Septembrance
Maine Line
Two weeks ago, I brought my bike up to Maine and did a short ride with the Kennebec Valley Bike Club. I rode out Route 202 to East Winthrop and met up with eight others and set out on a 30-mile trip around Cobbossee Pond.
The group were mainly fifty-ish, so the pace was pretty relaxed. It was also a mixed group of masters racers, recreational riders, and commuters, so the group didn’t even pretend to hang together. The disorganization was made worse by a ride leader who assumed people knew the route, and who left everyone behind in her hurry to finish the ride and get to something else she’d planned for that afternoon.
The morning was misty and clammy, and a line of showers came through briefly and wet the roads down before the clouds broke up. The route began pretty hilly, but leveled out after a while, and I was pleased when we passed through the beautiful little village between Woodbury and Sand Ponds and stopped at the general store in South Monmouth, the turnaround point.
The group was friendly enough, and I spent a fair amount of time talking with the ride leader, since as the fastest rider of the group she was closest to my pace. I pretty much confirmed my belief that beyond Portland, Maine’s pretty much a cycling wasteland. It’s a shame, because the area would be wonderful, except there are no bike shops, and it takes a few solid LBS’ to establish a local bike culture.
The KVBC group were good enough to ride with, although this ride was pretty short and pretty relaxed: good for end-of-season tooling around, but not much for serious training. Still, as the only thing going, I might visit them again next spring, if circumstances allow.
Das Hub
There’s not a whole lot to say about this year’s 50-mile Hub on Wheels ride. A line of showers came through overnight, so it was a little moist at the start, as well as in protected areas like within the Stony Brook Reservation. But the sun was out by the time we took off, and temperatures ranged in the 60s, so it was about as good weather as I’ve ever had for this ride.
Overall it was pretty satisfying, and the best part was that I got 50 miles in and was back home before 11am!
The only disappointment is that none of my riding friends have ever done this ride. I think they’d be surprised, both at how challenging and how scenic it can be.
Now it’s time to pack up for a weekend of mid-90s-degrees riding in Sonoma. The ride report for that will appear in a larger post about the trip in my regular blog, but I’ll be back here again shortly to talk about the end of my 2011-2012 season and a look forward to 2013.