=UPDATE=
The weather appears to be cooperating and staying dry, if unseasonably cool (shout out to Christian for sharing this weather app!). The roads will still be wet, I’m afraid, but let’s go for it. If it looks we’ll get rain again before noon, we’ll pivot to a shorter route. See you at 8:00.
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IT'S ON. The weekend is here and the weather looks perfect! I called the various towns to ensure Hurricane and Peaks are, indeed, open, so we are good to go. Remember: the cutoff for Hurricane comes before your legs are even warm, so make your route decisions before we start. If you haven't clicked the Hurricane checkbox yet, this looks like the perfect weekend for it, so choose your course below and you're ready for a great day! This is a self-supported ride, so have adequate snacks and come with cash/credit: we'll stop at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center for lunch where you can puchase some additional calories and a Coke. We roll out from Weston's Beach in Fryeburg, ME at 9:00 If you're not making the trip to Fryeburg but want a ride, take a peek at the new Route Library I've added—one-stop shopping for all our common rides. |
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Memorial Day  With Hurricane Mtn Road  |
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Our training series is now complete and our Legs of Steel are ready for Memorial Day! In the interests of keeping the legs loose (and having a ride for those not heading to the White Mountains) I offer some options for Saturday.
Personally, last year showed that there is a fine line between "keeping loose" and "I really should have stayed on the couch," so I still have some decision-making to do. Bruce has volunteered to take the lead should I decide to pass, so plan to meet at 8:00 and pick a route for the morning, and I'll see what I'm up for.
If you were interested in something longer (or shorter), take a peek at the new Route Library I've added—one-stop shopping for all our common rides.
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Memorial Day  With Hurricane Mtn Road  |
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Legs Of Steel, Week 5
==UPDATE==
To beat the rain, ride starts at 8:00
Memorial Day Tune-up: Raymond Hills
This weekend we have the ever-challenging Raymond Hills loop, featuring six Cat-5 climbs totaling 4000' of climbing.
The temps look to top out around 70° in Raymond, and Saturday appears to be the better day of the weekend so far. Plan well, as refueling stops are few and far between:
We start at Mabel I Wilson School; I don't have vetted alternate routes, but this appears to be a possibility. It is untested and offered without warrantee, either expressed or implied, but it offers 44 miles, 2200 ft of climbing, and you still get to tackle Valley Road. Be sure your phone is charged—I have no idea what's out there (Outlet/Quarry Rds).
If you have not been with us on our recent series of longer and hillier rides (or just want something shorter/flatter this week), take a scroll thru our past rides (listed in the Blog Archive, lower right)—something should spark your interest.
We will plan to start at 8:30, but I'll be keeping an eye on the weather: if Saturday's weather changes, I am willing to adjust times or bump to Sunday if that turns out to be the better day. Stay tuned.
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May 27 |
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Memorial Day With Hurricane Mtn Road |
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Legs Of Steel, Week 4.
Freeport via Hilly Pinelands!
The work is largely front-loaded on this route so, if you pick one of the shorter variations, you will still get most of the climbing in on the way to Pinelands (@ 2200'). From there:
There are myriad variations home from Pinelands, so pick a route and load it up.
It's another long day so, barring a change in the weather, let's start at 8:00.
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May 20  |
May 27 |
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Memorial Day With Hurricane Mtn Road |
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Legs Of Steel, Week 3.
It's time for coffee—here we come, Little Dog Cafe! It's 35 miles up to coffee and muffins, and 26 home to burn them off (the move to Glickman shaved a few miles off)—heckuva deal!
However, if you have less time (or legs) for the full route, there are myriad shorter routes, three of which are linked below—click the route of your choice and load it up.
It's going to be a long day so, barring a change in the weather, let's start at 8:00.
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May 13  |
May 20  |
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May 27  |
Memorial Day  |
Legs Of Steel, Week 2.
We'll swing by Sebago Lake and come home via Gorham and Westbrook. DON'T FREAK OUT—it's really only 45 miles and 1700 feet of climbing (old thumbnails, updated Garmin maps)!
The rest of the schedule is laid out below. Perhaps for the last time, let's start at 9:00.
April 29  | May 6  |
May 13 | May 20 |
May 27 | Memorial Day |
And so it begins...
We are six weeks out from Memorial Day Weekend, so it's time to start our annual tune-up series. We will steadily increase distance and climbing for the next four weeks, enjoy a lighter ride on the 27th, just to keep our legs loose, and arrive in Fryberg on Memorial Day with Legs Of Steel!
This weekend let's head down to OOB--this is a lovely ride that we won't get to do it again after Memorial Day. I have two options, differing by three miles and 900' of climbing. Think about what you feel up to and we'll choose together in the morning.
The rest of the schedule is laid out below. Let's start at 9:00; since we'll be along the beaches, be sure to have an extra layer.
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April 29
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May 6 |
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May 13 |
May 20 |
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May 27
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Memorial Day |
Saturday #2: the legs should be starting to loosen up a bit, so let's head over to Mitchell Hill and see how they feel about The Wall! The weather looks pretty darn reasonable for Saturday, so let's back up the time to a 9:00 start so we don't blow out the middle of the day. See you at Glickman.
Our blog will be segueing to ForestCityCycling.blogspot.com, so save the url—should happen in the next week or so.
April’s here! Saturday is supposed to be sunny, if a little cool, so why don’t we duck the wind and head out on the Highland Lake loop. It’s 30-32 miles, depending on how we start out, and my anemic winter means I will be wheel-sucking at every opportunity; you have been warned. 😎
Wheels roll at 10:00.
New kits are available now, but only for a very small window—time is of the essence! Store closes March 21st, so jump right in there (click the image) and get ordering!
Louis Garneau Size Guide (I talked to LG Support to get the right one)
This page, the Facebook page, and the web page will be converting soon, so expect some redirects. The Strava club is already up, so come find us. I know it’s snowing out, but rides will be starting up in April, so get that maintenance done—you know I’ll call out all squeaking bikes, so don’t risk it!
I’m going to go out on a limb and say we’re not going to be out on the road Saturday, so perhaps it’s finally time to call it a season. We made it into December, so that’s pretty good!
Enjoy your holiday seasons and your winter activities—it was a great year!
I think winter is finally arriving: we won’t even break 30° until 1:00 tomorrow, and we’ll only have that for about 15 minutes; wind chills will be less than half that. I think that might be a little too cold for 90+ minutes on the road creating even more wind.
I have to work tomorrow, so can’t ride anyway, but I am posting no official course because of the temps. The choice is yours, of course; if you’re determined, I would suggest a course with a coffee shop along the way.
I can’t see us staying dry with any route other than maybe the MNR to Cousins, which doesn’t appeal to me this morning. For those interested, I would recommend that, but I’m going to step out. Maybe next week.
Well, the weather woobies appear to be in disagreement about tomorrow's forecast, so it's best to post something, in case it all works out.
Let's try the Pineland ride that we didn't do a few weeks back—if we do get caught by rain, we can be warm and enjoying coffee and muffins while we wait for rides home. There's the skinny way or the hilly way, depending on your whim and the rain. An 8:00 start gives us the best chance for success, I think, but, fair warning, if I wake and find rain expected by 9:00, I'm rolling over and pulling up the covers. See you at the school.
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