bikebob@crocker.com

Our Hero: Totally Buff

Sunday 2/1/98: Today's ride was moved from 1:00 to 11:00 am to give us a better chance of riding on firm snow. We met at the shop and left for the Montague Plains with a crew that included CTD, Puddle Duck, Doug C., Paul Santos, Marc, Keith, Joe and myself. We rode from the center of town, up the telephone pole trail, to the power lines where we met up with the Duck and CTD, who rode up on the road. The trails were in perfect condition. The snow was well packed and the ice was crusty enough to give us great traction. We made a loop up over Willis Hill for the first time in three weeks, although there were several sections where the sun had warmed the snow, where we had to walk. We rode down the back side of the hill and met up with the Duck and CTD. The trails were so much fun to ride down, that we decided to go back up for another run. We walked, ran and rode up one of the shortcuts to the top of the hill, and then made another run down the hill. I took some photo's of our trip that I will post as soon as they are developed. I didn't get to take pictures of Paul and Marc's spectacular endo's because they will not perform on command. I have got to get a helmet cam so I can share the follies with you. These last few rides have been good and bad, and I hope that people who came out on days that were less than perfect will come out again. It's hard to predict what will happen, but no matter what, we always have fun. (Bob)
Hi Bob,
Just figured I'd let you know that my son Chris and myself also went for a ride on Sunday. We rode Chandler Hill in Colrain Sunday afternoon.We didn't start riding until about 1:30 but the trail was still in pretty good condition until later in the afternoon. It took us about 2 hours of fairly easy riding to complete the loop back to my house. We met up with a significant amount of snowmobile and cross country ski traffic which was not surprising. What did surprise me was that a
snowmobile did stop and hassle us for being on the trail. Whenever we heard snowmobiles or skiers coming we always stopped and got on the side of the trail. This one guy who said he was a member of the snowmobile club basically thought that we should have permission to go on the trails since the club has to. Normally I would agree but since it is open all year long and skiers use it I didn't think it was necessary. Then he said that the sign at the beginning of the trail said no wheeled
vehicles allowed. I then pointed out that I believed it meant motorized vehicles such as four wheelers and not bicycles but that if he thought we were somehow causing a problem we would be getting off the trail. He had a few more comments and then left. Everyone else we met were very nice. Other than that it was a great day to be out and we had a real good ride. It was the first time that we have done much of any trail riding in the winter. It is definitely a different feel. Now I just got to try to get back in riding shape.
( Submitted by Kevin Gilbert)

Thursday: Tonight I was too tired to ride so Joe volunteered to lead. The only person to come was Doug, so they wet out to Shelburne to ride Catamount. I will report as soon as I hear about it.

Friday: Today Marc called and said he would like to ride in the afternoon. we agreed to meet at 3:00 at the shop. We were joined by Mick and Pete. Marc thought that the Coke Plant would have firm snow, so we went out and rode about half of a lap and found the snow was too soft to ride on.  We went out to the road and then headed up to Bernardston for a loop out through Gill and then back to the shop. We will try again tomorrow.

Saturday 2/7/98: Today we met at the shop at 1:00 for another try at riding the road. I figured if we went to the North we might even be able to ride on some trails in Leyden. Along for the ride was Ken and Pat Heider, Ted, Marc, Dave, Jack CTD, The Duck, Lenny Eastman and myself. It was pretty warm when we left the shop so I wasn't too hopeful of finding much trail riding. We headed up the Eden Trail on the road and when we got to the top the group had split in two. I along with Ted, Lenny, Jack and Marc waited while Dave took a short loop on some snowmobile trails that run across the fields up there. He didn't get too far as the snow was too soft in the sun. I radioed back to CTD that we were going up further in hopes of finding some trails to ride. We didn't have to go far. We took the West Mountain Rd. down the hill until the dirt road became a snowmobile trail. It was perfect. The snow on that side of the mountain was firm and we flew down the hill and made the turn to go up to Fox Hill. At that point it was getting late and I radioed to CTD that I was going to have to scoot back to the shop and he was on his own to make it back with his group. We left Our Hero and headed up a somewhat slushy Fox Hill Ext. and then down the dirt road to the highway where Dave and I basically sprinted back to the shop. We were joined shortly thereafter by the rest of our troop. After a fashion Our Hero returned with a pretty burnt Duck and a somewhat less fried Ken and Pat. We shared our usual refreshments provided by CTD and made plans for the 'morrow.

Sunday 2/8/98: Our ride today was coordinated by Kevin Gilbert who agreed to lead us on the snowmobile trails up on Catamount, and Marc and Joe who went up to ride on the trails yesterday. (Marc also sacrificed his wheels on the descent and had to get some new Spinnergy's so he could come with us)  Kevin also arranged for us to park at Tom's house, which happens to be at the trailhead. Our group included Steve D, Paul, Doug, Gary, Joe, Dave M, Dave I., Jack, CTD, Marc, Kevin and Chris G., and me. We were all pumped to get going before the snow got too soft so we took off as soon as everyone had arrived. The first couple of miles is straight up the hill and I along with a few others was sucking some serious wind. I had to stop several times to catch my breath. It was quite a a climb up to the "chimney" and I haven't hurt this bad in some time. When Gary and I finally got to the top we collapsed in the snow while the well rested Joe and company looked on in amazement. When I finally recovered I took some photo's that I will put up on the page as soon as they get back from the developer. After the photo shoot we headed back down the hill to meet up with Steve and CTD who opted to ride up to the lake. When we got to the lake we rode across to the other side for more pictures and a well deserved rest. And after some discussion we headed for another steep climb over to Shattuckville and then back to the cars. However, when we arrived at the top of the climb to catch our breath, some of us got our wits back as well. Myself and all but Joe, Dave I., Gary and Doug, headed back down the short side of the mountain to collapse in the parking lot. We were shortly joined by the rest of the crew and we all enjoyed some refreshments provided as usual by CTD.
addendum 2/9/98: After recovering from the effort I am compelled to add that yesterday's ride will be remembered as one of the best rides ever! Even after factoring the falls and the soft snow that sapped almost all of my strength; this one will be hard to beat. The sun and the beautiful views as well as the wonderful bunch of riders who joined us just made it a great day. Thanks to all who came.

Week of 2/15/98
Tuesday 2/10/98: I was somewhat unsure of the conditions for tonight's so I planned to travel over to the Montague Plains. Joining me was Mick, Marc, Jack and Matt Sawin. We left from the center of town and traveled up the telephone pole trail. I was amazed at how firm the trail was, given how warm it was today. We rode with no trouble all the way out to Willis Hill, where Matt made a clean ride to the top and Marc and I managed with a couple of dabs. The ride down from the top down the West side was not as smooth however. The snow was soft and there were many bare spots and some running water. We all managed to get out to the sand pit where we regrouped. We rode back to the van across the lower trails and back out the telephone pole trail. The full moon and no wind made this one of the most pleasurable winter night rides in quite some time.

Friday: 2/13/98:
Bob-
We went out to the Industrial Park on Friday afternoon as instructed.The conditions were not very favorable.  Although the trails were packed by a snowmobile, it was quite a while ago.  There was about two to three inches of granular snow on most trails with deeper accumulation in some ruts.  We went in by the logs and went left on the trail, then up the hill and over to the bottom of the dirt road to the water tower.  We went up the road (a bit soft) and then proceeded down the other side to making a left where the brook trail intersects the fire road.  We then followed the trail down the hill to the pond and back out to the road. But, as always, we had fun. We had to walk quite a bit to make it through the snow (hope of an open passage sprung eternal!!).  I'm not sure colder temperatures would help a lot, the snow conditions were pretty consistent whether we were in or out of the shade or on the north or south side. Pat loved his bike; it's a great step up!  My fork is a great addition, I can really tell a difference.
See you tomorrow!
Ken & Pat Heider
Saturday 2/14/98: Today was a ride to test the trails nearest us. We met at 11:00 and headed out to the trails behind Stop & Shop. Along for the trip today was Ken and Pat Heider, Mick, Lenny Eastman, Marc, Mark Miller, Pete, Grasshopper, and me. We found that the trails were very rough but rideable. We could ride at a slow pace but it was very tiring. We all made it over to the Coke Plant and rode up the "rut road"  to the trails. We made one loop out to the power lines and then back down to the start. It was a great ride, although at a slower pace than usual.

Week of 2/22/98
Due to rain and rough snow we did not ride much this week. I went out for a couple of "Madison runs" but it was mostly a washout.

Saturday 2/21/98: It was fairly warm and sunny as a group that included Uncle Mic, Marc, Mark Miller, Ted, Jack, and myself went out for a trip to the Coke Plant. The trails had some snow that had the consistency of oatmeal and some open areas as well. I spent most of my time in the little ring and I didn't have too much trouble going through the snow. The snow less trails were for the most part firm and rideable. We rode one loop around the race course and found that the effort was more than most of us had bargained for. We headed back to the shop having ridden for about an hour. We encountered a couple of idiots on three wheeled ATV's who were hell-bent on destroying as much trail as possible in as little time as possible. These vehicles should be banned in all but the owner's private property. They should be taxed at 100% of their value and the money used to repair the damage that they do. 

Sunday 2/22/98: Today we had a split session; at 10:30 Joe, Marc, Doug, Keith, and Paul went out for a 45 mile road ride and I led the MTB ride at 1:00. I hope that one of the riders who went out with Joe will get me a report soon.
My trip was co-lead by CTD who, in his infinite wisdom, decided to go to the Montague Plains. Along for this swim, I mean ride was Mick, Uncle Mic, Matt S., Ken and Pat Heider, Billy Gordon, and the capable leaders. I will say at the outset that I now have photographic proof of CTD's insanity, pictures to follow in a week or so. Mic, Matt and I   went up the telephone pole trail to the power lines. We found that except for some slippery spots on the ice, the ride was pretty good. We joined up with the rest of the crew for a trip up Willis Hill led by CTD. At first we encountered a few wet spots and Pat and Ken did the ice Cha-Cha a couple of times, getting thoroughly soaked. The rest of the trip out to the hill was a series of huge puddles which we had to navigate, some more successfully than others, but everyone got soaked whether or not you made it on the bike or walked (swam). We rode for about two hours and everyone had a good time. It is not often that we have fifty degree weather in February so we made the most of it. After our usual refreshments we headed for home.

Week of 2/28/98
Due to rain and rough snow we did not ride much this week. I went out for a couple of "Madison runs" but it was mostly a washout.

Thursday 2/26/1998: Today was another warm sunny day, quite unusual for this time of year. I was tempted to spend the day riding, but I was really looking forward to our night ride, and I didn't want to spoil the evening by doing to much. Along for tonight's event was Doug Chiasson, Dan, Lenny Eastman, Joe Celli, Matt and myself. After getting several scouting reports that the Coke Plant was in pretty good shape, although somewhat wet, our intrepid crew headed out for a quick trip around the race course. Just to make things interesting, Dan was heading out for his first night ride and his first time using clipless pedals. Everyone did very well on the trail behind Stop & Shop and we made good time getting over to the trails at the Coke Plant. We found the trails on the lower part of the race course to be pretty muddy but otherwise in good shape. After several missed turns we headed up the stream bed trail to the water tower. Dan had some trouble getting into his clipless pedals, so I stayed behind to help him out. The trail was pretty snow covered and Dan found the going pretty tough, but he did very well under the circumstances. Once we all were at the water tower, we decided to head down the power lines. Lenny complained that we had not encountered enough water and mud, and I reminded him that the worst was yet to come. We rode out to the power lines and started down the hill. The road was mostly free of snow and ice, however there was plenty of mud and water to get everyone's attention. After we all were together and the red rock, I cautioned everyone about the upcoming descent. I was following Lenny as we started down the hill and I reminded him about the upcoming corner. Just as I finished that sentence, I saw Lenny head right for a large tree, and miss it by inches. The rest of the ride was a collection of near misses and spectacular crashes. I directed the group in such a way as to find as much mud, water, snow and ice as possible. The group responded by slogging their way back to the shop where there was a fresh supply of blueberry muffins waiting for us. Many thanks to Doug for the refreshments and to the rest of the riders for the entertainment they provided.

Saturday 2/28: Unbelievable! Here it is the end of February and not only are we riding in shorts and jerseys, but it's 60 degrees and we have 17 people show up for our one o'clock ride. After getting a scouting report from Matt Sawin, I decided to ride on the Montague Plains. We gathered at the common and headed for the Telephone Pole Trail. Along for today's ride was CTD, Marc, Jack, Pete, Ted, Hughes, Keith, Ken and Pat Heider, Adam, Matt, Don, Mike and Mark Miller, myself, and two friends of Adam whose names I have forgotten. Since the group was so large we decided that half of the crew would go up the trail and the rest would ride up the Northfield Road. The Telephone Pole Trail was ice covered but the ice was very punky due to the warm temperatures, which made for excellent traction. We gathered the group at the intersection of the power lines and Northfield Road. We divided the group in two, with CTD and Ken leading one group, Hughes and myself leading the second group. After a quick head count, we set out for Willis Hill. When we got on the trail we found the ice to be covered with one to two inches of water, this made for some very interesting turns. Many of the newer riders had to learn how to ride on ice, this usually means a close inspection of the medium. We all had a few laughs as we cheered the riders across some of the larger sections of ice. I instructed the newer people to ride directly through the deeper holes as this would give them better traction than trying to ride around them. Everyone did well as we made our way to the top of Willis Hill. After the last steep hill, Hughes decided to join CTD and his group and wait for us to make a last run up the hill. We made the trip over the top of Willis Hill and met up with CTD and Ken and were just about to head for the van car when Hughes asked where was Adam? It seems that somehow Adam had gotten separated from the group and was nowhere to be found. We sought help from a motorcyclist who happened to drive by. After he made a search of the nearby trails he came back and said he couldn't find Adam. I sent the group back to the cars and Pete and I set out to find him. We rode back to the top of the hill and I called out his name, and to my surprise he was right where we suspected him to be. We rode down the trails to the power lines and back to the cars, where CTD had our usual refreshments waiting for us. A good time was had by all !!!

The last couple of reports were compiled with my new Voice Recognition software. I talk, it types. Cool!