Pizza!

     You know it is near the end of the season when CRC heads over to Caboto for pizza.  Great night for pizza too as the rain tonight made it impossible to ride.  Funny how on pizza night we have record attendance.  Actually, we had almost perfect attendance.  The only rider that didn't make it was Daisy Nagy.  Rumour has it he was home cutting off his next pair of riding shorts.  Even our first retiree from the group made it out.  Nice to see Liam.
     Normally pizza night doesn't count for attendance but once we realized Daisy wasn't among we quickly voted to make this an attendance night.  You know... quorom and all.  Is the season over?  That is TBD!

Sad Ride

   Unfortunately tonight's ride was met with the sad news of Ali's father passing away.  The ride had a minute of silence for him.  It was another gorgeous fall evening for six amazing riders. It was so warm Todd only needed tights, a coat, booties and 3 additional layers of clothes.  The trails were dry and dusty and rode hard (Just like biker women). Vegas had the under over/under deer count at 20, but Ian didn't see a one.
     After the ride at Chez Jacques, we were visited by some rider-wanna-bees, David, Jeremy and Smitty.  Weird, all three are Tiger slappies. It was another great night and thanks to Mark for hosting. Next week we are meeting 7:00 @ Caboto for pizza.

Great Weather!

     For all the bad weather we got in the spring, this fall is shaping up to be a great time to ride.  Trails are in perfect condition and someone has been out there making major improvements.  There are a bunch of bridges over the soggy areas and berms all over the place.  We also had a chance to ride the new trail and realized that we needed to make some changes to it.   However, for all the great weather, only 5 riders showed up.  Those 5 riders were treated to beer, courtesy of Dave.  Dave however, was unable to make it tonight due to "complications from surgery".  In others words, he is a wimp.   Todd rectified his mistake last week and brought the chips this week.  Also, we had a newcomer out tonight.  Well, ok, not a newcomer but Jim made it out to his first ride of the year.  Although we didn't know Jim was coming out, we saw his vehicle parked at the trailhead so we figured we would find him on the trails.  And we did, with a new rider, his son Leo, fully equipped with light and all.  The sad part is, Leo was faster than me on the trails.  When Jim showed up later at Mark's he had his daughter with him.  Jim was a busy guy tonight.   Olivia hung out for some chocolate milk and chips.  It should also be noted that this is the first female to get into the behind-the-scenes of CRC.
    Attendance took some new twists tonight.  With Rob's last minute cancellation, Jay was able to move only half a point behind Rob for the 4th spot.  Ali with another mysterious no-show also dropped allowing Jay to pick up attendance points on some key members.  Could Jay slip onto the podium and avoid early season beer purchases next year?

Fall in Officially Here

     Tonight was the first cold night of the year and with it came the endless debate over what to wear.  Despite consulting my tried and true clothing chart, some members decided to overdress as usual.  When will you guys learn.  I am just Arthur didn't show tonight because he would have been in full designer blue jeans.  So as a courtesy to you guys I have attached my chart at the bottom for future consultation.
     A new trail was also born tonight, we should name it.  We extended the trail out by Ojibway (and cleaned up the overgrown part) farther out into the woods.  We probably added another 1/2 km or so.
     As for the more important stuff.  Thanks Mark for offering up the leftovers from your son's wedding.  Apparently in one member's haste to grab a good deal he forgot one very important item...... the chips!  Once again Mark came through, thanks Mark.   Dave is up next but apparently will be unavailable to ride next Wednesday for some reason that we won't discuss (although glad to say that micro-surgery can now be done in Windsor).  We are nearing the end of the season which means getting close to the bottom of the beer list.  Posted so you guys can check out when you brought this year.

End of September, Still in Shorts

      The weather of late has been incredible.  I'll take 78 degrees anytime at the end of September.  Good turnout tonight too, although we were missing a couple of regular attendees.  Apparently Week 1 of the squash league took a little too much out of Rob.  All in all a great ride, trail conditions were perfect.  Thanks to Jeremy for bringing the ice cold beer (literally) and 3 bags of chips.
     The plan for next week is to do a little trail maintenance on the section that we built around the downed tree last year.  The trail exiting the singletrack is very overgrown and we are going to add on the trail that we built last year.  It won't take long and we'll do it the same as we did last year, take maybe a half hour and get it done.  So bring any of your snips, cutters whatever.  I am sure that Davey Half-Snips will have our new trail looking great in no time.
     Attached is the updated beer list.  Next up is the guy with perfect attendance.... Todd.  Dave is after that.

   

Let's Go Blue!

     What a day! Where to begin?  Once again CRC had an epic day that won't be soon forgotten.  The day began bright and early.  Apparently too early for some CRC that backed out at the last minute with what everyone agreed today were lame excuses at best.  Our first stop of course was Meijer to stock up on beverages and food.  Upon our arrival at the golf course the weather was perfect.  We broke out the games and Mark got busy cooking.  This year was a little odd in that the usual ticket vendors didn't seem to be around which led one CRC member to worry that we wouldn't get in (Mike).
     Soon it was time to head over to the stadium despite not having any tickets.  Very quickly we found the ticket vendors and all of us were able to secure tickets for $40.  However, this is where CRC gets split up for the game.  Mike and Mark went off on their merry way (could have sworn I saw them holding hands as they went).  Arthur, Dave, Al (a potential new member that offered to step in when he heard about some of our other wussy members) and myself ended up with seats together in the Oregon State student section.  That left Jeremy and Jay sitting together.  According to these guys, they had incredible box seat tickets with cushions, weather protection and their own personal waitress and washroom.  No troughing it for them.  However, little of this can be confirmed by a reliable source.
      After a Michigan victory it was back to the golf course for round 2 of eating, drinking and games.  This time Mark treated us to some garlic shrimp and the most tender steaks.  Well done Mark!  Soon it was time to return home.  The trip home was more eventful for a certain car as they were almost subjected to a very personal body search at the border:)  Sorry about that guys.  All in all, great day.  Here is a link to all the pictures.

Romanian Cycling Team

Apparently when Arthur went back home this summer, he learned of a new fashion that he believes

will be very popular in the next little bit.  He decided to wear it out this week at CRC, immediately prompting comments like "who brought out Daisy Duke?" or "I can't ride behind you Arthur, you are turning me on (Ali)".  Needless to say, it will be interesting to see if this new fashion catches on.  One CRC member (I won't say who but he works at a health insurance company and lives in Belle River) was overheard say that he did have a pair of cut-off shorts at home.......
   Happy birthday to Mark and thank you to Laura for buying us pizza after the ride.  It would have been nice to wash down the pizza with beer but.....thankfully Mark again took care of us.  What would we do without you :) As for the ride, it is time to break out the lights.  Ride time leaves at 6:30 and second half is in the dark.   Beer order for next couple week is Arthur then Jeremy.

Jay's Virgin Ride... of the Season

     Who would have thought that it would be August 26 and Jay's bike is just seeing the trails for the first time this year???  It has been that kind of year. Despite only 6 guys showing up to ride (Rod's summer of fun continues with yet another vacation), those six brought it at Ali's until the wee hours of the morning. It amazes me that the last blog post was over a month ago. Apparently no one in CRC has access to a computer or knows how to type. So here is the updated beer order. Everyone has bought (except for Jim, an APB has been put out on him), so we are back at the top of the list Ian then Mike.   Since Mike is not riding, we go to next person on the list (Jim, not riding), that is Arthur.  If you cannot bring please make other arrangements. Much talk tonight was about the slacking of the beer order (and Ali wanting to change the constitution to 3 bags of chips).

     Also, thanks for the 5 people that voted on the date for the Michigan game.  The game is set for September 12 @ 12:00.  That means, meet at Ali's for 7am if you plan on going.  The good news is that weather forecast is showing a strong likelihood of boobies.

Finally!

     I don't even have to check, I know this is the latest we have been out on the trails.  But finally tonight we made it out.  And on this perfect night how many CRC riders made it???  6.  That is pathetic!  Reasons for not riding tonight....

Ian- out of town..... again
Rob- 3rd vacation of 12
Dave- inflamed vagina
Jay- General Hospital reruns
Mike- Roxanne forgot to make him a snack
Jim- Jim who?

     Well, those that showed were treated to almost perfect trail conditions.  I rated them a 9/10 tonight.  If anything they were a little dry in some corners leading to washouts but a minor complaint.  Seriously, they are in great shape.  Now the beach ball size mosquitos, that is a different story.   Congratulations to Todd for taking over the top spot in attendance.
     Thanks to Mark for hosting once again and cooking up some tasty sausages.  Of course when Mike and Jay heard there was food, they made an appearance and Jay did bring chips but some questioned the quality of the chips.  You be the judge.  I am comparing it to Scott bringing Lakeport.
     We are good for beer still so no one needs to bring next week.  Don't forget to vote for Michigan game on the blog!!!!

And Then There Was Beer

 

  After weeks of going with little or no beer (I equate it to being lost in the desert (not that I have ever been) and suddenly there is an oasis in front of us, is it real???  Or was it just my oxygen deprived brain playing tricks on me???) suddenly we have an stash of beer to last us.... well maybe two weeks given our current consumption rates.  Tonight was a pleasant surprise in terms of post ride enjoyment.  Newcomer, Jamie Perissinotti showed up with a surprise case of beer.  A big thanks to Jamie for bringing the beer and also for pulling us around the county (more on that later).  After the real riders of CRC returned back from their ride, they were pleasantly greeted with a case of beer from Mike as well as Dave.  Of course Dave had some back-pedaling to do to explain why his case was a week late and that his attendance was actually wrong. 

     As for the ride.  Another road ride and a tough one it was if your name is not Jamie or Todd.  The wind was against us all the way home which made for tough riding however, Jamie and Todd did most of the pulling which Jay and I appreciated.   As for Ali..... I think he forgot to take his ADD meds today.  He went from being dropped to doing stop sign sprints to doing long pulls at the front to being dropped again. 

      We even had a surprise visitor tonight.... one Jeremy Comartin actually made an appearance.  He figured he better stop in before the Michigan game since that me be the next time we see him.  Between wedding prep and lack of trail riding.....  That means that the only person we haven't heard from this year is Jim H. 

     Speaking of Michigan game we are looking at 3 dates.  Please visit the blog to vote on your choice of Saturday.  If you don't vote you can't complain.  

CRC is a Mess!!!!

Unnamed CRC rider

     Great ride tonight!  63 km.  Felt good to get back in the saddle.  Here is the link to the ride.  
 However, what is going on with the group???  The beer order is a mess.  Attendance has been spotty at best.  Guys don't bring beer when they say they will.  For example, one unnamed member of CRC (see photo) promised to bring beer this week but showed up with no beer and no chips.  Ali only had a few stockpiled which then put the burden on Mark to dig up whatever beer he had at his house.  This led to a discussion about Mark getting an extra .5 point attendance (approved by committee) and docking the unnamed member a full attendance point (approved by committee).  This is the first time a member in CRC history actually has a negative attendance.  Attached is the beer order and next up is Mike, who coincidentally finally got a pass to join us for a post-ride beer (if we had any).
     On to actual biking stuff.  Trails?  Not looking like we will be on there anytime soon given current trail conditions and forecast.  We are looking for trail updates so if you happen to get out, please let us know of their conditions.  If this keeps up Jeremy is either going to have to drop out of CRC or buy a road bike.  If case you don't remember Jeremy, he is the guy that is getting married soon and is looking to have a kick-ass bachelor party.  Details coming.  Sorry Ali, you aren't invited :).
     In the midst of all this biking chaos, a couple members of CRC have been secretly working on perfect attendance.  Rob and Todd are quietly riding every week.  Todd even cancelled a quiet evening with his wife :) to ride tonight.  Rob...... well we know that Rob will soon start his 6 weeks of summer travel plans with concerts and camping all over North America.  I am willing to bet that the unnamed CRC rider with negative attendance will catch him by September.
     Tonight finally felt like a usual CRC night with a good ride, bad gas (no names mentioned here but he just sold three homes this week), Ali's patio, mosquitos, beer, laughs.

Another Road Ride

Wednesday night the trails were soaked, but the roads were clean and dry.  Another strong ride was put forth by all, even Ali.  We left the comforts of Ali's driveway and made the way out to Aburg.  

Quiet ride, other than Ali's constant chirping and yipping (just kidding, sort of).  Next week perhaps we all hope to be on the trails.  Still no whereabouts of the Guthrie boys, Jer and the man they call Smitty.  Jamie P. will be bringing beer. allegedly.  Good times fellas, and good news.... Summer is here!

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Last night we had our crew of old dogs put in a pretty good ride.  An average of roughly 30 km/hr over a distance of 60 km.  Coinsidently we had two new riders join the group, Jamie Perisonotti and Ian (findly got a road bike).  Jer this should inspire you to ride on the dark side with the rest of us.
Some possible reasons why the group has been riding so well that were discussed over bevies include:

• loss of dead weight - Guthrie brothers
• a leaner, healthier group
• off season steroid program 

Anyway good ride and thanks to Mark for hosting and chips (Todd too).  Any bets on road or mountain for next week...

Is the Season On?

     I am not really sure if the season is on yet.  Clearly CRC attendance has been down for the first two weeks almost to the point that maybe attendance points shouldn't be awarded????  Apparently when I am not riding things all fall apart.  What happened to the beer list?  What happened to keeping attendance? Guys I can't be there to hold your hand every week.  It is time Ali puts on some big boy pants and gets this organized?  Speaking of Ali putting on big boy pants, will he ever put on CRC bike shorts again? His randonneur escapades has left his bum-bum a little to chapped to ride on Wednesdays.

     So I showed up at Mark's this week to find out that Mark was providing another set of chips.  Many non-riders showed up sans chips.  Some of the things that we discussed were the need to get the beer order going, whether Caitlyn Jenner was hot and did he/she bear an uncanny resemblence to Ali?, and the need to update our email contact list.  There are people on that list that hasn't ridden with us for years, so be forewarned if you follow this.  

     Attached is the updated beer list.  Ian is up for this week.  Mike next week.  If you can't make it please go let the next person on the list know.  Hopefully, we'll be on the trails before long.  

The Spring Is Here!

It looks like we may be getting out earlier than our usual start time.  Thank goodness for global warming.  Last week some members of CRC hit the road for a tough road ride.  Hopefully this week, we can hit the trails.  Attached is the beer order for this year.  If you do not plan on riding or being there, please let the group or next person on the list know.  The policy of having to buy another case of beer will be strictly enforced this year.  Too many times we were let down on hot nights only to find no beer.  This is critical!  It is the only way Mr. Heat gets through those hot summer nights.  First up is Russ, Ian, Mike, Jim.