What will be the most fun event this weekend in northwest Ohio? The German American Festival? The big car show? NO! It’s PEDAL AND PADDLE!

Adventurers and Meanderers meet Saturday morning for an 8:00 a.m. start at the boat launch at 8801 S. River Rd. Ride your choice of 35 or 40 miles, and come back for a picnic lunch.

Then rent a kayak for a leisurely paddle on the Maumee River. No previous experience necessary.

Rental fees are $15 single, $20 double, and only CREDIT CARDS are accepted. No cash.

Routes are: 35 miles - ridewithgps.com/routes/30887726 40 miles - ridewithgps.com/routes/30913967

Speedtrap Ride Tuesday August 20^th

          The Speedtrap Ride will roll out once again from Spoke Life Cycles on Elmore tomorrow, Tuesday, August 20^th, at 6:30 pm.

This week’s will be a special one: the Peggy Avers route that the Flatlanders did a couple of years ago. Here is the link to the route on ridewithgps.Peggy Avers 25-mile Ride Also attached is a cue sheet. I will have copies available.

          Scott Lang will lead the Ghost Pepper Riders. Last week his group topped 24 mph. Will they do it again?

          A volunteer is needed for the Cayenne Pepper Riders. Bob Kayden is away. This group plans to average 20 – 22 mph.

          Tony Mazurek will lead the Habanero Riders. He expects to average 18 – 20 mph.

          I will lead the Jalapeno Riders. We hope to average 16 – 18 mph.

          Marnie Arndt will take the Sweet Pepper Riders on a ride at a distance and speed comfortable for those in her group.

          The high temperature is predicted to be 87 degrees, with southerly winds at 5 to 10 mph. There is a 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms, but that means 60% chance of no thunderstorms.

          As always, some riders may gather after the ride at the Portage Inn in Elmore for food, drink, and good conversation. Anyone is welcome to plan or do anything else to make this a special event.

          Come on out to Elmore and ride some quiet country roads. You meet and ride with some great people, too! Sign-in begins at 6:00 in front of the bike shop. I hope to see you then!

Chuck NicewonderPeggy Avers 25-mile Ride.xlsx

         

Last Windsday saw us break 30 riders again. We had great conditions with mild winds on the way out, meaning good tailwinds on the way back in. Our only concern was that dark threatening cloud off to the west. It continued to head to the southwest though, totally missing our route and leaving us alone. For whatever reason, what is often a plain ole ride turned into a beautiful evening. The wide open fields created a beautiful vista of clouds sky and sun that enhanced the scenery. Kinda cool.

Speaking of cool, our rider returned some cool times. The Edgar’s Fast & Furious had a large group of fast riders and returned a 24.4 for their efforts. Jen’s Reasonably Fast team had a similarly good effort at 20.7. And as always, my Reasonable & Reliable group worked together to return a 18.5. No Relaxed group tonight I’m sorry to say.

Time is running short to come out and join us. Riding the flat, smooth roads with long stretches of straightaways gives great returns. Come out and join us at Timberstone JHS, leaving at 6:30 sharp.

I woke up for today’s ride a bit grumpy and leery - I didn’t sleep well, and for some reason was worried about the ride. Bad dream maybe. I needn’t have worried. 12 riders showed up for the trip out to Red Rambler, and they were a ride leader’s dream. Speeds were appropriate for the group, transitions were good. The group was essentially on autopilot. The only thing I had to worry about was calling the correct direction to turn. (Those who know me learn to follow the hands not the mouth - I frequently call the wrong direction!). 

We breezed out to Red Rambler arriving around 9:45. The only incident was that somehow a bird managed to poop on my leg and bike, but missed my arm and helmet. Eww! There was no line at Red Rambler, so the service was exceptionally quick, the baked goods and coffee were great. We sat outside and enjoyed the weather while we ate. Rick and Hubert preferred to enjoy the good ole’ American classics next door at McDonald’s. We picked them up as we left and went back with a nice tailwind to help push us along. Even though the return trip was five miles longer, we covered the distance in the same time as it took us to get out to Wauseon. The last few miles the group was getting bit anxious - we were at 17.9 avg, and we all wanted to make it to 18.0. We skipped the trail and took Monclova Rd to Keener Park to keep the pace up and made it our18 mph! Our fastest ride of the season, yet no one felt exhausted. It was a great ride.

This was Andrea Raftery’s longest unsupported ride to date and she did fantastic. She came out for her first ride on her hybrid about two months ago, bought a road bike and has become a regular on our rides. She has no problems keeping up with our pace. When I asked her if she was a runner before, she said no, she was a couch potato. She’s shown fantastic progress for such a short time. Way to go Andrea!

This week’s ride is one of my favorites that I borrowed from the Plus 5 group. It’s time for us to visit the Red Rambler in Wauseon for a cup of “floofy” coffee and a baked good. This one is a bit longer than usual at over 52 miles, so expect a later return time. 

We’ll leave from Keener Park at 8:00 sharp and head out to west over some of our old favorites, past Delta to arrive at Wauseon at mile 23. After a cup of coffee (or other beverage) we’ll head back going north of Delta, past the flowers on CR 8-1 and back through Oak Openings to arrive back at Keener. Again, we leave at 8:00 sharp. GPS track is available at Ride With GPS:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/

Speedtrap Ride Tuesday, August 13^th recap

          The Speedtrap Ride brought forty cyclists to Elmore last night for a fantastic ride through Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wood Counties.

          Scott Lang and three other Ghost Pepper Riders, Rob Golden, Jason Moore, and George Byington, rode to what is likely a Speedtrap record: a riding average of 24.1 mph! This may also be a personal best for the four riders! Congratulations to all!

          Bob Kayden was one of twelve cyclists(ten bikes—two were tandems) who formed the Cayenne Pepper Riders and reached Bob’s goal of 21.0 mph! Also congratulations!

          Tony Mazurek’s Habanero Riders rode the same course at 19.9 mph. I think that’s his fastest of the season!

          I rode out with five other Jalapeno Riders. Unfortunately, we split apart. Ray Purney, Ben Durant, and Mary Hecker went ahead and finished at 16.8 mph, as reported by Ray. Claude Watkins joined the Sweet Pepper Group, and I went looking for Colleen Hickey, who was all of a sudden not with us. Fortunately, she returned to Elmore safe and sound.

          Marnie Arndt’s Sweet Pepper Riders rode 20 miles at 15.3 mph. No report from Becky Kayden and LeAnn Helle.

          Pictured are two riders new to the Speedtrap Ride: Colleen Hickey, and Michelle Del Toro, with husband John. Welcome to the Speedtrap Ride!

          Next Tuesday, August 20^th, we will ride the 25-mile Peggy Avers route from Elmore. Attached is the cue sheet I have from two years ago. However, I will check all roads and send a final route, post it on ridewithgps, and send a link to it before next Tuesday. I hope to see you then!

Chuck Nicewonder

         

Cue sheet Peggie's 25.pdf

The Old 24 Ride is tonight.  Expect the average speed to be between 20 to 21 mph.  We will be heading out from Cycle Werks in Whitehouse at 6:30 for a 28.5 mile loop out to Old 24 and heading north on County Road 3.  Last week we had 9 riders and averaged 20.4 mph.

See you on Old 24.

With nearly ideal riding conditions, last Windsday’s riders had the need for speed. The official Fast & Furious group hit a season high 24.0, with rumors of a faster group pushing it a 1 mph beyond. With Jen out of town, Alan Mikesell led the Reasonably Fast group to a hot 21.1 mph. Even the Reasonable & Reliable group were itching to ride, with a quick 18.7 mph average.

This Windsday is looking just as good, with temps in the high 70’s and mild east winds in the 5-6 mph winds. Be sure to come out and join us for our cruise through the fields. We leave at 6:30 sharp from Timberstone JHS, 9000 W. Sylvania Ave. We’ll see you there!

Speedtrap Ride Tuesday August 13^th

          The Speedtrap Ride, Ottawa County’s best Tuesday night ride, will take pace again tomorrow, Tuesday, August 13^th. All cyclists will leave Spoke Life Cycles in Elmore at 6:30 pm.

          Scott Lang will lead the Ghost Pepper Riders on a 25-mile ride. His group will likely average 22+ mph. Are you ready?

          Bob Kayden will lead the Cayenne Pepper Riders over the same course, Bob’s group will likely average 20 – 22 mph.

          Tony Mazurek will lead the Habanero Riders also over the same course. He expects to average 18 – 20 mph.

          I will lead the Jalapeno Riders on a slightly shorter 22-mile ride. We hope to average 16 – 18 mph.

          Marnie Arndt will lead the Sweet Pepper Riders over a course and at a speed comfortable for those in her group.

          There is a 70% chance of rain on Tuesday, but mainly in the morning. By ride time the chance falls to 15%. Winds will be NNE about 10 mph.

          After the ride, some riders may gather as usual at the Portage Inn in Elmore for food, drink, and good conversation.

          The Speedtrap Ride is jointly sponsored by both TAB and the Flatlanders. If you’ve never experienced the Speedtrap Ride, why not give it a try? You’ll ride with some great people you don’t ordinarily ride with, and you’ll travel some quiet country roads, too!

          Sign-in begins at 6:00 in front of the bike shop, and we ride at

6:30 pm! I hope to see you then!

Chuck Nicewonder

 

Another favorite Winter Warrior hangout is this week's Intro to Gravel destination. We'll meet behind Tecumseh Brewing in Tecumseh, Michigan at 9am. This is a fresh route, exploring hills north and northwest of Tecumseh. Doug Metzger will act as tour guide this week since I am still recovering from my recent hernia operation. I'll meet you all at the start and be on course for support and photos.

We will be visiting some of our favorite roads on this route, including Noggles and Taylor. The planned stop is a BP station at mile 27 just outside of Clinton. It's a little early to be betting on the weather, but it will likely be in the 80's with a bit of wind. I don't really remember wind being much of a factor in this area due to tree cover and the rolling nature of the route. I'll meet you at least a couple times on route with water and snacks and moral support (unless my doc clears me to ride).

Here is the planned route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28989353

Start location: Tecumseh Brewing, 128 W Chicago Blvd, Tecumseh, MI 49286

Departure time: 9am