Ride Reports March 2005

Wisconsin Northwoods Tour
by Ann and Fred Ables

For our second group ride this past summer, we chose Pedal Across Wisconsin's Heart of Wisconsin - Northwoods Tour. This was a loop tour with lodging and meals at motels and a group size limited to 60 - 80 riders. Pedal Across Wisconsin (www.pedalacrosswisconsin.com) rides are organized and directed by Jerry Goldman, a retired teacher from Elgin, Illinois. The ride cost $515 per person and included 6 nights lodging in Best Western or similar motels, four dinners and breakfasts, SAG stops, maps, cue sheets, marked routes, baggage transport and emergency and mechanical support.

Fred and Ann Ables just before their run-in with the
Wisconsin chapter of the Hell's Angels
(note Harley Davidson logo on sign...)

We had previously arranged to park our motor home for the week in a county park near Rosholt, the starting point of the PAW ride. After getting settled, we headed into Stevens Point to meet Jerry and pick up information about the route. Then we stopped in at the Hostel Shoppe in Stevens Point. This bike shop had an amazing collection of recumbents and just about any kind of bike part you might need. They were hosting a weekend recumbent rally that weekend and invited us to join the group for the Saturday Fun Ride around Stevens Point.

Saturday morning we joined hundreds of recumbent riders in Bukolt Park on the north side of town for either a 22 or 37 mile ride through the countryside. After the ride, everyone gathered in the park for picnics and to compare gear. The variety of bikes was amazing. Fred was fascinated with the ingenuity of the riders whose goal was speed. There were lots of unique fairings tail socks and cones, and bike socks, along with fancy wheels and low profile positions. There were also several kinds of tandem recumbents, a side by side version and a 'push me/pull you model where the rear rider faced backward. We also got to meet the man who made our Velocity wheels. After dinner, we met with the other PAW riders for an overview of the ride.

Sunday, We drove into Rosholt and parked in the high school lot with the rest of the riders. After loading our bags on the luggage truck, we headed north to Antigo, about 60 miles. A nice feature of these rides, in addition to staying in motels, was that Jerry supplied us with copies of map pages for our route as well as cue sheets. It was nice to know more about our routes ahead of time. The routes used mainly paved back roads with little traffic. Jerry also had indicated on the maps and cue sheets the locations of the SAG stops, bathrooms and suggested groceries or restaurants for lunches. The rolling route took us through Wisconsin farmland and areas of forests and lakes. After checking into our rooms at the Northwoods Birch Inn, we discovered another nice benefit of Jerry's rides. The luggage truck also carries coolers of beer and soft drinks. There was a fair amount of rehydrating in the parking lot as the riders arrived, claimed their bags and checked in.

Repairman Fred on the job

After our continental breakfasts on Monday, we were on our way about 7, heading to Rhinelander, 59 miles. The day was cloudy and humid with a good possibility of afternoon thunderstorms. We bought lunch fixings at a small grocery and ate our picnic at a table in the town square before moving on past more resort areas, lakes and forests. About 3 miles from Rhinelander, the weather caught up with us. At first, the rain was gentle and the lightning not too close so we kept on. However, just a few blocks from our hotel, the heavens opened and we sought refuge in a car wash during the peak of the storm. After 20 minutes or so, the worst was past and we headed on to the motel. Two drowned rats with bikes checked in and spread stuff around the room to dry. Then we headed to the warm pool and hot tub for a long soak and swim. About 5:30, those of us staying at the Comfort Inn were bussed over to the Best Western for a generous buffet dinner. The tables seated 8 so we were able to enjoy our meal while learning about some of our fellow riders.

Tuesday, we had a slightly shorter ride on to Eagle River, about 52 miles. We didn’t get quite such an early start because this motel offered freshly made waffles for breakfast. The ride through the lake country was lovely and we rapidly covered the first 25 miles to the town of Three Lakes. As it was too early for lunch (and we had snacked at the earlier SAG stop) we bought subs and drinks at the Erbert & Gerbert's sandwich shop to have for a picnic later. Many of us stopped at a park by a marine railway to eat our lunch and watch boats get carried over the dam. After the railway, we only had about 12 more miles to Eagle River. We biked into Eagle River and visited a bike shop before heading to the Day's Inn. While enjoying some beer and socializing around the baggage truck, we made plans for dinner with a man who is a professor in sports medicine and his former student who now is a cardiac rehabilitation therapist. The professor was fascinating. He is almost stone deaf as a result of some accidents but reads lips so fluently that you would never know it unless you tried to talk to him behind his back.

Wednesday was a 'free' day. We opted to do part of one of the suggested rides and biked past Twin Lake over to the town of Phelps for a picnic lunch and hand dipped ice cream. In the evening we joined another group of riders for dinner and afterwards walked downtown to a restored old-fashioned ice cream and soda parlor.

Thursday we headed back to Rhinelander on a 67 mile route which took us more to the west. It was cold, 40 or less, so we dressed in layers. Again the scenery was of forests and lakes with rolling hills. By the time we had gone 25 miles, both we and the weather had warmed up and we shed our heavier clothes. We had a picnic lunch on a bench in a cemetery with a lovely view of the countryside. We arrived back in Rhinelander early, about 2, so we had time for a nice swim and a rest before dinner.

Friday, we got an early start - including baking our waffles, and were on the road by 7. As we climbed the long hill out of town, we found that I had worn through the tread and had a big bulge where the tire was thin. We called Jerry in the SAG wagon and asked him to drop off our spare tire when he passed by. Then Fred got busy taking the tire off while I inspected the other tires. While we were waiting, the manager of the pet supply company, whose lot we were in, drove up. She asked if she could help and introduced us to her pet parrot. Jerry dropped off our one spare tire but while we were waiting, we discovered that Fred’s tire was almost gone also. So we trouped into the supply house to use the bathroom and inquire about bike shops. We found that Mel's was open and had a tire that would fit. So back into town we rode. Finally at 10 a.m. we left Rhinelander again. By now, everyone was long gone. There was no one at the 25 mile SAG stop either but we used the picnic table and had our lunch before hurrying on. Jerry came by to check on us while we were eating and said he would look for us again as he had to pick up a pair on a tandem who also needed a new tire. The next section led us through another area of hills and lakes. Because of the hills and our late start, we worried that we would arrive in Antigo too late to catch the shuttle to dinner. However, as we came to an intersection where Jerry had routed the ride around some more lakes, we noticed a sign pointing to Antigo, off to our right. We consulted our map and saw that we could take two straight county roads and intersect with the bike route about 10 miles north of Antigo. We discovered that these roads were flat and newly paved. That and a brisk tailwind allowed us to catch up with the tail end of the riders. After dinner, we all gathered on the restaurant veranda for some thank you and farewell talks. One of the riders sang a cute song he had written about Jerry and his PAW rides.

Saturday, we followed our original route from Antigo back to Rosholt. The day was cloudy and cool but without rain. It must have been perfect for cycling though because we covered the 60 miles back to Rosholt in 5 hours - a record average for us. We loaded our gear back into and on our car, said farewell to our many new friends and headed back to our motor home. We recommend the ride to those who enjoy the comfort of staying in motels instead of camping on school playgrounds.

New Year's Day Ride
Led by Joan Wickes


Best turn-out of the year so far!!

On New Year's Day, eleven members of the Frederick Pedalers braved the near 70 degree 'cold' to start their New Year out on two wheels. Riders included Mark and Martha Anderson, Vicki Crum, Brian King, Betsy and Mike Lapadula, Regine Pacchiana, Peggy Parker, Frank Scotto, Mike Scotto and Joan Wicks. The ride started at Glade Elementary School. Some of the bolder riders actually bared their legs and wore biking shorts. Those of us less trusting riders (i.e. less trusting of the weatherman) were in long sleeves and tights. As it turned out the weatherman was right and we were treated to a delightful twenty-something miles over to Thurmont and back.

No, that's not a malfunctiong bike computer...

While Joan was listed as the ride leader, a planned route only lasted for about the first 3 - 4 miles. After that everything was improvised, with Martha providing much of the guidance for the rest of the route. While it would be nice to say we would make this ride a tradition, we all know how finicky the weather can be around here this time of year, but who knows...we'll just have to wait and see next year!

Lights, Pizza and Train Spotting
Led by Bill Smith

Riders these past two months were Chris Borkman, John Gantnier, Bill Pakenas, Bernie Sellers, Bill Preston, Kim Manion and Bill Smith. Most of us have braved cold weather and colds this Winter, yet we’ve continued to ride (though, quite 'gently'). Even though Dr. Borkman is nearing the end of his recovery from his crash last year, he still seems to beat us to the top of the climbs - despite the fact that he is always sitting in and not standing on the pedals.

Birthday Ride
Led by Creaky ol' Bill Smith

We were joined by John Kiehl and Dick Bettendorf (from the Hanover Cyclers) as well as seven members of our club on a 25 - degree 'warm' morning in Thurmont MD. It only took Dick one mile to realize that the wind chill was more than he cared for, so he decided that discretion was the better part of valor and returned to his warm vehicle. The remaining nine of us plodded on to the Avenue Restaurant for a mixture of breakfast, lunch and a warm conversation place.


L to R: Bill Pakenas, John Fauerby (tandem captain), Steve Walter, Lynne Rosenbusch (tandem stoker), Bill Smith and Bernie Sellers — photo by John Kiehl

Continuing on from there the main group spotted a mistake in Bill's 'mis-cue' sheet, which added several miles to the ride. We put about 50 miles behind us on a day where the high temperature only reached 38. All-in-all we had fun, though several of us most likely took well-deserved naps when we reached home. Those spotted slightly shivering on the ride were Glenn Angus, Vicki Crum, John Fauerby, Bill Pakenas, Lynne Rosenbusch, Bernie Sellers and Steve Walter.