Darryl Lowery, Joan Oppel, Larry Peed, (Tom Short arrived at the start but had to cancel his ride for personal reasons) were the B riders that came out for the last club ride of 2013, with Darin King and Carole Harris representing the A group.  A low turnout, maybe the cold temps and wind kept the usual Tuesday morning regulars from joining us.  Joan gave us the okay to go ahead while she kept to a more moderate pace, although she caught up to us at the rest stop in Pisgah and returned to the start before we had our  bikes put away.  Darin, Darryl, and Carole rode a faster pace while Larry and I pushed on and were joined mid ride by David Kemp who was doing his own ride.  The only mishap was Darin's flat tire before the ride actually started, otherwise an uneventful last ride of the year.   

Fantastic turnout for the Annual Holiday Walk, with 22 members and their guests, including leader Polly Choate, Barbara Heffernan, Barbara Hoover, Janell Saunders, Holly & Walter Carr, Sharon & Walt Chalmers,  Jan & Ron Tucker, John Riconda & daughter, Randy & Jackie, Desiree & Hans & friend Jennny, Deb Reynolds, Harold Datz & Rita Zeidner, Reggie Beard & friend.  The winter air was crisp and clear, but no winds, very pleasant walking, talking, and views of the Capitol and Peoples' Tree were beautiful.  Despite lines at Botanical gardens, everyone enjoyed the trains and Worlds' Fairs themed displays.  Jackie clocked the walk at 2.98 miles.  Back at Hank's, 18 stayed for dinner and reported great food and especially the Key Lime pie! The leader says thanks to all who came....her hand/thumb are better, but not ready to bike yet, so it was so nice to see everyone! 

Ride Name: Manokeek Coffee 42

Date: 28 December 2013

Ride Leader: Scott Walker

Class: A

Members: Steven Perakis, Darryl Lowery, Darin King, Pano Gianniotis, Diane Harris, Steve Koegle, Blake Altman, Michie Sidwell, David Kemp

Gain: 1216’

Distance: 42.4mi

Weather: Beautiful! 43 degrees at the start and ending at 57. Winds from the SSW at 7

AMS: 17.4

Mishaps: None

Mechanicals: None

Ten members came out this morning for a shot of java at Starbucks and a good dose of easy base miles on this gorgeous December day. Everyone did a fantastic job keeping the effort level in zone -- staying light on the cranks and remaining together throughout the 42 mile course (save one separation that occurred as we climbed Mason Springs on our way to the Pisgah Rest Stop).  As flat as this route is and with the fabulous weather conditions today, it would've been easy for this group of riders to push the AMS well over 20 MPH into the high AA range (nice work holding back)!

I’ve posted another coffee run with the same 42 mi course and relaxed pace for the 25th of January.  Hope to see you all then!

Ride Leader:  Steve Palincsar
Riders: Lisa Oken, Richard Harrington, Joan Oppel, Larry Peed, Darryl Lowery
Weather: a very chilly-feeling 31 degrees and breezy at ride start, warming up nicely once the heavy cloud layer dissipated and the sun shone through, reaching 43 by the end of the ride. 
Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3811689  just over 31 miles and 1686' of climbing, according to RWGPS.  The route included a few thermal inclines: Cross Road Trail heading towards North Keys (most welcome, as some were having real trouble warming up until that rise set everyone's furnace well alight), Van Brady, Croom between Tanyard and Bald Eagle School, Nelson Perrie, Molly Berry and Martin.  Rest stop at Nottingham Store, and Joan had to work pretty hard to pry us loose and get us going again afterwards.
Mishaps & mechanicals: Larry turned back around 7 mi into the ride with shifter problems.  "Rescue 1" was gone by the time we got back to the parking lot, so he must have made it back OK.
AMS: 12 at the caboose, a little higher up at the front of the train.
No question, this one was a genuine Polar Bear ride.  But very pleasant once we warmed up, with many pretty winter scenes.

Lovely day, just a bit chilly but lots of sun (and occasional wind to make things interesting).  Though I had assumed a lot of people would like to ride, having the day off or just wanting to get in a few more miles, only 5 showed up to join me: Richard Harrington, Darin King, Teresa Martin with Bill R, and Steve Palincsar.  This ride was designed to include a few rises, to visit a newly discovered park and to check out new art on Bumpy Oak.  So we went down Livingston, up Chicamuxen, around Smallwood Church to Mason Springs.  Then, just a bit before the Pisgah store, we turned left into the road for the Landfill and Pisgah Park.  The park is about 1/2 mile or so down the road, has a nice (clean) portapotty in the winter (indoor bathrooms in other seasons), picnic tables and many fields for sports.  We had a snack there and skipped the store.  Making our way around to Bumpy Oak, Steve and I stopped at the driveway of the chainsaw artist (about 1/2 mile after the top of the hill).  As of today, he's got a complete rearing horse, a squirrel, a cat, a human figure and he was working on something else really big, too early to define.  Pretty cool.

Ride Leader:  Blake Altman

Date: December 22, 2013

Ride Name:  Doncaster & Nanjemoy

Ride Distance:  47 miles (planned), 39 miles (actual)

Average Speed of the Ride:  16.6 (for ride leader)

Ride Class:  A

Mechanical Issues: Derailleur malfunction & shredding

Weather: Cloudy low 70’s and windy at start; low 60’s, steady rain, no wind at end

Guest Riders: None

Member Riders: Scott Walker, Darin King, Diane Harris, Michael Blaine, Mimi Newcastle, Steve Perakis

Ride Report:

This ride is best summed up as half of a good ride or perhaps the triumph of optimism over the weather forecast.

 

We started you fairly slowly since some of us rode pretty hard the day before.  We were warmed up by route 6 and it was off to the races.  By the time we hit the wider portion of route 6 at Nanjemoy some of us had fallen off the pace.  Eventually the ride consisted of two groups Darin and Scott in front riding at an AA pace and everyone else behind riding at a high A pace.  We regrouped at Riverside road were Darin and Scott waited for the rest of us.  The pace dropped down on Riverside road and we actually had some conversation, unusual for an A ride.  Mimi stopped for a picture of the dark cloud and we decided that that was the dark cloud that would get us wet; unfortunately we were right.

 

It started with the temperature dropping noticeably, next we got some spitting rain, soon it was basically pouring.  Folks stopped to put on what they had as far as wet weather or warmer gear and the ride spread out a bit.  We reached the rest stop and agreed to short-cut the ride.  At this point I found out that Steve’s derailleur had lost a jockey wheel.  He found the wheel but not the bolt so it could not be repaired.  I thought he would have to wait and get a ride back but I was told he had ridden about two miles with it this way and could make it back.  We then continued back the most direct way.  This turned out to be a mistake.

 

By this point the rain was merely steady not pouring which was a good thing.  The not so good thing was the continued shredding of Steve’s derailleur.  Steve would continue to stop and lace the chain around the remaining jockey wheel but eventually it became clear that it was unsafe for him to continue with the condition of the bike.  Unfortunately we were miles from anything by this point it was too far to walk anywhere to get out of the rain.  We agreed that he would wait and I would come back and pick him up in my truck.  It was not a good thing that we still had miles to go and it was still raining but we had no other choice.  Fortunately, I got a call from Steve about 2 miles from the finish that some kind soul had picked him up and that he would be at the ride finish before us.  That is exactly what happened.  We owe a big thanks to whoever was nice enough to welcome a wet bicyclist and bicycle into their car!

 

I guess we have had better rides! 

It had been a very warm Saturday, as high as 70 degrees but feeling cooler because of the brisk winds.  When I left home at 3:30 to ride down to Jones Point Park it had started to cool down a bit, and the wind gusts grew even stronger.  I caught up with Linda Bankerd crossing Washington on Wilkes St and we rode into Jones Point Park together.  We found Holly Carr, Joan Oppel, Barbara Hoover, Loretta Troen, Jannel Saunders and German Deortube there, and while they were getting ready Alan Kurzweil rode up.  Most, perhaps all, had been on other rides earlier in the day.

We made a merry sight with our reflective clothing and our lights on as we rode through Old Town, up King to City Hall and then over to Cameron, north along the bike trail on the east side of the Metro tracks to the Braddock Road station, and then north along Commonwealth, across Russel and up Woodland Terrace and Virginia to Cameron Mills and Allison over to the Spokes, Etc. shop on Quaker Lane in the twilight.  We found there OHBike members Leslie Tierstein and Deb Reynolds, and as night fell, an ever-growing number of riders joining the Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee ride.  Our presence made this the largest such ride the BPAC had ever had.

Darkness, and at last we set out.  We made a group of around 20 as we rode down Virginia to Tennessee and left on Old Domion to the Glebe Rd. crossing.  An impatient car crossed the double yellow into the oncoming lane as we all waited for the light to change, and we made sotto voce comments about scofflaw drivers while we wondered what oncoming traffic trying to turn onto Old Dominion would do when they found their lane blocked by a salmoning driver.  Then it was through Chiralagua and across Mount Vernon onto the Wayne Anderson trail over to Commonwealth and up into Del Ray proper, and now the real fun of the ride began. 

We criss-crossed through Del Ray looking at houses lighted up with Christmas lights, ringing our bicycle bells and wishing the neighbors a merry Christmas, while they in turn marveled at the display we made, our tail lights flashing red and our headlights lighting up the street.   While there were many gaudily illuminated houses, far and away the most extravagant was on E. Nelson a half block east of Mount Vernon Avenue, a jaw-dropping display of exhuberance and unbounded enthusiasm that left us marveling.  A block later we passed a party of teen agers who, judging from their cheers and hooting must have found us every bit as jaw-dropping.  If only the cheering section welcoming riders at the finish of the Seagull Century was as enthusiastic!

After an hour and more of criss-crossing through narrow Del Ray streets observing the Christmas light displays the group broke up: some of the BPAC riders heading back to Spokes or off on their own, while others joined the OHBike riders heading north on Mount Vernon Avenue to St. Elmo's for hot chocolate.  I had to leave the group there -- my knee had packed it in and it was just a couple of tenths of a mile to home -- and we parted with holiday wishes and hugs.  Joan Oppel led the group back to Jones Point Park.

It's enormous fun riding at night in a group like this, and not something you experience very often: more like riding on a lighted party bus than the usual solitary commuter's or randonneur's journey, riding in a small lighted bubble in the silent darkness, the occasional cyclist's taillight visible in the distance.  Even the Moonlight Monuments rides in downtown DC, although similar in terms of the group riding, were no preparation for the holiday greetings from people watching us from their front porches or our answering greetings and bell-ringing. 

Thank you to Calvin, Celeste, Steve, Hans, Dez, Reggie, William and Queen for coming out to help me get my 5th ride lead in!

Exercise, fun and JOKES were had by all!!! ;-)

Sat, December 21, 2013 10:00 AM | Ryan Steadman

Leader:  Ryan Steadman

Riders:  Jack Gardner, Darin King, John Giglio, Scott Walker, Robert Golding, Steve Koegle, Blake Altman, Dwann Buford, Mark Wimbush, Ruland ?, Charles Sidwell, Mike Miller, Lou Dallorso, Karen Fitzgerald, and Ryan Steadman.

Route: Accokeek to Merkle 47.  47.1 miles @ 17.5 AMS

Weather:  Mid 60's with winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.

Mishaps:  None

Pictures: Karen's Birthday Ride

Today's ride brought out the snowbirds as forecast called for and delivered mid to upper 60's with abundant sunshine. The A riders were slightly delayed with sign in, so the B riders pushed out a couple of minutes ahead. After weaving down Farmington Rd and heading toward Floral Park, the A group caught the B riders at the Livingston/Floral Park turn. It must have been the weather today as the A group was in fine fashion, pushing paces over 20 mph for nearly the entire trip to Merkle. Once rejoined in Merkle for a quick break, the group seemed to enjoy a short warm up ride before the engines roared again, this time with a sharp headwind. The winds and pace finally split the group into two around mile 25, but both groups maintained good pacelines and seemed to equally share the headwinds on the front. After a long trip down Cedarville Rd. and a brief stop at the Wawa for the lead group, both groups finished out the final 10 miles back to the firehouse. Ride leader averaged 17.5 at the tail end of the dragon, which says quite a bit given the lead group was well up the road. Overall, a great ride with great company. 

The weather prediction was too good to pass up a ride opportunity, so we B's tagged along behind Karen.  (Regina and Mike Saizan, Larry Peed, Janell Saunders, Liam Henly, Karl Gator, Sam Perry)  The weather proved as good as predicted. We had no mishaps although Karl suffered leg cramps,  and pretty much stayed for the whole ride.