Hopefully everyone is enjoying the summer and looking forward to cooler weather and the fall foliage.  We have a series of events coming up that I wanted to share with you.  We hope you will join us for one, two or all the events we have planned over the next couple of months.

August 31st – Freewheelers post-ride paddleboat races, swimming, and picnic!  Join us on Saturday August 31, 2024, at Sunrise Lake in Lewis Morris Park for a day of riding, getting wet (or not), and fun: ).  Rides will start leaving the park at 9AM and upon returning we will have picnic tables by the beach with empanadas, cold flavored seltzers and dishes by members.  In addition to bike rides, paddleboat races, swimming and food, Len Friedman will be leading a 4-mile hike in Lewis Morris Park starting from Sunrise Lake.  Be sure to sign up on the Ride Schedule if you want to hike.  There is no charge for a member and a guest. If you are not joining a ride, you should be there by 11:30AM.

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 End of Summer Celebration Ride – 9/14/24.   The Denville/Parsippany MAFW members have completed two successful Denville – Bike, Pizza and Beer rides earlier this year and we thought we may try this on a grander scale.   The rides will start and end at the Diamond Spring Brewery in downtown Denville (opens at 12 noon on Saturdays).  We will have the rides posted shortly but, in the end, we would like the ride leaders to utilize their $50 Celebration ride event to fund the Pizza.  We will start off with 3-4 rides and we will expand if necessary.    The Celebration ride funding was available for the first time in 2024, and we did not see the benefit utilized enough for our liking.   The costs of drinks (beer, water etc.) will be each participants responsibility.    If this goes well, we may also consider an Angry Erics Brewery ride from Kittatinny state park or a Burnt Mills Cider ride from Bedminster in the Fall.  Rides should be up on the website shortly.

Semi-Annual Trek Inspection Ride – 9/21/24

The previously scheduled date was cancelled due to excessive heat.  Many of you remember that last year we launched our first ever Trek Inspection Rides starting from Trek Stirling’s location. These events were very well received with all participants receiving Trek’s free safety inspection on their bikes. Trek will be offering a $50.00 discount on their level 2 service and $100 discount for Level 3 service, if needed. There will be refreshments, bagels, coffee and juices before and after the rides.  Trek will also have Trek Fest specials inside their store for members to shop after the ride. We are staggering the start times of the rides, so that Trek can properly inspect and discuss their findings with our riders. Parking will be in the Trek lot, next door at the Day Care Center, and along Main Street in Stirling.  Bathrooms are available in the store. Trek Service will be on duty at 8:00 am, so please arrive about 45 minutes to an hour before your ride starts.   Rides are now available on our website.

 Fall Picnic – 9/22/24 – Schooley Mountain Park.  The MAFW Fall Picnic will be on Sunday September 22nd, at Schooley Mountain Park in Long Valley.  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).  Please keep an eye out for the sign up so we know how many people to expect.  Rides are now available on our website.

Now for a couple of safety announcements.

Morris County Dangerous Road Condition Reporting – At our spring kick-off there was a discussion about whether or not there is a website to report dangerous road conditions in Morris County.   The good news is there is now a website to report such issues.  Rebecca Feldman recently filed a dangerous condition report, and I encourage you all to do the same when an issue is identified. Rebecca’s email read as follows:   “There is a dangerous condition on CR 646, Tempe Wick Road, both directions, in the vicinity of Primrose Brook. Repaving, or smooth edge-to-edge repair is needed – from the driveway of the Great Swamp Watershed Association to SR 202. Years of potholes and bumpy patching have made this section of winding road so rough that people on bicycles cannot stay out of the way of motorists. Drivers are speeding and blindly passing into oncoming traffic, while riders struggle to navigate a safe path between the patches. This busy rough section of Tempe Wick is now unsafe for everybody. When will Morris County make this section of Tempe Wick, a crucial east-west connector, safe? Rebecca P. Feldman Morristown”.  Let’s keep our roads safe for all riders out there and feel free to use Rebecca’s email as inspiration.

The link is as follows: https://www.morriscountynj.gov/Departments/Engineering-Transportation/Report-a-Pothole-or-Road-Maintenance-Issue. 

Warning Aggressive Drivers – We have become aware of several reports from MAFW and BTCNJ club members having a few close-calls with cars driven by aggressive drivers.  In fact, one MAFW member encountered two aggressive drivers in one week.  While we can’t prevent people from driving stupidly, we can take several actions to help make ourselves safer when riding on the road.  Although not required, here are some things to consider:

1. Always wear a proper fitting bicycle helmet, to help protect your noggin if you go down (this is required by club rules)

2. Wear a bright colored jersey and bright socks

3. Use bright LED lights to make you visible to distracted motorists

4. Be predictable when riding

5. Never overlap wheels with the cyclist in front of you

6. Use a radar detector (such as the Garmin Varia). Personally, I think this has been the greatest new tool available to bike riders over the last several years.

7. Consider using a video camera (such as Cycliq) – – although this won’t keep you safe, it will provide visual documentation in the event of a crash or incident (and it’s great at capturing license plate numbers).  However, if you are using a video camera – please inform everyone on the ride during the safety talk that you are doing so.  Some individuals are not happy being potentially recorded without their prior consent.

See you out on the road

Joseph Reo

MAFW President