Date	Ride Leader	Destination	Miles
May 3	Bernie Smith	GSP - Spanish Road Loop	18 miles
Riders: Ken Klein, Mark Dimke, Bernie Smith On our chilly HBA ride this morning, we decided to not take the "trailed closed" sign just downriver from Sokol Park too literally. (We being Ken Klein, Mark Dimke and yours truly.) Well, it wasn't under water but there was lots of mud left over from recent floods and even a dead carp lying next to the trail at one point. We walked through the mud at a couple of spots, then pedaled on down to C. St. near Jerseys, enjoyed the strong tailwind down to 76th, east to Spanish Road then south to Wright Bros. Slow going on the way back into strong headwind/crosswind, and we stayed off the muddy part of the trail on the way back. Bath day for the bicycle. Yours truly is probably due, too.
April 27	Dan Tucker	GSP - Troy Mills	50 miles
Riders: Greg Dengler, Tim Martinek, Mark Dimke, Tom Ehlen, Jerry Falta, Clint Wagner, Dorie Kelchen, Joel Eldred. This was a brisk morning, where we began at GSP, and connected with the remainder of the riders as we passed by CVNT, Boyson Rd., for a total of 9 riders. We headed up the trail to County Home Road---to Center Point Road---to Alice Road---to Central City Road--- and on into Troy Mills. The wind with gusts 25-35 MPH were out of the west/southwest, and we felt it all 50 miles of the ride. But, we had a great group, and we did have the sun in our favor-- so that helped. We had a nice lunch at The Troy Store, before heading back, as people split off where they needed to, for their best route home. Turned out to be a fun ride, and it was a workout too! Thanks to all who participated.
April 26	Dave Dvorak	GSP - Palo, Center Point	45 miles
Rider: Dave Dvorak It was a beautiful day for a ride. The temperature at the beginning of the ride was 38 degrees, wind was at 2 mph out of the NW, the sun was shining, and the sky was blue. The ride leader was the sole participant so he took a vote to decide on a different route which would go into the wind on the way out. It was decided that a route out along Ellis Blvd to Highway 94, then to Palo with a stop at the convenience store was a good start. From there the ride went to Center Point with a quick stop at another convenience store.
April 19	Connie Bird	CVNT to Central City	45 miles
Riders: Jill Walsh, Tom Ehlen, Adam Palmer, Mark Dimke, Tim Martinek, Jim Berenstein, Gary Roling, Bill Hawk, Kevin Westman, Dave Dvorak, Joel Eldred, Sabine Amoriell, Ken Klein, Larry Howe, Connie Bird A foggy morning greeted the riders as we met at CVNT. It was a good reminder to have lights on as visibility was somewhat iffy from even a short distance. The fog started to dissipate once we got past Whittier and on to Central City. We took a left at Waubeek toward C.C. That road wasn't too bad. It had been patched up. (I wouldn't call it race-worthy, though). The streets in C.C. were fairly rough. Hopefully they will be in much better repair for the CC Rider in Aug. than they are now. A 15 minute rest at the C-Store and we were off to Alburnett and back on home. I am pleased to report NO FLAT TIRES or mechanical difficulties (despite Larry riding with 2 known cracks in his rear rim-ouch!). Thanks to all who attended the ride!
April 12	Art Sibold	CVNT to Alburnett via Toddville	27 miles
Riders: Jerry Falta, Mark Dimke, Kevin Morgan, Terry Whaley, Denise Potter, Joel Eldred, Dan Tucker, Sue Henderson, Ken Klein, Kevin Westman Eleven riders showed up at CVNT Boyson trailhead and claimed to be ready, with working equipment. So, we launched the group onto Tower Terrance Rd, blasted up Toddville hill, and thumbed our collective noses at the red-wingers as we raced downhill into Toddville itself. Alas, we had to stop to repair a couple of leaky tires at Midway. Shortly thereafter, while riding Alice Rd, we had two more rear tubes go flat, within 38 meters of each other. While making repairs, lots of "expert" advice was offered on the best way to insert stems. Controversial opinions were offered on the best length for stems, and the consensus was that while short stems were much easier to insert, long stems worked better under pressure. A slight tailwind chased us 4 miles along Roosevelt Rd into Alburnett, where we re-grouped for caffeine, sugar, salt, and water. We took our group picture, then split into two subgroups for the ride home.   I had a great time today!!
April 6	Dorie Kelchen	Linn-Mar to Center Pt	42 miles
Riders: Tim Martinek, Mark Dimke, Joe Liddell The clouds were colorful and the humid air had a rather warm feel to it, with the temps in the mid-forties, as I rode into the Linn-Mar parking lot to find two riders, Mark & Tim. At 8:36 we decided the forecast of rain and wind no doubt kept riders from coming to join us so we headed across the Lowe trail to Alburnett Rd and on through Alburnett & west into Center Pt. In Center Pt we met up with Joe Liddell who had missed us by a couple of minutes and decided to take Center Pt Rd to Center Pt. We all enjoyed a quick McDonalds McMuffin breakfast and headed back via Center Pt Rd into the friendly winds, and then zigzagged our way back to the Linn-Mar parking lot. Thanks Tim, Mark, & Joe for coming out to ride! It was an enjoyable ride and not a single rain drop fell upon us! I later learned John Hunte had gone to GSP at 9am as he wasn't aware of my updated time and ride destination on the schedule. Sorry we missed you John. I will make an attempt to put a reminder on the website a day or two before my next scheduled ride.
April 5	Dave Dvorak	Kennedy HS to Alburnett	25 miles
We had a cool start at 42 degrees at 9:00 AM, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the 27 riders that were raring to go. We made a small change to the ride on the way out. We took Center Point Road to Hiawatha because there were reports of a lot of broken glass on the trail from 42nd street to Hiawatha. From Hiawatha we took the trail to County Home Road where we regrouped. The ride the rest of the way to Alburnett went very quickly because of the strong tailwind. In Alburnett we gathered at the convenience store for snacks and a group picture. When heading back the group split into two groups. Some headed for Toddville and others returned the same way that we came out. The wind was now in our faces and we paid for the earlier tailwind. The temperature at the end of the ride was about 55 degrees. Some riders were heading to Oscars for a late breakfast and others scattered to their homes. It was a good day for a ride.
March 29	Kevin Morgan	GSP to Morgan Creek Park	14 miles
Riders: Dan Tucker, Jerry Falta, John Hunte, Bill Hawk, Dorie Kelchen, Bob Potter, Don Scott, Mark Crane, Larry Potter, Diane Potter, Kathy McFadden, Jill Walsh, Connie Bird, Ken Kline, Mark Dimke, Ron Neyens, Larry Howe The first official ride of the season was enjoyed by 18 bicycle enthusiasts. The weather was better than the last few years...hopefully that's a sign of things to come. It felt good after after a long cold winter. At the end of the ride we all grabbed a bite at Tommy's, a regular HBA breakfast stop. There were no close calls, no skinned knees, and no flat tires; it's safe to say the ride was a success.