bikebob@crocker.com

Easter Sunday 4/8: I awoke today to the clear skies of Easter and at 7:30 Uncle Mic, Joe and I went out to the Coke Plant to hide the eggs for today's hunt. We rode around the race course and hid three eggs at eight locations. This took about an hour and after we completed our task we headed back to my house for a great brunch of ham, eggs and assorted pastries. At 12:30 I headed over to the shop and picked up the prizes and drove over to the turnaround. I was greeted by a group of 16 eager hunters and after a few instructions, we headed off for the hunt. As in the past I had marked the tree nearest where the eggs were hidden with green tape. The eggs were hidden in a 50 foot radius of the taped tree and out of easy view. The first two spots were set aside for Cathy Heider,Tommy Heider, Ryan Wood, and Evan Tice. The rest of the crew headed up the hill to search for the remaining 18 eggs. I rode with the front group around the course and after everyone was at a site, I continued back around to catch up with Cathy's bunch, who were at the second site. We headed towards the rest of the crew and soon we were all together. After a quick count of the gathered eggs, we were a few short, so some of the riders headed back to re-search the sites with eggs remaining. The rest of us headed back to the turnaround to await the awarding of the prizes. The complete list of riders and their prizes is on the Prize page. Thanks to all who came and to those who donated the prizes.

Monday 4/5: My plan today was to get out for a road ride right after lunch, but I the shop was busy and I didn't get out until 3:30. I rode alone down to So. Deerfield via RT. 5&10. I was going along at a steady 25 mph all the way down to river road. Now I've been at this long enough to know that a tailwind is soon followed by a headwind, and today I was visited by a stiff wind all the way back to Greenfield, that at times slowed me to 15 mph. I rode 23 miles at an average of 20 mph.
    After I arrived back at the shop a group of mountain bikers arrived to do a ride at the Coke Plant. This group included Steve and Lori Daby, Dave M., Jimbo, Johnny Boy, and MPM. They rode for about two hours and they said it was a great ride.

Tuesday 4/6: Tonight's ride was held about 30 minutes earlier than usual to accommodate people who do not have lights. Unfortunately a couple of people got left behind, and to those folks I offer a sincere apology. I try to get in touch with everyone, but if I do not have your e-mail, I cannot contact you. Anyway, I went over to Montague Center at 5:30 and met up wit MPM, Dave, Johnny Boy, Steve and Lori Daby. We rode through the park on our way to the Telephone Pole Trail. We found quite a bit of ice still left in the park, which was very surprising to me. After we got up to the top of the TP trail we headed over to the Toilet Bowl Trail. The trails are all dried out and free of snow and ice, which was a nice treat, and allowed us to make good time out to the power lines. As we approached the turn, I noticed Miss May's car parked on the side of the road. Sure enough, she was there, but she was learning to ride a motorcycle, as her friend and teacher informed us. We waited for a couple of minutes, and we were treated to a sight of Miss May riding the bike towards us, and then she dumped it because she didn't know how to stop it. After a few good natured jabs, we continued on our way. We rode up the back side of Willis Hill and then Dave suggested that we we ride down the side trail and then up Willis Hill itself. I along with MPM and JB joined him and we all made the climb. By this time it was getting late and we decided to head back. We rode past the I-H wreck and then back to the sand pit. From there we rode back the trails we came on and got back to the vehicles at 7:30. A nice ride!

Wednesday 4/7: I went on a windy ride at 2:00  with my buddy "Paco" McDonald. This is our usual ride and that means that I have to haul his dead butt up every hill. It seems that he gets older every week. Because of the wind we cut our trip short, doing only 27 miles. We rode down RT. 5&10 to Christian Lane and then we rode up River Rd. to Rt 116. We then crossed Rt. 116 and then rode up River Rd. in Deerfield to RT. 5&10 and then back to the shop.

Thursday 4/8: Wow! Tonight was our first road ride for the season and we had 27 people show up the season opener. My role was to assist Steve and Becky with whatever was needed, so I joined them with the intermediate group. I led the group out through the first couple of intersections. This is a difficult task, because not everyone is at the same skill level, and some people are not as comfortable in such a large group. As we traveled down Silver St. three separate groups started to form, based on people's ability and experience. I traveled up and down the now strung out line of riders, checking to make sure that everyone was doing OK. As we turned onto Leyden Rd. I took the roll of traffic cop, and I directed everyone onto Nash's Mill Rd. and then onto Colrain Rd. By this time the faster group of 10 riders, that was led by MPM and Dave M., was out of sight and we would not see them again until we got back to the shop. The group that I was riding with, which included Steve and Becky and 8 other riders, started to pull away from MaryEllen and her group. so I dropped back and told MaryEllen that we were going to press on. Riding with MaryEllen was CTD, Maxine and four others. This was CTD's first ride of the year and I was really happy to see him again. After I re-joined my group we pressed on into a fairly brisk wind. The wind was somewhat of a factor as we turned onto Eunice Williams Dr., as the dust was swirling everywhere. We rode across the covered bridge and then onto Leyden Rd. We turned left onto Barton Rd. and continued up Barton Rd. (We said hi to Herb Forgey and his wife who out for a walk, and maybe we can get them to join us next week.) We turned onto Bernardston Rd., where everyone stopped for a brief rest, and then we continued on down Bernardston Rd. to Silver St, and then we rode back to the shop. When we got back to the shop we waited for Milissa and MaryEllen to return, and then CTD broke out the usual refreshments for all to enjoy. It was a very successful ride on a beautiful warm spring evening.

Sunday 4/11: I started the day with a road ride at 10:00 am with Uncle Mic. We left the shop and rode up RT. 5&10 to Bernardston and then we took RT. 10 to Main Road  in Gill. We rode down Main Rd. to Rt. 2 and then back to the shop. This is an 18 mile loop and we did it in an hour and four minutes for an average of 17.4 mph. It was a good ride on a beautiful morning.
    In the evening was our first "Family Ride" of the year. We were treated to fine weather and the return of "Our Hero" for the the season. Along for our trip was Cathy, Tommy, Patrick, and Ken Heider, CTD, Bill C., Mick, Jake Scott, and myself. We rode from the center of town to the Telephone Pole Trail in two groups. Ken Led our bunch and CTD took the helm for Cathy, Tommy and Mick. Our group rode out to the Toilet Bowl Trail and then we headed for the hills. We rode over Red Rock and the up to Craggy Hill. Patrick and I made it to the top with most of the others getting up after a dab or two. We then rode over to Willis Hill and again it was Pat and I that led the way to the top. We regrouped at the top and then headed over to the swamp for a quick lesson on mud riding, and then we rode to the top of the point. After a moment we rode down the hill and it was there that Pat got a flat, which Ken and I fixed in a couple of minutes. As soon as we got Pat on the trail, we joined up with CTD and his troupe and we all set out for the return trip. I rode most of the way back on the road with Cathy and Tommy, while the rest of the riders rode back down the Telephone Pole Trail and then back to Montague Center. It was there that CTD provided us with our usual refreshments as well as some fresh baked goodies.

Tuesday 4/13: Along for tonight's ride was Matt C., Matt P., Jesse, Mick, Sean R., Miss May, Johnny Boy Carney, MPM, Bill, Mark, and me. We headed for the ridge as a group, but as we climbed the first hill, Mick broke his chain. I left him and rode up to the group and told them to continue, then returned and fixed his chain. We then headed out to try to catch the main group. I found the bunch at the parking lot and soon we were all off to ride Temple Woods. Mick and Sean  soon fell back so I decided to stay with them. We rode down to the 180 turn where we re-grouped . From there we rode alone as the other group had sped off and we never were able to catch them. We then rode at an easy pace back down the Red Dot Trail to the trail head and back to the shop.

Wednesday 4/14:Tonight I went out for our first Wednesday nite ride for this year. I was joined by Joe, Matt P., Matt C., Dan Boisclair, Patrick H., and Vinnie Pernice. We headed out to the Coke Plant on the trails behind Stop& Shop and then we rode over to the trailhead near the logs. At this point I sent Joe and the rest on to the water tower, while Dan and I rode at a slower pace. After I got to the tower we all decided to go on to the "Hill of Doom". I rode with Dan down the power lines and then down the "chute". We made it over to the "Hill of Doom" and I rode to the top to find Pat and Vinnie waiting for me. We waited for a couple of minutes and soon Dan was with us and we headed out for "Double Death". I made it up "Double Death" without difficulty, and after talking it over with Dan we decided to head back and let Joe and his crew do a longer route. I rode over the top and found Pat and Vinnie again waiting for me, and after Dan got up with us, we all headed for home. We rode down the mud road and then out to the Swamp. We then rode over RT. 2  and down Gill Rd. and back to the shop. It was a good ride!

Thursday 4/15: Tonight was our usual road ride  which we dubbed "Tax Ride" in honor of our obligation to "Render unto Caesar" which we all face every year. We had another large group of 26 riders and although there were some new people, many of last weeks riders returned. Our route tonight was to leave the shop and head north on Rt. 5&10 and then turn right onto Log Plain Rd. and then left onto Lampblack Rd, and continue north to Rt. 10; from there turn right and head east on Rt10 and then turn right onto Turners Falls Rd. and from there head south on that road to Main Road in Gill. From there turn right and head down the hill and across the bridge and turn right onto Second St. and then turn right onto
Greenfield Rd and then up the hill and back to the shop.
    This week we tried to be a little more efficient getting everyone going. I led the longer ride out of the parking lot and after we left MaryEllen took the shorter ride group behind us. My bunch regrouped at Bernardston Rd. and for the most part that was the last of the "group".  After I led the way up the hill on Bernardston Rd. the faster riders took up the pace and we not seen again until I caught them on Main Rd in Gill. I traveled from the back to the front of the pack and I tried to offer helpful hints to the riders as I passed them. It is hard to know what people need when I have only ridden a few times, but I do what I can. After a brief stop at Streeters Store in Bernardston, I took off to catch up with the front group. I passed the first flat tire of the season as Matt (I think that was his name) was completing the fix, and soon I had the leaders in sight. I helped Tom Merrigan pace up to two women who were just off the back of the main group, but I was not able to get them onto the train. I left that trio and soon I was with the front group and we made our way back to the shop. After I got back to the shop I hopped in the van and made a quick sweep of the route to make sure that everyone got back OK. When I returned to the shop I got to talk to the few remaining riders for a few minutes and get some refreshments provided by CTD. Another great ride!

Sunday 4/18: Our morning group was small but spirited as we left the shop at 9:00 am for a loop up to Bernardston. Joining me for the ride was Nancy and Jack Spanbauer, Peggy O'Neil, Larry Clark. We left the shop and headed down Silver St. for Leyden Rd. at a 15 mph pace and then we turned up Leyden Rd into a headwind. Jack, Nancy, and Peggy started to put some distance on Larry,so I dropped back and started to ride with him. He was on his MTB bike and it was getting too hard for him to keep up with the road bikes so he decided to ride by himself. I took off and soon caught up with the rest of the group,and we rode together up Barton Rd and then to RT. 5&10. It was there that Peggy decided to turn back and ride home. Peggy said that she was just getting over the flu and didn't want to ride too hard. After she peeled off the remaining trio headed up RT. 10 and then turned down Turners Falls Rd. We rode down to Main Rd. in Gill and then turned right onto RT. 2 and then up to French King Highway. We were just coming down the hill onto High St. when we saw Larry coming towards us. It seems that he rode back to the shop and then came out to get us, After we got back to the shop, Larry drove Peggy's car over to her house and the rest of us chatted for a few moments and then headed home.
    After a crazy busy day at the shop, I headed over to Montague Center to do the ride. I met Billy C., Brian Pierce, Ken,Patrick,Cathy,Tommy Heider, CTD, Ryan Conway and Mick to do our usual route. We rode in two groups to begin with and agreed to meet at the top of Red Rock. My group rode up Craggy Hill and then over to Willis Hill. Pat and I were the only ones to make both hills although Ken and Brian, and Billy only dabbed once. We rode over the back side of the hill and then up to the top again, where we encountered Mick and Ryan as they rode up to meet us. We all headed back to the meeting point and after a few minutes rest Billy, Brian, Pat and I took off to ride over to the power lines. The rest of the group took the short way over and we all met at the foot of Willis Hill, where my bunch then took off towards the old trail that leads to the Telephone Pole trail. We rode at a pretty good clip all the way back to the cars, and we commenced to refresh ourselves on the usual  beverages that CTD had brought. Since CTD and the rest had not returned yet I took a ride in the van to see if there was a problem. Sure enough I found out that our hero had pushed Cathy into the path of a stick and caused her derailleur to malfunction. I found them all riding down the road, with Cathy spinning in the back, because she only had the small ring. After we returned to the center of town we were treated to some cookies that were baked by Maxine. We made quick work of them and soon we headed for home.

Tuesday 4/20: It was raining at 6:00 when the shop closed, but I was going to ride anyway. Billy Cowan. was there and I thought that it would be just him and me, but soon we were joined by Miss May, Jesse, Matt C., Dave Flemming, Bill Johnston, his friend, Vinnie, Rob Farnam, Tarsey Anastos and Mick.  We rode from the shop out behind Stop&Shop and it was there that we let Miss May and Mick drift behind, while the rest of us headed over to the Coke Plant. We rode at a good clip as we made the trip up to the water tank and then over to the power lines. We re-grouped at the red rock and decided to go dawn the messed up trail and over to the Hill of Doom. The rain had let up by now, but the trails were somewhat slick, so we took it easy as we headed over to the hill. I made it to the top of the hill but some of the others got hung up on slippery rocks. We made the ride over to Double Death in short order as it started to rain again and everyone wanted to get going. I was the last in line and arrived at the cross over on Red Rock Road, and after a lecture on saddle height we continued over to Double Deathl. I was near the front as we rode up the hill, but I got a bad line and didn't make the second half of the hill. As I walked up the second half of the hill I heard Dave's chain break as he was coming up. He walked up to the top ofthe hill and after I made a quick repair we headed up the secret trail to the water tower. When we got to the water tower everyone wanted to make another loop so we took off for the power lines and we soon were back at the top of the streambed. We descended the streambed trail without difficulty, but as we made the final descent, Miss May wailed a tree with enough force to pitch her about ten feet down the trail. She was bruised and sore but seemed to be otherwise OK, with nothing broken. Since the others were off riding in the swamp, I took Mick, Tarsey and May down the Mud Road and then out to Rt. 2. I left them to make it the rest of the way and headed off to get the rest of our group. I found them behind the Coke Plant and we headed out behind Lillian St for the RT. 2 crossover. We all made it back to the shop in a group and after I doctored Miss May we headed for home.

Wednesday 4/21: My plan for tonight was to ride the ridge and make a quick loop over to the lower swamp. Along for the ride was Patrick, Tarsey, Matt, Matt C., Dave, Sean R., Eric, and myself. We headed up the trail from the seafood place and we then rode down the White Dot Trail to the parking lot at Poet's Seat. We traveled over to Temple Woods and were heading down the trail when Dave told me he was not feeling so good. I sent everyone except for Sean and Dave on the usual loop to Sachem's Head platform. By the time Sean, Dave and I rode down to Bears Den Road the rest of the crew was waiting. I sent them along their way and then Eric, Dave, Sean and I rode over to Highland Pond. From there we rode along the base of the mountain and back to the shop.

Thursday 4/22: It was a cloudy drizzly day and I was uncertain of whether or not we could ride, but I was going to try. At 6:00 it was just cloudy and so 16 people headed out for our planned ride. (You can find a description of the route at the map page.) Along for tonight's ride was Bob and Deb Schilling, Joe P., Steve and Becky, Donna Wood, Matt Bruneau, Claire Logan, Tim Coleman, Amanda, Nancy S., Bill J., Jean B., Steve Wilson, Putt Putt and myself. The ride went smoothly as we headed up Mountain Road, and we soon found the group had divided in two, with my bunch leading and Steve and Becky's group following. We were having a good ride until we were attacked by the apparently drunken John Dudek, driving his SUV in an obviously reckless manner, as he veered dangerously close to our single file group. Apparently his disregard for others is not limited to his trail terrorism. After that incident we rode on at a pretty good clip and I kept our group together as we took a longer loop out to RT. 63. Matt Putnam caught up with us at this point and he and Tim took off for an even longer trip to Sunderland. After turning north on RT. 63 we came upon Steve and Becky and as we passed them Steve, Bill and Nancy joined their group while Bob, Deb, Joe, Matt and I headed out to Millers Falls. We turned onto New St and then onto Millers Falls Rd., and then we headed back to the shop. It was nice that the rain held off and we had a good ride.

Sunday 4/25: I went out for the Sunday road ride at 9:00 am with Jack and Nancy Spanbauer. We rode down RT. 5&10 to Hillside Rd. and then we rode up River Rd. to RT. 5&10 and back to the shop. It was a total of 20 miles and we did it at an average of 16 mph. which was pretty good considering the wind and a fairly hill course. As we rode along I gave a few tips to both Jack and Nancy, and we had a great time on a beautiful sunny spring morning.
    The evening ride was small for us but we still had a great ride. Along for the trip was CTD, Kris and Lynn Black, Mick, Alex, Jon O'Gara, Clark, Matt C. and myself. We split into two group as we left the center of town, with Matt, Alex, Clark and Jon heading up to Willis Hill on their own. My group rode up the Telephone Pole Trail and out to the Toilet Bowl Trail. I rode at the back with Lynn and gave her some tips as we made our way behind the rest of the group. Lynn did very well on some of the tricky sections, cleaning them without difficulty. After the Toilet Bowl Trail we regrouped on the power lines. We then headed out to Red Rock where Kris showed us his unique dismount procedure, he was OK, but I missed the Kodak moment by not having my camera with me. We all met at the top of the hill and then rode down the other side and out to the base of Willis Hill. From the base of the hill we rode the trails that lead to the whoops on the way back to the Telephone Pole Trail. We made our way back down to the road and then back to the vehicles, where we indulged in refreshments provided by CTD.

Tuesday 4/27: Tonight was a surprise visit by the "Hosebag" himself, and he brought along five of the "Razorback RS" bikes for our troop to ride.  We had a large group of riders that included Eric E., Beaner, Bill J., Joe, Matt C., Putt Putt, Mike W., Mick, Pat H., Lenny, Jim Williams, Pete Scott, myself and several unknown riders. From the start I cautioned everyone who wanted to ride with Joe's group that they were totally on their own and that the group would not wait for anyone left behind. Having said that nearly two thirds of the group decided to ride with Joe. We took off and Joe and his bunch were soon out of sight as I made my way up to the turn onto the White Dot Trail. It was there that I found half of Joe's group waiting for me. They found out what fast means and were willing to ride at a more moderate rate. We all took off and headed for the trails at Temple Woods. I spent most of the ride just going from the front to the back trying to figure where everyone was and making sure that all made the turns. I only spent a few minutes with Eric but I knew that if he kept falling down at the rate that he was, I would be sending in the medics to get him out of there. So after a couple more falls I suggested that he and Mick should turn back. After we got to Bear's Den Road, Jim Williams said that he wasn't feeling up to par so he, Mick and Eric turned around and headed home. I continued on with the rest of the group but I found myself stopping to fix a dropped chain on Mike W's bike. As soon as we got going I found that the group had left us behind. Mike and I headed back to Poet's Seat when the rest of the crew came down the hill. George said that he needed to get back so Mike, George and I headed back down the Red Dot Trail and then we took the steep trail back to the shop. The rest of the group came back one or two at a time until everyone was back. It was a great night and I had a good time.

Wednesday 4/28: I went out riding with Jay Bird at 1:00 today. We rode down to So. Deerfield and then up to Conway on Rt. 116. We rode at a steady pace and I felt pretty good on the climb. Today was my first day of climbing and I wanted to take it easy. After the climb I recovered as we rode down Whately Rd. and then down Conway Rd. (now a dirt road) to Williamsburg Rd. and then to Whately center. We rode at a good clip back down to RT. 5&10 and then back to the shop. Jay was definitely doing better than I was, as he was able to pull all the way home into a headwind at 20 mph. It was a good ride but I was tired.
    Tonight's MTB ride was a little fractured as I was delayed getting out. I sent Patrick, Tarsey, Jake and Pete out to the Coke Plant. I told them that I would catch up, but I was so late that I had to take the van out to the turnout and ride up the hill to the water tower to catch them. After I got everyone together I rode with Pete and sent the rest to ride out ahead. We did the Hill of Doom and Double Death and ended up riding out through the swamp. I sent Pat and Tarsey back to the shop on the Lillian St. trails. I waited at the Coke Plant with Jake and Pete for their parents to come pick them up, but after a few minutes we figured that Pete got the message wrong, and I drove them back to the shop where mom and dad were waiting. Pete escaped his usual beating from me and Jake, as I took into consideration the confusion on the arrangements, and let this one pass.

Thursday 4/29: Tonight was the largest ride we have ever had, with 35 people coming out on a beautiful spring evening. I rode with the "fast group" as we left for the Hillside Road ride. I was at the front as we headed south but soon the hounds were pumping up the pace and after we got onto RT. 5&10 the average got up to 25 mph. This pace continued as the "Star" took the lead and soon the group had splintered and there were small groups of two to three riders strung out along the road for miles. I pulled Dave M. and Matt B. up to the "Star" and sent them on their way. I dropped back and rode with Bob S. and John P. until we got to Hillside Rd. where I peeled off and went back to get the rest of the riders as they entered River Rd from Hillside Rd. As soon as the last rider had come by I rode with Becky and Steve for a while and then I sent them ahead with Al Siciak and I rode the rest of the way back to the shop with Julie.