Swim with the Fishes, Bike with the Alewives

We had another fine turn-out for what I'm told was a fun ride last Saturday in Skowhegan. Thanks again to John Lanoue for leading the ride and to the folks at the Oak Pond Brewery. This Saturday's ride will be in East Vassalboro as we go biking with the Alewives on their run up the Sebasticook, as well as explore some back roads where Alewives go not. See you Saturday!

Saturday, May 14th, EAST VASSALBORO

"Biking with the Alewives" - a tour along the banks of the Sebasticook River to the Spring Alewife Run at the Benton Dam.

START: 9:00 AM at Vassalboro Elementary School, 1116 Webber Pond Road, East Vassalboro.

DISTANCE: approx. 25 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate, with some hills and flat sections.

HIGHLIGHTS: scenic river views and a stop at the site of the Benton Alewife Festival celebrating the return of the historic alewife spring run.

LEADER: Jeanine Libby.

Jersey Update: we are gathering orders for KVBC jerseys, and I neglected to say where you could mail your payments to.  The address is Jim Merrick, P.O. Box 214, Mount Vernon, Maine 04352.  It would be helpful if you could get your orders in to me by early next week. Many thanks!

 

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at 293-3784 or hjmerrick@gmail.com, and check out the club's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KennebecValleyBicycleClub.

 

KVBC Club Jerseys

Hi Folks,

We are ready to put in an order for the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club jerseys!  I would like to get an order in by May 15, if possible, so we can have jerseys about 3 to 4 weeks later, sometime around mid-June.  If you would like to order a jersey, or several, I'll need to know:

How Many?

What Size(s)?

Zipper preference (3/4 or full-zip)?

The company, Champion System, has information on the fabrics and configurations they provide, as well as links to sizing charts: http://champ-sys.com/browse-custom-apparel/cycling-collection/mens-cycling-collection/tech-short-sleeve-jersey.html.  The basic jersey is the Tech Short Sleeve Jersey, at $48.00; the long sleeve version is $60.00.  They have jerseys with additional features, and you can add those to your order - I'll just need the additional specs.  All of the jerseys will be non-returnable, so pay heed to their sizing charts, etc., and contact me if you have any questions.

Then I'll need you to send me a check, made out to "James Merrick" in the amount of your order, or alternatively, you can pay me directly in cash on an upcoming ride.  But I will need payment before I put in an order.  Once the jerseys are delivered I can bring them on a ride and hand-deliver them; otherwise I'll need addresses where to send them.

Thanks for your patience.  If you're undecided by May 15, I may be able to place a second order later in the season, if there is enough additional interest.

Don't forget: tomorrow's ride is in Skowhegan at the Oak Pond Brewery at 10 AM!

Jim

hjmerrick@gmail.com

Not Quite Cinco de Mayo

We had a fine ride around Lake Cobbossee last Sunday to kick off May and Bike Month. Many thanks to John Lanoue for leading, and for leading this Saturday's ride from the Oak Pond Brewery in Skowhegan on Siete de Mayo, which is not-quite Cinco de Mayo, but there is an optional microbrewery tour on tap, so maybe that's close enough. The weather forecast is for sunny skies and mid-60s, which sounds close enough for Anything de Mayo!  Please note the 10:00 am start.

Saturday, May 7 - SKOWHEGAN

"Ales and Acorns" - a not-quite Cinco de Mayo ride through Canaan, Skowhegan, Waterville and Hinckley.

START: 10:00 am at the Oak Pond Brewery, 101 Oak Pond Road, near the Skowhegan/Canaan town line. Directions at their website: http://www.oakpondbrewery.com/contact.asp.

DISTANCE: approx 38 miles

TERRAIN: moderate to hilly

HIGHLIGHTS: some little-traveled back roads, river views, and an optional brewery tour at the ride's end.

LEADER: John Lanoue, john.lanoue@avid.com.

LINK TO RIDE MAP: https://www.strava.com/routes/4024964

BCM Calendar Link: http://www.bikemaine.org/event2/kennebec-valley-bicycle-club-acorns-and-ales

Bike May Day!

May Day!  Time to kick off Bike Month straight off on May 1st with a challenging route around Lake Cobbossee next Sunday.  In spite of the chilly April weather we had a great ride in Hinckley last Sunday - thanks to Jeanine and all the folks, new and old, who came out to L.C. Bates to ride and picnic afterward.  Forecast is for the weather to turn warmer and more May-like this weekend, which is fortunate, as the ride starts and ends right next to Fielder's Choice Ice Cream.  See you Sunday!

Sunday, May 1st - MANCHESTER

"A Cobbossee Odyssey":  a tour around Cobbosseecontee Lake.

START:  9:00 A.M., at the parking lot on McArdle Street, just off Rt. 202W past the junction of Rt. 202 & Rt.17, between the Manchester Grange Hall and Fielders' Choice Ice Cream Stand.  The parking lot is the first right after you turn on McArdle Street.

DISTANCE:  27.5 miles.

TERRAIN:  rolling with some challenging hills.

HIGHLIGHTS:  views of Cobbossee Lake, back roads of Winthrop, Manchester, West Gardiner, Litchfield, and Monmouth, and an ice cream stop conveniently at the end!

LEADER:  John Lanoue.

BCM Calendar Link: http://www.bikemaine.org/event2/cobbossee-odyssey

Link to Ride Map (2015): http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6801528

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

Wake Up the Earth!

Greetings!  We are approaching Earth Day 2016, which means Spring should be arriving any day now (assuming we haven't missed it already).  And that means it is time for the annual KVBC Wake Up the Earth Ride!  We'll meet on Sunday, April 17th, at 10 am at the Augusta End of the Kennebec River Rail Trail, riding to Gardiner and perhaps a bit beyond, stopping in Hallowell at Slate's Bakery on the way back.  Certainly hope you can join us!

April 17th, Sunday - AUGUSTA
"Wake Up the Earth" - an early Spring/Earth Day ride along the Kennebec River Rail Trail through Augusta, Hallowell, and Gardiner.
START: 10:00 AM at the Augusta trail head of the rail trail - the municipal parking lot off of Water Street adjacent to the Maine State Housing Authority (353 Water St.) in the shadow of Memorial Bridge.
DISTANCE: 20+ miles
TERRAIN: flat (and we mean flat)
HIGHLIGHTS: the first ride of the season, a pleasant run along the Kennebec River, with some great natural scenery mixed with some urban vistas, kicking off another great year of cycling. Probable stop at Slate's Bakery in Hallowell!
LEADER: Jim Floyd.

NOTE: if you are looking for a new bike, or selling an old one (or both), the Bicycle Coalition of Maine is holding their first of two Bike Swaps in Orono tomorrow, April 10; the second swap is in Portland on May 1.  Details at their website, Bikemaine.org.

Maine Maple Sidney

The weathermen swear they didn't take Spring away - that it will be back this weekend, just in time for Maine Maple Sunday! Which is also Easter Sunday, so many of the sugar houses are also open on Saturday, so Saturday it is! We'll start from the Bean Elementary School on Middle Road in Sidney on Saturday for a 20-mile ride, with an optional stop at the Bacon Farm Maple House. I don't know if they carry those fancy maple syrup energy packs for cyclists, but they do have maple whoopie pies, and those should do the trick. See you Saturday!

Saturday, March 26th, SIDNEY:

"Maine Maple Sidney" - an early Spring ride to a Maple Syrup House.START:  10:30 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:  20 Miles.
TERRAIN:  moderate with a few hills.
HIGHLIGHTS:  some fine back roads and Kennebec River views, and a stop at a local Maple Sap House for some syrup sampling.
LEADER:  Jim Merrick.

RIDE MAP LINK: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6813917

Celebrating Charles E. Pratt in Vassalboro

Charles Eadward Pratt, a cycling pioneer said to be the Father of American Cycling, was born in Vassalboro, Maine, March 13, 1845. Pratt organized one of the earliest bicycling rallies, a two-day group invitational ride around Boston in the Fall of 1879, called the "Wheel Around the Hub." The ride was written up (by Pratt himself) in the Feb. 1880 issue of Scribner's magazine, illustrated by a number of detailed drawings, including the one above featuring all the cyclists who took part. Chas. E. Pratt is shown as the first cyclist on the right,

Are you already tired of early Mud Season?  With sunny forecasts and temperatures in the mid-50s, time for another special KVBC pre-season ride!  This weekend marks the birthday of cycling pioneer Charles E. Pratt, first president of the League of American Wheelmen, born in Vassalboro, March 13, 1845.  To celebrate, lets have a ride in Vassalboro this Saturday! (Which is the 12th, I know, but I'd want to factor in a stop at the Green Bean Coffee Shop, as well as opening day at Back's Dairy Bar, both nearby in So. China Village.  I think old Chas. E. would approve.)  See you then!

Saturday, March 12, EAST VASSALBORO

"A Wheel Around the Lake" - a celebration of American Bicycler, Charles E. Pratt, of Vassalboro.

START: 10:30 AM at the Vassalboro Historical Society on Rt. 32 in East Vassalboro, just north of the China Lake Boat Landing (not the boat landing in South China.)

DISTANCE: about 20 miles

TERRAIN: moderate with some hills and flat sections

HIGHLIGHTS: more spring-like weather, scenic views of China Lake, a stop at the Green Bean, ranked in the top ten coffee shops in Maine, and a possible ice cream stop, too!

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

LINK to RIDE MAP: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6815798

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at 293-3784 or hjmerrick@gmail.com, and check out the club's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KennebecValleyBicycleClub.