OWLS finish May in good style

By Allan Edmonds

Tuesday 15 or so riders did "Long Russell" under the able leadership of Shelley Bradfield and Kathy Cummins. Out 46 to sail down and along Kerr Creek, up Mr. Gilead to 45, loop around Russell Road, with a last reconnoiter at Unversity School. Check the map. (Opens in new window.) One of the great things about having two leaders is that one can lead at the front while the other one watches at the rear for anyone struggling or having mechanical problems.

On Thursday some 17 OWLS did a familiar ride backwards, counterclockwise to Harrodsburg. Down Victor, Old 37, under 37, Strain Ridge toward home. See the map. (Opens in new window.) CE Taylor did his usual excellent job planning route, getting us organized, and shepherding the whole group along the road. We had a couple of new riders, which is usual for us. I think they were both a bit surprised at how fast we ended up going. But they did fine.
As might be expected some OWLS are getting faster as the season progresses. About half of us sailed along in a pace line once we got onto Old 37. There was a constant threat of rain, but not much more than that.

Some OWLS apparently thought they needed more than simple pedal power. (Click for larger image.)

Gathering for our last regroup for everyone at Ketcham Run Around. (Click for larger image.)

Finally on Saturday OWLS were part of the large group at Bryan Park for the regular club ride heading to Nashville, not the Hilly Hundred route because of the poor condition of Lanham Ridge. Rather we headed all the way out to Bean Blossom up and over Bear Wallow Hill and into Nashville. There were at least three groups, one breaking out to do a century ride led by Jim Schroeder. Another group did the main route pretty quickly, leaving promptly from the first meeting spot at Bean Blossom store. Finally a smaller group of 7 or 8 continued with the planned route and five of us even had a leisurely lunch in Nashville at the pizza shop on the route, as recommended by leader Mark Napier. In addition to Mark our lunch group included Joe Anderson, Ron Brown, Dan Fowler, and Allan Edmonds.

At Bryan Park before we left, Joe noticed that his left crank arm was loose after a bottom bracket replacement earlier in the week. Fortunately Mark had the necessary extra large Allen wrench in his multi-tool. Unfortunately it didn't have enough of a handle to get enough leverage on it to permanently solve the problem. But three re-tightenings was enough to finish the trip successfuly. Joe headed straight to the bike shop as we got back to town about 2 pm.

Although the weather report called for afternoon rain, the weather was actually excellent. Our slowest group averaged about 15.0 mph for the entire 55 mile route.

Forest Ride

By Allan Edmonds

It was a first-rate end to a first-rate week. Some 38 riders gathered for the scheduled club ride at 9 am at Bryan Park. Well, actually, only about 17 or so were planning to do the scheduled route. The others were split between doing the longer M and M ride of about 60 miles and an alternative of about the same length that went west from Martinsville.

We wound our way through the rebuilding work on the road through Cascades Park. Cars can't get through. But bikes could make without even dismounting. Apparently the tree that came down during a big storm this spring severely damaged the retaining wall and underneath support for the road. There is no end in sight for the work.

All three groups gathered at the entrance to the Morgan-Monroe State Forest at about mile 14, before splitting up. I was able to get a couple of pictures that I had to stitch together in order to see everyone. I count 36 heads in the picture, plus a couple that didn't get into it. Can you spot the seam? Click on the photos to see larger versions!

Pretty soon Joe Anderson led out the group doing the Forest ride and we left the others to their own devices. We headed down to the Lookout Tower, where we took a group picture that was able to capture everyone in a single frame.

From there we descended Bean Blossom Hill down to Anderson, then on to Old 37, and back the way we came. Three of our group split off to climb Boltinghouse Hill. (These are OWLS? Don't they know what W means?)

By and by we got back to the park close to noon. Somewhat unusual for us, we had a good-sized group finishing together. (The slowest of us averaged about 14.5mph.) So we took one more picture to document the 10 plus photographer who came in together.

Just a few minutes later two of the three who did Boltinghouse Hill arrived as well.

The weather was great. The record-sized group fantastic. Let's keep it up.

A Week with the OWLS

May 19 and 21, 2009

By Allan Edmonds

Shelley Bradfield was on tap to lead our Tuesday ride down 446 to Shawnee Bluffs and back. We have been working with the idea of trying to make the Tuesday ride a little shorter and have a little less climbing, with the intention of making the Tuesday ride the best place for a new person to get his or her feet (pedals?) wet. Also we have a couple of OWLS who like to ride tandems with a kid on the back, and some of our longer or steeper routes make it difficult for them to keep up with the extra load. Shelley, being extra responsible, decided to take a run down 446 on Monday just to check things out. That's when she discovered the Chip and Seal operation in full swing. CE and I exchanged messages by email and we put out a notice that we were changing our Tuesday route. After that all hell broke loose on the BBC listserv over the Chip and Seal work. I hope our club can get together with IBC and CIBA and keep the pressure on the state over this.

In any case about a dozen of us had a very pleasant 23 mile ride on what we are calling our Short Airport ride, following a loop along the south side of the Monroe County Airport. Here's a little map of the route.

As usual with these evening rides, the trip out of town is more unpleasant with all the "rush hour" traffic. But by 7 pm or so things have settled down quite nices.

For Thursday CE Taylor planned and led a longer and hillier ride that we call the Shuffle Creek Ride, with three serious climbs: Out on (1) Mt. Gilead, then a long, smooth, down hill on Shuffle Creek to Lake Lemon, up (2) South Shore Drive, and then back the way we went out on (3) Mt. Gilead.

We had a real good turn out of 20 riders.

Greg Alexander was along on his recumbent and did quite well on the hills.

On the way back along Tunnel Road, CE pulled out his cell phone and took an amazing picture of our group, holding the phone/camera backwards over his shoulder. Don't you agree?

The only negative was when Brad Schroeder got a pinch flat when he hit a crater-sized hole on Tunnel. I was right behind him and if he hadn't hit it, I surely would have. Most of our group was already on its way toward home, but several of us stopped while his tube was replaced. Tom Whitehead in particular lent a helping hand and we were soon on our way again.

Dave Lawler and I had fun pushing the pace on the last stretch of 45 back into town. We got a little bit ahead, but by the time we got to Third Street everyone had caught up again. At Third Street three of our group were almost taken out by a car that decided at the last second to make a quick right turn. You cannot afford to let down your guard for second, even when the ride is almost over.

OWLS launch May at Cutright

By Allan Edmonds

The OWLS had a good group of 15 riders and good weather for a pleasant out-and-back ride down 446 to the Cutright boat ramp on the other side of the Lake Monroe causeway. Traffic was a bit heavier than expected on the way out. But we took the usual Knights Ridge/Old 446 segments to avoid some of that. We stayed together pretty well. One advantage of an out-and-back route is that we automatically regrouped at the end point...in this case the Cutright boat ramp. Coming back toward town we gradually split up, starting with the long climb back up from the causeway, and small groups headed home their own ways. Overall the slowest of us averaged right around 15 mph, with a max of about 38 sailing down the hill to the causeway.

The plan for the rest of May as laid out by OWL CE Taylor is to have slightly shorter and/or easier rides on Tuesdays. This one was just over 20 miles. Then have slightly longer and/or hillier rides on Thursdays. Check out the on-line calendar for the rest of the month to see what's on the schedule. We encourage newer riders to come out and join us for these more relaxed training rides. We also encourage riders to take a turn at leading one of the regular rides. We are working to get all the rides onto the ride calendar in advance. As CE says, the main thing then is to emphasize safety and to be sure the slowest riders make it back all right.

Grate News for Bicyclists in Bloomington

By Keith Vogelsang

Several emails sent out to the club this past week highlighted the work being done to correct a long-standing and dangerous road condition. Club members new and old may not be aware of the work that has taken place behind the scenes by Ron Brown and former Advocacy Chair Bill Hayden, so I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge their hard work and provide a bit of history behind the effort.

A few years ago, Bill Hayden and Ron Brown thought it would be a good idea to map the location of all the dangerous storm water inlet grates around Bloomington and beyond. Ron’s effort is posted on the BBC website (http://bloomingtonbicycleclub.org/grates/index.html), and he provides regular updates as new hazards are discovered and old hazards are corrected. Here’s a picture of one version of a dangerous grate along Clarizz Boulevard that we expect will be corrected soon:

Ron has persevered in bringing the issue to the attention of any public official who will listen, and his efforts are now paying off, as indicated by recent email messages shared with the BBC list. The City of Bloomington Utilities Department has started replacing dangerous grates. Riders may have noticed upgraded “cycle-safe” storm water inlets along Kinser Pike and one replacement has been made along Clarizz Boulevard near Bloomingfoods. Here’s a picture of the new cycle-safe grate along Clarizz:

According to City Council Member Tim Mayer, the use of cycle-safe grates is now a matter of city policy anytime new construction is approved or road repairs are undertaken. The number of city officials who have responded to Ron’s activism and helped move this issue forward is impressive. These include Mayor Mark Kruzan, Council members Susan Sandberg, Tim Mayer, and Andy Ruff—my thanks to all of them. Special thanks to Utilities Engineers Jane Fleig and Mike Bengtson, and of course, Ron Brown and Bill Hayden, for helping to improve Bloomington’s bicycle infrastructure.

Cedar Bluff Ride

By Keith Vogelsang

Saturday, May 2, 2009

The weather forecast going into the weekend for the ride to Cedar Bluff
Nature Preserve looked gloomy. Rain storms throughout the week kept
most of us off our bikes, and more rain was imminent, according to the
latest forecasts. But as quickly as storms form, they can also break
up, and we were greeted Saturday morning with clear skies, calm winds,
and cool temperatures. Nineteen riders gathered at Bryan Park, and our
wheels were rolling just after 10:00.

By the time we crossed Highway 37 to get out of town, we were down to
18 riders, as Glenn Berger developed a flat. Neither Glenn nor anyone
else had a spare tube compatible with his particular tire and rim
combination, so he phoned home for a ride while the rest of us
continued on.

We made our way toward Ketcham Road, where we were expecting to
encounter a dog or two. And we did. Fortunately, we had Stacy Felton on
the ride with us, and she schooled us in the finer techniques of dog
management. The dogs also appeared to learn important lessons, as
evidenced by their confused expressions. Other notable wildlife sitings
include a pileated woodpecker that flew across my path shortly after
turning onto Ketcham, and there was a second hand report that Stan
Ellis saw a squirrel, although as of this writing, that has not been
confirmed.

We regrouped at the entrance to Cedar Bluff Nature Preserve, where
about half a dozen excited dogs had brought their humans for a hike.
Klaus Rothe used the opportunity to take more pictures and also made a
digital recording of Stacy demonstrating her high-decibel dog control
methods. Look for a link to this recording to appear on the new BBC
website (coming soon!).

At this point, about half the riders had decided to extend their route
by about 10 miles. The group split in half at the intersection of
Popcorn and Ketcham. The “extra miles” group headed west on Popcorn and
then planned to make their way back toward Judah. Those of us staying
on the scheduled route headed toward Harrodsburg, and made our way back
toward town on Old 37. The long climb north on Old 37 spread us out
considerably, but all of us eventually made our way home. All told, a
great day and an enjoyable ride. Special thanks to Klaus Rothe for his
artistic photo contributions.

Not quite to McCormick's Creek

Saturday, April 25, 2009

By Ride Leader Allan Edmonds

It was a warm day in April and a somewhat shorter than average Saturday ride. Given the warmth and the strong westerly wind, many of us were quite happy to complete a basic 35 mile loop.

The official club map for this ride was designed for use on holiday club rides, when we have sometimes headed out to McCormick's Creek State Park and taken a sociable break to eat a (second for many of us) breakfast at the buffet in the Inn. Since we weren't going into the park, the leader opted to cut off the out-and-back segment to the park. That resulted in a basic 35 mile loop. Many riders extended the ride by riding down into Spencer and then by the park, adding 8 or 9 miles at the NW corner of the route. Others did the basic 35 that I had announced. And others, I am sure, did yet more.

At least one pair abandoned the ride after incurring a flat on the way out of town.

I led this ride strictly from the rear, with three of us coming back into town together. We briefly saw a few people at the store in Whitehall, but otherwise we three rode most of the ride on our own, from Ellettsville onward.

The warm windy weather especially made this a difficult ride for one so early in the season. I know of at least one rider who got a ride the last few miles and really appreciated it. And at least one rider welcomed a ride home from the park. As usual it is good to keep an eye on your fellow riders and lend a hand if anyone is struggling.

Ridin' in the Rain

It was reported this week that April, 2009, was the wettest April in Indiana of the last 45 years. The OWLS can vouch for that as both weekday evening rides in the last week of April were wet.

Rain, Rain doesn't stop the OWLS

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tuesday's OWLS ride started in the rain, although, when the 14 of us gathered at the church at 5:45, it was still dry. Believing the weather reports that said it wasn't supposed to be raining, ride leaders Shelley Bradfield and Kathy Cummins led us out anyway, heading west toward Church St. and up to That Road. Glen and Caleb on their tandem bailed out at Clear Creek trail, due to failure of the navigator to dry out after the rain stopped. We regrouped often, and thus all speeds of riders generally stayed together, or at least in sight of one another.

Rockport Road hasn't gotten any less hilly, and on our destination street, Tramway, another rider left the ride while another one performed a classic example of getting your foot stuck in the cleat while stopped. We're not naming names! But the damp gravel the latter person landed in gave him a very impressive "tough rider" look for the remainder of the ride. The last portion of the ride along Schacht and onto Harrell went quickly and smoothly. We all arrived safely, and hopefully all involved gave their bikes a good rinse upon getting home, before rinsing the rain-enhanced road grime from themselves.

Reported by Kathy Cummins

OWLS ride in the RAIN again

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Six riders rode on the Thursday OWLS ride. Zero riders ended up dry. After discussing the weather radar and probable chance of rain, it was decided that we would take the safe and reliable ride to the water plant instead of the Airport ride.That turned out to be a good decision. Shelley and Carl led everyone out at a quick pace and would stop frequently to let us (Rob, Tom, Ken and me) catch up. When we arrived at the water plant, Shelley convinced us we had to ride down to the lake and then we could go on Shady Side Lane.The hill coming back from the lake was hard work but then Shady Side Lane was the reward. It started to rain shortly after we left Shady Side Lane. The closer to town we got the harder it rained.By this time we were in three groups of two riders. Everyone must have made it home because I was at the end of the ride and I didn't pass anyone.

Please note that SKS Raceblade fenders are a really good $50 investment for rides like this. Don't leave home without them. Look into a rain cap (or cheap hotel shower cap) to cover your helmet. Your main goal is to keep your head dry, not make style points. Another tip (from soccer experience) is to stuff your wet shoes with wadded up newspaper to help soak the water out of your shoes. Just don't stuff to much in and stretch your shoes.

Reported by CE Taylor

Popcorn and More Popcorn

By Allan Edmonds

April 18, 2009

Jim Schroeder led a large group of riders on the ride known at National Geographic's 63rd best bike ride in the country.

He advertised the ride to the club as follows:

"Would you believe that one of our club rides is in the "National Geographic"?

"No baboons on bicycles or restless natives with spears, but what I'm talking about is the Popcorn Ride. It was listed by the Geographic as number 63 in "Best Adventures in America" In the April 2000 issue.

"Springville is the major destination on this 46 mile route with a short cut of 30 miles.

"There are many idyllic views of the rolling countryside as we're on top of a few ridges. The climbs up to those ridges are well worth it!

"The ride starts promptly at 10am on Saturday April 18.

"Hmmmm, popcorn flavored power bars...?

"I've done more investigating of this "forgotten" area, and have come up with more miles if any rider is up to that.

"One route (Popcorn Plus Butter) loops back into Springville and out a different road and is 57 miles long.

"And if any of you centurions are up to the creme de la creme (butter de la butter), I have a 94 mi route, the Hills Are a Poppin' Corn."

The group was quite sight as our long column of riders headed out of town on South Rogers Street. We got separated at the various lights. Everyone waited, however, on Old 37 after crossing New 37, along the stretch of road that the BBC has adopted from the county in exchange for quarterly cleanups.

The large group led to several smaller subgroups forming. Keith Vogelsang showed up on his tandem with his son on back a little late and struggled to catch up through town, inevitably getting caught by a traffic light. When they finally did catch up on Old 37, they decided to take an alternative shorter ride for the day. Keith reported later, "We ended up detouring to Cedar Bluff to climb on rocks, dip our toes in the creek, check out wild flowers, and skip rocks. On our way back toward town, we encountered part of the group again, including Jim. All in all, we had great ride, but I could have used a few more warm up miles before breaking into a sprint!"

Meanwhile Allan Edmonds and Mike Conway were bringing up the rear, keeping an eye out for Keith, just in case.

The main regrouping spot is the convenience store in Springville at about mile 20. The trailers were just getting there as the main group was ready to set out again. Then Kevin Hayes showed up by himself. He had gotten off 30 or 40 minutes after the main club group and had been racing to catch up. He rested a brief minute or two and then took off to catch the main group.

Since Allan and Mike were cruising along by themselves they stopped to take a picture including the Popcorn Church.

On the way back, at Tramway and Victor, Allan and Mike spotted a cyclist off the road (Josh from St. Louis), sitting on the ground. He was just visiting and had decided to try a BBC ride. He had bonked, having run out of food and water. Mike gave him a Luna Bar and we gave him most of our liquids, with home only 5-6 miles away at that point. He perked up pretty well, and the three of us finished up the ride together.

Meanwhile part of the main group had embarked on various long options described by the ride leader. They apparently got separated and took a variety of routes. Afterward, Joe Anderson reported, "You guys never did catch me. I got home at 5:30 with an odometer that said 85 miles and really appreciated the ten mile short cut I took to Hobbieville. Sorry about my advice that 1250 into Owensburg was basically hilly with more downs than ups. I was really wrong about that one. Jim Schroeder is a hill monger. He should be requiredto put on one of those summo wrestler fat suits and try to ride his route."

On his way back into town, with the main group, ride leader Jim Schroeder reported that he "stopped at the Sunoco and came upon a newbie that moved back to Bloomington. That was his first BBC ride, and I talked up all the different rides that we offer."

Meanwhile Stan Ellis reported back for the long group, "Your "Hills Are a Poppin' Corn" 94 mile route is a keeper. The only change I would make is add 2 more 'verys' to the 'Very difficult' category. Thanks!"

As you can see many people did this ride in many different ways. In circumstances like this it is simply impossible for a single ride leader to keep track of everyone by himself. It is absolutely crucial that we all pay attention to those around us and not let anyone disappear off the back without being sure he or she is okay.