Jungle Habitat RE-OPENED!

Good news - Jungle Habitat has been re-opened! Details from our friends at JORBA can be found here http://www2.jorba.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1607&p=3588#p3588

:::::ALERT - Jungle Habitat Temporarily Closed!!!:::::

As you make your weekend plans, please note - due to an incident involving a bear and a dog (and owner) in the park, Jungle Habitat is temporarily closed. This was posted by our local JORBA director Jeff Mergler over at mtbnj.com -

"NJDEP called me today around 3pm and told me that there was a bear incident involving a walker and his greyhound. jungle habitat is in "temporary lockdown". no trail use until the issue is resolved (see below).

they were on one of the singletrack trails and the bear got close and there was an injury to the person and the dog. the dog is actually in pretty bad shape (he's in my wife's animal hospital up here so got first hand details) but will pull through. the man involved is ok but was mildly injured.

the bear is a category 1 bear with 2 prior complaints and will be captured. barricades have been setup and the park is temporarily closed for the public's safety. sorry folks, when we hear more we'll advise. for now please divert to one of the other area trail networks. hopefully this won't be for more than a day or two but we're just not sure."

For your own safety and the safety of others, please STAY OUT of the park. As soon as we hear that the situation is resolved, we'll update you via email, on the blog and on Twitter. Thanks for your understanding.

Rides for June 25-27, 2010

It's the first official weekend of summer, so we hope you can join us on a few rides! Here's what we have planned for this weekend -

• Friday - The super popular Friday night Clinton Road ride is on! Meet us at 6 p.m. at the old Village Square Inn for a great way to start your weekend. This is a great place to practice pace line riding in a group, especially if you plan on joining us for any of our day trips later in the summer.
• Saturday - David Kahl will lead a pre-ride for the Campmor H2H race taking place at Lewis Morris Park in Morristown, NJ this Sunday, June 27. Meet us Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in the lower parking lot, and look for the Kahl-mobile - the big white Suburban. The terrain at this park is completely different from what we are used to around West Milford, so it is well worth the trip to check out the course in advance!
• Sunday - the lovely Heather Kahl will lead a 50 mile road ride leaving from Town Cycle at 9 a.m. This ride is for intermediate riders - please bring plenty of food, water, and some money in case we want to stop for a mid-ride snack break. Details of the route are here - http://www.mapmyrun.com/view_route?r=958127687972342095 .
• Don't forget Sunday is the Campmor H2H race at Lewis Morris Park in Morristown - the 3rd race of the series! More info here - http://tinyurl.com/2cctrxq .
  

As always, let us know if you have any questions - info@teamtowncycle.com.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Beginner ride

Do you know someone who doesn't want to ride with you because they are intimidated by your "mad skills"? Do you have a family member or spouse who wishes they were a better rider in the woods? Well, you're in luck - we have just the ride for them!

Join us on Sunday, July 18 at 10 a.m. for a beginners ride at Jungle Habitat. Young or old, fancy new bike or borrowed - it doesn't matter. All that is required is a helmet, geared fat tire bike, some water and a sense of adventure! We'll break into a few small groups and work on making you more comfortable in the woods.

One of our big goals as a club is to promote cycling as a fun activity for all ages and ability levels, so please tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. They don't need to be club members to join us. Need more details? info@teamtowncycle.com .

Action packed weekend!

Wow, do we have a lot of riding opportunities for you this weekend! It's going to be sunny and hot - perfect for getting out on two wheels and seeing the sights! Here's the rundown:

Friday - the always fashionable Friday Night Clinton Road Ride! Last week we had a great big group - all sizes and paces. We'll do it again this Friday night. Meet us at 6 p.m. at the old Village Square Inn parking lot on Route 23 in Newfoundland.

Saturday - who's up for a road ride? We'll meet at 9 a.m. at Town Cycle for a longer road ride. It will be an intermediate ride - definitely NOT a race-paced ride. We're still ironing out route details, but plan on a 3-4 hour long ride. There will be some climbing (hey, it is West Milford!), but not excessive. Bring plenty of water, food, and a little money for a snack stop on the road.

Sunday - lots of options to pick from for today!

• The second installation of our King of the Mountain series meets at Town Cycle at 9 a.m. Please be ready to roll at 9 a.m. - we wait for no one! For more info on the KOM series - see the original entry here - http://tinyurl.com/25bk5uf . And check back tomorrow for last week's results!
• For the mountain bikers out there, we're headed south to Lewis Morris County Park in Morristown. If you've never been there, it's a beautiful park, and a great place for the beginner to intermediate rider to get some good riding in! Less rocks and roots than what we are used to in this part of the state. Dave and Heather Kahl will be your ride leaders for this beginner to intermediate ride - look for their big white Suburban in the lower parking lot. Meet there at 11 a.m., and bring plenty of water - it's going to be hot! If you need contact info for Dave or Heather, let us know - we'll hook you up.
• For anyone who is interested, there is a mountain bike race at Williams Lake, near New Paltz, NY. Williams Lake was a former stop on the Campmor H2H circuit, and a great place to race - it's famous for having the race route through an actual cave! It's private property and generally not open to the public for riding, so this is a great opportunity to ride this unique course. Info at BikeReg- http://tinyurl.com/2v4ypto .
  

So there you have it - a little something for everyone! As always, let us know if you have any questions - info@teamtowncycle.com !

Time for some day trips!

School will soon be out, and judging from the heat last week, summer will soon be here to stay! Now is the perfect time to plan a few great longer one day and destination rides. We've got three different ones for you - here they are in date order!

The first date is Saturday, July 10th, for a NYC Bridges ride. What a great way to see the city's famous bridges - truly up close! This is a ride for experienced riders, as we will have to deal with taxi cabs, busses and those famous NYC drivers! We will be leaving from Fort Lee @ 7am. If you are interested in more info, drop us a line and we'll hook you up.

The second date is Saturday, July 24th for a 100 mile ride to New Paltz, NY. This has been a perennial favorite - a great ride to a great town. We will leave from bike shop at 8 a.m., and we'll have 2 distance options for the length of the ride. It's approximately 50 miles to New Paltz, and we'll plan to have lunch (and libations, for those who are interested and of age!) at the Gilded Otter (http://www.gildedotter.com/home.htm) when we arrive. For those who want to do a 100 mile ride, we will have a return group riding back to West Milford after lunch. We will also need some volunteer support vehicles to transport those who want only want to do the 50 mile portion of the ride. When you RSVP for this ride, please let us know which length you will be doing (50 or 100 miles), if you will need a ride back, or if you have room for any additional people/bikes for the ride back.

The third date is Saturday, August 14th, for another NYC city ride. We will enter the city via the George Washington Bridge, find our way to Central Park, then move east to Park Avenue. Park Avenue will be totally closed to traffic for a festival, so it will be a nice way to see that part of town. Eventually we will work our way back to the GWB and Fort Lee. Again, because of the challenges of city riding, we recommend this ride for experienced riders only. Our meeting time will be determined soon, so if you are interested, let us know and we'll keep you up to date.

All three rides will require a RSVP by the week before the event so we can coordinate rides, make reservations, carpool, etc. We'll send out reminders as the dates get closer - until then, check your calendars, mark the dates, and make your plans - they will be great rides!

Questions? You know the address - info@teamtowncycle.com .

Weekend rides - June 11-13

OK, it's only Wednesday, but as always, we're looking ahead to the weekend. Couple of road rides for your consideration:

• Friday, June 11 - it's the ever popular Friday night Clinton Road Ride! Weather is supposed to be great, so start your weekend out right. Meet us at 6 p.m. at the old Village Square Inn on Route 23 in Newfoundland. We'll break up into pace groups as necessary.
• Saturday, June 12 - the leaders of our Wednesday night ladies road ride, Heather and Karen, will lead a road ride at 9 a.m., leaving from Town Cycle. This is not just a ladies ride - anyone is welcome! It'll be approximately 35 miles long, route to be determined. Any questions about it, let us know - we'll get you in touch with the leaders.
• Sunday, June 13 - the much heralded return of the King of the Mountain series! It's the second year of the series, and we're excited to see what this new year brings. Need more info? Check out the original announcement here - http://tinyurl.com/25bk5uf . We will meet at Town Cycle to get the party started - be ready to ride at 9 a.m. - we wait for no one!

So there you go - a ride each day for you! As always, let us know if you have any questions at info@teamtowncycle.com . And check back in tomorrow - we'll announce some destination rides!

Rides and reminders!

Some quick mid-week reminders for you:

• Tonight is the first I Dig Tuesdays trail maintenance session for the summer. Meet us at the Jungle Habitat gates at 5:45 p.m., and bring gloves, water and bug spray - we'll work until 8 p.m. or so!
• The Augusta Training series is still going on Tuesday evenings at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ - great workout and lots of fun! More info at http://www.skylandscycling.com/fairgrounds10/
• Tomorrow is our weekly Wednesday night Ladies Ride on Clinton Road. Meet us at the old Village Square Inn parking lot at 6 p.m. Rain cancels!
• Wednesday we'll have a mountain bike ride in Jungle Habitat leaving from Town Cycle at 6 p.m. It'll be a 2 hour, moderately paced ride. We'll ride in a light rain - anything more than that, check in at the shop.

As always, drop us a line if you have any questions - info@teamtowncycle.com .

Weekend ride updates coming soon!

I Dig Tuesdays are back!

They're baaaccck! I Dig Tuesdays are back at Jungle Habitat, starting tomorrow, June 8th. For the local H2H racers, this is a great way to get your PayDirt points done well before the end of the year. It's not just for racers either - it's for anyone who enjoys our local trails, whether it's Ringwood, Waywayanda, or the Hab. It's a great way to pay the biking (and hiking) community back - and get some good kharma points!

Meet us at the Jungle Habitat gate at 5:45 p.m., and bring gloves, water, and bug spray. Tecnu or some other poison ivy type wipes is probably not a bad idea either! We'll work for about 2 hours or so - wrapping it up around 8 p.m. The weather should be perfect this week!

Any questions, contact us at info@teamtowncycle.com .

Last minute road ride - Sunday, June 6th!

For anyone interested in a long road ride, Jason Grossi is planning on doing one tomorrow afternoon, leaving from Wantage around 1 p.m. It will be 60-80 miles long, so bring several bottles, plus some cash for a mid-ride re-fueling stop. If you are interested, contact Jason at jason_grossi@yahoo.com , and he'll hook you up with directions, etc.

King of the Mountain - postponed!

For those of you who were looking forward to the start of our 2nd annual King of the Mountain series, we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that our scheduled start for this Sunday has been canceled. The good news is that we already have a re-scheduled date - next Sunday, June 13th. We'll meet at Town Cycle, 1468 Union Valley Road, West Milford. Please be considerate of our church-going neighbors as we park and warm up, and please be ready to roll at 9 a.m. - we wait for no one!

For those who haven't heard about the KOM series, or need a refresher, here's a link to our announcement post with all the dates - http://tinyurl.com/25bk5uf .

As always, if you have any questions, drop us a line! In the meantime, you have an extra weekend to train, so get out there!

Weekend rides!

Looks like one of those summer weekends where we dodge thunderstorms, but we'll try to ride anyway!

Friday - our usual Friday night Clinton Road ride! Keep an eye to the sky, but as long as we're not dealing with lightening, we'll meet at the usual place, the old Village Square Inn parking lot at 6 p.m. It's hot - bring plenty of water!

Saturday - it's the 3rd annual JORBA Bike Fest! Join our good friend and fellow club member Jeff Mergler as JORBA hosts its' 3rd annual fest! Rides, clinics, giveaways, contests, swaps, stuff for the kids, etc. - it's all there! Bring some canned goods as well to help local food pantries. All the info and schedule for the Fest can be found here - http://www2.jorba.org/index.php?title=Fest

Still a possibility of organizing something for Sunday - if we come up with anything, we'll post it on the blog and Twitter.

Coming soon - a bunch of destination ride announcements - check your inbox soon! Have a great weekend!!