Members: Me, Myself and I
Guests: The voices in my head (singing the song that was playing on my car stereo when I arrived at Wayson's Corner)
Ride leader: Debby Bowman
Route: 30.5 miles as cued, 28.1 as ridden, about 1300 feet of climbing, https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17938168
Average speed: 13.7 mph at the back, 13.7 mph at the front.
Weather: Not bad for winter. Temps rising from 48 to 54 during the ride, no wind, gray clouds but the sun did manage to come out and cast a few shadows during the last 10 miles.
Mishaps and mechanicals: None
Farm animal roll call: Horses, sheep, a couple of cows.
New saddle test verdict: Not sure yet.

Every time I plan to lead a ride, I expect no one else to show up. I usually have a backup plan in mind, such as a shortcut or extra food and drinks so I won't have to go into a store and leave my bike unattended at the break. Today was the first time I actually had to put my backup plan into effect.

The day started with a trip to the LBS to have a new saddle put on the bike -- a Bontrager Yatra to replace the Affinity which is showing signs of wear. So today was the first test ride in the 30-day comfort guarantee period. With the new saddle ready to go I headed to Wayson's Corner. At 1:00 sharp I stuck a couple of cue sheets under the windshield wiper of my car's rear window and rolled out. I had two possible short cuts in mind and decided to take the first one right at the start. The route was a counter-clockwise loop starting with a trip down Pindell and Lower Pindell Rd to Fisher's Station and Bay Front, but I opted to turn left from Plummer to Wrighton Rd instead of going straight onto Pindell. This sent me through the part of Bay Front Rd where road work is currently going on, so I knew I might have to turn around and backtrack if conditions were bad. They turned out to be passable, with a brief closure of the shoulder which would have been okay were it not for the two impatient drivers behind me who were extremely eager to get on Route 4 going north. But hey, if it makes you feel better to lean on your horn, go ahead, I can take it.

After that the ride was downright uneventful. I took Bay Front east to Rt 2, where I turned left, stopped at St James Church to read a historical marker, then took a right onto Old Ridge Path Lane and Nutwell Rd. Then I went north on Nutwell-Sudley/Sudley/Owensville-Sudley to Harwood Rd and a stop at the convenient store. After a quick snack I decided to add another layer, so I put on the wind vest that I had tucked into my bike bag just in case.

The last part of the ride offered another chance for a small shortcut, but I decided to stay on the planned route. So from Harwood Rd I turned right onto Wayson Rd, then went left on Queen Anne Bridge and left again on Patuxent River Rd, then right on Sands, past the two county parks and three trailer parks, and back to Wayson's Corner.

After the ride I was thinking that the new saddle failed the test; in some ways it was more comfortable than the Affinity but in others it was worse. But then I noticed that it was slightly skewed to the left, which might explain the discomfort. So I will straighten it and try it again. (This always seems to happens to new saddles on my bike -- you'd think I'd have learned to pay more attention before trying them out!)

All in all it was a good ride. I'll keep the cue sheets and post it again sometime.

Post

Class: AA/3
Category: Sport
Description: A cup of coffee and a fun spin
Speed Limit Imposed: None
Start: 1130
Location: Manokeek Village Center

Course

Distance: 42.0 miles
Gain: 1112ft
Rest Stops: Ollie’s
Max Grade: 5.9%

Ride

Ride Leader: Scott Walker
Riders:  Blake Altman, Steve Koegle, Pete Czapiewski, Michael Blaine, Robert Golding
Weather: Overcast, 42 degrees w/winds from the WNW at 4mph
Moving Time: 1:58:45
AMS: 21.1 mph
Mechanicals/Mishaps: None
Report:  Chatting with Sherwood in Starbucks before Barbara's A/B departs, I was anticipating a kicked-back ride for the AAs.  Well, not so much.  Blake led a ride yesterday but the rest of us were pretty fresh and I guess that was the catalyst for a lively outing and off-pace AMS.  Blake and Michael rode to the start and both circled back towards home after the stop at Ollie's.  The remaining four romped back to Manokeek actually ticking-up the average another tenth in the process.  Thanks gents, it was fun!  See the clip

Leader: Barbara Haney

Members: Ron Haney, Ken Meredith, Wesley Meredith, Majesta Hartley, Sherwood Byers, Linda Bankerd, Jean Wright, Chris Fairhall, Kelly Bikowski, Brian Dixon, Tom Roberts, Nancy Avitabile, Richard Edelman

Guests: Laura Clauser

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12367107 a fairly flat route which took us briefly east of 301 into La Plata and then back west via Hawthorne, Chickamuxen and Livingston. 

Weather: The same all day, low to mid 40s, little or no sun, but thankfully no wind.

AMS: 15.8 for sweep, higher (17 or so) in front

Report: We had a great turnout today; despite the grey skies and temps in the 40s, it was agreed to be good riding weather. We did the same route as Scott W's posted AA ride, but we left about 1/2 hour before them. The first incline on Rt 228 broke us into two groups, and we rode that way pretty much until the stop at Ollies, where we regrouped and met up briefly with the AAs. By then about half of our A/B group was ready to leave because it was too cold to hang around outdoors. The rest of us followed after a few minutes, meeting the other half of the group back at Manokeek, where some of us took advantage of Starbucks to warm up and chat. An uneventful ride, but as usual a fun day out in good company. Thanks to everyone who came out to ride today!

We held our Sunday morning mountain bike ride at Rosaryville, we were able to get the ride started around 10:00. We picked up the course and rode counter clockwise. At the inner loop we followed the inner loop backwards. After the inner loop we were ale to pick up the main trail and complete the ride. Riders included Barry and Randy.

Barry Howard

Ride Leader

Ride Leader:  Blake Altman

Date: December 3, 2016

Ride Name:  Laurel Springs - Amish Return

Ride Distance: 38 Miles

Average Speed of the Ride:  18.1

Ride Class:  AA/3 Sport

Mechanical Issues: None

Mishaps: None

Weather:  Upper low to mid 40’s, sunny, windy

Guest Riders:  None

Member Riders:  Brad Francisco

Ride Report:

We saw a lot of Amish buggies and wagons today.  Other than that it was windy.  I’m glad Brad joined me to help with the wind and for the company.  Perhaps we are crazy – I see a lot of other rides were canceled for the day.  I will say it never felt like the conditions were unsafe; it was just difficult riding against or across the wind.  I’ll put this ride in the win column for winter rides but I was ready to be done once we finished.

Leader: Barbara Haney

Members: Ron Haney, Alan Kurzweil, Jan Tucker, Dave Schnirel, Tom Roberts, Holly Carr, Sam Perry, Linda Bankerd, Chantal Briere, Bob Thompson, Jim Hudnall, Lou Dallorso

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17899268, a route designed by Joan O taking us over many of the roads from the Rural Legacy Ride, past rolling farmland and woods, stopping at Jug Bay Pavilion. 

Weather: low 50s to start, maybe warming up a little but chilly again at the end, breezy with a little sun at times

AMS: 15.9 for leader

Report: We had 13 riders, more than expected on a somewhat windy first day of December, but after the previous cold &/or rainy spell, people were eager to ride again. It was a tricky day to dress for; some people had overdressed at the start at windy North Keys Park, then had to shed layers at the rest stop, only to need them again as the sun went away and it felt chillier later on. Other than that, it was an uneventful ride, despite (or maybe because of) warnings from the ride leaders pre-ride about possibly treacherous wet leaves, and also about poor road conditions and visibility on Cross Road Trail: thus advised, we were all very vigilant. As usually happens on rolling terrain, we split into smaller groups, but all met up at Jug Bay to enjoy the sun for a while; back on the road we confronted the remaining miles and hills, arriving back at NK glad to have had the chance to spend a few hours enjoying the crisp fall air and good company. Thanks to all who came out today!

Special note: We welcomed the return of Lou Dallorso for his first time out since his broken collarbone in September: in good form, on a new bike, and his usual energetic self, it was great to have him back riding with us. 

Photos

Sunny, mid-50s temperatures, wind in the parking lot but hardly noticeable on the road. Beautiful day for a ride with lovely scenery and low traffic (except for short distances on Croom).  Our group stayed together with periodic regrouping and we all agreed that it was the best riding day of December.

Thanks to Jessica Hirshhorn and Lee S. and especially to Ron Altemus for joining me today.

Photos

Back to Starbucks for a Sunday ride; I was joined by Diane Harris, Larry Peed, Barb and Ron Haney, Alan Kurzweil, and Janell Saunders.  We toured our way down 28, up Middletown, across Marshall and Down Rose Hill across 301 to the Dash In.  That was 18 miles into the ride, and the group decided to cut off the Spring Hill Newton Road loop in the interest of saving day light.  Instead, we toured quickly down Washington Street, up Marshall Hall, up Bumpy Oak and back to the start, which gave us 34 miles.  For now, we will cut this ride back to the standard 32 mile loop until we get more afternoon day light after the New Year.

We held our Sunday morning Mountain Bike Ride at Cedarville state park starting at 9:30 am. We were able to get started at 9:30am and picked up the trail following the course counter clockwise. Despite the cold weather and the leave covered trails everyone had a great time.

Barry Howard

Ride Leader

Barbara and Ron Haney were the only other riders that came to join me on this ride.  We discussed whether to ride now or wait til Holly's 1:00 pm ride from the Manokeek Shopping Center.  Since the temperature was under the 40 degree cutoff for club rides, we decided to wait and do Holly's later ride.  So, ride cancelled.