Latest Club News & Info

This week’s Adventure Ride takes us to the village of Pemberville. We’ll meet at 8:00 in the parking lot behind the Perrysburg YMCA, 13415 Eckel Junction Rd, Perrysburg OH for a jaunt southward to Pemberville OH. We’ll have a snack stop at William Henry Harrison Park at mile 20. Then we can cruise along the Portage River for a bit before we head back north to the YMCA for a total of 46 miles. Snacks and drinks will be available at the IGA in Pemberville if you need them (no breakfast stop this trip). The weather promises to be cool and breezy with temps in the high 40’s to low 50’s and winds out of the ENE, so dress warm! Hope to see you there.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29939841

5fer Mojo: 2 Local Forecasts: 0. Two weeks running the forecasters said we would be washed out, yet we had great rides both times. While last week was completely dry, tonight we had light rain starting at mile 3 and ending by mile 4.5. Just enough to get us wet but not soaked.

32 cyclists knew the 5fer mojo would cut through the gloomy forecast to enable a fantastic ride and they were not disappointed. I forgot to get a photo, help me remember at next week’s gathering of the cool kids. We did 4 groups tonight. Reported averages were: Hot 1 22.6, Hot 2 21.6, Spicy Combo 18.4 and GLR 11.5

Welcome to ride #4 of the inaugural Intro to Gravel Series. On May 18th, we leave from the Springbrook area of Oak Openings to take on the unpaved Wabash Cannonball trail. This is an out and back to Wauseon for a total of 30 very flat miles. We will encounter dirt, loose gravel, and big chunky rocks along the way. Expect a pace between 12 and 15 mph, regrouping as needed. There will be a few regroup points:

1) The covered bridge around mile 6 out and mile 23 back.

2) The tracks around mile 11 out and mile 18 back.

3) The Red Rambler (https://redrambler.com/) in Wauseon, halfway home.

Ride starts at 9am.

Start point: https://goo.gl/maps/xrYrFj6ZPDH2

Here is a link to the route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28989367

More info about the series here: https://www.spokelifecycles.com/articles/intro-to-gravel-series-tab-pg218.htm

Six riders took on some of the roughest gravel roads Michigan has to offer this morning. Spring is a great time to sharpen those pothole dodging skills and lose teeth on washboard. Perfect weather, great company, good beer and food afterwards. And the suicidal squirrel made a reappearance. It was a good day.

The next gravel ride is on May 18th, starting at the Springbrook parking area at Oak Openings. We're riding to Wauseon, stopping for coffee at the Red Rambler.

Metroparks added these reminders at the Springbrook and Beach Ridge kiosks.

Take care of our trails and be mindful when planning to ride.

"Bike Travel Weekend got us over that hump of going on our first trip. There are lots of reasons not to do something, but doing it outshines any of those." -Michael T. Hutnick, Sacramento, California (2018 Bike Travel Weekend participant)

Go on a one- or two-night bike adventure to a campground, hotel, B&B, or friend’s house with thousands of others throughout the world on the same weekend, Bike Travel Weekend, May 31 – June 2. Go solo, with friends or a big group and ride any distance you’d like. Choose the adventure that works for you. Everyone who registers by May 26 will be entered to win an REI Co-op Cycles ADV 3.1 bike.

Support Adventure Cycling! Register here.

One of the bad things about building your ride on wind exposure - you can’t cancel when the winds are challenging. And challenging was an understatement. The winds were steady at 17-18 from the east, with gusts that tried to blow you over in parking lot. 20 intrepid warriors showed up for the ride, but 4 of them decided to postpone their ride until next week. We split into two groups, with Edgar taking the hard chargers, and Jen and I combining into a second group. We took a nuanced approach to riding, doing a moderate pace when we were with the wind, and shortening the ride by about 2.5 miles so we could do battle with the harsh winds on the way back. Edgar’s group passed us to arrive back at the start with an average of 20 mph, with Jen and my group scoring a solid 16 under adverse conditions.

Next week is the Ride of Silence. So the regular Windsday ride is canceled. Instead we will do a Ride To The Ride, starting from the back parking lot of Tam O Shanter. Tam O is 2.5 miles east of Timberstone at 7060 W Sylvania Ave, Sylvania, OH. We plan to leave at 6:00 to make it to the start of the ride on time, but there is some time if you’re a few minutes late. More details next week.

https://wearetraffic.org/ride-of-silence-toledo

Speedtrap Ride Tuesday May 7^th recap

          Twenty cyclists came to Elmore for the first official Speedtrap Ride of the 2019 season.

          Scott Lang led the Ghost Pepper Riders over a 25-mile course. Doug Metzger from that group reported a riding average speed of 19.4 mph

          Hugh Benning, substituting for Tony Mazurek, led the Habanero riders over the same course and reported a riding average of 17.4 mph.

          Mark Radabaugh, Ben Durant, and I formed the Jalapeno Riders. We rode the shorter 22 miles, but with average speeds in the 13s and 14s, we were nowhere near our target average.

          Marnie Arndt, Kathy Metzger, and Kathy Slovak were the Sweet Pepper Riders. They rode 22 miles at 13 mph

          No rain fell during the ride and roads were dry. and all riders experienced a pleasant tailwind on the first leg of the ride.  However, after they started the return heading northeast on SR 105, the headwind was brutal, with the temperature only about 50 degrees!

          There were three first time Speedtrap riders: Rob Golden of Spoke Life Cycles, Mark Radabaugh, and Kathy Slovak.

          Please join us next Tuesday, May 14^th, for the next chapter of the Speedtrap Ride. We leave Spoke Life Cycles/Elmore(formerly Elmore Cycle and Fitness) at 6:30 pm. I hope to see you then.

Chuck Nicewonder

The weather for our first Tuesday Old 24 ride looked to be a bit chilly.  Who would come out to ride in temps that were sure to drop into the 40’s? I was pleased to see 7 riders show up to help me battle the wind and cold.

It was a smooth start heading south out of Whitehouse with temps about 50 degrees. Then we turned east on Neowash and it was game on. Nothing like heading into the wind and climbing an overpass.  We were quickly rewarded with a great push down Old 24! That felt so easy.

As we headed north over the 2^nd overpass, we again had a strong cross wind.  Finally, we reaching the top of the overpass only to be met by a huge gust of wind that just about stopped us in our tracks. Then we only had 6 miles left to go but straight into the wind.  We stayed together and rotated often to work our way back to Whitehouse.

See you all next week on Old 24.

For a ride that built its reputation on adverse weather conditions, this Windsday will be a doozy! Rain is out of the forecast, but temps in the low to mid 50’s with a forecasted 15 mph easterly wind will make for a challenging ride, especially the return trip. But the more riders, the more we can share the work. So layer up and come out and join us. We leave promptly at 6:30 from Timberstone Jr High 9000 W Sylvania Ave. See you then.