10th Annual HATTARICK - Hockhocking Adena Trail To Athens Ride In the Cold for Koffee

Saturday, January 8, 2011          10:00 AM Mass Start
Ten years, can you believe that?   I didn't think so.  But hey, who would make something like that up? 
(for the ten-year anniversary, I thought I'd re-introduce the spiritual aspect to the ride... and start with Mass again) 

For this year's HATTARICK,  milestone 10 and all... we should do something special.  
 
I'm thinking....  How about temperature's above 30 dF !!!    Geesh, was last year cold or what?? 
There must have been 15 people said they were definitely riding.... six showed up.  One for each degree above zero. 

Certainly, those six degrees separated these riders far from the rest of the maddening crowd.   
(ooh... I just got an eerie feeling after writing/reading that... did you?  spooky)
Please Note:  The HATTARICK traditionally does not compete with other January 1 rides, as a courtesy... 
to it's loyal riders,  most of whom are nursing bad headaches that day.  Why double up? 
And so, on to the details: 


Day of Ride - Saturday, January 8:
9:15 - 9:45 AM
   Arrive at Hocking Technical College Parking Lot, in Nelsonville, OH – Across the RR tracks from all those quaint log cabins.  
 
Park near the tracks.  Dress for 2  3 kinds of weather, minimum.   Bring extra gloves, heck... bring an Arc'Teryx MT. EVEREST Expedition parka, the Sherpa series, and a pair of flip flops, just in case.   (No, Pete is not going to loan you HIS flip flops.  I tried that already) 
    
10:00 AM 
Leave the parking lot  (preferably on your bike & on the trail)
 
Remember:

This is a social ride, not a race.   
And if temps are in the single digits again, it's not even all that social.  Spoken words freeze mid-air, and can't pierce 3 layers of ear protection.   We save up the banter for the restaurant, and take it out on the waitress.  
11:30 ish
  Arrive in Athens... where we plan to execute THE 2010 PLAN,  
 
- which got subverted in 2010,  cause when we first arrived at the quaint, salt-lick town of Enterprise, and the daytime high had reached a balmy 11 dF, and some idiot shouted "keep going!",  which no-one heard through their ear protection,  and the first rider, following the muffled sound,  made a right turn into Enterprise, and all the remaining riders followed.  Later the 'idiot' was identified as an employee at the really nice, locally owned, healthy food restaurant, which means this person was a lot smarter than he/she sounded...  but that's another story.

THE 2010 (Now the 2011) PLAN
 
(a written-in-stone,  weather-dependent,  non-negotiable,  see-what-happens,  mandatory,  go-with-the-flow,  suck-it-up...  sort of thing,  sort of) 
Again, the PLAN is to turn around in Athens and ride back to Enterprise, and eat there !   

1.  That makes the first half of the ride longer, the second half short, and screws up the concept of "half".   
Totally in keeping with the HATTARICK rider's renegade image. 

2.  Some may want to ride to Enterprise, stop and drink coffee, until the rest return. 

Totally in keeping with the HATTARICK rider's renegade image. 

3.  Some may want to ride to Enterprise, stop and warn the restaurant about the rest of us, soon to be there. 
Totally in keeping with the HATTARICK rider's renegade image. 

4.  Some may want to eat in Athens anyway, and skip Enterprise.  
Totally in keeping with the HATTARICK rider's renegade image. 

11:40 ish  Reverse direction, head for Enterprise. 

12:10 ish
  Stop to eat in Enterprise... Dutch treat.
   
(Maybe this is the year someone named 'Dutch',  who hasn't read the rules, joins the ride.  Let's not give up on that)  

1:15 ish
  Leave Enterprise and return to Nelsonville


2:00 ish  Arrive back at HTC.  (pack up, turn up the car heater, 

begin the year-long process of forgetting the suffering)   

Remember:
 
HATTARICK riders are found in that small loop created by the intersection of those people crazy about cycling,  and those who are just plain nuts.
 
The 2010 ride had the highest attendance of any HATTARICK in history... (when the temp was below 10 dF)   
 
Come and see what 
Outside magazine calls "A mistake.  Seriously, this is a big mistake.  And NO, we're not sending a reporter!"   
Bring all the cycling clothing you own, be prepared for every contingency, and do the only January in Ohio ride 
that features an octogenarian rider wearing flip flops, and an Arc'Teryx MT. EVEREST Expedition parka, Sherpa series. 
Totally in keeping with the HATTARICK rider's renegade image.

See you Saturday, January 8.   
Please forward to the cyclists I missed or overlooked in this initial memo. 
(except Dutch)


ADDENDUM
Okay, several of you caught the carefully placed 'errors' in that first announcement, and thus 'tie' for the "truth in advertising" prize... 
So you'll have to split the case of SPAM and the carton of Lucky Strikes among you.

The errors were:
1. The town is called Eclipse, not Enterprise.  Tricky, cause there is a town called Enterprise in that area too!!
2. The  "really nice, locally owned, healthy food restaurant"  restaurant is actually called Jana's.    Except it got eclipsed by the recent tornado in that area.   
Several people said it's not now a functioning enterprise.  BUT, someone suggested we go back to the OLD, OLD plan, and try: "the Casa Nueva in Athens"   half-way thru the ride.
Course, the guy who suggested this goes by the nickname "Dutch", so ...   Caveat Emptor...   (I've always wanted to use that phrase... did I use it correctly?)  

So, the choice of restaurant will be 'up for grabs', once we arrive in Athens, assuming we arrive.  

The rest of the ride details:  Where, when, parking, etc. remain the same.   

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