The Saddle Tramps will ride Wednesday September 28th, from the Gainsville Northside Park on a loop through Brooker and La Crosse.  We will ride north on SR121 (NW 34th St) to newly paved CR231 (the right fork) and follow it north to Brooker, then take CR18 west to St Hwy 237 which we will take south as it becomes CR1493 and takes us back to SR121 at La Crosse, which is our rest stop.  We will then leave on SR121 going south but quickly turn southwest onto CR235 which we take to CR237, which we will follow south to the interesection with CR22 (NW 156th Ave) which we will take east back to SR121, which we will follow south back to Northside Park.
 
When we get back to the park, we will explore the brand new Senior Citizen Center to see what is there, as it should be open by the time we get back from our ride.
 
This is a ~34 mile ride with mostly smooth roads and few hills.  Restrooms are available at the Park or at a convenience store just south of the park entrance on NW 34th Street, and at the rest stop in La Crosse.  Meet at 7:45AM for a departure at 8:00AM.  High temperatures are currently forecast in the high 80s later in the day, so bring plenty of water (at least 2 bottles!) and dress for hot weather.  It would be a good idea to bring a few dollars to purchase a cool drink at the rest stop to stretch your water supply.
 
Expect level-ground pedaling speeds between 13-15 mph, and an average speed of 13-14 mph on this relatively flat route.  This is a no-drop friendly ride; nobody needs to stress themselves to keep up with the leader or faster riders, because we will stop and wait for everyone to regroup at each major turn.  Helmets are required, suntan lotion is recommended, as parts of this ride are in sunny open areas.
 
The Gainesville Northside Park entrance is located on NW 34th Street, just south of the county DMV office where car tags are issued, a short distance south of the DMV drivers license office and Florida Highway Patrol station on 441.  The Senior Center was just opened last week, and since many of us who can ride on Wednesday mornings ARE seniors, I thought it might be interesting to see what is there after our ride, and it starts us a little closer on our route to Brooker than the Chevron.
 
If you would like to receive a preview map of the ride, or a Garmin .tcx file of the route, please email Ed at the address below.
 
This ride will be lead by Ed Gardner in the absence of our fearless leader Melinda Koken, who is headed for the planet DelMarVa for a camping-riding trip as she returns briefly to her native turf in Syracuse, New York to see which of her high-school classmates are still above ground.
 
Where:       Gainesville Northside Park and Senior Citizen Center (on NW 34th St just south of 441 and the DMV car tag office)
When:         7:45AM meeting, 8:00AM departure, Wednesday September 28th
Distance:    ~34 miles, 1 rest stop in La Crosse
Speed:       13-15 mph
Duration:     ~2:30 - 3:00 hours
Questions?: Call Ed at (352) 332-5678,  or egardner@xxxxxxx 
 

 


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