MATES Space

Revised Ride Sheets - May 17, 2008

 

OK, everyone, as of today Cheryl and I combed over the ride sheets one last time.  They are confirmed accurate so that you can ride confidently with complete confidence that you will be following the right path.  Please download the file below, review and print out the ride sheets that you intend to use during the course of the weekend.  There are two files - one in Excel format and one in PDF format.

-msc-

May 14, 2008

 

Cheryl and I are combing through all the necessary details associated with the upcoming MATES event.  As of today, final confirmed ride sheets are available for download and printing.  Please review the ride descriptions in the booklet file.  Then download the ride file, print out the pages of rides that may interest you during the course of the weekend.  Then try to remember to bring them with you.  If you have any difficulty with downloading the file or printing it, contact me and we'll see if we can help you.  As a fail safe, I'll have some copies with me at the event.  I'll also have a computer and printer for any last minute printing needs.   -msc-

MAY 6TH - FRIDAY AND SUNDAY RIDES

 

Event details are all beginning to fall into place.  Ride sheets are complete and are in their final form.  With all rides tested, I am confident that attendees will find them complete and accurate.  Download them below for review.  There are multiple options for rides on each day.  Please be advised that in the interest of saving paper, you will NOT be receiving ride sheets in your personal packet.

 

Soon, everyone will receive an email requesting a commitment to the Friday Vinyard ride at 1PM and, more importantly, the Sunday ride to Duke Farms for the tour of the estate.  Friday's ride will stop at two wineries.  The wine at Amwell and Unionvill vinyards is superb, many of which are affordable.  I've negotiated with one place to reduce the wine tasting fee in half and have yet to hear from the second.  I'll be back with details soon.  I WILL, however, need to know how many couples plan to do some sampling so that the vinyards can upgrade their staff appropriately.

 

Sunday's Duke Farm ride will be the cherry on top of the "sundae".  I hope that every couple plans to attend.  Again, I will need to know in advance who is going to ride with us that morning.  Look for the email and reply to let me know your attentions for both days.

 

mark

 

April 28th

 

Spent a lot of time working on rides the past couple of weeks.  You can check out the latest version of the file by downloading it from the link below on this page.  We still have room for some more couples.  If you wish to attend, send me a note or call.  Get ready for a fun filled weekend!

 

-msc-

April 14th - Socks Ordered.  As of today - all socks are ordered.  In order to get the order back to us in time for the event, we were required to get in our order promptly.  Artwork is approved and check is in the mail.  From this point forward, teams may continue to register to attend but they will not be receiving socks.   The Hampton Inn will continue to offer rooms at the reduced rate as long as they remain available.  From April 1st forward the unregistered rooms were released to the public.

 

mark

 

MATES 2008 REGISTRATION REMAINING OPEN !!!!!!

Sunday Evening - Cheryl and I just returned from an equally exciting and challenging weekend at the ETR sponsored Eastern Tandem Off-Road Rally in the pine barrens of south Jersey hosted by Malcolm Boyd and Judy Allison.  Seven teams participated representing an area from Rochester New York to Maryland.  The mildly damp weather pattern we have been experiencing transformed the sand into a palatable mix permitting us to slalom the trees like olympic skiers.  If you ever get a chance to ride full suspension tandems in challenging terrain - we highly suggest it!

 

Well, back to ON-road riding:  Following a discussion with several members of the ETR board, we will extend the registraion period for this year's MATES a little longer in an effort to permit more couples to take advantage of the fine schedule of events we have planned for this year.  If you know anyone in your circle of friends who are still interested in attending, please send them to this site for an application.

 

Keep an eye on the "FILES" section below and download frequently for up to the minute information on rides and event information.

 

-msc-

Event Registration for MATES 2008 is coming to a close.  It is typically an event that is small and intimate in nature.  We are at approximately 42 teams as of today.  I plan to take as many as 45 after speaking to several couples this weekend at Mel and Barbara's Tandem EXPO here in southern Jersey.  There are still some rooms at the Hampton Inn remaining.  Call me on the phone (908-285-5834)  if you would still like to attend and take one of the last couple of spots.  Looking forward to seeing all of the registered participants soon.  -mark-

Hello Tandem Friends,

 

The end of March signals a time to begin  an increase in tandem riding time as well as an update for you of the administration of the MATES 2008 event.   Event attendance is at 40 teams.  We will accept only a couple of additional applications.   Cheryl and I as well as the rest of the DOGS supported MATES committee members are definitely hard at work finalizing details.   The rides are complete on paper and now require road testing.  As of this time, we are scheduled to have a long Friday ride leaving the hotel at 1PM to head south into the rolling farmlands on an approximate 30 mile ride that has planned stops at two area vinyards.  More details are to come later but we are likely to avail ourselves of the wine tasting and we'll attemtp to make arrangements for delivery of any product purchased to be delivered to the hotel.  For those who arrive late on Friday and still wish to ride, the short Saturday route will be a good option.

 

Saturday's rides will include three options to lunch and two return routes back to the hotel.  The main ride will take us up into the hills of Hunterdon County where we will nearly circumnavigate the Round Valley Reservoir.  The main, long ride to lunch will cover nearly 50 miles before we gather for lunch at Hunterdon County's Deer Path park.  The hotel is but a short ride from lunch or teams can opt for the longer ride in.

 

Sunday is the special day.  I've been working very diligently with a representative from the famous Duke Farm estate in beautiful Hillsborough, New Jersey.  The plan is to have an early breakfast at Perkins and then meet in the parking lot on our tandems at a specified time between 7:30 and 8:00AM for teh 15 mile ride to Duke Farms.  We must all meet at the south gate where security witll let is into the compound.  We'll meet our guides who upon their bikes will lead us on a one hour tour outlining many interesting features and historical points of the Duke Family.  There will be an additional cost of $12 per couple payable in cash to the guides.  Depending on the size of our group there will be approx. four guides. - splitting our group into two.  Plan on adding a couple of dollars for a gratuity to offer our hosts at the end of our tour.  We'll exit the compound and head back to the hotel.  Some rooms will be left available for a quick post ride shower.  However, we will be required to check out of our rooms before our morning ride.

 

As an added option, I have arranged with Perkins our catering host for the weekend, to have box lunches ready for you when your return from the Duke Farm ride on Sunday noon.  For a fee of $10.50 your lunch will include a sandwich, an apple or banana and a cookie.  The MATES committee will provide a cooler of drinks for the ride home.

 

Please return to this site and look in the folders below for the booklet which will contain all updated information as well as updated ride sheet files.  I also hope to include the Garmin .GPX files for those of you with portable, on-bike units.

 

Conact me directly if you have any questions.

 

mark & cheryl