Manuel Coelho

On April 6 MAFW will have its Spring Kickoff at Brookside in Mendham.  For more info and to signup go to the main page of the website.  In case you don’t know how to get to the main page of the website, just select the wheel at top left of the page.

After the meeting we will have rides for all paces.   For new members who are unsure what pace they should select, the C, D+ and D rides all are doing the same tour.  If you select the D+ ride and feel you can’t keep up, you can fall back to the D ride.  In addition, I will be leading the D ride and will classify it as a “New Member Ride” and will be giving additional instruction.   On March 29 weather permitting I will post a D+ ride with emphasis on new members.

Manny

I have posted rides for the Kickoff Meeting on Sunday April 6th. You can sign up to lead these rides by clicking  on the Tour/Signup column for any of these rides and then click on the Become the Ride Leader button.

You can also find the instructions here: https://mafw.org/kickoff-meeting-rides/ 

This method can also be used for leading Proposed rides added by the Ride Planning Committee. They will start adding proposed rides for rides starting in the first week in April.

“Needs Leader”has been changed  to “Proposed Ride”. Now, any ride leader can choose to lead a Proposed Ride by going to the Ride Schedule and clicking on the Tour/Signup column and then clicking on Become the Ride Leader. Only ride leaders can see Proposed Rides on the Ride Schedule.

Once you sign up to be the ride leader then the ride becomes a Scheduled Ride and members can then sign up to join the ride. Please sign up for the proposed rides for the kickoff meeting. Board is requesting that you don’t put any rides in that would conflict with the kickoff meeting.  Thanks for your cooperation.  Manny

Get ready for the return of the annual Philly Bike Expo, March 8 & 9, at the PA Convention Center, North Broad & Cherry Streets. This is one of the largest bike shows in the US! All details are here: https://phillybikeexpo.com/

Bon Ton Roulet is a 5-day bike ride in the Finger Lakes of New York.  2 nights are spent at Hobart Williams College and 2 nights at Keuka College.  You can tent camp or stay in dorms.  I did the last 2 Bon Tons and already signed up for this year’s Bon Ton.  Attached below is the link to Bon Ton and it is on the MAFW calendar.  I created the ride on the MAFW schedule so after you register with Bon Ton, please sign up on the MAFW schedule so we know who is going.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Manny

Bon Ton Roulet | Auburn YMCA

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

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.  

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 

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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

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

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.