The Bee-17s will ride
an
easy 32 mile recovery ride through La
Crosse,
Saturday, November 12th
Note:
Recover from what? Todd
Leedy's
Veterans Day Poker Run to benefit the Fisher House project
at
the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville. The
Fisher
House will provide a place for the families of combat-injured veterans to
stay
while supporting their wounded soldier. It will provide 20 suites and
kitchen and laundry facilities located on the VA hospital grounds, so that
families can afford to stay close by their family member during
treatment. The VA hospital provides health care for 50 counties in
north
Florida and South Georgia, so the Fisher House will be a "home away from
home"
for families needing to stay close to their injured loved ones. If
you
are in good shape and able to do a 76 mile ride, please consider
doing
Todd's Poker Run on Friday; see his posting on the mail server
for
this FUN oriented ride for a very good cause; at least 3 of us
Bee-17s
have already committed to do the ride with Todd; join us on Friday (it's a
holiday!) at 8 AM at Bike Works, which is generously providing prizes for
the
top three poker hands, (Thanks, Tony!) if
you
can. NO reservations required, just show and go with us. More
information about Fisher Houses here: http://goodlifecommunity.com/Stories/Fisher%20House%2006-11.html
The Route: We will start by
riding
north to 441, then go southeast to NW 53rd Ave and go east on it, then turn
north onto CR225 (the Gainesville Dragstrip Road) which we will take to NW
156th
Ave and go west, then turn north onto NE 21st St, and take it
north
until it turns west onto NE 192nd Ave which will take us west to
CR231, while will take to CR235, which we will take west to the rest
stop
in LaCrosse, where we will stop long enough to down a soft drink and energy
snack. We will then take FL 121 south back to the Northside
Park.
The Time: Meet at
8:15AM,
ride at 8:30AM, Saturday, November 12th. Expect a
ride
time of 2:15 --2:30 hours including rest
stops.
The Ride: This is an easy ride
of
~32 miles, with a few hills and mostly smooth
roads. Expect ride speeds of 17-19 mph with a
target
pedaling speed of 17 mph and an average speed of 16-17 mph. This
is a
no-drop friendly ride for riders in reasonable physical condition; we
will
soft pedal as necessary to keep the core of the group together because
riders on this ride are expected to be able to ride at the stated
group
speed; nevertheless we will wait for everyone to regroup at
each major turn and after fun sprints, if necessary to
prevent
drops. Helmets are required, suntan lotion
is recommended.
The Rest Stop: Will be in
La
Crosse at approximately 21.6 miles, at a gas station/convenience
store
with restrooms.
The Start Point: Will be at
the
Gainesville Northside Park, whose 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. This
is the
location of the new Gainesville Senior Recreation Center, but it is not in
full
operation yet and will likely not be open on Saturday morning when we
leave; there is a crude park restroom (prison-plumbing-fixture
type) located at the east end of the parking lot for the Senior
Center
in a concrete block building.
The Ride Aids: If you want
a
preview map of the ride or a Garmin .tcx file, email Ed at the address
below. A copy of the General Plan for the Bee-17s has been
posted on the GCC mail list and
is
available upon request from Ed.
Weather: In the event of questionable weather
as we
near ride time, a GO or cancellation notice will be posted on the list
server approximately 1 hour or sooner before posted ride meeting time; if
you
don't see anything by then, the ride is most likely a GO; if you still
have concerns or useful specific information about bad weather
along
the ride route, please give me a call.