About The Licking County Bicycle Club
This web site is intended to be our communications center to introduce the Licking County Bicycle Club to prospective members, to communicate with our current members, and to provide general information about bicycling and bicycling safety. The web site will be updated on a weekly, if not daily basis, to keep members in touch with each other, and to provide current news and ride schedules. Make sure you visit the LCBC Forum to share knowledge and ideas with other members, of just talk about the great ride you had today.
Our club is basically a road touring club, although members have been known to occasionally organize mountain bike rides for off-road adventures. We ride the trail system, but most of our rides are on the back roads and range from 30 - 50 miles in length. We invite those of all levels of riding experience and riding styles to be a part of our club. A love of bicycling, an appreciation for the outdoors, and a desire to meet new friends are the only "requirements" for being a part of the Licking County Bicycle Club.
Licking County is blessed with fantastic rural scenery filled with streams and rolling hills. We may pass dairy farms, old cemeteries, a covered bridge, or follow the Ohio Canal or the historic National Highway. There's no better way to experience the beauty and history of the area than from the seat of a bicycle with the sun in your face and the wind at your back. During twice-weekly morning rides we explore the back-roads of the area stopping for breakfast at one of the many mom & pop eateries where the food is good, the price is right, and the company is lively. In addition to wandering back-roads Licking County is home to miles and miles of paved trails including the T.J. Evans Bikeway from Newark to Johnstown, the Pan Handle Trail, The Blackhand Gorge trail, and the Ohio Canal Trail.
Rides leave at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday and Saturday mornings from the Licking County Family YMCA in Newark. Helmets are required. We ride in the safety of a group with experienced ride leaders who plot the course to our destination with both the scenery and the terrain in mind. Rides are generally 25 to 50 miles in length and riders set their own pace. No one is left behind! For new riders the distances may seem daunting, but with each ride the challenge becomes more manageable. If there should be a mechanical problem during the ride there are plenty of hands to help and decades of experience to guide you in resolving the problem. If you have a craving for more burning in your legs and fire in your lungs a Wednesday evening group attacks the hill country in the area. No matter how far you ride or how often you ride, you will be more fit as a result.
The annual schedule also includes a summer potluck dinner, a winter Christmas party, and perhaps a fall wiener roast. These gatherings provide a chance for spouses who do not ride and older members who are no longer able to ride to be a part of the club's activities
Come out and join the fun!!