Livermore & the Single Chainring Tour

Heading Toward Chesterville on Valley Road

After our fine ride last Saturday from Gardiner to Bowdoinham (thanks, Joe!) this Saturday we will fill in an open date in the calendar with another great ride in Livermore through Leeds and Fayette - 25 miles, with an optional longer loop of about 41 miles, traversing the entire Chesterville Esker, out and back, as well as a extension into North Chesterville.  All of it on rather flat terrain, and the route has some great local eateries along the way, scoped out by the ride's originator, Frank Rosen.  Breakfast at the Lunch Pad restaurant is also optional: it's a nice little seasonal diner and ice cream shop - yep, you're covered pre- and post-ride - Frank thinks of everything.  We'd like to encourage those of our members who haven't ridden with us yet this year to come on out and join us.  Frank has moved to more temperate climes in Pennsylvania (everybody says "Hi" Frank!) so he's excused, but we'd like to see everyone else on Saturday!

Saturday, August 3rd - LIVERMORE

"Single Chainring Tour" - an exploration of the flatlands from Livermore to Leeds, through Fayette to the Chesterville Esker.

START: 8:30 AM at the Lunch Pad Restaurant (7:30 am if you want to join us for breakfast) at the junction of Rt.17 and Rt. 133 (Park Street) in Livermore, where Rt. 17 N comes into a "T" intersection just before downtown Livermore Falls.  Park in the Footware parking lot next to the diner.  We may have to shift parking into the nearby town park if the store is open, but we will figure that all out before the ride starts.

DISTANCE: 25 or 41 miles.

TERRAIN: mostly moderate with no big hills.

HIGHLIGHTS: Breakfast, beautiful roads and a nice flat run along the scenic Chesterville Esker.

LEADER: Jim Merrick, hjmerrick@gmail.com.
 

For More information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, check out our Facebook page!

Gardiner to Bowdoinham

At the general store in Bowdoinham

 

We had a great ride Saturday in Rome - once we stopped counting the hills.  There were five of us who did the seven hills, and then some.  Fortunately most of the climbing was in shade, and the heat began to moderate a bit with a nice breeze - the harbinger of beautiful weather to start the week.  We have another fine stretch of weather ahead, by all accounts, and another classic ride to Bowdoinham coming up this Saturday.  Summer is definitely here, so get out and get on your bike and join us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, July 27th - GARDINER

"Biking 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:  Joe Renda.

 

 

For more information on the KVBC, contact Jim Merrick at  hjmerrick@gmail.com, and check out our Facebook page.

The Vineyard Tour

The Overlook at the Cellardoor Winery Vineyard in Lincolnville

Come join us this Saturday for a special Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club ride in Camden and Lincolnville.  The ride will feature a stop at the Cellardoor Winery, and some back roads in a area that we don't get a chance to ride in (as a group) that often.  Part of the route will trace part of the East Coast Greenway, and the ride will have other treats in store.  Hope to see you on Saturday!

July 13th, Saturday:  Camden

“Camden Vineyard Tour” – a circuit of Megunticook Lake, including Camden and the Cellardoor Winery and vineyard in Youngtown (Lincolnville).  

START:  9:30 A.M., at the Cellardoor Winery, 367 Youngtown Rd, one mile east of Route 52.  Park in the rear, behind the winery store, keeping in mind that they will have regular customer parking on a Saturday. 

DIRECTIONS:  From Camden, take Rt. 52 north for 5 miles and turn right onto the Youngtown Rd for one mile.  See the Cellardoor Winery website for map and detailed directions:  http://mainewine.com.

DISTANCE:  20-30 miles, depending if a loop from Camden to Rockport is taken and if we return to the winery via Rt. 52 or via Rts. 1 and  173.  The route is moderately hilly, and the road surfaces are showing wear.  

HIGHLIGHTS:  Visit the winery store and take a walk through the vineyards.  Numerous lake views during the ride.  Camden (& Rockport).  Part of the route is the official East Coast Greenway interim on-road coastal route. 

LUNCH:  The picnic tables outside the winery store are available for us to use after our ride.  We can bring a bag lunch, or they sell beverages, local cheeses, breads, and other goodies.  And of course, they sell wine and have wine tasting.

LEADER:  Jim Merrick.

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

Go Jump In a Lake

Heading into Monmouth Center

Dig out that sunscreen!  (If you can remember where you put it.)  The sun finally showed up for our Fourth-of-July ride, and we had a great turnout and a great ride.  Many thanks to Jim Putnam for offering to lead the ride twice in five days, and kudos to everyone who did it twice!  This Saturday will feature a classic ride from Winthrop to Monmouth from the shores of Lake Maranacook.  If the temperatures soar, we can beat the heat with a dip in the lake or a double dip cone - or maybe both!  We'll see you then!

Saturday, July 6th - WINTHROP

"Lakes and Orchards" - a tour through Winthrop and Monmouth.

START:  9:00 AM at the Winthrop Town Boat Landing on Maranacook Lake, near the gazebo on Coady Street, off of Memorial Drive.  If the boat landing parking lot is full, there are additional spaces around the corner on Summer Street, lakeside.

DISTANCE:  18 or 24 Miles.

TERRAIN:  Rolling, with a few stiff hills.

HIGHLIGHTS:  Back roads beside rolling orchards, lakeside summer camps, small hidden hamlets - post-ride swimming and ice cream options, too!

LEADER:  Jim Merrick, hjmerrick@gmail.com.

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

Go Forth on the Fourth!

The damp conditions at the start didn't dampen this turnout.

Well, our glorious Fourth-of-July ride last Saturday wasn't quite glorious enough, apparently, even though we had a respectable turnout of nine people in damp conditions.  For all those who missed it (and those who want to do it again!) we've decided to run it again this Thursday - a special holiday ride!  Hey, doing the Fourth-of-July ride on the Fourth-of-July - what a concept!  You can join us for the ride in the morning and still take part in whatever activities you may have lined up in the afternoon!  And we have an open weekend coming up with perhaps another ride in store - stay tuned!

 

 

Thursday, July 4th, SIDNEY:
"Go Forth on the Fourth" - 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, and/or follow us on Facebook.

 

It was foggy and damp on Saturday's ride, enhanced in this image by road spray on the camera lens.

 

Pre-Fourth of July Ride

Glorious!

 

Yessir, it's that time of year again.  Time for fireworks, bonfires, parades, barbecues - and Jim Putnam's glorious annual "Fourth-of-July" ride in June.  Don't wait til July!  Truly, it will be glorious, and you can't get much better than glorious.  (At least not until we get one more shot at using the word "glorious," and who could pass that up?)  Just show up at the Bean School on Saturday in Sidney.  That alone will make it glorious.  We'll see you then!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 29th, SIDNEY:
"Independence along the Middle Road" - 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, perhaps.  Simply Glorious!
LEADER:  Jim Putnam.

 

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

On the first loop of the ride in Sidney

 

Eleven (not quite a dozen) Ponds

A quiet run along the Chesterville Esker

We had great weather and a great ride last Saturday in the Belgrade Lakes. We were able to visit with the Trek riders at the Smithfield rest stop on the Colby Loop - coming the day after the tragedy on the Trek, we felt like we should be with them, and as luck would have it we ran into Leanne, and the stop cheered us up. This Sunday we will meet at the Post Office in the village of Mount Vernon, as we head out to Fayette and Chesterville for a nice run along the Chesterville Esker (a really pretty route if you haven't ridden it yet). See you Sunday!

 

 

Sunday, June 23rd - MOUNT VERNON

"Eleven Ponds" - a tour past many of the hidden ponds and lakes in Mount Vernon, Fayette, Chesterville, and Vienna.

START:  9:00 AM, Mount Vernon Post Office, just off Rt. 41 on Main Street in Mount Vernon.

DISTANCE:  14 and 29 miles.

TERRAIN:  Rolling with a few good hills.

HIGHLIGHTS:  rural back roads winding through many small ponds and lakes, and across the top of the Chesterville Esker.  Possible post-ride get-together at the cafe in Mt. Vernon village.

LEADER:  Jim Merrick, hjmerrick@gmail.com.

 

 

Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club rides are open to members and to the cycling public.  Helmets are required of all riders at KVBC events.  In case of severe weather, scheduled rides may be postponed or designated as "show & go" rides at the discretion of the ride leader.  For ride updates and other club info follow us on Facebook.