| Date | June 24, 2012 |
| Hosts | Tricia and Ed Troike |
| Where | Troike house, Atco, NJ |
| Who (else) | Malcolm Boyd and Judy Allison, Tracy and Barb Cate, Tom Fritz and Beryl Brodsky, and Tom Ghan and Cheryl Feather (friends of Beryl and Tom), Harriet and Robert Voysey, George and Linda Wells |
[Team Troike report]
The sun was shining and the humidity was low, so it had the makings of a great day to ride, and it lived up to its promise after a few missteps before the ride. Early Sunday morning one team had to cancel, but then Tom and Beryl showed up with friends, Tom and Cheryl, who were a nice addition to our group, and we were back up to the planned 7 teams. George and Linda got a little lost getting to the house. This is not hard to do down here, but they did manage to stay on paved roads and get to the house on time.
Once the ride started, things went a lot smoother. The Cates and Tricia and I set off on the 22-mile ride so that we would be back to the house early to get the picnic set up and the grill hot. The rest of the group settled on the 35 mile option, as it was beginning to get a bit hot and some of the roads don't have a lot of shade. I had a moment of concern when the other group who had left first came up behind us. I wondered what mistake I had made in the cue sheet, but it was just Malcolm and Judy showing the group a nice added loop. They were riding on their home turf and actually know it better than Tricia and I do.
The ride was followed by a wonderful picnic. The Cates and Troikes arrived first and finished some food prep and started the grill. The other teams arrived about a 1/2 hour later. After a dip in the pool to cool off, everyone enjoyed a delicious and satisfying lunch. Thank you all for bringing such good food: refreshing fruit salad and watermelon, excellent potato salad, lots of delicious grilled vegetables, tasty sausage and peppers, and a chocolate cake to die for. I may have missed something, but I'm getting hungry again.
Well, the days will now officially be getting short, but there should be plenty of time for more rides. Hope to see you all on the road again soon.
Yesterday, Sunday, 24 June, the DOGS celebrated the Summer Solstice with a ride and picnic hosted by Team Troike at their lovely new home in Atco, NJ. Many thanks, Ed and Trish, for hosting this special event for the DOGS. We all appreciate your efforts.
Participating were: DOGS Teams Boyd Allison (Malcolm and Judy), Fritz/Brodsky (Tom and Beryl), Cate (Tracy and Barbara), Voysey (Robert and Harriet), Wells (George and Linda), Troike (Ed and Trish -- our hosts), and friends of Tom and Beryl -- Team Ghan/Feather (Tom and Cheryl).
Team Wells had a great time, although we spent the entire ride just barely catching up with the 35 mile group. The delay happened while we were getting the Garmin working -- just long enough for the 35-mile group to get around the corner. Then, George missed one turn, had to double back and, since we were all riding about the same pace, Team Wells never saw the 35ers again, till the end. Anyway, it was a great ride and actually fun to be in the chase, as it were. Yes, we actually enjoyed the challenge of trying to catch the pack. The roads were all pretty flat with some undulations but nothing serious in the way of climbing. Most of the roads had good shoulders and were not heavily used by motorized traffic. The weather could not have been better -- lovely blue sky, some clouds, a little wind (especially when we were not under trees, and the temperatures -- in the mid-80’s with low, low, humidity. All-in-all, a very nice day in South Jersey for riding our tandems.
The post-ride food was excellent, as usual for the DOGS.
During the post-ride George mentioned to Ed that some of the roads that were quite long were without intersections, thus making it sufficiently possible to have a DOGS Time Trial? Ed said that he knew of some roads that could be used for that purpose. Therefore, we have to ask: “Would anyone be interested in such an event?”
If your name wasn't among the participants, we can say -- we know you were busy, but you missed the opportunity to share a ride with your fellow DOGS members and a great picnic. That being said, it is time to remind everyone that the DOGS have just as many rides and types of rides that the members want because it is you, the members, who host the rides that you want to share. So, for example, if you want a slow group ride, please host one and you might be surprised how many of us will attend.
The calendar shows two more DOGS events in the near future: First, the week of 30 June thru 6 July -- "mountain" tandem riding -- the Kingdom Trails and Pine Hill Park, hosted by Teams Isherwood (Larry and Brenda) and Scheneck/Casey (Joe and Dawn). Next is a "road" ride on Saturday 14 July (rain date, Sunday, 15 July) -- Scenic Lake and State Park Rendezvous, hosted by Team Southall/Robart (Howie and Nancy). Check out the DOGS Events Calendar.
In the mean time, enjoy the summer and ride your tandem.
Stay Upright!
Linda and George