9/26 Saturday Ride

There will be two options to chose from on the Saturday ride this weekend. The first route will be a longer ride up through the Freeport/Brunswick area (MapMyRide route), while the second route will be a 25-35 mile loop that includes Cumberland and Falmouth. Both rides will roll out together at the usual usual time and head down Middle Rd. Once we get to Cumberland, we will regroup and give people the option to pick a route.

The weather is currently predicting a classic fall day - sunny in the low 60s - so make sure you plan appropriately as it is likely to be a little chilly as we head out. Also, for those of you planning to do the longer ride, don't forget to bring sufficient water and some form of food (gel, energy bars, etc.).

Newletter 9/21

RIDE DEPARTURE CHANGES

Starting Thursday, 9/24, all rides will depart Back Bay Bicycle at 5pm through the remainder of the season. However, tonight’s Monday night ride (9/21) will depart at 5:30.

Greg Fisher will host the last après ride of the season tonight at 10 Belmeade Road, just a couple blocks from the shop. All are welcome to attend.

MONDAY NIGHT RIDES FOR 2010

We would like to split next year’s Monday night rides into two groups for safety reasons and to offer a moderately paced ride to those that are interested. (A-group will remain the same pace and the B-group will be a bit slower and more modertately paced.) In doing so, we are looking for a couple ride leaders that would be willing to help out with this ride. It's fun and not difficult - just be willing to show up on a fairly regular basis and make sure that everyone regoups where needed. If you have any questions or are interested, please contact Kris Clark, Dana McEwan, or Richard Hutchins.

ROBERT ANDERSON

The club has collected $800 for Robert Anderson’s family. This money will be donated to Changing Tides, which will then flow to the family. There is still time to contribute if you are interested. You can send a tax deductible donation/check to CCCP, c/o Kris Clark, 129 Emery Street, Portland, ME 04102 or directly to Changing Tides, 772 Island Ave, Long Island, ME 04050. (If mailing it to the latter, you can specify that the donation is for the family of Robert Anderson.) Kris will be mailing all funds collected to Changing Tides on October 1^st, along with a donation from the club’s account.

CCCP END OF SEASON BASH

We are still searching for a location for the end of season party. If anyone is interested in hosting, please contact Kris (775-0356). Please know that all food and beverages will be provided by the club, you would just provide the location.

Other options include having the event at a local bar/restaurant or at Kris’s house. Any thoughts on these options can be sent to Kris as well.

CCCP GOOGLE GROUP

Don't forget to join the CCCP Google Group as a great way to stay in touch with your cycling friends on the fly. It's free and easy to join, allowing for improptu information and discussions to be generated among members. Check it out: http://groups.google.com/group/community-cycling-club-of-portland!

9/19 Saturday Ride

Now that we are heading out of summer and into fall, we are hoping to take advantage of the cooler weather to do some slightly longer rides. This weekend we will stick to the general tone of the Saturday rides and do the Prout's Neck loop (MapMyRide route). However, starting next week we are going to try to toss in some longer rides now that most people have a full summer of riding in their legs.

Next weekend - Sept. 26 - we will plan to head up toward Brunswick (MapMyRide route). We had a small group when we did this ride back in mid-summer on a cold rainy day. Hopefully the weather will be a little more cooperative this time and we will get a better turnout. The route is approximately 62 miles and we will plan to stop for water around mile 42 (the Bow St. store). For those of you that rarely stretch yourselves beyond the 30-40 mile rides, don't forget to bring enough fluid and a little something to eat (gel or a solid food).

If you have a favorite ride that you would like us to consider for the coming weeks, please drop us an email or leave a comment. Also, we would be curious to know whether people would consider driving to the start of a ride rather than leaving from the shop. Not that we don't have nice biking here in Portland, but, if you are like me, a change of scenery would be welcome.

9/12 Saturday Ride

This week the Saturday ride will head back over toward Falmouth (MapMyRide route). To be blunt, last week was a train wreck. We had flats, people took wrong turns and we even lost riders. I'm not ready to pin the problems on the fact that we tried a new route that was unfamiliar to most of the group, but that certainly didn't help matters. Hopefully this week's jaunt through more familiar territory will help get things back on track.

If this will be your first time joining the Saturday ride, please take a look at the ride description.

Dempsey Challenge Update

The Dempsey Challenge has been capped at 3500 riders with approximately 2400 signed up. If you haven't registered yet, and plan to do so, you might consider registering soon:

http://www.dempseychallenge.org/

9/5 Saturday Ride

After a complete washout last weekend, we will once again try to head over toward Gorham (MapMyRide route).

If this will be your first Saturday ride, please check out the description of the CCCP Saturday ride.