Andrew Spiller Memorial Picnic and Challenge Ride
Saturday July 14th
Farmington Town Park
7am -7am the following day
Open to everyone, the only entrance fee is a dish to pass! This is a great chance to push yourself to ride further than ever before.
So if you are up to it, this is your chance to ride mega miles, or just spend the day socializing. How you spend the day is entirely up to you. Some opt for riding 24 hours, others just part of it, still others just come for the party (no alcohol). This is the club’s annual picnic/ride held at Farmington Town Park in where else?… Farmington. The park sits in the middle of a figure eight loop, with each loop being 25 miles. This way you are never more than 12.5 miles from the start (or finish depending on how tired you are). What better way to challenge yourself to ride farther than you ever have before without getting too far out and wondering how you are going to make it back? After each loop there will always be food, beverages and encouragement waiting.
Gary Butterfield will lead a night ride again this year for as many loops as riders want to ride. For night time riding, lights are a must and reflective gear is recommended as well. For safety reasons, everyone must ride the night loop after dark which is only 12.5 miles. This not only makes it easier to keep track of where everyone is, but the route is set up entirely with right hand turns and only crosses one major intersection. This loop is often used during the day as well for families not wanting to ride the longer loops. All the loops except the night loop can be ridden in either direction.
Riding starts as early as 7am and continues for 24 hours rain or shine if there are willing bodies. We ask that everyone bring a dish to pass (fruit, salads and pasta are nice, and cookies and……you get the idea). Beverages and tableware provided. Although there is food of some sort available all day, the actual “picnic” begins around 11am and lasts until the food is gone.
The ride is not supported, other than with encouragement, except at night when a “chase” car drives the route to make sure everyone is accounted for.
There are no pavement markings on the route unless they are left from prior years but cue sheets for all the loops are on your CD, please bring map #148 with you to the ride.
With special permission from the town of Farmington, the event has always been offered as a 24 hour event, except for the year one of our members was killed by a drunk driver while riding north of Albany in an ultra marathon event. In memory of him and his love of ultra marathoning, the event was renamed and is officially known as the Andrew Spiller Memorial Challenge ride.
This event is sponsored by the club every year for its members to enjoy as they please, make it your event by challenging yourself to ride a little more. Andrew would want it that way.
Directions: take Rt 96 east to Rt 332 (north of Canandaigua) take a left at the light and go to Collett Rd. Another right at Collett Rd, through the next intersection, over the RR and just past the highway dept garage puts you almost at the driveway to the park or take Rt 96 eastbound, past the Rt 332 intersection. After turning left at CR #8, a few miles up the road just after crossing the railroad tracks, the park is on the left (corner of Collett and CR# 8)
For more information contact ……….Karen rbcmembership@rochester.rr.com
