, “Independence Day Ride”

July 13: OAKLAND, “A Cone or a Dish”

July 20: LIBERTY, “Beyond the Pale”

July 27: TURNER, “Streaking Up Streaked Mountain”

August 3: SMITHFIELD, “Looping the Lakes”

August 10: PALERMO, “Ambling to Albion”

August 17: RICHMOND, “Richmond to the Sea”

August 24: SMITHFIELD, “Father Rasle Ride”

September 1: DAMARISCOTTA, “Pedaling to Pemaquid”

September 7: CHELSEA, “Chelsea Chainrings”

September 14: WAYNE, “Which Way to Wayne?”

September 21: WINSLOW, “Tour of Sidney”

September 28: LIVERMORE FALLS, “Boothby’s Apple Ride”

October 5: AUGUSTA, “Beyond Summerhaven”

October 12: MOUNT VERNON, “Triple Pastry Ride”

October 19-20: vacant

October 26: FARMINGTON, “Ups and Downs of Industry”

November 2: WAYNE, “Wicked Wayne”

November 9: NORTH BELGRADE, “Ugly Sweater Ride”

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In the Sugarbush with Pishou

 

We are just days away from the first day of Spring!  Hopefully the last gasps of Winter will hold off and let us get in a ride this weekend for Maine Maple Sunday.  We'll meet in Chesterville on Saturday (or Sunday, if the weather is more favorable) for a 23-mile ride out to Farmington Falls and back to the ride leader's to check out his Maple Syrup operation - with some sampling in store!  Stay tuned for last-minute updates, and hope to see you this weekend!

Saturday, March 23 - CHESTERVILLE (Rain Date: Sunday, March 24)

"Pishou's Sucrerie" - a sweet syrup-sampling ride from Chesterville to Farmington Falls.

START: 11:00 am at the junction of Egypt Pond Road and Main Road (about a mile from the junction of Egypt Pond Road and Tower Road).  As you turn onto Main Road (unpaved) there is a small parking area next to a small green dumpster; additional parking roadside. Signs say No Trespassing except with permission - John says we have his permission.

DISTANCE: 23.5 miles.

TERRAIN: flat to hilly; sandy road conditions call for caution on descents.

HIGHLIGHTS: a postride gathering at the ride leader's house for sap boiling and sugar sampling on Maine Maple Sunday weekend.

LEADER: John Lanoue, johnlanoue@hotmail.com

LINK TO ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45880277

Take A Leap

The weather for the Leap Day ride tomorrow is looking to be clear but quite windy & cold with wind chills in the single digits.  I plan to be at the start in Hallowell at 11:00 am, but I may opt to ride to the end of the rail trail in Gardiner and then return, about 9 miles.  Others are welcome to continue and do the 20-mile route.  Dress warmly!

Well look at this! Another Leap Year is upon us, which means we have an extra day for bike riding this year - time to schedule another quadrennial Leap Day Ride! Last time we did this ride there was a lot of chatter about a new virus discovered in China. We didn't know it at the time, but it was to be our last pre-Covid ride. Hopefully nothing so dramatic is in store for us this year (fingers crossed). If you are free next Thursday please join us - we hope to stop at Slate's bakery afterwards. See you then!

 

Thursday, February 29 - HALLOWELL

"Take a Leap" - the 6th Quadrennial KVBC Leap Day Ride, through Hallowell, Gardiner, Litchfield, and West Gardiner.

START: 11:00 am at Granite City Park, 94 Water Street in Hallowell.

DISTANCE: 9 or 20 miles.

TERRAIN: rolling with some good climbs; flat along the rail trail.

HIGHLIGHTS: riding on Leap Day; the Kennebec Rail Trail; possible stop at Slate's Bakery.

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

LINK TO RIDE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45454718

The Warmth of an Ugly Sweater

We had a nice, hilly ride over the seven hills of Rome last Saturday.  We did see some moments of sunshine, although none that could be interpreted at the "Stonehenge" on Mercer Road in Rome, but the views from Wooster Hill and Blueberry Hill were worth the climbing.  This Saturday we will meet in North Belgrade at 10:30am for a ride around McGrath Pond with stops at sights along Great Pond including a post-ride get-together at a cabin site on the shore of the lake.  Dress warmly, and dig out your ugliest sweater if you have one.  Hope you can join us on the last scheduled ride of the year!

Saturday, November 11 - NORTH BELGRADE

"Ugly Sweater Ride" - a questionably-stylish ride around North Belgrade and Oakland.

START: 10:30 am at the North Belgrade Community Center, 508 Smithfield Road, Route 8. (Not to be confused with the Belgrade Community Center on Rt. 27.)

DISTANCE: 17 miles.

TERRAIN: flat to rolling; some short gravel sections to sights along Great Pond.

HIGHLIGHTS: a possible stop at an unusual WWI memorial on Great Pond on Armistice Day, and a post-ride get-together around a campfire at the lakeside, with refreshments! Feel free to bring something to share if you wish, as this may be our last gathering of the year.

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

LINK to ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44924531

You Sure There's Seven Hills?

We had a sublime Autumn day last Saturday for our ride from Wayne. Bright sunshine, temps hovering around 70, lots of late Fall foliage, and a stop at the Apple Shed Bakery.  Add in some unique cemeteries and Halloween decorations, and it was a memorable ride.  The weather will be a lot cooler as we move into November, but this Saturday looks to be sunny and in the 50s, so we will try to fit in a ride around Rome with a possible bakery stop in Belgrade Lakes.  Hope you can be there!

Saturday, November 4th: ROME

"The Seven Hills of Rome" - a roadside tour of the many hillside trails through Rome and Belgrade.

START: 10:00 AM, Rome Park & Ride near the junction of Rt. 27 and Rt. 225.

DISTANCE: 20 miles.

TERRAIN: Moderately Hilly to Hilly.

HIGHLIGHTS: the route passes 5 trailheads, Blueberry Hill and the Kennebec Highlands.  There is an optional short gravel ride up Blueberry Hill to a spectacular scenic vista. Possible stop at Hello Good Pie Bakery in Belgrade Lakes

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

LINK to ROUTE MAP: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44864048