MAFW Magic?? - Morris Area Freewheelers

Are you one of the many MAFW members who believes there is some sort of MAFW magic? Do you think that new ride routes are created by “ride wizards” and just appear on the club website? Or that fried chicken, cold drinks and paper plates are delivered to the club picnics by a “picnic drone”? Or that the newsletter, social media posts, and membership services just “happen”? Well, you are WRONG! All these functions that support the club are carried out by VOLUNTEER members, working “behind the scenes” to keep the club running smoothly.

We have had people ask questions like “why don’t we return to having free potluck holiday parties?” Well guess what, they weren’t really “free”. We had to rent a place to have the party (not a big expense), and then 8-10 MAFW volunteers did NOT get to enjoy the party as they were busy working (setting up the venue, setting out and replenishing food, cleaning up) while everyone else enjoyed the “free” party. When we tried to move to a paid event so that everyone could enjoy it, MAFW members weren’t willing to pay for a party, and the club could not afford any event of the quality that we desired. And there you have it, the reason we no longer have a holiday party…

Right now, we are at a critical time for the club, as many of these positions will be VACANT at the end of the year as the incumbents move on for various reasons. Without NEW people willing to step up and fill some of these critical functions, the ability of MAFW to operate smoothly is in jeopardy.

At the end of 2022 the following MAFW positions will be VACANT: President, Vice President, Membership Coordinator, and Social Coordinator. Please consider whether YOU or someone you know would be interested and willing to serve in one of these positions. If so, please contact one of the members of our Nominating Committee (headed by Mark Jay: adventures@mafw.org and Drew Thraen: safety@mafw.org).

Thanks to all our Ride Leaders and to everyone else who works hard (and often behind the scenes) to make MAFW run. As our IT coordinator, Jon says, “no one notices when things work fine, but they complain when things don’t.” We need people to fill these key positions to keep everything running well in the MAFW World.

DAYTIME PACES (Updated: April 2015)
Pace	Minimum Average Speed	Description
A	18+ mph	Hard fast riding, few stops, slower riders will be dropped, frequent pace lines.
B+	17 mph	For very fit cyclists, slower riders will be dropped, leader rides at listed pace, occasional pace lines.
B	16 mph	For fit cyclists, terrain varies, up to 30 miles between rest stops. Leader sweeps no slower than 16 mph. BUT if there is a concurrent identical (same tour #, same start time) C+ ride, or the ride leader has posted “no sweep” in the ride comments, the leader rides a B pace and does not sweep.
C+	14.5 mph	For accomplished cyclists, terrain varies, up to 30 miles between rest stops, leader sweeps no slower than 14.5 mph. If there is a concurrent identical (same tour #, same start time) C ride, the Ride Leader may choose not to sweep and depend on the C ride to look after slower C+ riders.
C	13 mph	For accomplished cyclists, terrain varies, up to 30 miles between rest stops, leader sweeps no slower than 13 mph.
D+	11 mph	For experienced cyclists who want an easier pace, up to 20 miles between rest stops, leader sweeps no slower than 11 mph.
D	9 mph	Relaxed riding for experienced cyclists, easier terrain, up to 15 miles between rest stops, leader sweeps no slower than 9 mph (typically no longer than 35 miles and on terrain not more difficult than C+).
CA(Casual)	Casual	Relaxed riding, no steep hills, frequent stops, group stays together.
S (Special)	varies	Special ride. Click on ‘More’ (after login) to read special comments.

EVENING TRAINING RIDE PACES Paces for evening rides have a T prefix to indicate that they are “training” rides. Training means that the rides are typically shorter, do not have rest stops and riders generally ride at a faster average compared to day rides.
Pace	Average Speed	Description
TA	18+ mph	Hard fast riding, few stops, slower riders will be dropped, frequent pace lines.
TB	16.5+ mph	For very fit cyclists, slower riders will be dropped, leader rides at listed pace, occasional pace lines
TC	15+ mph	For accomplished cyclists, terrain varies, leader sweeps no slower than 15 mph.
TD	13+ mph	For experienced cyclists, leader sweeps no slower than 13 mph
TE	11+ mph	For any cyclists who can average 11 mph and ride the posted distance without a rest stop, leader sweeps no slower than 11 mph

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