It's Oxbow Metric Weekend!
So, yeah, I'll be off doing that. For any looking for something local, I will leave you with this one or your choice from the Route Library. If you have Strava and plan to ride, click the button so others know you'll be there. It's going to be a great day, so get out there!
Well, I'm not sure if it's Tammy's fault or not, but I don't even see a bump-day possibility this weekend--it's just going to be wet.
As long as there's nothing we can do about it, let's look ahead to 10/28: we're planning to do the Oxford Hills ride next weekend, so BOLO for an email with final dates, and think happy thoughts!
Tomorrow is the annual Merrymeeting Metric Century ride, leaving Flight Deck Brewery at 9:00--so you know where I'll be. However, I know not everyone has time for that ride, so I will post something here and ask for a leader or, at least click the I'm In button on Strava so others know they will have company if they want to ride, too (that's a handy button, that is).
I'll leave you with two choices: the Highland Lake loop (33 miles; the Strava route is a tad shorter, turning at Merrill Rd instead of Lunt) or Windham-Gorham (44 miles). Load them up and choose in the morning. If you choose Windham, take a peek down Middlejam Rd and see if they've repaved the top section yet.
Clearly, there will be no Saturday Morning Ride tomorrow--so what about Sunday?
It's still unclear when the rain will stop on Sunday, so this is by no means a solid plan, but I thought I'd put it out there. We still have a pair of options, one west (N Windham/Gorham Hook up to Sebago Lake) and one north up to Pownal (Roads Less Traveled).
So far it looks like a 9:00 start should be dry, but it will be breezy. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep.
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The Cadillac Challenge is this Sunday, so I will be headed to Bar Harbor on Saturday. Paul, however, will not, so he is more than willing to be our bunny herder tomorrow.
He is particularly fond of the Saco/Boom Rd ride and missed it a couple weeks ago. If you missed it then, he'd love to see you Saturday. If you didn't miss it then, he will concede to Door #2, which is the N Windham/Gorham Hook up to Sebago Lake. Of course, if no one did the Roads Less Traveled last weekend, that would be an option, too. Then again, if you don't fancy any of these, you know where to find more.
Load them up and choose in the morning. We may start leaving later as October wears on, but it should still be above 50° by 8:00, so ride leaves at the usual time tomorrow (which is 8:00...).
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==UPDATE==
In a surprise to practically no one, I'm an idiot: the bike segment of the Dempsey is on Saturday this year and I will be unavailable tomorrow, so don't wait for me. 😕
Clearly, Saturday is a washout, but Sunday is looking pretty darn fine, so far. Wouldn't it be great to do a little riding, say Mitchell Hill way, and down over Ash Swamp Rd, and then go catch the surf at Higgins Beach? Put a baggie on your phone to protect it from the spray, and let's go take a peek!
Adam is still looking to add some miles, so he may tack on a course going north once we get back to Glickman--if you want more distance, there should be company.
Labor Day has come and gone and so have the tourists, so let's see if we can get down into Old Orchard Beach! The weather looks a little unsettled now so we'll have to watch how things develop, but I think we can get it in before we get wet. There are a couple of ways we can turn back short if needed. It will be sticky, but we should have a tailwind on the way home.
It looks like it's going to be beautiful day tomorrow, so let's put a little distance in. It looks to be all-sun, a little breeze, and a possible 15° temperature swing (60°–75°), so get the right layers.
I offer two options tomorrow: Brunswick and its variations, or Roads Less Traveled and its shorter loop. Load them both and we'll choose in the morning.
See you at 8:00.
I'm back, and I need a nice day in the countryside. Who's up for something new?
I admit up front, I'm not sure I've ever done this ride before, even though I mapped it a long time ago, so how about a little adventuring? Most roads we've done at some point or other, but they're tied together in a unique way here. If anyone knows of any road work we should be aware of, be sure to speak up.
The roads will likely be wet when we start, but the skies should be dry for the duration. See you at 8:00.
Bruce Jacobs says he'll take the lead on this SMR (hopefully the last one I'm conflicted out of—I miss you guys!).
He'd like to take a pedal out to Salmon Falls, (49-miles), staying on the eastern side of the river this time.
Ride leaves at 8:00.
Tomorrow looks fine as frog hairs: 65°-75°, just a whisper of wind, and a few of Bob Ross' happy clouds. I will be very sorry to miss it!
I will post the Highland Lake loop and leave it to you to choose either this or one from earlier--I don't know the last time the group rode, so last week may still be valid. Of course, you can always select from the library if something else suits better.
8:00 start.
I have returned from the Great Midwestern Oven (Iowa), but I have to ride the Bike MS fundraiser tomorrow. Nonetheless, it would be a shame to waste a perfectly good Saturday. To that end I will post Pinelands via Winn, 231, Hodgdon and Hilly Pineland—there's just a couple of miles' difference between them, but about 400 additional feet of climbing in the latter. You can select hills or flat in the morning based on who shows.
I will also be out next weekend and could use a bunny wrangler, so let me know if you're available. Ride leaves at 8:00.
