I had ten minutes. Ten minutes was all it took when I received the call that Edgar had sustained a vehicle flat and would not make the ride. Halfway through my ice cream, I negotiated a prorated return with the Handel's employee and threw the truck into gear. My mind was ablaze with concern; who would handle the sign-in? Who would fill the role that Windsday guru and otherwise-engaged leader Dan Riley normally handled? WHY WERE THESE PEOPLE DRIVING SO DAMN SLOW?!  

I rolled into the ride start with minutes to go. I knew Dan had negotiated a Reasonably Fast B leader with John Wodarski and, hiding in amongst the growing crowd, I spotted him. The look of fear on his face was quickly erased as I power-slid perfectly into the spot next to Hubert and tossed a sign-in sheet his way. Everything would be okay now.

Quickly, but authoritatively, I scanned the talent, went to Oomer and designated him Fast & Furious ride lead. "I have a broken foot" he said, "But I'll use this stick over here and fashion a quick splint. Will 23.3 mph get it done for you?" "Absolutely," I said and darted back to prepare my own slower but more powerfully-outfitted group of beefy boys and beautiful gals for battle with the wind.

From the corner of my eye, Patti Rapp appeared with an additional sign-in sheet. "Good work!" I said and my words seemed to resonate and inspire her to work faster among the throngs, signing and passing the sheet faster and faster.

I wrapped the pre-ride with an emotional yet encouraging safety run-down and, with tears, they spirited out of the lot, bent on achieving all that I set out for them. First Oomer's rapid group of pedal-pounding elites, then John and his intermediates, then our own powerfully-built cycling specimens.

A slight tail wind, heading west, drove our groups. Onward we pressed into the countryside, driving faster, the humming of the C group interrupted only by the incessant encouragement of its leader.

Rolling into the turn, the gusting that would oppose us for the remaining journey made itself known and yet the combo that were Patti and Diane did not let up but pulled us along. Inspired, the plump among us stepped up our game, matching pedal-stroke for pedal-stroke, until the rattling of empty water bottles became our theme.

We powered back, as is the Windsday way, drank to our inspiring, reverent (And absent) leader with what was left of the water, and left the parking lot with minutes to spare before rain imparted its closing tune.

Group averages:

Fast & Furious:  23.3 mph

Reasonably Fast:  19.9 mph

Reasonable & Reliable:  17.9 mph

-Ian

This Windsday will be full of guest ride leaders. Jen &  I will be out for the evening due to outside commitments. So Edgar will be signing you all in, and will still be leading his Fast & Furious group. John Wodarski will be leading Jen’s Reasonably Fast group (if you don’t know John, he’s a great rider and all round good guy). And our fearless president Ron Schieb will inspire the Reasonable & Reliable group to new heights. And our Relaxed group has volunteer leaders at the ready.If the rains hold off, tomorrow should be a good night to ride, especially you Reasonable & Reliable riders. Warm temps and mild winds are projected (at least by weather.com). 

If you’ve thought about coming out but our wind infatuation scares you off, I’d really encourage you to come in spite of the wind. We share great riding tips, especially about dealing with the wind, and have a great time wind or no wind. You’ll learn how to effectively deal with the winds, instead of fearing them. So come and join a great group of riders tomorrow. And I’ll hope to see you all when I’m back next week! 

Chris Crandall will be leading the Old 24 Ride. Come on out and enjoy riding on Old 24.

Speedtrap Ride Tuesday June 18^th

          The Speedtrap Ride will roll out once again from Spoke Life Cycles/Elmore tomorrow, Tuesday, June 18^th, at 6:30 pm.

          Scott Lang will lead the Ghost Pepper Riders on a 25-mile ride. Last week his group’s  average speed was 22.9 mph. Will they top 23 mph this week?  You better be ready!

          Tony Mazurek will lead the Habanero Riders over the same course at a slightly slower pace: 18 – 20 mph.

          I will lead the Jalapeno Riders on a slightly shorter 22-mile ride. We expect to average at least 16 mph.

          Marnie Arndt will lead the Sweet Pepper Riders over a distance and at a speed comfortable for those in her group. Speeds in her group have ranged from 12 – 16 mph over the last few weeks.

          The weather should be relatively favorable, with a high temperature of 76 degrees predicted, but mostly cloudy with ENE winds at 5 to 10 mph.

          As usual, some riders will likely gather after the ride at the Portage Inn in Elmore for food, drink, and good conversation!

          If you haven’t experienced the Speedtrap Ride, it’s time to treat yourself to some quiet country roads, great for cycling!  You’ll ride with some great people, 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!

P.S. Doug Metzger is tentatively planning a route for a Summer Solstice Ride on June 25^th out of Luckey, Ohio. Mark your calendars!

Also, we are tentatively planning to ride the Speedtrap Ride in reverse on July 9^th, with a cookout in front of the bike shop afterward.

Chuck Nicewonder

 

Greetings to all TAB members and Friends,

          This is just a reminder that there will be no official TAB rides this coming Sunday, June 23rd.

Why? Because the Maumee Valley Adventurers' Portage River Tour out of Elmore, Ohio,  will take place that day, and it has been TAB's policy for some time to support MVA's invitational rides.

                 You can register for the Portage River Tour on line at the cheaper rate until 11:59 pm Thursday, June 20. Day-of-Ride registration will be available.

          I hope to see you on the road.

Chuck Nicewonder

Kickoff your 4th of July celebration this year with our annual TAB Freedom Ride!

This year's ride will benefit Justice for Sierah, a non-profit that was established in honor of Sierah Joughin, a University of Toledo student who was abducted while riding her bike in July of 2016. Please come out and celebrate our freedoms, but also celebrate and support the work this great organization is doing to help empower and ensure the safety of our children.

- Donations Graciously Accepted -

 

Ride Details

Date/Time:  Thursday, July 4th - 8:00am start

Location:  Mallard Lake Lot, Oak Openings

Group1 - 18-20mph for 62 miles *8:00am start

Group2 - 16-18mph for 62 miles *8:00am start

Group 3 - 12-15mph for 30 miles *9:30am start

All groups return to Mallard Lake between 11:30am-Noon

- Lunch Catered by Chef Ian -

To all TAB members:

             If it isn't raining, a ride leader is still needed for tomorrow, Sunday, June 16th, on the 1:00 Getaway Ride!

          All you regulars on that ride.....One of you can do it!!!!! Please help out your club.

Thank you.

Chuck Nicewonder

Well, the rain never developed, but if those winds were 7-8 mph, I’ll eat my helmet. (I’m probably due a new one anyway.) We had 31 riders come out for the evening. With a strong 12-15 mph wind straight out of the East, all the groups took advantage of a great tailwind to build up a speed reserve for the return trip. My R&R riders hit a nice18.5 before we turned east back into the wind. While it was a challenge, all four groups showed great teamwork to arrive back at our regular speeds. Edgar’s F&F group averaged 22.0 (A splinter group of fast riders arrived back at an impressive 19.9). Alan Mikesell, filling in for Jen, brought his group in at 19.3. My R&R group scored our typical 17.3 with Todd “Ken” Kozlowski bringing the Relaxed riders in at a sweet 13.7. Great results all around! 

It looks like the winds are here to stay this summer. So why hide from them? Come out and join our group of wind gurus and learn how to master those breezes. You may still hate them, but you’ll won’t fear them anymore.

Well, the rain never developed, but if those winds were 7-8 mph, I’ll eat my helmet. (I’m probably due a new one anyway.) We had 31 riders come out for the evening. With a strong 12-15 mph wind straight out of the East, all the groups took advantage of a great tailwind to build up a speed reserve for the return trip. My R&R riders hit a nice18.5 before we turned east back into the wind. While it was a challenge, all four groups showed great teamwork to arrive back at our regular speeds. Edgar’s F&F group averaged 22.0 (A splinter group of fast riders arrived back at an impressive 19.9). Alan Mikesell, filling in for Jen, brought his group in at 19.3. My R&R group scored our typical 17.3 with Todd “Ken” Kozlowski bringing the Relaxed riders in at a sweet 13.7. Great results all around! Forgot a picture again, so I thought this one would represent how we thought we looked.

It looks like the winds are here to stay this summer. So why hide from them? Come out and join our group of wind gurus and learn how to master those breezes. You may still hate them, but you’ll won’t fear them anymore.

Rocky Roemer is unable to lead our Relaxed (14-15 mph) group on Windsdays. Currently it’s a sporadic group with one or two riders. But we’d really like to get it built up so relaxed riders can come out an enjoy a Windsday riding with TAB. If you currently ride Windsdays or can help with this, please feel free to contact either me, Ron Schieb, or Chuck Nicewonder. Please help us grow Windsday night!