RIDE UPDATE - FRIDAY 8:45AM - THE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY LOOKS OK UNTIL ABOUT 3:00PM WHEN THERE IS A CHANCE OF RAIN BETWEEN 3:00PM AND 6:00PM. IN PAST YEARS WE USUALLY DIDN'T FINISH UNTIL ABOUT 4:30 TO 5:30. HOPEFULLY WITH THE FASTER PACE AND THE SHORTER REST STOPS WE WILL MAKE IT BACK IN TIME TO STAY DRY. THE WIND IS SUPPOSED TO BE SSW AT 15MPH SO WE WILL PROBABLY NOT BE DOING THE DUNE RD STRETCH ON OUR WAY BACK TO EASTPORT. AS OF NOW NOBODY HAS STEPPED UP TO LEAD EITHER A SLOW B OR B+ RIDE BUT IF ANY SLOW B OR B+ RIDERS DO SHOW UP THEY WILL BE EXPECTED TO FORM THEIR OWN GROUPS AT THE RIDE START ( CUE SHEETS WILL BE AVAILABLE ).

Background: Bill Pope and I started this ride beginning in 2006. Last year Bill was too ill to participate and passed away not long after. I am dedicating this year's ride in his memory and would ask that anyone participating in this ride either join the SBRA team participating in this year's Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk or perhaps make a contribution in support of the SBRA team that will be participating. Details may be found on the home page of the SBRA web site.

What to expect: Ride leaves promptly at 7:00AM, no waiting for stragglers or latecomers. Anyone not ready to roll out at 7:00 can take a cue sheet and meet up with the group along the way. Food/rest stops are spaced about 20 miles apart. We'll try to keep the stops to no longer than 20 minutes each. Pace should come out somewhere between 15.5 and 16.5 but cruising speed may be higher on stretches with few turns. I would ask that any "slow B' riders or B+ riders consider leading a companion ride to this one. Having "slow B", "fast B" and B+ riders together on such a long ride will not work. As the ride progresses we will wind up either waiting at every turn for the slower riders to catch up or having the faster riders getting impatient and constantly riding off the front of the group without knowing where they are going. Last year there were 3 ride leaders ( B-, "slow B" and "fast B"). I will be more than happy to share the cue sheet with anyone who wants to lead a companion ride. I'll bring copies of the cue sheet to Thursday's general membership meeting. If turnout is higher than 10 then I plan to split the group so that we can stagger the arrival time at the rest stops and keep things moving along. All riders should be prepared to possibly lead a smaller group if asked.

The route: The ride starts and ends in Eastport. We will head north into Manorville, then up through Riverhead to Briermere for the first rest stop. From there we will head east through Jamesport, Mattituck, Cutchogue and the next rest stop in Southold. From there it is east to Greenport, where we will take the North Ferry to Shelter Island. We will ride the western end of Shelter Island down to the South Ferry. We will take the South Ferry to Sag Harbor. From Sag Harbor it will be south to Bridgehampton and rest stop #3. From there it is west through Water Mill, Shinnecock Hills and Hampton Bays, with the last rest stop at either Tully's or the Green Door ( if it hasn't already closed for the season ). The last leg of the route will take us through Quogue, Westhampton Beach, Speonk and back to Eastport. Depending on wind speed and direction, or the amount of rain on Thursday and Friday, we may be taking Dune Rd from Hampton Bays to Westhampton Beach.

Miscellaneous: The is no SAG support for this ride. You will need to find an alternate way back to the ride start if you are unable to complete the ride. Be sure to bring several spare tubes, CO2 cartridges ( or a pump ) as well as money for the ferry ($7, I think ) and for food.

Rain dates for this ride will be Sunday, October 7 and Saturday, October 13.