Road Fan

I might, Marc!

Jim from Boston

So here’s my take on the OHR ride for Saturday. Road and Mrs Fan, freedomrider1, Blazing Pedals and I are potentially doing it. If anyone is interested in riding with, or meeting up, post to this thread, or send a PM, and we can exchange contact info.

My flexible plan is:
Apparently no activities on Friday,

I’d like to start early on Saturday, by about 7:30 AM, and do the ~60 mile ride (or less depending on concensus), at about 13-14 mph. My preference is to ride with someone (unlike 2010 when I was trying for a century). I would like to leave Chelsea for Detroit Northeast suburb by about 4:00 PM. Hope to see y'all then.

Jim

freedomrider1

Sounds good Jim. see ya at 7 or so.

Road Fan

Mrs. RF and I are planning to do the 40, leaving the start at 8. We could do ½ hour earlier.

Jim, I'm taking the day off tomorrow, and I have some things to do in the morning. We could get together in the afternoon if you want. Given leaving my house around 6:30 Saturday morning, Friday will be an early night!

Jim from Boston

Actually, the 40 mile ride starting at 8 AM sounds good to me. How about you , freedomrider1?

My Friday is filling up fast, Road Fan, so I'll be staying around Detroit. That's why a short Saturday ride works for me. I may do some laps at Stony Creek today. Will check this thread later today.

Road Fan

Mrs. RF and I are going to take maybe a 20 mile spin today probably around noon. It'll be just a warm up and bike setup test.

freedomrider1

Go for it Jim, i,am thinking of 75. (i was going to try to trick you into it) I really have to get some miles with all the rain we have had.Got some big rides coming up. So hopefully we see each other before i roll.

Road Fan

Best wishes, we're doing the 40. It would be nice to have more miles, but we just don't.

Road Fan

The ride is over, and was a great experience from the Road Fans' point of view. We got out to Chelsea Fairground about 7:30 am, and based on phone conversation with JimfromBoston he arrived about the same time. The Fans rode the Mrs new custom Terry with 26" wheels and Campy Athena 11 speed triple setup. I rode my red! Mondonico ELOS with Campy 10 speed mixed-grade system with compact and 13-29. Plan was to meet Jim at the Registration Shed, which we did. Upon starting I found I'd lost a glove on the walk to registration. I ended up riding with no gloves. We and Jim chose the 39 mile ride (39.8 on the Directions).

Shoved off about 7:45, and we finished around 11:45. We spent about 45 minutes on breaks, taking our time and chatting. None of us had a speedometer installed but I had my HRM. Training-wise I've been trying to remain conversational, and let the HR rise on the hills, but I didn't intend to go anaerobic unless I wanted to. The compact gearing was not quite low enough for that, for me. Jim and Mrs Road Fan seemed to have no problem.

Jim is quite a rider, significantly out pacing both me and Mrs Road Fan many times, and showing much greater endurance ability by the last hour. The Fans' both did better on this ride than any other time this season, but we have a long way to go. Throughout we all three strove to keep the others in contact, despite the speed disparities.

The route was mostly well-marked, but some turns were easy to miss if you didn't know them. Not a major issue, we had no large route problems, largely because of staying in contact. The sponsor, AABTS, paid a lot of attention to compliance with traffic laws on this ride, evidenced by signage and a stop sign assistant at a key intersection in Chelsea.

Other notes:
At the start we briefly saw Freedomrider and BlazingPedals. Fr intended to ride the 75 mile route, and BP (on the amazing VeloKraft) intended to ride with his recumbent crew. We did not see either one afterwards, since the 39 mile and the 60/75/100 routes diverged right after departure. No sign of the one with the Velomobile. As far as other exotic equipment, I saw a lot of carbon and some Specialized tri-bikes. The overall attendance seemed more sparse, but I've rarely started this ride so early in the morning.

After finishing, Jim and the Fans had lunch at Metzger's German Restaurant, located between Ann Arbor and Chelsea. Nice place!

BluesDawg

Sounds like a good ride. Glad the Fans and Jim were able to connect. Looking forward to meeting some of you good folks in October in Pennsylvania.

Jim from Boston

As the self-proclaimed ”archivist” of the Annual Fifty-Plus Rides, I note that this is the first reported Annual Ride this year, and the third time for the Michigan OHR. This year was a nice reunion from 2011, and a great ride. The above-mentioned gang of four rode (but not together) then, and we met Mrs. RF for ice cream. RF himself was the instigator for that one. For me as before, this ride capped a pleasant visit with family in the Detroit area, and the visit was well worth the one-way 750+ mile drive.

The sponsoring Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society is an amazingly well attended and active bike club with an impressive website when I came upon it in well before even 2011. Back in the early 1970’s I rode with a ragtag, loosely University- (of Michigan) affiliated student club of the same name. It was a small group of about maybe 5 to 10 regulars, led by a woman who basically suggested weekend rides (and taught me bicycle mechanics).

I have occasionally wondered if the current AABTS is the direct continuous sucession. I did ask about and named one rider from the seventies who was immediately recognized. One current rider had a jersey indicating the first OHR was in 1976. The name “One Helluva a Ride,” is taken from the nearby town of Hell, MI.

Freedomrider1 had arrive about 7:00 AM, and graciously waited for us to assemble, but we were disappointed that we couldn’t at least ride a few miles together. I hope he reports since 75 miles seemed a big goal if his training was limited. The rainfall in that region was indeed a topic of conversation. The RF’s and I had our first stop at the main lunch spot (prior to lunch time) and Mrs. RF commented how heavy the mosquitos were due to the heavy rains. The AABTS was well prepared with insect repellent. Though we never made the Ride Lunch itself, both food stops were well stocked with convenient facilities, shade, drinks, excellent cookies and remarkably luscious fruit.

As we left for our segment of the ride, I immediately recognized Blazing Pedals and his sleek, shiny, futurisitic black recumbent. I had no qualms, asking, “Blazing Pedals, I presume?.” I hope we hear from him too. My major remorse about the trip is not enough pictures taken amidst the hubub of getting together; I have only the two below, to show it really happened. (The minor disappointment, for a data junkie, was forgetting affix my computer to the bike).

The ride certainly did attract a lot of seemingly well-attired and equipped cyclists, but all were welcome and the ambience was totally midwestern-friendly. Our route, and the weather combined for a virtually perfect ride. The roads were very lightly traveled, almost more sag wagons, than local traffic. The scenery was lushly rural, mostly well-shaded with lots of cornfields and farms. Despite what Road Fan posted earlier on this thread, the vistas were quite wide open.



I usually ride solo according to schedules on well known routes so on these organized rides it’s a treat to be lost to time and place, and to have companions as nice as the Road Fans to chat with, from bicycling topics such as technical details and training techiques, to life style items such a music and travel. It’s particularly interesting, as inhabitants of Bike Forums to discuss the other correspondents we know and read, either personally, or as “E-entities.”

Thanks for that comment. One reason I’m such an enthusiast for these Fifty-Plus Rides is because they usually occur in July and that encourages me to start my Ten Week nice weather training schedule in time for the Ride. RF and I particularly discussed our respective training techniques, and both agreed on the difficulty of complying, because of our busy work schedules.

Metzger's is a long standing Ann Arbor traditional and a quite authentic German restaurant. We continued to have a lively conversation, and got quite biographical about ourselves. We departed with a hopeful, “Same time, next year.”

As we were leaving I spotted a table of two couples and thought one of the men and I had occasionally exchanged places en route. So I asked him if he was that one. His companion replied, “No, we are from Boston, but we are into bicycling." What are those chances, do you think, there in Michigan? So I did do a little prostelytizing for Bike Forums, besides touting the joys of Michigan cycling.

freedomrider1

Wow, nice write up Jim. As i told my wife about the ride when she asked,' I killed it' i felt strong and it was a perfect day. It was great seeing the Roadfans and Jim from Boston at the start, and Blazing Pedals at the lunch stop. I do this ride every year and i just don't know if they could do a better job. Oh i must mention the ice cold watermelon at the finish line. it was wonderful.

Jim from Boston

Thanks for the note, BD, and I have posted my ride description in reply to Road Fan’s. I continue to look forward toward the Pennsylvania ride, and as Road Fan and I discussed, it likely will be (at least my) premier ride of the year. I will post later to that Pennsylvania Ride thread, at least to bump it up.

Meanwhile as Road Fan originally posted to this thread,

I recently found out that the MassBike ride has been replaced by a multiday tour, but I am aware of another organized ride on Saturday, September 12, which I hope to soon post on Fifty-Plus as a suggested Boston Bicycle Weekend.

BTW, Road fan posted about the OHR ride,

And in his OP,

He and Mrs. were quite expert about the beer list.