Ride Pleasant Streets - Saturday Short Edition

Join us on Saturday, Apr 1 @ 3:00 PM as we make our way from Pleasant Ridge to beautiful Ault Park. The cherry trees will be in full bloom! We will also visit the site of the historic Cincinnati Observatory as an added treat. This ride features an out-and-back on Montgomery and Lester Roads, combined with low-stress streets in Norwood and a segment of the Wasson Way. The middle of our route takes us on a loop through Mt. Lookout—moderately hilly, but also where we are rewarded with the beauty of Ault Park and the Cincinnati Observatory. PLEASE PRE-REGISTER HERE (25 riders max) after reading the event details. Note: Pre-registration helps us with safe and smooth ride management, so please do this if you can. However, don’t avoid coming just because your schedule was uncertain. You can register on-site if you need to—just be extra sure to arrive 10-15 minutes early. ———— Route preview: RPS_033 - Sat Short - Ault Park As an added bonus of Queen City Bike’s sponsorship of this event, you can navigate this route for free on the Ride with GPS app at any time—both during the event and after! ———— Departure Time: 3:00pm - Please plan to arrive early so we can all leave in a punctual fashion - We will meet in front of Community Happens Here - Ride leaders will be there by 2:45pm to answer any questions Distance: 15 miles Difficulty: - Mid-level Beginners and above - All riders should be comfortable with basic bike-handling and traffic skills - Route is not suitable for young children, but may be a good match for proficient teenagers (per discretion of parents) - We will regroup as needed throughout the ride Terrain: The route is predominantly rolling, but has fewer flat stretches and more harder climbs than our typical “Sat Short” events. Climbs (steeper than +4% grade): - Observatory Ave. (~0.7 mi; 4-5% grade) as we head out of Ault Park - Lester Avenue (~1 mi; 4-5% grade). On our way back to Pleasant Ridge. - A handful of smaller climbs are also scattered amidst our loop through Mt. Lookout. Descents (steeper than neg 4% grade): - Lester Road (~1.2 mi; max neg 4-5% grade) as we head out of Pleasant Ridge - Observatory Drive (max neg 6.5% grade) as we sweep out of Ault Park - Both of these are moderate descents that are great for building your confidence! Traffic stress: - >90% of this ride will be on low-traffic streets Higher-stress areas: - The busiest area will be riding through the center of Pleasant Ridge (on Montgomery). The multiple traffic lights, the lower traffic volume on Saturday afternoons, and our presence as a group will all help to reduce the stress in this section. - The second busiest area will be rolling down Erie Ave. toward Marburg Ave. We will be carrying good speed in this section, however, so not many cars will need to pass us. When we arrive at Erie and Marburg, we will do a special turn-around loop that will reduce stress at this often-busy junction. Post-ride: - Spontaneous post-ride plans are welcome! - We should be done with the ride by about 5:00pm. ———— Safety Notes: - Helmets required - Bike must be in good working condition. Please contact me if you have any questions! Weather Notes: - In the event of adverse weather, I will post an update on the day of the ride—at or before noon - Updates will be shared on the Facebook event page, and also via the Ride Pleasant Streets Google Group - No message means the ride is still on! Parking: - Community Happens Here asks that if at all possible, we do NOT use their parking lot during our events. - Abundant FREE parking is located at the Pleasant Ridge Community Parking Lot, behind the Walgreens at 6204 Montgomery Road. This is ONE block from Community Happens Here. ———— Queen City Bike is grateful to Pleasant Streets and Community Happens Here for helping to make this bike event possible.