Merrymeeting Wheelers Bicycle Club Press 2011 Release

Bike Club starts ride season

The Merrymeeting Wheelers Bicycle Club (MWBC) kicked off their season recently with a banquet at the Harpswell Inn at Lookout Point. Gearing up for the first official rides, scheduled to start the week of April 11^th, seventy five members of the club mingled, shared a fabulous meal, voted in new board members, set up volunteer committees to manage the group’s activities and previewed the club’s new jerseys. The club has teamed up with Atayne LLC of Brunswick, Maine to produce a custom MWBC Grind Cycling Jersey.

The group is very active and looks forward to welcoming new members who have an interest in group riding and raising awareness of bicycle safety. Starting the week of April 11^th, the club is offering a variety of ride options for every skill level. Monday night is the Women’s ride and Wednesday night is a coed ride with several ride distances; Short (8 to 12 miles), Intermediate (12-20 miles), and Long (19-32 miles), as well as a “Sonics” group, which is an introduction to riding for those new to the sport. This year the club is offering two levels of Intermediate rides since the popularity of this group has increased dramatically. There are also longer coed group rides on weekends throughout the summer and fall. All rides leave from the Gazebo on Park Row in Brunswick, 6PM for the evening rides and 9AM for the Saturday rides. In addition, a slow casual ride will also be held on Thursday mornings at 9:00 starting May 5th. This ride may include a stop for lunch or coffee. The route will be determined that morning.

All riders are welcome. Helmets are required for all club rides. Maps and cue sheets are available for the rides. Bike fits and instruction will be available at 5:00PM on Wednesday night before the ride by Bob Bruce, bobbiker@roadrunner.com or 319-8009.

Jennifer Berube or a designated person will be the leader of the Women’s and Saturday morning rides. She can be reached at myasertscycler@yahoo.com.

A complete schedule can be view and printed on the web site www.merrymeetingwheelers.org. Information on the new jerseys is also available on the web site; order will be placed in April.

In addition to the weekly rides, the group is active in many pursuits to encourage safe bicycling conditions and practices, and supports accessible bicycling opportunities for riders of all abilities. They volunteer for Kids Bike Safety events and the Bike Coalition of Maine activities. Members also participate in many fundraisers at the local and state level including the Maine Women’s Ride, Bike MS, Tour de Cure Kennebunk: a diabetes fundraiser, the Trek across Maine: a fundraiser for the American Lung Association, the Maine Hospice Ride and the Dempsey Challenge: two fundraisers for cancer research.

The club has been growing in numbers for several years and is encouraging anyone interested in the health benefits of bicycle riding or a fun social club to join us. Join us the week of April 11 or anytime your schedule permits. The beginning of the season is a great time to join as we start off with shorter rides and work our way up to longer rides. Look for us on the road.