2006 Ride Reports
    December 31- CCCC
    One of the warmest December's on record gave us another rare opportunity - a New Year's Eve ride.  Low temp
    (33 degrees at 10:05 start, but sunny blue skies made it seem quite comfortable. Rare east wind promised a nice
    return ride. We headed east on the bike trail to the first Clarence Ctr crossing, than jogged north/east/north up
    Dye, over Meahl, up 93, over Scotland, and then up Cedar into Niagara County for a stop at AJ's at 16 miles.
    Headed north out of AJ's then west over Haseley and Grove, down 93 to Block Church. Kelkenberg/Cedar/Delaware,
    then south back home on Goodrich. Just under 32 miles. Light traffic all AM, temp in low 40's by the end of the ride,
    with sunny skies throughout. A very nice ride by October standards, an outstanding ride for the end of December!

    Attended:
    Jerry Hanley - Street Machine
    Jim McMaster - VRex
    Joe Weppner - Street Machine
    Tom Barone - Aero (rode with the wedgies  separate  route)
    .
    December 24 - CCCC
    A rare opportunity for a Christmas Eve ride. 40º and a good amount of sun for the 10 AM start. Combination of
    uprights and two recumbents at the CCCC. Bruce temporarily sans any recumbent, rode with Tom and assorted
    wedgies for a quick paced ride. Sandy Noble on an upright joined me for slower ride, although the gusty west/
    southwest wind made it a good workout nonetheless. Temp stayed in the low 40's, peaking mid ride. Went east
    on the bike path, diverted north, then back to McDonalds at 14 miles  back to CCCC via Stage, Hiller, Tillman,
    Kraus route to finish with 28 miles. Sun was in and out all morning, got to use the sunglasses at times. No precipitation,
    winds 10-20mph. Hey, for late December we weren't complaining.   J.H.
    Recumbenteers:
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Tom Barone - Aero
    Bruce Raines - sans recumbent
    .
    December 17 - CCCC
    Fifty-four degrees and overcast at 10 AM start. Took a gamble the light sprinkles would cease as the forecast
    only had a 30% chance of rain. WSW winds at 10-15 mph were supposed to diminish, too. Stayed close to CCCC
    in case weather got worse. Headed west on bike path to Transit (to check out newly completed section). Then back
    east (with nice tailwind) until rain became a bit too much. Reversed course, but by the time reached Goodrich,
    the rain had stopped. Kept going to dry things out. Went off path to check out all the McMansions, winding through
    the maze of courts and cul-de-sacs west to Transit again, then back east (w/tailwind again) to CCC on the bike path.
    Sounds dumb, but a nice ride overall. Only about 10 minutes of tough weather. Temp went down a degree, but 5 days
    before the winter solstice, definitely not complaining. 23 miles.
    Attended:
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    .
    November 26 - CCCC
    We were overdue for a nice day, and we collected today.  57º and sunny at the 10 AM start. Stayed off the bike
    path for a change. North on Goodrich and east on Martin, Cedar, Crego, up Fletcher to Tonawanda Crk to Rt 93,
    then up to AJ's  at 15.5 miles. Back home via Fisk, Ertman, Burdick, Kelkenburg, Rapids, Cedar and Delaware,
    then south on Goodrich to CCCC. The return trip was the shorter route, we ended with 30.1 miles. The motorcyclists
    were out taking advantage of the weather, too. Otherwise very light traffic. Temp in low 60's most of the ride.
    Lunched in the sun on the patio. Winds were southwest at about 12 mph all day which reduced our speed on the
    return, but it was such a beautiful day that's a small complaint. Overall, a very nice ride. Bruce rode with two
    wedgies on a 43 mile south/north trip to East Aurora and back dealing with only a crosswind.
    Attended:
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    .
    November 19 - CCCC
    Thirty-five degrees and overcast at 10 AM start.  Rode east on bike bath to McDonald's for short break,
    then west on Rt 5 through antique alley. Headed back east  on the bike path from Salt Rd to the junction,
    then back west to Clarence Center. Temperature never changed, saw a handful of snowflakes, but no real
    precipitation. Only a couple bikes and  several dog walkers on  the path today. Very slight wind (north/northwest)
    made this a nice ride despite the cooler temp and lack of sun. 21.6 miles, short ride, but good to get out at
    all with all the recent rain outs.
    Attended:
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine

    .November 5 - CCCC
    Forecast of possible light snow in the AM probably kept riders away, but the weather turned out not bad
    at all. Overcast but somewhat bright at 10 AM start, 41 degrees with light wind. This was first outing
    since the Oct. 13th surprise storm that crippled WNY and led to a FEMA  emergency "disaster area"
    determination due to heavy wet snow bringing down most horizontal tree limbs (which still had their full
    summer leaves). The road and bike paths were clear, but devastation is still evident everywhere. Most of
    the debris has been chipped, but many of the  surviving trees are maimed and mutilated, and probably
    not long for this world. Must have passed a dozen work crews still  doing repair work on electric, phone
    and cable lines. Also many, many homeowners out with chain saws and bobcats, and tractors cleaning  up damage.
    The usually empty Sunday AM McDonalds was busy handling tree crews from Alabama. Started east on the
    bike path, detoured north over Croop and  Miland, and Sandhill back to Clarence Ctr. and Rt 93 to McDonald's.
    Had met up with a team of Huskies (4) pulling a wheeled two man sled on Sandhill rode, quite unusual sight.
    The pace got slower and slower until I realized I was riding on about 20 lbs. air in rear tire. Somewhat lengthy
    flat repair completed with aide of a good samaritan who held my top heavy (loaded fiberglass "speedbag")
    bike so I could get the back wheel back on. Also checking to see if I needed assistance was Congressional
    candidate Jack Davis in a silver Cadillac. Apparently the parking lot I was stopped in was for his factory
    on Clarence Center  Rd.  Seems like a nice guy. 2nd half of ride uneventful, through Stage, Hiller, Tillman,
    north on Kraus to bike trail. Temp in upper 40's and some blue sky now. Quite nice, actually.  28.8 miles.
    Maybe November will be a good month, Aug-October among worst in years for us.
    Attended:
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Bruce Raines - w/upright at start, separate route w/2 other wedgies

    October 8 - CCCC
    Cloudless, clear blue skies this morning. Calm wind and 51º as we headed down Clarence Center Rd. to
    Thompson. Made our way south to Main St. and then up Gunnville to the bike path. Took Shisler To Tillman
    and rode through the preserve. Quite a few ducks and geese on the water today. Had our break at McDonald's
    and then rode north past the park and down the big hill. Stayed on the back roads for awhile before picking
    up the bike path back to the coffee shop. The temperature was up to 71º as we ate out on the patio. Bruce
    joined us for coffee and conversation. Ended up with 32 miles today.
    Attended:
    Jerry Hanley - HP Streetmachine
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    October 1 - CCCC
    50% chance of rain, and overcast skies at 10 AM start. Same route as Sept. 10 -- 14 mi. to McDonald's
    north of bike trail,  14 miles back to Clarence Ctr. through Tillman conservation area. Overcast skies at
    start, but rain held off. Had sunglasses on by end of ride. Temps in mid 50's, west wind about 10 mph.
    Much nicer ride than the forecast would have indicated. Sept. was 4th wettest in WNY history, and
    August wasn't very good either -- hopefully we'll have better riding in October!
    Attended:
    Jerry Hanley - HP Streetmachine
    .
    September 17 - CCCC
    Sunny and clear blue sky this morning. A breeze from the west and 63º. Judd brought along his wife
    today so she could experience riding "in the land of milk and honey." Headed north east towards
    Niagara county. Took an unplanned break at the 9.5 mile mark so fix a rear flat on the Lynx. Stopped
    at A.J.'s for awhile. Split into two groups heading back. One taking a more direct route back and one
    taking an extended ride into Genesee county and through the Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area.
    Had to deal with a moderately strong headwind going back. Saw some wildlife today - Egrets, Herons,
    Canada Geese, snakes, turtles, woodchucks, cows, horses, dogs, chipmunks etc. Ended up with about 36
    or 41 miles. Still sunny and 72º as we enjoyed our lunch out on the patio.
    Attended:
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Jack Merlino - Gold Rush
    Judd Mosser - Rocket
    Denise Mosser - upright
    Bob Phillips - R-32
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    September 10 - CCCC
    Mostly sunny 50º and a light wind out of the east as we headed out down the bike path. Went north
    on Strickler and rode around the back roads of Newstead. Very little traffic this morning. Stopped
    at McDonald's for a break as the clouds rolled in and we lost the sun. Headed south and then west
    through the Tillman Wildlife Refuge. Ended up with just over 28 miles. Had a nice lunch out on the
    patio. The sun was back and the temperature was up to 57º. A very nice ride today!!
    Attended:
    Jack Merlino - Gold Rush
    Judd Mosser - Rocket
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    August 20- CCCC
    Overcast and mid sixties this morning as Dan led us east down the bike path. Very quiet today on the
    path and the roads. Rode by the Tillman Refuge and into Newstead. The sun came out for a while. A
    short time later it began to sprinkle. We headed back towards the coffee shop and soon rode out of
    the rain. The pavement was dry back in Clarence. Jack hit his fastest speed ever going down the
    escarpment. Ended up with 30 miles today. (View today's ride data at Motion Based.)
    Attended:
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Linda McMaster - Hepcat
    Jack Merlino - Gold Rush
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    August 13 - CCCC
    (View today's ride data at Motion Based.)
    Attended:
    Don Felton - TET Trike
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Linda McMaster - Hepcat
    Tom Barone - Rocket
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Steve Schultz -  Grasshopper
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    August 6 - CCCC
    Another picture perfect Sunday morning. Almost cloudless bright blue sky, a slight wind out of the south
    east and 66º as we headed out on the bike path. Rode east then north keeping to the back roads made our
    way to McDonald's for our break. Had 20 miles at this point. Took the Tillman Rd. route back ending up
    with just over 34 miles. Had lunch in the shade on the porch. The bank thermometer read 77º at noon.
    (View today's ride data at Motion Based.)
    Attended:
    Gordon Walker - Jetstream
    Steve Schultz -  Grasshopper
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    July 30 - CCCC
    Warm, muggy and mostly cloudy. Had to dodge a lot of debris from the big storm yesterday. Twice we had to
    get off the bikes to get around or over trees that had fallen across the path. The ditches and creeks and
    streams were all flowing strong. Lots of flooding in the fields and low areas. Rode 18 miles before breaking
    at McDonald's. Headed into Genesee County but had to turn around because the road was closed because
    of downed power lines. Ended up with 32 miles today. (View today's ride data at Motion Based.)
    Attended:
    Tom Barone - Aero
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    July 23 - CCCC
    You couldn't have asked for a more perfect morning. Bright clear blue sky, calm wind, low humidity and 63º.
    Rode the bike trails and roads around Clarence, Newstead and Akron. Lots of people out riding and rollerblading
    today. Had a wonderful ride. At lunch time the temp was up to 72º. (View today's ride data at Motion Based.)
    Attended:
    Steve Schultz -  Grasshopper
    Sara Schultz - Rocket
    Andrea Heine - EZ-1
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    July 16 - CCCC
    Hot and humid. Took a shortened ride to McDonald's. Headed east into Genesee County, down the escarpment
    and west into Akron. Picked up the bike trail and rode straight back to the coffee shop. Tom stopped by and
    had lunch with us.
    Attended:
    Steve Schultz -  Grasshopper
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Bruce Raines - Lightspeed
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    Tom Barone
    .
    July 9 - CCCC
    Sunny and 67º as we headed north west up to Tonawanda Creek Rd. Worked our way east and then south for
    a break at Berrafato's. Unfortunately we arrived at about 10:45 and they don't open until 11:30 on Sundays.
    The group split at this point with half returning to the coffee shop and the rest going for a longer ride. Took
    the bike path down to Wehrle and then rode to Harris Hill before turning north. The "long" group ended up
    with 30 miles today. (View today's ride data at Motion Based.)
    Attended:
    Steve Schultz -  Grasshopper
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Gordon Walker - Jetstream
    Don Felton - TET Trike
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    July 2 - CCCC
    Pessimistic weather forecast along with early morning showers kept the group small today, with 3 riders accepting
    the 50/50 odds for a rainy ride. Very light drizzle for 9:15 start as we had 2nd thoughts, but a couple miles out
    the rain stopped, the sky turned blue and all was good.  Except the 15-20 mph WSW winds. 100% bike trail ride,
    heading east, then south west at the junction. Took the trail across Main St., and to the Wehrle terminus, did a 180
    and retraced the route. The wind wasn't that bad on the shielded trails, was a bear in the open fields. Ended with
    27 miles on what turned out to be a nice ride. Temp 78 degrees. J.H.
    Attended:
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Bruce Raines - Team
    .
    June 25 - CCCC
    Sunny and temps in the 70's today. Stayed in the towns of Clarence and Newstead. Took our break at
    McDonald's. (View today's ride data at Motion Based.)
    Attended:
    Steve Schultz -  Grasshopper
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    June 18 - CCCC
    Sunny, breezy and 77º this morning as we headed west. Made our way over to North Tonawanda Creek Rd.
    and rode to the trail head on New Rd. Took the Canalway Trail to the Boat launch and took a Break. Had a
    nice tailwind on the return ride. Ended up with 36 miles. Sat in the shade of the porch while we ate lunch.
    The temp was up to 89º by then. (View today's ride data at Motion Based.)
    Attended:
    Steve Schultz -  Grasshopper
    Sara Schultz - Rocket
    Gordon Walker - Jetstream
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Tom Barone - Aero
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx

    June 11 - CCCC
    Mostly sunny, breezy and 50º as we headed east on the bike path. Worked our way north into Niagara County
    and hit A. J. 's for a break. Continued north and then west towards Lockport. Keeping to the back roads we
    took a round about route back to Newstead and then west to the coffee shop. Ended up with 35 miles today.
    The temperature was up to 60º as we enjoyed the sunshine out on the patio. Alas, there were no bigfoot sightings
    today.
    Attended:
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Bill Peek - Hepcat
    Teresa Peek - Tour
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
     
    May 28 - CCCC
      Seven riders eager to roll at our last 10 AM start this spring, under near perfect riding conditions. Don Tillet,
    now full time Floridian (and fully recovered cancer survivor) joined us while on a short stay up north. Also.
    Adreana Heine joined us after nearly a year absence, now properly in the recumbent ranks with a Sun EZ-1.
    Seventy degrees, low humidity, negligible wind and blue skies as we headed out east on the bike trail, heading
    north on Kraus to work our way northeast with almost no traffic over Croop, Miland, Berghorn, Kelkenburg
    before heading east on Tonawanda Creek. Headed back south via Fletcher, Moore, Hake and Rt93 to
    McDonalds for a sunny break at just under 20 miles.  Adreana, who had ridden from Lockport, headed home
    shortly before the break.
      Headed east on Skyline to pick up our traditional return  route down the "big hill", through the village of Akron,
    and back the bike trail west, enjoying some shade and traffic free conversation. Finished with 32.7 miles,
    averaging 12.6 mph. Temp up to 81 degrees at the finish. The light holiday crowd at coffee house gave us a
    choice of seats. We chose the shade of the porch where we were joined by Bruce Raines as he completed  a
    40 mile wedgie ride, and Steve's son John. Overall, a very pleasant holiday ride. J.H.
    Attended:
    Bill Glor - Speed
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Andrea Heine - EZ-1
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Linda McMaster - Hepcat
    Steve Schultz -  Grasshopper
    Don Tillet - V-Rex
    Bruce Raines

    May 7 - CCCC
    Bright blue sunny sky, 46º and calm as we headed west this morning. Made our way up to the escarpment
    at Old Goodrich Rd. Continued north to the Tillman Wildlife Preserve. Took a slightly different route to
    McDonalds for our break. Rode past Akron Falls Park over to Bloomingdale Rd. The Lynx had the fastest
    time down the big hill topping out at 43.6 mph. Not to bad  considering the strong headwind coming
    up the escarpment. Picked up the bike trail in town and headed straight back for a great lunch out in the
    sun. The temperature was up to 62º at 1:00 PM. Ended up with 31 miles today.
    Attended:
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Steve Schultz - Grasshopper
    Tom Barone - Aero
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Bill Glor - Speed
    Gordon Walker - Jetstream
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx

    April 29 - CCCC
    Sunny, breezy and 58º as we headed north towards Royalton. Turned east at route 93 and Miller Rd.
    Made our way over to AJ's for a break. Rode back towards Akron and picked up the bike path at
    Cummings. Had a nice tailwind all the way back to the coffee shop. The temperature was up to 76º as
    we enjoyed our lunch on the porch out of the sun.
    Attended:
    Steve Schultz - Grasshopper
    Dave Ferguson - EZ Sport
    Don Felton - TET Trike
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Linda McMaster - HepCat
    Jack Merlino - Gold Rush
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx

    April 23 - CCCC
    Dan led the group east and then north around Tillman. Started to rain in earnest. Saw two deer and
    two Blue Herons. Ended up wet and soggy with 30 miles ridden today.
    Attended:
    Joe Weppner -  Streetmachine
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Bruce Raines - Team
    Gordon Walker - Jetstream
    .
    April 16 - CCCC
    Mostly cloudy, 44º and a light wind  this easter morning. Headed west down Clarence Center Rd. then
    north to Main St. climbing the escarpment on Old Goodrich. Worked our way over to Shisler via the
    bike path and then over to the Tillman Wildlife Sanctuary. Some Canada geese on the water but not
    a lot. Rode south into the town of Alden then east through south Newstead and arrived at McDonald's
    showing 20 miles so far. Went inside to warm up a bit. They were giving away chances for free items
    and Steve won an ice cream cone. Headed back to the coffee shop via the bike path. Ended with 28
    miles today. photos
    Attended:
    Steve Schultz - Grasshopper
    Dave Ferguson - EZ Sport
    Al Pyra - Django
    Rosalie Pyra - Django
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
    April 9 - CCCC
    A cool, but beautiful, morning. Clear bright blue skies, calm air and 34º as we headed north on Goodrich.
    Rode the back roads through Newstead into Niagara County. Stopped at A.J.'s for a break. Worked our
    way a little further east and then south towards Akron and then west back to Clarence Center. Very little
    traffic out today. Ended up with just over 30 miles. Had lunch out on the patio in the sun.  Steve stopped
    by to say hello. The temperature was up to 48º. photos
    Attended:
    Dave Fleck - Sport
    Joe Weppner -  Streetmachine
    Dave Ferguson - EZ Sport
    Bill Glor - ShockProof
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Linda McMaster - HepCat
    Gordon Walker - Jetstream
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    Steve Schultz
    .
    April 2 - CCCC
    Clear, cloudless blue sky, calm air and about 40º as we headed east. Rode our Tillman Rd. route backwards
    to McD's for a break. We split up here taking different ways back. The short group ended up with 21 miles
    and the long group had 31 miles. The coffee house was packed but there was plenty of room out on the patio
    in the bright sunshine. All in all a superb ride today!! photos
    Attended:
    Joe Kilian - Stealth
    Dave Ferguson - EZ Sport
    Dan Sharpe - Force 5
    Jim McMaster - V-Rex
    Linda McMaster - HepCat
    Bruce Raines - Fuji single speed fixed gear track bike
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Paul Bigelow - Stratus
    .
    March 26 - CCCC
    "The three stalwarts" started east down the bike path towards Akron more by consensus than design; weather
    mild? At least some sun here and there temp in the 35 to 40 degree range. When we got to Akron Tom took
    charge and decreed, on to Mac's.  We took a short break then west along rte 5 to Goodrich and home to the coffee
    shop. Not a long ride , 23 miles, I was just as glad as my winter muscles still need convincing. Shortly after Bruce
    rolled in. We all tarried awhile over coffee commiserating about past deeds (riding ones that is) and hoping that
    the missing will soon make an appearance . (Gordon)
    Attended:
    Gordon Walker - Jetstream
    Dan Sharpe - Force 5
    Tom Barone - Aero
    Bruce Raines - Club
    .
    March 12 - CCCC
    Besides being warm it was pretty wet, a fine steady rain greeted us at the start. Tom B. Dan S. on his new
    Rans force 5 and myself on my trek upright, (my bent is in the shop), showed up at the coffee shop this morning.
    Dan and I decided to give it a go even though the rain had not actually let up. Rode east to Akron, then on up
    to view the falls, very impressive this time of year, I thought they sounded much like Niagara as there is such a
    large volume of water flowing. We then returned to the coffee shop via the bike path, soggy but happy to have
    braved the weather. (G.W.)
    Attended:
    Gordon Walker - upright
    Dan Sharpe - Force 5
    Tom Barone
    .
    January 22 - CCCC
    The sun was shining, the sky was blue, a slight southerly breeze and 26º as we headed north
    on snow and salt free roads. Worked our way up to Rapids Rd. then turned south east and rode
    to McDonald's for our break. Leaving McD's we rode east to Crittenden Rd. then south to Stage.
    Followed our back road route to the Tillman Wildlife Sanctuary. On this leg of the ride we were
    treated to a sighting of what appeared to be a circular rainbow around the sun. It's actually
    called a halo. It was very impressive. Ended up back at the coffee shop with 31.5 miles on the
    computer. We ate inside today even though the temperature was up to 41º.
    Attended:
    Bruce Raines - Club
    Tom Barone - Aero
    Walt Nicholson - upright
    Dennis Powell - upright
    Jerry Hanley - Streetmachine
    Dan Mangold - Stratus
    Paul Bigelow - Lynx
    .
     
     

    2005 Ride Reports
    2004 Ride Reports
    2003 Ride Reports
    2002 Ride Reports