No 11/17 Saturday Ride

With morning temps below freezing, there will be no ride this week.

Saturday Ride (No ride 11/10)

Now that we've had our first snow, it's time to consider when we will formally end the Saturday rides for the winter. Please drop me an email and let me know if you would like to keep riding and how cold is too cold (feel free to include a wind chill limit).

Sometime this winter, we were thinking it would be nice to try to get together to see each other and to talk a bit about the ride for next year. I already have contact info for many of the regulars, and I will definitely post an update here if we do anything, but if you drop me an email I will add you to my contact list.

As for this week's ride, there will be no formal ride: it's likely that it will be in the upper 30s even at 9:00 and I'm a bit concerned that the roads will be a mess with the snow that will be melting.

11/3 Saturday Ride

Starting late doesn't look like it will make much difference in the temperature, so we will plan to leave the shop at the normal time tomorrow—just after 8:00 am.

We'll pick the route in the morning, so bring your suggestions.

10/27 Saturday Ride

The ride will start an hour late this week -- 9:00 am -- to give the temps a chance to climb into the 50s. The route will be decided at the start, so bring your suggestions. 

Ride Moved to Sunday 10/21

Nobody responded and I don't want to ride in the rain, so we are going to move the ride to Sunday. We will leave from the shop at 8:00. Bring your suggestion for a route.

10/20 Saturday Ride

Should we move the ride to Sunday this week to take advantage of what will be a much nicer day? My vote is that we move to Sunday, but I'm open to suggestions.

Please leave a comment or drop me an email with your input. I will update this post by 7:00 this evening with the plan.

10/13 Saturday Ride

We will leave at 9:00am this week.

It looks like it will be bright and sunny tomorrow morning, but the temps should be a bit on the chilly side. So, we will plan to leave the shop late to give the sun some time to warm things up a little.

We will pick a route in the morning based on the temperature and the wind.

10/6 Saturday Ride

It looks like we are going to have a dry and a touch chilly window for our ride tomorrow morning. I will be leading the shorter route, which will head out Middle and over to Sligo (MapMyRide route). For those doing the Dempsey Challenge and anyone else who wants to get a few more miles a trip up toward Pineland is an easy extension.

9/29 Saturday Ride

We're going to leave things pretty open this week since the weather looks wet and windy for Saturday and a fair number of people have plans to head to Acadia for the Cadillac Challenge. I am planning to lead the short ride on a nice easy 25-20 mile jaunt (route TBD). If you are interested in leading a longer ride, please drop me an email.

9/22 Saturday Ride

This past weekend was a great riding weekend with lots of cycling options. The few who showed up for the Saturday ride enjoyed a nice doughnut break:

Others opted for beer and chose the Gritty's ride on Sunday:

This week we will continue to put together a long ride for those planning to do the Cadillac Challenge and the Dempsey Challenge. For those of you looking for lodging up near the start of the Cadillac Challenge, the Colony Inn is a good option that is very close to the ride start and has some discounts available to club members on their duplex cottage units. If you call, ask for Kyle, tell him your are heading up for the Cadillac Challenge and that you are with the CCCP in Portland.

The longer ride this week will be an extended variation of the Old Orchard loop we did a few weeks ago (MapMyRide route). There is some construction on the route and there may still be 2 or three sections of unpaved road to contend with on the way to Buxton, but these sections are short and could be paved by now. The shorter loop will be the standard Prout's Neck ride and will split at the end of Highland (MapMyRide route).

We are going to do our best to keep people together, but the ride has been a bit faster as of late and the longer distances can put some breaks in the group. Please review the maps above and do everything you can to make sure you are going to know where you are in the event that you lose contact with the group.

Finally, for these longer rides, please think about your nutrition. You will NEED some calories and some electrolytes during a 70-mile ride so plan accordingly. We will have a planned stop just before we hit Saco so people can refuel and we may stop when we hit Route 1 before heading out to Prout's Neck.

9/15 Saturday Ride

This week is the Loon Echo Trek. I have had a few inquiries into who is planning on doing this ride, so if you are and you are looking for company, drop me an email.

This weekend, there is apparently another ride associated with Gritty's here in the Portland area. The ride is on Sunday, visits three Gritty's locations and was detailed in a Press Herald article. The article links to the doodle signup.

Coming up we also have the Cadillac Challenge, and the Dempsey Challenge.

I'm completely undecided about a route since we aren't sure how many people will be focusing on the Loon Echo and how many would prefer to do the 75-mile Gritty's ride on Sunday. So, we'll pick a route at the shop in the morning.

9/8 Saturday Ride

Summer is now officially behind us and we are on to what is usually the best few weeks of cycling here  in Maine. Now if only we could get the rain out of the forecast for this weekend, we'd be all set.

There are numerous fall rides, but the ones people seem to focus on each year are the Loon Echo Trek, the Cadillac Challenge, and the Dempsey Challenge. To help stretch people out a bit for these rides, the longer route this week will head over to Old Orchard Beach and over to Gorham (MapMyRide route). While I am willing to ride this route rain or shine, we will leave open the possibility to modify the route is the weather is really poor. For those doing the Loon Echo ride, there is also an easy way to bump this route up to a bit over 70 miles if you are looking to get a few more miles in before the ride next weekend.

The shorter loop will do the standard Prout's Neck loop (MapMyRide route). However, I believe we need a volunteer to lead folks on the shorter loop again this week.

9/1 Ride Update

It turns out that there will be some minor festivities at the start of tomorrow's ride. Sorry for the late notice, but if you have a club kit, please wear it tomorrow morning. Thanks.

9/1 Saturday Ride

It's a long weekend this week and the weather looks to be great for biking, so we'll plan to head out toward Pineland (MapMyRide route). There will almost certainly be a shorter loop that breaks off at the top of Mountain Rd., but we need a volunteer to play leader on the shorter loop (MapMyRide route). We'll leave at the usual time - just after 8:00 from Back Bay Bikes.

We are moving toward fall century season here in Maine, with the Loon Echo Trek on September 15, the Cadillac Challenge on September 30, and the Dempsey Challenge on October 14. In the coming weeks, we'll be stretching out the ride a bit, but we would be happy to incorporate suggestions on what routes you would like us to follow. Just drop an email or a comment with suggestions.

As always, bring your emergency contact info, some fluids and a smile.

8/23 Saturday Ride

Well, whaddya say: three's a charm? Let's see if we can finally get that Mitchell Hill route in!

The long route will include a jaunt around Cape (MapMyRide route). For those of you looking for a shorter ride, there is a shorter loop that will head back to town via Highland Ave (MapMyRide route).

As always, bring a helmet, fluids and your emergency contact info.

8/18 Saturday Ride

After a forced route change a few weeks back due to the Beach to Beacon, I'm thinking we should take another shot at heading over to do the Mitchell Hill route.

The long route will include a jaunt around Cape (MapMyRide route). For those of you looking for a shorter ride, I am planning to lead a shorter loop that will head back to town via Highland Ave (MapMyRide route).

As always, bring a helmet, fluids and your emergency contact info.

8/11 Saturday Ride

Well, Bron and I are both out of town again this week and I am sick of trying to post a route using my cell phone and a sub-par wireless connection. The route will be up to the group and hopefully someone will step up to lead everyone around.

Revised 8/4 Saturday Ride

The Beach to Beacon is going to make the planned route pretty much impossible tomorrow.

Instead, we will plan to head out Washington Ave. to Mountain Rd. Where we go from there will be up to the group.

8/4 Saturday Ride

This week we will continue heading out west and do the Mitchell Hill route, including a jaunt around Cape (MapMyRide route). For those of you looking for a shorter ride, I am planning to lead a shorter loop that will head back to town via Highland Ave (MapMyRide route).

As always, bring a helmet, fluids and your emergency contact info and leave your fixies at home.

7/28 Saturday Ride

It turns out that I will be in town tomorrow, so you can all stop panicking about leading officially and just come out and ride (leading functionally).

Ok, so the weatherman is most definitely not in our corner right now. Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that it's *not* going to rain tomorrow. Assuming the cycling gods are with us, I thought we'd do something a little different and take a path to the west: Babbage/Highland Rte.

Along with the usual reminders (water, nutrition, helmet and ID), you may want to pack your Wellies, but let's hope for the best!

Ride Leader Reminder

We are still looking for volunteers to lead the ride next week (7/28). If you are willing to lend a hand, please drop me an email.

7/21 Saturday Ride

Thanks to some last minute volunteers, we will have a ride tomorrow. Given the late hour, I'm not going to post a map here, but I believe that the long ride will head out Mountain Rd. and then over Dutton Hill to Pineland. The shorter route will likely follow Blackstrap all the way to Blanchard and then head straight down to 88 and back to town.

Ride Leaders Needed

Bron and I both have conflicts the next two Saturdays, so we are looking for volunteer ride leaders for this coming Saturday (7/21) and the following week (7/28). If you are interested in helping us out either of these weeks, please drop me an email. Thanks.

7/14 Saturday Ride

This week we'll leave the shop at the usual just past 8:00am and head up toward Freeport (MapMyRide route). There won't be an official longer route, but for those who want some extra miles you can certainly head left when we hit South Freeport Rd. and meander up toward Brunswick.

As always, remember to bring ID that includes emergency contact information.

Please drop me an email with any questions.

7/7 Saturday Ride

It looks like another standard summer day is on tap for this Saturday. We'll plan to leave the shop just after 8:00 to head out through Falmouth and Cumberland and then toss in a few hills for good measure (MapMyRide route). For those riders who haven't been missing the hills or would just rather keep the ride closer to 30 miles, you can simply take a right when we hit Blanchard and head straight down to Rte 88 rather than doing the loop over Dutton Hill.

Don't forget to bring emergency contact information with you on the ride—it's not optional. Also, it's likely going to be hot, so consider bringing more than just water. Something with electrolytes is not a bad idea.

On the safety front, please be mindful of the Group Ride Guidelines. We are going to be paying particular attention to erratic riding and are initiating a relegation policy for crossing the yellow line.

If you have any questions, please drop me an email. 

6/30 Saturday Ride

It's looking like we're going to be on the warm side this Saturday, so the Freeport loop seems like a reasonable choice: ample options for longer routes if desired, but keeping us near the coast. Questions or comments, click the link below or email bron@cyclemaine.com.

Don't forget your Road ID, and I'll see you at 8:00!

6/23 Saturday Ride

Following the oppressive weather we've had this week, I confess to a positive affinity for staying along the coast this weekend, although it looks like we could have some shower activity. I'm torn: we haven't done the Cape loop in a while, but the jaunt up to Freeport is always nice, too. If you have a preference, please let me know by comment or email at bron@cyclemaine.com. I'm leaning towards staying in Cape if the weather looks questionable, as people can abandon easier if we're closer to town.

I'm looking forward to the relief of some refreshing cool breezes, but I prefer that my showers occur at home. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

6/16 Saturday Ride

A final reminder to order your RoadID before the discount code expires on Sunday, June 17. Its a good deal on a great product, so pick one up now—before you need it.

This week we will head up Mountain Rd. and over the back side of Dutton Hill (MapMyRide route). We'll leave at just after 8:00 from Back Bay Bikes.

If you have any questions or need the RoadID discount code, please drop me an email.

6/9 Saturday Ride

This entire past week has been a bit of a washout. There's still a chance of rain in the forecast for this weekend, but we will plan to head out unless it is pouring.  Since nobody actual rode last week;s route, we'll give that one another shot and plan to head out through Falmouth and Cumberland (MapMyRide route). Riders looking for a slightly shorter route will have the option to head straight down Tuttle Rd. as we make our way through Cumberland and then follow the route home on 88.

While we may stop posting weekly reminders of our increased emphasis on ensuring that all riders carry emergency contact information, rest assured we will continue to make it a point at every ride. Please save us the trouble of harassing you and make sure you have some form of identification that lists at least one emergency contact. We hope to never use this information, but trust me when I say that you (and more importantly your loved ones) will be exceptional glad we have access to it if we need it.

As we mentioned last week, RoadID has generously provided the club with a discount code for use ordering any of their RoadID products. If you are not familiar with RoadID, check out their website. RoadID has asked that we not place the code in publicly available areas, so I am not going to post the code here. However, I will email you the code if you drop me an email.  

Keep in mind that the RoadID offer is only valid through June 17th, so take advantage of it while you can.

6/2 Saturday Ride

First, congratulations to everyone who completed the Memorial Day ride! Now that we are past Memorial Day and unofficially into summer, we will turn our attention to some moderate distance rides (~40-50 miles). However, to the extent that people would like to do some longer rides, please let us know and we can certainly work those into the schedule.

As most of you know, we started putting more emphasis on having emergency contact information on every ride. Please save us the trouble of harassing you and make sure you have some form of identification that lists at least one emergency contact. We hope to never use this information, but trust me when I say that you (and more importantly your loved ones) will be exceptional glad we have access to it if we need it.

On the topic of emergency contact information, RoadID has generously provided the club with a discount code for use ordering any of their RoadID products. If you are not familiar with RoadID, check out the website. The "slim" ID is less than $13 with the discount. These products are just about the only cycling related item that I unconditionally endorse. RoadID has asked that we not place the code in publicly available areas, so I am not going to post the code here. However, Kris sent out a club-wide email this past weekend with the discount code and I will email you the code if you drop me an email. The offer is only valid June 17th, so take advantage of it while you can.

For this week's ride, we will plan to head out through Falmouth and Cumberland (MapMyRide route). Rather than a separate shorter route this week, riders interested in doing fewer miles can simply plan to head straight down Tuttle Rd. as we make our way through Cumberland and then follow the route home on 88.

5/26 Saturday Ride

It's Memorial Day weekend, so we will have a shorter route through Falmouth and Cumberland (MapMyRide route) for our weekly Saturday ride in anticipation of the CCCP Memorial Day Ride that will take place on Monday. We'll plan to leave from the shop at 8:00 on Saturday.

New Emergency Contact Policy:

Starting this week every rider on the Saturday rides will need to have some form of emergency contact information. At a minimum, you need to have something that indicates: (1) your name and (2) at least one emergency contact. The point is to ensure that we know who to contact in the event of an emergency.

If you don't have emergency contact information with you, we will be handing you a marker so you can place the information on the rear of your calf.

RoadID Discounts Coming Soon!!

We have mentioned many times before that we are huge fans of the RoadID products. Given the importance of all riders carrying emergency contact information, we have contacted RoadID and are working with them to arrange for a discount for all club members. Our expectation is that there will be a club-wide email in the next week or so providing everyone with a code valid for 20% off at RoadID. With IDs starting as low as $15.99 without the discount, we hope that people will take advantage of this opportunity.

5/19 Saturday Ride

We have under two weeks until the CCCP Memorial Day ride, which means that we have only one weekend left to put together a longer training ride.

We will be starting the longer route and the shorter route from different locations this week. 

The longer ride will leave from Cumberland, while the shorter route will leave from Back Bay Bikes as usual. Both rides will leave at 8:00.

The Shorter Route — Starting at Back Bay Bikes
Riders who want to do the shorter route should meet at 8:00 at Back Bay Bikes. The route will head out through Falmouth and Cumberland and return on Rte 88 (MapMyRide route). We have an unofficial leader, but if you plan to do this ride and would be willing to step up as an official leader, please drop me an email.


The Longer Route — Starting at the Cumberland Fire Station
Riders who want to do the longer route should meet at 8:00 in the parking lot of the Cumberland fire station located on Tuttle Rd. The fire station is at the top of Tuttle, just before the intersection with Rte 9 (Main St.). For those driving, there is ample parking in the school parking lot (note the "P" markers on the route map).

The longer route will follow the Raymond Hill loop (MapMyRide route). This is one of the longer, hillier rides in the area, so please plan accordingly by bringing plenty to drink and consider bringing some food to consume as well. We will likely stop at the general store just before Egypt Rd. However, I believe they are cash only, so make sure you've got cash if you think you'll want something there.

If you are biking to the start of the longer route, please add extra time to limit the possibility that we will leave before you get there.

If you have any questions, please drop me an email.

5/12 Saturday Ride

Back to our usual schedule this weekend, leaving the shop at 8:00am.

This week we have a fairly long and hilly ride planned as we will be touring Falmouth, Cumberland, Grey, New Gloucester and Yarmouth (MapMyRide route). It is also likely to be relatively warm, so please make sure you have enough to drink and eat. We will stop at Pineland either on the way out or the way back so people can stock up.

For those interested in a shorter ride, there will be shorter route that includes Mountain Rd. and then heads back via Cumberland and Rte 88. (MapMyRide route).

A quick note about next week's ride. On 5/19 we will be leaving from Cumberland and heading out to do the Raymond Hill loop. (MapMyRide route). The plan will be to collect at the fire station at the corner of Tuttle and Main at 8:00am. We also hope to have a shorter route that will leave from the shop, so if you are interested in leading that ride, please drop me an email.

5/6 SUNDAY Ride

Well, the title tells the story. After seriously hemming and hawing about whether to head out on Saturday morning, we have decided to move the ride to Sunday morning. Right now it looks like Saturday could be ok, but given the distance we have planned we decided that Sunday was a better choice.

So, we will leave the shop on Sunday at 8:00 and head up to Brunswick, basically skirting the edge of town before we head back (MapMyRide route).

We will tentatively plan a short route as well (MapMyRide route). However, since we are switching the days we are not positive that there will be a leader for the shorter route. If you are willing to lead the shorter ride, please drop me an email.

If you have any questions, want to complain about the schedule switching or just want say hi, leave a comment or drop me an email.

4/28 Saturday Ride

We're continuing along with our series of rides geared to get people prepared for the CCCP Memorial Day ride over in the White Mountains.

This week we will head out on a tour of Yarmouth, New Gloucester and Falmouth (MapMyRide route). For those not interested in doing the full 52 miles, we will also have a short route that will head through Cumberland (MapMyRide route).

Given the distance we will leave the shop at the "usual" 8:00 am start time.

If you have any questions, comments or complaints, please use the comments option or drop me an email.

4/21 Saturday Ride

UPDATE FRIDAY 1:00pm

We're getting less confident that the ride will stay dry on Saturday, so we have decided to change the route a bit.

The new plan is to head out Middle Rd., up Tuttle, catch Dutton Hill, and then follow the rest of the original route (MapMyRide route). This change will keep the distance almost identical, but will provide us with several additional options for shortening the ride if the weather decides not to cooperate.

We'll still plan to leave the shop at 8:00 am.

____________________________

After watching the weather all week, it looks like the conditions for this week's ride could go either way. By all accounts, the best chance of a dry ride will be early in the day and the temps should be fairly steady, so we will plan to leave the shop at 8:00 am.

For now, we will plan on doing the planned route out through Falmouth, Cumberland and Yarmouth (MapMyRide route). However, we may shorten things up depending on the weather.

For those looking to do the shorter loop, we are planning to follow the same track as last week (MapMyRide route).

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please drop me an email.

4/14 Saturday Ride

It's that time of year again. Once again, we have put together a progression of rides that we hope will help people prepare for the CCCP Memorial Day ride on May 28.

For some reason, it feels like we don't have much time this year, so this first week or two are a bit of a stretch over the distance we have been riding. If we stick together and ride as a group, we are confident that these distances will be reasonable, so please stick together and ride as a group—especially this next week or two.

This week's ride will tour Falmouth, Yarmouth and Cumberland (MapMyRide route).

We will also have a shorter ride for people that don't want, or don't have time, to go the full distance (MapMyRide route). The full group will stay together until Mountain Rd. and then split. Also, a huge thank you to Christine for helping us out by leading the shorter loop.

As for start time, we are going to head out from the shop at 8:30am. This seems like the best compromise between letting things warm up and making sure we get back at a reasonable time.

As I mentioned this week is the first in a series of rides designed to help people prepare for the CCCP Memorial Day ride. The rest of the schedule looks like this:

• 4/21: Falmouth, Yarmouth and Cumberland (MapMyRide route)
• 4/28: Yarmouth, Pineland, New Gloucester and Falmouth (MapMyRide route)
• 5/5: Freeport and Brunswick (MapMyRide route)
• 5/12: Falmouth, Grey, Pineland and New Gloucester (MapMyRide route)
• 5/19: Raymond Hill loop - **Cumberland start** (MapMyRide route)
• 5/26: Undecided, but probably either the 4/14 or 4/21 route

If you have any questions about the ride, if you want to give me your feedback on the proposed routes, or if you are willing to help us out as a leader, please drop me an email.

4/7 Saturday Ride

It doesn't look like there will be much warmup tomorrow morning, but we'll leave a little bit late to give the sun a chance to warm things up a touch. Plan to leave the shop at 9:00.

This week we'll head out through Falmouth and Cumberland (MapMyRide route).

3/31 Saturday Ride

After much debate whether Saturday or Sunday would be the better day this weekend, we have decided to stick with Saturday. However, we will be leaving at 10:00 am to give the sun some time to warm things up.

As for the route, that is still up in the air, but the likely candidate is our first trip of the season up Mountain Rd. (MapMyRide route).

3/24 Saturday Ride

It doesn't look like the summer weather is going to stay around for the weekend, so it may be a bit chilly on Saturday morning. To give the sun a chance to warm things up a touch we will plan to leave the shop at 9:30.

The route this week will stay relatively short and relatively flat as we do the familiar route around Greely and Tuttle (MapMyRide route).

We are looking for people who are willing to help with some of the leadership tasks this season. If you are willing to help us out, the bar is quite low. All you need to do is show up like you usually do, make sure you know the route, and pay a little bit of attention to your fellow riders. If you have any interest in helping us out, please drop me an email.

See you Saturday at 9:30.

2012 Saturday Morning Rides

There's more snow on the ground now than we've had for most of the winter, but it's time to start thinking about starting things up for the 2012 season. Right now, I'm thinking that the first ride of the season will be on St. Patrick's Day — Saturday, March 17.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel that St. Patrick's day offers a great excuse for us to head out a bit later than usual and to plan on collecting somewhere after the ride to grab a drink. Every spring we look to poll the group on what you want to accomplish this year and how you would like to see the rides structured. This year we might as well discuss the options over a drink. Hopefully people will turn out for a nice early season ride and a chance to share your thoughts on the upcoming season.

Given that it's early in the season and we have no idea what the weather will look like, we will plan on a relatively short ride on 3/17 to get our legs back. Probably a jaunt out Middle and then back in Rte 88 (MapMyRide route). It will be the first Saturday after we push the clocks forward, so we're thinking it makes sense to head out at 11:00 with the hope that we will be sitting somewhere warm with a drink in hand around 12:30.

If you have thoughts on where we should head after the ride, or if you want to voice your thoughts on the upcoming season, please leave a comment (name included so we can follow-up) and/or drop me an email.