Twelve riders joined me today: Paul Bankerd, Linda Bankerd, Mike Bivens, Debby Bowman, Jim Hudnall, Norm Lisy, Larry Peed, Sam Perry, Tom Roberson, Michie Sidwell, Jan Tucker and Ron Tucker.  

The skies were cloudy all day, but the temperature was comfortable at 55-56 for the entire ride.  We split into a large front group and a (very) small rear group. At the top of Rose Hill, Jim and I waited for Tom Roberson, then called him and found out he'd had a minor mechanical.  We ended up meeting him at the St. Ignatius rest stop. At the St. Ignatius rest stop, everyone took off as Debby Bowman and I waited for Tom.  The three of us rode together until La Plata, where we picked up Jim (who had stopped to visit the Charles County sheriff).  And then, the 4 of us stayed together, altering the route to return via Bumpy Oak to look- unsuccessfully - for the water bottles Tom lost very early in the ride on Bumpy Oak (he didn't realize the loss until much later).      

Photos

This is a route I haven't done in years but it covers familiar roads in this part of Prince Georges County, with an optional rest stop at Magruders Ferry (we didn't do the optional part of the ride).  I was joined by Jan and Ron Tucker, Janelle Saunders, Andrea Noseck, Norm Lisy, Mike Bivens, and Ken Meredith (rode to the start from his home).  Because of repaving of Rt 301 South, we had to detour early in the ride, which had us crossing 301 further south but adding very little mileage to the route.  The ride was uneventful with the faster riders staying just out of sight of the rest of us.  We regrouped at the Reindeer Grill (formerly the Little Store) which unfortunately is closed on Sundays.  We continued, with the faster 4 going ahead while the rest of us kept an eye out for a restroom.  One was found at St Peter's Church School and we were told that the restroom in the church was also available to use (nice to know for future rides).  The ride continued with Ken peeling off at Ashbox and Brandywine Rds to head back home.  He provides an awesome draft that I missed for the rest of the ride!  A good ride with no mishaps.  

Ride Leader:  Blake Altman

Date November 23, 2014

Ride Name:  Southern Maryland Meander  

Ride Distance:  41 miles

Average Speed of the Ride:  16.7 and up

Ride Class:  A

Mechanical Issues: One dropped chain

Mishaps: None

Weather: Mostly cloudy, 42-45 F, slight wind

Guest Riders: None

Member Riders: Jean Wright, Mike Wilson, Steve Koegle, Karen Fitzgerald, Darin King, Pano Gianniotis, Mathew Lewandowski

Ride Report:

First, thanks to Diane for providing the cue sheets and letting us join them on their route.  As Diane mentioned in her ride report, we had to detour around some road construction.  Fortunately, we had Mathew who acted as our native guide (since he lives in the area).

The ride split into two (or perhaps more) groups at various times but we also regrouped throughout the ride.  There were no issues or problems and it is a good route except for some bumpy roads and a bit too much traffic on Poplar Hill and Cedarville Roads.

The ride leader (who was at or near the back the entire ride) had a 16.7 MPH average.  I’m sure those riding at the front were somewhere in the 17-18 range.

After the ride some of us had Mexican food for lunch – yum.

We held our Sunday morning Mountain Bike ride at Rosaryville state park. The group meet at the parking lot and headed out following the course counter clock wise. At the inner loop trail head, we picked up the inner technical loop and followed in backwards. Once we were back at the trail head we were able to pick up the course and follow the course back to the parking lot. The ride lasted about 1-1/2 hrs and riders included Barry, Matt, and Doc.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Debra Welsh, Joan Oppel, Debby Bowman, Lisa Oken, Pat Walthers, Andrea Noseck, Ron Altemus, Lee Schachter, Alan Kurzweil

Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6473143  43 miles, 1434' of elevation gain, the latest in a series of routes that explore the back roads of Nanjemoy.  With most of the Najemoy rides the club does, the stars are Rt 6 and Riverside, but with today's route those roads were supporting players at best.  The big stars were the side roads: Durham Church, Smith Point, Sandy Point, Jacksontown, the dynamic duo of Adams Willet and Hancock Run, and Maryland Point; Ironsides, Mason Spring and the Riverside/Six were connectors.

The big news about today's route was the absence of the portolet at the entrance to Mallows Bay Park.  We've grown so accustomed to its being there, it was a wrench to find it missing today.  It can't be that portolets freeze up in the cold, because the one at Friendship Farm Park was just fine and it was 19 degrees at 6 AM out there today.

Weather: From a frosty 19 at 6am (25 in Alexandria when I went out to get the paper) it warmed up to a sunny 38 degrees by the time we got rolling at 10:45, rising to a brisk but beautiful 48 at the end of the ride.  It's amazing how loud-sounding and brisk-feeling a 10 mph wind can seem in the cold weather, but the sun made up for it today.  This is it for winter rides for me this year and today will have to serve as a substitute, and a very convincing substitute it was, too.  All that was missing from a truly perfect winter ride was snow on the fields; instead we had to content ourselves with sparkling sun and a backdrop of brown (and orange, when backlighted) leaves on the trees and the shoulders, mingled with pine and holly trees.

Mishaps & mechanicals: the only mishap worth mentioning happened overnight in Loretta's kitchen, the death of her refrigerator that kept her from today's ride.

AMS: 12.4

Thank you to all who came out to ride with me today.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.  And in conclusion, that's all, folks.  See you next year.

Leader: Jim Hudnall

Members: Jane Hudnall, Linda Bankerd, Larry Peed, Rob Smith, Sherwood Byers and Norm Lisy

Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6515319, 39.9 miles, 1270 feet climbing. Thank you to Pano for the 45-mile Creek to Creek route. Our route is a shorter version of Pano's route, the same as his route from Bryans Road to the rest stop at the Goose Bay Marina, then cutting off five miles by going to Smallwood State Park via Fire Tower, Annapolis woods, Pisgah, Bicknell and Sweetman Roads. From Smallwood State Park back, it is the same as Pano's route, following 224, 225, 210, Chapmans, 210 and Haverford. 

Weather: Close to 40 degrees at the start. The forecast called for the mid-forties, but by the end of the ride, the temperature had climbed to 52 degrees. 

AMS: Slightly over 14 mph.

Mechanicals/Mishaps: Rob's chain came off the cassette on Mill Swamp Road and jammed between the cassette and spokes. Larry stopped and waited with him while he put it back on. The two caught back up with the others on MD-6 and Fire Tower Road.

Report: It was a good ride, but uneventful until the end. As riders pulled into the parking lot, they saw what at first appeared to be a body on the ground close to where we had parked. Larry went  to the sheriff's office close by and came back with several officers. The man had fallen and hit his head. He regained consciousness, was treated by EMT's and was taken away in an ambulance.  

Photos

Leader: Pano Gianniotis

Members: Holly Carr, Blake Altman, Samson Samson, Cathy Wilson, John Kadyszewski

Guests: None

Route: Creek-to-Creek:Goose to Mattawoman, 45 miles @ 1647 ft elev gain, http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6404440

Weather: Chilly start at 39 F warming up to around 50 for the finish. Gorgeous early winter sunny day with light to moderate SSW winds.

AMS: 16.1 mph

Mechanicals/Mishaps: Dropped chain, dislodged Garmin and a flat.

Report:  After a combined group photo with Jim's B class riders, the six of us set out from Bryans Rd. One of the objectives was to maintain a tight group throughout the ride and that we did! The group maintained the advertised target pace while limiting the speed on the flats at around 19 mph. We all took turns minding the front and we all stopped when the mechanicals happened as we did after the crest of a couple of the steeper hills to regroup and continue as a unit. At Rose Hill Rd. we were joined by Michie who rode with us to the first rest stop at Goose Bay Marina. While there, Jim's group also arrived and we shared a few moments together before heading out to our second rest stop at Smallwood Park. On the way, an unforeseen rest stop took place when we all stopped for Samson to take care of his flat tire. After a quick break at the Sweden Point Marina, Blake took off for home to attend some pending yard chores and the rest of us headed towards Bryans Rd. and the end of our ride.

Thank you all for joining me in what came to be a very enjoyable ride!

Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1JWk0jSymo9Q1BKQlpIMGdmRGs/view?usp=sharing 

HD version: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1JWk0jSymo9RFVualpzaHI4VEE/view?usp=sharing

 you will need to download it and then play it with your choice of video player.

(syncing the GPS with the Camera is slightly off but close enough for Sunday work -  I can assure you, we were not doing 4 mph while Samson was fixing his flat)

Photos

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Joan Oppel, Ron Altemus, Pat Walthers

Weather: By 10:30 the sun had come out and it wasn't so bad, but waiting in the lot with overcast skies, 41 degrees and a brisk wind it was the sort of chill that seeps right into your bones and makes you glad it's such a struggle to get your booties on over your shoes because it warms you up.  Ever so much nicer with the sun out and the cranks turning, and as always, downright balmy at the Moreland store.  In all, a lovely winter day, come early because I won't be riding this winter and this way I won't miss out.

AMS: mid-12s

Mishaps & mechanicals: None yet.  Change that shift cable now and it'll stay that way, Joan!

Jim's photos

We held our Sunday Morning Mountain Bike ride at Cedarville, we decided to follow the course clockwise and criss crossed the trail at the coal furnace hill. Once we arrived at the lake, we picked up the old lake trail and followed it to the back of the lake. We followed the lake trail, back to the main trail and crossed the course at the coal furnace hill. After the coal furnace hill Matt broke a rear derailleur, so we walked him out and finished up the ride. Riders included Don, Matt, and Barry.