Latest Club News & Info

The 10th Intro to Gravel Ride was far from an introduction. Edgar, Helen, Suzanne and I took on the hills of Waterloo, forwards and backwards, with a few new roads thrown in just to see what's out there. A little rain during the night kept the dust down. The roads were firm and fast. And it was all I could do to hang with the Fast and Furious crew. Riding with these three will make you a stronger rider, there is no doubt. Only a small mechanical during the ride, my water bottle cage bolts worked themselves loose. Otherwise a fun ride.

We'll continue with gravel rides every Saturday during September and October. The routes are either long, difficult, or both. More details are found on the Ride with GPS event page: https://ridewithgps.com/events/69932-2019-introduction-to-gravel-series

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/w9M3vyxc7ayi9xRu6

-Nate

Speedtrap Ride Tuesday September 3^rd

          The Speedtrap Ride, Ottawa County’s best Tuesday night ride, will roll out once again tomorrow, Tuesday, September 3^rd, at 6:30 pm!

          For something different, just once, we will all ride together at a relaxed pace, and we’ll follow (mostly)the route of the Flatlanders’ Thursday night fun ride. Doug Metzger will provide the music from his rock-and-roll playlist.

          The high temperature is predicted to be 84 degrees. However,  winds will be strong, SSW at 15 to 25 mph.

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

          Come out to Elmore and ride some quiet country roads! Since we’re all riding together, you’ll be able to talk to your fellow riders, regardless of speed group. You’ll meet some super-nice people, too!

Sign-in begins at 6:00 and we ride at 6:30 pm! I hope to see you then!

Chuck Nicewonder

 

Honestly, I thought this weekend’s Adventurer Ride would be low key. Labor Day weekend, starting in Swanton, prediction of stiff east winds. I thought for sure the attendance would be low. Boy, was I wrong! 19 riders came out just to ride the hills on CR16. I think that’s a season high!

At the start, the winds were from the North. Since the route was mainly east to west, we made good time getting out to the hilly section. The hills are a group of nice rollers - once you come down, you have momentum for getting up the next hill. But those north winds slowed us down. I heard wishes that the they could do them with the wind at their back. Your wish was my command. After a stop in Morenci and an ill-fated attempt to pump up a tire (it got deflated instead) we were back in the hills, wind at our back.

Remember that east to west route? It was west to east coming back. And the winds had shifted to out of the east and increased to 10-12 mph. But the group stayed clustered together worked hard against the wind until we made it past the famous CR 8-1 flowers - which were in full glory by the way. As we headed in to the winds one last time, we separated into 2 groups, but still made it back in good shape to our starting point. A tough ride, but still a “hill” of a great one, with a fantastic group of people.

Windsday was a classic ride this week. Partly cloudy skies blocked enough of the sun to keep the temperatures cool. A tough west wind up to 12 mph greeted us in the parking lot. But Windsday riders are a tough bunch. All three groups buckled down to attack the enemy from the west out to CR 4-3 when we were able to turn back east and take advantage of those winds. Speeds were down by about a 1/2 - 1 mph, but were still great. Edgar and the Fast & Furious (a great name for a band by the way) reported a 23.0, Jen’s Reasonably Fast a 20.3, and my Reasonable and Reliable came in at 17.6

Next week, we're back to Timberstone for our start, but starting time is 6:00 due to the fading sun. I hope you’ll all come out and enjoy a ride through the field with us.

Greetings to all TAB members and Friends,

    It's that time of year again.....Time to tell your boss at work you have to leave early to get to a ride...

            In September, because the sun is setting earlier,  all evening TAB rides officially roll out at 6:00 pm. This includes the Monday Bedford and Whitehouse Rides, the Tuesday Old 24 Breakaway and the Speedtrap Rides, the Windsday Ride, and the 5fer Thursday Ride.

       Also, because the sun is rising later, start times for Saturday and Sunday morning rides are affected. The Saturday Adventure Tour will depart at 8:30 am, and the Intro to Gravel Ride will leave at 9:00. The Sunday Breakfast Ride will start at 8:30 on September 8, 15, and 29, and at 9:00 on the Sundays in October. There will be no Sunday Breakfast Ride on September 22, the day of the Irish Hills Tour. The Meandering Rides are still listed as starting at 8:00 am.

                As always, there may be exceptions[ The Speedtrap Ride is at 6:30 for at least one more Tuesday]. Please check the ride announcement from the ride leader for any ride.

I hope to see you on the road.

Chuck Nicewonder

Big thanks to Doug Metzger for leading the group from Tecumseh Brewing a couple weeks back. The humidity was high, the route was hilly, but everyone made it back for good food and beer.

The gravel ride this Saturday is leaving from Chelsea for some rolling hills. This is an out and back type of route, sending us across the bottom of the Waterloo G&G route (you know, where all the hills are), and back across the same hills going the other direction. There are some additional hills thrown in for extra credit.

The full route is 49.5 miles, regrouping as needed with average speeds between 12 and 14 mph. Bring fuel and extra water as the only store on the route is at mile 28.5.

Departure time: 9am

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28989360

Start point: 1101 S Main St, Chelsea, MI 48118

Since it’s Labor Day weekend, I thought I’d make you work hard this Saturday! We’re going to be heading for hills – the hills of NW Ohio. There are hills in good ole flat NWO? You betcha. This ride is an oldie but goodie from Janet Smith. North of US 20 on CR 15 are some sweet rollers that are a lot of fun. If you rode the Freedom Ride on July 4th you got a little bit of an exposure to them. This time we’ll ride them all. Twice! And we’ll also have a pretty trip to ride them. 

The route is one of our longer ones – 52.1 miles according to Ride With GPS. We’ll be starting from the Parkview Dr. parking lot at Swanton Memorial Park in Swanton. For you GPSer’s the address is Parkview Dr., Swanton, OH 43558. It’s just opposite of Mom’s Diner There are bathrooms onsite in the park too (important for us old guys!). After hitting the hills, we’ll take a snack stop in Morenci at the mid-point. Then we’ll turn around and ride them again! And since we’re out that way, we will of course ride past the flowers on 8-1 again on our way back to Swanton.

We’ll leave at 8:00 a.m. sharp – our last 8:00 start of the season. Pace will be out usual 17-18 mph. Weather looks fall-like cool and breezy, so dress appropriately. I’ll see you all at Swanton Memorial Park in Swanton.

GPS track is available at  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30977460

Speedtrap Ride Tuesday, August 27th recap

The Speedtrap Ride drew thirty-three cyclists to Elmore last night to ride the Peggy Avers route in almost perfect riding weather!

          Two years ago, Peggy Avers, owner of the ice cream shop next to Spoke Life Cycles/Elmore, fell sixteen feet  from a ladder to concrete getting Christmas decorations out of storage. The Flatlanders organized a special ride in conjunction with other events to raise money for Peggy Avers. We rode the 25-mile route last night. Several riders said it was a nice route!

        There was a slight headwind for the first half of the ride, but not bad, and a very nice tailwind for the return to Elmore portion. The sun was shining in mostly clear skies after rain earlier in the day.

          Scott Lang led the Ghost Pepper Riders and reported a 23.2 mph average. *Some e-bike riders reported a slightly higher number.*

          Bob Kayden led a total of nine Cayenne Pepper Riders at a 21.0 mph average.

          Tony Mazurek led the Habanero Riders and reported an 18.8 mph average.

          I rode out with seven other riders for a combined Jalapeno-Sweet Pepper group. The eight of us stayed together for the entire ride! My Garmin said 16.1 mph when we arrived back in Elmore. Kudos to Marnie Arndt who said it was her first 16+ mph of the season!

          Pictured are several riders enjoying food, drink, and good conversation after the ride at the Portage Inn in Elmore.

          Next Tuesday, September 3^rd, we will all ride as one group at a relaxed pace following the route(or close to it) of Flatlanders’ Thursday night fun ride. Doug Metzger is organizing the ride and will provide music from his rock-and-roll playlist…Something different! Hopefully it will be an enjoyable change of pace for everyone. Thank you, Doug!

          Come on out to Elmore next Tuesday for the Speedtrap Fun Ride! Ride some quiet country roads and ride with some great people, too! Sign-in begins at 6:00 and we ride at 6:30 pm! I hope to see you then!

Chuck Nicewonder

         

For one day only, Windsday is moving to Central Trail School, just a half mile up Mitchaw Rd from our usual Timberstone start. Why? It’s Open House at Timberstone, that’s why! We’ll more than make up for it with a classic Windsday though - strong winds out of the west will make the ride out work, but the ride heck of a lot of fun! Be sure to bring headlights though, daylight is fading fast right now. We’ll leave at 6:30 sharp from Central Trail School, 4321 Mitchaw Rd.

As for last week, it was a “mullet ride” as I promised with 9 mph winds from the west. After some great teamwork battling the wind as we headed west, we experienced a fast and fun return trip on the way back. My Reasonable & Reliable group rolled in at 18.4 mph, Jen’s Reasonably Fast team had a nice 20.3 and Edgar’s Fast & Furious speedsters rolled in at 23.3. An impressive performance on a beautiful night.

Speedtrap Ride Tuesday August 27

          The Speedtrap Ride’s next chapter will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, August 27^th. For something different, we will ride the 25-mile Peggy Avers route. Peggy Avers 25-mile Ride. Cue sheets will be provided.

          Scott Lang will lead the Ghost Pepper Riders. His group will likely average 22 – 24 mph.  Can you handle the adrenaline?

          Bob Kayden will be back to lead the Cayenne Pepper Riders, and he expects to average 20 – 22 mph. Two week’s ago the group’s average was 21 mph. Can they top that?

          Tony Mazurek will lead the Habanero Riders and will average 18 – 20 mph. Last time it was 19.9. Will they hit 20?

          I will lead the Jalapeno Riders and we hope to average 16  - 18 mph.

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

          There is a 70% chance of scattered thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. Let’s hope we miss those! Wind may also be an issue at SSW 10 – 20 mph!

          The Speedtrap Ride is a great opportunity to ride with TAB and Flatlanders members. You’ll ride with some great people on lightly traveled country roads. Sign-in begins at 6:00 in front of Spoke Life Cycles in Elmore and we ride at 6:30 pm! I hope to see you then!

Chuck Nicewonder

         

Cue sheet Peggie's 25.pdf