ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER RIDE.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER RIDE.
IJAH 080 Ride Recap: Beating the Rain, Enjoying the Ride
IJAH 080 was another one for the books. We kicked things off bright and early to dodge the rain, and it definitely paid off. The roads were peaceful and practically ours alone at that hour – a rare treat!
Our crew was solid, bringing the usual energy and camaraderie that makes these rides so special. Despite the early start, everyone was in high spirits and ready to roll.
The ride itself was overall pretty smooth, with perfect weather holding out just for us. And let's not forget the highlight: our coffee stop at Fuel. As always, it was the perfect way to wrap up the ride – good coffee, great company, and a well-earned break.
Thanks to everyone who came out and made this ride awesome. Great riding today everyone, and looking forward to the next one, IJAH 081, scheduled for next Sunday, June 16, rolling from that lot in North Scituate @ 7:30 AM.
2024 IJAH WBL 002
A sunny but cold one for today's stage, our second of 2024. Starting from WeRoast Coffee with a smiling group of 10, we rolled out with a bit of a neutral start climbing through Lincoln Woods before the group broke up slightly. There was some chasing back on before we hit the first segment of the day, and some more relaxed pace riding before the second. The speed picked up a bit between then and our third segment, ending with a bit of a hammerfest back to the coffee shop. I think everyone just wanted to get warm.
For our point classification, Johnny M is still in the lead with 31 points now, after placing third on all three segments and getting the best snack haul for buttering me up with some Pepperidge Farm cookies. Rich Daugirda now has 21 points after fittingly placing second on all three segments. We have three riders tied in third, after Carlos Eliaz and Rey Ombajin grabbed this week's road captain points for sticking it out together, and Don Gilbert tacked on another 5 points to last week's total for showing up. Those three riders have 15 points. Robin Hewson nabbed first place points on all three segments today, and is just off our podium with 14 points.
Thanks to everyone for sticking it out in the cold with us and to WeRoast for being such gracious hosts. Stage 003 is scheduled for Sunday, February 11, starting from Richmond Elementary School and rolling at 9am. Event here: https://strava.app.link/XoHtQtRmVGb
2024 IJAH WBL 001
A mostly sunny day was upon us for the first stage of the 2024 IJAH Winter Bike League, and although we couldn't escape the wind at times, everyone came out with great spirits for a fun and eventful inaugural stage. Matt Bodziony graciously opened the doors to NBX so we could warm up before the ride, and he even brought us donuts. You can't beat that!
For our point classification, Johnny M is in the lead with 18, after grabbing points on all three segments, and qualifying for this week's road captain points. We have two riders tied at 10 points, Don Gilbert, who brought this week's most talked about snack haul, a Guatemalan sweet bread, and Rich Daugirda, who snagged points on two of the three attack segments. Rachel Williams is just off the podium with 9 points, Brian St. Pierre has 7 points, and everyone else who showed up is still in the running with 5 points.
Remember, the easiest way to get points is to just show up for each stage, and everyone who came to today's ride is eligible for 5 bonus points, if they come to every stage this winter.
See you all for WBL Stage 002, rolling from WeRoast in Lincoln, RI on Sunday, January 28th.
IJAH WBL 002 Event Page: https://www.strava.com/clubs/922291/group_events/1556130
THE FIRST GREASY JON’s
In August of 2023, we set out to organize our biggest event yet; a grass roots gravel grinder. With three route options, and a potluck to follow the ride, the party started and ended at Jon’s house, and was powered by NBX bikes. Shoutout to Matt and the gang for supplying bottles and gels for our riders.
With about 60% non-paved roads, the route headed up into the Arcadia Management Area in Exeter, RI, before hitting the IJAH-supported rest stop in Foster, RI.
Leaving Foster and heading into CT, the route bobbed and weaved from single-track, to paved roads, with a bit of everything in between. Then, we hit Oneco Market, home of some great cookies and great people.
We then left Oneco and headed towards Pachaug State Forest, the largest of its kind in Connecticut. Right as we left Pachaug, we made our last refuel stop at Sunny’s Market in Voluntown.
The last twenty-miles-or-so were far from the easiest. Not many photos were taken, but plenty of fun was had.
The return back to base camp made the whole ride worth it, with RI themed treats like Del’s and pizza strips, plus everyone’s favorite gravel-centric snack, The Dirt Cup.
Thanks to everyone involved. From the riders, to the volunteers and donators, the first Greasy Jon’s was a huge success and we cannot wait for 2024.
Overland 2023 Photo Blog
Overland 2023 was a blast. Here are some photos from our weekend at Ascutney Outdoors.
Winter bike league: week 005 results
Stage 005 of the IJAH Winter Bike League is in the books, and our 1-2-3 is unchanged from last week. The ride was a bit spicy at times, with a huge split in the group, but the weather was surprisingly nice and the scenery was even nicer. We even saw some cows with long hair that really made me jealous. Huge thanks to everyone that came out.
As far as our leaderboard is concerned, Charlie Walford remains in first place, with two first place finishes on our attack segments this week. Charlie now has a total of 61 points over the five weeks, and at this point, WBL is his to lose. Carlos Eliaz is holding second place with 28 points, and has been to every WBL stage so far this season, showing that consistency is key. Way to go, Carlos! Scott Glowa came thru this week with pigs-in-a-blanket and a piece of donut cake in his bar bag. Those next-level ride snacks enabled Scott to grab the wild card points once again this week. Scott also has 28 points for the season.
The Winter Bike League Finale has been schedule for this upcoming Saturday, March 11. The ride starts from WeRoast Coffee Co. in Lincoln, with a 10am roll out time, and we will be handing out prizes for our top-three finishers after the ride: https://www.strava.com/clubs/922291/group_events/1334307
Ride On,
Jon
WINTER BIKE LEAGUE UPDATE
Another stage down of the inaugural IJAH WBL, and another slight shake up of the leaderboard. Big thanks to everyone who came out for the ride this past weekend and rode through some of our worst conditions yet. The sun barely came out and the roads were pretty trashed right from the start. Due to the terrible conditions, everyone who came was awarded with three extra Belgian points.
Although there was a slight shake up, Charlie Walford is still holding first place, now with 50 points, after placing on all three segments Sunday. Carlos Eliaz jumped up to second place with 23 points. Carlos and Charlie are the only two riders to show up to every stage of WBL so far. Scott Głową made his first appearance this past week, and although the conditions were nasty, Scott showed up with the cleanest bike Sunday morning and was awarded this week's wild card points. (Rumor has it that Jon stared at those blue hubs for the majority of the ride.) Scott also placed on all three segments, grabbing 18 points total. To round out the group, Brian St. Pierre and Don Gilbert both tackled the ride with gravel-friendly rigs, and Antonio Martinez rode all 45 miles on a fixed-gear Bianchi, with 51-16 gearing. The WBL Gremlin was also there, and ate two blueberry pancakes out of its frame bag, and a black and white cookie from Jitters.
Thanks again to everyone who braved the elements and made it out.
The final two stages of the 2023 IJAH Winter Bike League have already been scheduled, with the final stage rolling from WeRoast Coffee Co. in Lincoln, with the WBL Awards to be handed out after the ride.
LEAD OUT! X IJAH
We recently teamed up with Lead Out!, purveyor of premium bike bags and accessories. The Los Angeles based company sent us a couple of their frame bags to product test and they did not disappoint.
After putting the bags on our bikes, which was quick and easy, utilizing four velcro fasteners spaced out between the top and down tubes, and one elastic fastener to keep snug to your head tube, we filled the two large pockets and were off to get lost in the woods. This bag had no problem holding all of our goodies, including multiple snacks and a plethora of tools that included a mini pump, a spare tube, tubeless plugs, quick links, valve cores and a spare derailleur hanger. With pockets equipped with sturdy zippers on either side, it made it easy to organize our stuff and focus on the trails ahead. The retroreflective stripe on the side is a great touch to up your visibility, and since the bag is water resistant, we are not sure when it will come back off our bikes.
We used these bags on our gravel bikes but they seem like they would do the job on just about any bike, while still leaving room for two bottles. We recommend them to any rider out there looking for some slick on-bike storage.
Make sure to check out the Lead Out! Mini Frame Bag here: https://leadoutgear.com/products/lead-out-mini-frame-bag/
