Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Alan Kurzweil, Ron Altemus, Darrell Meyer, Joan Oppel, Jessica Hirschhorn, Larry Peed

Weather: another gorgeous Spring-like day.  Temps in the low 60s at the start rising to 72 by 1:30, with a claimed 78 degrees in the sun and out of the wind at the second rest stop at Nanjemoy Community Center.  Thin high clouds with a lower layer of marshmallow & cotton puff clouds with blue skies, bright warm-feeling sun and a brisk breeze made for a magnificent day for riding.

Route: 42 miles, 1400' of elevation gain  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18882091  The route went down Poorhouse to Annapolis Woods, up Durham Church, and Ironsides, Baptist Church and Poseytown to a first rest stop at the Nanjemoy Community Center.  After the break we took MD-6 to Holly Springs and Riverside, then up Maryland Point and back down on Smith Point to Riverside, Liverpool Point and a second rest stop at the Community Center.  We returned on Baptist Church, Bowie and Mason Springs.

Mishaps and mechanicals: none

AMS: 13.3

Ride Leader: Tom Short

Members: Lou, Ron Haney, Diane Harris, Tom Roberts

Nice day. Comfortable temperature right at the start and with the knowledge it would get even better. My first "uh-oh" moment came when after just 1/10 mile from start we turned south on MD-210 and were met by a headwind but we persevered and all seemed OK. Until we turned south on Chixamungen. Then for 9 or maybe 100 miles the dreaded face-on headwind reappeared. By this time Diane Harris had peeled off to take care of some things at home. We stopped briefly at the Nanjemoy Store at mile 21.5 so I could remove my windbreaker (too warm) and continued on. At mile 24 I saw in my rear view mirror a bike rider rapidly approaching. It was Tom "The Phenom" Roberts. He had arrived late at the start but easily caught us AND after riding 105 miles the previous day. We continued on to the Pisgah Store for another very short break. Shortly after this rest stop Ron, Lou, and The Phenom easily out paced me back to the start.

Elevation gain: 1680 feet but RWGPS says 1212  (don't believe RWGPS)

Mechanicals, flats, etc.  None

AMS:  15.6 (for me, theirs was faster)

Leader: Ron Altemus

Members:  Steve Palincsar, Mike Bivens, Joan Oppel, Sam Perry, Bob Howell, Jim Hudnall, Holly Carr

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/10485663  Marshall Hall Rd over to Barry Hill and then through Accokeek, Berry Road and up Mill Hill, cross Lexington to Middletown and out Billingsley to a rest stop at the WaWa.  Planned return was Demarr over to Marshall Corner and Bumpy Oak/Livingston back to the start.

Weather:  Record high temps today.  For those riding, we departed in the low 60s and finished at 70 or better under mostly cloudy skies.  A stronger than expected southerly wind (which was bringing in the warmth) proved nettlesome whenever we were headed into it.

AMS: Swept at a tad more than 13; everyone else was faster.

Mechanicals/Mishaps: Holly rode with us as she had rear tire concerns and opted to be along with veteran tire doctors Joan and Steve.  Nothing really happened in that regard but a quartet (Holly, Steve, Jim, Mike) did the original "Three Bumps" and used the IHRT from White Plains to Bumpy Oak to minimize the opportunity for disaster.

Report:  As already noted, warm temps with stiff breezes but still a most delightful day for bicycling in beautiful Southern Maryland.  The exploration of the northwest parts of Charles County happened quickly - halfway up Barry Hill we entered Prince George's County.  All the same, for those so inclined, an opportunity to strike another item from their cycling bucket list.  Also of note:  Bob Howell had never climbed Bumpy Oak so he has now obtained that distinction.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Pat Walthers, Ron Altemus, Tom Roberts

Weather: another amazing fabulous gorgeous springtime in February day.  The forecasters got the sun right, but instead of the 52-55 degrees predicted, by noon it was nearing 60.  They got the wind wrong, too: the anticipated 3-6 mph winds seemed more like 10-15 mph, especially down along the shores of the Potomac and going around Hains Point.  But just plain wonderful.

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18867464  Starting from Jones Point Park, we took the long and scenic way to Shirlington via Alexandria's Old Town, Rosemont and North Ridge neighborhoods, then did the "Arlington Loop" on the W&OD, Custis and Mount Vernon trails, passing through the infamous Intersection of Doom without difficulty. 

Mishaps & mechanicals: none.

AMS: 11.something

Tom rode to the ride start from Waldorf, making his grand total something in the 80s.  We met member Steve Forman on the W&OD just after our first rest stop at noon, and passed member Karen McMillan going the other way on the Custis trail.  It was a fabulous, wonderful day for riding - spring weather without a doubt.  A bit cool at first, it quickly warmed up - much warmer feeling than predicted, but far windier.  We were saved from overheating only by the relatively chilly shade and the headwinds on the Custis trail. 

Ride leaders:  Bruce and Jean Wright

Members: Tom Short, Ken Meredith, George Chiamulera, and Claire Chiamulera

Weather: Clear skies, bright sunshine, low 50s...unbelievable February day.  Near perfect, if you overlook the wind.

Stats: 14.5 AMS, 1,207 elevation gain

Mishaps and Mechanical: Tom had a flat front tire at the rest stop.

Report:  Beautiful day for a ride. Bruce, George, and Claire took to the street after some time off.  We stayed together at a smooth B pace, that was perfect for those who had not ridden much lately.  We pushed against the wind as we worked our way south.  In the Ryceville area, we were greeted by friendly waves from the local Amish as they made their way on foot or by buggy.  On Ryceville Road, we met up with Steve's group for an Amish rest stop and a valuable lesson on what to do if your right shift cable breaks.  Thanks, Steve!  As we started off from the rest stop, Tom noticed that his front tire was flat.  Once it was changed, we were back on our way and returned to the start without any further problems.  Everyone enjoyed the day. Thanks for coming out!   

Ride Name: Westlake HS- Smallwood Church-Pisgah CC+ - low B 42miles

Leader: John Gorman

Members: Ron Haney and Lou Dal’lorso
Weather:  10:30am start.  Partly sunny upper 30s- ending upper 40s, at times a NW head wind. Many times, bright sun.  Great day for a Feb.  (especially compared to Feb 2016)

Stats:   Ride Leader had a 13.8 AMS/Elv- 1010ft (one elv spike on Rt6 going to Mason Springs) otherwise fairly flat route./ 3:03hrs riding time/3:19 elapsed time. Riding solo, no need to take long rest breaks.   

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  Perfect NONE!    (Ron advised @ the Pisgah Store break, that he and Lou missed the L onto Smallwood Church Rd, thereby shorting their route, and went straight up Mason Springs to the store. I advised they missed what I consider one of the best roads around- Smallwood Church).

Report:  It was 10:27, with no others at the start, I was just getting ready to start, when Ron and then Lou arrived. I knew that they were a much faster AMS than I, and advised them to pair up and I was heading out. I advised (which I knew they’d be passing me even with a 5-10 min head start), we could meet for a quick break @ Ollies’ Store mile 12.5.  Which we did, (I tend to not need long breaks), so I headed out again, with us agreeing that perhaps we’d meet up at the Pisgah Store mile 28.  When I arrived at the Pisgah Store they were there, advising they missed a turn, which in this case was a short-cut directly to the store. So since they were obviously there for some time, I again advised for them to continue, and we said our well wishes, and I told them not to wait for me at the starting point. Otherwise it was pleasant ride, on the quiet low traffic roads in this area, more so for a Sunday.

One advantage of starting at Westlake HS, is you miss the congestion of MD-210 and the tight roads/heavily traffic heading back up to the typical Bryan’s Rd or Manokeek Village starting locations.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Janell Saunders, Pat Walthers and joining us en route, Pano Gianniotis

Weather: another fantastic early spring day!  The forecast was for an overcast morning and a partly cloudy afternoon, but instead the clouds disappeared as we left Oak Ridge Park, and we were treated to bright sunshine accompanied by a brisk breeze and temperatures that started in the low 40s bit by early afternoon had risen to the low 50s. 

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18840080  another new variation on the "Hidden Amish" theme.  Beginning initially as a reversed version of last Saturday's ride, the route morphed a bit to include an out-and-back on Woodburn Hill, then went the reverse of the usual direction on Dixie Lyon, N Ryceville and Ryceville and at the T with Trinity Church went left to Budd's Creek so we could ride up Old Sycamore.  It's a very scenic route, only made better by the beautiful light we had today.  We modified the route a little by skipping Locke's Crossing and staying on the Three Notch Trail to Thompson Corner Road, giving Janell a little time to get used to riding a 3-speed before hitting some elevation gain, which added almost a mile to the route.

Mishaps & Mechanicals: We'd come south on MD-6 and turned right on Flora Corner.  Not far from the roadside memorial, Janell's rear shifter cable broke.  The typical STI cable failure - I wrote about it in "Spoke 'n' Word" a year or two ago - quickly resolved with the standard field fix of manually shifting onto a large sprocket in back and holding the derailleur in place with cable tension, secured under a water bottle cage.  As we were putting the tools away, Pano rolled up.  He'd been delayed by heavy traffic on the way to the ride start, but correctly figured he could catch us en route.

AMS: 12.2

What a wonderful day for riding!  Pat, Janell and I were happy to have Pano join us, and we were all equally happy to have the A group join us as we took a break at the Amish schoolhouse.  

A large group gathered at North Keys Park and we headed out to do a simple 35 mile route. Evidently at some point in the past the ride leader sought to "train" on hills and made up this route. 35 miles - 1660 feet of climbing per RWGPS, 1800 per leader's Garmin, 2000 per the HC Garmin. At the end, an unnamed rider commented that she loved the route as she cursed the ride leader all the way.

We visited the Jug Bay pavilion (heated bathroom), though the gate blocked the last bit of driveway. Most riders chose the cyclocross option of riding the dirt and grass to get around the gate. The ride grouped into faster and slower sections, though we all met at the pavilion.

Mostly cloudy but with about 10 miles to go, a shout was heard from a rider, bringing the leader to a halt, until the rider explained it was a joyful shout: "SUN!"

The riders enjoying a great time on the road today in mid-40's temperatures - Ron Altemus, Mike Bivens, Lou D'Alloroso, Holly Carr, Bob Howell, Jim Hudnall, Jane Hudnall, Alan Kurzweil, Darrell Meyer, Steve Palincsar, Larry Peed, Sam Perry, Pat Sanders. 

Thanks for coming out! Joan

Photos at www.facebook.com/ohbike

Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members:  Mike Bivens, Steve Palincsar, Bob Howell, Jim Hudnall, Holly Carr, Larry Peed, Karen Morgan, Joan Oppel, Darrel Meyer

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18674509 Outbound: Bumpy Oak/Rose Hill/Chapel Point. Return: Fairgrounds/St Marys, MD-6/Quailwood/Hawthorne/Livingston.

Weather:  Temps ranged from 40ish at ride start to mid-50s upon our finish; lots of sunshine; winds out of the SW only gusting when we were riding right into them.

AMS:  swept at 12.25; at the front, reports of 14.5 were mentioned.

Report:  as the only ride in town, we had a surprising large showing of riders.  The faster riders went fast, those of us who like to Conversational Cruise rode accordingly, and we reconvened at the rest stops.  Advertised as a chance to see the Port Tobacco River in the winter, the view along Chapel Point Rd and from the grounds of St Ignatius Church did not disappoint.  Riding at a more leisurely pace occasionally has its drawbacks, witness the ice machine at St Ignatius being depleted by the hard riding faster members (not really).  Item of note:  outbound to the La Plata rest stop, Joan was constantly fiddling with her Garmin 1000, trying to get it to find the route.  After the rest stop, both Jim and Joan continued playing with her recalcitrant cyclometer, never quite getting it to behave.  So Luddites rejoice, paper cue sheets are still needed.  In conclusion, another nice March ride.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Pat Walthers

Weather: More overcast than yesterday, temps in the 40s and breezy.  The lack of sun except for two or three miles near the end made for a chillier day than yesterday.  Zippers might have come down a bit, but the jackets stayed on today.

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/10948628  41 miles, 1475' of elevation gain, shortened by a mile and a half or so at the end when we skipped the Durham Church/Rt 6 diversion.

Mishaps & mechanicals: There's a saying, "Just because you're having a bad day this morning doesn't mean you aren't going to have a bad day this afternoon."  Today, for me, this translated to "just because you picked up a piece of glass in your front tire and had a flat doesn't mean you didn't also pick up a piece of glass in your back tire at the same time, it's just that it was a little smaller and it took a little longer to work its will."

The first flat occurred on Hancock Run at the very spot where the sand bar was at the Indian Head 100 -- good news/bad news is the sand bar is gone, not a trace of sand or gravel on the road at all, but in its place is a 3" deep pothole the size of a basketball, big enough to bend a rim as well as double-pierce a tube -- and the second a few miles later on Adams Willet.

AMS: 12.3

We left the park with the A/Bs but they were soon out of sight.  Majesta rode with them for a while, but we joined her on Sandy Point Rd at Riverside, where she was removing a stone that had gotten caught in her brake.  When we came to Mallows Bay Park, we found the A/Bs again, and they confirmed that the portolet has gone south for the winter.

We left five or ten minutes after them, but we saw them again at the intersection of Smith Point and Maryland Point Rds - I suspect they either missed the Smith Point turn or decided to make the ride a bit longer and went down to Maryland Point instead.  When I got the first flat, Majesta decided to take the most direct way back because she was under time pressure, so she went back up the hill to Rt 6 and took it to Ironsides.  After my second flat Pat and I decided to skip Durham Church and stayed on Ironsides, cutting off a mile and a half.

No photographs were taken today.