February 2007

February 2007 Ride Report Page
Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month February 2007 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; there you will find information about ride schedules and how the rides are run. A new feature has been added to these pages, "The Facebook Page" is a photo gallery of people who have been written up in the reports. Click on the above link to see a photo of the riders. Thanks to Karen Moore for the idea.

Ride report 2/28: Well today I decided to try another jaunt up and over Dry Hill, so I headed out my door at 9 and crossed the Montague Plains over to Lake Pleasant Road and over to RT. 63 crossed the road and headed into the woods, and worked my way up the first big climb. Side Note: (trail conditions at this time and earlier are perfect! semi hard, packed snowmobile tracks). at the top took the usual route across the road and worked my way through the woods until reaching the foundation holes midway up Dry Hill Road. Again conditions are so far perfect! I have been able to ride EVERYTHING. climbs, flats all of it. I followed the new snow covered single-track up and around to the top of dry hill rd, this particular climb proved to be a little more difficult, but not to bad. Pushing on and up, and past the power lines to the forest trail and out to Wendell parking lot. kicked off the snow buildup on my bike and turned around and took it all in reverse. It is all downhill from the end of the forest trail, so sit back and hold on.... I followed the same route back, and ended up doing it all in just under two hours. It was almost three a couple days ago when the snow was not as packed. This is a nice route and I would suspect in warmer weather we should be able to make it to Wendell in under 40 min.

Sunday 2/25: I have to say that this year has been a strange one weather wise. With the warm temps lasting throughout the early winter I thought that there would be no problem continuing our three year streak of road rides every month. But the bitterly cold temps in the early part of this month and the Valentine's Day snowstorm nearly derailed the streak. Early this month I thought that we would have plenty of time to get some rides in but time has a way of sneaking away from me and before I knew it, the month was almost over. So, yesterday and today were the only opportunities that I had to ride. Unfortunately, Grasshopper called in yesterday, which meant that I had to work at the shop and not ride. Paul Voiland did, however make it in for the ride but since he was the only one, it wasn't quite an "official" ride (we need at least three riders to do at least 20 miles for it to be and "official" ride). Anyway, I was prepared to do the ride today regardless of the conditions. As it turns out, today was a beautiful late winter/early spring day. It was nearly 40 degrees when I got to the shop and there was a few riders waiting for me when I arrived at 12:30. After getting myself ready I helped with some last minute adjustments before our crew of 10 headed out. The riders included Matt Ballard, Hammerhead, Steve Power, Curt, Parrott, Chris Williams, Dave Cramer, Brett Ahlstrom, and me. I led the group down High Street at a modest pace. I was surprised at how little water was on the road given how warm it was and how much snow is still on the ground. After getting down to Deerfield Street via Hope Street I was in the lead as we headed for the Cheapside Bridge. As we passed the golf course I was looking over my shoulder for Parrott to come steaming by me for the town line. Well, the dear boy did not disappoint, he came flying by me about ten feet before the line. This drew lots of chuckles from the peanut gallery behind me, as they are assured of a lively sprint season ahead. After we made the turn onto River Road we settled into a nice paceline. At the top of the first hill we met up with Tim Coleman, who started out a little ahead of us to get warmed up, and he joined the group. I must admit that the pace was a bit high at times when Brett and Steve were on the front, but for the most part things went pretty well. We got to the hills "grouppo compacto" and I tried to keep the pace down on the first climb but the colts had the bit in their mouths and a group shot off ahead. I dropped back and rode up the hill with Curt and the two of us crested the hill a short way behind the pack. We quickly caught back on but Dave got dropped on the last hill so I dropped back to make sure that he could catch back on. After Dave and I re-joined the group we all headed south to RT. 116. As we got to the turn onto 116, Dave came alongside of me and said that he was going to head for home instead of going any further south. I said goodbye to Dave and then made the turn across the highway. After we crossed the highway we headed south on River Road where Parrott and Steve did a town line sprint, which Steve won. The group settled in after that foolishness and we pedaled down River Road at a steady 23 mph pace. My early plan was to do the loop all the way down River Road to Hatfield, but as we rode along some of the riders said that the pace was getting too much and that they might want to make a turn at Depot Street. As the riders in front came off the lead and passed me, I told them of the change in plans. Most of the group said that they wanted to keep together so we rode down to Depot Street where we turned right and headed up the hill to RT. 5&10. I stopped to cross the railroad tracks shortly before the turn onto 5&10, which drew some comments from Parrott and a few other riders. When we got going again some of the group wanted to go across the highway to Mountain Road and head back via Whatley Center. I really did not want to get onto the back roads as they tend to not have the snow pushed as far back as the main road do, so I told the group that we should go on 5&10. There wasn't much discussion about it and we all made the turn onto the highway. We headed north on 5&10 at a pretty good clip and everyone did a turn at the front. The group stayed together until we got to the downhill just past the butterfly museum. Curt was on the front as we neared the bottom of the hill, when suddenly Steve went flying by us and got a several yard lead. Soon after that Brett, Matt, Parrott and several others went by Curt and I. I told Curt to just sit in and we would stay together for the ride back to town. Curt and I pedaled at a steady 22mph pace and we stayed a short ways behind Hammerhead and Matt all the way back to Washington Street in Greenfield. As we made the turn onto Washington Street I looked at my computer and we ended the 33 mile trip with a 20.5 mph average. Not too shabby for this early in the season. Curt and I ambled down the side streets in town and we glided into the parking lot a few minutes behind the main pack. It was a great ride on a really nice late February day. The temp was 50 degrees when we got back to the shop and several of the riders hung out on the picnic table out back before heading home.

I crossed the field behind Sirum's, under the train trestle and began the unrelenting climb up Dry Hill, which I may add the climb (traction) was actually pretty darn good! Once up to the top of the first initial big climb and crossing the road I found that the snowmobiles have begun riding a new route; different than the one we have all become familiar with over the years. With the snow cover the trail rides pretty nicely. (side note: so far during this ride I have found that all the climbs are the easiest areas to clear, and any area that the snowmobiles can really open up their throttle and fly is super packed and perfect for riding. All tight trails where the sleds have to run single file are loose, granular. Ice only about an inch or so- but makes for quite a workout. Fortunately over the years or riding with our favorite Biking GURU Bob! I have managed to retain some of his wisdom, when riding on snow. Some things to remember...... 1. lower tire pressure is key. 2.find a gear that works for you and stick with it. 3. when riding flat terrain, stay centered over the bike. 4. KEEP a steady pedal stroke, if you pedal at a regular pace and then try to really dig, you will most certainly sink or wash out. 5. try to use your front tire as a ski don't ride like there is dirt on the ground, it is snow if you push hard, or turn quick, you're done.) Now, back to the ride report: once I reached the end of this trail with the intersection of Dry Hill Road, I followed the snowmobile tracks across the road and up some really cool single-track which eventually brought me back to Dry Hill Road. At the top of the climb, I followed Dry Hill Road up past the Robert Frost Trail, (which has seen only one set of X-C skies) and continued until I reached the Powerlines, where I paused for a minute taking in the excellent views, and noticing that I could clearly see the lookouts over at Wendell State Forest. After catching my breath, I pushed on up the trail where the Robert Frost dumps in to the woods on the opposite side of the trail, where I came to a small handwritten sign on a tree that simply read Forest. Assuming that this meant Wendell, I headed down this trail, which is new to me and had al lot of single file snowmobile tracks. This short trail is fast, and really cool. and in no time what-so-ever dumped me out onto Montague Road, right across the street from Wendell State Forest parking lot, turns out this was the "snowmobile trail" it was a nice strenuous workout of a ride, and I loved it! The parking area was full at Wendell, I assume X-C skiers. I stopped and talked briefly with one of the park rangers (not Bryant) and then headed down Montague Road where I stopped and rapped on Jason's door; who was on his way out to go X-C skiing. After shooting the breeze for a couple minutes I headed out and down Montague Road to RT. 63 and then back through the plains to home.

Tuesday 2/20: I had gotten a call from Mark Courtemanche yesterday and he told me that the trails were in great shape for riding. The high temperature for yesterday was 25 so the trails were frozen, but today we had a high temp of 48 so I was a little worried that the conditions were not going to be as good. I left the shop at 6:00 with Mark Newton and Mike Levin to head over to the Book Mill parking lot. When we got to the parking area we were joined by Steve Power. I got my bike ready, as did the rest of the group, and we left for the trails by 6:30. I rode behind Mark as we crossed the dry bridge and I suggested that we try to ride the Telephone Pole Trail. We headed over a large snowbank and onto the trail which had been packed down by the snowmobiles. Mark went first but he soon got mired in the soft snow and I passed him. I actually rode for quite a way before I crashed through the crust. Steve "The Fly" Power went riding by me, floating on top of the snow, as he pedaled up the hill. Weighing in at 140 lbs is definitely an advantage in these conditions!! I ended up running up the hill behind Steve (I kept hitting his rear tire with mine every time he slowed down) and when I got to the top I was able to hop back on the bike and ride to the fire pit. Mark did not fare as well however. He said that he had to get off his bike and walk every time he hit a soft spot in the snow, which we churned up as we rode. When Mark finally got up to the fire pit, he was pretty winded. I knew that the last person in the line would have a hard time in the snow so I told Mark to lead us to Old Northfield Road. After the three riders headed off I got on my bike and I followed them. I quickly got behind because I was having trouble keeping the front wheel in line. It seems that the soft snow was making the steering much harder to control. The boys were soon out of sight and I found myself slogging along trying to keep the handlebars pointing forward. As I rode along I noticed that the steering improved when the shock compressed, so when I finally got out to the road where the boys were waiting for me, I adjusted my fork. I turned the adjuster on the 454 to reduce the travel from the 140mm to 115mm and then we headed off for the Second First Left. I was at the back of the group again and I found out that now my steering was working for me, but unfortunately I was breaking through the snow on the trail. I ended up riding/walking for most of the way out to the left turn onto the Banked Trail connector. As I arrived the boys headed off but this time I was third in line. I was able to ride for only a short way before I was off the bike and hiking. Mike passed me and I was soon running behind him as I had given up riding. When I got out to the Banked Trails, Mark offered to have me ride in front. I jumped at the opportunity and I soon was riding down the trail. I had no trouble riding on this trail and soon I was out at Plains Road with the boys right behind me. We paused briefly before heading out to ride over to the end of the trail. When we got to the intersection with the power lines, Mark Courtemanche was waiting for us. He had headed out late and missed us at the fire pit. Mark then joined us for a run out to Willis Hill Road. I rode along in the front of the pack for a little ways but I got into some soft snow and ended up at the back of the pack again. Once I got going again, I was able to close the gap and I soon was back in front. I was having a much better time with my bike control with the lowering of the travel in my fork, and even when I hit some soft snow, I was able to steer. I led the boys over to Willis Hill Road where I stopped to see if they wanted to climb the hill. I was not interested in the climb because I pretty much knew that I would be grinding up the snow and soon I would be off the bike. As we stood around in the snow talking about the plan, I commented on how warm it was tonight compared to the ride we did last week. The temperature was 38 degrees this week while last week it was 11 degrees at ride time (with a brisk wind blowing as well). We decided to do the BPT Trail instead of the hill and I took off to lead the group. I pedaled down the trail and I noticed that most of the snow had been ridden off by the snowmobiles and it was pretty easy to ride this trail. I made the turn onto the BPT Trail and everyone except Mark C. followed me. Mark said that he wanted to do the hill anyway and he rode off. I knew that he would do OK on the trail because he was the only one. If we all had tried to ride that hill, most of us would have been walking at least part of the way. I led the group down the trail until I got a little too close to the edge of the hard packed trail and my front wheel got sucked into the soft snow. I pulled to the left and Mark N. and Steve went by me. I was quickly back on the bike with Mike on my wheel. I rode out to Red Rock Road where Steve and Mark were waiting. We headed off to ride over Red Rock with Steve "The Fly" in front and me on his wheel. Steve floated along on top of the snow while I pedaled through the inch or so of loose snow on top of the snowmobile track. When Steve went over the dirt pile, I took his line but due to the effects of gravity I did not ride through the other side but rather. my front wheel dove into the snow and I came abruptly to a halt. Mark N. and Mike then went past me. After the went by I got back on the trail and followed the crew up Red Rock. I got most of the way up the hill but got sucked into some soft snow near the top and had to stop. After I got to the top I followed Mark and Steve down the other side and over to the sand pit. From there we rode out to the power lines and headed back towards Old Northfield Road. The power lines were great to ride on. The snowmobiles had ridden the snow off the trail and we were basically riding on dirt for the most part. I rode to the end of the power lines behind Mike and when we got there we paused for a minute to decide on the route back. As we were talking we saw a headlight coming down the trail behind us. It was Mark C., who had done the Willis Hill loop and was right behind us for most of the way. We decided to stay on the road for the return trip and we headed off down Old Northfield Road. I took it pretty slow on the way back as I was getting a little chilled on the open road after working up a sweat on the trails. We got back to the parking lot at just about 8:00 and not a moment too soon if you ask me. Although I enjoyed the ride (and I am glad that I got out on the snow at least once this season), it was not as much fun as in years past. I did, however, learn quite a bit about how my front fork behaves in soft snow and this will help me in the dirt and sand as well. I predict that this will be the first and last snow run for this season.

Monday 2/19: Already itching to ride since the snow I decided to give the Montague Plains a try, so I suited up and headed out my door to the trails. I rode briefly up Turners Falls Road to Old Northfield Road where I took the old 4 wheel trail that runs behind my house. Upon entering the trail I found the traction to be ok but I was sinking in about a inch. Once I got out to the Telephone Pole Trail I found the traction to be much better. So I rode up to the fire pit and took a left onto Pine Grove Road. This trail was a little slow going but it wasn't too bad. Once I reached Old Northfield Road again I took a right and then I took a left at the gate that leads to the old radio tower. I rode on this trail for a short way and then I took a right onto the Banked Trail. I rode for about a quarter of a mile and then I turned onto the Toilet Bowl Trail. I stayed on the Toilet Bowl Trail all the way out to the power lines. Once out to the power lines I crossed over and continued out past the old trolley line and out to the intersection with the biker den. Again, crossing, over onto the high bank trail to the power lines. on the power lines I took a left along Bob's usual winter route. Once I got onto Plains Road I rode for a short way and I took a right at the next intersection and then a left onto the Water Tank Trail. The traction improved 10 fold on this trail. It seems the further out you get the traction is much better. At this point I headed up Willis Hill and I would advise you not to take the right side of this trail because it is soft. I rode up the left side and I was able to ride almost the whole way, but I got stuck in soft snow on the short steep part at the top. After I got going again, I rode past the Ice Pond/mud holes and then I took a left onto the 5 mile Swamp Road. I took the Kiabucias Trail up and over the hill where I continued down the steep hill to the power lines. I followed the road down to Red Rock. WOW was that fun, you fly, with perfect traction all the way. At the bottom of the hill I took a right and rode over to the sand pits. From the sand pits I rode to the power lines which I rode all the way back to Old Northfield Road. I crossed over here and continued down to the Telephone Pole Trail and then I rode back home.

It turned out to be a really nice (challenging at times) ride. Keep-em-spinnin'

Mark Courtemanche

Sunday 2/18: I scheduled a snowshoe hike for today at Wendell State Forest. It was a nice day today with temps in the middle twenties and not too much wind. I got over to the shop at 12:30 and I was met there by Jen, Aunt Helen, and Tom Graney. They loaded their gear into the van and we all left the shop at 12:45 to drive to Wendell. When we got to the ranger station we were met there by Liam, Hammerhead and Mike Szteliga. Liam and Hammerhead wanted to do a re-con trip out to Whales Head while the rest of us went out on a shorter hike. I led the group down the XC Trail and although the snow was somewhat torn up by snowmobiles we had no problem walking on the hard packed snow. At the end of the XC Trail we hiked down Brook Road to the Ruggles Pond Trail. There was a single set of snowshoe tracks ahead of me as I led the group down the hill and across the brook. Somehow I missed the turn onto Two Brothers Trail and we ended up hiking the "old" route out to the Pine Tree Trail. At the top of the hill on the Pine Tree Trail Mike headed back to the ranger station while the rest of us headed out to do the Maple Leaf Trail. Well, the funny thing was, since I was not on my bike I got a little disoriented and I took the Jerusalem Road turn instead of hiking out to Damon Camp Road. After I realized my error (I had talked up the beauty of the Bob is Fat Trail) I told the group that we would go out on another, equally nice trail. We hiked down the road to the lower Trail to the Lookout and turned left. This was another singletrack trail that was only used by a snowshoer and a couple of skiers. We hiked down this trail and eventually we came out at the pond. We hiked up the hill to the ranger station and after loading our gear, we all headed back to the shop.

Thursday 2/15: Well it has finally arrived. Winter that is; and with the arrival of winter we finally got our first real snowstorm of the season. This pretty much kills the MTB rides for a little while as the snow is too deep and powdery to ride through. I am hoping that the snowmobiles will pack things down over the next few days and then maybe we can get back out on the bikes again. In the meantime I had a snowshoe hike tonight. I had several people (Jenn, where are you?) say they wanted to do a snowshoe hike so I had one scheduled for 6:00. Well, long story; short, I was joined by Hammerhead, John Marcy and Ed Hoffmeister for the trip up to the ridge. It was a cold 11 degrees with a 20mph wind howling as we left the shop to hike over to the start. I started out climbing the Chimney Trail behind John but I soon went to the back. It seemed that every time I put my snowshoe down, I sunk into the snow. This caused me to hit the red line pretty quickly and my pace slowed measurably. After getting in line behind Hammerhead and Ed, I was able to keep pace without any troubles. Our group followed the Blue Dot Trail up the hill to the ridge where we encountered big drifts of snow and hurricane force (or so it seemed) winds that were blowing from the northwest. We hiked at a pretty good clip and only stopped once when Hammerhead's snowshoe came undone and he fell. When we got to the tower we paused briefly before heading on. We noticed that there was only a single set of snowshoe tracks on the trail which means that very few people have ventured out since the storm. After we left the tower, we headed down the road to the Red Dot Trail. We hiked down the hill following a single set of footprints. When we got to the lower trail we took a left and we noticed that there was absolutely no wind blowing as we headed back north. This made for a very nice hike along one of our favorite biking trails. We hiked steadily along and stopped only briefly to make note of the various animal tracks in the snow. It is interesting that there were no tracks on the upper trails, but lots of tracks here on the lower trails. Maybe the animals don't like the wind either. Anyway we hiked all the way back to the Blue Dot Trail and took that back to the road, forgoing the steep downhill run on the Chimney Trail. We hiked a few hundred yards down the road before heading back into the woods to re-join the Chimney Trail just below the steep downhill. We hiked down the rest of the trail back to the French King Highway and then returned to the shop. Although it was bitterly cold out, no one complained of feeling the effects of the low temps. We ended up doing a hour and a half hike at a brisk pace which is probably why we were not cold. I mentioned to Hammerhead that this was the farthest that I had hiked in over a year. All in all it was a great workout and the weather was not a problem.

Tuesday 2/13: It was another brutal day today with the temps never getting above 18 degrees and along with the cold came a bitter wind. So what better to do than take a ride on our mountain bikes. At 6;00 I was joined by Mark Newton, Gary, Ed, Steve Power, Parrott, Walters, and Mike Levin. Since it was so cold Mark suggested that we take the trails behind Stop&Shop to give us a chance to stay out of the wind. I led the boys over to the trail and I decided to try the new route to the ridgeline. I rode past the usual turn and made the left to climb the hill but I made it about three quarters of the way up before I spun out on a rock. I ended up at the back of the pack where I followed Gary all the way to Canada Hill. From Canada Hill we made our way over to the Stinkhole which we were able to cross due to the frozen mud and snow covered ice. After we got up the hill we turned left and rode over to the Lillian Street Trails. We took the usual route through the swamp. I did not make it across the brook again so I had to hoof it to the other side where I jumped back on my bike to head over to the balustrade with the group. I rode the entire trail over to the Ridge Trail without dabbing once, due to the fact that all the mud was frozen. Everyone was waiting at the end of the trail for me and the couple of guys behind me to arrive. We paused briefly to discuss the route and we decided to take Luke up to the water tank. I pedaled steadily up the Ridge Trail to Luke where I passed a few riders on the way up to the muddy section near the top. Only Steve Power was able to ride through the section of frozen mud/leaves and hoar frost and he made it all the way to the top of the hill without stopping. Everyone else, including me, had to get off and walk at least part of the mud bog that is rideable in the summer months but not this time of year. After we all got to the top of the hill we then rode over to power lines. Walters was having a hard time with chain suck and he had to dismount to free up the chain that got jammed in his spokes. When he got going again he rode over to the power lines with the rest of us. As I rode along the power lines I noticed that some of the trail had a lot of snow, while other sections had very little. This was due to the high winds that we have had recently blowing the snow into drifts. Even with the varying depths of snow I found that the traction was still pretty good and I was able to ride without dabbing to Red Rock. From Red Rock we rode down the hill past Jack's Pond and then Mark took the lead through the orchard. We rode the entire length of the Orchard Trail (past Five Points and up the hill on the trail that parallels the Ridge Trail) and then we headed back up the hill to the Secret Trail. I was pretty happy with my ride up the Secret Trail because I was able to pace myself and I made it up all the climbs on the way to the Crossover Trail. I was the last one to get to the top of the hill and I pedaled across the road and down the Crossover Trail without so much as a howdy to the boys as I passed them. At this point in the ride I was pretty overheated and I knew that if I stopped I would freeze to death. I rode easily over to the Streambed Trail and took that trail all the way to the bottom of the hill. As I neared the bottom of the trail I slid into a rut that the four wheelers have dug into the road. After I got going again I headed for the Mud Road, which is another trail that the ATV and four wheeling idiots have ruined. I rode down the trail until I hit a patch of ice with no water underneath it. The ice gave way and I fell into the crevasse. Parrott, who was right behind me, was of no help and I had to extricate myself from the abyss all the while listening to him say "get up old man". That's the thanks I get for taking one for the team. After I got going again I led the pack all the way to Five Points where I took the Red Dot Trail to the Coke Plant. It was pretty cold out at this point and I did not stop at the Fenceline, but instead I pedaled all the way back to the highway crossing. I paused for a minute to let a car pass and then rode over to Gill Road where we re-grouped. We rode slowly down Gill Road to the French King Highway. I stayed at the back of the group as Steve and a few others sprinted back to the shop. I rode into the parking lot well after everyone else did and I quickly opened the shop so that everyone could get warmed up. It was a great ride and no one was really that cold. It looks like a storm is brewing and this might be our last MTB ride for a while.

Sunday 2/11: Well today I thought I would get out for a ride and hook up with either Jason's crew, or Bob's crew out in Wendell, however due to family matters that changed and I had to head out alone. So I arrived at the WSF Ranger station at 11:30 and got myself suited up and ready to start spinning. I left the parking lot and headed over the old XC trail to the snowmobile parking lot which was a little tricky due to the constant packing and re-breaking of the snow crust. From there down towards the pavilion and out to Carlton Road this section was quite perfect and I was able to move along at a good clip. once out to Carlton Road I took the usual route up to the M&M and down to Ruggles pond, I made it no-problem down the hill and over the bridge and rocks to the "Two Brother's Trail". Kudos' BTW to J for this trail "re-route" is shaping up nicely. I followed the 2 Bros out to the Ruggles Pond Trail and over the Rock/Ice crossing to the intersection of the Pond/Pine Tree Trail, where I took a left around the Pond to where the Quad's have pretty much destroyed the trail to the half way point. I followed the remainder of the pond loop so I could check out the new re-route that Liam and Jason made over the mud hole (or rather around it), I like it ! No-one; I repeat No-one, likes to have to dismount to walk through/around a mud hole when you are trying to get yourself warmed up on a ride, so I like it! Nice work guys. From there, I continued along the Pond Loop out to the road where I opted to take the lower trail to the lookouts, this trail was a little more difficult likely due to the climbing in the beginning but altogether totally rideable, at the end I took a right and headed up Jerusalem Road and left on Wicket Pond Road and up to the Maple Leaf Trail, which rode great! In the beginning I don't really think that any of us thought the maple leaf would turn out that good at all. However, due I think mainly to J never giving up, and constant improvements "Dogs in tow" has really groomed it out nicely. Moving on through the Maple Leaf. I spent a lot of time in here taking down our infamous ribbons which are all over the park, I heard from Jason later I dropped a few. I am asking all who ride in Wendell if you come across any ribbons or signage from the Topeak/Kenda ride please take the time to grab one every now and again and stick it in your back pocket. I have begun grabbing all that I can , and usually come out of the woods with at least a few leaving them in my van). Moving on through the maple leaf which rode great, I took a left onto one of our best/fast/flowing trails in the park The "NIPMUCK TRAIL" and found myself at the end way to soon. From here (you guessed it) I headed right and rode up the ever so popular Baker Rd Climb. I used to dread this part of the ride but have come to look forward to it. I was expecting this climb today to be absolutely miserable due to the quad tracks that were quite crunchy. Well, when I rode in the quad tracks, I found it was about 1 ft per 2 revolutions of the pedal. So I rode the edge of the trail in the fresh power all the way to the top without stopping or dabbing until the intersection with the all to well known "HANNAH SWARTON'S REMOVE" this trail is with out a doubt the best trail in the park. It is also my personal favorite. At the top of Baker Road I decided to take a seat and refuel with a banana that I packed in my bag. After refueling I headed down Hannah where I noticed that there was only one set of tracks on this trail ahead of me. I also noticed that the snow was more crisp and deeper than all the other trail's I rode previously. I made pretty good time on Hannah and stopped briefly at the Porcupine den and checked out all the tracks, has anyone else seen all the tracks??? I think there is a army of Porcupine's in them rocks. After checking out all the tracks at the den I continued down to the bottom of Hannah to the intersection with the M&M Trail and I followed it up to Jerusalem Road. From Jerusalem Road I took the Lower lookout Trail back down to the pond and then up the road to the parking lot, arriving there at about 2:15.

Sunday 2/11: After a week of pretty cold temps that remind us that we are still in the middle of a New England winter, we got a little reprieve today for our trip to Wendell. I left the shop with Curt at 12:30 and we actually made it to the ranger station a little before the 1:00 start of the ride. When we pulled into the parking lot it was nearly full. There were only a few spots left and I thought that this was going to be a huge ride. It turns out that most of the cars belonged to hikers and skiers and only a few of the cars belonged to the riders. After parking the van I got my gear ready and soon the group was assembled and ready to ride. The riders today were: Myself, Curt, Walters, Dusty, Jam, Mark Newton, Gary Cole, Ed, Steve Power, and john Bentley. I led the group to the XC trail and at first I was a little concerned because the trail had a fairly deep snow cover and my front wheel kept washing out on the uneven surface or the double track. I pedaled along and made my way over to the single track where the conditions improved quite a bit. As we rode along my confidence improved and I found that the traction was actually quite good. I rode along at the back of a group that was led by Jam and soon we were out on Brook Road where I took some photos. After getting the photos taken I led the pack over to the Ruggles Pond Trail. I made my way down to the brook crossing where I pulled over to the side of the trail to let the group pass me. I usually do not do well on the first section of rocks and roots so I waited for everyone to pass me before I got back on the bike. Most of the riders had to get off and walk at least part of the trail until we got to Two Brothers Trail where the path gets smoother. I got back on my bike and rode the entire trail all the way to the rock garden, which is now just an ice sheet. All the riders with studded tires were able to ride this while the rest of us had to hike around it. After getting out to the Pine Tree Trail I led the group up the hill and over to the Maple Leaf Trail. Jam and I opted to take the road over to the second section of trail where we met up with the group. We took the Maple Leaf Trail all the way to Perry Farm Road where we regrouped again. We all were surprised at how well the Maple Leaf rode. I was able to ride up the entire hill with out any trouble and even the downhill sections were not difficult at all. After everyone was set, I led the group over to the Wickett Pond Escape where I surrendered the lead to Dusty while I waited for Jam to catch back up (She missed a turn and had to chase back to the group). When Jam arrived we rode down the trail and quickly caught up with Bentley and the three of us rode this trail out to the Wickett Pond Trail. When I got to the Wickett Pond Trail, I again took over the lead and led the group to Harold's Hiatus. Steve Power led down this trail while I followed Bentley and Dusty out to Carlton Road where I again took the lead. I led the group down the road to the Carlton-Dirth Trail and I led the pack down the hill and through the first bog. I was again successful crossing the bog but I was in a pretty big gear and was not able to shift up because I had a stick in my derailleur. When I got to the other side of the bog, I pulled to the side of the trail and while the group passed, I got my derailleur cleared before jumping back into the line of riders. I followed the group down to the next bog and watched as a couple of riders crashed on the bridges. I, along with a few others decided to ride around the bridges and I was able to ride across the frozen tundra to the other side for the first time ever! I was pretty happy about that. I pedaled up the hill to where the group was waiting and I then led the pack along the Carlton-Dirt to where the trail splits. I took the left fork which leads out to the road crossing and when everyone got across the road, I led the pack down the jeep trail to the our newly discovered section of singletrack. I had planned to led on this trial but for some reason a few of the riders kept going on the jeep trail. I stopped and waited for everyone to get onto the trail before jumping in behind Bentley. As we rode along, everyone commented on what a beautiful trail it is. We rode this trail, which at this point is un-named, all the way out to Chestnut Hill Road. After everyone got to the road we headed back on Chestnut Hill Road to the ranger station. Most of us headed into the warming room to change into dry clothing before heading for home. I would have to say that this was one of the better rides that we have ever done in the wintertime. The temps were in the middle twenties with not much wind. The sun was shining and we had great trail conditions. You cannot ask for much more than that. I did make mention of the fact that we have not had a road ride in the month of February this year and we will have to schedule one for next weekend so that we can continue our streak of having a road ride every month. Currently we have a three year streak going.

Tuesday 2/6 The Polar Bear Ride: It was a bitterly cold day today with a wind blowing from the west, so I knew that tonight's ride was going to be a frigid one once the sun set. I took Eddie (the wonder dog) out for his afternoon run and I noticed that even though the temps were in the middle teens, it seemed much colder than that. By the time we left the shop the thermometer had dipped into the single numbers but mercifully the wind had died down. I left the shop with Mike Levin following me and we drove over to Parrott's house for the 6:15 start of our ride. When I got to the parking spot we had a good sized group getting ready. I quickly got my bike out and was getting ready to go when El Presidenté rode over to ask if I had his gloves. Duhhh, I had completely spaced it and left his gloves on the counter at the shop. I offered Liam my blue gloves, but he said that he thought he would be Ok. What a dumb ass I am sometimes. Anyway, I rode down to the Parrott Palace where the group was assembled. Joining me and Parrott tonight was Curt, Jam, Mike, Hammerhead, Liam, Steve Power, Walters, and Matt Ballard. We left the Palace and headed over to the Bridge of Names where Curt took over the lead. After crossing the road we headed over to the trails. We got onto the Second First Left and took that over to the Banked Trails. I was amazed at how many snowmobiles and four wheel drive trucks had been out on the trails. With barely enough snow to cover the ground these idiots were out there churning up the dirt with their Tonka Toys and snow machines. Even with all the traffic the trails were in pretty good shape. The traction was great on the snow, but if you caught your wheel in the ruts, you would get thrown off your bike pretty quickly. I stayed in the middle of the pack on the run to the Banked Trails, but I dropped back to pick up Jam (who had fallen off the pace a bit) at the turn onto the Banked Trails. Jam was having a hard time seeing the trail so she asked me to follow her with my lights illuminating the trail for her. At the intersection with the Rambler Road I had Jam go to the front of the pack and set the pace. By doing this, she would always be in front and the group would not have to wait for us to catch up. It was a good idea but it did not last too long. When we got out to the end of the Banked Trails, I saw Liam collide with Walters and in the ensuing chaos, poor old Jam got spit out the back again. She stayed in contact for most of the way out to the Water Tank Trail, but as soon as we turned the corner onto that trail, the speed went up and soon Jam and I were behind. Jam was doing OK but she said that she was getting cold. I told her that we needed to keep a good pace up and I stayed in front to set the pace. I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure that she was still on my wheel and I did not see that the boys had taken a turn off the trail. Jam and I rode out to Willis Hill Road where she told me that she saw the group turn. At this point I decided to continue on since I knew where the group was heading and we could get there quicker by going forward instead of turning around. I had Jam ride in front of me and we headed over to the Big Pine Tree Trail. We turned onto the trail and soon we were back in the group again. I stayed at the back of the pack with Hammerhead and we rode down the BPT Trail to Red Rock Trail. As we crossed a trail that leads to the Red Rock Trail Walters took a tumble into the snow covered sand, but he was quickly back on his bike, unhurt. I passed Walters and a few others as I rode up the small hill on Red Rock Trail. As we rode along I told the riders that we would soon be riding over ice and that everyone should pedal smoothly and don't try to steer off the ice. I no sooner had the words out of my mouth when I heard a thud and groan from behind me. It was Hammerhead. Apparently he did not hear me say "ice" and when he hit it he went down. Fortunately he was going slowly so he was not hurt. Here is where I will give a little advice to anyone who wants to do cold weather riding. "You should keep your speed reasonable for the conditions and your skill level." In other words, you should generally be going slower in colder weather than you would be in warmer weather. This takes into account the fact that you do not want to break out in a heavy sweat and you will have to be more vigilant in regards to the trail conditions. After the ice section we encountered a big pile of brush that the loggers had left in the middle of the trail. This required everyone to dismount to climb over that as well as walk across the brooks. Once we were all safely across the water we re-grouped at the Brook Trail. We rode down the Brook Trail and through the sand pit to the pine forest on the western end of the Plains. Here we had a little ducking and dodging as I was hollering directions from the back of the pack which caused some riders to make u-turns when they veered onto wrong trails. We all managed to get over to the forest which, by the way, had the best riding conditions of any trails that we had been on. From the forest we headed out onto the power lines. Many of the riders were commenting on how the sand on the power lines was not frozen like the rest of the trails, which made the riding though it just like riding in the summer. I explained that if the sand is not wet when it gets cold, it will not harden like the other soils do. We rode down the power lines and onto Brushy Way where we encountered exposure to some bitterly cold air. I have to say that up until this point I was not in the least bit cold, but as I rode down Brushy Way, my fingers and toes started to chill a bit. I was not as bad off as Jam or some of the other riders, who at this point were getting pretty uncomfortable in the cold. As we headed onto the Toilet Bowl Trail I noticed that Jam and Hammerhead were way behind and I could see that Jam's light was fading. I waited for them to catch up and then I sent Hammerhead along. Jam told me that she was frozen and that she needed to get back pretty soon. I looked at her helmet and I could see that there was a layer of ice over her entire head. She was slowing down and seemed to be in some distress so I decided to head back to Parrott's with her. We rode down to where the boys were waiting for us and as I breezed by them I told them that I was heading back. They then headed off on a longer loop while Jam and I turned to head back to Parrott's house. After leaving the rest of the group, Jam and I then took the Banked Trails from the end of the Toilet Bowl Trail over to the power lines. This was the fastest way back, but it also exposed us to the worst of the cold. Jam rode steadily down the trail and soon we were crossing the Bridge of Names. We got back to the Palace just minutes before the rest of the crew. Most of us headed into the house for some hot chocolate and cookies provided by Nice Kate. After a period of thawing (some more painfully than others) everyone enjoyed the refreshments before leaving for home. I thought it was a good ride, given the conditions, and I was dressed perfectly for it. When I got back to Parrott's house only my toes were a little cold, but other than that, I was OK.

Sunday 2/4: It was a pretty cold day with temps in the middle twenties and a stiff wind blowing at times. I had a ride scheduled for 1:00 and joining me for the trip to the Coke Plant was Jam, Curt, Steve Power, and Matt Ballard. Mike Levin stopped in briefly to say hi before he headed off to attend his son's basketball game. Our group headed out a few minutes after 1:00 and I led them over to the RT. 2 crossover. We rode across the highway and onto the trails via the Stinkhole Trail. The Stinkhole was frozen solid and not stinking at all so our passage was un-eventful. I led the group over to the Lillian Street Trails on the snow covered double track. The traction was great and I was able to climb all the small hills with no trouble at all. After we got to the end of the Lillian Street Trails Curt took over the lead and he rode through the swamp and over to the balustrade. Jam and I took a slightly shorter route which put us in front of Curt and Co. As Curt's group caught up to us, Jam let them pass and she followed the group over to the Ridge Trail. At this point in the ride we did not encounter any ice or even any slippery trails (although there were some rocks and sticks that occasionally caused a wheel to slip or spin). After a brief stop at the trailhead we all headed up the hill towards Luke. Matt led the way up the hill while I followed Steve and Curt. Jam wanted to set her own pace so we pedaled on ahead to the top of the hill. When we got to the swampy section near the top of the hill everyone had to dismount and walk over the hoar frost. It is nearly impossible to pick a line through this section because you do not know where the voids are and if you hit one, your front wheel drops in and you slam to a halt. Jam got a little way behind here so I decided to have the boys ride over to the power lines and I waited for Jam. We took the Crossover Trail instead of the power lines. I rode with her over to Red Rock while the rest of the crew did the power line descent. We all arrived at Red Rock at the same time and from there we headed down Red Rock Road to the Orchard Trail. As we were climbing up the hill past Jack's Pond, Steve crashed in the ruts because the new cleats on his shoes were not releasing properly. When we got to the Orchard Trail he stopped to adjust his pedals so he could un-clip more easily. As we waited for Steve to make the adjustment, everyone commented on how nicely the trails rode, with our tires having an almost summer like grip on the snow covered route. After the adjustments were made to Steve's pedals we headed off down the Orchard Trails. At the bottom of the hill Curt decided to test the softness of the snow by flipping off his bike and landing across the trail in front of me. Although he had no other explanation for his actions, he did mention that there was not enough snow to prevent his making contact with the frozen tundra underneath. After Curt got going again, we rode to the end of the trail and headed over to the Streambed Trail which we climbed up until we intersected with Deer Run. We rode the Deer Run to the intersection of Five Points Trail. I led the group down the hill and over to the Red Dot Trail which I followed all the way out to the Fenceline Trail (Jam wondering how did this trail get its name again.) I led the group along the Fenceline Trail and back over to the highway crossing. After we got to Gill Road, Jam decided to head back to the shop while the rest of us continued over to Canada Hill. I was leading the way up the hill until I spun out on a loose rock and pulled to the side of the trail. I followed Matt and Steve up the rest of the climb (I did manage to ride up the hill behind Lodge Tire, but not as fast as Steve did). After I got to the top of the hill I rode down to the trail to where the big tree blocks the trail and joined Matt and Steve who were waiting there. We took a slightly different route back to the hard top road and we rode back to the shop via French King Highway. Although it was very cold out, no one reported any freezing body parts. I was perfectly dressed in my blue jacket and mid weight tights. I do want to make note of the fact that I have lately made a change in my footwear outfitting. I used to wear neoprene socks in my Lake winter cycling boots and I sometimes had cold feet. I started recently wearing just a pair or two of summer weight socks and I find that even in the coldest of temps, my feet are pretty toasty. I might mention that I do carry the neoprene socks in my waterpack, just in case I need them.

Wendell, 2/4/07: Grasshopper Returns!
After making a bevy of phone calls this morning and having everyone but Mark Courtemanche bail on me for a ride, I headed up to Wendell HQ to meet up with Mark for a ride. It was about 18 degrees when I left and we quickly geared up and headed out on the trails which were covered in 5-6" of powdery snow. Much to our chagrin, the old XC trail was well skied and proved to be pretty slippery. Once we reached the turn for Ruggles Pond Trail the snow was untouched and the traction improved a bit. Mark and I made our way around the pond with dabs here and there as would be expected with today's conditions. Mark almost split in half on the rock garden at the end of Ruggles when he put his foot down on the frozen brook to catch his balance.
He managed to slip properly and not get hurt. We headed up the Pine Tree Trail and then out to the Maple Leaf Trail. Apparently 5" of snow means that it is time for everyone to drive their 4x4 through the state forest because it was very heavily traveled. The Maple Leaf Trail rode pretty well and soon we were dumping out on Perry Farm Rd to head back up Wickett Pond Road to Brook Road and then to the Wickett Pond Escape Trail. It was then that something amazing happened. Mark said," There's a biker" and I looked up to see none other than Grasshopper pedaling toward us on Wickett Pond Road. Apparently, he had returned from his Team Grasshopper Promotional Tour in Eastern Europe and Outer Mongolia and couldn't resist riding his Grasshopper green MK III in these adverse conditions. He was rocking the Coop-Dogg style today with a pair of jeans and a fleece for winter wear, but as we all know, with Grasshopper, it's all about the attitude. He decided to tag along with us and we headed for the singletrack and slipped down to Hammerhead's Hiatus and eventually over to the Carlton-Dirth Trail. When we hit the M&M Trail we took a left and crossed the road over to Hemingway Road and took the snowmobile trail in the direction of the HQ. The trail had not been traveled and with the extra traction from that, we picked up the pace a bit, with Grasshopper leading the way (and of course teaching "the way"). Now, I knew we had a climb coming but Grasshopper had the jump on us and both Mark and I had slipped out. Grasshopper however, was plugging away and made pretty quick work of the sustained climb and I couldn't overcome him until we crested it. At that point, I shifted up a couple of gears and picked up the pace a bit and enjoyed a nice downhill back to the road. Grasshopper and Mark were soon back on my wheel and we spun the 200 yards back to HQ on the road. Both Mark and Grasshopper were stoked about the snowmobile trail as it was new for both of them and I'm pretty sure that come spring and summer this will be thrown into the regular Wendell ride mix. I have to say that I was somewhat skeptical about today's ride as it was pretty cold, but once Mark and I got going, we were definitely warm. And although there was plenty of instances where we had to walk a bit due to traction issues, overall this was a good hour and a half ride highlighted by the return of Grasshopper.
Be on the lookout for the Team Grasshopper application forms and official gear. To be eligible, you must have an understanding of "the way".
j

Thursday 2/1:Tonight we had a small crew of 5 riders for our ride in Wendell. Including myself there was Ed Hofmeister, Steve Power, Gary Cole and Racin J and we headed out from the ranger station at 6:30. It was a chilly 22 degrees as we followed J from the parking spot onto the XC Trail. The trail was covered with a light coating of snow (maybe a quarter inch or so.) but there were also many spots where there was bare ground. I rode behind J and I found that the traction was nearly perfect over the rocks and roots as we made our way to Brook Road. J then took us down the hill onto the Ruggles Pond Trail which has the infamous bridge across the brook. I have only ridden across this once or twice because I am usually at the back of the group and someone invariably slows down just before the bridge and I lose momentum and confidence. This was not the case tonight. I just plain bailed on it. After walking over the bridge I hopped on my bike briefly and rode over to the rocky section where I dismounted and hiked. When I got to the Two Brothers Trail, I got back on and rode the trail all the way to the rock garden. Not that it would have mattered to the overall decision to not ride this, I noticed that there was a great deal of ice on the rocks, so I dismounted and walked over to the top of the hill. We headed off from the Ruggles Pond Trail over to the Maple Leaf Trail. I told the boys that I was going to skip the first part of this trail and instead stay on Wickett Pond Road. Gary and Ed joined me in this decision and we all rode over to the second entrance where I led the them out to the road where we waited for Steve and J to arrive. After only a minute or so, J and Steve came along and Gary, Ed and I followed them up the hill. I was amazed at how well this part of the trail rode. With the mud frozen, I was able to easily ride up the hill and never so much as dabbed a toe on the entire route out to Perry Farm Road. At the end of the road we headed off with J to do the Wicket Pond Escape Trail that Hammerhead had made. J led us onto the trail and I rode this trial out to the original Wickett Pond Trail. I had some trouble with this trail mostly due to poor line choice, which caused me to stop a couple of times, but the majority of the trail was a pleasure to ride. Once we got out onto Wickett Pond Trail J led us over to Hammerhead's Hiatus. This is Harold's newest endeavor and I have to say kudos to our master trail builder. He did a spectacular job in planning and building this trail (single-handedly, I understand) which connects the end of the Wickett Pond loop to the Carrolton Road. This trail eliminates a long section of dirt road. Once on Carrolton Road we headed over to the Carrollton-Dirth Trail. At the start of this trail, which includes two sections of mud bogs, I announced that I would ride at the back because I was going to walk through the bogs. This is due to the fact that I usually either have to dismount when I slip on a root or when I fall after hitting a hidden rock. So you can understand my reluctance at riding through this part of an otherwise easy trail. Well J said that I should give it a try as the cold temps have frozen the mud and that the bogs ride pretty smoothly. I said that I would consider it and off we went on the trail. I was a little apprehensive as I headed down the steep hill into the bog, but I kept going right behind Ed and Gary. I kept a reasonable speed into the first part of the bog, and to my surprise, I rode smoothly over the rocks and roots. I continued past the big tree and the large rock that usually throws me off my bike and soon I was back onto the "regular" trail. Hooray!! This is the first time I have ever made it all the way across the bog. J RULES!! I was really pleased at how well I did and when I got to the next section I headed in with high expectations. I headed over to the bridge that is in the middle of the bog but I saw that Ed had slipped off the bridge (not that it really mattered all that much, 'cause I wasn't going to ride the bridge anyway!) so I headed for the swampy section. It was not frozen enough and my front wheel sunk in the mud, and I had to dismount. Still, I did much better here than I ever did before. After I got out to the end of the trail where J and Steve were waiting, we decided to give a new section of single track a try. This is a trial that Scott Wolfram had discovered and we were doing for the first time. J led us over to the trailhead and we started off on a flat, well ridden single track. This trail was another gem. Except for one large tree across the trail, we were able to ride the entire trail with no problem. It was not technical at all and in fact was a really nice loop that put us out on Chestnut Hill Road. This means that we end the ride on a down hill run to the parking area, a real boon for our beginner riders. All in all, this chalks up to be one of the finest rides that I have done this winter. Many thanks to J for leading this ride.