July 2000

Ride Page
Here You will find the reports of our exploits for the month July 2000 more or less as they happened. If you have a ride you want listed or want to submit a report of a ride you went on, please leave me a note.
Glossary of Names used in these reports: ME (MaryEllen) Ice Princess, IP (Lynn Black); Moose Boy, MB (Kris Black); Marcus P. Marcus, MPM (Marc Lombard); Black Beauty, BB (Marsha Martin); Timster, (Tim Fowler); Little Puke, LP (Matt Putnam); Jorge, (George Katzar); His Majesty Jack, HMJ (Jack Spanbauer); Queen Nancy, QN (Nancy Spanbauer); Donna the Hon, DTH (Donna Golec); Star, Dave Walker.

bikebob@crocker.com

Sunday 7/2: Since the shop isn’t open today I sort of have an easy day, so I decided to take the group on a longer ride. This was also one of the few times that MaryEllen came out on a Sunday. Along for the trip today in addition to ME were Jorge, QN, HMJ, MB, Mark Newton, Jamie, Chris Dejoy, Tim Atherton, Ron Johnson, Corrine, Sue and myself. The plan was to do a new ride up the Eden Trail to Leyden. I led the group as we left the parking lot at BU, but after a few yards I realized that in my haste, I had forgotten my tools, tubes and my C0₂. I said to the group that I was going to turn around and go back to the shop that I would catch up later. Well I scooted back and got my stuff and set out to catch up with the other riders. I chased hard and caught sight of the group as I crossed the Gill-Montague Bridge. At that point I was sure that I would catch them on the hill, but just as I got to the light, it turned red. Usually this is no problem, because I can sprint across the road when the traffic is past, but there were too many cars and I was stuck. As soon as the light turned green, I raced across the road and up the hill. I saw HMJ on the side of the road fixing his bike, I asked if he was OK, and he said that he would be fine, so off I went in pursuit of the rest of the riders. I hammered up the hill on Main Road and had the group in sight when I happened onto ME, Sue and Corrine on the side of the road, looking at Corrine’s bike. I stopped and adjusted Corrine’s brake, which was rubbing on her rim, and then took off after the riders ahead. I rode as hard as I could and was able to see the back of the group after I made the turn onto RT. 10, but I was never able to catch them. After I rode up the hill and still wasn’t able to catch up, I turned around and rode back down to HMJ, ME, Corrine and Sue who were just starting up the hill. I got on to the back of their group and we all rode together to the top of the hill. I stayed in the back and gave a couple of pushes to Sue as we made our way back onto the trio ahead of us. As we got on the back of the group I noticed that ME and Corrine had been pacing behind HMJ and they were enjoying the fact that he was doing all the work. As we rolled into Bernardston, ME said that she enjoyed riding behind HMJ as he was a good wind block and then Corrine piped in that she enjoyed riding behind him because he had good-looking legs. Well that about did it for me. Not only was I not the beefcake in the group but also I didn’t even serve as a good tractor for them either. After I found my place in the group, I followed the quartet back to Greenfield where we all ended our trip.
The Afternoon ride has been a so-so affair for the last for the last few weeks and I have had a hard time getting motivated myself. I rode over to Montague and was greeted by DTH, IP, MB, Curt, Tywor, Jack Rice, Mark C., Freddie B. and Jacub. We rode over to the Telephone Pole Trail and then up to the Toilet Bowl Trail. We kept a good pace and I had IP take the lead and I followed the last riders all the way out to the power lines where we stopped to re-group. It was a perfect night for a ride, there was no humidity and the temperature was 75 degrees. The group split up at the power lines, I rode with IP, DTH, Mark and Jack, while Curt took the boys and Freddie on another route. I had IP take us out to the bottom of Red Rock and we rode up the right side of the hill and then up to the Swamp Trail. We then rode over to the bottom of Kiabuckus Trail. We thought about it for a minute and then rode up to the I-H wreck and out to the top of Willis Hill. We stopped for a minute and then we rode down to the bottom of the hill to join the rest of the group. We all headed back to the power lines and then we rode out to the Secret Trail. After we got to the end of the trail the boys were getting tired so I took them back to the power lines and then straight back to the Telephone Pole Trail where we met the rest of the riders. I rode down the hill with Curt and MB and we waited for the others to arrive at the bottom. DTH came down the hill and told us that Jacub had fallen and gotten scraped up and Freddie was going to go get his car and pick him up. I got the van and after a couple of trips up the road and back to town, I patched Jacub up and we all headed for home.

Wednesday 7/5: It was another busy day at the shop and I did not get out until 6:15 or so, but when I did I was greeted by an eager group of riders. We had a Heidi, Tom, HMJ, QN, Jorge, Chris Dejoy, and me. We rode at an easy pace down High Street and then over to River Road in Deerfield. I kept the group together even after a few attempts by Tom to get the pace going. After the first climb on River Road Tom and I rode at the front until Heidi came forward to lead us down the hill to the river. As we rolled down the flatter section of road I slowed the pace so that everyone would get to the bigger hills together. We all rode up the hill together, with Tom and I leading the peleton to the top, and when we got to the top we wheeled around and headed back down to the last rider and then back up the hill again. I kept the group together when we got to the flats near the river. We rode down to the end of the road with myself trumpeting the arrival of HMJ who was safely at the rear of his loyal subjects. After we crossed the Sunderland Bridge we turned left onto North Main Street and then I led the group up to Falls Road. We formed a double pace line and we continued up the road serenaded by my wonderful songs as well as my colorful recollections of the various places we passed by. We ambled all the way to Meadow Road and then we rod over to Ferry Road. I rode with Tom and challenged him to ride up the hill using no hands. He gave it a try but wasn’t able to get very far, while I managed to ride to the top without grabbing the bars. After we go to Montague Road, we slowed the pace again and we rode to the stop sign at the Fire House where I got the group to practice track stands. After the all clear we headed to the Third Street hill and we raced to the bottom and it there that I did a traffic light track stand until it turned green. I crossed the street and rode at the front of the group, up the hill on Greenfield Road and then back to High Street. I rode with Tom to the traffic lights at Silver Street and after we got across we were surprised by HMJ and Heidi who sprinted past us and back to the shop to take the first finisher’s honors. It just goes to show you that anyone is a potential competitor.

Hi Everyone,

Internet access has been a chore and a half since Missoula. I have a couple of minutes - literally. Just thought I'd update you on the trip from Missoula to Billings before it becomes too jumbled a mess in my head. :)

We left Missoula for Avon, MT last Thursday. This was about a 99-mile ride to the middle of nowhere. It was probably the most remote location in which we will camp. This put us in a good position, though, for Friday's ride to Townsend, MT. This would be a 61-mile ride over the Continental Divide and down the other side. The weather was spectacular (as it has been the whole time) and the climb was pretty painless. We climbed to 6250 feet. I think we started around 4800 feet. The ride down was a screamer - 8% grade for 6 miles. Very nice. The rest of the ride was plagued with nasty road construction and killer headwinds. But that's ok because all rides are great! The next day we rode 102 miles into Harlowton, MT where the water tastes like *&@*!! We had lots of headwinds, rumble strips, road kill, t-storms by the end, and... But that's ok because all rides are great. Actually, that was fine, I saw the storms coming (not that hard in Montana where you see forever) and raced into

camp. Dinner got rained on and we ended up at the DeBuff family reunion - that's a story for

another time. A good one though. The next day took us into Billings. We thought we had already seen nowhere. Well, we were wrong. Nowhere really exists between Harlowton and Billings. You know you're there when the only landmarks are when the road bends every 15 miles or so. Severed prairie dogs are suddenly interesting to you. Especially once someone has put Mardi Gras beads around it. The only business you see is a combination feed store/beauty salon. Nowhere. It's in Montana. But, we are no longer in Montana. We spent the 4th of July riding from Billings to Hardin where I saw my first (and probably last) rodeo. It was a nice 54-mile spin on brand spanking new pavement. Today we left Hardin and

landed in Sheridan, Wyoming. We were tempted to go to the welcome to Montana sign on the other side of the road and either take a picture of people mooning it or giving it the finger, but luckily somebody talked the mob out of it. So, tomorrow we face our longest day of the trip - 114 miles to Gillette, WY. I hear it's like doing the same hill 50 times. But that's

Ok because all rides are great! Really, they are. I'm having a great time, and I can't believe we have already covered 1100 miles!
Take Care and play hard,
Michelle

Thursday 7/6: It was another beautiful summer evening and as 6:00 approached we were wondering where all the riders were. There were about fifteen people in the parking lot and I was finishing up the day’s business, so I figured that it was going to be a small ride. After getting everything in the shop squared away, I got my bike and headed for the parking lot and was surprised to find there were 45 people getting ready to ride. We left the shop for a ride down to Whatley and then up River Road to Deerfield. I rode at the front of a group of twenty riders as we rode over to Stillwater Road Hill. I tried to keep the group together after we crested the hill, and I was able to get about 15 riders in a line as we made the turn onto South Mill River Road. This is a familiar route and the riders were well prepared for the hills as we rode into Whatley center. I drifted to the back of the group to make sure that everyone made the turn onto Christian Lane, and then rode to the stop sign at 5&10, where e regrouped. We rode down to River Road and turned left and rode north to South Deerfield. Jamie and I took the lead as we rode up to the center of town and we kept the pace pretty high. The group turned onto North Main Street and we rode up to Mill Village Road. After we crossed the highway we let the rabbits run. I stayed with the front group as we hammered all the way through Old Deerfield and back to Greenfield. I was surprised to see that we all managed to keep a 20 mph average for the route. It was a personal best for some of the riders and I know that I was certainly tired after arriving at the shop.

Tuesday 7/11: I had a long day at camp today and I was looking to do an easy ride tonight. Although we had a lot of riders show up, some of them went out to ride the ridge while the rest rode with me. Before we left I had attached a squirrel’s tail to the back of IP’s seat, as a trophy of her recent road kill. IP was not exactly pleased with her new adornment, but being the trooper that she is, she allowed the display to remain. Along for the ride tonight was Gary, MB, IP, John Friends, John Strong, Mark Courtermarche, and myself. I suggested that IP lead the ride to the Coke Plant, but she declined because she didn’t want all of us looking at her tail, so I took up the task. As a side note, I should also mention that I broke my Razorback full suspension frame today, so I was riding George Frick’s hard tail. I now appreciate dual suspension more than ever, after spending the morning riding it at camp. I led the group over to Gill Road and then up to the truck turn out near the plant. There has been a big decline in the number of MTB rides this year as the number of road rides has increased and we noticed that the Coke Plant trails are getting overgrown, because there in not the traffic on them as in the past. After a few minutes at the turnout I led the group through the swamp and out to Five Points. We took the Ridge Trail to the Secret Trail and when we got to the top we headed out to the power lines. We encountered a couple of motorcycles on the power lines and one of them buzzed MB as he came down the hill to Red Rock. After everyone got to Red Rock I took the boys down the Chute, while IP took the road to The Hill of Doom. My bunch followed IP up the hill and I don’t think anyone made it all the way to the top tonight. We re-grouped at the top and then we headed off to ride over to the Cross-over Trail. We all rode together over to the Ridge Trail and then we rode out to Five Points. At Five Points we turned right and rode out through the swamp to the cement wall in the middle of the woods. IP, MB and I decided to head back to the shop while the rest of the riders did another loop. I was a wonderful ride on a gorgeous summer evening.

Greetings from South Dakota! My apologies for not communicating in a while. It has been a crazy time on the Big Ride. We have been camping in some pretty remote places. Gee, imagine that in Wyoming and SD. Anyway, since I last updated you, we have covered 467 miles. Tomorrow is the half way point for us! We left Sheridan, WY on the 6th and rode 114 hot and toasty miles to Gillette, WY. The temperature was 103 degrees, and there was not a tree for shade to be found. Luckily, one of the water stops had a little kid’s pool that we all dunked our heads in. Of course with my new buzz cut, it was dry in about 45 seconds. The first 90 miles were OK, but the headwinds were such a pain during the last 24 miles. It was a long day, but I felt really good about having survived it. About 20 or 25 people SAG'd into camp. The next day took us to Newcastle, WY where the mayor shuttled us all around town in his car. He found out I was from Massachusetts and preceded to joke about the Kennedy’s. It was a short day of only 74 miles. Still no trees. Very hot. This part of the

country is so dry. All the roads are long rolling hills. When they aren't rolling, they're just steep. We were pretty glad to be out of Newcastle since we were camping between a jet fuel refinery and train tracks, which brought trains by every 20 minutes. (That is not an

exaggeration, unfortunately.) Just when we thought that trees had been eliminated from the world, we took a really nice ride into South Dakota. We rode 74 miles and ended up in Rapid City. En route, we rode through the forested Custer State Park, which is absolutely beautiful. We saw a few bison along the way. Apparently one group saw a huge group of them cross the road. Team Massachusetts (there are ten of us) was responsible for pulling the chain of hope that day. The chain of hope is a huge link of hospital bracelets that have the names of people who are suffering from lung diseases. It is carried around in a Burley trailer that attaches to the bike. I pulled it for the hilliest 15 miles of the day. Luck of the draw, I guess. It nearly doubled the mass of my bike. Apparently it did not slow me down much on the hills because now I have the nickname of "The Animal." I have a great picture of my Kestrel pulling a trailer in front of Dino the dinosaur. Ah, if only I had the rear fender on the bike. :) We had a day off in Rapid City. It poured. And then it poured some more. But, that's ok - it has been the only day where rain has been the dominant weather. It sprinkled on us yesterday as we rode out of Rapid City for the 103-mile trek to Kadoka, SD where we camped out through a tornado watch. This was a spectacular ride. We rode through the Buffalo Gap National Grassland and right through Badlands National Park. The lighting was perfect in the Badlands. The skies were overcast which was a welcomed relief from riding in the blazing hot sun, which we experienced today. The ride from Kadoka to Pierre was a lot of fun. It was 95 miles. I did it in 5 hours, which is a pretty good pace for me. For the first time in many days, we had a tailwind at the end. I started the ride out pretty slowly because I didn't think I was going to do well today after bonking in a big way yesterday at mile 95. As the ride went on, I felt stronger and kept going faster. What the heck, why not go with it? Anyway, we are camping in a park along the Missouri River. It is by far the nicest site we have experienced. We are now in the Central Time Zone, too. So, that's it, I guess. I've gone on for way too long as it is. Our next day off is Sunday in New Ulm, MN. Although, I hear that we will have Internet access for the next couple of days, too. I hope everyone is well, and enjoying the summer.

Take Care,

Michelle

Wednesday 7/12: Tonight was another of our “Secret Handshake” rides. We had IP, MB. HMJ, QN, Chris DeJoy, Dan Laroche, Jamie (who arrived late because he left his shoes at home) Patrick Bell and myself. We took off from the shop and rode down High Street to Wildwood Avenue where we took a left. We rode to the end of the street and turned onto RT 5&10. At this point I drifted to the back and let the faster riders take off. After we crested the hill my group consisted of Jamie, IP, HMJ and myself. We rode to Bernardston where we were joined by QN, who wheeled around and waited for us to catch up. When we got to the center of town we turned right and headed for Northfield on RT. 10. Jamie and I rode together at the front, with QN, IP, and HMJ following us. We rode at a good clip over to RT. 63 and we turned right. We rode south on RT. 63 all the way to Millers Falls and we climbed the hill to Turners Falls Road. At this point Jamie and QN rode on ahead and IP rode with me all the way to the center of Turners Falls. I had IP practice her track stands at each intersection and I must say that she is getting pretty good at it. After a stop at the traffic light on Avenue A, we rode across to Canal Street and then we turned onto Greenfield Road. I rode behind IP as she began the ascent of the hill. I had her keep a steady 10 mph as we rode up the hill and as we neared the top I asked her to increase her speed to 11 mph. She did and was able to hold it all the way to the top. I explained that this was a good way to increase her endurance and to build her power at the same time. After we crested the hill we rode easily all the way back to the shop. It would be hard to find better weather for a ride anywhere in the world. We are truly blessed here in New England!

Thursday 7/13: It was another great summer day and a group of 40 riders assembled for a ride to Whatley and back. I led the middle group while LP took the faster riders out to Conway. IP and MB were kind enough to take the sweep job for tonight. I had LP take his group out ahead of me and as soon as he was down the road, I led the rest of the riders down High Street. I rode at a 19 mph as we made our way to Deerfield and then out to Whatley. We all rode through town and then we headed for Hatfield. The group rode down North Hatfield Road and we all made fools of ourselves as we hollered for Becky to come out to wave at us. (I still can’t figure out why we like to do stuff like that.) After getting really nasty looks from some of Jamie’s neighbors we sped from the area. I led the group down to River Road and then all the way back to South Deerfield. We had a group of about 15 people who stayed in the paceline as we rolled through the center of town and from there we all rode back to Greenfield together.

Sunday 7/16: The morning ride was rained out, and although a few people came, I did not ride. The afternoon ride did go off as planned. I arrived in Montague Center at 5:20 and Ken, Cathy, Patrick, Tommy, Curt, DTH, Jack, and Mic were waiting for me. After everyone was ready I led the group on a trip out to the Plains. We rode up the Telephone Pole Trail and regrouped at the top of the hill. We then rode out to the Toilet Bowl Trail at a good clip and soon we were out on the power lines. We took the Red Rock Trail over to the bottom of Willis Hill. From Willis Hill we rode back down the hill to the road and took the jeep trails back to the power lines. We all rode on the Secret Trail back to the Telephone Pole Trail and from there we headed back to the center of town and our vehicles. The ride went well and we all had a great time.

Tuesday 7/18: It was a beautiful summer evening and we had the largest turnout for a mountain bike ride this summer. Our surprise guest tonight was Bjoern Herbner who rode with us while he was a visiting student from Germany. He is back in this country as a product representative for SRAM Corporation, and he stopped here to visit his girlfriend before traveling on to Chicago for a business meeting next week. Also joining me was DTH, IP, MB, Marc C., Josh Tower, John Strong, Rob and Kyle Lapointe, and Gary. I led DTH, IP, the Lapointe’s, and John over to the Coke Plant, while MB took the rest of the riders over the trails behind Stop&Shop. I left Kyle at the turnout and headed up the trails with the rest of our bunch. We rode up the Secret Trail and then to the water tank, where the rest of the riders led by MB met us. We all rode out to the power lines and then down to Red Rock. The girls rode down the road while the rest of us headed down the Chute. When we got back together I rode with the front of the group all the way to Double Dip. IP and DTH headed over to Double Death and MB led the rest of us to the top of the Streambed Trail. We rode back down the Secret Trail to Double Death and then we rode down to where the girls were waiting for us. IP took the lead from there and we followed her all the way to Five Points. We all then headed back across RT. 2 and then to the shop.

Wednesday 7/19: Our “Handshake Ride” tonight was attended by Laurie, John Strong, HMJ, QN, Chris Dejoy, IP, MB, Jamie, Stuffy, and me. From the shop I led the group down to Deerfield and over to the Stillwater Hill. I kept the pace at 18 to 20 mph as we approached the hill and after we got to the top I slowed the pace so that everyone could get back onto the line. We rode down RT. 116 and then we turned right onto South Mill River Road. From there we rode over to Whatley at 20 mph. I kept the group together and helped some of the riders as we rode up some of the hills into Whatley center. I had IP lead the peleton as we rode down to West Mountain Road and after making a couple of quick turns we then rode past Jamie’s house. We headed past Jamie’s house and then onto King Street. After we all got to River Road we turned left and rode back to South Deerfield in a paceline. We all decided to take Sugarloaf Street route to begin the return to the shop. We had a fairly strong headwind so Jamie and I took the lead and we stayed on until we got to Mill Village Road, where MB and Jorge took over. We all rode through Old Deerfield and onto RT. 5&10 where we held the group together as we rolled into Greenfield. We eased up the pace after turning onto Washington Street and we slowly rolled into the parking lot at Bicycles Unlimited, tired but fulfilled with our efforts.

Greetings from America's Dairyland!

I am enjoying my next to last rest day. Madison WI has a bit more to offer than our last rest day in New Ulm, MN. We have surpassed the 2000-mile mark, and on Saturday, when we leave Madison to enter Illinois, we will have fewer than 1000 miles remaining. But who's counting? The riding is great; I'm enjoying that part. I love being on the bike. The lifestyle is getting a little old, though. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, not having to put shoes on to go to the bathroom or to take a shower, and not having to take my tent down at 5 AM to load it onto a semi. We have covered a lot of terrain since Pierre SD. We spent the night in several small towns in SD, which were quite welcoming. The landscape of the western portion of SD is far more interesting than that of Eastern SD. We rode approx 160 miles from Pierre to Minnesota. Minnesota was actually quite nice. Good pavement, green fields. We spent a night in Tyler, after riding 79 miles from food stand to food stand. I have never eaten so much on a ride before! The next day we pulled into New Ulm, MN for a rest day. That was a great riding day. I managed to stay in a paceline with a group of guys doing 15-mile pulls at 24-25 mph. That was kind of fun. I was pretty tired by the end of the 89 miles though. After a fairly restful day off, we headed out to Owatonna, MN for a short day of only 71 miles. We had some pretty nice tailwinds. The terrain was a lot of gently rolling hills. From Owatonna, we headed to Winona, MN on the Mississippi River. That was a tough day. It was the first day since I started training for this trip that I woke up and actually did not want to get on my bike. But I did; and I rode a very cold 89 miles to camp. The temperature was in the 50's most of the day with the threat of rain ever present and the dreaded headwind in our faces. It did rain, but luckily our group beat it into camp. The next day, freshly showered and warm once again, I was ready to ride to Viroqua, WI. We had a pleasant ride, a little warmer, and no significant wind. It was a short ride of 66 miles. There were a few good hills (of the Huckle variety) in there, but they were a fun change from the flatlands. The real challenge of the day came with about 4 miles to go before camp. Loose gravel. We rode through loose gravel for about 3 miles. We've done so much riding through gravel, grass, construction, etc. that this would not have been a big deal except for the fact that the crew was watering the gravel as we went through. I have come back from mountain bike rides in the rain cleaner than I rode into camp. We ended up hosing our frames down at a local car wash to get the 1-2 inches of mud off. The next day brought us here to Madison WI. 109 glorious miles. Actually, it was a spectacular ride. Lots of steep hills, a bit of a tailwind, overcast skies, perfect temps. I really enjoyed that ride. So, tomorrow (Saturday the 22nd) we leave for Belvedere, IL. The ride will be over in exactly 2 weeks when we pull into DC on Saturday the 5th. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I'm thinking I'm pretty happy about it. I can still ride when I get home, and I won't have to share a shower trailer with 100 people, nor will I have to awake everyday at 4:45 AM! Sunday morning rides will no longer feel early! Well, that's it for now. Next, and last, day off is in Sandusky OH next Friday.

Take Care,

Michelle

Thursday 7/20: We had another gorgeous day here and we had a group of 45 riders waiting for tonight’s trip when the shop closed. We had to split the group up again as the route had a couple of large hills on the course and we wanted everyone to get back before nightfall. LP took a group of ten riders and I took a group of 30 with me. MaryEllen took her group of 6 on a shorter route. After Matt took off with his bunch I led my group out of the parking lot and over to Turners Falls. I waited at the traffic lights in the center of Turners Falls for the group to arrive and after getting the Star to wait for a green light, we all headed for the hill. We rode at a steady pace up the Third Street hill and I slowed the group at the top so that the riders at the rear to get back on the group. I led the double pace line with John Bentley as we made our way out to Mineral Road, where we made a left turn. I made sure that everyone made the turn OK and I gave them the news of the route conditions ahead. We all rode down the hill to the bridge where we dismounted and walked to the other side. After everyone got across the bridge, we headed out for Northfield. This road is paved for several miles and then it turns to dirt for a couple of miles. I rode at the front at 25 mph on the first section of gravel and at 20 mph on the second section. I really enjoy the challenge of a dirt road, although I was definitely in minority. After we got onto the hardtop again we set off for RT. 63 with those pesky Vermont boys raising the pace for all of us. "Georgie Boy" Bernegger kept the group lively with his constant attacks on the hills, but we kept him in line with counter-attacks when necessary. The group stayed intact until we got to the RT. 10 turn, when for some unknown reason, the back half of the group got dropped. We slowed the pace for a while but soon we had Eric Yetter and Tom Martyn charging up the hill. The group shattered at this point and "Suit" along with six or so others got spit out the back. I pounded to the front and rode with Eric all the way to Bernardston. When I got to the center of town there was a group of 12 of us again and I took the lead as we turned left and headed south down RT. 5&10. As I headed down the road I got hit with a headwind and my speed started to drop, so Tommy Silko pulled up and gave me a rest. When we got to Barton Road I had the group bear right and we took a detour through north Greenfield. We rolled down Barton Road to Leyden Road and as we did the speed got higher and we ended up racing down to Silver Street where we all made the left turn. We charged hard up the hill on Silver Street and then rode easily back to the shop.

Bob!
Here is the info. about my huge debut last weekend. Harvard/Devens Crit, W/4, I got the big third place!! There you go. See you later, have a good weekend. I am going to the Factors Financial Falmouth RR this weekend in ME. Wish me luck, it is my first RR outside of collegiate.
Stuffy (This note is from Stephanie Swinerton about her first criterium race. She is on her way to stardom.)

Sunday 7/23: The morning ride had ME leading a group of 6 riders and I had a group of 13 people riding with me and they included Jamie, Brent, Mark Newton, Bob Immler, Jorge, QN, Dan, MB, Rob Lapointe, John Strong, and John Bentley. ME had her group go out for a ride to Deerfield and they will report later. My ride went out for a ride up to Conway through Whatley. We left the shop and I stayed at the front until we got to Main Street in Old Deerfield, where I pulled off to get some rest at the back. I stayed at the back all the way to Stillwater Hill, where I rode up to the top at the front and then wheeled around to get the group back together again. I took the front as we made our way down RT. 116 to So. Mill River Road and then I went to the back again. MB and Dan took over at the flats and did some sprints which gave the rest of us a free ride on their wheels. We climbed the hill to Whatley and the group started to splinter so I drifted to the back to get people back on the train again. I only got a few of the guys back to the front and we had a few stragglers in back that were uncertain of the route so I went back and asked Jorge to drop back and wait for everyone to make the turn. I then headed off to catch up with the front. I ended up riding with MB and waiting for Jorge to catch back on, which he did at the turn to Strippe Road. The rest of the riders were waiting for us at the top of the hill and we all took off for the reservoir hill. I rode at the front and when I got to the top of the hill I waited for the rest of the group to catch up. I rode with the back of the bunch as we made our way out to Rt. 116 and when I got to the top of the hill in Conway I rode off to the bottom to make sure that everyone got safely across the dangerous left turn. I waited for Jorge and Dan to arrive but they never showed up so I too the rest of the riders and headed off for Old Deerfield. The group stayed together for a while, but when we got to the flats MB, Mark Newton, Brent and myself took off and put the hammer down. We rode at a 25 mph clip and soon we shed Brent off the back. I took the lead as we made our way north on 5&10 and we soon we back in Greenfield riding up High Street to the shop. Bob Immler and several other riders came in a few minuets later. It was another beautiful day and the ride went well for all who came.

Tuesday 7/25: It was sunny and warm today and we had a large group arrive for tonight's ride to the Coke Plant. We had MB, IP, DTH, Chris Dejoy, John Strong, Marc, Jack and me. IP and DTH took the Gill Road route, while the rest of us rode the trails behind Stop&Shop. I rode at an even tempo and soon we were at the truck turnout, where the girls were waiting. We decided to go into trails through the swamp. I led the boys through the muck and mire that is the result of too much water on soft clay. Well, we made it out and OK, but we were covered in mud. After we got to Five Points I took the group up the Ridge Trail and then out to Luke. We all rode up the trail at an steady pace and we regrouped at the water tank. I have been enjoying my new bike and it has drawn numerous comments from the riders. Everyone notices new equipment in the group. After a few minutes we headed off for the power lines and I took the lead so that everyone would have a soft spot to land, should I fall. Or, maybe I just wanted to get to the trails before anyone else did, who knows. Anyway I stopped at the top of the hill and let a few people go by and rode to Red Rock. Once everyone got to the rock, we took a few minutes to rest. MB was grousing about his 1.8 inch tires were causing him to loose traction on the steeper climbs. I then offered to let him ride my bike with the 2.1 tires and I would use his bike and we would see what happens on the Hill of Doom. MB led us down the Chute on my bike, while IP and DTH took the road to the Hill Of Doom. After I got to the hill everyone was waiting on the top so I just rode up on MB bike to the amazement of the crowd. We waited for a minute for everyone to get to the top and then we rode over Double Dip. From Double Dip we rode up to the Streambed and over the Crossover Trail to the Secret Trail. The girls did not make the trip to the top but waited for us at the bottom of Double Death. MB and I decided to challenge everyone to ride up Double Death, and except for me, no one made it all the way to the top. After we all rode back down the hill I had IP take us down Ankle Breaker and over to the New Trail. She slogged her way through the brush and got us over to the trail. After we made it to the top IP took a second try at the rock, having missed on her first effort. She didn't get up but she sure did give it a great effort, and that is after all, what it is all about. MB challenged me to ride up stinger and I told him that not only could I do it, but I could do it on his bike. We swapped bikes and, although I had to make a second effort, I did make it up the hill. It is really a lot of fun to challenge yourself when you are out on the trails. We all rode back down the Ridge Trail and then we headed out behind IP, who led us out on the trails near the road. We rode down the power lines and then back out to RT. 2. After we crossed the highway we all rode easily back to the shop. It was a wonderful ride.

(Below is a report written by Orion, one of the kids who attended my bike camp)
Ah, the wonderfulness of going through a overgrown puddle made larger by recent rains. On 7/28 the Adventure camp (run by Bob) went to the Montague planes. There was a decision to be made the Bath or the Bowl? The rains made the Bath an easy choice. When we got there it was in spots 2.5 feet deep and we had a fun time trying to pedal all the way through. The kids who came are listed below:
Devon; Even; Orion; Mario; Dan; Clay; Austin and two others

Wednesday 7/26: Tonight's ride was rained out.

Thursday 7/27: I wasn't sure that we were going to be able to get the ride in since there were projected showers and thundershowers for tonight, but at 6:00 the roads were dry and although there was a heavy cloud cover, there was no rain. There were only 23 riders who showed up so I had to run one ride. Marylyn Beal rode with Anne Larson and they did a shorter loop than the 30 miler we had planned for tonight.

Monday 7/31: Wow! It feels good to be back in the East! Only 5 more days of riding before we hit D.C. I must admit that today's ride felt like 2 days of riding...The end is near and I'm really excited. I just hope that Pennsylvania doesn't kill me. So, it has been awhile since I last logged on, and luckily for you all, I can't remember many details. :) We left Madison for Belvedere, IL and onto Naperville, IL the next day. Illinois was pretty darned flat. Leaving Naperville for LaPorte, IN was a treat. 103 miles of urban commando riding. It was Monday morning and we somehow had to get to the other side of Chicago. An adventure indeed. Traffic was.... well, it was traffic. I will have to be careful once I start driving again - I won't be able to blow through 4 way stops in quite the same way. LaPorte was ready for us. They had a HUGE cookout lunch waiting for us. The food was incredible. OF course, most things taste great after a century. For dinner they roasted pigs. They drove us all over town, and even offered shuttle service to a local tattoo parlor - but that's a story for another time. The next day took us to Kendallville, IN. There is a heck of a lot of corn in Indiana. It's flat, and the roads are not always paved. From Kendallville we rode 70 miles to Napoleon, OH (which is not French) and then onto Sandusky OH the next day. I got up at 4:30 AM, was on the road by 6:10, rode 90 miles to camp, set up my tent, took a shower, did laundry and then went to Cedar Point Amusement Park until 11 PM that night. I slept for most of the next day, which was thankfully a rest day. We left Sandusky last Saturday and traveled through downtown Cleveland en route to Chagrin Falls, OH. It rained on us for the last 10 miles. That was the first time this entire trip that I have had to ride in the rain. The next day was a nice, pleasant 55 mile ride into Canfield OH. I slept late and left late hoping to not get to camp before it was set up, but alas, the line I had joined was the first to arrive at the campsite to be. Oh well. Today we rode our last century to Indiana PA. There was so much climbing! We climbed a total of 6820 feet today. It was pretty brutal. The heat and humidity certainly did not help. The next couple of days are shorter mileage, but with bigger hills. Hey, we can do anything for 5 days. I'm so looking forward to taking 2 days in a row off! Anyway, I guess that's it for now. 2949 miles down, 310 to go! See you next week (some of you, anyway :)
Michelle

Sunday 7/30: This morning I was greeted by five riders when I arrived at the shop. We had John Bentley, Jamie, QN, HMJ, and Jorge. As I was getting ready Timmy and Ron showed up and when I finally got myself squared away, we were ready to roll at 9:15. The route for today was an easy spin down RT. 5&10 to Hatfield and back.