Mixed Monday Bag

Hello and welcome!  Today we do have a mixture of things to present.

• Plans for the Upcoming Audax 200K
• Information about the changes to the Bicycles Unlimited Novice Road Ride
• A wee bit of Seasonal Whining

THE AUDAX 200K:

This is going to take place on Sunday 21 May.  The start/finish point will be at Bicycles Unlimited.

There will be a small fee for this ride, to cover lunch, a post ride snack, and water at stops along the way.  (I’ll have more info on the amount later this week.)

I will need to know who is actually planning to attend.  I need to know in order to make reservations.  The sincerest form of commitment is a check or cash for the food.  But please do let me know if you plan to come along.

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CONCERNING THE NOVICE ROAD RIDE:

Bicycles Unlimited Novice Road Ride starts this coming Thursday!!  (April 26, 2011)  But…

As many of you know, there is some serious construction, taking place on Bernhard Rd.  This interferes with our usual routing for the ride.  It’s just not possible to use the old return route, and there is no good alternate.  Further, at this time, we have no clear information regarding the time length of this project.

I’ve been looking for alternate routing for these rides.

Please bear in mind, the primary purpose of these rides is to encourage and train new road riders.

To that end, I see a couple of possible solutions.

For the more experienced riders:  Please feel free to come out for the ride.  As usual, I’ll start you off at 6:00 P.M. promptly.  I would suggest that you follow the plan that Pat Burton developed for the Erin’s Fight rides.  This is, essentially, an out-and-back, based on the traditional Novice Road Ride Route.  You can find a map and cuing by following this LINK.

For New Riders:  I’ve been looking at several different options.  I’m not yet clear on which one will be the final choice, so I’m going to try all of them.  (For that reason, I haven’t painted any route yet.

My first choice (the one I’ll start out with this coming Thursday) will be a bit hillier than the traditional route, but it will also be shorter.  Likely the route will be between 15 and 17 miles.

Attention New Riders!  Since the route is new, and unpainted, you will need to stay with me.  We’ll keep the pace slow, and NO DROP policy will be in effect.  BUT if you decide to ride off ahead, you are on your own!

The usual procedure will be in effect.  I’ll launch the more experienced riders promptly at 6:00 P.M. and will ask that new riders, and those who wish to have more support stay back with me.  We will leave 2 to 3 minutes later, and follow my revised routing.

PLEASE NOTE:  I’m testing several different routes!  If you come out and do the ride on any given week, there is no guarantee that the route will be the same on the following week.

Do come to the ride, and please come early enough to attend the pre-ride briefing.  Things may change at the last minute.

I do apologize for the inconvenience and uncertainty here.  Please bear with us.  We’re doing the best we can with a situation we did not create.

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THE SEASON!

It is truly Spring.  And despite the fact that all the flowers have pretty much done their blooming thing, and then departed, there is plenty of pollen or something in the air.  One would think that the heavy rain of Saturday night would have washed the stuff away.  Perhaps it did.  On the other hand, maybe the conditions were right for something to let go.  I expect the high winds may have had a bit to do with it too.

In short, Sunday’s riding left me half wrecked.  The whatever it was went after me with a vengeance.  Eyes burning, throat closing up, nasal congestion, you name it.  I’m not ordinarily bothered much by attacks like this, but there was certainly something out there with my name on it.

That said, wasn’t Sunday one glorious day to ride?  Yes it was windy, but I like windy days.  I find the gusty conditions invigorating and thrilling.  The air was crisp, the sky clear, and that amazing deep blue, and the riding was simply excellent.

I hope you all managed to get out and enjoy some of the weekend’s good weather.