From the dickster

CALLING ALL HAMMERHEADS (AND ANY OTHER BIKE RIDERS):
Here is a spring challenge to get you to dust off the winter cobwebs:
3.0 MILE GRCP CHALLENGE
(GRCP is George Rogers Clark Park)
This is a time yourself ride (be honest!) to be ridden on or before April 15th. This is
NOT an official event of any kind and is not sanctioned by GRCP, myself, or any other
entity or person. You ride at your own risk. Be careful as the park roads are 2 way
and include winding hills.
I will tally the results and send it via email after 4/15 to all who email their info to
me. I would like sex, age, combined weight of bike and rider, bike type (racing,
touring, mountain, racing recumbent, touring recumbent) and name. I will delete
name from tally of results if requested.
A $50 gift certificate to either Springfield Cyclery or The Bicycle Stop is being
offered to the rider with the quickest time. To verify honesty, the rider must repeat
the ride, with an observer to be designated by me, to within 3% of their submitted
time, on or before April 30th in order to receive the certificate. For example, 10
minutes = 600 seconds x 3% = 18 seconds margin.
I rode this 3.0 mile ride on March 8th in 12 minutes, 0 seconds for an average speed
of 15mph. I am male, 64 years old, 252 lbs bike and rider (yes, I’m 20 lbs
overweight!) on a mountain bike. I suspect a hammerhead may be able to break 10
minutes (20 mph average) – we will see!!
Here is the ride:
1. Start at the traffic circle in the middle of the park. There are parking spaces
here.
2. Ride around the circle two complete times.
3. Leave the circle and ride west to the park entrance (the way you drove in).
4. Just past barn turn left, ride around the wooden gate in the roadway, go left
at the ‘Y’ to the Gathering house and turn around at the end of the parking lot.
5. Return to the ‘Y’ and turn left going up the grade to the gate at the other end
of the road.
6. Ride around the gate, proceed to the circle and ride around the circle two
complete times.
7. Leave the circle and ride east, down the hill past the lake to the lower parking
lot and turn around at the end of the lot (be careful, bridge is narrow).
8. Return back up the hill to the circle and ride around it one complete turn.
9. Stop and record your elapsed time. You should be at 3.0 miles, but
regardless, your elapsed time at this point is the determining factor.
If you are not familiar with GRCP, go to Google Maps, enter GRCP (spell out), choose
Satellite View and Zoom In.
Ride it slowly once or twice first to familiarize yourself with the roads at GRCP.
Also, GRCP does not allow riding off the pavement on their trails.
Have fun – Ride safely – Email results – Compare how you did to others – Tell me if
you liked it. I am hoping for 25 riders to give this a try.
Dickster (richardotto45@earthlink.net)
PS: If bad weather prevails during the next month I will extend the deadlines.