Dear Morris Area Freewheelers Club Members,

The Revolutionary Ramble is run by the Morris Area Freewheelers Foundation, a 501c3 charity, which was split off from the bike club, a nonprofit (501c7), in 2010. In addition, the club is the main source of Ramble volunteers.

We just ran a successful Revolutionary Ramble XIV which generated proceeds that benefit local First Aid Squads, NICA, the Boys & Girls Club Bike Exchange, Girls in Gear, The New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition, and other bike-related charities. In short, the Foundation is a vehicle for the club, via its volunteers, to give back to the communities and the state through which we ride.

Our current board is composed of bike club members, non-members, and a bike store owner. Looking ahead to 2024, we have vacant board positions which we need to fill. The various board jobs involve providing infrastructure support for the Ramble, sponsor soliciting, proposing innovative changes to the Ramble and identifying recipients for donations.

If you are interested in working with this highly motivated group, know someone who may be interested, or just want to know more about what is
involved without commitment, reach out to our recruitment committee to learn more:

Jay Marowitz (freewheeljay@gmail.com)
Manny Coelho (mannyt66@gmail.com)
Fran Caggiano-Swenson (owlcourt@msn.com)

Thank you,
Manny, Fran, Jay
MAFF Recruiting Committe

Summer has got the best of us all.  Please note that the next Trek/MAFW Gravel ride is on July 29th.   We will try to get it up on the website over the next day or two.  In the meantime, attached is the link to the Eventbrite link.    Regardless of signing up on our website you will need to also sign the waiver on the Eventbrite site.  If you would like to try gravel – give the shop a call and bikes may be available.

Garden State Gravel Series Tickets, Sat, Jul 29, 2023 at 9:00 AM | Eventbrite

About this event

Experience all the gravel NJ has to offer with different locations and routes each month including The Columbia Trail, Delaware & Raritan Canal Trail, Christie Hoffman Farm Park, and Bedminster. We’ve had great success with local gravel rides and want to expand to other areas of NJ. We appreciate our local riders and want to provide them with a blazing good time on NJ gravel! Will you #travelforgravel?

What to expect:

This ride is an opportunity for gravel-curious riders to experience the hype around this growing cycling movement. Routes will start at the beginner/intermediate level, with more challenging routes added in the following months to accommodate advanced riders and riders honing and improving skills. Rides will range from 20-40 miles and keep a comfortable/conversational pace, 13-16mph average (1000ft. Avg. Elevation gain). If paces differ, then we will split into two groups. This is a “no drop” ride, meaning we will have leaders and sweepers to ensure faster riders wait at the top of tough climbs for other riders in the group. No rider will be left behind.

Checkpoint Demo Details:

Don’t have a gravel bike? We got you covered with a handful of Trek Checkpoints to reserve for a demo! Contact Trek Stirling (908)-647-2010 for demo details and to reserve your Checkpoint!

Ride Details:

• Rides will be from 9:00am-12:00pm | Meet at 8:45am for check in
• Route on July 8th will be in Bedminster, NJ, starting at the Bank of America parking lot located at 2100 Burnt Mills Rd. Pluckemin, NJ 07978
• BEGINNER ROUTE 16 miles – 900ft. elevation
• INTERMEDIATE ROUTE 24 miles – 1325ft. elevation
• Recurring dates will be March 25th, April 29th, May 27th, June 24th, and July 29th w/routes and locations TBD. Stay tuned!

What you need:

• Helmet (required)
• Gravel Bike with 32c-47c tires (recommended)
• Taillight
• Flat Repair Kit & spare tube
• 1 water bottle (minimum)
• Appropriate clothing
• Positive Attitude

We can’t wait to ride with you! Come for the ride and stay after to enjoy refreshments, prizes and other surprises! Inclement weather will NOT cancel this ride…we GRIND ON!

For more information contact stirling@trekbikes.com or call (908) 647-2010

We are halfway through month of June and the amount of rides the leaders have been offering have something for everyone.  The rides have been diverse in milage, speeds and hills.  One trend that I keep seeing is that a B/C ride combo.   The B riders leave 15 mins earlier and execute a drop ride.   Strong C riders can participate and drop off and get picked up by the C group leaving shortly thereafter if they decide to drop.  It provides a great opportunity to test your skills without getting dropped and riding alone.  Let’s keep up the great work and continue to keep rolling.

Due to the success of our first venture with Trek Stirling I am excited to announce another event.  As you all may be aware, Gravel is one of the fastest growing segments in the biking industry and our club is centered right in the middle of some of the best gravel roads in the state.  However, before I bore you with the details a couple of items:

Father’s Day: Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.  Hopefully your first wish was let me go for a ride:) There are several rides on the calendar if you are available.  Your family will understand.

Revolutionary Ramble: I wanted to take the time to thank all the volunteers that helped or participated in the Revolutionary Ramble last week.  The weather was awesome, and we had a great turn out.  Approximately 800 riders participated in the event with about 50% of them riding the 70/100 miler.     Doug McMahon the Super Project Manager, George Ebel the creator of the routes, and Bendon Poh (Cycle Craft owner) added tons of insight and social media savvy and many others were critical to the success of the event, and we all thank you for your efforts.  Let’s not forget to thank our Sponsors such as Cycle Craft, Trek Stirling, REI and others that provided support throughout the day.

New Members:  Over the last several weeks we have picked up several new members, I rode with an individual that was participating on his third ride and continues to get better week to week.   If you have a new member on your ride introduce, them to the ride members, encourage them, provide guidance and help them grow to love the wonderful sport of biking.  Remember they are the future of the club.

Upcoming Events:

• Roy’s Annual Penn Dutch Ride June 23rd through June 26th.   Roy may still have a couple of open spots if you are available for this great trip.
• Lake George Getaway:  Friday September 8th through Monday September 11th
• BTCNJ Ramapo Rally on August 20th.  Lots of BTCNJ members participated in the Ramble and did a great job advertising for our event in thier monthly letter.   If you are available where your Jersey proudly and provide support for one of the other great bike clubs.

Last but not least the SPECIAL Event

SPECIAL EVENT – Trek Stirling MAFW Gravel Ride 6/24/23

If you were ever curious about what gravel riding is all about, have we got an opportunity for you!! In conjunction with our friends at Trek Stirling, we are listing two gravel rides on June 24, 2023, starting from Bedminster One.

• Ride 1342 will be a 16-mile introductory ride for new gravel riders (limit 20 riders)
• Ride 1343 will be a 24-mile gravel ride for intermediate riders (limit 20 riders)

Gravel riding requires a different skill set than road riding, the pace is slower, rides are shorter, but you get an excellent workout, and you get to travel on beautiful unpaved country roads.

What makes this Saturday’s gravel rides special is that Trek Stirling will be bringing up to eleven gravel bikes for members to ride. Checkpoint gravel bikes will be slotted for new gravel riders and Domane bikes will be assigned to intermediate level riders. This will give you the chance to try out a legitimate gravel bike and enjoy roads that you have gone by many times but never had the chance to ride them, until now.

Trek Stirling will provide guidance on the two rides, serve as leads and sweeps on each ride, as well as offer SAG support as necessary.  Trek Stirling will also be providing refreshments pre and post ride. Reservations for the loaner gravel bikes must be made prior to the ride.  Please call Trek Stirling 908-647-2010 for availability and sizes.  They will also ascertain your preference regarding pedals for the ride.

Mountain bikes, Fat Bikes and comfort bike owners are welcome to ride with their bikes as long as your tire size is 32mm or larger.

Because this is a joint Trek Stirling/MAFW, the following signups are required and mandatory for participants to ride on June 24, 2023

1. Sign up on the MAFW ride sheet for ride 1342 or 1343. (Rides should be posted shortly).  FYI Links to Ride with GPS files are also available on the Event Brite site below as well.
2. Sign up on the attached Event Brite reservation on form for Trek Stirling gravel ride.   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/garden-state-gravel-series-tickets-529693967917
3. Sign the Trek Stirling waiver.

If there are any questions, please call or text Jeff Sperling 908-451-6122 and we will endeavor to answer your inquiries.

Miscellaneous great deal that I found yesterday:

• Winter is coming and if you want to participate in the weekly club Zwift rides or are looking to benefit from some winter training.  REI (a Ramble Sponsor) has launched an incredible deal – the Wahoo KICKR CORE for a mere $449. That’s basically half the price of the normal $899 for the KICKR CORE, so I figured I’d look at how it compares to the $499 Zwift Hub. But make no mistake about it – the KICKR CORE at $449 is a better deal/buy than the Zwift Hub at $499, no matter how you slice it. And – just to be clear before we get distracted, the KICKR CORE at $449 is simply an incredible deal all around – arguably one of the best smart trainer deals we’ve seen in years. If you want to jump on that deal, hit the REI link here, and then add it to your cart (you have to add it to your cart to see the deal).  Read more about the deal here:  Wahoo KICKR CORE Smart Trainer Price In Half: Incredible Deal at $449 | DC Rainmaker

As always – Ride safely and make the club proud.

Regards

Joseph Reo

President

Looks like a great turnout, we had 57 riders when I looked earlier this evening.  Trek said we can park in the following locations:

1. Trek Stirling Parking Lot
2. Day Care Center Lot next door
3. Bank Lot across the street
4. Main street Stirling
5. Stirling Train station (further up street)

Regards

Joseph Reo

See you tomorrow

Joseph Reo

Looks like a great turn out tomorrow (57 folks as of this afternoon).  Trek said we can park in the following areas: Bike shop lot, day care center next door,  bank lot across the street, Main street in Stirling as well as the Stirling train station further down the street.

Weather looks perfect and spots are filling up quickly.   I will be leading the D ride, but I look forward to seeing you all.  Trek Stirling address is as follows: 395 Main Street in Stirling.  Although some of us are better at maintaining their bikes than others – the club does feel that a periodic bike inspection is a valuable tool to ensure safety for yourself and your riding family.   As a gesture of goodwill, for all those members that sign up for the ride and their bike inspection, Trek will issue a $20.00 gift card that can be used for anything in the store, sales or service. It is important to reiterate that members are not obligated to have their bikes serviced at Trek.

Please arrive at the Trek Store at 8 am so there will be adequate time to complete the inspections prior to the start of the rides.

See you Sunday.

Joseph Reo

It is early in the spring riding season, and we are pleased to announce a special event for all our MAFW members! For the first time in our club history on June 4th, 2023, in conjunction with our friends at Trek Stirling and Trek Summit, we will have 5 Freewheeler rides initiating from the Trek Stirling location, 395 Main Street in Stirling.  On the MAFW roster, there are three Far Hills rides, # 214, 511, and 516 that literally go right by the Trek Stirling location. We will finalize the ride selection shortly.  Instead of starting the rides in Far Hills, we will start the ride from Trek Stirling and cover the route, ending it back at Trek Stirling.   We will need to tweak the rides as the upper portion of Somerville Road is still closed.  We will have B, C+, C, D+ and D rides starting at 9 am.  Based on turnout we can consolidate a ride or two, if need be.

We also want to provide an important safety inspection on your bike through the auspices of Trek. Before the rides commence, all those members that sign up for the ride will receive a free, no obligation, multi-point inspection of their bike. Trek mechanics will be on duty and will give each member a detailed scorecard assessment of their bike.  The areas that will be inspected include tires, frame, fork, suspension, drivetrain, rider contact points, wheel systems, and braking systems. As a gesture of goodwill, for all those members that sign up for the ride and their bike inspection, Trek will issue a $20.00 gift card that can be used for anything in the store, sales or service. It is important to reiterate that members are not obligated to have their bikes serviced at Trek. You are free to take your bike to any bike service if you deem it appropriate.

Trek will have refreshments, bananas, coffee, donuts, water, bagels (from O’Bagel) and cream cheese before the ride as well as after the ride.  Bathroom facilities will be available inside the store before the ride starts. Please arrive at the Trek Store at 8 am so there will be adequate time to complete the inspections prior to the start of the rides. There will be adequate parking in the Trek parking area.

I want to take the time to thank Jeff Sperling and others that have been working diligently behind the scenes to get this set up.

Hope to see you all there on June 4th. Safety is most important for all of us.

Regards

Joseph Reo

Lesson 1 – never right an email after dinner on a Sunday evening – LOL

Somehow, I renamed Glora as Mary in the third sentence.  I have no answer as to how that happened – I blame the wine.

Casual Rides I wanted to give a shout out to Gloria Friedman.  Gloria reached out and wanted to reinstitute a casual ride for new riders and others that may not be ready to entertain a higher-level ride at this point in time.    Gloria had 10 riders participate last week.  If you are around on a Wednesday morning – please take some time to join Gloria and her team for a short ride out of Loantaka.  Remember new riders are the life blood of a healthy bike club.

Ramble – We still need some help (especially SAG riders).  If you can help out it will be appreciated.  Not sure how I forgot the Ramble.

2023

What	Available Spots
Safety Team Leader	#1: Joseph Reo <jreo@optonline.net>
Lost Rider Assistance/Co-Captain	#1: ____________________
Start Control	#1: ____________________ #2: ____________________
MAFW Club Ambassador	#1: Noreen Drucker <mretth@aol.com> #2: Tom Beringer <tomberinger195@gmail.com>
Ride Marshal/Sweep – 100 Mile	#1: alex sidd <theaxelman@hotmail.com> #2: Joseph Mundi <mavicrider@gmail.com> #3: ____________________
Ride Marshal/Sweep – 70 Mile	#1: Mike Rowley <Shelb234@optonline.net> #2: George Decker <touringeng@gmail.com> #3: Jay Raju <jsimharaju@hotmail.com> #4: Gaye Swanson <coolmother53@gmail.com>
Ride Marshal/Sweep – 45 Mile	#1: John Delaney <jdelaneyjr@aol.com> #2: Tara Ding <cliftondog1999@yahoo.com>
Ride Marshal/Sweep – 35 Mile	#1: Joseph De Cagna <jdecagna1@gmail.com> #2: Drew Thraen <drew.thraen@gmail.com>
Ride Marshal/Sweep – 25 Mile	#1: Arnie Cohen <arnie@teledge-usa.com> #2: Tony Fanelli <tjfanelli@yahoo.com> #3: Roy Fischman <royfischman@gmail.com>
Course Marshal – Lees Hill Rd.	#1: Betty Ann Kaltneckar <beaufortfalcon@msn.com>
Course Marshal – TBD	#1: ____________________
Course Marshal – Glenwild Rd & Loantaka Way	#1: Fred Bennett <starben62@yahoo.com>
Drew SAG Driver	#1: Michael Swearingen <rmswearingen@optonline.net>
Jockey Hollow SAG Driver	#1: CONRAD STEENECK <csteeneck@verizon.net>
Southard SAG Driver	#1: LOUIS BLANCO <loublanco@gmail.com>
Harry Dunham SAG Driver	#1: ____________________
Transport SAG Driver	#1: ____________________
Transport SAG Assistant	#1: ____________________
25 Mile SAG Driver	#1: ____________________
70 Mile SAG Driver	#1: Michael Cloidt <michaelcloidt@gmail.com>

Lynda Deluca

Lynda DeLuca does not have to bring a main dish as her desserts are delightful.  My bad.  LOL

What a beautiful weekend and I was glad to see that we had multiple rides on the docket for members of all abilities.

Picnic

The picnic will be on Saturday May 13th, at Colonial Park.  For those that have not ridden out of the park it’s a beautiful location and the rides are fantastic as well.  The picnic is free (and you can bring a guest), but please sign up so we know how many people to expect. The tradition continues, the club will provide fried chicken, but everyone is expected to bring a dish based on their last name to supplement the chicken. People whose last name starts with:

A-F	Please bring a Main Dish
G-O	Please bring an Salad
P-Z	Please bring a Appetizer

Manny and his fellow ride leaders put together a full ride schedule for the day of the picnic, with rides at all paces between Casual and B+.  FYI the B+ ride still needs a leader.  There should be a ride for anyone who is interested and remember to sign up for the ride you plan to do in addition to signing up for the picnic.

Girls in Gear

Gabrielle Rossi has invited us to observe one or both of their Girls on Gear clinics on May 14th (10AM) for their 8-week program or June 4th (12PM) for the learn to ride clinic.  This is a great opportunity to demonstrate the social impact of our club and if we can potentially get a couple of the biker chicks in their gear to attend one of the two sessions as well would be awesome.  Both sessions are at Lewis Morris Park in the Sunrise Lake Parking Lot.  If you do not make one or both sessions, they will most likely have a table at the Ramble starting point so please stop by and introduce yourselves.

Casual Rides

I wanted to give a shout out to Gloria Friedman.  Gloria reached out and wanted to reinstitute a casual ride for new riders and others that may not be ready to entertain a higher-level ride at this point in time.    Mary had 10 riders participate last week.  If you are around on a Wednesday morning – please take some time to join Mary and her team for a short ride out of Loantaka.  Remember new riders are the life blood of a healthy bike club.

Wed	10:00am	CA/C/28/704	Loantaka-South St., Morris Twp.	Gloria Friedman	778 – Great Swamp Classic(18)	CUE MAP GPX TCX
Average Climb (ft/mile) 25 Leader Comments This is a regular weekly ride.  This week we will be riding 15 miles.  Last week we had 10 riders which is very exciting.  Hope some new people come too.  Please call me if you have any signing problems.  You can come to 1 ride without joining the club. Tour DescriptionA minimum hills ride in the Great Swamp area with two loops off of White Bridge Road. *No food stop since Meyersville Cafe closed*.

Ride Leader and Volunteer Pizza Party – May 18th

Calling all Ride Leaders and Volunteers – I noticed that sign up page on our website looked a little light.  Please take the time to sign up and we look forward to celebrating your efforts.

Last but not least to all the mothers out there.  Please have a great Mother’s Day and may it be everything you hoped for and more.

See you soon on a Ride.

Joseph Reo

MAFW President

The Spring Kickoff meeting and after meeting rides are now up and running on our webpage.  Please click the link at the top of the page and let us know you will be joining us.  In addition, we use this as a gauge to determine how much food and drink is required for the meeting.

I am planning on leading the C+ ride.   Hope to see you all there.

Regards

Joseph Reo

Our first social event of the year is upon us.  Please join us all and enjoy some time with our members as well as some food on us. Please note that members and guests will have to purchase their own flights or other beverages.   Details and the link to sign up for the event are detailed below: Friday February 24, 6PM Glenbrook Brewery – 95 Morris Street Morristown Flights and Flats with Marty’s doing a bike cleaning clinic.   Signup page for this event on the website: https://mafw.org/events/flights-and-flats-with-martys-doing-a-bike-cleaning-clinic/   Regards Joseph Reo MAFW President