If you downloaded your route before 8:35 this evening, you might want to download the revised version, Rev B for the longest ride and rev A for the others, Hall Road has been stoned and is in rough shape for bicycles. For the 49 mile ride, I also incorporated Jack's Skyline suggestion as a better way to deal with the park in Akron. We will have the rivised cue sheets at the ride. Read the message below too, for notes about getting through Lancaster to Como Park, avoiding a foot race and a parade route.

There is a 10K is starting at 8 a.m. in Lancaster this year. This will result in intermittent closures on Walden Ave at Central and the complete closure of Harris Hill/Central from Pleasant View to Broadway beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing after the 9 a.m. ride start time. Those coming from the North will have to take alternate routes. It might be best to take William Street from Transit Rd or Bowen Rd, then turn onto Lake Ave going north, then access the park via Waltham, Como Park Blvd or Quincy. Park by the softball diamonds on the right. The posted routes for the 18 ans 22 mile ride options have been modified at the end to avoid congestion on Erie St where the parade starts. Modified cue sheets will be available from the ride leader. The parade starts at noon.

Everyone knows that the first rule of Fight Club is "you do not talk about Fight Club." The first rule of the NFBC is we can do anything we want as long as there are volunteers to make it happen. Recently, we surpassed 350 paid memberships -- more than the total number of members at the end of last year. So, people seem enthusiastic about riding and about the club. But we need more people to step forward to make everything we do happen.

It boggles my mind to consider that we host nearly 600 rides a year (and that's not counting, the long, the mid, and the short). It's really true that "We Ride Every Day," at least between April and October. But that means we need a lot of people to lead the rides, sign people in, and in the case of weekday rides, devise the routes, post rides, make cue sheets etc. Right now we need volunteers to lead weekend rides, north and south, but especially north.

Over the long haul, we also need some people to step forward to lead the regular morning and evening weekday rides. We have an extraordinary cadre of regular ride leaders who -- dare I say -- "curate" the riding experience from their respective ride start locations. They think a lot about where are the fun, challenging, and beautiful roads to ride in their area and turn them into memorable routes. But a lot of those ride leaders have been doing it for years and years (and years) and might be ready to step down if only someone else would step up.

And it's not just ride leaders we need. Every year we organize an end-of-August club picnic and a November banquet. Jen Adolf has been putting the banquet together for several years and Jane Armbruster the same for the picnic and for even more years than that. They would love some help. They would love to find a successor.

The same thing goes for picnic rides. Folks who have been hosting a picnic ride for many years (Jim Vozga on Memorial Day, Mike Maher on Labor Day) may be ready for a break. Other hosts of long-standing (Linc Blaisdell, Rich Swank, and Bob and Tris) are now happily retired. Fortunately, others have recently stepped up (Dave Dunkle, Bill Harrington), but there's room for more.

And just because you are relatively new to the club doesn't mean you can't help. In fact, it would be a great way to get to know the rides, people, and events that make the NFBC a great club. New members or old, let me know if you'd like to help in some way.