Independence Ride

We had another superb weather weekend for cycling - those of you lucky enough to take part in Jeanine's Bike & Boat weekend in Greenville no doubt had a great time (Thanks Jeanine!).  This week we ride into July, starting off on Saturday with a traditional 4th of July weekend ride led by Jim Putnam in Sidney!  It's a great ride, with or without pyrotechnics, and we hope to see you there!


Saturday, July 2nd, SIDNEY:
"Independence along Middle Road" - a mainstream  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, put@roadrunner.com.
LINK TO RIDE MAP: http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6799304

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

We had a great ride and a great turnout in fine summer weather last Sunday in Mount Vernon. The new KVBC jerseys were definitely attention-getting, and the group looked pretty sharp, both on the road and in the cafe afterwards! We'll have to schedule a group photo on an upcoming ride. In keeping with our string of rides featuring good food, this week's ride is the 8th Annual Bike & Boat in Greenville, which includes a steamboat excursion on the lake with food and live music. Plus there is an option of spending the weekend with like-minded people (and more food!). Check it out!

Sunday, June 26 - GREENVILLE
"Greenville Boat & Bike" - a tour from Greenville to Rockwood with a return trip across the lake on the historic steamboat Katahdin!
START: 10:30 am at the Greenville boat landing (earlier if registering on the day of the event)
DISTANCE: 19.5 miles
TERRAIN: moderate

REGISTRATION: $25 fee to benefit the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital; sign up as a member of the AMC/KVBC Team; online registration link: http://cadean.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1155345

HIGHLIGHTS: scenic 20-mile ride, followed by a lake cruise back to the start on the historic steamboat "Katahdin" including food and live music, and t-shirts for pre-registrants. There is also a weekend trip option at the AMC Gorman Chairback Lodge - details below.

LEADER: Jeanine Libby, jjlibby13@roadrunner.com

WEEKEND TRIP DETAILS:
June 24-26: Come join in on a fun filled weekend of hiking, biking and boating. We will be staying in the bunk house at Gorman Chairback Lodge for the weekend's events. Friday night arrive in time to meet everyone prior to sitting down for dinner - served at 6:00 p.m. Saturday we will plan to hike Third Mountain and if time allows, do a paddle on the pond later in the day. More fun to come as we rise the next morning to prepare for the 19.5 mile Bike and Boat ride to benefit Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital patient care. The bike ride will begin in Greenville and go to Rockwood and then we will return aboard the historic Katahdin vessel for a breathtaking boat ride back to Greenville. While on the boat live music will be playing and lunch will be served. Come join us for the weekend or for the day. The costs for the weekend totals $184 plus 9% tax for the bunkhouse - if you want to do a cabin, you may with additional costs. Built into this fee includes all your meals: Two Dinners, Two Breakfasts and Two Lunches. As we will be participating in the fund raiser for CA Dean Hospital, you will need to register separately for the bike and boat ride. The registration fee totals $25 and remember to sign up for the AMC/KVBC Bike Team.

http://www.cadean.org/About-Us/News/2016/Join-us-for-the-eighth-annual-Bike-and-Boat-to-ben.aspx

The Esker on Father's Day

This Sunday's Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club ride will start in Mount Vernon and venture out to the Chesterville Esker, a wonderful and scenic flat stretch along a unique geological formation - just a bit of serious hill climbing to get there. The forecast is for sunny skies and 80 degrees! Do we believe that? Well, it has to warm up sometime, doesn't it?. There is a lunch option at the cafe in Mount Vernon after the ride, and the new KVBC club jerseys are supposed to arrive - I will follow up with confirmation so folks can plan on picking their jersey(s) up. See you Sunday, and for those of you doing the Trek, Bonne Route!

Sunday, June 19th - 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 (and one memorable one).

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, 293-3784.

LINK to RIDE MAP: http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6799293

 

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 reports, check out the KVBC blog at http://postedroads.blogspot.com or follow us on Facebook.

Capital, Capital!

We had another fine ride last Sunday from Wings Mills, cool and dry (despite threatening rain) and a great post-ride gathering at the ride leader's. Thanks to the Louis household for the ride and the best hot dogs in West Mount Vernon! This Saturday we will do breakfast in Augusta (note the 8:30 am start) following the ride, which is a great country tour on some superb back roads. Please note that we have switched rides the next two weeks from those scheduled in the early club calendar because the BCM Women's Ride is Sunday in Freeport, and we didn't want to create a conflict with the Mount Vernon ride which has now been rescheduled for Father's Day. We may have club jerseys by then! Lets hope for good weather on Saturday and we'll see you then!

Saturday, June 11th - AUGUSTA

"Capital Breakfast Ride" - a tour through the stately residential areas and outlying farms of our capital city.

START: 8:30 AM at the parking lot of the Hussey Elementary School on Quimby Street in Augusta.  Quimby is right off Rt. 100 at the traffic light across from Auclair's Cycle heading north; detailed directions here: http://www.augustaschools.org/schools/hussey_elementary_school/directions.php

DISTANCE: 27 miles.

TERRAIN: moderate with a few hills.

HIGHLIGHTS: An optional breakfast stop at Rebecca's on Rt.17, some really fine touring roads east of the capital, new and intriguing routes - and did we mention breakfast?

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

LINK to RIDE MAP: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6793245

 

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook.

Something About the Hot Dogs in Wings Mills

We had a great ride last Sunday in Vassalboro, and a delightful post-ride gathering at the ride leaders' afterwards.  Many thanks from us all to Laura and David Lipman!  This Sunday we will start off the month of June with another club favorite: Ken's Hot Dog Ride!  We'll meet in tiny locale of Wings Mills in Mount Vernon (directions below) for a very scenic ride and a Hot Dog cookout later.  Ken would appreciate if you email him at klouis17@hotmail.com so he can get an approximate headcount.  Hope you can join us!

Sunday, June 5th - WINGS 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).

Park along the sides of the driveway wherever you can.
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, klouis17@hotmail.com. (Please email Ken if you are planning to come so he can get a early headcount.)

LINK to RIDE MAP: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6791896.

For more information about the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at 293-3784 or hjmerrick@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook.

 

Very Verdant Vassalboro

We had a great ride from Readfield through Wayne and Winthrop last Sunday, with some great scenery and some terrific downhills off of Mt. Pisgah and Nickerson Hill! We also had a pleasant stop at Tubby's Ice Cream in Wayne, where they graciously opened early for us (a crowd of paying cyclists is hard to ignore).  Many thanks to Lydia - kudos for leading her first KVBC ride!  This Sunday we will venture to Vassalboro for some more great back road touring and a post-ride gathering at the Lipmans.  We hope you can join us - otherwise have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Sunday, May 29th - VASSALBORO

"Velo Vassalboro" - a scenic tour around the China Lake region

START:  9am  at the home of David and Laura Lipman.  Condo is after Natanis Golf Course on ARROWHEAD DRIVE off of Webber Pond Road heading north. (Not to be confused with Fairway Drive. Use Barrows Road on your GPS and we are the next road on the  left after that)  Please park after the garages in the large dirt parking lot after the condo buildings.

DISTANCE: approx. 25 miles

TERRAIN:  Moderate to Hilly

HIGHLIGHTS: Views of China Lake and Webber Pond,  gentleman farms and country homes along the Neck Road.   Stay afterwards for a light lunch and to socialize with fellow bikers.  Please RVSP to laura.lipman@roadrunner.com so Laura can get an idea of how many will be staying for lunch.

LEADER:  David Lipman, dlipman@lipmankatz.com

LINK TO RIDE MAP (2015): http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6796302

For more information on the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club, contact Jim Merrick at 293-3784, hjmerrick@gmail.com, or keep up to date via our Facebook page.

Down to the Superintendent's Office

We had a superb ride with the Alewives last Saturday in Vassalboro. It was a great day weatherwise and we had an outstanding turn-out.  Many thanks to Jeanine for leading, and to the cooperative Alewives and even a surprise Eagle! Who knows what we will encounter on this Sunday's ride in Readfield? Looks like some good climbs and some terrific downhills - with a possible ice cream stop thrown in!  Hope you can make it!

Sunday, May 22nd - READFIELD
"The Maranacook Meander" - a lakeside tour through Readfield, Winthrop, Wayne and Kents Hill
START: 9:30 am at the Maranacook School Superintendent's Office parking lot, 45 Millard Harrison Drive, off of Rt. 17 about one quarter mile north of Readfield Depot. The Superintendent's Office is the first left on the drive up to the High School.
DISTANCE: about 27 miles.
TERRAIN: moderate to hilly.
HIGHLIGHTS: many lakeside and hill top views; optional stop at Tubby's Ice Cream in Wayne.
LEADER: Lydia Leimbach.

LINK to ROUTE MAP: http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6864286