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.

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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.

New Year's Ride

UPDATE

Just when everything was going great, I had to pick up bronchitis as an extra Christmas present. I'm afraid my throat and chest won't do well tomorrow. Bruce wants to ride at 11:00 and, with the likely freezing tonight, I can't disagree. So meet at the shop by 11:00, and ride safe.
Happy New Year!

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I was going to see if anyone was interested in a Day Before New Year's ride (one last chance to get your miles in before the end of the year), but the weather is looking icky for Saturday. So how about Sunday, and what time? The football game is at 1:00, so I'm leaning towards a 10:00 start. Any takers? Comment or send email to bron@cyclemaine.com.

The temperatures are cooling off and the holidays are heating up: I'm thinking the season may finally need to come to a close, but let's make one last start time at 9:00.

I think a New Year's Ride is a moral imperative, but since the football game is on at 1:00 on Sunday, how about a New Year's Eve ride? A noon start time from the shop on Saturday should be post-cold and pre-hangover, right? Provided we aren't fighting rain, snow, or freezing temps, do folks want to ride?

If we get lucky enough to have more freakishly warm weather after the New Year, be sure to check in to see if we call an impromptu ride. If you plan to ride, we're happy to advertise it here; just email sean@cyclemaine.com or bron@cyclemaine.com.