April 2003

Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month April 2003 more or less as they happened. I will publish any ride reports that I receive. Please send them to bikebob@crocker.com and you too can get yourself published on the web!

Saturday 4/5: Today was a cool rainy day for our road ride. I was joined by Curt and Rob Macks for a ride down to South Deerfield. We left the shop and headed down to River Road in Deerfield at a pretty mellow pace due to the wet roads. We kept a steady 15 mph average all the way down to RT. 116 where we turned and headed up to Sugarloaf Street. As we got to the center of town the clouds started to clear and we headed north into a headwind, but under brighter skies. We finished the ride at a 15 mph pace and it was a good ride.

Below is a ride report from Matt Putnam. Matt used to work at the shop and now he works at South Mountain Cycles in Phoenix, AZ.
Hey what's up? Just writing to tell you about one of the best rides I've been on in a while. After two weeks of consecutive 100-115 degree days in phoenix we decided to take a trip to flagstaff for the opening of the cocino forest. the forest had been closed since may and was opening at 8 am on Saturday. we were at the gate with around twenty other riders from the state at 7:30. it was like I was racing again but twenty times more fun. it was a 5 hour ride that started at 7500ft. and went up to 1200ft. the forest had been getting rain the past few days and the trail was perfect. After about six miles of climbing I managed to get a flat. not just a regular flat but a couple of two inch rips in the side of my tire. it went off like a shotgun. then on the way down to the main road the lighting and hail started. I finally hitched a ride in the back of a pickup truck from two decent looking women and surprisingly they were straight. which officially made them hot. In town I had been hooked up with a new tire for a good price and went back to Mt Eldon. re climbed the six miles and then the next few miles and waited for the group to return from a loop. from there it was nothing but more uphill until we reached the top at 1200 feet. I felt as if Camel Joe had stolen one lung and had dibs on half of the other. (finally ditched those). Then , and this deserves its own paragraph.

the down-hill started with a steep 100 yard skid fest through some large boulders and a huge bermed switchback. Found a use for six inches of rear travel and glad I had it. the trail was called little bear and was five miles of switchbacks and Cliffside technical rocky trail. down through the pines and into a section of aspen trees that reminded me of riding back east. It was fast and furious riding for about a half an hour with no stops. the best part was when we got to the bottom of the trail and while waiting for the two other riders a hot blond on a hardtail none the less stopped and said that our friends would be a few minutes. no trouble they were just holding her up on the decent. we all rode back to the parking lot together and went straight to downtown for pasta and beer. just thought you would like to know . AZ rocks! desert riding in town and Vermont riding only two hours away.

Thursday 4/10: Tonight was our first week night ride of the season, due to the rain and snow that fell last week. It has been a long winter and it seems that it will never end. I planned to do the Bull Hill Ride myself, with the experts doing the Cave Hill Climb and the Leisure Group would do the Sunderland Sweep. It was a nice night although a little chilly with a pretty stiff wind coming out of the north. We only had five riders show up for the ride, they were Dan Laroche, Homer, Rob Macks, and Rick McCullough. Karen Slack went out for a ride with ME. After everyone was ready we left the shop at 6:00 and headed over to Turners Falls. We took the Third Street Hill up to Scotty's and kept right at the fork in the road. We all took turns at the front on the trip to Montague Center at a 18 mph pace. The group took it easy on the rough roadway near the center of town and we only picked up the speed when we got onto Leverett Road. We got out onto RT. 63 and the speed went up considerably. We paced all the way down to Bull Hill at 23 mph, enjoying the tailwind. After we rode down Bull Hill we turned onto RT. 116 and got hit with the headwind. We pushed into the wind all the way over to the center of Sunderland and at that point Homer and Dan sprinted off the front and then they took a right onto River Road. Rick and Rob were pretty tired and did not want to go up the hills on River Road so we headed up to Sugarloaf Street. We slowed the pace down and settled in to a 15 mph speed. After a few minutes Homer and Dan passed us as we neared the center of town. Dan and Homer continued on ahead while my duo followed me back to the shop. Although it was a chilly, windy night we kept a 17 mph average.

Sunday 4/13: It was a sunny, cool day with a slight breeze coming from the south when I left my house for the ride which I had scheduled for 1:00. There was group of sixteen riders waiting for me when I arrived at the shop. I had a 49 mile trip planned for the experts, a 32 mile trip for the intermediates and I was leading the leisure group on a 30 mile trip to Bull Hill and back to the shop. The group left the parking lot and we rode over to Turners Falls via Greenfield Road. The pace was reasonable for all the riders in my group and we were still all together at the bottom of the Third Street Hill. The hill quickly sorted the group into three segments, with Joe and the experts off the front and myself riding sweep. When I crested the hill I found that there was just five riders left in my group and we settled in to begin our journey. I had Missy Phillips, Sean Mahar, and QN with me as we headed over to Montague Center. The group did very well into the wind and I rode at the front for most of the way, trading spots with QN and Sean every once in while. We kept a moderate pace of 15 mph for most of the way through the village and I kept going from the front to the back to make sure that everyone was doing OK. Today was the first group ride for Missy and Sean, so I helped them with some riding techniques, like how to keep a straight line when reaching for your waterbottle. QN and I did some short pulls on RT. 63 and when I drifted to the back I got Missy and Sean to take in some GU that I had given them. We made good time down to the Bull Hill Road turn and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I was a little worried about Missy because she had on a short sleeved jersey, while the rest of us had on jackets and long sleeve jersey's. I thought that she might get cold in some of the valleys, but she did just fine. As we rode down RT. 63 we met up with Walter and his friend, who were doing a ride from Conway. Walter and his friend joined us on Bull Hill Road and they stayed with us all the way to Sunderland. It was nice to chat with Walter as we rode along, it reminded me of some of the rides we had done in year's past. After we crossed the Sunderland Bridge, Walter and his friend went straight on 116 while my group turned onto River Road. At this point the wind had shifted to the north again and we were into a brisk headwind. I did a long pull at the front until we got to the first hill. At this point, Missy was getting a little tired, so I had her slow down and we set a good tempo on the hill. Sean and QN were over the top by the time Missy and I got there so I rode on ahead to the next hill and told them to continue and that I was going to stay with Missy. Missy and I rode the next couple of hills together and I gave her some tips on climbing. When we got to the top of Cemetery Hill, QN and Sean were waiting for us and we all rode back to the shop together. It was a nice ride and although it was a bit long for Missy and Sean, they seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. QN was ready to set out on the second lap when HMJ showed up and squelched that idea. After a few minutes, Joe and his group showed up along with Curt and his crew. Everyone seemed to have a good time and we hung out at the shop for a little while before people headed off for home.

Sunday, April 13th B.U. Cave Hill/Bull Hill Rd. Distance - 32.1 Average - 15.9
Another nice early Spring day for this Sunday ride at Bob's shop. The 'advertised' ride was for the Bull Hill road loop, with some of the faster riders going for the Shutesbury ride instead. I wanted something in between, so talked a few people into considering doing the Bull hill ride with the addition of Cave Hill. Tom Martyn agreed to this, but then was talked into doing the Shutesbury ride, as was Michelle. I decided to start out and see where everyone stood once we hit Rte 63 and make my decision then. I didn't feel up to doing Shutesbury this early in the season, so would probably end up doing either Cave Hill of just the basic Bull Hill ride.

Five of us (Tom Martyn, John, Rob LaPointe, Michelle₂) started out a bit early to get a jump on the faster group. By the time we got to be about a mile short of Rte 63, Rob was ready to slow it down a bit, and I knew that I didn't have it in me to chase these guys all the way to Shutesbury. Rob and I dropped off to set a slower pace and headed to Cave Hill together.

The hill wasn't very difficult since we were able to make our own pace. Once over the top, we had a nice roll all the way to Bull Hill road and over to 116. Once on 116, we hit a headwind and I noticed that Rob was having a tough time staying on my wheel even when I slowed things down a few notches. He finally told me that he was bonked and was going to stop, have some food, take a rest, and make his way back to the shop on his own. This left me own my own to make it back to Greenfield against a headwind. I decided that Rte 5 would probably be the flattest and most sheltered way home. I made it back, riding tucked down as much as I could to present a small profile to the wind. Surprisingly, even with the strong winds on the latter half of the ride, I didn't feel tired at all when I finally made it back to the shop.

I think, though, that all in all I didn't drink enough on either of my rides this weekend. I've been drinking all evening and am still fighting a headache due to dehydration. I think the wind on both days must have sucked the moisture right out of my body.

Tuesday 4/15: Today I stopped at the bank and PJW told me that she might not make it to the ride tonight because she did not get enough sleep last night. Now I will usually let something like that slip right by without a word, being that I am a gentleman after all, but today I bit. So I said to PJW "How come you are so tired?" PJW said that she had awakened on Sunday night and went out to the kitchen and got herself something to eat. After getting the midnight snack she headed back to the sack. After munching on the snack for a minute she felt tired, so she set the goodies on the floor next to he bed, and fell back to sleep. The next morning she awoke and headed off for the days activities. When she returned to her bedroom for Monday night she found that a colony of ants had taken up residence in her bedroom, finishing off the treat from the night before. Being the ardent naturalist that she is; she could not move the darling little creatures on, so she slept on the couch. Not as much fun as one would think, and not near enough sleep either. Well to make a long story short "Ant Penny says: If you want to attract activity to the sleeping chambers, pick a better bait than a candy bar!"
Well, PJW did in fact make it to the ride tonight and she along with a group of 15 other riders came out on a chilly early spring evening for our 30 mile ride. Our plan was to do a loop down to Whatley and then back up River Road. ME, along with Christina the Crab, Ms Jeanne, Tom Deam, PJW and Cathy Brault left the shop and headed down to do a loop in Deerfield a few minutes before our group. After everyone was ready, I led a group of nine riders down High Street and then into Deerfield. When we got out onto RT. 5&10 we were hit with a fierce headwind which at times felt like it would blow us back to Greenfield. I kept a 19mph pace all the way to Old Deerfield where I pulled off and Harold Green took over. Harold stayed on the front all the way to Mill Village Road where he pulled off and Doug Dale took over. As we rode down the hill onto Mill Village Road we came upon ME's group which we overtook pretty quickly. As we got out onto the flat section of road, Doug, Joe M., and Homer started to pull away. Soon there were big gaps in the line and I looked back to see that we had dropped Rob Macks and Harold. I then gathered QN and Stu King and we took off to catch up with Joe, Doug and Homer. We caught them at the bottom of the Stillwater Hill and we all began the climb together. I followed Doug up the first section of hill but QN and Stu had dropped back, so I told Doug to continue and that I would ride with QN and Stu. When Stu got to the top of the hill he and QN got onto my wheel and we headed off for So. Mill River Road. The wind was pretty stiff, but I managed to keep a pretty good pace out to the Whatley town line. Joe's group was still in sight, although quite a ways up the road, as we neared the hills into Whatley center. I kept telling QN and Stu to set their own pace on the hills, only to sprint up the steeper climbs just ahead of them. I could tell that QN was catching onto my tricks so after the first hill I stayed at the back. After we got to the center of town we headed down to River Road. As soon as we got onto River Road and headed north, we got a tailwind that pushed the speed up to 22 mph. We roared though South Deerfield and took a right onto RT. 5&10 to head back to Greenfield. With the tailwind we kept a steady 23 to 26 mph average on our way back up to Greenfield. As we got near the town line we passed PJW, Peter Truesdell and Tom Deam. They were cruising right along and they followed us back to the shop.

Below is the report that Michelle Hurley sent in about her first race.
Saturday 4/19 - Adelphia GP. Today was my first race and I went in with the goal of not embarrassing myself. That goal seemed in jeopardy as I waited in the staging area and was told by a race official that my number was pinned on upside down! I was hopeful that would not be an indicator of how the day would go. It was chilly with temps in low 40s and a stiff east wind. The course was a 2.5 mile loop with 2 good climbs. The women's 4 race was supposed to be 10 laps but ended up being only 8 because we were going too slowly! Anyway, it was a great time - I was nervous and watching everyone, waiting for them to spit me out the back, but that did not happen. I stayed with the main group and the race really came down to the last eighth of a mile as we came down a hill and made the last turn and cruised to the finish line. I came around the corner somewhere around 12th position and just went as hard as I could thinking that everyone would soon be leaving me in the dust, but as I got closer to the finish, I realized that I was the one doing the passing and suddenly my goal went from finishing in the top half (my goals got loftier as the race progressed) to placing. I couldn't quite catch the front two women but I managed to grab third! The first place woman was about 2 bike lengths ahead of me. It was a good first race for me. I had a great time and I can't wait to do it again. So, I'm going to head down to Palmer on Saturday to try again. I hope that other folks from our group will give racing a try. It really was a lot of fun and it would be great to go with a group.

Easter Sunday 4/20: I did not schedule a ride today because I thought that most people would have family functions. I went over to the shop to get my bike at 1:00 and as I was pulling in Ron Johnson stopped by to see if there was a ride. I told him that I was going to do an easy 30 miles and if he wanted to join me he was welcome. I started to get ready to go and Jon and Kate came by thinking that there was a ride. I told them that I was going to do a mellow ride and Jon said he would join me while Kate said she was going to go with ME and PJW. I finished getting my bike ready and Rich Doherty showed up as well, so my little solo ride became a foursome. We left the shop at 1:15 and headed over to Bernardston Road. I led the group up the hill at a 15 mph pace which I held until we got to the Honda dealership and Jon took over. Jon picked the pace up to 20 mph and we cruised up to the town line in Bernardston, where Jon leapt off the front and took the sprint. I wanted to keep my effort steady so I let Ron take the lead. Ron rode at the front all the way to the Vermont line where Jon then sprinted off the front to take the sprint. We traded pace on the front all the way to Tyler Hill and I took off at the bottom of the climb. I held a 10 yard lead until the last turn when Jon came by me. We all pedaled down the hill at 40 mph and soon we were on RT. 142. As we made the turn south we were confronted with a brisk headwind. I led all the way down to the table manufacturing factory where Ron took over. I was a little whipped at this point and fell off the back, but I managed to sprint back on before too long. We rode at a 17 mph pace down to the state line where I came up behind Jon and started to accelerate to 26mph. As I did so I kept moving further over to the center of the road and when I did, this gave Rich a lane out of the wind which he used to sprint past Jon and I to take the sprint. It was a classic setup that worked to perfection. We soft pedaled for a while and then picked the pace up again just before the hill near the gravel pit. I stayed in the middle of the group, but even with that I did not have the gas to take Jon to the top of the hill. I slowed near the top and soon I was off the back and so I once again had to bring my speed up to 23 mph to catch the group on the flats. We rolled over to the Gill town line which Rich and Jon sprinted to a tie. As we got to the RT. 10 intersection we met Curt, Roger, and a couple of other riders going the other way. Curt said that he didn't know that there was a ride and I said that there wasn't a ride planned, but one just happened. Had I known that there was going to be an interest, I would have planned a ride. Oh, well! After leaving Curt and his crew we turned onto RT. 10. At this point I was getting tired so I stayed at the back of the group when we took a left onto Turners Falls Road in Gill. The group rolled over to the Oak Hill Golf Course and began the climb up the hill. Rich was falling off the back on the steeper pitch so we slowed the pace until he got back on. We kept a fairly mellow pace over to the RT. 2 crossing and then back up the Esleeck Hill to High Street. We ended the ride with a 19.5 average. It was a beautiful sunny day with the temperatures in the 60's. The wind was a factor on the way back, but all in all we had a great time.

Thursday, April 24th Millers Falls/Rte 63/Bernardston Distance - 26.69 Average - 17.8
Tonight was another cold and windy evening. We had a gusty wind that came out of all directions, but mostly from the North. Temperatures started out in the mid-forties, and continued to cool throughout the ride so things would start to get chilly as soon as the sun went down. Nine cyclists showed up for the ride. The hill East of Turners Falls (up to the market) pulled the group apart as it always does, but we regrouped once over the top and headed for Millers Falls. Michelle set a pace of 24mph for a few miles, until Bob went forward to ask her to back it down a bit. We continued on at a more leisurely pace of 18mph. Once we turned North to head up 63, we started feeling the headwind. Four riders pulled off the front to set a faster pace. I would have considered going with them, but I had just spent my energy on the town line sprint in Millers and hadn't had enough recovery time yet to be able to close down the gap that had already developed on the slight climb up the rte 2 overpass. Within about 5 miles, we swept one of the breakaway riders back into our group, but didn't see the rest of them until we got back to the shop. This left 6 of us to make our way North to Northfield. Bob spent quite a lot of time in the front, constantly adjusting the pace for a few riders in the rear that were having a tough time hanging on (I won't mention any names...). We took things easy on Rte 10 heading towards Bernardston, then headed down Barton Rd. Jap was struggling a bit and finally gave up on Barton Rd, since he hadn't been out much yet this Spring. Bob dropped back to finish the ride with him. The four remaining riders headed down Country Club Rd (25mph with a nice tailwind) and finished the ride up by cutting over Silver Street and back to the shop.

Thursday 4/24: After the Tuesday night rainout I am certain that we all have done something very bad to deserve all the inclement weather we have had recently. At least we had sunny skies when the group arrived at the shop for the trip up to Northfield. There was a stiff wind blowing from the north which made the 40 degrees feel a lot colder than it was. I led the group out of the parking lot at 6:00 and we headed for Turners Falls. The group stayed together until we got to the Third Street Hill. I led the charge up the hill but when I got to the top there was only Dan, Homer and Doug with me. I turned around and gathered the group back and soon we all were heading towards Millers Falls. Doug, Homer and Dan did the honors at the front while I rode with Jamie, Curt and several others as we headed out of Millers Falls. When we got onto the RT. 63 hill in Erving, the group started to string out. I told Dan, Doug and Homer to head onward and then I dropped back to the group. I stayed at the front of the group and we rode at a mellow pace so that Jamie and Jaap could catch back on. The group came back together at Northfield Mountain and we all began the climb up the hill at a moderate pace. I stayed at the front of the group all the way to the RT. 10 turn, where Curt took over the lead. I rode at the back with Jaap who fell off on the climb into Gill, but when we caught back on, I went to the front and pulled into the wind. We decided to take Barton Road to Country Club Road because it was getting dark and it was also getting colder. After we made the turn onto Barton Road I leapt from behind the group and sprinted to the town line, my first this year. At this point Jaap was cooked so I sent the group on ahead and I went back and rode in with him.

Sunday 4/27: The day started out cloudy and cool, but the sun came out mid morning, and the afternoon was sunny and warm. The ride today was 37 miles and I was joined by Kent, Bill, John Bentley, Mark, Roger, Harold Green and Ron Johnson. I led the group down to Stillwater Hill at a pretty good clip, but when we got to the hill Roger, Mark and Ron fell off the lead group, so I dropped back and rode with them. Roger was having a hard time keeping the pace on the hills so I stayed with him while Ron and Mark rode on ahead. They waited at the top of the hills and we all got to Whatley center together. At that point I sent Ron and Mark on ahead and I rode the back way to South Deerfield with Roger. Roger and I had a really nice ride back through Deerfield. We picked up the pace getting back into Greenfield and then spun easily back to the shop. It was a nice ride all in all.

Tuesday 4/29: It was a really nice day today with temperatures in the 70's and sunny skies. A group of 20 people showed up for our ride to Hatfield. We took RT. 5&10 down to Deerfield and then we followed the back roads to Whatley. After passing through the center of Whatley we we rode down to Hatfield and then back to Greenfield on River Road. We did the ride at 20 mph for the 40 miles.