As of this writing I have been on three of our pre-TOSRV rides. I have abandoned my old ways of riding a full century on these early rides. I'll leave that for TOSRV. It is much easier on this old body riding the 60 to 70 mile routes and enjoying the beautiful Ohio countryside. I am always impressed with the routes selected by the various leaders. With slight overlaps our tours cover most of the area surrounding Columbus. This year Woodstock and MOC overlap in the Horseshoe Road area and into Westfield. Later in the year the Ridge Runner will cover fringe areas around Woodstock. To the South SPOT overlaps with some of the TOSRV route and also Ride the Darby. And there are other examples. The point being is that we pretty much have a tour to cover the entire range of terrain in Central Ohio.

WOODSTOCK was again well attended. This first tour of the year always seems to get everyone out and going. This year there were 350 registered riders. According to leader Bobbi Bedinghaus "Everyone seemed to have great fun and were very polite." We did have a last minute bridge out. Some walked their bikes around while I took a four-mile detour. Again, this year, I met young people riding the tour as cross training for other sports.

SPOT registered 233 riders this year. This ride from Groveport covers more rural areas than the Northern rides. I always enjoy this area since it is near my home on the Big Darby. A few small hills and a more than mild Eastwardly wind were help in getting ready for TOSRV. Thanks to Bruce and Barb Meyers for planning this fine ride.

MOC is again a full service ride and is back with a bang. There were more than 280 riders on this tour from Delaware through Delaware, Morrow and Marion Counties. Special thanks go to Andys Burns, Woody Barry and the Central Ohio Bicycle Club for their efforts in planning and staffing this super tour. Thanks also to the Delaware officials, merchants and bike shops who contributed to this effort.

Following up on the `new rider' information from last month I am adding a couple of scheduled evenings for D riders. Mary Beth Blome mbblome (AT) earthlink.net 614/542-0224, Linda Adams captmadamadam (AT) hotmail.com 740/666-1529 and myself will be available to introduce you to COP group riding. These rides are for those entry level riders wanting to learn to ride safely with a group, safety, commands/calls to other riders, pacing, shifting and overall fitness to move to a C level rider.

My apologies for an incorrect date for the Heart of Ohio Tour published in last month's newsletter. The correct date this year is June 10.

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