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Class B, CC, & C rides from
Mt. Nittany Wheelworks
(2006)

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NEWS (Rides, maps & cue sheets below)
Check here for the latest ride announcements
Updated Feb 11, 2014
Contact Paul at: THIS LINK

Penns Valley Tours 8 to 35+ Miles loops around Penns Valley starting in Spring Mills. These rides won't be on the Easy or Trainer schedules, but they are a great option for riding on your own.

Group Ride, Barree RdPA 305

Group Ride Photos. Left or top: Barree Rd along the Juniata River near Alexandria. Right or Bottom: PA 305 between Shaver's Creek and Petersburg
Photos: Cliff Kanz


NOTE: If you're planning on jumping on at an outlying point, please call or e-mail, as the route may change (esp. if we don't know you're out there!) 


Blasts from the past:

2006 4th of July Century! Click here for pictures.


  EASY ROAD RIDING (B-CC-C) -- Mondays 
We've been out, though not really regularly. Check with the shop or visit their calendar for updates.

                                (Click Here for the Century Trainer Ride)
An easy "entry level" group ride. Perfect for those new to on-road cycling.  Pick your distance -- there will be options to shorten your ride.  Also a perfect for a "recovery ride" for weekend warriors to get some ride time in with their Significant Others -- we won't get out of the small chain ring on this one. 

The particulars:

Road or cross bikes with road gearing. (Need some examples?  Click here!)
You should be able to ride five to ten miles at the start, at an average of 10-12 MPH.
Mainly on-road riding, sometimes with heavy traffic.
-- The drop-in points will give you some options for avoiding some of the closer-to-town congestion.But there is safety in numbers, and we'll be offering tips on how to deal with traffic in general.
-- The group leader stays with the main ride, and parts of the optional routes are self-guided.
Mondays, 5:30 PM, Starting April 3 -- out of town "drop-ins" will be approximately 6:00 to 6:15 (CALL!).
In case of rain or severe weather, check with shop or  the news above.
Ride maps and cue sheets follow below. 
Group leader: Paul Rito
HELMETS ARE REQUIRED

CUE SHEETS AND MAPS (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) Get Acrobat Reader
6, 8, & 12 Mile Loops --  from Wheelwork - Branch Rd 
20, 15, & 5 Mile Loops  --  Wheelworks - Linden Hall 
20, 15, & 12 Mile Loops  --  Wheelworks - Fairbrook 
8 to 35+ Miles  A variety of Loops in Penns Valley starting in Spring Mills 
 

  CENTURY TRAINER PART II (B-CC). ???? & Saturdays.
Update 4-20-07 We're riding on Saturdays at 9 -- Full details on this year's Century Trainer are pending, but we'll be doing our first century June 3, and a few others during the summer.
UPDATE, JULY 12: With one "class" successfully graduated with a full century, for the rest of the summer and fall, we'll be working on continuing to build strength and endurance. If you've been riding and are able to do 30 miles at an average of 13-14 mph, come join our rides and we'll help you build up to a century -- metric or miles -- in September.

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION:
Do you have some road riding goals this year?
Are you interested in increasing your long-distance riding? Want to do a long charity ride? A metric century (62 miles)?  A full century of 100 miles?  Prepping for that dream vacation? Just wanna go a little farther or faster than last year?
No matter what your goal, whether you want to survive or thrive, this series of rides will gradually build up your legs and conditioning (and, uh, butt). Starting in early April, with the goal of joining the Wheelworks 4th of July Century, the ride lengths and speeds increase in small steps over 14 weeks and before you know it, you'll be riding as far as you want.
 
Your commitment? One or two short rides during the week, and a longer weekend ride, touring many of the area's best cycling backroads.  To the extent possible in central PA, we'll be avoiding major climbs and most of the routes are gently rolling. Each ride will have multiple join-in and drop-out points so you can work on your own goals while still meeting and riding with other cyclists.

During the rides, we'll also be delving into training techniques, how to deal with traffic, fit and comfort issues, fueling up, and an introduction to pacelines (no Tour de France racing here, but once you know the back riders in a paceline use 30% less energy, you can see the advantages on longer rides).
 
This group no-drop road ride will start off at the C level and by the Independence Day we'll likely be in the CC or B levels (see table below).

FAQS:

I CAN'T MAKE ALL THE RIDES, BUT I'D STILL LIKE TO TRY. CAN I COME ANYWAY?  Not a problem. 6-10 weeks of training is good for most people (6 to survive, 10 to thrive), so if you can make at least 50% of the rides, you'll be able to do a century (100km or 100mi). And the maps and cue sheets are posted, so if you miss a ride with the group, you can do it on your own and join in when you can. Even if you don't have any interest in doing a century, you're welcome to come on any of the rides.

I DON'T THINK MY FITNESS LEVEL IS HIGH ENOUGH TO KEEP UP -- SHOULD I COME ANYWAY?   Most definitely. The best way to get better and more fit is ride with people who will push you to get better. We are a "no-drop" ride. Really. If you can stick it out, we'll wait while you catch up. With a little work on your own, in a few weeks, you'll be hanging with the group.

I KNOW I CAN'T STAY WITH YOU ON THE LONGER RIDES -- WOULD IT BE OKAY IF I JUST CAME ALONG FOR A PART OF THE RIDE? Come out. Ride as far as you can with us, then make your own way home. Most of the rides have maps and cue sheets. Just print them out and bring them along. Just let the ride leader know that you'll be dropping off and that it's OK not to wait for you. Ride with us -- you will get better.

HAVE A QUESTION? E-mail it to us.
 
The particulars:

Road or cross bikes with road gearing.  (Need some examples?  Click here!)
You should be able to ride five to ten miles at the start, at an average of 10-12 MPH. For the second half of the summer, this increases to 20 to 30 miles at 12-14 mph.
Mainly on-road riding, sometimes with heavy traffic.
-- The drop-in points will give you some options for avoiding some of the closer-to-town congestion.       But there is safety in numbers, and we'll be offering tips on how to deal with traffic in general.
-- The group leader stays with the main ride, and parts of the optional routes are self-guided.
-- If you are joining the ride at an outlying point, you can call the ride leader or the shop for
    more accurate "join-up" times, but be prepared to wait -- a late start, flats or mechanical
    problems can all delay the group.
Mondays, 5:30 PM, Starting April 3 (This is also the "Easy Road Riding" group ride)
Thursday, 5:30 PM (in case of rain on Monday, a second chance for the Monday riders) 
Saturday, 9:00-9:30 AM (Off day(s) to be announced -- check the NEWS)
Main ride starts from Wheelworks. Join-in locations and estimated times will be posted in the cue sheets on the web site listed below. Some rides may start out-of-town -- notice of that will be posted with the cue sheets. 
In case of rain or severe weather, check with shop or see the news at the top of this page.
Links to ride maps and cue sheets follow below.

Group leader: Paul Rito

HELMETS ARE REQUIRED

Click here for Century Ride gear tips.

CENTURY TRAINER CUE SHEETS AND MAPS  (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) Get Acrobat Reader

6, 8 & 12 Mile Loops --  Wheelworks - Branch Rd. 
8 to 35+ Miles   -- A variety of Loops in Penns Valley starting in Spring Mills
20, 15, & 5 Mile Loops  --  Wheelworks - Linden Hall 
20, 15, & 12 Mile Loops  --  Wheelworks - Fairbrook 
27, 18, & 15 Mile Loops (and more)  --  Wheelworks - Bellefonte - Valley View 
32, 18, & 14 Mile Loops  -- Wheelworks - Gatesburg
34, 25, 18 Mile Loops  -- Wheelworks-Circlevile-550-Bernel 
37, 25, & 20 Mile Loops  -- Wheelworks to Centre Hall via Colyer Lake.
44, 32, 18 & 14 Mile Loops -- Wheelworks-Warriors Mark
50, 21, & 12 Mile Loops -- Wheelworks-Georges Valley
55, 46, 42, 28 Mile Loops -- Wheelworks-Huntingdon Furnace
62 Mile Loop -- Wheelworks-Alexandria
64 Mile Loop Magic Mo variation with Black Mo
70, 64, 38, & 37 Mile Loops -- Wheelworks-Millheim
80 Mile Loop Wheelworks-Rock Rd-Arch Springs

MORE RIDES (These are web-base ride maps that I'm experimenting with. So far, Bikely is the easiest to use, but they each have their own idiosyncracies)
12.6 Miles State College Bike Path Loop 1 -- mostly offroad loop
36 Miles Gorgeous Georges (similar to the Wheelworks-Georges Valley Ride listed above)
44 Miles Yarnell
54 Miles Howard Divide
86 Miles Cornpropst Mills

Click here for more of my routes on MapMyRide.com

CENTURIES
NOTE: The times on these strip maps are for car travel. Adjust your times for your own speeds accordingly.

R.B. Winter State Park/Mifflinburg Starting at Mt. Nittany Middle School. The ultimate Penn's Valley tour.

Centre Century Figure 8 loop around State College.

Between markers 7 and 8, use Colyer Lake Rd rather than 322. The map software doesn't show Colyer Lake as a through road and used US 322. After turning left onto 322, go about 100 yds and turn right onto Colyer Lake Rd.

Campus2Campus Century University Park to Altoona.
This ride uses back roads with steep rollers between Tyrone and Altoona. Optionally, without increasing or reducing the total distance, you can follow old US 220 between Tyrone and Altoona. It's three lanes with wide shoulders in good condition, and is a straight and relatively flat shot to Altoona. Much more traffic than the side roads, but there is plenty of space on the shoulders to be safe.
Between markers 15 and 16, at DelGrosso park in Tipton, instead of turning right onto Clearfield Ave, stay on Old US 220 to Altoona. In Altoona, turn right onto RT 764 for about 1/4 mile.
Turn right on Greenwood Rd to Sixth Avenue
Turn right onto Sixth Ave and an immediate left onto the 8th Street bridge into Juniata.
Turn left on 5th Avenue.
Turn right on Broadway
Turn right on E. Wopsononock Ave.
Turn left on Wehnwood Rd
Rejoin ride at marker 20.

Also, there is a 2 mile climb at mile 56. The first 1/2 mile is pretty steep, but then eases off and at the top you are rewarded with a 7 mile downhill into beautiful Sinking Valley.

About the group leader Paul has been riding a bike since he can remember, mostly for recreation & commuting. About 8 years ago, he upgraded to a road bike and started to enjoy the ability to go farther with the same effort. In 2005, he led the Wheelworks Beginners Ride while he was training for a cross-the-USA tour, which he completed in August of 2005 (see http://www.rito.us/usatrip for his blog of the trip). In 2006, he led the Wheelworks Easy and Century Trainer rides, and helped 4 people join the Century Club. He still remembers the days when he thought a 20 mile ride was an impossible chore, so he can provide the insight and encouragement you need to get off the couch and out on the road -- enjoyably! 

Key to Ride Classifications (Thanks to the Potomac Peddlers).
PPTC, in its endeavor to meet the desires of its very diverse membership,
has developed the following ride classifications.
 
 
 
Group
Ride
Class
 
Average
Riding
Speed
Range
(mph)
 
 
 
Route
Length
(mi)
 
Interval
Between
Rest
Stops
(mi)
 
Use of
Advanced
Riding
Tech-
niques
(H)Hilly
Average
Riding
Speed
Range
(mph)
(F) Flat
Average
Riding
Speed
Range
(mph)
D 8.0 - 9.9 10 - 25 5 - 10 no 6.0 - 7.9 10.0 - 11.9
C 10.0 - 11.9 20 - 35 10 - 15 no 8.0 - 9.9 12.0 - 13.9
CC 12.0 - 13.9 30 - 50 15 - 20 maybe 10.0 - 11.9 14.0 - 15.9
B 14.0 - 15.9 40 - 60 20 - 30 maybe 12.0 - 13.9 16.0 - 17.9
BB 16.0 - 17.9 50 - 70 25 - 35 often 14.0 - 15.9 18.0 - 19.9
A 18.0 - 19.9 60 - 80 25 - 35 yes 16.0 - 17.9 20.0 - 21.9
AA 20.0 - 22.0 60 - 100 30 - 40 yes 18.0 - 20.0 22.0 - 24.0
R Randonneuring is long-distance (endurance) cycling over scenic and challenging terrain. Randonneur rides often leave early in the morning and require lights, go under most weather conditions, and typically are challenging all-day affairs with distance and speed determined by the participants. This includes the annual Brevet series of qualifying rides between 125 and 625 miles in length.
ATB These are rides for all-terrain or mountain bikes. The individual ride descriptions should be read for specific information regarding terrain (e.g., single-track, double- track, or gravel roads), distance, and equipment require- ments (e.g., type of bike or tire width).
T Specialty rides for bikes with two or more cyclists. Tandem ride leaders often choose routes that are paticularly well-suited to these types of bicycles, as they typically go much faster on down-hill and flat sections, and slower uphill, than single bikes.