The Poky Pedaling Potluck Picnic originally scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed two days until Thursday June 16. We will still meet at 5:30 PM in Goerke Park. You can read all about what to expect in the update to the original announcement here.

I originally posted the announcement on Saturday evening. At that time, the forecast showed a dramatic increase in the chance for rain to around 50% at 7 PM, right around the time we would be packing up from our picnic and heading back to Goerke Park. Wind speeds were predicted to be in the high single-digits. It appeared from that forecast that at worst, we’d encounter a bit of sprinkle or light rain as we rode back.

Since then, the forecast has stubbornly predicted an dramatic increase in storm potential at 7 PM. Now the chance for rain is 60%. Of significantly more concern, however, is that there is a similar increase at 7 PM in the chance for thunderstorms. Also, winds are now expected to be around 10-15 MPH all afternoon, with gusts up to 20 MPH.

Postponing until Thursday will avoid weather drama and provide a more relaxing afternoon to share Bike Fun on our Poky Pedaling Potluck Picnic

I’m still pretty confident that the weather Tuesday will hold long enough to allow us to enjoy a nice ride to our park and a nice picnic. However, I fear the potential for a big storm to arrive during our preparations for our return ride. Even with a place to take shelter, the possibility of a prolonged bout of thunderstorms exists, and we could be essentially trapped at our picnic destination for an extended period. This would be, of course, an undesirable situation.

I considered several options, such as a closer mystery park for our picnic or even simply abandoning the bicycle ride and enjoying our picnic at Goerke Park. But at 5:45 PM when we would have to make such a decision, we probably still wouldn’t know how severe the weather would be as 7 PM drew near.

In the backdrop of all this weather drama for Tuesday, the forecast shows an excellent forecast for Thursday. The rain will stop overnight Wednesday, and rain is absent from the forecast for days thereafter. Furthermore, temperatures and wind speeds are favorable for Thursday afternoon.

The choice boiled down to somehow squeezing things in on Tuesday versus having a more relaxing outing on Thursday. Although postponements are always inconvenient, in my opinion, Tuesday’s weather poses uncomfortable potential for an unsafe situation. By postponing to Thursday, I feel we’ll maximize our Bike Fun on our only Poky Pedaling Potluck Picnic for 2016.

I apologize for the rescheduling, but I hope you understand my decision. I hope all Poky Pedalers are able to rearrange their schedules and join us on this Thursday’s Poky Pedaling Potluck Picnic.

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