We are going to do a limited run of T-shirts once again! Click for details.
The Usual Spots
Meeting Time around 5:00, with a 5:15 ride time
Rides take place every Wednesday, weather permitting. Attached maps are of the parking areas.
Alum Creek NorthWe meet at Easton Town Center, in the parking lot between Michael's and GolfTEC, near the back of the old Dick's Sporting Goods. The ride travels down Easton Way 1 block before hitting the bike path, and traveling north for approximately 8 miles. We turn south back to Easton, and our usual landing spot is Logans Roadhouse, just across the parking lot.
This ride is fairly flat and 16 miles long. |
Alum Creek SouthThe meeting place is in Bexley at Parkview and Main Street, across from Moshi Sushi Bar. This ride takes us south for 11 miles, generally ending at the large bikeway bridge over US-33 south of Hamilton Rd. After returning to the starting point, we pack up and generally drive up the street to Murph's Bar and Grill at 2996 E. Livingston Ave.
This ride has some hills and is 22 miles long. |
Olentangy Trail North
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Olentangy Trail South
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For this route, we meet in Clintonville at Northmore park, and ride the Olentangy trail north to its terminus at Worthington Hills. From there, those willing can ride the hill as many times as needed to impress any onlookers, then we will turn back and ride south to Clintonville. The route is quite flat, with the exception of the optional hill at the turn around point.
After riding, we drive up the street to The India-Oak Grill (near the corner of Indianola and Oakland Park) for food and drinks. The ride is fairly flat and about 15 miles long. |
We start at Woodlands Backyard in Grandview (at the corner of I-670 and Grandview Ave, attached to the Sunoco Station). We ride the Upper Scioto Trail east for ~2 miles, and turn north on the Olentangy. Our regular turning point is at Como Park, although some prefer to add a few more miles of trail before turning around. We end at Woodlands Backyard, and stay here for happy hour beers and Gooeyz sandwiches. In the near future, we may adjust the starting point to the Grandview Yard area (perhaps the Hofbrauhaus).
This ride has some hills and is 15 miles long. |
For more information or to sign up for the mailings, contact me at Mikef5000@yahoo.com.
All of our rides are planned through email, and are always subject to change. Most often we will only send out one email a week, which will include a recap of the previous ride and details for next weeks ride. This is a social event more than a challenging workout, so we ride a C-D pace. Towards the end of each ride, a group will generally break off to push hard for a few miles.
April 1st, 2015 - The First Ride of the Year, and a Record Breaking One!!!
Good Morning G&Bers! (Picture attached)
If you didn’t ride / after ride with us yesterday, you missed a fun time. 20 riders (pictures only show 19, cause Steve is camera shy) of all levels! That is, some could drink an entire beer without stopping, others had pop – oh, and all skill levels of bicycling too! That is a record number of riders!!!
Ride Highlights:
- Several first or seldom timers appeared. Welcome to Jim Stockdale, Alicia’s parents Matt and Paula Frank (who are younger than many of US! What’s up with THAT!!), PACE team’s Bobby and Cassie, and Carol and Andy Baumann.
- I heard the Babbs were there – and they were in full form. I saw some blurs going by me a couple of times. Must have been them. They’re in Mikey’s photo, so they must have ridden. I believe they did the entire trail TWICE in their showoffy spandex tights on their matching featherlightweight bikes.
- Andy and Carol Baumann showed off their new, fancy, FUJI bicycles! Rode like the wind! Next week, they’re going to try to change a gear! At least once they said. Whoa, you guys – take it slow!
- Deb has to take a little break from running (that’s her LIFE you know!) due to minor injury, so she’s placed more emphasis on bicycling for a bit. Stay outta her way – she’s crazy to keep the legs in shape so she can hit more marathons when the Doc says it’s O.K.
- Several folks are still working on getting full vision back after looking directly at Alicia’s engagement ring. Don’t do THAT!
- Becky had forgotten to always be prepared, and practically jumped out her seat upon being (surprise) yodeled at. (She also then dispelled all rumors that she doesn’t know many curse words – she knows them ALL!!)
- One thing we did take notice of . . . its apparently been a pretty long winter ‘cause - MAN are we pastie white! (well, . . . except Maria, go figure!). Holy Moly, you couldn’t miss any of OUR legs coming down that trail! From a distance we looked like a grove of Birch Trees! Whew – we need sun! (except for that redheaded Alicia!)
- Several folks are talking about getting G & B shirts. Be sure you let Becky know that you want 1 or 2 or 3 – & the size (last time they ran a little small, so swallow your pride & get one that fits! If it makes you feel any better – I got 3X [and usually wear a . . uhm . . . medium – yea – that’s it!]) (Regular [grey] or pink) Were gonna try to get the order in after next week’s ride so don’t dilly-dally around and miss your chance to get one! I’ll try to get pricing for you in the next day or two.
If you didn’t ride / after ride with us yesterday, you missed a fun time. 20 riders (pictures only show 19, cause Steve is camera shy) of all levels! That is, some could drink an entire beer without stopping, others had pop – oh, and all skill levels of bicycling too! That is a record number of riders!!!
Ride Highlights:
- Several first or seldom timers appeared. Welcome to Jim Stockdale, Alicia’s parents Matt and Paula Frank (who are younger than many of US! What’s up with THAT!!), PACE team’s Bobby and Cassie, and Carol and Andy Baumann.
- I heard the Babbs were there – and they were in full form. I saw some blurs going by me a couple of times. Must have been them. They’re in Mikey’s photo, so they must have ridden. I believe they did the entire trail TWICE in their showoffy spandex tights on their matching featherlightweight bikes.
- Andy and Carol Baumann showed off their new, fancy, FUJI bicycles! Rode like the wind! Next week, they’re going to try to change a gear! At least once they said. Whoa, you guys – take it slow!
- Deb has to take a little break from running (that’s her LIFE you know!) due to minor injury, so she’s placed more emphasis on bicycling for a bit. Stay outta her way – she’s crazy to keep the legs in shape so she can hit more marathons when the Doc says it’s O.K.
- Several folks are still working on getting full vision back after looking directly at Alicia’s engagement ring. Don’t do THAT!
- Becky had forgotten to always be prepared, and practically jumped out her seat upon being (surprise) yodeled at. (She also then dispelled all rumors that she doesn’t know many curse words – she knows them ALL!!)
- One thing we did take notice of . . . its apparently been a pretty long winter ‘cause - MAN are we pastie white! (well, . . . except Maria, go figure!). Holy Moly, you couldn’t miss any of OUR legs coming down that trail! From a distance we looked like a grove of Birch Trees! Whew – we need sun! (except for that redheaded Alicia!)
- Several folks are talking about getting G & B shirts. Be sure you let Becky know that you want 1 or 2 or 3 – & the size (last time they ran a little small, so swallow your pride & get one that fits! If it makes you feel any better – I got 3X [and usually wear a . . uhm . . . medium – yea – that’s it!]) (Regular [grey] or pink) Were gonna try to get the order in after next week’s ride so don’t dilly-dally around and miss your chance to get one! I’ll try to get pricing for you in the next day or two.
October 5th, 2014 - Riding the Kokosing Gap Traip
September 30th, 2014 - Revisiting the Alum Creek Trail South
September 23rd, 2014 - A Bexley Ride ending at Murphs
September 16th, 2014 - Alum Creek Trail North
September 6th, 2014 - Gears and Beers Race in the Tour De Donut
Tour de Donut Race Ride report.
Six “Gears-N-Beers” members did compete in this race on Saturday! Joyce was supposed to go as our 7th rider – but, alas, she was injured during race prep, and couldn’t compete! NUTS!
It wasn’t a very serious injury, she was treated, and expects to make a full recovery – YEA! Sorry you missed it, Joyce – we missed you (but talked about you A LOT) (All – uhm – good)!
Over 1,500 Racers!!! Lots of groups similar to ours (some a bit too serious – but, what are you going to do?)!
Although it looked like it could be a very rainy day, the rain held off – and ALL of us completed the race successfully! G&B competitors included Edgar, TLMF, David Farrenkopf [on his one speed bike], Alicia, Alicia’s younger sister Jessica (who hasn’t ridden a bike in the last 8 years!!!), Edgar, & TBMF
Reminders – The race was in Arcanum, OH – so we had to leave (all in one van!) at like 5:45am. THAT HURT! It was 30+ miles. Each competitor had a computer chip number on their bikes that timed it – plus there were 2 donut stops – 5 minutes were taken off the raw time for each donut eaten! And they were HEAVY, THICK STICKY, BIG donuts! Edgar ate 6 on one stop! (he must have held back!).Wow! That’s 30 minutes off his time!
Truth be told – Mikey was really the only one that actually ‘raced’ the thing – the rest of us just kinda quickly “rode” it – but we all came in with pretty good times (some of us depended on donuts to help Edgar’s time) – and all came in in the top half of our various divisions! (Mikey finished 28th . . . . geez!)
Most important – [except for David] We all wore “Gears N Beers” jerseys, and got tons of comments and questions about the group. Many were jealous of our riding (and ‘beering’) philosophy, and ‘good time’ attitude toward riding. We each got a little trophy, and a tee-shirt. FUN! Note: Edgar never threw-up, so all 6 donuts he ate counted!
Six “Gears-N-Beers” members did compete in this race on Saturday! Joyce was supposed to go as our 7th rider – but, alas, she was injured during race prep, and couldn’t compete! NUTS!
It wasn’t a very serious injury, she was treated, and expects to make a full recovery – YEA! Sorry you missed it, Joyce – we missed you (but talked about you A LOT) (All – uhm – good)!
Over 1,500 Racers!!! Lots of groups similar to ours (some a bit too serious – but, what are you going to do?)!
Although it looked like it could be a very rainy day, the rain held off – and ALL of us completed the race successfully! G&B competitors included Edgar, TLMF, David Farrenkopf [on his one speed bike], Alicia, Alicia’s younger sister Jessica (who hasn’t ridden a bike in the last 8 years!!!), Edgar, & TBMF
Reminders – The race was in Arcanum, OH – so we had to leave (all in one van!) at like 5:45am. THAT HURT! It was 30+ miles. Each competitor had a computer chip number on their bikes that timed it – plus there were 2 donut stops – 5 minutes were taken off the raw time for each donut eaten! And they were HEAVY, THICK STICKY, BIG donuts! Edgar ate 6 on one stop! (he must have held back!).Wow! That’s 30 minutes off his time!
Truth be told – Mikey was really the only one that actually ‘raced’ the thing – the rest of us just kinda quickly “rode” it – but we all came in with pretty good times (some of us depended on donuts to help Edgar’s time) – and all came in in the top half of our various divisions! (Mikey finished 28th . . . . geez!)
Most important – [except for David] We all wore “Gears N Beers” jerseys, and got tons of comments and questions about the group. Many were jealous of our riding (and ‘beering’) philosophy, and ‘good time’ attitude toward riding. We each got a little trophy, and a tee-shirt. FUN! Note: Edgar never threw-up, so all 6 donuts he ate counted!
August 20th, 2014 - Gears & Beers on the Podium Once More
So I was on the fence… should I race the Category 3 race again this week, or upgrade to the Category 2 race. I was mentally prepared to upgrade, but then I learned we had a record turnout for the easier race, so I stuck with it. Had something like 15 riders, and I was in third for nearly half the race. Then I took the lead, and ended up finishing a good bit ahead of the rest.
Then peer pressure hit; Alicia, and the few folks there that I’ve gotten to know, were all convinced I needed to do the faster race TOO! So I went and put my name on that roster as well, and worked on getting re-mentally-prepared. I had a half an hour between races to catch my breath and hydrate, and I was off again. The Category 2 race was 10 minutes longer, and had around 20 riders. With a goal of ‘finishing alive’, I started mid pack, and was happy there. Once the 4-laps-remaining sign came up, I saw a glimmer of the tiniest possibility of a podium finish, so I cranked it up. Over the next two laps I worked to pass the small group that was ahead of me, and the last two laps were simply a battle to keep them behind me. Whoever was ahead of me was so far ahead, I didn’t have a chance at another pass. It was all about maintaining whatever place I was in, and it was killer. In the end, I was fourth. Which is good… I know… considering my goal was to survive… and these people are legit… lots of carbon bikes and team spandex suits and whatnot… But MAN that’s brutally disappointing… 1 spot away from the podium.
The course was killer this week; lots of people wiping out, some VERY steep hairpin turns and off-camber loose turns. In the end, my first place finish in the Cat. 3 race got me an Ohio Taproom Growler and Gift Certificate.
Then peer pressure hit; Alicia, and the few folks there that I’ve gotten to know, were all convinced I needed to do the faster race TOO! So I went and put my name on that roster as well, and worked on getting re-mentally-prepared. I had a half an hour between races to catch my breath and hydrate, and I was off again. The Category 2 race was 10 minutes longer, and had around 20 riders. With a goal of ‘finishing alive’, I started mid pack, and was happy there. Once the 4-laps-remaining sign came up, I saw a glimmer of the tiniest possibility of a podium finish, so I cranked it up. Over the next two laps I worked to pass the small group that was ahead of me, and the last two laps were simply a battle to keep them behind me. Whoever was ahead of me was so far ahead, I didn’t have a chance at another pass. It was all about maintaining whatever place I was in, and it was killer. In the end, I was fourth. Which is good… I know… considering my goal was to survive… and these people are legit… lots of carbon bikes and team spandex suits and whatnot… But MAN that’s brutally disappointing… 1 spot away from the podium.
The course was killer this week; lots of people wiping out, some VERY steep hairpin turns and off-camber loose turns. In the end, my first place finish in the Cat. 3 race got me an Ohio Taproom Growler and Gift Certificate.
August 13th, 2014 - Another Gears & Beers Victory
Our man Mikey (TLMF) competed again in the MTB Mountain Bike races last Wednesday (still listing his Bicycle group as "Geers and Beers" on the entry form!). The race was a bit more difficult this time . . .but he WON his group again! Way to go AGAIN!!! And is now the points leader in this month-long sanctioned event! There is some pressure for him to move up a level (to the Cat. 2/3 Race), but really? It's his first competition, and it would likely move him from the leader position. Decisions, decisions. (pix attached!)
August 12th, 2014 - A Big Group on the Alum Creek South Trail
Last Tuesday's ride report:
Some 14 folks made it! A goodly number! And . . . And . . .
Heather actually made it to a ride! No really! Even more; her new job's frustration level had her committed to being in the lead group - and her "Beat up a Man" Moi-toi training, or whatever it's called, has put her in shape to stay in the lead group. She made it to the bridge and back, no sweat! (pix attached) (BTW - Don’t make her mad! She’s on the edge! And she knows how to use her feet as deadly weapons! Believe me, I know!!! The swelling should start to recede in the next day or so, says Dr. Krause!)
The rest of us of made the trip without incident (yes . . .yes . . . even Edgar!). And we saw deer (and Edgar didn’t hit them, nor did he fall down looking at them. Way to go Edgar!!! Baby steps man!)
Some 14 folks made it! A goodly number! And . . . And . . .
Heather actually made it to a ride! No really! Even more; her new job's frustration level had her committed to being in the lead group - and her "Beat up a Man" Moi-toi training, or whatever it's called, has put her in shape to stay in the lead group. She made it to the bridge and back, no sweat! (pix attached) (BTW - Don’t make her mad! She’s on the edge! And she knows how to use her feet as deadly weapons! Believe me, I know!!! The swelling should start to recede in the next day or so, says Dr. Krause!)
The rest of us of made the trip without incident (yes . . .yes . . . even Edgar!). And we saw deer (and Edgar didn’t hit them, nor did he fall down looking at them. Way to go Edgar!!! Baby steps man!)
August 6th, 2014 - Gears and Beers Takes 1st!
Sure it was the easiest class and the shortest race, but regardless, Team Gears And Beers Took 1st Place at the first Cap City Short Track Mountain Bike Race this year! The race was held at Big Run Park on Columbus' southwest side; it was a short course over rolling hills, with off camber turns, some loose dirt/rocks, and one steep climb. I raced in the Category 3, 25 minute race, and completed 7 laps.
July 29th, 2014 - Riding the New Trail
It was either the perfect weather, my persistent emails, or the fact that TBMF was out of town… but we had a GREAT turn out this week! 14 bikers may be one of our largest rides ever! There was a wee bit of confusion regarding the turning point on our new route, but overall, I think everyone made it just fine. The weekly over-achiever award goes to John, for deciding to ride the entire distance of the trail; over 30 miles! Sorry about the picture only having 10 riders; there were a couple others doing some bike maintenance, and a couple running late. It was the only picture that came out… so it’ll have to do!
We had a new rider join us from the TOGs; Anita, and met a new rider at the bar afterwards; Harmon. Both have been added to our email list, and we’re looking forward to riding with them in the future! Welcome!
The new route seemed to be a hit. It has the potential to be very busy once OSU is in session, so we will be sure to hit it one more time before move-in-week. It is a bit hilly, but it is much shorter than the Alum Creek South trail, so in the end I don’t believe anyone found it more difficult.
The new ‘beers’ spot, Woodlands Backyard, was also well liked by the group. On Tuesdays it’s happy hour all night long, so we were enjoying fancy craft brews for only $2 or $3 each. Parking is very difficult after 6, which isn’t an issue with our early ride time.
We had a new rider join us from the TOGs; Anita, and met a new rider at the bar afterwards; Harmon. Both have been added to our email list, and we’re looking forward to riding with them in the future! Welcome!
The new route seemed to be a hit. It has the potential to be very busy once OSU is in session, so we will be sure to hit it one more time before move-in-week. It is a bit hilly, but it is much shorter than the Alum Creek South trail, so in the end I don’t believe anyone found it more difficult.
The new ‘beers’ spot, Woodlands Backyard, was also well liked by the group. On Tuesdays it’s happy hour all night long, so we were enjoying fancy craft brews for only $2 or $3 each. Parking is very difficult after 6, which isn’t an issue with our early ride time.
July 22nd, 2014 - 22 Miles on the Alum Creek South Trail
Last week we had a great ride despite the heat. 11 riders showed up, and most did the full 22 and a half miles! On our hardest trail!!! We even had a couple folks show up that haven’t been yet this year… and they had a pretty good time too! (So to the rest of you, what are you waiting for???) We celebrated at Murphs with lots of pizza and a few beers.
July 16th, 2014 - An Alum North ride ending with a Birthday Party!
Yesterday we rode the Alum Creek North trail out of Easton. The weather was fantastic, although there was a bit of a breeze. We had about 11 riders, which is a record for this year. (More of you need to come out! We’re having a great time out there, and all speed/experience levels are welcome!) After the ride we went to our new usual Easton spot, Logans Roadhouse, where we made a new friend and celebrated TBMF’s birthday. Our usual bartender wasn’t there, which was very disappointing… but Ryan did his best.
July 11th, 2014 - Mayor's Twilight Ride
Last Friday was the Mayors
Twilight Ride! We had 6 Gears and Beers representatives ride, and we all
had a great time. A bunch of other riders commented on our fantastic shirts,
and perhaps even wanted to join the club! It was a fairly straight forward 15
mile ride, and was organized much better than last year. We started at the back
of the B group, but ended towards the front of A group; beating even the Mayor
to the finish! Police presence was excellent, and the roads were generally
smooth and flat. After the ride we headed a couple blocks up Town Street to the
Rehab Tavern. It was perfect for our group in the early evening, but they made
it apparent it was going to get loud later. Two pictures are attached above;
more are on the website.
July 1st 2014 - Some pictures of our 'adventure' ride
So, a group (albeit smaller than usual) of us met at the Rusty Bucket – some a bit later than others as we are ‘job dedicated’ – and we cheered, laughed, and cried watching the USA / Belgium soccer game – which, as you all know by now, went into overtime, and was finally quite exciting, but ultimately heartbreaking. Due to the overtime – we got a late start on the bike path – but that didn’t matter, as Joyce set a blistering pace – I couldn’t keep up - and we still completed a 20 mile ride before dark or rain.
A couple of notes:
1. The trail did have “closed” and “high water” signs throughout – which we ignored, but we did have one ‘adventure’ water issue to defeat. I’ve attached a couple of pictures of us doing exactly that! Eerie! (but fun!)
2. We did spot at least a half dozen bunny rabbits in the immediate vicinity of Edgar’s “I got an Ouwie!” area. Really! BTW – he’ll get the hard cast removed already next week, at which time we’ll want to keep our distance from that arm until it’s scrubbed at least 3 times! Whew! That’s just gross!
3. We finished shortly before sundown – had already had enough beer from game time – and storms were moving in – so we didn’t make it to Murph’s. Next time.
A couple of notes:
1. The trail did have “closed” and “high water” signs throughout – which we ignored, but we did have one ‘adventure’ water issue to defeat. I’ve attached a couple of pictures of us doing exactly that! Eerie! (but fun!)
2. We did spot at least a half dozen bunny rabbits in the immediate vicinity of Edgar’s “I got an Ouwie!” area. Really! BTW – he’ll get the hard cast removed already next week, at which time we’ll want to keep our distance from that arm until it’s scrubbed at least 3 times! Whew! That’s just gross!
3. We finished shortly before sundown – had already had enough beer from game time – and storms were moving in – so we didn’t make it to Murph’s. Next time.
June 24th 2014 - A Rained Out Ride = More Time At The Bar
April 16th 2014 - A Blurry Bar Picture From After The Ride
March 11th 2014 - Our First Ride of the Season! On the Alum Creek North Trail
August 13th 2013 - Tuesday Ride on the Alum Creek North Trail
August 7th 2013 - Wednesday Ride on the Alum Creek South Trail
August 4th 2013 - Sunday Audubon Park / Whittier Peninsula Ride
Many Farrenkopf's joined up with a few Gears & Beers riders for a casual ride around Downtown.