More September Rides!

Here is a revised KVBC ride schedule for September, just in time for, well, September!
Also, Bike Maine starts this weekend from Waterville (always gratifying to see them pass through our stomping grounds) and we are told they can use some volunteers for flagging duties on Sunday. If available and interested, contact the BikeMaine office at BCM.

Ambling into August

Here is the KVBC Ride Calendar for August! A full slate of rides: down the river, around the lakes, deep into Amish country, and a vineyard tour near the coast! And lest we forget, we are still on for tomorrow's KVBC ride from Gardiner to Bowdoinham. Lots of great riding coming up!

KVBC 2018 Ride Calendar

Here is the 2018 Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club Ride Calendar. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who volunteered to lead rides this year!  We have some very interesting rides planned, with many popular routes, some intriguing revisions, and some all new rides to offer!  There are still a couple of openings in the calendar, so if you still want to lead or co-lead a ride, let me know.  We are now less than 30 days til Spring!

Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club

2018 Ride Calendar

March 17, Saturday – Vassalboro: St. Patrick’s Day (tentative)

March 25, Sunday – Sidney: Maine Maple Sunday (tentative)

April 15, Sunday, 10 am – Winslow: Big G’s and Bare Knees; Jeanine Libby

April 22, Sunday, 10 am – Augusta: Wake Up the Earth Ride; Jim Floyd

April 29, Sunday, 9:30 am – East Vassalboro: China Surprise; Jeanine Libby

May 6, Sunday, 10 am – Readfield: Maranacook Meander; Lydia Leimbach

May 12, Saturday, 10 am – Skowhegan: Acorns and Ales; John Lanoue

May 20, Sunday, 9:30 am – Vassalboro: Biking with the Alewives; Jeanine Libby

May 26, Saturday, 9 am – Manchester: Cobbossee Odyssey; John Lanoue

June 3, Sunday, 9 am – Vassalboro: Velo Vassalboro; David Lipman

June 9, Saturday, 9 am – Jefferson: The Jefferson Jaunt; Bryan Griffin

June 16, Saturday, 9 am – Wayne: Property Pedal Tour; Jim Floyd and Jim Merrick

June 22-23-24 – Greenville: Bike and Boat; Jeanine Libby

June 24, Sunday, 9:30 am – MidCoast (TBD): All’s Well that Harpswell: Ken Louis

July 1, Sunday, 9 am – Sidney: Independence Day Ride; Jim Putnam

July 7, Saturday, 10 am – Damariscotta: Drafting through Damariscotta; David Lipman

July 8, Sunday, 9 am – Boothbay: Biking through Boothbay; David Lipman

July 15, Sunday, 9 am – Mount Vernon: Ken’s Hot Dog Ride; Jim Merrick

July 21, Saturday, 8:30 am – Augusta: Capitol Breakfast Ride; Jim Merrick

July 29, Sunday, 9 am – Gardiner: Biking to Bowdoinham; Joe Renda

August 4, Saturday, 9 am – Wayne: We’ll Always Have Paris; Jim Merrick

August 11, Saturday, 9 am – Whitefield: Tour de Whitefield; Bryan Griffin

August 18, Saturday, 9 am – Wayne: Which Way to Wayne?; Fritz Onion

August 26, Sunday, 10 am – Lincolnville: Out Through the Cellar Door; Tammy Jones

September 2, Sunday, 9 am – Richmond: Wheeling to Wiscassett; David Lipman

September 9, Sunday, 9 am – Smithfield: Route 8 Figure 8; Larry Childs

September 15, Saturday, 9 am – Livermore: Boothby’s Apple Ride; John Lanoue

September 22 or 23 – OPEN

September 30, Sunday, 9 am – Norridgewock: Bingham’s Not Brigham’s C’est Bon; Denise Crowell & Brian Bowker

October 6 or 7 – OPEN

October 13, Saturday, 10 am – Chesterville: Three Peaks and a Pontoon; John Lanoue

October 20, Saturday, 9 am – Farmington: Ups and Downs of Industry; Jim Merrick

October 28, Sunday, 9 am – Wayne: Wicked Wayne; Jim Merrick

KVBC Ride Planning Meeting

Hope you are all enjoying the sudden onset of spring-like weather (soon to be followed by another arctic blast, no doubt). Before everything turns to solid ice again, I want to let you know that plans are underway to hold our annual KVBC Ride Planning Pizza Party!  David Lipman has graciously offered once again to let us use his office in Augusta (actually his new office, as he has moved from Water Street to 5 Community Drive).  The best available dates are during the week of February 27 to March 3.  If you would like to attend, please let me know what evening during that week would work best for you, and I will figure out the day that suits most.  The KVBC will turn 15 this year, so we may try to draw up some special rides to reflect on that milestone, or some similar lame excuse.  Ride leaders, be creative!  And meanwhile, mind the ice - I'm hoping my bones heal before the first KVBC ride, and who knows?  That might be close to our ride planning meeting!

Jim Merrick
293-3784
hjmerrick@gmail.com

Ride Planning Meeting

HiFolks!  We will have our annual KVBC Ride Planning Meeting this Saturday, January 23, at 11 am, at the offices of Lipman & Katz (thank you, David Lipman!) at 227 Water Street in Augusta. A scientifically-conducted opinion poll of our members with opinions revealed that Saturday was preferable if the Patriots were still playing, and that an earlier time in the day would work best.  Hey, we're flexible.  There is some on-street parking on Water Street, and a public parking lot not far away as you come off the circle; the number at the office is 207-622-3711. We'll meet at 11 am and order pizza for lunch.  We'll also put together a ride schedule and discuss some potential special events, possible overnight trips, a club jersey, and any other business.  If you are unable to make the meeting Saturday, but you have a ride you'd like to lead, please let me know so I can fit it into the schedule.  We have some extra leeway this year, as the Bicycle Coalition of Maine is phasing out their print calendar, so we don't have to meet their early publication deadline as in years past.  If you have any questions or concerns or ideas regarding the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, the meeting in January is a good time to sound them out.  I can also bring them up if you can't make the meeting.  Hope to see you Saturday!

Jim Merrick
207-293-3784

hjmerrick@gmail.com

Ride Plans for Pizza Fans

It's time for our annual KVBC Ride Planning Meeting!  A number of members responded to my poll with a preference of avoiding any conflict if the Patriots were still playing (and after some tense moments last week it looks like they will playing again this Sunday).  So we will meet in Augusta the following week, on Sunday, January 25th, at 6 pm, at the offices of Lipman & Katz at 227 Water Street, thanks to a kind offer from David Lipman.  There is a public parking lot on Water Street just as you come off the circle.  The phone number at the office is 622-3711.

 

The agenda: ride planning, pizza, then followed by more ride planning.  It's fun!  Honest.  We will do our best to put together a full calendar of rides for the new season, and you can help!  If you can't make the meeting, and there is a ride you'd like to lead (or suggest) just let me know.  The Bicycle Coalition of Maine has reconfigured their online events calendar, allowing for additional ride descriptions, photos, etc., so you can get creative with ride promotion.  Their print calendar (probably not so creative) has a deadline of Feb. 6, so we'll try to get our definite rides in to them before then.

 

There is still a possibility for people interested to meet earlier for snowshoeing or x-country skiing in the Arboretum before the meeting.  I've heard from several people who are interested, so I'll try and set something up.  Hope to see you Sunday!

KVBC Preliminary Ride Calendar for 2014

Leaning into another great riding season

We had a productive ride planning meeting last Sunday in Augusta.  Many thanks to all who showed up and offered to lead rides, and particularly to David Lipman who kindly provided his office and pizza for us.  We all appreciated his warmth and hospitality - especially the warmth, considering how cold it was when we met last year.  The preliminary dates for the KVBC Ride Calendar are below - there are still a number of open weekends, and if you couldn't make it to the meeting and would still like to lead a ride, check over the open dates and let me know if you can fill one of them.  Many of the dates are still tentative (or will be for the next week or two), so some switching around might be possible, too.  As always, we may have some last-minute, spur-of-the-moment, impromptu rides if we happen to get some unexpectedly fine weather in early Spring or late, late Fall.  Keep your chain oiled and your tires pumped up!  If this weather continues I won't have to urge anyone to Think Spring!

April 19, Saturday, 10 am: Augusta "Wake Up the Earth Ride" - Jim Floyd

April 26, Saturday, 10 am: Wayne "The Wayne Way" - Jim Merrick

May 3 or 4: OPEN

May 10, Saturday, 9:30 am: East Vassalboro "China Surprise" - Jeanine Libby

May 17, Saturday, 9:30 am: Clinton "A Fish With(out) a Bicycle" [Benton Alwife Festival] - Jeanine Libby

May 24 or 25: OPEN

May 31, Saturday, 9 am: Vassalboro "Velo Vassalboro" - David Lipman

June 7 or 8: OPEN

June 15, Sunday, 9 am: Mount Vernon "Eleven Ponds Ride" - Jim Merrick

June 21 or 22: OPEN

June 29, Sunday, 9 am: Damariscotta "A Pedaling Purview of Pemaquid Point" - David Lipman

July 5, Saturday, 9 am: Sidney "Independence Day Ride" - Jim Putnam

July 13, Sunday, 9 am: Wings Mills (Mt. Vernon) "Ken's Hot Dog Ride" - Ken Louis

July 19, Saturday, 8 am: Augusta "Capitol Breakfast Ride" - Jim Merrick

July 26, Saturday, 9 am: Gardiner "Back Roads to Bowdoinham" - Roger Rocque

August 2, Saturday, 8:30 am: Wilton "Blueberry Metric" [Wilton Blueberry Festival] - Jim Merrick

August 9 or 10: OPEN

August 16, Saturday, 8 am: Waterville "The Colby Loop" - Jeanine Libby

August 24, Sunday, 9 am: Vassalboro "Hills and Beans" - David Lipman

August 30 or 31: OPEN

September 6 or 7: OPEN (although we may opt to field a team at Pedal Penobscot in Bangor on the 7th)

September 14, Sunday, 9 am: Farmington "The Ups and Downs of Industry" - Larry Childs

September 20 or 21: OPEN

September 27, Saturday, 9 am: Winthrop "Monmouth a la Mode" [Monmouth Apple Festival] - Jim Merrick

October: all weekends OPEN

Note to Ride Leaders - if I have any information wrong, please let me know.  I will check to verify dates, times, ride starting locations, distances - and any objections to my fanciful ride nomenclature.

Jim Merrick

293-3784

hjmerrick@gmail.com

Merry Christmas!

High-Wheel Santa (Louis Prang)

Merry Christmas to Everyone from the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club!  May you all have a fine year of cycling ahead!

This past year we had a terrific calendar of rides, most of which had fine weather and were really well-attended - one of our best years ever!  Many, many thanks to everyone who volunteered to lead rides and who helped out in many other ways - we couldn't have done it without you.  I also want to note that several of our "regulars" - due to circumstances unforeseen and otherwise - were unable to ride with us this year: I want you to know we missed you all, and we hope you can make it back and ride with us again in the coming year!

Winter Events coming up: we will once again schedule a Ride Planning Pizza Party sometime in late January or early February, most likely at the offices of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine in Augusta.  If you could send along to me any preference for evenings that you could (or could not) make a meeting, I'll try and sort through the responses and arrange a date fro us to meet.  If the Old Farmer's Almanac predictions are correct and we get substantial snow this Winter, we might also try to schedule a snowshoe/x-country ski event, too - just to keep your cross-training honest!  And if the OFM is full of baloney, and we have a few opportune mild days, we may try to stir up a club ride or two at the last minute.

Facebook: as I already administer two other work-related Facebook pages, I'm considering whether it would be manageable to set up a KVBC Facebook page to help get ride notices out and attract new riders.  If you are already on Facebook, please let me know, so I know what kind of member participation might result - I wouldn't want our "outreach" to exclude our current membership.

Club Dues: there is a concern that the League of American Bicyclists might be forced to raise next year's club insurance rates for member clubs (such as KVBC) but right now it looks as if the club can absorb the increase without raising our membership dues.  We had some good fortune that the insurance fees have been quite modest and have held steady over the past few years - and that we've never had to draw on the insurance!

May you all have a safe and enjoyable year a'wheel next year!

KVBC 2010 Ride Calendar (Preliminary)

Hi Gang! Welcome to 2010! Thanks to our dedicated volunteer ride leaders, it looks like we have a great riding season coming up. So while the winter months wind down and the days start getting longer, start getting that bike tuned up and ready for a new season of riding in central Maine. The preliminary ride calendar listings for club rides are below. If you can offer to lead or co-lead a ride on any open dates, let me know. Meanwhile mark your calendars and watch this space for up-to-date ride info, changes and additions. If your New Year's resolution was to ride your bike more, we'll try to keep you honest. Hope to see you all on the road in 2010!

Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club 2010 Ride Calendar

April 24 (Saturday) – KVBC Wake Up the Earth Ride, 10:00 AM, Manchester Elementary School, Manchester, 23 mi. Road, Jim Merrick.

May 1 (Saturday) – KVBC Wayne Ramble, 10:00 AM, Wayne Elementary School, Wayne, 25 mi. Road, Frank Rosen.

May 8 (Saturday) – KVBC Belgrade Lakes, 9:30 AM, Belgrade Community Center, Belgrade Lakes, 15 – 25 mi. Road, Jim Merrick.

May 16 (Sunday) – KVBC Rail Trail, 9:30 AM, Augusta Rail Trail Entrance, Augusta, 20 mi. Road, David Auclair.

May 22 (Saturday) – KVBC Tour of Litchfield, 9:30 AM, Libby-Tosier Elementary School, Litchfield, 25 mi. Road, George Luckhurst.

June 5 (Saturday) – KVBC Tour of Vassalboro, 9:30 AM, Vassalboro Community School, Vassalboro, 25 mi. Road, Dave Richard.

June 12 (Saturday) – KVBC Readfield Roundabout, 9:30 AM, Readfield Elementary School, Readfield, 25 mi. Road, Frank Rosen.

June 19 (Saturday) – KVBC Capital Breakfast Ride, 8:00 AM, Hussey Elementary School, Augusta, 25 mi. Road, Connie Brown.

June 27 (Sunday) – KVBC Eleven Ponds Ride, 9:00 AM, Mount Vernon Post Office, Mount Vernon, 30 mi. Road, Jim Merrick.

July 3 (Saturday) – KVBC Fourth of July Ride, 9:00 AM, James H. Bean Elementary School, Sidney, 25 mi. Road, Jim Putnam.

July 17 (Saturday) – KVBC Biking to Bowdoinham, 10:00 AM, Laura Richards School, Gardiner, 40-45 mi. Road, Joe Renda.

August 8 (Sunday) – KVBC Alna Alternative, 9:30 AM, Alna Post Office, Alna, 20-25 mi. Road, Sandi Hodge.

September 18 (Saturday) – KVBC Wandering Around Winthrop, 9:00 AM, Tom’s Bike Boutique, East Winthrop, 25 mi. Road, Denise Crowell.

September 26 (Sunday) – KVBC Pemaquid Ride, 9:30 AM, Biscay Pond Boat Landing, Damariscotta, 25-30 mi. Road, Sandi Hodge.