August 2006 Ride Report
Page
Here
you will find the reports of our exploits for the month
August 2006 more or less as
they happened. Please note that the ride reports are the results experienced by
the writer and not necessarily a reflection of all the rides that went out on
that particular day. We have rides for
all abilities but I only publish the reports that I receive. This means that if
no one from the beginner rides send me a report, then you will not see that ride listed here. I will publish any ride reports or digital photos that I receive.
Editors notes are in pink. Please send them to
bikebob@crocker.com
and you too can get yourself published on the web!
Go to the Ride
Schedule link; You will find information about ride schedules and how the
rides are run.
Thursday 8/31: It was a good night for a ride tonight. The temps were in the 70's and there was not much wind. The skies were partly cloudy but there was enough light for us to do a 35 mile loop. We left the shop a little after 5:30 and headed down to Hope Street. There was a group of 14 riders behind me when we got to Deerfield Street and we had to wait for quite a while for the traffic to clear so that we could to get across 5&10. After getting onto Deerfield Street we headed for River Road where we were once again delayed by traffic as the bunch tried to make the left turn. After we got onto River Road the bunch stayed pretty much intact (We lost John Marcy early on and he did his own ride.) until the hills. With Jamie at the front of the pack, powering the bunch into the hills, Curt and a couple other riders got shelled. I dropped back to ride with curt while the other riders got back on. At the top of the first climb Curt and I were joined by Jamie who had stopped at the side of the road to adjust his bike computer. After that it was the three of us going down River Road to the Sunderland Bridge. As we neared the bridge, we could see the pack going across, but they were too far ahead for us to catch them. When We got to the bridge we found Paulo waiting for us. Our group of four then headed over the Sunderland Bridge into Sunderland. We took the right turn at the lights and headed south on 47. I did a couple of long pulls as we headed for Plumtree Road and after the turn I was again on the front heading up the hill. After we got to 116 we had to wait for quite a while to get across. I think that the traffic was from all the students starting to move back into the area. Anyway we made the turn and then Jamie threw one of his water bottles on the ground and had to go back and get it. Paulo, Curt and I waited for Jamie and then we headed for Bull Hill Road. I rode at the front of the group with Paulo and as we neared the top of the hill, I sprinted with him. Paulo had too much for the old man and he handily beat me by two bike lengths to the top. After we got to the top of the hill we waited up for Jamie and Curt before heading for RT. 63. When those two got back on, I was on the front and slowly picked up the pace. I was working hard on the front when all of a sudden Curt came flying by me and took the town line sprint by 5 bike lengths. This was beginning to look like a pattern! I rode at the front over to 63 where, after a little argy-bargy with a truck, we all made the left turn and headed north. I led the boys over to the dry bridge where I pulled off to head for the back of the pack to get some rest. We cruised along over the rolling hills on 63 and soon we were at the town line in Sunderland. I was not going to get beat again, so I had Curt on the front with Paulo behind him as I set up the sprint. With Jamie on my wheel I pulled along side of Paulo and I used Curt to box him in. Just before the line I launched for the line. Curt had left a gap on the right side and Paulo took that space to close in on me. I pedaled just hard enough to nip the dear boy on the line. Vindication!! After the town line I was again at the front as we headed down the hill for Montague. Curt was on my wheel and he sprinted past the now pooped out old man and easily took the town line, even though I gave a valiant chase. After the town line we rode north through the hills of Montague and we were soon nearing Swamp Road. Curt, who had been on the front for a little while signaled for the turn, but I hollered up to him that we were going straight (as much as that is possible for us) ahead. The palpable groans were heard from a couple of our troupe, but they soldiered on anyway. After the climb up the hill past Sirum's, all rode at a reasonable pace over to South Lyman Street in Millers where we turned to head over to Millers Falls Road. We took Millers Falls Road back into Turners Falls and then we took the usual route back to the shop via Esleeck Hill. We got back to the shop after our 37 mile trip with an average of 20.5 mph. Not too shabby for us!!
Thursday 8/31: What a crazy night tonight was. We had a good size group heading out, but to where, no one could or would decide where to go until Tom said go north, so north we went. We headed out on Adams Road to Bernardston at a fairly quick pace. I was near the front of the group so I guess I wasn’t really paying attention to what the group was doing behind me, but I heard someone yell to wait at Streeter's Store for everyone to catch up, so we did. We were waiting there and we were told that Joe had a flat, Tom was helping him, and they had everything they needed and Tom said we should go on. (After the ride Tom said he wanted us to wait.) Turns out Joe had a 2nd flat and Tom had an extra tube but they didn’t have enough CO2 to fill the second tube, so Joe had to call for family assistance. Sorry Tom and Joe. After we left Streeters Store we were on Rt. 10 and we kind of got strung out but the group waited at the corner of 63 for everyone to catch up. We waited for awhile and we were just getting ready to go when we saw Patrick coming. We waited for him and when he caught up he said he wasn’t feeling great (I am not supposed to say how bad he looked) and we should all go on without him, fat chance. I sent the rest of the group on and I rode with Patrick back through Northfield, where he started to look a little better. (I told him if he was going to fall over to fall to the right and stay out of the traffic!) We passed Tim and (?) who had a flat but they waved us on. Patrick and I went through Millers Falls, then by the airport in Turners and down 3rd street, up Esleeck hill and back to the shop. The rest of the group went to Montague before heading back to the shop, and Tom had to do most of the ride by himself. Patrick and I had a nice leisurely 25 mile ride with an average speed of 16.4 mph. Maybe someone in the other group will write and let us know about their ride. (Somebody must know how to type!)
Aug 30, Wednesday, Wendell: The Days are notably shorter, and the looming darkness begins to spur on the migration of the Northern Roadies toward mountain bike riding.
Several folks whom I haven't ridden with since very early Spring showed up tonight to kick off the Mountain season and re-acquaint themselves with the gyroscopic powers of their inner ears. I had big plans for our Wendell ride tonight--the previous Saturday Matt Ballard and I hogged out and hard raked the final leg of the new 'beginner trail that connects Damon Camp RD to the Trail to the Lookouts (Which Jason and Mark have been diligently plugging away at for some time). All it needs now is riders--I figured, even at a slow and careful pace, we'd be able to lead a cadre of mixed ability riders up to the lookouts (a wonderful spot on a scenic Rocky outcropping with delightfully bucolic vistas) via the the Trail to the Lookouts and then head back down, turning off on the new trail and arriving at Damon Camp Rd where we would divide into different groups and go our separate ways.
Well, anyway a sizable group showed up for today's ride we had Racin' J, Grasshopper, El Presidente´ (me), Pete, Jan, Hammerhead, The Kid (Matthew), Parrot, Chris Williams, Frank (sporting a shiny new helmet and lights!), Our Two Roadie Friends Michelle and Curt (I know, I'm prejudiced because I think of them as our Roadie Friends and not just as our friends), The Guy who I called Mike-but that's not his name--wears a red sleeveless bike shirt, mustache, rides with Bicycle World. Bob Help me out, what's his name??, James another woman on an older Specialized Hard Tail (Bob Help again) Kerry. And, what is that--the Yeti? Big Foot? Nessie? No wait-It can't be--is it Big Mac Courtemanche? Yep! Wow, there's something you don't see everyday! And of course Our Fearless Leader-Commander Lord Shackleton Perry. A nice big group (actually-we've had big groups for these rides all summer long--is mountain biking on the rebound??
The ride started out with a sound plan-Bob would take the beginners and a few returning roadies who didn't quite have their sea-legs yet around the pine tree trail and wait for my group at the Rocks at the end of Ruggles Pond-with camera in hand to catch our rock garden successes and failures. Along the way-Big Mac flatted out and after some wrangling told us to go ahead and he would meet us on the other side. We all headed out on the Ruggles pond trail (one of my favorite favorites!)--See the Photos for a visual record of our rock crossing). After this we all headed up to the road and I lead the troops--all of us--up the Trail to the lookouts. Well, I got to the lookouts with Parrot, Pete, and soon Curt joined us and Matt-but after a while no one else showed and I heard yells to come back from afar-so we headed back to the new trail-which a number of people following Jason had just headed down-I quickly chased after them wondering why we had deviated from the plan--soon we all regrouped on Damon Camp Rd--just above Baker Rd. However, it turns out Bob and Kerry had headed back to the cars leaving our group leaderless like a ship without a rudder in a maelstrom. We spent a few minutes deliberating on how to proceed with our decidedly mixed ability and Bob-less group. We decided that we'd all ride the same route, but we divided the group with Jason taking the faster riders, and I would lead the slower group. We dropped down to Baker Road, and then down the Lower Hannah Swarton (BOB IS FAT TRAIL-Jan did well with this fairly challenging trail) towards the Maple Leaf Trail where the remnants of Jason's crew were waiting for us. I told them to just go and not wait. I made the decision (a good one I think) to forgo the maple leaf trail and instead to take the road and enter the Nipmuck from Saxton Bridge Rd--this worked really well-allowing group to regain their bearings, save their legs and get a head start descending the Nipmuck in the Dark (a new experience btw for all of us!). I sprinted ahead of my group and positioned myself at some of the more 'troublesome spots to coach and cajole my charges through--However-the fast group was catching up to my crew as Pete and Jason came along with a head of steam. It was a really cool thing to see the stream of lights twisting and turning through the woods in the dead of night along the very twisty Nipmuck trail. All in all my crew made it through with style and aplomb (excellent job by Michelle and Jan!)-we all regrouped at the Bottom of Baker Rd and began our grind to the top. At the Top we rejoined the rest of the group--after some chatting we hit the road and began the all-out speed blitz back to the cars-at the junction of Wickett Pond Rd and Damon Camp I stopped to make sure we had everyone-I called out is everyone here and Chris Williams say yeah-'Parrot is riding with Jan'--which sounded good to me-so I hopped back on and returned to the sprint back to the cars-Back in the parking lot-I met Bob-and began (unfortunately too soon) celebrating my first time leading a ride and returning with everyone I started with (I was rather proud of guiding the slower group down the Nipmuck in the Dark!!). But a few minutes passed and there was still no sign of Jan or Parrot, I decided to just take a look and see If I could hurry them along-I rode all the way back to Jerusalem Hill Road. Man, Wendell is awfully dark and lonely feeling when it's just you and your one light-after a few minutes Racin' J came to join me and we rode around the fire road-calling out to our lost charges and trying to figure out where they went wrong--eventually we found them coming up from the Wickett Pond Boat Launch area--how they got there is unclear-but somehow they got turned around at the locked gate--none the less-we returned them to their cars safe and sound. All in all-a great-and challenging ride-with a few bumps and snags along the way but a great kick off to the mountain season for Bikes Unlimited.
8/30/06: The shop ride was at Wendell last night and a pretty good sized crew showed up. El Presidenté, Harold and Matt Green, Jim, Jan, Kerry Parrot, Chris, Mark, Frank, Pete (the designer of the old school blue and orange B.U. jerseys), Curt, Bob, Michelle, myself, and of course, Grasshopper.
Most
of us started out around Ruggles Pond to tackle wicked slick bridges and the
notorious rock garden exit, while Bob’s crew headed on the west side of the pond
to meet us and take pictures. Mark flatted so were a bit delayed, but once we
got to the rocks, Bob had the camera ready. Liam and Pete made valiant attempts,
and Grasshopper nearly cleaned the whole section as we cheered him on, but the
rocks were a bit slick from the rain, and Bob blinded most of us with the flash
(yeah, that’s it) so nobody was able to clean the whole section. Honestly
folks, the first part is not as bad as it looks. Keep some speed, let your
suspension do some work, and don’t forget to pedal.
We climbed up the Pine Tree Trail out to Jerusalem Road and headed
up the M&M trail to our newest trail section. The climb up the M&M had two or
three tough obstacles to clear, but this is a really nice piece of single
track. Between the lookouts, our new section takes a right and heads toward
Damon Camp Road. This is a pretty easy trail, although with a couple wet logs
that will soon be removed (who has the chainsaws?) I think everyone got a little
hung up last night, even Grasshopper.
Once on Damon Camp there was some hemming and hawing about what to
do next. Grasshopper and myself voted most loudly and the notion of climbing up
the Nipmuck Trail soon became an afterthought. We cruised down to Baker Road,
took a left, then a quick right onto the Hannah Swarton Trail heading toward the
Maple Leaf Trail. Matt G. was on my heels as we took a left at the “Bob is Fat”
tree (c’mon, who did it?) and followed the Maple Leaf Trail out to Wicket Pond
Road. Here, we regrouped, turned on lights, saw Liam pulling the less fast
group up to us and headed back into the woods to climb up to the much beloved
Nipmuck Trail descent. As Pete and myself hit the Nipmuck trailhead, our group
had begun to stretch out through the woods and we noticed lights up ahead. Liam
had snuck ahead of us with his group and gotten the jump on the initial climb up
to the downhill. Michelle was coaching Jan through the rock garden as we went by
and we found Liam way up ahead waiting for folks. Knowing that Liam was being
the responsible one this evening, Pete and I hit the downhill. I’m not sure
about everyone else, but I thought the descent through the dark was awesome.
Definitely the technical level of the trail was increased but I think everyone
made it down unscathed
A bit of regrouping on Baker Road, the super fun climb to the top
and then we decided to head home via the fire roads, much to the chagrin of Matt
G. who wanted to descend Hannah. It was nice of Jan to wait for Parrot on the
Baker Road climb, by the way.
When we got back to the headquarters, the final climb sprinted out
by Chris, Jim, Pete, Michelle, and Liam, we realized we were short a few
riders. Liam and I went back and found Jan and Parrot out on Wicket Pond Road.
Apparently, the ride was not sufficient for them and they were doing a little
extra training to get ready for next week. We guided them safely back to the
HQ. Much to my disappointment, Grasshopper had changed his mind about ripping
down the power line downhill and had his bike already secured to the top of his
Jeep. Ah, Grasshopper. Next time I will show you the way.
On a sort of side note: For folks who are frustrated by the trails
at Wendell, and granted, they are technical to begin with (Ruggles Pond is one
of the easier trails) and we were riding them in the dark after it rained last
night, answer the call of El Presidenté when you get the email about trail work
(and keep riding up there and you will eventually conquer it). We (Liam, Mark,
Harold, myself, Walter, Matt, etc…) build them how we like to ride them. If you
want some say, show up. We’d really appreciate the input and free labor. We’ve
got a couple of ideas on tap right now that will really open up the park and
make a 20-25 mile singletrack loop a reality. If you want to help shoot Bob an
email stating that you want to be on the trail work list. He’ll forward it.
Keep
the lights charged up!
Racin' J
Monday 8/28: It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over. As the daylight diminishes we have to shorten the rides and start a little earlier. Tonight was the first 5:30 start for the beginner group and I was surprised to see a very large turnout. In total we had 24 riders. We split the group in two with Tom and Karen leading one group and MaryEllen leading my group. In MaryEllen's group we had Denise and Jack "Rabbit" Dunbar, Joe Landry, Karen Moore, Jamie Sweeney, Sue B-D, Paul, Deb K., Deb and Mark Barisano, Paul and Vicki Simons as well as myself. We left the shop and headed down Silver Street for the swimming pool. The line was a little ragged at times on the way to the pool but we all made it safely. I coached Karen with her descending skills and she did very well. It is not easy to overcome the nervousness that accompanies the first few times you go very fast downhill. As we rode down Nash's Mill Road, I was startled by a blue and green flash. It was Jack "Rabbit" who went streaking by everyone and took up the lead. Jack stayed at the front of the group as we pedaled down Colrain Road to GCC. After we made the various turns that gets us over to Newton Street I noticed that Paul and Sue were not in the group. Paul, who had offered to ride sweep, had dropped back when he lost his chain. I knew that he would catch up with Sue so we did not wait for them at the traffic lights. We headed through the lights and onto Laurel Street. As we climbed the hill, I gave instructions to ME and the front group of riders to take a left at the top of the hill, before I drifted to the back. As I got near the back of the pack I noticed that Paul was coming up the hill just behind Sue. I gave "the hand of Bob" push to Sue and Paul and we crested the hill to see the main pack pedaling straight onto the dead end street. This gave Paul and Sue a chance to catch up and get a little rest before heading on. After the main pack caught up with me, we all headed for Upper Road. I was having some trouble with my seatpost so I went on ahead to the stop sign at Upper Road to make the repair. We were all together at Upper Road as MaryEllen led us towards the hill near Clarkdale Fruit Farms. I decided to go to the front to give her a break from the lead before we got to the hill. As we climbed the hill Jack "Rabbit" and Joe went flying by and were once again at the front of the pack. The group pedaled over the next big hill and I coached the riders as we did the climb. After getting over the uphill we headed for the descent to Stillwater. I rode with Karen and coached her on this very fast and challenging downhill. Karen was much more confident and she looked much more comfortable going down the steeper part of the hill. After we crossed the bridge we turned left to head for Mill Village Road. We re-grouped at the end of the road and after a brief rest we headed for Old Deerfield with MaryEllen in the lead. At this point Paul and Sue were a ways behind us and they never caught back on. I was riding sweep at the back of the long line of riders as we rode through Old Main Street in Deerfield. As I approached the stop sign on 5&10 the leaders were already across the highway. I ended up just making the turn with Paul and Vicky before a line of cars arrived. I rode north with Rabbit, Denise, Paul, Vicky and Karen. We rode back into town where we took the Hope Street Route back to the shop. After we got back we had to wait quite a while for Karen, Tom and Christina with their pack to finish up the 34 mile ride that they did. Maybe, someday, we can teach Christina how to type and she then might send us a ride report.
Sunday 8/27: I was a bit tired from a long week at the shop but I thought that a ride might perk the old boy up a bit. When I arrived at the shop, only Paul and Karen were there and it looked like I was going to be joining them for their ride. But just before 9:00 Tom Martyn, Dougie, Tom G., and Joe Kayan showed up. I ended up doing a ride with Tom M., and Dougie. We headed out to do the Sunderland Sweep. I was not interested in riding at the front so Tom and Doug did the honors all the way to the top of the Third Street Hill in Turners. After we got onto the flatter roads out towards Montague Center, I went to the front a couple of times to do a short pull. We paced ourselves pretty well with Tom doing the lion's share of the work. After we got to Sunderland it started to sprinkle a little but not really enough to get us wet. We crossed the Sunderland Bridge and decided to take a left onto River Road. My plan was to ride down to Depot Street and then take the back roads through Whatley Center. As we headed south on River Road the rain started in earnest. Just after we passed Christian Lane it really started to come down. At this point we turned around and headed back to Christian Lane. We rode over to RT. 5&10 where it was not yet raining and the roads were dry. It is amazing how different the weather can be just a mile or so from the river. As we turned onto 5&10 to head north, we saw an antique car pass and we followed it for a while. It was a chain driven open carriage type of vehicle and we were closing in on it at 24 mph as we neared the Fillin' Station in Whatley. When started to go up the RT. 91 overpass I head a stone go flying and I saw Tommy put his hand in the air to signal a flat. (No "Bob is Fat" was heard) I continued on and caught the car and passed it just before the traffic light at 116. Tom and Doug were stopped at the side of the road so I went back to lend a hand with the repair of the tire. After the tire was fixed we all headed for Greenfield. We rode back into town just before the rain started and we ended the 30 mile loop with a 20 mph average.
Sunday 8/27: When I woke up this morning it looked pretty gloomy outside, so I went right to the computer to see what the weather map looked like. The map showed that the rain was near so it said to me: get your butt in gear and go for a bike ride! So I ate a little breakfast (not like the breakfast Mary Ellen had and didn’t share with us!) got dressed to head for the shop. When I got there only Paul Billings was there, then Bob snuck around the back of the building driving his van. Then Tom Graney and Joe drove in. Shortly after they arrived, Tom Martin and Doug Favreau showed up. We were getting ourselves ready to ride when the phone rang in the shop. Bob came out and said, do you know who that was? We guessed right, it was Patrick, Bob said he would be late but to wait for him. Soon after that he came flying into the parking lot driving the Jeep on 2 wheels! We didn’t think he was going to stop and was going to drive right through the car wash wall. Good thing no one was in the way!! We broke up into 2 groups, Bob, Tom M and Doug went their way and the rest of us headed towards Turners to do the Sunderland Sweep with a loop through Whatley. We went to Turners and then down Montague City Rd to Turnpike Rd. We turned at the fire station and we had a nice ride to Sunderland. A few sprinkles fell on us near the end of Meadow road but we were chatting and having a good time. We kept a nice leisurely pace so we would all stay together. When we got to Sunderland we decided that we wouldn’t do the Whatley loop because of the rain that was coming in. We went through South Deerfield and headed to Mill Village. Paul said he was tiring and for us to go on ahead, but we didn’t want to leave him, so we adjusted our pace and stayed with him. The next thing you know we are at the hill on Mill Village road and he goes flying by us and he kept up a 19 mph pace for awhile!! Oh yeah, he’s tired alright! We rode into Old Deerfield and I wasn’t going to sprint but I just couldn’t help myself, especially knowing that Patrick wasn’t paying attention, so off I went and did a sprint through town, top speed 26.7 mph. (BIG smile) and then we headed across 5&10 back to the shop. Thankfully the weather held off, we had a great ride, and Paul said that this was his fastest ride yet…15.8 mph! Way to go Paul!!
Saturday 8-26 Wendell: Well, it's been a full week since the Petersham epic, and I've decided it's time to dip my sore toes back into the pool of technical riding--and what better place for technical riding toe-dipping than Wendell SF. After a heavy rain...yikes! Matt Ballard, on his last ride until the end of Amherst College's football season, joined me along with Dr. Pierre Rouzier. We met at the Ruggles Pond parking area at 9:15. Racin' Jason Duncan made a brief celebrity cameo with his dog in tow and discussed some trail work before departing for work at Bikes Unlimited. After some brief banter and suiting up, we headed out across the water-fall bridge towards the XC trail that goes to Carrolton Rd; the perfect warm up as always. I decided to keep the pace mellow and we spun along the fire roads to the far side of the Dirth Rd/ Carrolton Rd trail, which we rode all the way back and then hopped on the Ruggles Pond trail. This trail is difficult in the driest of conditions was fairly challenging now that is was wet from a day's worth of rain. None the less, we all made it to Wickett Pond Road and quickly headed off to the Damon Camp Trail Head for the Maple Leaf Trail. We rode all the way to the Nipmuck Trail. We then zipped down the Nipmuck and then climbed Baker Rd where we turned left to head down the Upper Hannah Swarton. Though damp and challenging as always; it rode wonderfully and we again all made decent time all the way to Davis Rd (with a nice small group I was able to prevent any unseen midway bridge bail outs making sure everyone 'enjoyed' the entirety of the Hannah Swarton!).
We then spun easily up Damon Camp Road; dropped down the switch backs of the lower Hannah Swarton and then we rode back on the Maple Leaf Trail to Damon Camp Road where we said good bye to Dr. Rouzier who had to leave. I then got Matt to accompany me as we rode and inspected the new trails that connect Damon Camp Rd to the Trail to the Lookouts--the bike loop rode rather rough and, truthfully, may be partially abandoned or used to act as a staging point for a down hill trail to the lower M&M. However the Straighter 'Hiking Line-rode great and is a wonderful asset to the over-all connectivity of the trail system!!. From Here I lead Matt up to the Lookouts, after taking in the view we dropped down the Trail to the Lookouts all the way to Ruggles Pond. After changing Matt agreed to accompany me back up to the new trail again for a few hours of trail work (hard raking and clearing the whole trail)--all in all a very productive day of riding and work.
Liam
Thursday 8/24: According to the weather people, it was supposed to be raining all afternoon today. But, at 5:30 there was not a cloud in the sky and with warm temps and no wind we were all set for a ride. Some of the riders missed the email about the change in the start time so Silko, Nick and Four Sticks ended up missing the group ride and ended up doing a ride on their own. We had a good group of 12 riders that left the shop to head for Turners Falls. The pack took the Third Street route to Millers Falls Road where we took the pace up to 27 mph on the way to Millers Falls. At the turn onto S. Lyman Street we were all pretty much together and we sprinted over to RT. 63. After the turn onto 63 we kept a pretty steady 22 to 25 mph pace all the way down to the first town line sprint. There was not much of a sprint as the group was moving pretty quickly up the hill into Sunderland. I looked at my computer as we neared the top of the hill and it said that we were going at 21 mph verses the usual 15 to 17 mph. After the sprint (I did not see who took that one as I was near the back of the pack.) the group came together again just before George Frick went out for a solo sprint to the Leverett town line. After that sprint it was pretty much a drag race down 63 to the Amherst town line. This was a lively sprint that involved several riders and I think it was won by Steve Power. The sprinters led the way down the hill to Cowles Road where we slowed the pace on the very bumpy roadway. I told the riders that there would be no sprint on RT. 116 due to the rumble strips and heavy traffic. After the group got out onto 116 we were powered along by Chris Williams at 28 mph. I was third in line so after Parrott pulled off the front near Warner Bros, I did my first work on the front of the peloton since the beginning of the ride. I pulled the pack over to Bull Hill where I slid off the front and into the middle of the pack. We breezed into Sunderland at nearly 30 mph and we were lucky enough to get a green light at the intersection in the center of town. After getting through the traffic light, the sprint for the Deerfield town line began. Doug Dale took the sprint and he led us over to Sugarloaf Street. Doug, who was one of the powerhouse riders on the front, kept the hammer down all the way to the center of South Deerfield where he pulled off just before the turn onto North Main Street. Bob Croake took up the pace making for a while and after Michelle pulled for a while, I found myself at the front once again. I took the turn onto 5&10 and pulled the group over to Incline Training where I dropped off the front and headed for the middle of the pack. The group kept a pretty steady 27 mph pace all the way back to Greenfield where the sprint for the town line went off. Jim Hayssen started the sprint at 33 mph and I did not look down at my computer until after I got onto Deerfield Street. I did not see who won the sprint but it was hotly contested between 5 or 6 riders. As we headed for Washington Street, Bob Croake got a flat. Steve Power and myself stopped to help get him going again and after the repair we headed back to the shop. We ended our ride with a 24.2 mph average for the 38 miles, not too shabby!! After the ride I went to Mesa Verde for dinner with George, Karen Dowd, Silko, the Parrotts and Bob Croake.
Wednesday 8/23/06: Today we rode Mt. Toby. The crew consisted of El Presidenté, single-speed Eric, Matt, Gary, Grasshopper, Jan, Bob, Shane(?) and myself, J. We parked off of Park Road in Sunderland and began with ten minutes or so of climbing. Jan was trying out an Iron Horse Azure and rode along with Bob for technical support, as she was riding a non-rigid bike for the first time. She was all-smiles by the time we all regrouped to head left and break up the climb with some rolling downhill. Because gravity is his friend, Grasshopper took the lead until the climbing commenced again. Liam, Eric, Matt and myself climbed at a good clip until we arrived at a good spot to regroup again. Once everyone arrived, My group left without Bob, Shane and Jan, as they were breaking into their own group. After a hiking over a couple of downed trees, it was nothing but speed and jumps until the fire road that leads to the top of the hill. We headed south into the woods towards Cranberry Pond and took the singletrack to the Cranberry Pond parking area, turned around and headed for the telephone line trail. Unfortunately, Grasshopper experienced massive chainsuck and didn’t get to hit the entirety of the Cranberry Pond trail. When we got to the Telephone Pole Trail, Eric attacked like a trooper (remember, he’s riding single-speed). Liam, Matt and myself gave pursuit, but eventually hike-a-bike was very unavoidable due to the massive trail washouts. Bob’s group had managed to get ahead of us somehow so we all met up at the Robert Frost Trail. Bob snapped some photos of us as we hiked the last few feet on the Telephone Pole Trail. By the way, his custom race plate was stellar. Ask at the shop about getting your own. (We choose the design!) Liam’s is already in the works.
Darkness was setting in and not everyone was lit, so we had to get moving. A little more climbing, some rolling trail and then we were back to the top of the opening climb. There’s nothing quite like a screaming downhill with some big jumps, in the dark, to end a ride. There was a brief climb, in the middle, we encountered a truck and 4 wheeler, but everyone made it back to the cars intact, Grasshopper and myself taking maximum sprint points. (Usually that’s for the roadies, but Grasshopper knows the way.)
I don’t know the mileage, but it was about an hour of riding, an hour and a half or so in the woods, and all of the climbing was well rewarded with some sweet descents. Just a heads up to riders that intend to join us in the future: HELMETS ARE MANDATORY. Not only that, but it’s pretty foolish to not wear one as your riding policy. Not only are you taking a big risk, it’s gonna suck for the rest of us when we have to attend to preventable head trauma in the middle of a ride (I carry band-aids). Also, charge up those lights. Eric and Shane had to mooch light from other folks tonight, and I can only imagine what their downhill was like. Wendell next week?
Tuesday 8/22: In our group tonight we had Tom, Linda, Patrick and Bob Shepherd. After some discussion we headed out to do the route that Bob had picked, to Rt. 142 to Tyler Hill and back. We left the shop, (I had a little trouble getting across the road...why don’t the cars just let me go?) and we headed to Adams Road where we were lucky enough to have the traffic light change as we got to Rt. 2, so we didn’t have to stop. My legs were like lead! They just didn’t want to go, but I pushed on, all the while thinking that if they did not come around I would never make it up Tyler Hill. As we turned onto Rt. 10 at Streeter's Store I was still struggling as we made our way over to Rt. 142. As we were riding on 142 my legs finally started to respond and my ride got easier. We turned onto Pond street (were we supposed to do that? Yes) and then when we came to the end of the road we could hear a train whistle behind us. When we got to the train track the red lights were flashing; a car went flying over the tracks, but we decided to stop and wait for the train to pass. After the train passed we continued on to Tyler Hill, I gave the same advice to Patrick and Bob S that was given to me, just go up at your own pace. Up the hill we went, Linda in the lead, then Tom and Patrick, I was going slow and steady and so was Bob. Then next thing you know, whoosh, Bob's group had caught up to us and flew by us. I could hear Bob in back of me, oh no, he wasn’t going to fly by us; he was going to torture us. Or was it just me? Jamie was hanging with Bob S making sure he was okay and Bob came up behind me. "What are you doing?" he says. What do you think I am doing Bob?? I am pedaling my butt off, my heart rate is like 170 and I can barely breathe and you want to talk! Actually this was my second time up this hill this year and it was a little easier this time, but with Bob riding next to me and behind me I felt like I better get moving. After we went over Rt. 91 there’s another incline and as we neared the top Bob rides by me and says, you were in your big ring weren’t you! Yeah right Bob, maybe next time. So this is when the fun begins. Bob gets us all lined up and riding in a pace line behind Dusty. What a guy Dusty is! He pulled us all the way back in to Greenfield. We were really flying with Dusty in front and Bob behind us. Bob (with his whip) was yelling for us to get on this wheel or that wheel, the road is clear, ride in the middle of the road (no potholes!), close the gap, come on push harder. Whew! We were really cooking! The road through Bernardston was horrid with all the potholes, and I think I hit everyone! We were going 20 - 25 mph up and down the hills, how cool, so exhilarating to ride that fast! I worked really hard on this ride but it was sooo much fun. Thanks to everyone for a great ride!
Monday 8/21: We had another
beautiful day today. It was a warm sunny afternoon with low humidity and no wind
to speak of. I had 12 riders in my group and MaryEllen had 5 riders in her
group. I left the shop with Mark and Kathy (on the tandem) leading the pack and
me as the sweep. We rode over to Turners Falls via Greenfield Road and after we
crossed the canal we took the L Street route to the top of the hill. Tonight we
had "Star" Walker and Tara Futtrell join us for the first time this year. I rode
up the hill with them but they seemed to be very skilled and I soon realized
that my job as sweep would be an easy one. We rode over to Turners Falls Road at
a reasonable pace but we sort of got split up at the Turnpike Road stop sign.
Since the majority of the group was pretty far ahead I took the few riders that
got left behind when a car came along, on the alternative route, down the closed
off roadway next to the firehouse. We re-joined the group and then the fun
began. Mark and Kathy powered the group along at a 25 mph pace for most of the
way to Ferry Road. I stayed in the back and entertained Karen, Christina and
Star. After the turn we headed down Ferry Road where we encountered several cars
near the stop sign. I can honestly say that we saw more cars at the intersection
tonight than we have seen in the entire summer! After crossing Greenfield Road
we headed for Meadow Road. Once we got out on the open road, Star and I formed a
double pace line and pulled the group all the way to Smiarowski's Farm, when Bob
Shepherd, Jan Wholey and Patrick went flying by us to begin the town line
sprint. I mentioned to Star that these riders had forgotten the lesson of a few
weeks earlier when Grasshopper did the same thing. Namely, you should know where
the finish line is (or in this case; the town line) before you begin to sprint
for it. After a spirited go at it the riders ran out of gas and the group caught
up with them. With the town line now in sight, a new group of riders began to
sprint. In that group was Mark and Kathy who nearly took the prize, but got
nipped at the line by Brian McCabe. After the town line the pack got stretched
out and I ended up helping Tara and Jan get back into the group. We rode
together down to the end of Falls Road and took a right onto 47 which led us
into Sunderland center. After taking a right onto 116 we had another sprint, but
Mark wisely decided not to sprint, due to the fact that Kathy was wielding a
water bottle and was prepared to use it. The sprint was taken by Star with Bob
and Gary in the mix. After the sprint, the riders decided to forgo the River
Road route and instead they headed for Sugarloaf Street. As we rode up the hill,
Star, Tara and Bob were at the front so I decided to take the sidewalk route
which leads to the dirt path and eventually a shortcut to Sugarloaf Street.
Waiting for me at the entrance to Mt. Sugarloaf was Star and when I popped off
the curb and onto the front of the pack, Kathy told everyone that I took a
"Socks" route. Everyone got a chuckle out of that! After the pack was back
together, I dropped to the back and we all headed for North Main Street. We
crossed 5&10 and took Mill Village Road over to Old Deerfield. After crossing
5&10 again we headed north towards Greenfield. As we got to the corner near
Woolman Hill, I sprinted up the turnout and pulled ahead of Karen and Tara who
were at the front of the pack. I put a little leg into my pace and soon I was
rolling along at 25 mph. I kept looking over my shoulder and when I saw that
Star was beginning to chase me I eased up a bit to let him take the bait. Star
kept charging hard and by the time I got to the Wok he was right on my wheel. I
began the sprint right at the bridge and Star was able to come around me to take
the town line. After the sprint we took the Hope Street route back to the shop.
Tara and I did the "cool down" ride back up High Street and we got back just
after the main group arrived. We ended the ride with a 19.4 mph average for the
27 miles.
8-19 PETERSHAM! The John Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Bike Ride: For me, this has become the hands down best mountain biking event in New England (Pedro's, NEMBA-fest, Topeak-Kenda ride series- can't hold a candle) In honor of the Late, legendary John Jenkins-his son Chris Jenkins, his sizable old riding crew, and the very kind and supportive women of Petersham host an all-day epic ride that traverses some of the finest, and most challenging single track in the East. Think Batchelor Street; but then add about three times the climbing, and triple the trail lengths and you'll get an idea of what an all-day ride in Petersham entails. Beyond the thrill, challenge and joy of riding this great trail system is a wonderful élan of soldiering along a really great bunch of riders-really the finest our sport has top offer in this region.
The Riders: This year there were fewer riders than last--around thirty (last year had over forty at the start. However, the general level of riders was, in my opinion, quite a bit stronger than last year's. The fastest guys, well-they were the same-Chris Jenkins and Salem Mazzaway (on a Retro Rigid Iron Horse) lead the way. However, the slowest riders (slow only by comparison) were quite a bit stronger than last year's slowest riders and the group was able to maintain a high pace through even harder terrain than last year. Mechanicals were kept to a minimum but there were a number of broken chains and flats. This however was no problem for the Petersham clan. They have a few really good mechanics riding sweep (with radios) and they will quickly fix and move along any disabled bikers.
Franklin County (and Greater PV-NEMBA) had a really good showing of strong riders. There was me (Liam), Harold "Hammerhead" Green, Young Matthew "The Kid" Green, and two Petersham Epic Ride newbies: Eric Malloy and Luke Williams. Both of these guys upped the "Epic" ride ante by doing the ride on singlespeed bikes! At the start of the ride, a lot of the Petersham locals looked at Eric and Luke's bikes and laughed saying "didn't Liam tell you what this ride is like?". And yeah, the ride for our two singlespeedsters was often more of a soul-searching challenge than a joy. But they did it; and did it in good order at that. Quite a display of Franklin County grit (though about midway through the ride, a slightly bleary eyed Eric intoned to me that as soon as he got home he was calling IF and ordering a geared bike!). Luke and Eric will be racing at the Vermont 50 on their singlespeeds in a few weeks--judging from what I saw at the much harder Petersham ride--I'd say they were ready!
From Hampshire County we had the notable Rich Labombard, and Drs. Dan McBride and Pierre Rouzier--who opted for the Sandbag route, which was to forgo the first 3 hours of incredibly challenging riding and arrive at 12:30 at Alf's house and only ride the afternoon portion of the ride--still a challenge--but not the Epic.
The Ride: After a few opening comments and thanks for supporting the scholarship fund and the memory of John Jenkins, we posed for photos and quickly set off into the woods from Chris's mom's farm. This first trail--called Jaw Breaker--was actually one of the hardest of the day-It's long (5-6 miles), Goes mostly uphill, and has tons of fairly technical but lovingly built rock stunts and features (Chris is a Mason by trade), If Petersham's trails have an ethos it's this "LET NO ROCK BE WASTED". Every steep huge rock in the region has been cleverly, and sometimes challengingly incorporated into every trail. But perhaps most impressive part of this first trail was at the trail's end. We regrouped at a road bridge and hit a series of long rocky trails (where I began a series of stupid falls and bruises). I wasn't on my best game for this ride. After a while we worked our way over to what is the hardest trail; Kelton's Bane, a long, narrow, rocky/rooty (a little scary) cliff side climb. Most of our group thought that this was a widow maker. Part of riding in a big group is pacing and spacing which was an added challenge on an already challenging trial. But we all made it up and over (and then down some more hair raising rock) in fairly good order, although a little exhausted. We hit another challenging trail or two before finally arriving at Alf's house for lunch (again, thanks too the women of Petersham for providing Gatorade, fruits, cookies, water and driving it all over--with our own packed lunches! Anyway, as we pulled up for lunch I noticed my right thigh cramping so I loaded up on bananas and Gatorade. After a half an hour cool down and carb up we remounted our metal steeds and headed out to ride. The next set of trails are all fashioned by Petersham local David Frost. The most notable being the "Tour D' Frost". These are ruthlessly rocky, hard turning, hilly trails that test the anaerobic and gyroscopic skills of even the best riders. And after the three hours of hard riding we'd all ready done; these trails were a real litmus test of 'expert" mountain biking (a humbling experience for most of us!). After these torture chamber trails, we hit some beautiful, but not easy, trails around some beaver ponds; it was here that my leg seized up in a full-blown paralytic cramp; unbelievable! I have never had a real cramp before and I had to stop, lay down, stretch and, thankfully another rider gave me a few electrolyte pills. Honestly, I thought my ride was over, but we had another three hours of riding in front of us. At the end of the next trail we were greeted by a freezer chest full of watermelon and water---man, did that hit the spot. We then rode up a dirt road and back to Alf's for our second food and fuel stop. This time I loaded my Camelback with Gatorade. We were all sore, tired and haggard by this point (it was around 3 p.m. we'd been riding since 9 am). But with two more hours of riding in front of us, none of us blinked. We all turned down offers of rides back to our cars if we'd had enough (I was quite proud of our Franklin county crew!). The next set of trails were well deserved super smooth rolling cruisers--ah, nice. Our two singlespeedsters finally got to open a can of whup ass and buzzed with a vengeance to the front of the pack (well--pretty close anyway) for the next few miles. After this we hit some more technical trails, one with a hairy rock section, steep uphill blast and then a long, nice high speed descent. At last we were gearing up for the final trail. A little trail they call "BALL-BUSTER". Basically after a nice singletrack cruise you're greeted with a long set of switchback climbs--now at 9 am I would have found this climb a piece of cake, but it was now 5:00pm, 35 hard miles behind me, I dropped into the granny gear a began a nice spin to the top, then we began the rocky, but fun final descent back to The Jenkins farm. The final point involved riding over a stone wall and down a narrow wooden plank as the women of Petersham clap and cheer for you (and put some pressure on you not to blow the plank descent with an audience!!!). After which, we retired to Chris's mom's house for a wonderful barbecue and some beverages where we sat a basked in our days adventures. Dang that was great!
Final note about our riders:
Everyone who came did really well on this long and challenging ride. Harold
wasn't sure he'd do the ride this year, and thought about bailing a few times
during the ride-but he was there till the bitter (actually glorious) end-and not
the last to finish either-his big motor and truculent legs got him triumphantly
through 8 hours of hard, hard riding. Matthew the Kid has really come of age--no
longer merely a dirt jumping maniac he has developed some solid mountain biking
skills and basically rode near the front (actually we were next to each other
for most of the ride-he even lead up the big hill at the end!!). Good show,
Matthew. Luke and Eric pulled of the unbelievable making the whole ride, in good
order (Luke and I finished at the same time) on their single speeds---giving new
meaning to the concept of enlightened suffering. Strong stuff, boys-good luck at
the VT 50! And man, not only are the boys of Petersham good guys, but they're
just flat out dynamite, strong riders-all this is why I've really come to look
forward to this event each year.
Liam
Thursday 8/18: Tonight we had another perfect night for a ride. It seems that we have had the best three weeks of the summer in late July and early August this year! There was another very large group of 25 riders assembled in the parking lot when I got out the door at 6:00. After everyone was all set we left the shop and headed over to Turners Falls. We took the Third Street route to the top of the hill. I asked Mike M., to keep the pace at 14mph up the hill so that the group would not get blasted apart. At the top of the hill the pack was pretty much together and we all headed for Montague Center. As we rode along Turners Falls Road I noticed Chris Williams riding in the dirt as we zipped past him at 25 mph. Chris had a minor problem with his gears but chose to ,make a sudden stop on the roadside. This is usually a really bad idea as it can cause a crash or just muck up the pace line. As it turns out, Chris was able to safely get to the side of the road along with Parrott and Dusty who dropped off to help him. The pack slowed up a bit to wait for Chris and that caused the line to swell to three abreast on the roadway. At that point I told the group to continue on and I along with Jamie and Curt turned around to go back and see what happened to Chris. Soon after we turned however, I spotted the trio of Chris, Jon and Dusty coming up the road. I jumped in behind them and the pace went up. Unfortunately the pace was too much for Jamie and Curt, so I made the executive decision to drop back and ride with my buddies and let the other three go on to catch the rest of the pack. I rode on the front of our pack for most of the way over to RT. 63 where we turned right. The plan was for us to head over to the bottom of Cave Hill (skipping the climb) and meet up with the rest of the group as they came off the descent. This was also Sock's plan, and he got there just before we did. Just as we came down the small hill at the intersection of Cave Hill Road and Montague Road, we saw Socks jump into the pack of riders ahead of us. I sprinted and soon Jamie, Curt and I were in the lead group. The pack was now much smaller with all the horsepower at the front. The group made the trip through Leverett and down Depot Road to RT. 63 at a pretty good clip. There was a little nervousness on the left turn onto 63, but we all made it safely. After getting onto RT. 63 I thought that we would follow the plan that I announced at the start of the ride, which was to head into North Amherst. But no, Socks somehow got onto the front and he led the group onto Bull Hill Road. There was a little confusion in the pack and Socks used that to get a gap on the group. We all knew what he was up to and Jonathan, Chris, Tom Martyn and several others chased him down and dispatched him to the back of the pack where we all were waiting. The group continued down Bull Hill after the sprint and we turned onto 116 at the bottom of the hill. The ride into Sunderland was a brisk affair and we mostly kept a 27 mph pace into town. After we got through the traffic lights there was another sprint for the Deerfield town line, but I did not see who got it. There was a discussion about the route and several riders wanted to head back via Old Deerfield instead of River Road. This information did not get to the front of the pack before Mike M. signaled a left turn after the bridge. There was a little argy-bargy at the turn and some of the group did not make the left and they continued on to do the Old Deerfield route. The majority of us did make the turn and we headed down to Christian Lane where we headed up to RT. 5&10. We took a right at the Whatley Ballet and headed north, The group kept a pretty steady 25 to 29 mph average all the way back to Greenfield. I called off any sprint at the Greenfield town line due to the fact that the sun was setting and the lighting was poor. We all cruised back into town where we took the Hope Street route back to the shop. When I got back to the shop there was quite a bit of commotion going on. Apparently there was a crash in the beginner group and a couple of riders went down. I found out that Kathy Jacques and Eric Nussbaum had fallen and were at the hospital. MaryEllen and Karen Moore went down to check up on them. I stayed at the shop to await the last few riders and I left for home at 9;00 when MaryEllen returned. I have put Patrick's update on Kathy and Eric on the homepage.
8-16: I had some trepidation about tonight's ride. The plan was to go up to Northfield and ride the trails near Mt. Herman/ Northfield Reservoir. I have only been here a few times--the first time was my first ever ride w/ Bicycles Unlimited way back in July of 2001--the infamous" bee sting hey I think I'm allergic can you get my bike ride" as I like to think of it. I've only returned here once or twice since then--the last time being a few years ago in the late fall where we seemed to get turned around and spent a lot of time on eroded snowmobile trails. Truthfully, I just didn't have a good impression of the place--and I was leery of going tonight--I must admit, I'm a bit of a trail snob Prima Donna--yeah, I like camaraderie and the gang but I only have so many hours in a lifetime to ride and I just don't want to spend them on lesser trails..so sue me. But, I headed up to Northfield anyway. The quick synopsis--I had these trails all wrong--they're a ton of fun-lots of good challenging climbs and opportunities for prolonged, high speed twisty downhill's. Yeah they're mostly wide-ish XC ski trails, but there's a fair amount of broad single track mixed in and all of it rides pretty good. Anyway-it was a beautiful night, and we had a good crew and here's the longer report:
5 of us met at Michelle's lovely
Mt. Herman faculty house on Winchester Rd in Northfield at 6:20. There was me
(Liam), the speedy (and rather trim looking) Matthew Ballard, Jason Duncan--of
Wendell ride leading lore and legend, Iron Mark Newton, the always game (except
during hunting season) John Parrot, and of Course, our own General Washington,
the indefatigable, irrepressible, no-air-pressure-in-his -tires-riding Fearless
Leader Bob. A veritable Bikes Unlimited A-team if ever I saw one. Well me and
the other A-team members rolled out and up the gravel rd to the reservoir-after
a rather healthy climb Bob was convinced (by concerned members of the crew) that
no matter the traction advantages of riding w/ 15psi in one's tire the ensuing
climbing demanded a little less rolling resistance (and pinch flat protection).
I must say-no one handles a CO2 cartridge like our George Peppard (Bob)-leader
of the A-Team (I leave it to my dear readers to decide who in our crew was
BA-Mr.T, FACE, the Crazy Guy who flew the helicopter, Face and the Girl).
Anyway-soon we were chasing the fleet wheeled Mr. Newton and Mr. Duncan down
along the Blue marked trail--this frivolity went on for a while until it was
time to pay the piper a bit and slog it up a longish rutted snowmobile trail
climb to one of those ubiquitously named spots (Four Corners). At four
corners-Jason and Mark lead us up further and lead us down a ripping downhill
which after a fun filled descent sharp turned into a wicked up hill filled with
misery and tears and wailing and gnashing of teeth--once a top this slice of
Single track Sackcloth, Jason and I waited for Bob, Mark and John...and
waited...and waited...hmmm. I set off back down the trail and found Mark coming
up---alone---saying he had lost Bob and John--while we deliberated over whether
we should re-ride the whole trail to find them we heard the familiar voice of
the Supreme most honorable and revered Commander Perry coming up from a
different trail--Bob missed a turn-John followed but thankfully Bob knew the lay
of the land (she's really awesome!) and found us (unfortunately for John that
route entailed re-climbing the slog hill we'd ascended before). From here Jason
selected another route that took us to the top of the hill and then dropped us
down a long, screamingly fun, twisty, jumpy down hill. Bob took a shorter route
and got pictures of us roaring down the mountain (which are probably included
with this report!). At the bottom we were again missing Bob who came along again
from another direction and rejoined us for the ride out of the woods. Near the
end of the last trail before the road home-Jason snapped a derailleur and
dropped a chain. With a little over a mile or so of rolling to go, John Parrot
and I linked arms with Jason and towed him back the car in short order--it was
observed that Jason's Zero-Speed ride trumped Grasshopper's much noted single
speed ride. We all enjoyed a few minutes talking bikes and biking after a really
fine ride. Ah-Tis the Season To Go Riding!
Liam
Wednesday 8/16: We rode the trails
behind the Northfield Golf Course tonight. The ride consisted of Mark Newton,
Liam, Parrott, Bob, Matt and myself, J. We started off up the road to the
reservoir from Casa Michelle and quickly two groups emerged. I had to stop for a
sec because my camelback decided to leak but seeing as how there was nothing I
could do, I quickly got going again in an attempt to reel in Liam, Mark and Matt
who were stomping this climb. We reassembled at the top and Bob actually added
air to his tires, topping them out at about 4 psi.
We then headed across the trail network on the blue trail for
a rolling downhill to Cinder Road. We then began the climb up Cinder Road to the
4 corners. Liam and I led the charge but everyone got up there in good time. We
paused for a photo-op and then headed over to rip down the blue trail towards
Grasshopper's house. Speaking of which, where the hell was he? We were
essentially in his back yard after all. After two stops for some downed trees,
we ripped down the blue trail pretty much as fast as possible. Our descent was
abruptly ended by a sharp right that kicked us up steep on the fire road that
comes off of Warwick Road. Liam and I put the hammer down, Mark and Matt waited
for Bob, but he and Parrott decided that some extra climbing would be good so
they took their own route. Eventually, everyone regrouped at four corners again.
Bob decided to scoot across the green trail so he could take some pictures as we
came screaming down. As he headed off, we climbed up to the next four corners,
took a left climbed toward the benches and the bore right to get up the top of
the downhill. After a brief stint on the yellow trail, we went blue to green on
what I consider the best downhill on this ride. It is fast, has jumps, is steep
in places but is not overly technical so if you feel the need for speed, you can
fly. We did. Bob snapped some pics, we waited for him on a sketchy left turn and
then began the rip again. Once again, Bob fell off the back, and once again, he
found us via an alternate route. At this point, the sun was setting and we were
all lightless. A left turn off the fire road and we were heading toward the
Cinder Road trailhead behind the golf course. More downhill!
Unfortunately, these trails get infrequent grooming and just as I was hitting
Cinder Road, a stick decided to jump up and attempt to shred my irreplaceable 8
speed XTR rear derailleur. At this point I could have packed it in. Instead, I
decided to one-up Grasshopper's legendary single speed ride at Wendell. I popped
my chain off, got a running start and began a no-speed descent. Eventually on
whatever road that is behind the golf course, my good friend Moe Mentum bailed
on me. Luckily, Parrott and Liam decided to help out and pushed/pulled me along.
Suddenly, Bob shot out of the woods ahead of us. What the @#$%!?
All in all, it was a good ride. This trail system makes you
pay with steep, short climbs, but if you know how to connect the trails, the
downhill's are well worth it. Anyone who is motivated and has a moment (and a
rake) would be considered most excellent were they to do any kind of raking or
other trail work on these trails. Think of how nice it is to ride Wendell
without any sticks, leaves or other crap on the trail. These trails are just as
fun, though less technically challenging. Time to bust out the lights folks. The
skeeters are just about gone, the temps are dropping and the riding is just
about to get even better.
j
Tuesday 8/15: The route for tonight was the crowd favorite Conway-Whatley ride. This is a very nice but challenging ride. The weather was perfect for this kind of hilly route with warm temps and low humidity. There was a breeze but it wasn't too bad. We had another large crowd for all the rides. My group had 16 riders and we headed out of the parking lot to head for Deerfield. We kept the group together for the ride down to Mill Village Road, losing Mini-Bell when he dropped his wrench and went back to get it. The hill on Mill Village strung out the pack a bit but we managed to come back together after the turn onto Lee Road. We took the usual route to 116 where we began the climb to Conway. This climb really shattered the group and we ended up with a long line of one and two riders stretched out over nearly a mile of road. I rode up the hill behind Bruce Rogers (nervous doctor). We managed to catch up with Wilber just before the turn onto Whatley Road. Unfortunately, poor old Wilber missed the turn and went down the hill by himself. I yelled to Will as I made the turn and he turned around at the bottom of the hill. Bruce and I, in the meantime had gone on ahead where we met up with the main pack of riders. Dusty King was on the front and he quickly ramped up the speed which promptly dispatched Bruce off the back. I stayed with the group until we got to the mid point on the hill. I told the 5 or 6 riders to continue on without me and I slowed up to let Bruce come up to where I was. When Bruce got to me I told him that we should wait for Wilber. After we spun around at the top of the hill we were joined by Bob Graves and Wilber. the four of us set off to do the route together. We rode together to the town line where I got piped by Bruce for the sprint. After the sprint I rode to the front and led the boys over to the turn onto Sharpe Road. We then rode up Williamsburg Road to Whatley center. From the Whatley Inn we took a left and rode down to Christian Lane, Bob Graves decided to head for home so he went onto North Street. The three of us then rode down to 5&10 on Christian Lane. As we crossed 5&10 we could see the lead pack just going over the 91 overpass but we never got any closer than that. After crossing 5&10, we rode down to River Road on Christian Lane. After making the left turn onto River Road we pedaled north to So. Deerfield. As we neared the town line, Bruce lost what was left of his mind and he went for the sprint. I pulled along side of him and waited for the last second to take the sprint. After the sprint we crossed 116 and continued on River Road all the way to Greenfield. We took the Hope Street route back to the shop where the lead pack as well as Jamie and Curt's group were waiting for us. We had done the entire 38 miles at a 20.5 mph pace.
Monday 8/14: Tonight was yet another beautiful day and we had a big group for the beginner ride. In total we had 21 riders show up for the trip. MaryEllen did not ride tonight so Paul took over her duties with the smaller pack, while I led the larger group. My group headed from the shop over to Silver Street. At the end of Silver Street we rode down to the swimming pool and then took the circuitous loop past the college and the radio station, over to Laurel Street via Newton Street. We climbed the hill on Laurel Street and although the group got a little strung out we all managed to get over to Upper Road together. Brooks and Rob were at the front of the pack as we climbed the last hill on Upper Road. I rode with them and Patrick down the hill to the Stillwater Bridge where we stopped to lower the saddle on Brooks bike. After the adjustment the entire group was together so we all headed off towards Mill Village Road. Karen groaned when I indicated that we were turning left as she then knew that she would have to climb some more hills. We rode up the hill on Mill Village and after we crossed 5&10 we headed for Hillside Road. I rode up the hill with Linda and Karen but as we neared the top of the hill I sprinted off to catch up with Rob and Brooks. I rode to the bottom of the hill with them and I had them soft pedal so that the rest of the group could catch up. After we all had made the left turn onto River Road we then headed north. The riders got pretty strung out on the hills on River Road and by the time we got to the end of the Road there was only Gary Cole, Rob, Brooks and myself in the front group. We had ridden pretty hard over the hills and the boys did a nice job with pace making all the way to the cool down ride up High Street to the shop. We ended the ride with a 20 mph average.
Sunday 8/13:
What a beautiful morning for a ride!! At first there were only 4 of us there
for the ride but at 9 a.m. when the ride was to begin, (have we ever started on
time), several more people showed up. In my group there were four of us, Tom G,
and Tom and Ellen Martyn, and me. Tom G suggested we head north to Guilford;
Ellen was riding her new felt on its maiden voyage and wanted to try it out on a
route that had some hills soo north we went. We started out going up Adams
road, well first we had to wait and wait for the light on RT. 2 to change and we
were just about to give up and dart across, when the light changed. Usually I
don’t really like going up Adams road because it is too early for hills, my legs
aren’t warmed up but it wasn’t too bad this morning. We took a right at
Streeter's Store and headed up Rt. 10 to Rt. 142. We turned onto Rt. 142 and we
rode for quite awhile on that road till we came to Tyler Hill Road. Now when
they name a road Hill you know it ain’t gonna be flat!! And this one wasn’t.
Tom (as in Tom and Ellen) told me what to expect on this road and he was very
encouraging. We headed up the road and I was quickly in my easiest gear but I
was still moving up the hill, I crested the 1st hill and there was a
bit of a flat so I could just about catch my breath before the 2nd hill started,
I had hardly gotten out of my easiest gear and there I was back in it again but
still I was climbing…you could have probably heard me gasping for air in
Greenfield… but up I went. The 3rd hill, well by the time I hit that
I was just in the go up mode and I didn’t think it was bad at all! Ha Ha!! (Did
you notice that as we were climbing the hill it became an “I” story and not a
“we” story, well that is because I had no idea what the rest of the group was
doing, and I was just working hard to make it up the hill. Sorry guys.) We then
took a right onto Rt. 5 towards Guilford, I am not sure of the roads from there,
maybe next trip I will remember, we went by a pond I think it was the
Weatherhead Hollow Pond. It was a beautiful sight. Tom G and I saw some wild
turkeys run across the road. When we got to Leyden Road, Tom G and Tom flew
down the hill I don’t know how fast they went, I know I got up to 40.2 mph;
Ellen was a little more cautious coming down the hill. We continued on Leyden
road to Silver Street, we hit the green light at Federal Street and we continued
on to the shop. Thanks everyone for a great ride. Hope to see you again Tom
and Ellen. Tom G. I will see you Monday night.
Karen
P.S.: Later in the evening hubby
(Yet, another Bob)
wanted me to check the mileage on part of a walk he had done this morning, I
said ok, I got on my bike and by the time I hit Montague Center Road (about
1-1/2 miles) I had a flat! Back tire this time and I DID IT…I changed it and
got the tire back on (I found the piece of glass) and finished my 4 mile trip!
(One nice guy stopped and asked if I needed help, but I had already finished the
repair, so no help necessary!!)
Thursday 8/10: It was a beautiful day today with warm (85 degrees) temps and low humidity. There was a breeze blowing from south and southwest but it wasn't significant. We left the shop at 6:10 and headed down High Street with me at the front going at 15 mph. Soon after I got by Smith Street, Michelle came riding up the line and said that Curt had "forgotten" his helmet when he road out of the parking lot and had to go back to get it. I slowed the pace a bit and Curt was back into the peloton before we got to Deerfield Street. After we got out on Deerfield Street I pulled off the front and found myself in the middle of a pack of 18 riders. Socks was riding at or near the front as we headed down through Old Deerfield and everyone was keeping a wary eye on him, lest he sneak off the front and snag a town line or two. Well the group stayed pretty much together until we got to Lee Road where the pressure of the Mill Village climb and the overall speedy pace, cut the group into thirds. The gaps we never that great and we were all together after the turn onto Rt. 116. I led the riders down the hill to South Mill River Road where I peeled off right away. I rode along with one of our newer riders, Nick Marzano, as the pack headed for Whatley. As we rounded the corner to head for the town line, I must have momentarily lost my mind because before I knew it I was sprinting for the Whatley town line. I had gotten a good jump on the pack but was handily beaten to the line by my buddy Paulo. After the sprint I began to think about what I had just done. I basically emptied the tank and now I was faced with a couple of short climbs that I wasn't sure that I would be able to do if the pace went up at all. I decided to give it a go and I stayed near the front of the pack for most of the way over the two hills into Whatley. After the hills on Chestnut Plain Road we headed for the Hatfield town line sprint. There was not much enthusiasm for this one as only Paulo and Tim went for it. Timmy took the sprint ahead of Paulo and the rest of us rolled in behind them. After we got to Pantry Road I went to the front of the pack to pace everyone around the corner onto RT. 5&10. After I got near the FedEx depot, I pulled off and Mark Newton took over the lead. The pace was pretty steady for the run down to NoHo and I told everyone not to sprint for the town line because this highway is too busy. As we neared the neared the town line we were nearly forced to a stop when a car backed out of a driveway right in front of the pack. I am so glad that there was not a sprint going at that time, because I am sure someone would have gone down. After that little bit of excitement I found myself at the front of the pack as I crossed the RT.91 overpass in Hatfield. I rode along for most of the way down Elm Street a few yards ahead of the group, pedaling at a steady 24 mph. After the group was back on my wheel, I quickly pulled off the front and headed for the middle of the pack. The pace stayed pretty high for the ride through Main Street in Hatfield and we really got it ripping out on the ride north on River Road. The pace was pretty high as we approached the Whatley Town Line and I tried to get a jump on the pack. I timed my sprint so when Timmy looked under his arm for riders coming from behind him, I waited until he looked ahead, and then launched for the line. I was no match for Tim as he beat me by about a half a bike length. It was fun to try to get a sprint, but at this point, I was all through doing that kind of stuff. After the sprint the group caught back on and I went to the back of the pack and hung out with Jamie and Wilber. I basically stayed in the group for the ride up to RT. 116 where we crossed at the bridge to continue north. After getting across the highway. Parrott who was at this point getting pretty tired from all the effort required to keep up with me, sprinted to the front of the group and threw one of his water bottles onto the roadway. This was done to slow the pack down so he could stay in the group. But, sadly for Parrot, our skilful riders just went around the bottle and we continued on at a fairly good clip. Poor old Parrott, his trick did not faze the pack, but at least he had a good excuse for the rest of the ride. "I'm out of water, so I will have to stay at the back of the pack." The after the bottle incident we rode over to the hills where Mike M. and Timmy got off the front of the group on the first hill. The rest of the way back to Greenfield was spent trying to catch those two. A group of four or five riders caught them just at the top of the cemetery hill and the rest of us got back on at the top of the last hill before 5&10. After we got back into the group we all took the Hope Street route back to the shop. We ended the ride with a 23.5 or so mph average for the 42 miles.
Wednesday 8/9: We have had a run of beautiful weather and with that we planned another foray into Wendell State Forest. I have tried to entice some of the beginners to come out for this ride but to date not that many have shown up. Tonight I left the shop with several riders following me over to the ranger station. After we got to the parking lot, I chatted with Bryant for a couple of minutes while I got my gear ready. I forgot to bring my camera tonight so there will be no shots of the group at the ranger station. Since daylight is an issue this time of year we quickly got going so that we would be able to finish before dusk. In the rush to get going I did not get the names of all the riders or even a head count. I jumped onto the back of the group and followed Shane and Ed on the trail over to Brook Road. When we got to Brook Road we took the left onto Ruggles Pond Trail and we were well behind the main group. After we got to the Pine Tree Trail we re-joined the group that was waiting for us. At this point I got a head count and it turns out that we had 12 riders in total. From the Pine Tree Trail we rode over to the Maple Leaf Trail and then headed for the Nipmuck Trail. I got to ride with some of the group on the Maple Leaf Trail as the pace was pretty slow on the technical sections of that trail. I stayed with the group until we got to the Nipmuck, where I ended up riding sweep behind Shane. Shane has a pretty low end K2 Zed Sport bike with flat pedals and he had a hard time keeping up with the other riders in the main group, who mostly had much better equipment than he does. I rode along with Shane, encouraging him to ride when he could and walk when the trail got too difficult for him. We actually made good time and were not that far behind the group at the turn on the Nipmuck. After the left turn on the Nipmuck, I ended up riding behind Hammerhead and I was right behind him when he stacked it on the two foot drop off. Harold was OK and he quickly remounted his bike and headed down the trail. I followed Harold down the hill for a short way before he got a good gap on me and Shane. At the end of the trail I hollered up to Harold and told him that he and the group should just continue on and that I would stay with Shane. Shane was a little way behind me so I waited at the end of the Nipmuck and when he arrived we headed up Baker Road together. Shane and I rode back to the Pine Tree Trail and from there we headed back to the ranger station via the north side of the Ruggles Pond loop. Bryant was still at the ranger station when we got there and we chatted for a few minutes before he left for home. Soon after Bryant left the rest of the group came rolling in. Everyone seemed to have a good ride.
Tuesday 8/8: Tonight's ride was the
Frizzle Hill 35 miler. It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine. temps in the
upper seventies and low humidity. There was a somewhat brisk breeze coming from
the northwest. I led a group of 19 riders from the shop at 6:10. We rode over to
Turners Falls and on the way down the hill we had to contend with an idiot car
driver who was honking his horn as he went past us. I let him know of my
displeasure with his antics as he went by me. After crossing the White Bridge, I
headed for the bridge across the canal. I have crossed this bridge maybe several
dozen times this year, without mishap. But tonight, after crossing the bridge,
as I was preparing to make the left turn onto Canal Street, disaster struck. I
had Socks on my left as I started the turn and I steered a little to the right
to give him some room. When I looked to where I had steered my bike, I saw a
patch of gravel. I was sure that I could ride right through it. But that was not
to be the case tonight because as soon as my front wheel hit the gravel, I hit
the deck. I landed squarely on my backside and bounced back to my feet. I was OK
but it took me a couple of minutes to get my bike squared away and start riding
up the hill. Dusty King and Jamie stopped to help out and gave me a push up the
hill. There were several other riders who waited up and helped with pacing me
back to the group. After leading me up the Third Street Hill, Parrott did a
strong pull to get the six or seven of us back into the pack. After I got back
in the group I headed to the front to heckle Ian Grosse, before I settled into
the middle of the pack. The group stayed pretty much together through the
traffic lights at the bridge in Millers Falls but the hill out of town got the
riders into a long line on the hill. I stayed near the front of the group until
we got to the top and then I pulled off to the side of the road to wait for the
rest of the group to crest the hill. After Jamie, Curt and the main pack passed
me, I jumped onto the back wheel of Dusty King and we rode together at the rear
of the pack. The speed went up considerably on the rolling hills leading to the
Northfield town line. This is a very fast sprint due to the fact that it comes
just yards after a 35 mph descent down a hill. The sprint went off just after
the road to Rose Ledges and there must have been 10 riders going for the line.
In the end it was my buddy Paulo, who was in good position on the inside of the
group that took the sprint. The pace stayed pretty high as we rolled onto the
hills past the recreation area. At this point Bonnie and Jocelyn dropped off the
pace and I asked them if they were OK as I passed them. Jocelyn said that she
was fine and that she would join Bonnie and do the rest of the ride together.
After they left the group I worked my way up the pace line and soon was safely
in the middle of the pack. The group made the turn onto RT. 10 and we headed
over to Bernardston together. After getting through the intersection with RT. 5
we headed south. This is a rough section of roadway and it is hard to keep a
group together when you are dodging potholes and broken pavement, but we managed
to all get to the turn onto West Mountain Road safely. West Mountain Road is
another example of what a sad state of affairs the Bernardston DPW (Department
of Public Waste) is in. We rode over what can only be described as a "barely
paved" road to begin the climb up the Eden Trail, which is also in poor
condition. I stayed in the middle of the pack for most of the first climb and
had the lead pack in sight as I crested the hill. But I was just far enough back
that I was unable to make contact and the group pulled away from me at a pretty
good clip. I rode the next mile or so with Paulo and had the back of the lead
group in sight as I began the climb into Leyden. This is a great road to ride on
and I started to gain on the riders ahead. Unfortunately, when I sped up to try
to catch the front group, poor old Paulo got dropped. As I neared the top of the
hill, I passed Karen Down and Tom Graney as they made their way to the top of
the hill. After passing Karen and Tom, I rode by myself until I got to the
bottom of Frizzle Hill, where I spied some riders just going around the corner
on Greenfield Road. I pushed a little harder and soon I had caught up with Mark
Newton, Will Kraham, and Michelle. We rode together for a short way and we
caught up with Ian, Bruce Rogers and a couple of others at the top of the
descent into Greenfield. Our group then headed back to the shop via Silver
Street. As we got to Chapman Street we came upon Roger and Mike S. who then
joined us for the return to the shop. Roger did a nice little sprint after the
turn onto High Street and he finished second or third in our group. Good job
Rog!! All in all it was a good ride even with my visit to the pavement
considered. I finished the ride with a 20.2 mph average for the 35 miles, which
is one of the better showings for me on this ride.
Monday 8/7 ride report: What a good turnout for tonight’s ride; we had 3 groups go out for the Sunderland Sweep ride. The weather was a bit humid but we missed the thunderstorms. I started out in Bob’s group and we headed off to Turners to do the Sunderland Sweep. As we came down Esleeck Hill I stayed on the back to make sure everyone stayed with the group. Once in Turners we headed up the 7th street hill and took the right onto the L Street Hill. Most of the group was able to make the hill but Harold’s wife, Melissa, couldn’t make it up the hill and had to walk her bike up. Bob came back to us and asked if we were OK and I said yes and waved him on. I waited for Melissa to make it up the hill and then we rode at our own pace towards the Fire Station. After making the turn onto Turners Falls Road we headed out to do the rest of the Sweep. We never saw the group again for the rest of the ride; they were long gone. We had a nice leisurely ride, we talked and talked and I suggested maybe she needed a new bike so she could keep up with the groups (Yea, Karen) and have an easier time going up the hills, she said her husband was going to have her try out one at the shop. I thought Bob’s group was going to do River Road and I knew Melissa would have trouble doing that so we just did the regular route back through South Deerfield and Mill Village (I left Melissa for a bit as I barreled down the hill at 35 mph and then I waited for her to catch up). We did about 26 miles with a 15 mph pace. Not bad for a nice easy ride. Turns out Bob’s group did the regular Sweep route too, just at a quicker pace! Something like 19.4?? Wow! Karen Dowd
Monday 8/7: It was a warm (85 degrees) and somewhat humid day today but the thunderstorms that were predicted never materialized so the ride was on. We had another large group for tonight's ride. Altogether there were 23 riders that went out in three groups. In my group there was Harold, Jeffery and Melissa Green, Karen Dowd, The Parrott's, Bob S., Gary Cole, Tom G., Patrick, Brian McCabe and Barry Auskern. We left the shop and headed over to Turners Falls to begin the Sunderland Sweep ride. The group was pretty strung out by the time we got to Canal Street in Turners and I thought that we would end up splitting the pack in two. But with the red light at Avenue A letting the back of the pack catch up, we all ended up on the Seventh Street Hill together. The climb up to the top of L Street was a little too much for Melissa and she got tailed off the back. I was busy giving the "Hand of Bob" to a couple of riders and did not notice that Melissa and Karen Dowd were behind. I went back to see if they wanted me to pull them back, but Melissa said that she wanted to go at a slower pace. Karen then said that she would stay with Melissa and I then headed back to the pack of riders who were pulling away from us. I got back onto the group and I noticed that Jeffery was having a hard time staying up with the pace. At first I thought that maybe he should just go back and ride with his mom and Karen, but then I decided to see if he could manage to stay with the main pack. I coached and helped Jeffery for the next few miles as the group rode over to Ferry Road. Jeffery was a pretty game rider, for you see, he was wearing sneakers and had the old fashioned flat metal petals. I was impressed with Jeffery's pluck. Although it was pretty hard for him, he stayed with it and never once complained or gave up. As we rode along Meadow Road, Harold took over the coaching duties and I went up to the front of the pack to see what was going on up there. It was a pretty lively group and they all pretty much were taking turns at the front. As we neared the town line in Sunderland, I announced the sprint. Bob Shepherd and Tom went out for the town line sprint which was won by Tom. I was impressed with Bob for putting out the effort to sprint with Tom. After the sprint we rode over to Sunderland Center where we made the decision to ride through South Deerfield rather than doing the hills on River Road. After we got onto Sugarloaf Street, Jeffery finally spoke up and said that he was having a really hard time. He said that his back was hurting and from the way his feet were positioned on the petals, I was not surprised. Harold said that he would ride back with Jeffery and I then went on ahead with the rest of the riders. The group kept a pretty steady 19 mph average as we rode up North Main Street. After we crossed 5&10 we took Mill Village Road to head for Old Deerfield. Tom Graney took the lead and got the pack going at 20 mph as we headed for the descent to the Bar Way Farm. The speed went up to nearly 30 mph as we cruised down the hill and when we got onto the flatter part of the road near Tom's house the speed was still 25 mph. Patrick and Barry got tailed off on the descent and I helped them get back in the group. We did a fairly nice job of pacesetting and the group soon was up on Old Main Street. After riding to the end of Old Main Street we crossed 5&10 to begin the last leg of the trip. We had a nice pull from Tom and Gary and the pack was soon approaching the Cheapside Bridge. As we neared the bridge several riders went out for the last town line sprint and I think Tom won that one. After the sprint the group headed back to the shop via the Hope Street route. We ended the ride with a 19.4 mph average, which was a personal best for many of the riders. It was a great ride on a beautiful summer evening.
Sunday 8/6: I was really whipped from a long day. I got up at 6:00 this morning and headed over to the triathlon course to get the water bottle hand up station set up. After that I did my duties as the transition official at the race, Standing in the middle of the road watching out for 400 crazed triathlon racers was quite a chore. When the race ended I headed over to the shop to work with J from noon to five o'clock. After the shop closed I headed for home to get some rest. As soon as I got home the phone rang. MaryEllen answered and said that Jamie wanted to go out for a ride. In a moment of complete senselessness I agreed to meet Jamie at the shop in twenty minutes. I wobbled over to the shop and got my bike and gear ready and was sitting on the picnic table when Jamie arrived. He got his bike out and we were on the road in a couple of minutes. Jamie led me down High Street at 19 mph and I thought that I wouldn't make it to Main Street. I stayed on Jamie's wheel until we got to Hope Street where I rode along beside him. We chatted on the way down to Deerfield Street and after we got over to River Road I started to feel a little more lively. I took a couple of pulls on River Road and by the time I got to the hills, I got a little more energetic. I pushed over the two climbs and pulled for most of the way down to the Sunderland Bridge. We took a right and headed up the hill to Sugarloaf Street where I again took the lead. At this point I was pretty well warmed up so I kept the speed at 22 mph for most of the way through town. At the end of North Main Street, I took a right and we headed back towards Greenfield on 5&10. Jamie and I pretty much traded off the lead for most of the trip and we ended the 23 mile loop with a 20.5 mph average.
Sunday 8/6:
This past weekend was the Central New Hampshire Road Race in Bow. I was feeling
pretty good and excited to race, so Saturday I got up at 5 AM to drive over -
lovely, cool, sunny morning, no traffic. As I neared Bow I was surprised that I
wasn't seeing more cars with bikes on them. As I pulled into the school parking
lot at the start, I suddenly had the sinking realization that the race was not
today, but tomorrow. Hmmmm, guess I was a little too ready to race. So, a nice
drive home and I got on with my day.
Central New Hampshire Road Race in Bow, Take two; Sunday Aug 6th: Another lovely
sunny morning at 5 AM when I left for the Bow race. This time, there were lots
of cars with bikes on the highway, so I knew the race was on. I had entered the
Cat 5 Under 35 field because the over 35 field was already closed, so again I
knew I was in for a workout. The race starts right away with 3 miles of
climbing, with the last 150-200 meters a wall at 15% plus grade - brutal. Again,
I was gone from the lead group by the top, and although I could see them ahead
for the next several miles, I couldn't get back. Instead, I worked my way
steadily up through the debris field of riders shedding off the back, forming
small chase groups until riders couldn't handle our pace and dropped away, and
we overtook new groups. As we approached the big climb for the second time, we
had settled into a compatible group of four, but at the top, only me and another
young (25!) guy survived, and we worked well together for the rest of the race.
He was better on the climbs, so I'd take his wheel and hang on, I was faster on
the flats and descents, so he'd do the same with me. We continued to pick up and
shed riders who'd cracked from the bunch ahead as we did the climb for the third
and last time. I started thinking about ways to attack my buddy, and hit him
hard twice on the backside of the course, once over the top of the other short
wall of a roller - 100 meters at 13-14 %, and again on another roller, but he
dug deep and stayed with me. At the bottom of the finish climb, he surprised me
by taking a huge risk through the final corner, and beat me to the line by a few
seconds. I finished 23rd and felt great. It was such a fun race, nice roads,
gorgeous day, and a great workout. Mike McCusker did great in the 55+ race,
although I never saw him, since they let the old guys start later than us under
35s (haw haw). Next weekend, on to the Capitol Regions race in Albany.
Tom Martyn
Saturday Ride
report 8/5/06: A friend
(Nathan) and I decided to take
a long ride together, the morning started at 6:15 a.m.; yes that’s right 6:15
AM!! Now before I start let me just say that I did not pick out the route, I
was the follower so don’t ask me why we went this way. We met in Greenfield and
headed up Country Club Road to Barton road and to Bernardston. We rode at an
easy pace so as not to shock the muscles so early in the morning. We turned on
Rt. 10 in Bernardston and then headed to Rt. 142. As we turned onto 142 there
was some fog that hadn’t burned off (too early) it was a beautiful morning. Rt.
142 takes us to Brattleboro and as we were nearing Brattleboro, I turned to my
friend (Nathan)
and said, we aren’t going up this big
hill are we, and of course we were. I love my hills so up we went; I made it up
the hill (not even in my easiest gear!) We headed to Rt. 119, which took us to
New Hampshire, by Wal-Mart in Hinsdale and by the racetrack. (If it had been
later in the day we could have stopped and placed a bet!) I knew we were doing a
long ride so I brought some bars and GU with me, and my plan was to eat a bar
around mile 20 and 40. I didn’t want to run out of gas. We rode to Rt. 63 and
as we neared the Drive-in near Northfield, I was thinking this ride is going
pretty good, I feel good and the pace was good and then just past the drive-in
we did a U-turn and headed back towards Brattleboro. WHAT? We are going back?
I knew I was in trouble because I knew that meant we were going home via Rt. 5
and I remembered some of those hills from a previous trip. We came back by the
racetrack, still to early to place a bet, and then by Wal-Mart and over the
bridges to Brattleboro. (I didn’t like those narrow bridges.) We had to go
through that yucky intersection on the corner of Main and Canal Street and I
hate it in a car, but thankfully because it was early, the traffic was light and
we were able to get across in one piece. Then we headed up Rt. 5 which is canal
street and up the HILL by the hospital, on that hill I’ll admit, I was in my
easiest gear, I went very slow, and kept saying, I love these hills, we are
almost at the top, I kept going and eventually I made it (my friend just seems
to fly up the hills!) At the top of the hill we stopped at a convenience/gas
mart to use the restrooms and get some food and drink; we had gone about 50
miles. Once I recovered from the hill I realized, hey, I still feel pretty
good. Sure I had had the occasionally ache from the saddle and I had to stretch
my knees once in awhile but, I felt like lets go some more, and we did. After
our break at the store we headed south on Rt. 5, I was a little slower on the
hills I think, but I found if I got in my own groove and pace I could move along
pretty good. About the time we hit around 60ish miles, my shoulders were
saying, what are you doing, they were getting a little stiff and I was getting a
little tired. So I ate one of my GU's and I stretched as we were riding and
tried to relax my arms and shoulders a bit. I got back into a good pace and was
getting excited as we neared Bernardston, knowing we were getting close to
home. When we pulled into Greenfield we had about 68-1/2 miles on the computer,
as we pulled into yard I was thinking, if I went home I could ride another mile
and a half to make 70 when my friend
(Nathan)
said, I have to keep riding to make
70, oh yeah, so we rode around the streets of Greenfield to make 70 miles. WOO
HOO 70 miles how exciting is that! Very exciting for me.
Karen
Thursday 8/3: It was a warm day today but without the humidity that we have been suffering thorough these last few days. Tonight I had a flat route so that most of the riders who wanted to stay in the pack, could do so. We had a very large group at the shop with the total of 45 riders for all the groups. We had several different rides going out tonight, with Tom Graney leading one ride, MaryEllen going out on another and Roger led the 5:30 crowd. I had a group of 24 riders when we left the shop to head over to Turners Falls. The plan was to do a loop down to Amherst via RT. 63 and then return through Sunderland. Bob Croake led the troops out of the parking lot and over to the traffic lights in Turners. The riders got pretty strung out on the climb up the Third Street Hill but I waited at the top and got the last few riders behind me and then pulled them back up to the leaders. The ride over to Millers was a little sketchy as we had some new riders in the pack. I did my job as General and pulled riders from the front who were having a hard time with the pace or who did not know how the pace line worked. Thankfully I had LT. Croake and SGT. Parrott to help me with the task. The group got out onto RT. 63 in good order and we began the run southward. The pace was pretty quick and I had to keep closing gaps that opened in the long paceline of 22 riders. I made sure that Jamie and Curt stayed in the pack and did not get gapped before the climb from Montague to Sunderland. After the two town line sprints (Sunderland and Leverett) were contested the group was stretched out over a pretty long distance. The sprinters (I didn't get to see who won either of them as I was at the back of the group.) sat up after the second contest, which allowed the rest of us to catch back on. We rolled over the next couple of hill and several riders got shelled off the back. In that group was Jamie and Curt, so I dropped back and pulled them back onto the field. After the hills by Toby Dell, there is nothing difficult about this ride other than the speed that the pack goes at, so I went up closer to the front to monitor the situation. I noticed that some of the newer riders were actually still on the front of the group so I sprinted to the head of the field to announce the somewhat dangerous right turn ahead. Even with my modest announcement of "RIGHT TURN", Jan missed the corner and had to turn around to get back into the group. We rode at a moderate pace over the very badly broken up roadway to RT. 116 where we made a right turn. Once on 116 we encountered the "rumble strips" and that caused a bit of argy-bargy in the pack. On top of that, there was a town line sprint and right after the town line sprint, there was a tractor trailer truck parked in the breakdown lane near Bub's BBQ. In the ensuing chaos, Wilber and Jamie got shelled off the back. I stayed at or near the front of the group to keep things rolling smoothly. We kept a pretty steady 28 mph average down to the center of Sunderland. I was on the front of the pack with Four Sticks as we cruised through the green traffic lights at 26 mph. As soon as we got through the lights, the sprint went off and a large group went for the town line sprint. After the sprinters sat up the entire pack crossed the bridge and took a left to head for Christian Lane in Whatley. When we got onto River Road, Socks took a flyer for the Whatley town line but he got nipped at the line by Chris Williams and several others. The group rode down to Christian Lane and took a right to head for the hills, or so I thought. When we got to RT. 5&10, Chris was on the front and he made the right turn onto 5&10. The rest of us went with him, which was actually OK with me as the thought of sprinting over the hills in West Whatley was not that appealing to me at the moment. The riders then got into a long single file line to head back to Deerfield. After we got by the potholes and soft shoulders near the Fillin Station, the group rolled up to the traffic lights at the intersection with 116. The light was green as we approached in a large pack, three or four abreast in the travel lane. Suddenly, a rider shot out of the pack and was ripping up the road towards the Deerfield town line. It was Socks!! He had pulled off a masterful snookering of the peloton and won the town line uncontested. As they say in sports: A win is a win. After crossing into Deerfield the group got back into the task of finishing the ride with a flourish. We pretty much hammered the pavement on the ride back to Greenfield. I kept a close watch on the front of the group and had to pull several riders off the lead when the speed dropped below 25 mph. When the group got over the little roller near Deerfield Academy, the pace went up to 30 mph and I knew that something was brewing. With the last town line only a mile or so away the peloton was getting edgy. I kept my position near the front of the group to make sure that I could go with any attacks off the front of the field. Socks, Jan and a couple of other riders were in front of me and I was keeping a wary eye on Socks. We pounded down the hill onto the flatter section of 5&10 before the town line and I was watching for an attack, Suddenly, as we neared the corner by Woolman Hill, a train of about 6 riders came flying by me at 35 mph. On the front was Mark Newton, and he pulled right past us and the pace shot up to 32 mph and we started to close in on the leaders. The pace never went down and soon we were at the bridge. As we neared the bridge we saw Jamie and Wilber as the came down to the end of River Road. They wisely waited for the group to pass because there was no hope of getting onto our group. The sprint started with Mark Newton doing a monster pull and jumping into the draft of a car that passed us on the bridge. Tommy "Pee-Pee" Silko was right on his wheel and he launched off Marks wheel to take the town line sprint pretty handily. Poor old Socks got left in the dust and it wasn't until we got to Washington Street that he got back into the group. After we got onto Hope Street, there was a bunch of us riding along with Socks. We all enjoyed having Socks in the group, he makes it a lot of fun trying to figure out what he will do next to get the town line or hill top sprint. We regaled in our wonderful trip tonight as we rode back to the shop. When we finished the ride we had a 23.5 mph average speed for the 40 mile trip.
Tuesday 8/1: The saga of Socks continues!! It was a brutally hot and humid day today so I decided to take the ride into the mountains to the west. The temperature at the shop was 104 this afternoon and I wasn't too sure if there were going to be any riders showing up for the ride. At 5:00 Roger and Joe Kayan had arrived and soon after that they were joined by Brian, Adrianne and John Strong. I gave them the route instructions and they headed out at 5:30. I then got my bike and myself ready for the 6:00 ride. Joining me for the ride tonight was Steve Power, Mark Newton, Jamie, Curt, Marc G., Wilber, Jim Hayssen, Parrott, Paul Cyr-Mutty and Socks who rolled in just before we left. The route tonight was a modified version of the new one that we did last Sunday. I pulled out of the parking lot at 6:10 and headed west on Silver Street with the group right behind me. It was impressively hot as we rolled down Silver Street at 19 mph. The asphalt seemed to glisten with the heat as we rode into the glare of the sun. I led the pack over to Colrain Road via Nash's Mill Road and after the turn onto Colrain Road I pulled off the front. It was pretty warm as we rode along and I was already drinking some water from the three bottles that I brought with me. Paul led the pack over to the turn onto Brook Road and we headed for the hills. When we got into the valley on Brook Road the temps dropped at least 15 degrees. It was really amazing how much cooler it was here than it was on Colrain Road, just a half mile before. Everyone commented on how nice it was as we made our way onto the slopes of the hill. As we began the climb I dropped to the back of the group and rode with Jamie, Curt and Socks. The main pack soon pulled out of sight and we pedaled up the hill at a steady pace. It was warm but not overly hot on the climb, but when we got to the top of the hill the heat came back on full force. At the end of Brook Road we took a right to head for Colrain with Socks in front and Jamie, Curt and I right behind him. As we began the climb up Pine Hill, Socks took off and he was soon out of sight. I stayed with my two companions, breaking the wind on the flatter roads and letting them set the pace on the hills. We rode over to Chandler Hill and began the steep descent into Colrain center. I hit 55 mph on the way down the hill and Curt got nearly 57 mph. Jamie got 54 mph, but he had to brake before the corner on the last part of the hill. After we made the turn onto 112 south, I took the lead and we pedaled along at 26 or so mph as we headed for Shelburne Falls. As we rode past the Kendall factory Curt spied Socks just up the road from us. At this point I had taken a rest at the back of our group, but with our prey in sight, I moved to the front and picked up the speed. Soon we were breathing down the neck of Socks. I knew that there was a town line just ahead of us and I planned the catch of Socks so that he would not get the jump on me for the sprint. This worked perfectly!! I came steaming by Socks about 50 yards before the line and he could not match me to the finish. After the sprint we sat up briefly and we were joined by Ed Ralicki who was just finishing up his ride. Ed went to the front of our group and pulled us at 25 mph into the village. After turning onto Bridge Street we headed for McCusker's Market where the rest of the riders were waiting for us. At this point we said goodbye to Ed and after a brief stop we headed out on Conway Street. I had hoped to keep the group together for the first climb, but as soon as we crossed the railroad tracks, the main field pulled away from Jamie, Curt and myself. I set the pace on the climb and the three of us headed up the hill together. When we got to Wilder Hill Road we were joined by Wilber and Paul and they helped out by pulling the group along the rolling hills on Shelburne Falls Road. As we rode along we caught up with Roger's group and some of them joined us briefly. We rode over to the last climb on this road and headed up the hill. At the top of the hill we were met by Mark Newton and at this point we had a pack of 10 riders. We all hammered down the hill into Conway where Joe, Adrianne and John decided to slow down to wait for Brian and Roger. The six riders in my group then continued on. After turning onto 116 we headed for the last climb of the day. As I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked up and spotted Socks just as he was just making the turn near Whatley Road. I told Jamie and Curt that the prey was once again in our sights and I encouraged both of them to push on a little harder to get up that last hill. At the top of the climb we had our group together and we began the chase down the other side of the hill. We pushed hard down the hill with myself, Paul and Mark leading the way. As we got to Walters driveway we had Socks squarely in the crosshairs. Mark and Paul made a huge push and we closed in on Socks, but that rascal nipped Mark at the town line sprint. Socks had once again out maneuvered us and he took the sprint. (I had nothing left for the sprint and was not able to help with the catch.) After the group got together we finished the descent and made the left turn onto Lee Road. As we crossed Stillwater Road we waved to Katherine and Walters who were waiting at the stop sign. I waved to them as our group went through the intersection and headed for Mill Village Road. Our group picked up the pace and we blasted down the hill on Mill Village to the flatter section of the road near the river. We pedaled over to Old Deerfield and headed down Main Street. As we rode along I heard a horn honking from behind. It was Walters and Katherine. Walters was driving and Katherine was leaning out the window handing out bottles of cold PowerAde. It was our "team car" with cool refreshments for the riders to help with hydration on this hot evening. All this happened because, unbeknownst to me, Curt had raised his hand like a Tour de France rider would when he beckons the team car for re-supply. Walters, sensing the need, had driven over to the mini-mart and gotten the drinks and Katherine handed them out to all of us. What a wonderful treat!! Now, all the while this was going on, Socks was planning his next escape. As we were getting our drinks, Socks managed to slide off the front of the group and get a gap. Wisely, Paul sensed the attack and went with Socks. Socks managed to get around the corner on Main Street and out onto 5&10 several hundred yards ahead of the rest of us. I saw what was happening and when I got out onto 5&10 I gathered what strength I had left and with Mark right behind me I hammered at 30 mph and closed the gap. Paul kept our arrival secret by blocking Sock's view in his handlebar mirror. As we neared Woolman Hill, Socks knew something was up and he pulled off the front and slid in behind Paul. I did my best to keep Socks from getting in behind me and Mark and our group hammered on towards the last prize of the day. After we passed the Wok restaurant, the sprint began. Paul led it out and Mark then jumped on his wheel, passing Socks just before the bridge. As we got onto the bridge, a car came along and Mark was able to get into the draft and he took the sprint handily. Paul was next and I finished in third. Poor old Socks, got snookered at the line. After the sprint we all got back together and we had a good time regaling the great ride we just had. It is really a lot of fun and we all had a good time with the "competition" with Socks. We rode back to the shop via High Street where we said "thanks and goodbye" to Socks, who rode home instead of returning to the shop. When we got back to the shop we chatted with the lead group briefly before everyone headed for home. A great ride!!!