In addition to the rides on our schedule we have some special events coming up:

APRIL 16 SPRING KICKOFF MEETING FOLLOWED BY RIDES FROM BED 1.  Location is Hills Highlands Clubhouse at 75 Hansom Rd, Basking Ridge. Start gathering at 8:30am with some refreshments followed by a meeting and we will do our best to keep it short.  Following the meeting there will be rides at different levels from Bed 1.  Rides start at 11am but could start earlier.   You can start signing up for rides now.  This kickoff meeting is a great opportunity to have any questions or concerns addressed.  IMPORTANT THAT YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE AND SIGN UP SO WE CAN PLAN REFRESHMENTS.

MAY 13 SPRING PICNIC This year the Spring Picnic will be from Knob Hill Lot C at Colonial Park.  More information to follow soon.

RIDE LEADERS Finally, if you want to be a ride leader just contact me and I will step you thru the simple process.  Being a ride leader is a very rewarding position and you get to choose your rides and time/date.  We especially need ride leaders for the D and D+ rides.  One of the first steps is just shadow a ride leader for a few rides.  I will be at the Spring Kickoff if you have questions on being a RL.

Thanks, Manny

I just want to bring to your attention that Bike Virginia is back and scheduled for Friday 6/23 to Wed 6/28 in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.  For more information and to register go to our website under Members > Calendar.  This has been a popular ride with our members.  At the Spring Kickoff April 16 there may be members who have attended past Bike Virginias you can talk to if interested.

Manny

I just want to point out one day ride and two weekend rides that are coming up.

TOUR DE FRANKLIN April 30.  Great ride that supports the local Franklin Food Bank. Several distances to choose and there are rest stops with refreshments.

SPRING-N2-CYCLING WEEKEND May 19-21.  This event is run by the Philadelphia Bike Club(PBC) that also ran the Fall weekend ride at Hanover, Pa near Gettysburg.  A few MAFW riders attended the Fall ride and we had a great time.  PBC reserved all rooms at 2 hotels for cyclists that weekend and still had a waiting list.  For the Spring ride PBC reserved the entire Best Western at Lewisburg, Pa.  I will be attending this event and there are rides for all ride levels.

ROY’S PENN DUTCH RIDE June 23-25.  Once again our Roy Fischman is running this weekend ride near Lancaster.   This is a great trip even if you are not cycling since there is so much to do in the area and at the hotel.  Lancaster Bike Club will support this event by setting up rides.

Check the Calendar under Members for more information on these rides and to register.

Regards, Manny

Seth Cohen has taken the time to set up a series of training rides that will be posted on the ride schedule and supported by Xue Li and Mike Shapanka.  Thanks to Seth for setting this up.

Below is the proposed schedule for TB training series. The primary ride will be Tuesday evenings; Thursday evenings will be for rain dates and/or a second session if people want, assuming a ride leader is available.

 

Week	Day	Date	Start Time	Route #	Route Name	Distance	Terrain	Program	Pace	Sweep/No Drop?	Ride Leader
1	Tuesday	4/4/2023	5:15 PM	973	Pluckemin-Along Mill Rivers-Short	25	C+	Group riding basics/Getting the rust off	TB-	Yes	Seth Cohen
2	Tuesday	4/11/2023	5:15 PM	1023	Pluckemin-Pottersville Cut and Paste	27	C+	Riding in a paceline	TB	Yes	Seth Cohen
3	Tuesday	4/18/2023	5:30 PM	298	A Few Roads Less Travelled 2	31	B	Climbing and riding in a paceline long	TB	Yes	Xue Li
4	Tuesday	4/25/2023	5:30 PM	457	Pluckemin-Mountainville 2	30	C+	Sprinting	TB	Yes	Seth Cohen/Mike Shapanka
5	Tuesday	5/2/2023	5:30 PM	1099	The Whole Enchilada	31	B	Climbing	TB	Yes	Seth Cohen
6	Tuesday	5/9/2023	5:30 PM	1108	Hub Hollow & Back	32	C+	Riding in a rotating paceline	TB	Yes	Seth Cohen
7	Tuesday	5/16/2023	5:30 PM	998	Pluckemin: A Few Roads Less Traveled	33	B	Putting it all together	TB+	No	Seth Cohen
8	Tuesday	5/23/2023	5:30 PM	282	Stanton Roundabout (School Rd)	35	C	Full speed finale	TB+	No	Seth Cohen

To Morris Area Freewheelers,

Spring is here and time to take your bike out of Winter storage although many of us continued to ride thru the Winter.  MAFW had an active Winter with ~100 rides.  Looking forward to an active cycling season.  In April we will have a Spring kickoff and we will soon send out details.

Jon Eiseman has continued to improve our website.  After you log on go to Members > Calendar you will find an extensive list of cycling events run by other organizations.  This weekend is the “Hell of Hunterdon”.  Some of us already signed up for “Tour de Franklin”.  “Spellbound” last year closed to registration at this time.

Manny

I just want to point out some great rides by other organizations:

1-TOUR DE FRANKLIN April 30, 2023

https://www.classy.org/event/tour-de-franklin-2023/e454030

This ride benefits the Franklin Food Bank and starts from Franklin High School near Colonial Park.  They feed you at start, at end and during the ride.  There are 5 on-road events (62-mile, 40-mile, 25-mile, 10-mile, and 5-mile) that tour scenic Franklin and Hillsborough townships, and two “Canal” events that utilize the towpath along the D&R Canal. Ride is posted on our MAFW schedule so you can sign up to let other attendees know you are going but you need to register on the Tour de Franklin website.  Nice to get a big group from MAFW with our MAFW jerseys so we can attract new members.

2-BICYCLE CLUB OF PHILADELPHIA’S ANNUAL SPRING WEEKEND IN LEWISBURG, PA

May 19-21, 2023. BCP’s annual Spring-n2-Cycling Weekend in the Susquehanna Valley of PA, staying at the large and attractive Best Western Inn in Lewisburg. This event is an all-inclusive package – Friday & Saturday night hotel stay, scenic cycling routes for a wide variety of distances, group rides with leaders, meals, snacks, parties, live music, and more. The area around Lewisburg has off-road trails, in addition to picturesque road cycling. If you are interested in going please contact me at mannyt66@gmail.com.

3-PA DUTCH RIDE June 23-25, 2023.  See our website for more info and how to register.  Ride is posted on our MAFW schedule so you can sign up to let other attendees know you are going.

4-BON TON ROULET July 22-29,2023 https://bontonroulet.com/  This is a 7 day bike ride thru the Finger Lakes of New York. Ride is posted on our MAFW schedule so you can sign up to let other attendees know you are going but you need to register on the Bon Ton Roulet website.

5-2023 SPELLBOUND – July 29,2023 https://www.spellboundcentury.org/ The 9th annual Spellbound Century road bike event takes place in Mount Holly, Burlington County, NJ where you ride by local horse farms and historic towns on mostly flat roads and some challenging rolling hills. The ride starts from historic Mount Holly, NJ, the County seat of Burlington County. Last year this ride had ~1500 riders and ride was sold out in March.  Rides range from 20 to 100 miles.  Go to website for more information.  Ride is posted on our MAFW schedule so you can sign up to let other attendees know you are going but you need to register on the Spellbound website.

It is with heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of Betty Fanelli, dear wife of our longtime member Tony Fanelli.  Below is the link for services for those wishing to attend or express condolences.

https://danglerfuneralhomes.com/tribute/details/3851/Betty-Fanelli/obituary.html#tribute-start

Manny Coelho on behalf of the Morris Area Freewheelers

To all MAFW riders,

Below are 2 cycling events that I want to highlight.

BON TON ROULET 2023  JULY 22-29 The Bon Ton Roulet is a seven-day bicycle tour through the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York State. Fully supported tour takes cyclists from wide-open farm fields, past stunning overlooks of our lakes to cavernous water-carved gorges, National Historic Sites, and award-winning wineries.  Registration starts Jan 9 and is open to only 350 cyclists.  Website below:

https://www.auburnymca.org/BonTonRoulet

SPELLBOUND 2023  JULY 29 This a one day ride from Mount Holly and is limited to 1500 cyclists.  This is the biggest cycling event in South Jersey and registration is open.  Last year this event sold out in March. Website below:

https://www.spellboundcentury.org/

Manny

First of all, Happy New Year and looking forward to a great and safe cycling year.  We are only 2 days into 2023 and already we have had 7 rides thanks to the warm weather.

MILEAGE LOG-On our website select Rides and then More Ride Info and you will find Mileage Log that you can use to keep track of your rides for 2023.  Also, under Rides is Rides I Rode that lists rides you rode or led over last few years.

ROAD CLOSURES-There have been 2 road closures that affect many of our rides.  I am happy to report that you can now ride around Round Valley since they finally completed the dam project.  Also, the bridge on Mill Rd near the Readington Dairy is passable for bikes, not cars.

CANCELING FROM A RIDE-Just a reminder that if you sign up for a ride but then change your mind, please cancel yourself from the ride as soon as you can.  This is a courtesy to your fellow riders and ride leader.

BECOMING A RIDE LEADER-If you are interested in becoming a ride leader it is a simple process and an opportunity to give back to MAFW.  Recommend first that you shadow a ride leader for a couple of rides and ask that ride leader what being a ride leader involves.  Then you can contact me, and I will make you a ride leader.  There is a very informative ride leader handbook to review and help you.

RIDE QUESTIONS-If new to MAFW and have any questions about MAFW feel free to contact me. This also applies to all members.

Happy New Year,

Manny, MAFW Ride Coordinator

With the cold weather upon us and you want to get into skiing I recommend checking out the Watchung Amateur Ski Club (WASC).  There are several members of MAFW that belong to WASC that has day and weekend trips and is family oriented.  We have Thursday meetings where you can learn more about WASC. Check out our schedule.

http://www.watchungskiclub.com

However, don’t put your bike away.  As long as weather permits we will continue to have winter rides.

Ride safely and warm,

Manny