Ride
Page
Here You will find the reports of our
exploits for the month June 2001 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. bikebob@crocker.com
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); Crash Test Dummy,
CTD (Ed Sokoloski); Georgie Boy. GB (George Bernegger); Little Bugger,
LB (Casey Golec);
JiT, Just-in-Time (Justin Golec); Homer (Michelle Hurley); Tywor (Tyler
Golec); Service (Rod Perez); Rick2
(Rick McCulloch and Manson)
Monday 6/4: Tonight we took a quick ride to the Coke Plant. I left the shop with a group of 6 riders that included Chris, Homer, IP Penny, Service, Cynthia Y., and Mark. We rode over to the trails via Gill Road and after we got over the highway we encountered quite a bit of water at the stinkhole. I was the first into the water and I hit a log which sent me off the bike and into the muck. I warned the other riders to stay to the left and pretty much everyone made it across without any difficulties. We took the usual trails up to the truck turnout where we regrouped. I had IP take the lead and we headed over to the swamp. I followed the group as we got to the trail where we encountered a small bridge over the brook. This might be alright for the motorcycles, but it was quite a hazard for us, because the boards were pretty slippery, so we rode around it. I stopped after everyone passed and moved the bridge to the side of the trail. I then caught up with the group at Five Points and we all headed up the Ridge Trail to Luke. Cynthia was doing OK but she was a little worried that she would not be able to keep up on the After last weeks rains we found the trails to be not that wet, which is surprising given how hard it rained. When I got half way up the hill I passed a few of the riders and then I rode to the top of the hill and waited. After everyone got to the top of the hill I directed the group to head over to the power lines. I rode easily over to the power lines with Cynthia and we then took the shorter loop out to Red Rock Road and down the hill to our usual meeting spot. I arrived at Red Rock just as the other riders were getting ready to leave so I decided to wait and ride with the women down the hill to Jacks Pond. Cynthia did very well on her first trip down the road and when we got to the pond I asked her if she would like to try the Hill of Doom. She said that she would give it a try and off we went. I rode to the bottom of the hill and decided that it would be prudent if I used the middle ring for the climb today as I am still not up to snuff, so I hit the hill with my usual gust o and I managed to make it to the top, but I slipped on the roots and had to dab. When I got to where the rest of the riders were waiting I suggested that we head off for the Orchard Trail and then start back, because it was getting late. I followed the group as we made our way back past Five Points and out to the Lillian Street Trails. We all waited at the highway crossover and then we rode back to the shop in a group. I told Cynthia that I thought she did great on the trip and she said that this was the most challenging ride she ever did, but that she felt wonderful about her achievement.
Tuesday 6/5: It was another crazy day at the shop and I really had to hustle to get out on time, but I managed to get all the end of day stuff done and I rolled out the door at five after six o'clock. I had a group of 16 riders that rode out of the parking lot for the Sunderland Sweep ride. I led the bunch over to Greenfield Road and down the hill to the double bridge crossing. I slowed the pace as we made the turn onto Third Street and we all rode to the traffic lights together. As we rolled up to the light, it turned green, and we all rode through and over to the hill. As we got to the base of the climb, I pulled over and let everyone pass. I watched as Sheryl Cabral took off to the front and was hammering up the hill. I then thought to myself that tonight was going to be a really hard ride. As we neared the top of the hill however, Sheryl was slowing and some of the riders we passing her. At the front I had LP and MB, but they were also slowing (I did not know it at the time, but LP had just gotten a flat tire) so I sprinted to the top and to make sure that all the riders made the right turn onto Montague Street. After I got the leader's going I dropped back to check on the people in the back. I waited until all the people had passed me and then I noticed that there were two riders in the distance. It was Jaap and Sheryl and so I decided to wait until they got up to me and I would ride with them. When they got up to me I told them to get in line behind me and that I would pull them back onto the group. I waited until they were ready for the effort and when they gave me the go ahead, I sped up an off we went in pursuit of the main group. We rode at a steady 24 mph average and I soon had our prey in sight. We pushed pretty hard for about 5 minutes and then we made contact with the back of the group. I asked Sheryl if she was OK and she said that she would be fine, so I went up to the front of the pack to make sure that all the riders made the right turn. After getting everyone on course, looked back and I could see that Sheryl had dropped off the back again, so I went back to see if she was OK. She said that she was tried and that I should go ion ahead with the other riders, but I decided to stay with her and make sure that she got back to the shop OK. I slowed the pace down as we headed down Meadow Road. We toured along at a pace that kept the lead group just in sight for quite a while but eventually they rode away. Sheryl and I kept going at a 16 mph pace until we got to RT. 47 where we picked it up a bit on the busier highway. After we cruised into the center of Sunderland we took a right and headed over the Sunderland Bridge and into Deerfield. We decided to give River Road a try and we headed north on our way back to Greenfield. We kept our pace reasonable on the hills and soon we were back on Deerfield Street pedaling back to the shop. We made it back to the shop about 10 minutes or so behind the other riders, it was a good ride for Sheryl as she was able to pace herself on the longer hills.
Wednesday 6/6: Tonight we did a ride over to Montague as the trails almost everywhere else would likely be too wet to ride on. I arrived at the center of town and was greeted by IP, Penny, Jim’s H and S, Mick, Chris, and Mark. It took me a while to get ready as I had just thrown everything into the van, so I had to get organized before I could get going. Once I was all set I joined the others and we left the center of town to ride through the trails in the Sawmill River meadow. I led the group over the river crossing and then up to the Telephone Pole Trail. I wanted to do a mellow ride so I followed the group over to the Toilet Bowl Trail where we took the long way out to the power lines. We regrouped at the usual spot and then we headed out for the sand pit where I decided to try the new trail with the boys. Penny and Mick decided to head over Red Rock and they were going to meet us at Willis Hill. I rode up the hill as far as I could, but I ran out of gas about half way up. After the slip-up, I remounted the bike and rode the rest of the way up the hill. It was an effort to make it up that hill, but I was glad that I did it. After everyone got to the top we headed to ride over to Willis Hill. Even though I gave good directions, Mark and the other riders missed the turn onto the trail and I ended up leading the group up to the I-H wreck. I got passed by all the riders on the last leg over to the top of Willis Hill but I managed to get there just behind Chris and form the top we rode down the hill to where Penny and Mick were waiting. It was getting late, so we headed across the swamp to the trails behind Lillian Street. We rode through the trails to the RT. 2 crossover and when we were all over to Gill Road, we took and easy spin back to the shop.
Thursday 6/7: The ride tonight was a 35- mile trip to Bull Hill Road. We had 35 riders show up for this fairly flat trip. I have been feeling the effects of too much work and not enough sleep so I was once again going to spend most of the trip in the middle of the pack. Charles and I led the group out of the parking lot and over to Turners Falls Road. ( I was recently informed that the short section that I have referred to as Greenfield Road , is in fact Turners Falls Road.) I kept the pace mellow and the group stayed together until we got to the traffic lights on Ave A. After we crossed the avenue and we got to the hill Sheryl Cabral took a flyer up the hill which pretty much split the group. I was really amazed at her speed and I was thinking that I was going to be in for a long night. We rode up the hill at a pretty good clip and as we neared the top I saw Sheryl slipping back from the front of the group. She seemed to be OK as I passed her so I just pushed on to the top where I directed the newer riders onto Montague Street. After the front group of riders was on course, I dropped back to see that the rest of the riders made the turn. After everyone made the corner, I then headed back up to the front of the group and resumed my spot hiding out behind Tom Martyn. I remained there all the way through Montague Center and then I moved to the front just before we made the turn onto RT.47. I then took the lead until we got onto RT. 63, where I then slid back into the middle of the group again. I more or less stayed there as the pace picked up and the group split. When I got to the top of the hill I was pretty beat so I decided to hang back and ride with the second group. We rode along at a good clip with me at the front and although we could see the lead pack, the group did not have enough push to make it back onto the back of that bunch. In my group was Homer, Malcolm, Bob Schilling, GB, John P., Jamie and Jeremy Coleman. I kept the pace as high as the group would sustain, and we all stayed together to the turn onto Bull Hill Road. After we made the turn, we picked up a couple more riders and we all headed down the hill to RT. 116. The group reformed on 116 and soon I was motoring along past the Seven O's, when I saw the other group in the distance. I told the riders to hang on and I put the hammer down. We cruised along at 28 mph for quite a distance and I hauled the group to within striking distance. We finally caught up with the front group when they slowed down for the traffic light in the center of Sunderland. This gave us a chance to get back onto the group and let the stronger riders pull us along for a while. We stayed together in a pack of about 20 or so riders until the hills and then the group shattered into packs of 3-5 riders. I rode along with Homer and the Beermonters for the rest of the way back to Greenfield. I did a little of work for the group and soon we were crossing the bridge onto Deerfield Street. We rode to Washington Street and we then slowed the pace down to 14 mph, which we held all the way back to the shop. We ended up with a 20 mph average, which was pretty good for our group.
Sunday 6/10:Today we scheduled a 100 mile ride to MT. Greylock and it was a beautiful day for it. It was a clear warm morning and the forecast was for sunshine and little wind for the rest of the day. I have been really tired for the last few weeks and this ride is so hard even when you are ready for it, but what the heck, I was going to do it. I arrived at the shop at 7:00 and began to get ready. I loaded the van with the sandwiches, fruit and drinks that we had purchased and soon after I finished the riders started to arrive. I was busy with all the last minute details that a trip like this requires and it seemed that the time just flew by. As the start time approached I finished up getting ready and went out to take some pictures, When all the photos were taken I led the troops out of the parking lot and down to Main Street. We rode easily down Main Street to the Mohawk Trail and although Larry and Joe got cut of at the traffic lights at Federal Street they managed to get back onto the group before we got to the Greenfield Mountain climb. I was riding in the middle of the group as we made our way onto the hill and I stayed there most of the way up, but when we got to Longview Tower and some dogs came at the front riders, I headed to the front to try to keep order. I told the riders to just keep going and that the dogs would not chase us. This worked as we all made it past the barking mutts without any problem. I then found myself at the front of the group as we headed up RT. 2 past Mohawk Orchards and I stayed at or near the front all the way through Shelburne Falls. As we crossed the Deerfield River I again headed to the front and I was doing a pull when I heard a noise that sounded like someone dropped a water bottle. I asked if everyone was OK and Wayne said that everyone was alright so I continued on. I rode at the front of the line and it wasn’t until we got to Charlemont that I found out that there was only three of us. (I later learned that Tom Martyn had a tire blowout somewhere in Buckland and that he ruined a tire in the process.) I pressed on with Wayne and Homer in tow (Wayne was doing this ride on his MTB bike.) and we breezed through the first water stop where Dan and Jim were getting some refreshments. After we passed HMJ’s oasis on the side of the road we headed for the first major climb of the day. We hit the fist few small rises and I brought the pace down a little and Homer took over the lead. She stayed at the front for quite a way until I pulled up near the campgrounds and took over. Just as I pulled through we were joined by Dan and Jim who rode with us to the base of the climb up Florida Mountain. As we got onto the hill, Homer said that she wanted to climb at her own pace, and that we should head up the hill ourselves. I pressed on with Dan and Jim and soon we were on the steep sections of the hill where Jim dropped off and I went to the top with Dan. When we got to the summit we waited for a few minutes and then HMJ arrived with refreshments for us. We waited for about 5 minutes and then Wayne and Homer arrived at the rest stop. After another 10 minutes or so Jim Lyons and Dan decided to head out before they got cooled down too much. I stayed behind and waited for some of the other riders to arrive. We hung out for about another 25 minutes and when we had a group of 10 riders together, we headed out for the mountain. It was a nice ride down the hill to the hairpin turn, where we got to see MB skid out and land on his butt when he tried to get back on his bike after sightseeing at the lookout. I was pretty stiff from the long layover at the summit and I tried to keep my pedals going as I sailed down the hill past all the other riders, but when I got into the city I still wasn’t warmed up so I kept the pace down somewhat. We rode over to the turn to MT. Greylock and soon we were on the slopes of the climb. This is a 10 mile long hill and I rode near the back of the bunch as we made the first of many switchbacks on our way to the top. I was really working hard and I began to feel some discomfort from my shoe not being properly tightened, so slowed my pace to keep my heart rate within my tolerances and to try to take some pressure off my right foot.. I plugged away and I ended up following Steve, Becky, Dave and a few others to the parking lot at the top. When I got there I took my shoes off to give my aching dogs a rest. Waiting at the top was HMJ and the refreshments, which we all eagerly devoured, while we recuperated from the effort of the climb. Jim and Dan stayed only for a little while and then they took off for the return trip to Greenfield. I ate and drank with the first group of riders while we waited for the rest of people to get up the hill. After all the riders were accounted for and fed, we got the van packed up and we headed off for the ride back down the hill. This is a very difficult hill to ride down and I rode at the front all the way to the mountain’s entrance gate. I stopped there and flagged down the riders as the emerged from the hill so that everyone could get a chance to rest their hands from the constant braking. We waited for quite a while for Deb and Rick to get down and then we all headed off to finish the descent. Walker was the first one down the hill and when I arrived at the bottom he was sitting on someone’s lawn waiting for us. I waved to him as I passed him and soon we were on the road back up Florida Mountain. As I started to climb back up the hill, my right foot started to hurt and so I slowed down and used my smaller gears. Everyone passed me on the way up the climb and I really struggled as I ground my way to the top of the climb and the western summit. HMJ was waiting for us at the top but I just kept on riding, because I knew that if I stopped again, I would never get back on the bike. At this point Homer was with me and we headed over the summit and down the descent to Charlemont. As we neared the bottom of the hill we were joined by MB, Star, Tom Martyn as well as several others and we all headed off for Greenfield. I rode with the group for a few miles and then MB got a flat and I knew that I could not stop to help him because I would never get going again, and I also knew that HMJ was coming along. I struggled along for a while with Tom, Homer and Star, but my foot was really killing me and I had to slow down and ride in the little ring all the way back to the Rt. 91 rotary. I rode with Homer for the last few miles and when we got to the Main Street hill we were overtaken by MB, who had fixed his flat and caught us just before the finish. When I got back to the shop I was in a lot of pain from my right foot and I quickly got my shoes off and sat down for quite a while. I waited for all the riders to return and then I headed for the shower. I want to thank HMJ and Steve’s parents for all their help, without people like these we would not be able to enjoy a trip like this.
The following is a report from Steve Shattuck:
Ride three. The Greylock Challenge. Awesome ride. That's one word
I've heard to describe today's ride. Brutal was another one. Anyway,
in my eyes it was a very tough ride. 20 riders got together on
Sunday morning, many with a look of apprehension on their faces, looking
west towards North Adams. It wasn't your typical get together before a ride. It definitely had a different
air about it. First of all, I
want to give a huge thanks to Jack Spanbauer for driving the SAG
wagon as well as my folks, Harold and Gladys Shattuck. Both proved to be
indispensable in this grueling ride, and both added energy to the
overall ride. I hope you all enjoyed participating. Many thanks to Bob Perry for doing most of the work in pulling this ride together.
Will we do it again? I'm not sure at this point. Some of the
comments I heard when it was done:
Dave W. That's about as close to death as I've ever come.
Deb S. Steve, I hope you've got that out of your system cause I'm never doing that again.
Joe.... Is this going to be an annual event.
Rick M... That's a ride I don't mind doing once in my lifetime but I wouldn't want to do it every year.
Well, everyone did a great job. Of the 18 people that set their sights on making it to the top, 18 made it. Not a bad showing at all. I was unfortunate enough to start cramping up in my quad on the way up the mountain so I was real doubtful about my ability to make it back to Greenfield, but I DID IT!!! How did I stop the cramping. Well, last year I had a similar problem that was attributed to a electrolyte imbalance, mainly lack of salt. So, as soon as I got to the top of the mountain, I hotfooted it to the lodge and attacked the salt shaker. Dumped a bunch of salt in my hand and licked it all off. Is that what did the trick? I don't know but I do know that I didn't cramp up anymore. The difficulty level of this ride was extremely high but EVERYONE did a great job. The funny thing is that many think that the most difficult part was riding down Greylock. It actually was very tough squeezing the brakes for about 6 miles down a steep and winding road. By the way, if I seem at all incoherent in this newsletter, it's probably true. It will be a short one tonight for sure. Anyway, lots of good times in the riding department this weekend with lots wonderful people helping each other out. Many photos were taken which will probably be up on the board tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll have some photos from all the rides soon.
Tuesday 6/12: After our trip to MT. Greylock I thought that it would be better to take it a little easy tonight, so I planned a 25 mile route up to Northfield and back. I had no intentions of hammering on this ride so I let Charles lead the group out of the shop. We rode at a fairly slow rate up to Wildwood Ave. and made the left turn. At this point we were a group of 15 riders and so Charles and I started down Wildwood at a moderate pace. Suddenly, Charles attacked (his words) and soon the entire group was sprinting down Wildwood at 20 miles an hour. But just as soon as it began, the attack ended, Charles was whipped and we all made the turn onto RT. 5&10 together. At this point I again took control and led the bunch down the road to the bottom of the hill on Bernardston Road, where I slipped to the back of the bunch. I rode near the rear with Jaap and Penny as we paced ourselves up the hill. I encouraged Penny to hang onto the group for as long as she could so that she could get the benefit of the draft. Penny did well to the top of the hill but she came off on the descent, so I got behind her and gave her a push to get her back onto the group. Since everyone was pretty much together, I decided to stay at the rear to keep it that way. Chip Martin and Dan Laroche did the lion's share of the pulling as we headed up to the center of Bernardston. We made the turn all together and soon we were breezing up the hill and over the RT. 91 bridge. As soon as we got to the flatter section of the road, I then went to the front of the group and kept the pace down a bit so that the folks in the back could catch their breath. I stayed at the front of the group all the way to the downhill at MT. Hermon, where I again drifted to the back. Penny was doing fine as we went to the bottom of the hill at 29 mph, but she started to drop off as we began the climb to the RT. 63. I stayed with her and gave her a couple of helping pushes and we made the turn onto RT. 63 with the group. As we started down the hill however Penny said that she was really getting tired so I rode along side of her and assisted her up the next hill. Penny was then in the middle of the group with IP and Bev and she stayed there as we rode along the top of the hill, but when we got near the next hill, Penny said that she was done and that she would not be able to continue. Penny told me that she was going to be OK because she would be able to stop at her mom's house, which was just a few miles up the road. I asked her if she wanted me to stay with her and she again said that she would be fine, so I said good-bye and headed off to catch up with the rest of the riders. I caught up with the main group in about a mile or so and took up the last place spot and rested there for a few minutes.
Thursday 6/14: Tyler Hill was our destination
for tonight and we had an energetic group of 39 riders for the trip.
Tuesday 6/19: Tonight
it took me quite a while to get ready because the shop was so busy.
There were 28 people gathered in the parking lot to go for the ride. My
group had 18 riders while ME’s group had the rest. I took my bunch out
of the parking lot and headed for Turners Falls at a 15 mph pace. We
stayed together as we crossed the river and the canal bridges and rode
up to the traffic lights where we paused for the traffic light. After
the light turned green the whole group rode up the Third Street hill
together and we then headed off for Millers Falls. I was riding at the
front of the group as we climbed the hill, but I dropped off to check on
the folks at the back of the group after we got to the top of the hill.
As I got to the back of the line I noticed a couple of riders a little
way behind, so I dropped back to give a hand. When I got back to the
riders who were off the back, I
found Kevin Kelly and Sheryl trying to catch up, so I got in front of
them and started to pull them back to the group. Sheryl was a little
winded from the climb so I gave here a push for a little way. We worked
pretty hard trying to catch up to the others, but we never really closed
the gap, so I decided to use plan B. I sprinted up to the front group
and told MB that I was going to take Kevin and Sheryl on another route
and that I would see them out on RT. 63. I then turned around and rode back to Kevin and Sheryl
and we rode to County Road where we turned right and headed for Rt. 63.
We rode down the shortcut with me in the lead and we arrived at RT. 63
just in front of the other riders. We rode down the hill past Sirum’s
garage and soon we were overtaken by the faster riders. Kevin and Sheryl
were not up to the speed, so we dropped off the back and let the others
go on ahead. At that point I decided to take my duo back to the shop. My
plan was to take a shorter less arduous route, and I was going to try to
catch up with the others as we neared the shop. We turned onto N.
Leverett Road and headed back towards Turners Falls. We rode down to the
fire station and turned left onto Turnpike Road. At the end of the road
we turned onto Montague City Road where we turned left and continued all
the way to Deerfield Street. We rode back up Deerfield Street and then
we took the usual route back to High Street where we caught up with some
of the riders from the beginner ride. My riders pulled through and we
ended the ride at the shop with another invitation from Sheryl to join
her and some others at the Peoples Pint.
Thursday, 6/21:Tonight’s ride was a trip to Wendell and we had another large crowd show up on a beautiful summer evening. Along for this ride was our usual gang of Beermonters as well as the local legends of the sport. I have been really tired lately and I was not up to doing too much of the leading, so I let Malcolm and a few others take turns at the front as we made our way over to Turners Falls. I stayed in the pack until we got to the hill and then I went to the front so that I could make sure that the newer riders would make the turn at Millers Falls Road. After I got the lead group going on the right track, I went to the back to check on the rest of the riders and after making sure that everyone was heading in the right direction I then headed back to the front. I rode near the front, but I did not do much of the work, because I wanted to save some energy for the hill. I rode with GB, Malcolm, as well as MB until we got to the top of the hill in Millers Falls, where I again went to the front of the line to make sure that the group made the turn onto Prospect Street. After we crossed the bridge onto Wendell Road and the road got steep, I dropped back into the middle of the pack and I paced myself as we headed up towards Wendell. I rode at a steady pace and I slowly moved up towards the front of pack as some of the other riders fell back on the hill. I stayed near the front of my group until we got to the second steep section and the group started to come apart. I could see LP, Bell, MB and Malcolm in the distance as I crested the top of the big climb. I thought that I could pull Wayne and John Bentley along with me and that we could make a group of seven going down the other side of the hill, but every time I made a charge to catch up, I ended up dropping the other two riders. So after several tries I decided to abandon that effort and go on ahead myself, and try to catch up with MB and the others. I rode almost all the way to Wendell center before making contact with the guy’s in the lead.
Thursday 6/28: The ride for tonight includes one of the toughest hills in Franklin County. I chose tonight for this one as there will be enough light for everyone
Monday,
6/25: