Upcoming Rides this Week

I think we are all in the habit of our Monday and Thursday night ride routines at this point but this is just a friendly reminder. Rides are still leaving at 5:30. Thursday night we finally have a B-group. It's suggested that the B-riders leave a few minutes after the A-group so as to keep together more and not chase the A-riders. (B-riders will take an abbreviated loop that might extend and vary as the daylight increases.)

Don't forget about the ride Saturday morning, though not to be confused with the Portland Velo and the SMCC Saturday morning rides. This is a much more leisurely paced ride and the route varies. Contact Bryan Lewis for details if you are interested.

We keep talking of a Sunday morning rides. The route will vary weekly. However, it might be a small crowd this week with the LL Bean Time Trial taking place. Contact Kris Clark for details regarding this ride.

Next week the Women's Only ride will start up. It will depart Back Bay Bicycle at 6pm. The first few weeks it will be an easy 15-mile ride (up Ocean/Middle Road to Tuttle and back Routes 88 and 1). Spread the word! All ability levels welcome! There seems to be some excitement about a women's only ride. For more details, email Dana McEwan.

Finally, it seems there are a few that are trying to establish a Wednesday night ride from the South Portland High School on Highland Avenue at 5:30. This will follow the Highland Ave/Blackpoint Road loop to Prout's Neck and back Spurwink/Route 77 and Shore Road, if there is interest. Contact Spencer Reed if this is your kind of ride.

Hope you are all riding as much as your schedule allows!

Casual Wednesday Night Ride

Spencer is planning a Wednesday night ride this week (April 30th) at 5:30 leaving from the South Portland High School parking lot.

The route will be Highland Ave to Blackpoint Rd & Prout's Neck extension. Spurwink Rd. / 77 through Cape Elizabeth (via Shore Rd. if time, light, & interest enough) to SoPo / Highland Ave.

Camaraderie Speed and Cadence.

Call Spencer at 329-1862 or email if you're interested.

I plan on being there to make up for the past week without the bike.

Dana

News for Tour de Georgia

Hi All!

Hope the rides are going well in Portland. It's raining here on the last stage of the Tour de Georgia. I'm hoping this will pass and it will be a somewhat dry day but there looks to be more rain behind this batch. That should make for an interesting stage.

I've only been able to blog about the Road Atlanta Stage thus far. As some of you know blogging can be a bit time consuming and between packing up for the stages and rushing off to see them and being in the mountains of Northern Georgia (with no internet access) for Saturday's epic stage up Brasstown Bald Mountain, I find I'm a bit behind with my postings.

I'll try to get caught up and when I do I'll let you know. But for now, go check out the Road Atlanta blog and photos. We got some great shots and took almost 1000 pictures! Thank goodness for a couple large memory cards!

Enjoy and I'll see y'all soon!

Dana

The Official Roadie

If you haven't heard about the book Roadie, written by Jamie Smith, I highly recommend you pick up a copy at your local book store or order one on line through Jamie's website.

I was reading Jamie's blog before I left Maine and saw that he was going to be here in Atlanta for the race. I promptly contacted him to see if I could get him to sign my copy of his book as I would have it with me on the trip. He said yes!

I took the book to Road Atlanta hoping to track him down on the first day. I was lucky enough to find him soon after our arrival.



If all racers and cyclists are like Jamie then they are the nicest group of people you'd ever meet. He didn't give me the brush off at all, seemed happy to sign the book for me and we chatted for a while about biking. Of course I couldn't resist the urge to ask him about his prediction for the day, which was High Road. Sorry Jamie! (Slipstream took the stage.)

Growing Rides

The group rides keep growing in participation with the each passing week!!

Don't Forget the T-Shirts

Remember the posting last fall about the snazzy new CCCP t-shirts? Well, it's t-shirt season and if you've forgotten to pick one up, run (or bike) on down to Back Bay Bicycle for one. Only $10.00 for members and $15.00 for non-members.

Saturday Late Morning Ride

Saturday is the only chance I'm going to have to ride the LL Bean TT Route before the race. I'm going to leave from Back Bay Bicycle at 10am. There are a couple that are interested in joining me, either just to ride the 60+/- miles round trip or to check out the route for themselves.

You are all welcome to join me if it works for your schedule. The weather looks sunny. Plan accordingly for food and drink. The coffee shop in Brunswick is not along the route though it wouldn't take much to convince me to stop at Starbucks in Freeport or Maine Coffee Roasters in Yarmouth either on the way out or on the way back. We'll play the coffee stop by ear!

Dana

First Official B-Group for Thursday Night

We had 13 riders show up for the B-Group that left the shop at 5:30. A nice showing and some positive feedback about the ride.

It was mentioned that we could vary the route from time to time as we gain more daylight to extend our time on the bike. From the top of Mountain Road we have the option of going right onto Blackstrap then down Mast Road to Duck Pond Road to Brook that will bake us back to Blackstrap. We also have the option of hooking onto Blanchard from Blackstrap and back Tuttle Road and 88 or Middle Road. Stay tuned to the blog for revised routes as the season progresses.

Thanks to all that rode tonight. Don't forget the B-group will depart along with the A-group next week at 5:30. It looked like a large A-group tonight as I passed them on the way to the B-Group ride.

A Night with Mark McCormack

For those of you who are not aware of it, Gorham Bike and Ski is hosting Mark McCormack at their Portland location Friday evening at 7pm. If you are interesting to hear his accounts of racing, training and riding then plan on attending.

He will also be joining the Saturday morning ride out of GBS this weekend.

This Week's MNR

Some 24 people showed up for a sunny Monday Night Ride:

Thursday's weather forecast looks spectacular and we are hoping for a large turnout for both the departure at 5pm and the departure at 5:30!

April 17 ThNR Update

As promised, here's the skinny on the departure of Thursday night's ride this week. This will be the last week this spring it leaves at 5:00. However, there will be a B-group ride that will depart from Back Bay Bicycle at 5:30. It will be an abbreviated route due to daylight restrictions instead of the full Dutton Hill Loop.

If you can't make the 5pm ride, feel free to join us for the 5:30 ride. Even if you are a faster rider than a B-rider, you're still welcome to come along!

See you Thursday night!

Dana

Wednesday Night Ride?

Hey All,

Tracey is looking to ride the Prout's Neck loop Wednesday night and looking for riders to join her. Meet at the South Portland High School upper parking lot on Highland Ave for a 5:30 departure.

You can email Tracey for details or to confirm your participation.

~Dana

This Week's Rides

Our apologies to those who arrived at the shop today at 10am looking for a ride. I understand one did not happen. Perhaps we are just a bit out of practice and need to work on making it a habit, like Monday and Thursday nights.

Monday night will depart at 5:30 from Back Bay Bicycle and it's a clockwise route (up Middle Road to Yarmouth and back Routes 88 and 1). Just a reminder there is some construction on Ocean Ave and last I knew the road was torn up and there are patches with dirt fill. Please use caution in this area.

I think Kris said the Thursday night ride will be departing the shop at 5:00 , then 5:30 starting next week April  24th , at least until it's lighter longer for a 6pm start (May) However, I'll confirm this with Kris and we'll post Thursday's ride start here later in the week so check back if you ride Thursdays.

The weather forecast for the week looks more like spring weather in Maine. Last Thursday night was beautiful and it looks like the latter part of the week might end up being a repeat performance.

See you all Monday night!!

Dana

B-Group for Tonight's ThNR

Hi All,

Sorry I haven't posted this earlier. There will be a B-group riding the Thursday Night Ride tonight. We'll leave with the A-riders and hold on as long as we can. We'll regroup at the top of Field Road. I would imagine we'll follow the route to the top of Mountain Road and probably just return back to Portland from there unless everyone is up for riding Blackstrap to Blanchard and Tuttle and back 88 or Middle Road. We might have enough daylight by leaving at 5pm.

See you all tonight!

Dana

Monday Night Ride - April 7th

About a dozen of us showed for a cool evening ride. Is spring ever going to get here?



See you Thursday night! Don't forget, there will be a B-group riding Thursday night. Come one, come all!!

Dana

This Week's Rides

Hi all,

Just an update that Monday Night ride will leave at 5:30 from Back Bay Bicycle. We will be riding counter-clockwise, which means up Routes 1 and 88 into Yarmouth and back via Middle Road. Sunset is as 7:15 so we should be able to make it all the way to Yarmouth and back with enough daylight.

It's my understanding that the route for the Thursday Night ride has been revised a bit to avoid the crappy conditions on Range Road, which is now actually closed to public. For those who have not ridden the ride yet, expect to turn left on Winn Road instead of right and climb Mountain Road to Blackstrap with a right at the top, down to Forest Lake Road and up Dutton Hill. The normal route back applies. Thursdays rides still leave at 5:00 pm.

If the weather cooperates, Bryan Lewis will be leading a Saturday morning ride, departing at 8am.

Lastly, there have been a few people interested in the Sunday morning rides. We've talked about it but haven't made it happen yet. How about we make it happen this week?? If someone would like to come up with a route to lead, you can either make a comment to this post for others to see or send me an email and I'll post it for you. If no one wants to lead the ride (and by lead I mean come up with the route - you don't necessarily have to "lead" everyone) then just show up at the shop and it can be a group consensus about where to ride. Routes might vary from 30-50 miles so please plan accordingly for time, hydration and food. (Money is always a good idea. Often coffee shop stops are worked into the ride.) This ride will typically leave at 10am from Back Bay Bicycle and is considered a moderately paced ride.

Looks like the weather this week is going to cooperate for some great riding, though it's too far out to tell how the weekend will shape up. If you are riding in a group, or riding alone, take care on the roads.

SMCC Crit

My husband I went to the crit today in Scarborough, sponsored by SMCC. It was a cool morning but that didn't seem to keep the boys, and gals, from showing up to ride. I'm not sure exactly how many were there but it looked like a decent turn out. I've posted a couple photos below and you can check them all out by clicking HERE.







The top finishers in each category are posted on the SMCC Discussion Board and I've linked it HERE.

Thursday Night Ride

I caught the Thursday night ride on my commute home. I pulled over to snap a couple photos. I'm sure some of the people on the ride wondered what the heck I was doing. But I saw a blog posting in the making.
Great turnout tonight! Someone let me know how many of you were on the ride. Had to have been over 20!

~Dana

Morning Sunrise

I was fortunate enough to be riding across the Falmouth Bridge this morning at sunrise (6:18am). When I finally reached an area where I could see where the sun was going to poke above the horizon I stopped pedaling to snap a few pictures. Here's one:

Weekly Club Rides Begin. It must be Spring!

Now that it is April, Monday and Thursday weekly rides are officially on.

THURSDAY April 3rd we will be leaving Back Bay Bike (333 Forest Ave, Portland) at 5:00pm, but will be switching to 5:30 within the next week or 2 as we get more light. Because Range Road is so dangerous right now from frost heaves and a solid coating of sand, we are trying out an alternate route for a couple of weeks.

MONDAY rides leave at 5:30 pm.

SATURDAY rides will begin as soon as we get a Saturday that is neither snowing or raining! which sadly it will be again this coming Saturday, the 5th. These rides leave the shop at 8:00 am.

Check blog regularly for informal Sunday rides with different routes and led by various club members. Typically leave shop at 10 am but not always. Sign up for mailing list at: kris@gwi.net

Starting in May there will be a new Womens Ride every TUESDAY at 6.

SCARBOROUGH SPRING INDUSTRIAL PARK CRITERIUM SERIES

I know many of you also ride with the SMCC group. Jeff Seger thought it might be good to post this information on our blog for those of you who might be interested:

2008 SOUTHERN MAINE CYCLING CLUB PRESENTS THE SCARBOROUGH SPRING INDUSTRIAL PARK CRITERIUM SERIES HELD UNDER USAC PERMIT NUMBER 2008-983.

THE SPRING CRIT SERIES WILL CONSIST OF TWO RACES AND A AND B RACE. THE LOCATION IS THE SCARBOROUGH INDUSTRIAL PARK LOCATED ON U.S. ROUTE 1 IN SCARBOUROUGH, MAINE JUST A FEW MINUTES FROM THE MAINE TURNPIKE. THE CRIT COURSE IS a 7/8-MILE FLAT LOOP ON THE INTERIOR OF THE PARK.

THE SERIES WILL START APRIL 6 AND WILL RUN EVERY SUNDAY FOR EIGHT WEEKS ENDING ON SUNDAY 05/25 WITH AN AWARDS PRESENTATION, COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS. THIS IS A USAC EVENT AND AS SUCH WILL REQUIRE A LICENSE TO RACE.

REGISTRATION IS ON THE DAY OF EACH RACE. THE ONLY PREREGISTRATION WILL BE TO PAY FOR ALL 8 RACES AND SAVE $10.00. THE COST OF EACH IS $10.00 AND A USAC LICENSE IS REQUIRED. REGISTRATION / INFORMATION TABLE WILL BE OPEN AT 7:30 AM AND BE OPEN FOR THE DURATION OF THE TWO RACES.

RACE FEE: $10.00 PER RACE
USAC LICENSE FEE: ONE DAY LICENSE $10.00
ANNUAL LICENSE $60.00 *
APPLICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE AND OR RENEW A LICENSE

B RACE STARTS AT 8:00 AM SHARP, 12 LAPS AROUND 7/8 MILE FLAT OPEN COURSE

A RACE STARTS DIRECTLY AFTER THE B RACE. THE A RACE IS 20 LAPS ON THE SAME COURSE.

THE B RACE IS MEANT FOR NEW RACERS AS WELL AS NOVICES. IF YOU ARE A CAT 3, OR EVEN A GOOD 4, YOU SHOULD BE RACING THE A RACE. REMEMBER THIS IS AN EARLY SEASON TRAINING CRIT. IF IT IS ANYHTING LIKE LAST YEAR WE WILL HAVE SNOW BANKS STILL IN THE PARK.

BECAUSE IT IS A TRAINING CRIT THE ONLY PRIZES THAT WILL BE HAND OUT ARE HAND MADE PLAQUES THAT I MAKE IN MY SHOP. OTHER AWARDS COULD INCLUDE FREE HATS OR INNER TUBES. THE ONLY CASH PAID OUT IS A PRIMES COLLECTED FROM SPECTATORS. LAST YEAR SOME RACES HAD MORE THEN HALF THE RACE MADE UP OF PRIMES LAPS.

IF A RACE IS TO BE CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER THEN A POSTING WILL BE PUT ON THE SOUTERHN MAINE CYCLING CLUB’S MESSAGE BOARD.

FOR ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: JOE MORESHEAD PO BOX 744, SACO, ME 04072 OR 207.283.0121

ALL USC CYCLING ROAD, TRACK OR CYCLOCROSS RULES APPLY