Post event report:

It was a beautiful morning on March 16th for the Almost Pi Day Ride. It was a little chilly at the 11:00 am start but warmed up quickly. There were 10 riders ready to ride out to Glen's Pie restaurant In Florence (40ish miles).

We rolled out at 11:00 promptly. The group picked up another rider by the Southgate Mall and set an easy pace for Lolo. After a couple of regroups Lolo came fairly soon.

At Lolo we had a few riders decide that a two hour ride made more sense than going all the way to Florence and turned around for home ( In hindsight not a bad choice). Eight riders enjoyed the day and rolling hills on the Bitterroot Trail from Lolo to Florence. We pulled into Glen's in just under two hours and were very anxious to celebrate Pi Day a couple days late with of course, Glen's pies. The pie did not disappoint with rhubarb being the most popular choice.

On the way back to Missoula we met up with a young gentleman on a 36 inch wheel unicycle who said he was doing a 100 mile unicycle ride that day. No doubt the fellow was a rider as he was 64 miles into the ride when we met him.

By the time we hit Lolo at about 3hours ride time, tired legs and sore bottoms were sort of setting in on most of us. We took a final tally on which riders were cutting off the trail in Missoula to go home instead of finishing under the Beartracks bridge.

The big hill out of Lolo seemed harder and steeper than it usually does. Most of the riders settled into smaller groups of twos and threes for the last hour of the ride and said our goodbyes as we split off for home along the trail. Ride leader Greg Hejtmanek finished at the Beartracks bridge at 3:25 pm. Just under 4 hours as projected riding time.

The ride seemed to be enjoyed by all but it might have been a little far for this early of a ride in the season. Maybe ride to Milltown on Pi Day and Save Glen's Pie Ride to Florence for a later date. It was a fantastic route enjoyed by all.
Tailwinds Greg

Total distance ~39 miles, Time ~3 Hours 30 minutes, Elevation gain ~785 feet 

Pre-ride information:

Pi + .02 day ride at a leisurely pace (10 to 12 mph) with a couple of stops to regroup. Mostly flat with a few hills on the Bitterroot Trail. The route is around 90% plus on the Bitterroot Trail to Florence, MT and back. We will stop at Glen’s Cafe for a nice spot of lunch and/or pie and a cup of coffee or water at the turn around. See the map of the Bitterroot Trail for trail information below or click here.

Being early in the year, the ride is subject to cancellation due to weather. If there is minimal ice on the trail, reasonably dry and above freezing we will most likely go. Dress for the weather.

Please RSVP if you’re considering joining the ride so that you will be provided the leader's contact information and can be informed of any late-breaking changes (e.g., weather-related cancellation).

• Ride name: MBC Almost Pi Day 
• Date: 3/16/2024
• Start time: 11:00 AM starting time. Total time approximately 4 1/2 hrs. round trip.
• Gathering place: Milwaukee Trail under the Higgins St. Bridge (Chief Beartracks Bridge)
• Distance in miles: 40 miles
• Pace:  Leisurely pace: 10 to 12 mph
• Planned stops: Possible regrouping stop on the way with pie stop at Glen's Cafe in Florence 
• Leader:  leader contact information will be provided in the autoresponse email you will receive after you RSVP below.