OVC tested a new format this past weekend, and thanks to fantastic member participation, it was a great success. Rather than a traditional, moderate winter training pace, the club tried an up-tempo pace on the traditional Tuesday Night Ride course. Despite the weather being a little more dismal than forecasted, our hearty OVC’ers were not deterred. A stellar and talented crowd of over 40 riders rolled out of Fruitland a couple ticks past 10:00AM.
On Sunday, about 20 intrepid souls from all over the Shore converged at Delmar’s 3rd Wave Brewing for 50 miles of winter riding. Despite temps in the mid-30s and a blustery headwind at the start, the group’s mood was cheery and light. Everyone was just happy to be back on the bike after a two-week hiatus.
Kicking off the New Year with a bang, OVC fielded 20 riders at EVO for the first group ride of 2017. With a mix of OVC vets and newcomers, the plan was to cover 40 miles at an endurance pace…no less no more.
Undaunted by cool temps and cloudy skies, 13 riders rolled out of Berlin for three hours of winter training. The bunch headed for Ocean City and enjoyed a few miles of spinning on wood instead of the standard tarmac. The winds were calm and favorable, allowing the group to sail along at 19 mph (despite the low 30Fs).
This past Saturday, 21 of the area’s strongest and most skilled riders brushed off a windy and chilly forecast to roll out together for a 62 mile ride. At least 5 counties and 3 states were represented by a Who’s Who of Delmarva cyclists, including: Sean S, Mark, Ted, Rob, Bob L., Dan, Roscoe, Dean, Caleb, Scott H, Scott A., Dan, Jim V., Bill, Steve, Phil, Kevin, Sonny, Dave P., Scott B. and Mario.
This past Friday, about 14 riders decided to opt outside and burn off some Thanksgiving calories with a 50 mile ride from Pedal Works in Delmar. It was a little chilly at the start, but light winds ensured that things stayed pleasant and manageable for everyone.
On Saturday, OVC wrapped up the Brewery Series with a final fun ride from RAR Brewing in Cambridge. A stellar crowd of almost 30 rides from all over the Shore (including several local Cambridge Multi-Sport riders) rolled out under sunny skies for 59 miles of mostly easy spinning. Temps were over 60F and the peloton enjoyed soaking up some sun.
The results and in! Delmarva cyclists once again voted with their pedals and continue to express a strong preference for brewery rides! For the fifth week in a row, OVC convened at a local brewery for a few hours of solid riding through Delmarva. This week’s installment left from Rubber Soul in north Salisbury. About 25 riders braved chilly conditions and rolled out under sunny skies for over 50 miles of endurance riding.
For the 4th week in a row, OVC enjoyed a fantastic fall ride from a local brewery. About 25 riders rolled from Tall Tales in Parsonsburg for a little over 50 miles of steady cruising around Wicomico and Worcester Counties. The group was treated to a tailwind for the first half of the ride and was fortunately secluded in the woods for most of the return.
The third week of OVC’s Brewery Series brought the club to the First State’s most famous craft brewer -- Dogfish Head in Milton. Around 35 riders were treated to sunny skies and unseasonably mild temps as they pedaled around eastern Sussex County. Big kudos to Jamie and Fran for planning a great route and for marshalling the group all morning. This pair had their noses in the wind all ride and deserve all the credit for the day’s success.
On Sunday, about 35 riders rolled out of Evolution’s Public House for Week 2 of OVC’s autumn series of brewery rides. Blustery conditions did little to damper the group’s enthusiasm as the riders cruised through 57 miles of Wicomico and Sussex backroads. Cross- and tail-winds challenged the peloton all morning, but steady pacing kept virtually everyone on board the black-and-blue train. At mile 27, the group enjoyed the views of Trap Pond as they refueled and socialized under clear and sunny skies. After that, only a slight detour for a closed road impeded the progress back to the brewery.
Once over the Rt. 50 overpass, the easy pace was temporarily put on hold to allow OVC’s finest to stretch their legs for a few miles. A lead group of about 10-12 riders screamed down Lake Street at 28 miles an hour, with Mark and Roscoe maintaining a slight gap at the finish. The 57 mile course was completed in about 3 hours 15 min for an average speed of 17.7 mph. A little slower than planned, but given the 15-20 mph winds, not bad, especially considering that the group maintained great cohesion!
A number of riders stuck around for Lot 3’s, oysters, and Johnny burgers at Evo’s Tasting Room. Thanks to Evo for being gracious hosts and thanks to Carter Price for ensuring that the restrooms were available for our use.
On Saturday, cyclists from all over the Shore and points beyond converged at Berlin’s Burley Oak Brewery for OVC’s biggest ride of the year. Mother Nature served up a perfect day and the cycling community responded. A magnificent peloton of over 80 riders rolled smoothly through 54 miles of scenic Worcester County back roads. Luckily, the floodwaters had receded and the group’s trip to Public Landing was clear and unimpeded. Kudos to all the OVC riders who marshaled the front and rear, allowing the pack to safely cruise through intersections and maintain cohesion. Thanks also to Ocean City’s Continental Cycles who again provided SAG support for our crew.
OVC rolled out from SG today for the 2016 Seagull Century. We had a couple groups that accommodated all abilities. Both the A and B rides were a testament of how a group working together can accomplish things that each individual rider thought were not possible.
Undeterred by a little wet stuff, OVC rolled out of SG as scheduled this morning for the final Sea Gull prep ride. Rule 5 and Rule 9 were strictly observed. Glenn, Scott A., and Roscoe -- three guys who aren’t into trainers -- altered the route a bit and headed south to see what all the fuss was about. The trio learned a few lessons. Number 1: you can ride a road bike through 18 inches of moving water. Number 2: it takes about 11 minutes to ford Nassawango Creek under flood conditions. Also, it rained a lot.
With a handful of riders rolling from Salisbury, nine OVC racers -- Mark, Roscoe, Caleb, Frankie, Mario, Bill, Jim D., Sonny, and Rick W. -- hit the road for Dover’s Pedal Away Prostate Cancer Race. Although the event is open to all riders, it’s a national qualifier for the Senior Olympics and has drawn quality competition for the last several years. This year, approximately 80 racers lined up Saturday morning for a fast 25 miles.
With century season upon us, a number of OVC riders targeted BBC’s Civil War Century as their excursion ride of the year. A few headed up on Friday to inspect kilts and to assist with Waynesburg U’s 50-year anniversary.
After a roller coaster of weekend of forecasts, OVC put Hermine in the rearview mirror and headed up to Sussex County for a Labor Day Ride. 18 super riders -- Mark, Sonny, Ted, Jim D., Roscoe, Rocio, Raul, Jamie, Jim from Lewes, Scott G., Scott H., Ferb, Alex, Scott A., Maria, Eric, Dave K., and Kevin L. -- rolled out of the farm for 80 miles of solid tempo riding. The high winds never materialized and the temps stayed moderate throughout the 4-hour journey.
On Saturday, four OVC racers headed up to Barnesville, Maryland for this year’s Giro di Coppi. The 12.5 mile course is one of MABRA’s hilliest -- over 4,000 feet of climbing was expected for the 4 lap, 50 mile Cat 3 race in which Mark and Roscoe were racing in first.
Although the temps were high for Saturday’s time trial, the winds were minimal. As a result, all OVC racers set personal bests for the 40k course. Bob Lockwood entered the 55+ and finished in 1 hr 21 min for his first MABRA TT. Frankie almost cracked the hour on a road bike with a stellar 1 hr 17 sec (good for 9th of 18 in the Cat 4s). Sean came in at 58 min 26 sec, claiming 6th in the Cat 4s. Roscoe’s 57 min 9 sec effort was only good for 7th of 10 in the Cat 3s, but Mark’s 54 min 14 sec performance was worth a podium appearance -- 2nd place with an average speed of 27.4 mph! Great work, Mark!
With a handful of OVC’s licensed members pinning on a number up in Jersey at the Tour de Fish and a few others doing Bike VA this past weekend, OVC still managed to draw close to 15 riders on Saturday from SG for a 65 mile group ride. The NE wind for the first leg of the out and back parcours did little to stall the group’s momentum and at one point the ride leader had to put the brakes on the pace for fear of casualties. Everyone came to their senses and realized the brisk tempo had to be tempered a bit in order to keep all the starters tucked safely in the clutches of the peloton.
