Grading on the Bel(grade) Curve

Blueberry Hill Overlook

We had beautiful weather last Saturday for the ride in Smithfield, and we had a nice turnout for a holiday weekend.  We has some really nice runs through Smithfield, Rome & Mercer, and we even got to the Ice Cream Place in Smithfield before it closed for the season.  Many thanks to Larry Childs for leading the ride, and to all who turned out.  This Sunday's ride will see a return to the site of our very first club ride in May 2002, at the Belgrade Community Center.  The records show we had 17 people turn out in cold, raw, blustery conditions for a 15 mile ride (still one of the route options for Sunday, hopefully in nicer conditions).  Just for kicks, I dug out the original email announcement for the "First Bike Ride" sent out ten years ago:

 

First Bike Ride - Saturday, May 11th, 9:30 AM

Ride Start: Belgrade Community Center, Rt. 27, a half mile south of the village of Belgrade Lakes, on the right (southbound) next to the Great Pond Marina.  Park along the road in front of the Community Center.

Ride Description: "The Long and the Short of It" - a short ride around Long Pond.  This will be a 15 mile road ride around Long Pond in Belgrade, with an optional climb up Blueberry Hill (.4 mi. of dirt).  Helmets required.

Terrain:  rolling with a few hills.

Highlights:  the village of Belgrade Lakes, Blueberry Hill Scenic Area, Castle Island.

Special Note:  there will be an opportunity for a post-ride get together at a restaurant in Belgrade Lakes, to socialize and discuss upcoming rides, and club organization.

For more information, contact: Jim Merrick.

You'll note that we didn't have a club name (or even any actual members yet) and that I was just as bad at giving directions.  It was very strange leading a ride when I really didn't know anyone there, but I was just glad that anyone showed up.  It certainly never occurred to me that ten years later I would be back in Belgrade Lakes leading my 100th KVBC ride.  I guess that means I'm still glad anyone shows up.  Anyway, the ride Sunday is a nice one - scenic with some challenging hills - and hopefully the rain will clear out by the weekend.  I did manage to get out and arrow the routes before the rain, so the route is freshly marked.  Hope to see you there!

 

September 9th, Sunday:  BELGRADE LAKES

"Belgrade Lakes and Highlands" - a tour around Great Pond through Belgrade, Rome, and Smithfield.

START:  9:00 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 (all arrowed).

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.

 

Looping the Lakes in Smithfield

Cycling along Lakeshore Drive in Smithfield

 

 

Hey, it's September already!  Where did the summer go?  Fortunately we still have some great cycling ahead as we head into Fall.  We had a fine ride last Saturday from Richmond to Topsham - there were over 40 of us!  Well, actually, most of "us" were riding the Maine Hospice Century and Half-Century which overlapped a great part of our route.  It was a great ride and great to have so much company!  This Saturday we will be meeting in Smithfield for a great double loop around North and East Ponds with some great lakeside runs, followed by a nifty ice cream stop.  Hope you can join us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, September 1st - SMITHFIELD

"Route 8 Figure 8" - a scenic tour through Smithfield, Belgrade, Rome, and Mercer.

START:  9:00 AM, at the new Smithfield Fire Station on Rt. 8 in Smithfield, about a quarter-mile north of the junction of Rt. 8 and Rt. 137.

DISTANCE:  15 and 28 miles.

TERRAIN:  moderate to moderately hilly.

HIGHLIGHTS:  many scenic lake views and back roads, and an ice cream stop.

LEADER:  Larry Childs.

 

Merrymeeting in the Interim

"Coastal Rider" by Timothy Easton

 

The rains that fell just prior to the start of last Saturday's ride in Wings Mills couldn't deter the lure of gourmet hot dogs to an intrepid group of club members, and I have it on good authority that the ride went off on a roll, and drew plenty of nice condiments.  There were no weiners (weenies? whiners?) at the start of the ride, and they made short work of the weiners at the end of the ride.  OK, I'll stop now before I come up with another bad pun, and frankly thank Ken Louis for another great ride and his post-ride hospitality.  This Saturday's ride starts in Richmond, as we explore part of the proposed Merrymeeting Trail - the trail's interim on-road section from Richmond to Topsham, along the shore of Merrymeeting Bay.  The weather looks great and we hope you can make it!

 

 

 

 

Saturday, August 25th, RICHMOND

"Merrymeeting in the Interim" - a tour of the new Merrymeeting Trail Interim on-road route from Richmond to Topsham and return.

START: 9:00 am at the Fort Richmond Waterfront Park Gazebo, Front Street (Rt. 24), Richmond

DISTANCE: 34 miles

TERRAIN: unknown at press time

HIGHLIGHTS: scenic waterfront roads along the western shore of Merrymeeting Bay

LEADER: "To Be Determined," aka Jim Merrick.

 

Hot Dog!

Riding Out of Wings Mills

We certainly are having a great year for cycling, weather-wise.  Once again, the weather cooperated (despite a lousy forecast) and we were able to get in our ride in Gardner on Saturday without any rain.  Some drizzle, yes, and some wet pavement, but for those of us who rode it was an extremely nice ride along the back roads of Gardiner, Richmond and Litchfield.  We have another great ride coming up this Saturday in Wings Mills - Ken's fabulous Hot Dog Ride!  If you can live down being a Hot Dog at the beginning, you'll definitely be rewarded with a Hot Dog at the end!  Don't miss it!

Saturday, August 18th - WING'S MILLS (Mount Vernon)

"Hot Dog! - The Hot Dog Ride" (not because we'll ride like one but because we will want one) - a tour through Mount Vernon, Belgrade, North Augusta, and Manchester

START: 9:00 AM at 49 Marble Point Rd., Mount Vernon

      Directions to Start:

           From Augusta, take #27 North to Belgrade and turn left onto #135 (Christy's store   and blinking light)
           Go 3 miles and right onto Wings Mill Rd; go 2.5 miles and right onto Marble Point Rd. which is just
           after crossing Belgrade Stream; it is a hard pack dirt road and we are the log home on the right)

           From Mount Vernon, Readfield: Take North Rd to Wings Mills Rd and go about 3 miles to Marble Point Rd;
           just after passing Bartlett Rd on the right, turn left onto Marble Point

           Delorme Maine Atlas Map 12; A-4. Just west and across the stream from the intersection of Dunn Rd and
           Wings Mill Rd. (Marble Point is not listed by name on the map).

DISTANCE: 29 miles
TERRAIN: Moderate with some hills
HIGHLIGHTS: Views of Belgrade Stream, Hamilton Pond, Stuart Pond, Messalonskee Lake, Doctor Pond, Silver Lake, Gould Pond, with a Hot Dog cookout lunch following the ride - swimming available also.  
LEADER: Ken Louis.

 

Gardiner Field & Stream

Heading out from Gardiner

 

 

 

We had another great ride from Winthrop last Saturday, welcoming some new riders and exploring some new pavement.  A smooth introduction to riding with the KVBC!  We had a fine turnout, and again some superb weather for cycling.  Hopefully it will continue this weekend when we meet in Gardiner on Saturday for another tour along the quiet back roads to the south of Augusta, the route slightly modified from the original ride description in the calendar.  You'll be slightly mollified when you see how nice it is.  Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, August 11th - GARDINER

"Gardiner Field & Stream" - a tour of the southern Kennebec Valley through Gardiner, Richmond, Bowdoin, and Litchfield.

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:  27 miles.

TERRAIN:  Moderately hilly.

HIGHLIGHTS:  quiet back roads along streams and farmland south & west of Gardiner.

LEADER:  Jim Merrick.

 

 

The Hills Take Their Toll

Heading off down Mercer Road in Rome

The legendary Hills of Rome can be punishing, but I was wondering if I was even going to see them at the start of the ride on July 7. Less than a half-mile down Mercer Road from the Rome Town Hall, my rear wheel began making some persistent clicking and pinging - upon inspection, several pairs of spokes had come loose - real loose. No spoke wrench, so I had to make some delicate tensioning with a 6" adjustable wrench - enough to get by, but I spent the rest of the ride picking the smoothest line I could find through occasionally rough pavement.

The Descent Down Wooster Hill

I wasn't so lucky on the descent that followed on Wooster Hill. My wheel held up fine, but my little trustworthy digital camera flew off, and I had to waste more time backtracking and searching for scattered pieces. After a time, I did manage to find everything and put it back together, but I couldn't get it to work for the rest of the ride. Good that I carry two cameras. Good also that my cycling companions are quite patient - and by some estimation, photogenic. (Nice modelling of the new BCM 20th anniversary jersey, Ken.)

Smooth Shoulders on Rt. 27

We emerged from the hills of Rome to a nice long downhill run on Rt. 27. With smooth pavement and wide shoulders, I could take some chances with the second camera and record some images on the descent.

Approaching Belgrade Lakes Village

We rolled into Belgrade Lakes village and stopped by the village store, where a fellow from across the street tried to sell us an aluminum boat dock and a pontoon boat to go with it (or actually, raffle tickets for the same). Yep, we were in Belgrade Lakes all right. We decided not to take a chance - hey, you might win, you know - and we headed off toward Castle Island.

Passing through the Isthmus of Castle Island

Castle Island is always a pretty spot where the road threads its way along the narrow causeway and connecting bridges between the lakes. The speed limit drops to 15 mph, however, which causes some consternation in some motorists who cannot accept going as slow as (or slower!) than cyclists. But we managed to evade the more impatient drivers and passed though without incident.

Heading back through Mount Vernon

It began to cloud up a bit as we headed back through Mount Vernon and up Watson Pond Road. We passed Blueberry Hill and French's Mountain, descending back to Rt. 27 and climbing back to Rt. 225. From there it was just a short spin back to the start at the Rome Town Hall, bringing to conclusion one of the hilliest 20-mile rides you can find anywhere.

Until Next Time - See You on the Road!

In Winthrop We Meet Again

Heading towards Monmouth

 

 

 

We had a great turnout and a great ride last Saturday in Wayne.  Our thanks to Ray and Jane Giglio for another great route, which included some outstanding views of Androscoggin Lake, Mt. Pisgah, old windmills and grain silos, long climbs and fast descents, and a post-ride stop at Tubby's Ice Cream.  A most enjoyable ride.  This week we will kick off the month of August with a classic ride from Winthrop on Saturday.  We'll see you then!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, August 4th - 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.

LEADER:  Jim Merrick.