Month: January 2025

What are you doing Saturday Night?

Be there or be Square!

65 people are signed up for this Saturday’s potluck party as of Friday afternoon.

Come Warm Up With Your Fellow Bikers

  • When: 6 PM Saturday 2/1/25
  • Where: The Fairchild Fire Company 2 Burnham Rd, Morris Township, NJ
  • What: Pot Luck Dinner (the best!)
  • What else: Classic Vinyl Music by DJ (- D)
  • Notes:
    • Bring guests @ $10 each
    • Single attendees: bring your favorite dish
    • Couples: bring a dish and a salad or hors d’oeuvres – BYOB
    • Club will provide desserts and seltzer. Attendees can BYOB
    • Important: For planning purposes, each member should register for the party @ https://mafw.org/events/mafw-winter-party-pot-luck-dinner/#em-event-booking-form
    • Attire: Informal (jeans, etc.)
    • Enter through door on the opposite side from Burnham Road. Parking in firehouse lot and on streets.

Questions? Email me at social@mafw.org

Winter Party

Greetings, friends.

I hope to see you at the winter party this coming Saturday, February 1.  As I write this, there are 57 lovely people who have signed up and we’ll miss your smiling face if you’re not there.  We’ll be raffling a few nice prizes and our DJ, DJ minus D, is ready to rock.  Looking forward to seeing you there

Warm regards,

Michael

 

57 people and counting – Winter potluck party this Saturday evening February 1st, 6PM @ Fairchild Firehouse Morris Township –

It’s Here!

57 people are signed up for the potluck party as of noon Tuesday.

Come Warm Up With Your Fellow Bikers

  • When: 6 PM Saturday 2/1/25
  • Where: The Fairchild Fire Company 2 Burnham Rd, Morris Township, NJ
  • What: Pot Luck Dinner (the best!)
  • What else: Classic Vinyl Music by DJ – D
  • Notes:
    • Bring guests @ $10 each
    • Single attendees: bring your favorite dish
    • Couples: bring a dish and a salad or hors d’oeuvres
    • BYOB.
    • Club will provide desserts and seltzer. Attendees can BYOB
    • Important: For planning purposes, each member should register for the party @ https://mafw.org/events/mafw-winter-party-pot-luck-dinner/#em-event-booking-form
    • Attire: Informal (jeans, etc.)
    • Enter through door on the opposite side from Burnham Road. Parking in firehouse lot and on streets.

Questions? Email me at social@mafw.org

And yet ANOTHER exciting MAF Exclusive Event

Greetings, Friends.

I’m pleased to announce that another MAFW exclusive event has been added to the website calendar. 

As we are all contending with the cold weather, let’s get ourselves ready for the springtime cycling season. We are pleased to announce a special lecture and presentation to our members, entitled “Strength Training for Cyclists”, presented by Paul Coviello, PT, DPT, owner of Summit Physical Therapy, a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy and a committed cyclist as well. Many of you may remember that Paul gave a lecture at our annual November meeting, is a corporate sponsor of the Ramble, and has treated a number of MAFW members for their physical therapy needs.

Paul’s lecture and demonstration will be presented at his Summit location, 60 Morris Turnpike , Suite 2W, Summit, NJ 07901 ( entrance to parking lot is across the street from Benihana). The event will be on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 4:00 pm. Space is limited for this event, only 15 members can be accommodated. Please sign up on the calendar on the club website. Refreshments will be served.

Kudos to Jeff Sperling and Paul Coviello for making this event happen for the club!

Keep an eye on your email as we plan to add more educational events in the coming months and watch for the kick-off for our monthly “special treat” rides once the weather warms up.  And if you have suggestions for informational/educational presentations please email me.  Let’s all contribute to add more value and fun to club membership.

Stay safe and stay warm.

Best regards,

Michael 

2 Exciting Upcoming Events!

Here’s some exciting news to help warm you during this cold spell!

1. The Morris Area Freewheelers Winter Party takes place on February 1, 2025 at Fairchild Fire Company, 2 Burnham Rd., Morris Township from 6-10 PM.  Come out and party with us.  And if you have a significant other, don’t let him/her miss out on the fun.  It’s BYOB and there will be music.  Sign up on the calendar page on the club website.

2.  Save the date and plan to attend POP’S WINTERFEST 2025 on Janurary 28, 2025 from 6-8:30 PM.  Prizes and giveaways!

Pop’s Bike Shop, 34 E. Main St., Somerville, will be hosting a rep night! Company representatives from Shimano, Lazer Helmets, Niterider lights, Kuat car racks, Garmin, Continental tires, Skratch Lab nutrition and more will be there as will company representatives from Giant, Haro, and Dahon bicycle companies!

Come by and meet their new in-house Chiropractor Kate Denker, as well as Zachy Christodoulou from Yoga Odyssey!

Pop’s will have product demos and tutorials, new product introductions, as well as prizes and giveaways. SUPER special POPS WINTERFEST event pricing on a large range of road, mountain, and hybrid bikes with savings of 20% to over 50% on select models!  POPS will be offering parts and accessories specials from 20%-90% on a huge range of products from presenters listed above, as well as Muc-Off, Pearl Izumi, Elite indoor trainers, Cannondale, Tifosi Optics, Wera tools, and many others!

Pop’s will be accepting donations of used bikes for Ridewise, its partner here in Somerset county, that helps local people in need of transportation alternatives. Drop off that old bike that you no longer need, and we will refurbish it to be given to a local person right here in our local community.

Also, a portion of the proceeds of this event will be donated to aid victims of the Los Angeles wild fires. We will also be accepting donations that will go directly to help those in the bicycling community in California that need our help.

RSVP by email at repair@popsbikeshop.com.

Stay safe and stay warm.

Michael

SAFETY

I understand that my image of hand signals may have been missing from my email.  To find a list of hand signals as well as other safety topics, go to the MAFW website and select Safety Policy under Safety.  I recommend you review our Safety Policy as well as Bicycle Safety 101 that is also located under Safety.  I recommend you share these documents with other family members that ride. In my neighborhood it bothers me when I see kids riding their bikes to school and not following basic rules of the road.  No helmet, wrong side of the road, texting while riding, etc.  Maybe schools should do a short session on bike safety at start of the school year.

Ride safe, Manny

BIKE SAFETY AND HAND/VERBAL SIGNALS

When riding in a group we should use hand and verbal communication to promote safety. Below is a set of standard hand signals I received from a fellow cyclist.  Verbal cues should also include stopping, slowing, car back, car up, car left, car right, hole, ice, rough road but never CLEAR.  

LEFT TURN
RIGHT TURN
STOP
STOP
HAZARD LEFT
HAZARD RIGHT

ELK MOUNTAIN SKI TRIP

Several members of MAFW also belong to the Watchung Amateur Ski Club.  On Jan 26 we are running a bus trip to Elk Mountain and I listed info below.  Bus leaves 6am from the Hyatt Golf Course in Clark.  We still have a few spots on the bus so if you are interested please call me at 732-259-8990.

Thanks, Manny 

INCLUDED IN THE TRIP

  • Round-trip bus transportation• Breakfast on the bus***
  • Après ski snacks on the return trip
  • All-day lift ticket***

Note: Coffee, tea, etc. will no longer be served with the bus breakfast. Please remember to bring your own hot beverage of choice!

TRIP COST
$145 – Adults (18-64) – Members
$150 – Adults (18-64) – Non-Members
$125 – Seniors 65+ – Members
$130 – Seniors 65+ – Non-Members
$125 – Juniors (6-17) – ALL
(children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult)
$60 – Bus Only – Members
$65 – Bus Only – Non-Members

MY 2025 NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS FOR MORRIS AREA FREEWHEELERS

As MAFW Ride Coordinator I came up with my 2025 New Years Resolutions for Morris Area Freewheelers that I hope you share with me:

  • Follow our club motto of Nobody Rides Alone and that includes the ride leader.
  • Do the pace. 
  • As ride leader I will sweep.
  • As a rider I will regroup as necessary to keep the ride together.
  • More slow rides backing up fast rides.  For example, D+ ride backing up C ride.
  • Stop at all rest stops.

These resolutions are not only for when I am a ride leader but also when I am a rider.

Manny

MAFW MOTTO NOBODY RIDES ALONE

I just want to share a key learning from an extensive study that Drew conducted from 50 recent MAFW crashes.   This is extremely important under very cold or hot conditions. If a rider feels that he or she can’t continue with the ride please have someone accompany the rider back to the start.   On a recent ride Vinny and I were leading a ride from Denville and were prepared to shorten the ride if rain and wind came earlier than predicted.   We kept the riders together and regrouped as necessary and were prepared to go back as a group.

 Key Learnings from the review would include:

  • The data associated with the 50 incidents support the MAFW Club Motto that emphasizes that riding as a group is safer than riding alone.
    • All 50 reflect the support provided by other riders during these incidents.
    • 44 reflect situations that could happen whether riding as a group or alone … only 6 of the 50 involved rider to rider collisions.
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