It has been an extraordinary year for Bike Fun with Poky Pedaling Stevens Point, and we’ll be completing the 2014 Bike Fun Calendar with the annual Maple Ride. This year’s Maple Ride will take us through Plover on a route different from either of the past two years.

The Maple Ride will meet on Sunday October 5 at 12:45 PM at Little Plover River Park near the tennis courts. (Note that this is a change from the original date of Saturday. Read more about this below.)

How many streets like this will we find on this year’s Maple Ride?

The Maple Ride will be an 8-mile loop on calm streets and non-motorized paths. As always, our quest during this colorful fall day will be to discover streets named “Maple”, in whole or in part.

The Maple Ride is free, and all Poky Pedalers are welcome. Those who have not yet participated on a Poky Pedal can read this webpage to learn more about what to expect.

We have the option to stop at a park about halfway through our ride to enjoy a snack. There will not be any nearby location to purchase food or drink, so Poky Pedalers are encouraged to bring a snack along with them. Sharing is certainly encouraged, so feel free to bring something that can be handed around. I will bring some cups along in case Poky Pedalers bring thermoses (or is the plural ‘thermoi’?) of tea, hot chocolate, or anything else warm to share.

I look forward to sharing Bike Fun with all Poky Pedalers on the Maple Ride this Sunday.

Why the change to Sunday?
Last weekend, the long-term forecast for Saturday looked promising: mostly sunny in the mid-50’s, which might be a bit cool but could be rather pleasant with enough sunshine. However, that forecast gradually degraded to a prediction of cloud cover and temperatures in the mid-40’s. I consider that borderline, but the absence of rain kept it viable.

Then yesterday, showers crept into the forecast along with 15 mph winds with gusts of 30 mph. If cloudy and 45 was borderline, then adding damp conditions with strong winds goes well beyond that line. Hypothermia is not a component of Bike Fun.

With the Sunday forcast calling for partly sunny skies, it seemed prudent to make an early decision to more effectively inform Poky Pedalers about postponing the Maple Ride until Sunday. It will still be a chilly day with some wind (but not the strong gusts predicted for Saturday) and temps only reaching the upper 40’s. That simply means we may have to don gloves, caps, and an extra layer (or two) for enjoying our Bike Fun.

This explains why I moved the Maple Ride to Sunday. Even if Saturday’s forecast improves, we will still ride on Sunday. Hopefully the additional day will give the current weather system more time to move east.

The resulting additional sunshine will enable Poky Pedalers to share Bike Fun more comfortably on this final Poky Pedal for 2014. See you on Sunday.

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