Is it November again? I can't figure where time goes. I thought retirement in 1994 would bring lots of time for lots of activities and many accomplishments. Wrong! I am continually behind on my job list and leisure plans. I think retirement and time management are incompatible terms. I still have a number of COP events to get into my schedule, maybe next year.

We had another great year of riding. For the most part the weather was kind and rider counts were high. I have already received calls inquiring about next years schedule from dedicated riders setting up their 2006 colander.

Recently reported counts show 156 registered riders on the Ridge Runner Ramble and 162 on the Covered Bridge Century. Gordon Renkes tells me that the CBC 100 miler was a great tune up for the Columbus Fall Challenge.

Great weather again this year for the Columbus Fall Challenge. We had 243 registered riders headed south. A little unwelcome excitement on CFC this year involved accidents due to animals. A fall avoiding a dog led to a hairline fracture of a collarbone. A downhill collision with a deer put another rider in the Marietta hospital for an overnight stay. As it turns out, the rider in the deer incident was not a registered rider. While unregistered riders are not known to be a major problem on COP rides, they certainly are an irritant to ride leaders and registered riders. Unregistered riders are not covered by our insurance plus we certainly need those ride fees to support our programs.

Seems that several of our leaders get requests from riders for maps of our tour routes to use at later dates. Unfortunately we cannot issue a ride map of a tour to anyone who did not register and sign a release on the day of the ride. Our insurance carrier and risk management personnel indicate that our insurance covers us only on the day of the ride for registered riders.

November is the time for our annual rider leaders party. If you are a leader, leader in training or just think you may be interested in becoming a leader, check the meetings section of this newsletter or contact me for further details.

E-mail me at bicycling (AT) outdoor-pursuits or call 614/877-3085 with your comments or suggestions.