August 2003 Ride Report Page    

Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month August 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!

Sunday 8/3: I left the shop at 5:00 and headed over to the parking spot in Montague Center. I rode over with Gary and we were met there by Harold and Matt Green as well as Parrott, Nice Kate, Laura, Mark C. and Jack. We left the common and headed over to the Telephone Pole Trail and the group kept pretty much together all the way to the fire pit. We paused briefly before heading off to the power lines. We rode steadily over to the Banked Trail where we ripped the bermed sections. We rode over to the bottom of Willis Hill where the group began the climb. I was able to ride right up the left side of the hill all the way to the top where I waited for the rest of the group to arrive. We rested for a couple of minutes before heading off to do the Kiabuckus Trail, but before we got there Jack turned up the steeper climb that runs parallel to the Kiabuckus. By the time I got there Jack was part way up the hill so we all followed him. When we got to the top of the hill we then rode down to the field and then back up the climb to the Swamp. We then rode down the Kiabuckus to the Swamp Road which we followed over to Red Rock. At this point it was getting late so we headed down to the sand pit and then back out to the power lines. The group then followed the power lines over to Plains Road where we took a right and then a left onto the Toilet Bowl Trail. After a rip down the Toilet Bowl Trail we rode back to the Telephone Pole Trail. I took the lead on the way down to the hardtop road and then I waited for everyone to get safely across before heading back to the van.

Thursday 8/7: We got rained out on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night this week so I was ready for the ride tonight. The skies looked threatening but 26 riders showed up for the trip to Cave Hill anyway. I was really busy today and so I had to hustle to get ready and I did not get to check my bike over before we left. The group rolled out of the shop and headed down High Street with Brendan, Bell, Andy Hilton and a few others in the lead. I followed at a modest pace for the first mile, but as I neared the hospital, I realized that something was not right with my bike. At first I thought that the stem was crooked, but after I made the turn onto Sanderson Street, I realized that my rear tire was a little soft. I decided to try to get over the Poet's Seat climb and then try to inflate the tire on the other side. But when we got to the hill I found that I was barely able to pedal up the hill at 5 mph. I was working a hard as I could, but the group was pulling away pretty rapidly. I struggled to the top of the hill and though that I could coast down the other side where I would hook up with the group. But when I headed down the hill I could only coast at 16 mph (normally I would be going about 30) and I had to pedal hard to do that! As soon as I got to Bear's Den Road it started to rain. By the time I got to the bridge, it was really raining and the group was out of sight. I rode for a short way to try to catch up but it was futile, so I turned around and headed back to the shop. It was really raining as I pedaled down Ave. A to the center of town. At this point I just wanted to get back to the shop so as long as the wheels turned I kept on going. I managed to get up Esleeck Hill and then back to the shop. When I got back I took a look at my bike and I found that the front hub bearings were nearly frozen and the wheel barely turned. I was glad that it wasn't me but I would have liked to do the ride.

Tuesday 8/12: It was another hot humid day today, with the chance for thunderstorms in the afternoon so I did not send out the ride email last night. After some rain early in the afternoon the skies cleared and the roads dried up, so at 6:00 I got ready to ride. There was a small group of riders tonight and we decided to head out for a 28 mile trip. We had a group of 16 riders that included first time riders Jeanine Abarno and Chris Dodson. We split the group in two with Tom and PJW leading one group and Jamie and I leading the other. My bunch of 8 riders headed out of the shop and we rode over to Turners Falls. Jeanine was not used to riding in a group so I stayed with her on the descent to the bridge. After we crossed the canal we turned right and headed for Avenue A. Jamie was the sweep as we headed down to Greenfield Road but as I rode along Jeanine said that she was not too familiar with her borrowed bike. At that point I had Jamie take the lead with John Gustin while I went back to help out Jeanine and Debbie. We rode up the hill to Hatchery Road but the group got pretty strung out on the way up so Jamie slowed the pace until we all got back on. After a quick jaunt down to Ferry Road we then settled into a mellow pace down to Meadow Road. I rode along with Jeanine while Jamie rode with Debbie and we got them used to riding next to another cyclist. Both of the girls seemed to get comfortable with a pace line after a short time and we practiced moving from the front to the back until we got to RT. 47 where we formed a single line. I made Timster and Chris Koh ride at the front until we got to the center of Sunderland. John and I took over the lead as we crossed the bridge into Deerfield. As we neared Sugarloaf Street, Rob Macks dropped his chain and Jamie stayed back to help him. I had John set a slow pace so that Rob and Jamie could get back on. We rode easily up to Main Street where Jamie and Rob caught back up. I then took over the lead and we headed up North Main Street to Mill Village Road. After we crossed the highway we then rode down the hill on Mill Village Road where the group got strung out again. I stayed near the front and slowed the pace until we all got back together and then we all headed back to Greenfield. It was a nice ride of 27 miles at a 18 mph pace with no rain. All in all we did pretty well.

Thursday 8/14: It was a pretty hot and humid day today. The weather channel said that it got to 98 degrees, but it sure felt like 120. I had scheduled the Wendell loop for tonight, but as I was getting ready I began to wonder if maybe I should consider something a little flatter. The shop was busy and I had a bunch of last minute repairs to do for the riders as well as pumping up tires for the likes of Kristina "the crab". (I really didn't pump up her tires, I had Jamie do it, but I like to take credit for it anyway.) We had a big group tonight so we split into three rides. PJW went on a flatter ride with Chris, and Peter while Roger went out early with a group of 6 riders to do the same loop as the faster group. We left the shop and headed over to Turners Falls with a pack of 25 riders at a moderate pace. When we got to the stop light at Ave. A. Bruce Rogers challenged me to a red light run down. I timed my approach pretty good and I went just as  the light turned green, but Bruce jumped the gun and got through on the red. We led the bunch up the hill on Third Street but when we got to the top I pulled off and went to the back of the bunch. I rode along with IP and Mark Newton as the speed picked up to 24 mph on the flat section of road, but that proved to be a little too much for IP so she dropped back a little. I was OK with that and the three of us rode at a 23 mph pace just a few yards behind the pack. When we got to the downhill into Millers Falls the group slowed a bit before the corner so the three of us were soon back into the pack. This lasted about 25 seconds, because just after the corner we headed up the steep hill. I dangled off the back of the group for quite a way before I got my rhythm going and was able to catch back on. The three of us were right behind Jamie and Curt for most of the way up to the state forest, but we lost contact with them on the rolling hills near the top of the climb. As we neared the state park entrance we came upon Roger and his group as well as John Ryan who had flatted. Roger was behind waiting for Julie so I told John to ask him for directions when he got up to where he working on the wheel. Mark, IP and I pressed on and soon the three of us were riding up to the center of Wendell. I rode fairly well to the turn and then I bailed to the back and followed IP and Mark down the hill to the lake. After the lake I took the lead and the other two followed me down the next hill. Just before the town line I told IP to "go for it" and she sprinted right past Mark to take the prize. After that we sped down the rest of the hill to RT. 63 where we glided right across to Leverett Road. After riding through Montague Center, I took the lead all the way to the fire house. IP blew right through the stop sign and we soon were barreling down the Third Street Hill to the traffic lights in Turners Falls. When the light changed we headed down to the canal and then up the hill on the other side. We arrived at the shop where we were greeted by the rest of the crew who had been hanging around to see if I was ever going to make it back. Although this was not one of my best rides, I still had a good time.

Tuesday 8/19: I had a very busy day today and it was 6:00 before I knew it. The group had arrived and I hurried to get ready but there was no way to do it in time for the group to finish the ride.. I was a little tired from the last few days work so I sent the group of twenty riders off without me.  The route tonight was Conway-Whatley loop and they had to hustle to get the ride in before dark. Roger Katz and a small group had already left at 5:30. My plan was to get some work done and wait for the riders to get back. Doug Dale and Baby Bell got back at 7:30 while the rest of the riders started to trickle back in at 7:45 or so. It started to get dark and there were several riders still out on the course. I got a call from Jerry Bisson who was still at the Whatley Inn with Timster and Debbie. He wanted to ride back but I told him that he needed to get down to RT. 5&10 and I would come and get them. I went out to find them but I must have missed them the first time by and I finally picked them up at 8:45. I drove back to the shop only to find out that Hughes was still out there. He called me from somewhere out in West Deerfield and said that he would be fine getting back. Sure enough, Hughes rolled into the parking lot at 9:15 and soon after that I closed for the day and headed for home. It was a long day!

Thursday 8/21: It was another warm sunny day and we had a good group of Beermonters show up for a run over to Cave Hill. I got ready a little early so that we could get out and back before dark. Roger and his crew left the shop at 5:30 and I led the rest of the riders out of the parking lot at 6:00. I rode near the front of the group as we headed over Poet's Seat and I did much better than the last time we did this one. When we got to the hill on Greenfield Road, I kept the pace mellow enough that the group was pretty much intact at the top. I took up an early lead on the run into Montague Center and soon we passed the last few riders in Roger's group. After we overtook them, I headed to the middle of the group as I was feeling a little whipped. As we breezed through the center of Montague I went to the back to see who was left in the group. As soon as I got to the back of the group it was if a trap door opened and I was promptly deposited out. As the group got out to Leverett Road I was 200 yards off the back and by the time we got to the RT. 47 turn the group was out of sight. I was fading fast and I gave thought to turning around, but I decided to try to do something of a ride, so I continued on. As I got to RT. 63 I saw QN just going across so I called out to her and she turned around and joined me. After we got onto RT. 63, I rode in the front for a while as we climbed to the top of the hill. We rode a little further and I decided to try to hook up with the group on the other side of Cave Hill. QN and I rode at a steady pace and soon we passed Cave Hill Road. We did not see anyone in front or behind us so we just kept on riding. We didn't exactly hammer, but we were not dragging our heels either. We rode through Leverett and then down to Bull Hill Road where MB, Parrott, Bell, Doug Dale and several other riders blew right past us. We jumped onto the end of the train and soon we were flying down the hill and out onto RT. 116. The group set a blistering pace, but QN and I managed to stay on until Bell went early for the town line sprint. I stayed on the back but QN fell off, so I dropped back to join her. I wasn't in any condition to keep that pace up for very long so I was glad to have QN to ride with. We rode at a steady pace through So. Deerfield and then we headed back to Greenfield via Mill Village Road. QN and I pulled into the shop about 5 min behind the front group. Although we did not do the big hill, we managed to keep a 19 mph average, which was pretty good for how I was feeling..

Sunday 8/24: I left the shop at 5:00 and headed over to the parking spot in Montague where I was greeted by a large group of riders. There was Brenda and Andy Mangles along with their three children as well as Al Mason and his two boys, Alex and his dad were there as was Chris Koh, Oliver and Rachael. We left the center of town and headed down North Street and then we rode across the meadow to Turners Falls Road. From there it was a short trip over to the Telephone Pole Trail where we climbed to the fire pit and re-grouped. At this point we decided to spilt up because we had a couple of kids under the age of 10 and they would not be able to keep up with the older kids. Brenda and Andy stayed with me and soon after the other group got going we followed along behind them. We rode over to the Toilet Bowl Trail and then out to the power lines where we rested for a couple of minutes, while Jan Raymond and Pat Hynes rode their horses past us. Oliver really wanted to climb over Red Rock so I decided to give it a try even though Alex had a 20 inch wheel bike. Alex is only 6  so he thought that it might be a tough route, but he wanted to try. After the horses went by we headed over to the hill and the kids gave it a try. Nancy and her mom did very well on their try, while Alex had a harder time getting over the rocks on his little bike. The rest of the kids made it part way and then walked the rest of the hill. Brenda and Andy tried to ride up the hill as well, but even with some coaching they had to dismount. After everyone made it to the top we rested a minute and the kids got some water and power food. We then headed down the hill. I stopped about half way and then walked next to the kids as they made their way over the loose rock on the steep descent. Brenda and Andy stayed near the top and when the kids got to me they handed them off to me. I wanted to make the kids felt confident yet I wanted to allow them to ride down the hill. All the kids made it down safely and then we headed off to the BPT. I told the kids the story of the Big Pine Tree and how they needed to touch it for luck. The kids really enjoyed that and soon after we headed off to find the rest of the group. About 50 yards down the trail I hollered to the kids to stop and they all froze in their tracks. I hopped off my bike and pointed to a nice blueberry patch. Soon we were all feasting on the fruit. The berries we delicious and the kids had a good time picking and eating them. As we were finishing up, we saw the other group coming out of the woods and they soon caught up with us. We all then headed for the Banked Trails. The kids had a lot of fun running on the banks and soon we were back out to the Telephone Pole Trail. The trip back to the cars was fun for the kids, although they were pretty tired. The other group reported that they had a good ride as well.

I received this email from Ted Lapinski on 8/25 about his trip to France. He just completed the PBP race
Well, here it is Bob. I had a good time with minimal problems all around. I am very tired from the time changes, but hopefully I will feel better in a few days. My time was 57 hours and 06 min. This time is good, but it would have been allot better if I hadn't gotten lost several times on the very last leg. Fortunately I wasn't alone in my quest to navigate the French country side in the darkness, and we managed to bring it home at around 5:00 Thursday morning. France was a nice place and the people treat this event with the same enthusiasm as the tour De France. People over all were very nice and I can say nothing negative about my experiences. I am very happy to have made it back safely and my gear undamaged, this trip will never be forgotten. I will also never forget the fact that I wasn't going to go. Life's lessons always keep me grounded.
Take care Bob, I will stop in when I clear my sleepiness. Ted L
Below is an update that I received on 9/23
Bob, I have found a web page that has me listed as placing 123 in Paris Brest Paris. I still don't know what the exact attendance was, but 4000 was the number floating around. Ted

Tuesday 8/26: Finally the humidity had abated and we now have some cooler weather for riding. It is starting to get dark earlier every week so that now we have to start to leave early or do shorter loops. Tonight I had planned to do the 40 mile loop out to Northfield and then back down through Millers to either Montague or Sunderland, depending on how fast the group was going. There was a forecast of rain tonight, but at 6:00 the sun was shining and we headed out for the trip. Roger had taken off earlier with his group of 5 riders while I stayed behind and closed the shop at 6:00. I was still not feeling all that rested so I thought that the best chance to stay with the group was to be on the front and set the pace, so that's what I did. That plan worked well all the way to the top of the hill on Bernardston Road where I was passed by Baby Bell and John Gustin. At that point I dropped down the line and told the riders that went by