Single Chainring Tour

Hey, we saw some blue sky last Saturday! We saw dry pavement! Heck, we even saw shadows of bikes on dry pavement! Get this - we even saw the SUN! Oh, the rapture! Well, it was a bit humid, but not the end of the world. And George led us on another terrific ride - with a great cookie stop! Hopefully it will dry out again by this weekend when Frank leads us on an adventure to Leeds, as well as the great run along the Chesterville Esker. Come early, and we'll have breakfast!

Saturday, May 28th - 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.

DISTANCE: about 25 miles.

TERRAIN: mostly moderate with no big hills.

HIGHLIGHTS: A nice flat run along the scenic Chesterville Esker - good roads and good people.

LEADER: Frank Rosen.

Return to Litchfield

Once again the weather gods smiled on us (or perhaps, ignored us) and we got in another ride before the rains moved in last Saturday in the Belgrade Lakes. The weather was mostly cloudy, mostly cool, and thankfully mostly dry - and all of us had fun, mostly. (The ride leader was mostly under the weather, but he managed to do most of the ride.) Somewhat damp and dreary weather ahead for Bike to Work Week, but hopefully not enough to deter the faithful. Here's hoping everything clears out for this Saturday's Tour de Litchfield - a really great ride, and one where the sun always shines. I'm counting on that. See you then!

Saturday, May 21st - LITCHFIELD

"Tour de Litchfield" - an exploration of the back roads of Litchfield.

START: 9:30 AM at the Libby-Tosier Elementary School parking lot, at the junction of Rt. 197 and Academy Road in Litchfield Corners.

DISTANCE: about 25 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate to rolling.

HIGHLIGHTS: quiet back roads and ponds in Litchfield, and possibly a cookie stop!

LEADER: George Luckhurst.

The Belgrade Lakes

Hey, we actually lucked out weather-wise on last Saturday's ride in Manchester. All the forecasts of rain, thunderstorms, high wind and hail, managed to evade us - at least on the ride itself - and the ten of us who rode had a pleasantly storm-free ride. May is National Bike Month, so we'll take advantage of an open date in the calendar to revisit one of our club favorites and ride around some of the fine roads in the Belgrade Lakes this Saturday. Help kick off Bike to Work Week (or Commute Another Way Week) and come join us in Belgrade. Hope to see you there!

May 14th, Saturday: BELGRADE LAKES

"Great Pond Go 'Round" - a tour around Great Pond through Belgrade, Rome, and Smithfield.

START: 9:30 A.M., at the Belgrade Community Center on Rt. 27, a half mile south of the Village of Belgrade Lakes, on the right (northbound) just past the Great Pond Marina. Park in the community center parking lot nearest the street (just as you turn in).

DISTANCE: 23 or 30 miles, with a short option of 15 miles.

TERRAIN: rolling to "moderately" hilly (translation: there are hills on this ride).

HIGHLIGHTS: views of the Belgrade Lakes, some roller coaster hills, Castle Island, and Blueberry Hill.

LEADER: Jim Merrick.

Manchester in May

We had a great ride last Saturday, with fine Spring weather and a great turnout of 22 riders. We rode over some great roads, rescued a runaway dog, dealt with a mysterious grey minivan, did not get rained on, and all-in-all had a really nice ride. Many thanks to Denise for putting together the ride and sharing fresh baked cookies afterwards! Hope you can all come out again this Saturday as we explore the back roads north of Manchester and Wings Mills. See you then!

Saturday, May 7th - MANCHESTER

"Manchester in May" - a posted roads tour from Manchester to Wings Mills.

START: 9:30 AM, at the Manchester Elementary School parking lot on Rt. 17, near the junction of Rt. 17 & Rt. 202. The school is on the left next to the fire station just after you turn off Rt. 202 onto Rt. 17 West.

DISTANCE: 23 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate, with one long hill.

HIGHLIGHTS: We'll ride some paved (albeit sandy) back roads along some streams in and out of Wings Mills and take in some pre-foliage hilltop views.

LEADER: Jim Merrick.

Spring on the Big Lakes

Well we almost lucked out with the weather last Saturday, but the rains only held off until about a half-hour before the start, and then mixed with sleet. With temperatures dropping, Frank & I decided to postpone the ride till some other day with less hypothermic conditions. Not the way we drew up the start for the season, but we'll just hit the "reset" button and give it another go this Saturday! More showers are on the way this week, but they most likely won't last through all of April, and we'll find out on the last day of the month when Denise takes us on a tour of the big lakes in Winthrop, Monmouth, and Manchester - hopefully on dry pavement! See you then!

Saturday, April 30th - EAST WINTHROP

"The Big Lakes Tour" - a ride along the shorelines of Lakes Maranacook, Annabessacook, and Cobbosseecontee.

START: 9:30 AM at the parking lot of Tom's Bike Boutique, 2208 Rt.202 in East Winthrop, accross from D.R Struck's Nursery.

DISTANCE: 25-30 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate with some hills.

HIGHLIGHTS: Some nice lakeside runs along backroads in Winthrop, Monmouth, and Manchester.

LEADER: Denise Crowell.

Wake Up The Earth Ride

OK. We've had the late, late Winter snows and enough April showers to fill several flower shows. Enough of that already! Now it's time to Wake Up the Earth! Come on out and join us in Wayne the day after Earth Day, to kick off the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club's 10th season! It looks like we have a great lineup of rides scheduled (and more to come) and we hope to get off to a great start in Wayne on Saturday. If you haven't gotten many miles in yet, no worries - this is a fairly flat route and a great first ride to start the season. All are welcome! And with gas nearing 4 bucks a gallon, never a better time than Earth Day to start traveling as "car-free" as you can. Hope to see everyone this Saturday!

Saturday, April 23rd - WAYNE

"Wake Up the Earth!" - an Earth Day tour of the lakes and waterfalls around Wayne, Leeds, Livermore, and Wayne.

START: 10:00 AM at the Wayne Elementary School, 48 Pond Road, Wayne.

DISTANCE: 25-30 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate, with some surprisingly flat sections.

HIGHLIGHTS: some very nice scenic shore roads, meadows, and waterfalls - and we're back riding again!

LEADER: Frank Rosen.

For more information about the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club contact Jim Merrick at hjmerrick@gmail.com

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