June 2005 Ride Report Page            
Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month June 2005 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. 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. Please send them to  bikebob@crocker.com and you too can get yourself published on the web! Go to the Ride Schedule link; You will find information about ride schedules and how the rides are run.

Thursday 6/2: It was a beautiful day today and with the sunny skies and warm temperatures we had 48 riders show up for the trip to MT. Warner. When everyone was ready (Is that possible?) I gave the route instructions to those in the group that were paying attention, After a few brief remarks, I led the group of 30 or so riders out of the parking lot and down High Street. I rode at the front of the group until we got down to Deerfield Street where Baby Bell and Jeff took over. I then got into the middle of the pack for the ride to River Road. After making the turn onto River Road, I went to the back of the group to await the members of the Snowflake Society to arrive. As if on cue, Georgie Boy came rocketing to the back of the pack to take up his position as the rear guard. After the first hill the group split in two and I had a group of 15 riders with me. We rode at a sensible pace and we tackled the next two hills with the charm and grace befitting our company. After cruising down the last hill we regrouped to head for the Sunderland Bridge. I found myself riding near the front of the group and cheering the riders along as we made our way past the UMass dairy farm. There was a couple of new riders in the group and I went back to check on them from time to time. (This was Erin Beaudet's first ride in a big group and she was somewhat nervous about that.) We arrived at the bridge just as Jeff, Bell, Doug Dale and their group were heading over the bridge. This would be the last time we saw them until we got back to the shop. After everyone got across the bridge Doug, Will and a few others sprinted for the town line, which Doug won. We made the turn onto South Main Street and headed south on RT. 47. The wind was blowing pretty hard and most everyone got to take a pull at the front. Michelle Lombardo did a great pull from the Watroba's farm stand to Plumtree Road. As we neared Plumtree Road we saw Curt waiting for us and he joined us as we pulled past him. After Curt got into the group the sprinters were getting ready to roll for the Hadley town line sprint. As it turns out, only Four Sticks went out for it and he was several hundred yards ahead of us when he crossed the line. I rode in the middle of the pack until we neared the turn onto Hadley Street. As we neared the hill, I went to the front and led the group around the corner. I telepathically sensed a command from Georgie Boy at the back of the group and I then set a reasonable pace for the ride over to Rt. 116. After we all had made the left turn onto the highway, I found myself at the front with Mark Newton. We rode along Rt. 116 in a double pace line, dodging construction barrels and potholes caused by the ravages of last winter.  We rode up the slight hill near Bub's BBQ and I was once again at the front, this time with Curt. We set a blistering 27mph pace for the run into Sunderland. After we got past the Cliffside Apartments we were cruising towards the center of Sunderland, when out of the blue came the boy wonder himself. As if powered by demons, Georgie Boy came to the front and hammered on toward the turn onto RT. 47. I stayed right behind him to be witness to the power of the great one. It seems however that the dear boy was overcome with his accomplishment, because as he powered though the turn at 20 mph, he nearly killed a lady pushing her baby in a pram. The group promptly labeled  our leader "Baby Killer" and we quickly ushered him up the road lest he be set upon by denizens of the town who rightly needed to defend their young. After rushing out of town we turned onto Falls Road to begin the return to the shop. After the near death experience moments earlier, I thought that I might be able to spring a surprise on the group and take the town line sprint. Whilst they recovered from their shock of the earlier incident I made my plan. I waited until the slightly downhill section of road just past Charge Pond and then I attacked! I rode at my max for as long as I could and I was sure that I had given the group the slip, but just as I neared the line I blew up and Mark Newton came flying by me to easily take the prize. Wounded, I sulked to the back of the pack to be consoled by Baby Killer. I stayed at the back for a until we got to Ferry Road, where I once again found myself at the front. I rolled to the top of the hill and after making sure that everyone was in the group I mingled in the middle of the pack. When we got to the really rough section of roadway. I went to the front to lead the pack through the difficulties. I pulled the pack all the way to Hatchery Road. After getting to the back I chatted with Michael Beh (AKA Peter) and we stayed together until the last hill. The group got pretty strung out and I dropped back to give Peter a hand. As the pack went to the stop sign, I took the left onto the closed roadway with Peter, and we popped out onto Montague Street ahead of the pack. We all rode together for the trip back to Turners Falls and we crossed Ave A on a green light provided by me. After crossing the river, I rode up the hill with Four Sticks and then I soft pedaled back to the shop. After getting to the shop, I dragged the refreshments out for the group to enjoy while we awaited the return of the rest of the riders. It was a great ride and everyone seemed to enjoy the trip.

Friday 6/3: I usually do not ride on Friday night, but I have wanted to do a Body Shop ride for a while, so I took the opportunity to go out with Steve, Beck and the crew. We left the Body Shop parking lot and headed for Silver Street. We rode out to Nash's Mill Road where I found myself at the front of the group, flying down the hill at 37 mph. I was just a guest on this ride so I got to ride wherever I wanted. This was pretty nice for me, because I got to chat with all the riders and spend some time just enjoying the nice weather and scenery. There were many people on this ride that I knew and who have come on the BU rides. I chatted with Jack, Lauren, Paul Bassett, Claire Sagor, Jack Dempsey, Karen Slack, Kathy Breault just to name a few as we headed for the pumping station. The group headed down the closed road to the bridge and when we exited Eunice Williams Drive we headed for Bernardston via Barton Road. We took a really circuitous route through the town and ended up over riding past the golf course. We took RT. 10 to Gill Road and then we headed for Hoe Shop Road. We rode down the rather bumpy road to Lampblack Road and we then headed back to the shop.

Sunday 6/5: It was another beautiful day today although it was quite a bit warmer (87 degrees) and more humid than what we are used to. After the shop closed I got my gear and along with Ryan Stattenfield we loaded our bikes into the van to head for Montague. When we arrived in the center of town we were met there by Nathan Wallace, Steve Ellis, Kyle Agusto, Wayne Holden, Brian Pierce, and Chris Williams. I took some photos and they are up on the web at 6/5 on the photo tab. We left the common and rode over to the Telephone Pole Trail. The boys did very well on the way up the hill although they had to work pretty hard. After a brief discussion at the fire pit we decided not to use the Toilet Bowl Trail today due to the rotting moose and the stench that permeates the area. I followed Chris, Steve and Brian who led the pack over to the Second First Left, where we followed the usual route over to the Banked Trails. I followed Nathan as we rode along and I noticed that his saddle was way too low. I asked him if I could adjust it to see if a higher saddle position might give him more power. After adjusting his saddle height, Nathan was doing much better and we headed over to the end of the banked trails where the rest of the group was waiting for us. At this point I decided to split the group up. The boys were doing well but with the heat and humidity, I thought that they might want a little shorter loop that what I had planned. I sent Chris, Brian, Wayne and Steve over to the Water Tank Trail while Ryan, Lyle, Nathan and I headed over to ride up Willis Hill. We planned to meet at the bottom of Willis Hill. I took my group through the woods to the bottom of the climb, rather than the usual ride down the sandy road. When we got to the hill, the boys were in front of me and Ryan was behind. I told the riders about the climb and the rock that you have to ride over before we got to the hill. I watched the boys go up the hill and waited to see if they could pick a line over the rock. I think they picked a good line  and they might have made it but they ran out of gas and stopped just before the rock. I rode past them and onto the top of the hill where I waited for them to arrive. After a brief rest, I led the boys through the swamp and over to the bottom of Willis Hill. We rode up the trail in the woods to avoid the heat out on the open trail and when we got to the top we split up again. Wayne joined my group for the ride up the I-H Trail, while Chris, Brian and Steve headed down the Pine Forest Trail to do a loop around the hill to the Kiabuckus. I followed my group over to the Kiabuckus where I stopped to wait for Chris and his crew to arrive. I had sent my group over to Sock Hill and told them to wait for me there. After Chris, Steve and Brian arrived I followed them over to Sock Hill where the others were waiting. I did not stop because I wanted to get some photos of the group as they came down the hill, so I rode off to find a spot to take the pictures. After the riders had past me, I jumped back on my bike to head down the hill to the sand pit. My group decided to stay on the flatter section for the return trip, while Brian, Chris and Steve headed up and over Red Rock. The plan was to meet over on Plains Road and ride back to the shop together. I led my group over to Plains Road where I did a quick head count. We were one rider short. It seems that Ryan had gotten separated from that pack and was nowhere to be found. I rode back with Chris to see if we could find him, but he was not on the trail. After a few minutes we decided to split up. I had Chris go back to the rest of the group and lead them over to the Banked Trail while I would head out to the power lines to see if Ryan was out there. I rode along the power lines until I met up with the rest of the group. We then headed back over to the Telephone Pole Trail and down to the hardtop road. When we got to the road we saw Ryan riding up towards us, so we headed off to the cars with Ryan safely back in the pack. When we got back to the van, Ryan told us that he had fallen in the deep sand and lost his way trying to follow us. He then just headed down Plains Road to the hardtop. I advised him that in the future, if anything happens, he should stay put and I will come and get him. This avoids a lot of un-necessary hunting for riders who have had a mishap or injury. All in all it was a great ride and after loading everyone but Steve into the van, I headed off to deliver the riders to their homes or the shop.

Tuesday 6/7: It has been pretty warm around here today and the humidity has been going up steadily. I picked the Shutesbury ride for tonight because it was one of the nicest routes we have and it is always cooler on top of the mountain. I was feeling a little tired today but I felt I was up for this ride. We had 31 riders show up for the trip and I even managed to get out the door at 6:00 to start the ride. It was 87 degrees with a strong wind blowing from the south when we left the shop. I led the group over to Turners Falls after a near death encounter with a huge pile of sand in the middle of the road. It seems that someone dumped or dropped a large load of sand on the sharp corner onto the White Bridge and I had to steer around it while slowing down and shouting a warning to the riders behind me. After getting around that we all rode over to the traffic lights at Ave. A. I used my magic traffic controller to give us a green light. The entire group got across the intersection and soon we were climbing the hill. There was a big split in the pack on the hill but we managed to get back together by the time we got to the fire house. I rode in the third spot on the run into Montague Center, just behind Doug and Baby Bell. We kept a steady 28 mph average all the way to the common and I was surprised to see that there was still a large group behind me when I pulled off the front. I told Bell and Doug that I was going to ride with whomever was doing the shorter loop and that they should just set their own pace with anyone who wanted to do the longer ride. At this point I went to the back of the paceline to keep an eye on the pack as we negotiated the rough pavement in the center of town. We headed out of town and over to RT. 63 where I found myself at the front of the pack heading up the hill. I pulled off as soon as possible to ride the rear guard. As we got further onto the hill, Socks and Mark Newton came off the back and left a large gap. I swung around them to help pull up the hill, but the gap got larger. I picked up the pace a little but that shelled Mark, so I slowed a little to let him get back on. At this point Mark said that he was done and so I headed off, with Socks in tow, to try to catch the group ahead. I caught the group at the bottom of the little hill on Montague Road and I had the riders slow up a bit so that I could get a little rest. I recovered pretty quickly and soon the pace went back up. That immediately shelled Socks, but I was able to stay in the back of the pack. I figured that I had 2 1/2 miles to recover before we hit the big climb so I thought that I would be OK. We rode over to Leverett Center and made the left turn to begin the climb and I actually felt pretty good at that point. That soon changed! As we got onto the first steep pitch of the 4 mile hill, I started to come un-glued. I could feel my legs cramping and I knew that if I continued at that pace, I would be in trouble. I told Chris Williams to head on without me and that I would be OK. I pedaled at a steady 10 to 12 mph pace and I kept the group in sight for most of the way up the hill, but I was not able to close the gap. When I  got to the winding section of the climb, the riders ahead of me pulled out of sight. After that I was by myself except for a brief time when Baby Bell and Doug passed me. I rode to the top of the hill and took the left to ride down to Lake Wyola. After making the turn I did a quick loop back out to the hill to see if anyone was coming. I couldn't see anyone, so I turned around an headed down the hill to Lake Wyola. I rode the rest of the way back to the shop by myself, although I kept looking over my shoulder to see if there was anyone catching up to me, It was the first time in a long while that I did not have a group to ride with. I managed to do the distance, but I missed not having a paceline to follow when I needed to rest. I ended the ride with a 19.5 average for the 38 miles.

Thursday 6/9: Another brutally hot day with high humidity and a brisk breeze from the south. I have been working way too hard lately and I am starting to get pretty tired. I needed a snowflake ride to help me recover, so I sent out the email and the troops responded. I got my gear ready and the riders started to arrive at 5:00 or so. Roger, Amber, John Strong, Keith Olsen, Chris Chapman and his son William headed out at 5:30 to do the ride while I waited for the rest of the riders to arrive. I was busy with the shop and hardly noticed that 29 riders had assembled in the driveway, but when I got outside I knew that this was going to be a good night. MaryEllen had 6 people go out with her group so that left me with 23 riders. I left the shop with Baby Bell in tow and we rode down to Deerfield Street where I got the group across the highway together. I rode down Deerfield Street and when I sensed an opening, I attacked to take the town like sprint by 1/2 a mile from Baby Bell and Parrott. After they finally caught up to me, I went to the middle of the pack to prepare my next move. We rode down to Old Main Street in Deerfield where we were stopped by a phalanx of police and security people who had completely blocked the roadway. Deerfield Police chief told me that we would have to turn around because King Abdullah of Jordan had just arrived. There were many limos and security vehicles in the way so we turned around and headed back to RT. 5&10. As we headed back down Main Street the traffic officer directed us to ride through the Bement campus where we said hello to Cloie Reid and Jim Hayssen's daughter who were just finishing school. After getting out onto the highway we headed for Mill Village Road. The speed went up quite a bit but it was manageable for the riders. We got strung out on the hill where Stan Kolpa had a mechanical and abandoned the ride. We dropped Silko on Lee Road because he had to go we-we, but he was fortunate enough to have Tom Terrific wait up so that the two of them could work together to catch up. We rolled along though the back roads of Whatley and when we got to Christian Lane we lost Michelle Lombardo, who was not having a good day so she decided to head home. The group split up again on the rolling hills leading out of town, due mainly to Parrott pushing the pace, and me teaching him a lesson on rolling hill climbing. After the last hill, I dropped off the front and went back to pace the rest of the group back onto the lead pack. This did not work too well. Tom Terrific and Silko were just getting back into the group and some of the rest of our bunch were not inclined to chase too hard. We kept Parrott's pack in sight as we made our way down RT. 5&10 but things got a little hairy when Will Kraham and Jeremy made a left turn onto Chestnut Street. It seems that they had dropped off the front group and they thought that we would be turning there. We were not. I assumed that they would just continue on and meet up with us on River Road, but apparently they turned and tried to catch us. We were un-catchable!! My group pushed on into Northampton where we caught up with Parrott's group. This was a very brief encounter. The group split in two again before we got half way down Elm Street and by the time we got to Main Street they were off in the distance. At this point I decided to just ride at a comfortable pace for the group so I went to the front and pulled the pack along River Road at 21 mph. We eventually caught riders that dropped off of Parrott's group and by the time we got to South Deerfield we had a pack of 10 riders again. We crossed RT. 116 and got onto River Road in Deerfield where we caught a brief glimpse of Parrott's group heading off towards the hills. We pedaled at a brisk but manageable pace over the hills and back into Greenfield. When we got back into town we were joined by Will and Jeremy who had ridden up RT. 5&10. We all headed up Deerfield Street to Russell Street and then back to the shop. I was pretty tired when I got back as were some of my companions, but we all had a good time. After the ride we enjoyed some of the refreshment's that Michelle provided, before heading for home.

6-12: I'm sure there have been worse Springs in terms of weather--but none that I can recall. May was rainy and the coldest on record, June has remained equally damp but has traded the cool for depressingly hot and muggy (Tis the season to be par broiled!). Needless to say-this hasn't been great mountain biking weather (so much so, that I've finally broken down and bought a road bike). But anyway, I still left my house at 2:30 on Sunday with and eager élan knowing that I'd be tearing up the trails of the Kenneth Dubuque SF ("Hawley" to rest of you) in less than an hour. I hadn't been out here since October 31, 2004--it's really one of the best riding areas-well, anywhere--I've never ridden another place like it. Long, fast, challenging yet not hair raising single track tucked amidst dense green forest and ample hills-secret runs and hidden bridges-sudden surprises everywhere--it's just a great place to ride. And when you climb up out of the valley--the air just feels a little fresher. I met Harold at the Firehouse Parking lot-he's never ridden Hawley, last time out he snapped a seat post less that 1//4 mile into the ride...this time he would fare only slightly better. We set off on the usual route-down the snow shoe trail and onto to the notch trail. It had just rained (a passing, ferocious thunder storm) and the humidity was straight out of The African Queen-so needless to say everything was slippery and the bugs were out in full force. I dropped my tire pressures down to around 30 psi after the first trail and the riding got much better. Everything was going fine until we hit the stoned walls trail where Harold sheared off his derailleur. Having only a derailleur hanger from a road bike we did the best we could to fix this problem, but soon (at the entrance of the periwinkle trail) Harold had to take the forest roads back to his car and call it a day...and though I felt bad for Harold (he's still not 'ridden' Hawley--hopefully three's the charm!) I'd come a long way to ride, so I opted to continue to ride alone. I hit the periwinkle trail and after some searching dropped down the ring trail. From here I worked my way over to the very lovely, delightful Upper Moody springs, and after washing my sweat soaked head and helmet in moody springs (cleanest dang water anywhere!) I shot down the twisty lower moody springs trail to the brook and began the long climb back up to Hollyhock Road along Sprague Ravine. Heading towards the secreted Vietnam trail, I poked around and found a trail that I've never ridden before-the South Hawley Cemetery trail--a wonderful, long undulating trail replete with tons of nice bridge work. This trail dropped me off right near the hidden entrance to the Vietnam trail---which being alone and it being very damp, I decided not to ride but instead pushed on to the bottom of the snowshoe trail which I climbed back up to the entrance and out to my car. I had brought a cooler full of beer---but since I had no one to enjoy them with and recount or tales of biking success and woe, I left it unopened, suited up and went home. I don't know where everyone else rode this weekend--but I doubt it compared to where I rode--humidity, bugs and all...I'll keep the beers cold until next time.

Liam

Sunday 6/12: It has been brutally hot and humid for the last three days with no let up in sight. Today the temperatures were in the mid 90's and dew points in the mid 70's which made for a pretty sticky environment. Just before 5:00, Nathan Wallace arrived at the shop and loaded his bike into the van. There were thunderstorms in the area, but it was sunny when I left the shop to head over to Montague. When Nathan and I got to the common we were met there by Laura Evans, Jim Stevens, Patrick Heider, Steve Ellis and Wayne Holden. After getting our gear together we headed out from the common to the Telephone Pole Trail. We rode to the fire pit and took a left onto the connector trail to head over the Banked Trail. The group was pretty evenly matched and we rode along at a pretty good clip. I explained to Laura that we would not be going on the Toilet Bowl Trail due to the stench from the rotting moose carcass. Laura has not had the privilege of smelling the moose, and she was OK with that. We rode across the power lines to the Snowshoe Trail where we looped back out onto the power lines well upwind of the moose. After a brief discussion about which route to take, we decided to ride up the Swamp Trail to Willis Hill. We rode over to the Jake's Junkyard Trail and stopped to move a large tree that had fallen across the path. By the time Jim and I got it moved, Laura and Wayne were long gone. I rode with Steve, Jim and Nathan over to the hill and we caught up with Laura and Wayne who were waiting for us at the turn. We regrouped at the top of the hill and then we headed for the Pine Forest Trail. I rode with Nathan as we headed up the hill through the pine forest and when we got to the top of Willis Hill the group was waiting for us. We rode down the hill and then through the swamp. After we all got out on the power lines we then rode over to the water tank where we paused for a moment. After the rest we rode down the hill and across Mark and Harold's bridge. After crossing the bridge I took the lead and the riders followed me over to Willis Hill Road. I took the group on a shortcut trail through the woods to the BPT trail, because no one but me wanted to ride through the sand. After riding to the end of the BPT Trail we stopped to discuss the route. Steve had mentioned that he wanted to try to ride up some slick rock, so I mentioned that there was a nice hill nearby. None of the riders had ridden up Craggy Hill so I led them over to the rock. I was able to ride up the hill but no one else was that fortunate. After that hill I led the riders over to Red Rock which we climbed to the big drop off. Jim Stevens was the only rider brave enough to ride off the rock and he did it twice, just to make us know that it was no fluke the first time. We rode back down to the sand pit where we re-grouped to begin the return trip. At this point I noticed that Nathan was having a hard time keeping the pace, so I told the rest of the riders to continue on if we dropped off. We all headed out on Rambler's Road and soon the group had pulled out of sight. Nathan and I rode along the sandy trail to the Banked Trail where we made a right turn. We rode out to the power lines at a moderate pace and then took the Telephone Pole Trail back to the hardtop road. Nathan was pretty tired by the time we got back to the van and we chatted with the other riders for a couple of minutes before heading for home. It was a really nice ride and everyone seemed to have had a good time.

Monday 6/13: It was another steamy day today and there were predictions of thunderstorms for the evening. As the afternoon wore on we got a few rain showers, but as we got nearer to ride time, the skies cleared and we were set to ride. After closing the shop I got my bike ready and headed out the back door. There were 18 of us for our ride tonight and we split into three groups. Bad Bob and MaryEllen each took several riders out on loops of 9 and 13 miles respectively, while I took a group of 6 out for a 17 mile ride. My group included Chris Cooper, who is a visitor from NC and was only riding part way with us, along with Jolene Spencer, Wendy Marsden, Stacie Baumann, Gina "The Flash" O'Brien, Terry Cardinal and myself. Before we left the shop I gave the group a brief course description and warned them about the turn onto the bridge into Turners Falls. We then headed out on the ride. We rode over to Turners and everyone did very well on the descent and the turn onto the bridge. After crossing the river we headed over to Seventh Street where we began the climb up the hill. Everyone did well on the climb, and we were soon at the top of the hill heading for Scottie's Store. Gina was way out in front of the group and I had to have her slow up so that the rest of the riders could catch back on. We all rode out to Millers Falls Road where Gina once again opened a large gap on the pack. After a mile or so I rode up to her and we waited for the group to catch back on. At this point I asked Gina to ride in the middle of the group and use her middle ring. I wanted her to see that by using a different gear (not just the big ring) she could get a great workout and stay in the pack. We rode along with all of the girls taking a turn at the front of the paceline. I helped some of the riders with riding in a paceline as well as using their gears to keep a smooth spin. Pretty soon we were at the turn onto South Lyman Street and we then said goodbye to Chris, who was heading for Amherst. After Chris left we settled in for a rather bumpy ride down RT. 63 to Swamp Road. The pace was harder for some of the girls but everyone was able to stay in the paceline without difficulty. After turning onto Swamp Road we headed up the hill at a pretty brisk pace. At the top of the hill we made a right to begin the return trip. I kept the group motivated with my usual animated comments and jibes. This kept the focus off the speed that we were going and also helps to keep everyone alert, as they begin to tire. We rode along Turners Falls Road and I got Stacie and Jolene going by fueling a little challenge between them. I kept the group moving along with each of the girls taking a turn at the front. After we made the turn at the fire house, things really got going between Stacie and Jolene. Pretty soon Stacie was hammering off the front so as not to be outdone by Jolene. We cruised down the hill to Ave A, and made it across the bridge back to Greenfield to begin the last hill of the day. Terry was somewhat concerned that she would not be able to make the hill, but she rode right up it at the front of the pack with the rest of the group right behind her and Jolene. We all made it back to the shop just as Bad Bob and MaryEllen's groups arrived. Everyone was hot and sweaty from the steamy weather, but all of the riders had a good time. After the ride, I had a flat tire clinic for those who wanted to stay. I spent about 45 minutes with the group, teaching some basic flat repair skills. After the clinic we all headed for home.

Tuesday 6/14: It has been so hot this last week that I wasn't sure if I should do a ride of 50 miles for tonight, especially since we had two big climbs on this one. But after checking with a few riders I decided to give it a go anyway. We had a cloudy day with sunshine from time to time and once again there was a threat for thunderstorms. We had 24 riders arrive for the ride and we got underway just after 6:00. I changed the route a little so that we would not have to ride over the rough pavement on RT. 5&10. The road has gotten pretty bad in the last few weeks. We left the shop and rode to Adams Road. We began the climb at a modest pace and the group stayed intact all the way to the top of the hill. I was the first to get to the bottom of the hill due to my massive girth and judicious use of positive gravity. I blew by the front of the pack and was briefly leading the group down Lampblack Road. My stay at the helm way brief and soon I was at the back of the pack. We hit the rough section of Lampblack Road with the group taking up the entire roadway at one point, but we made it through that without mishap. After riding to the end of River Road we turned right and headed down RT. 10 in a double pace line. After crossing over RT. 91, the pace picked up quite a bit and soon Baby Bell, Doug Dale, Jay Gump and several others were heading up the road at 28 mph. The remaining pack of 18 riders now was cruising down the road behind Bell & Co. at 22 mph. It was still pretty warm out as we sped along and we could see storm clouds off in the east as well. As we neared the turn onto RT. 63 we picked up a few riders who fell off the back of the lead pack. After crossing the Bennett Meadow Bridge we made the left turn onto RT. 63 and here is where Jack and Michelle Hurley turned right to do a shorter loop. After the turn we all rode over to Warwick Road to begin the climb. At this point I had not spent a whole lot of time at the front of the group so I was felling pretty fresh. I began the hill at the back of the group, but by the time I got to Craig's house, I had moved to the front group of five riders. I settled in to a nice pace and rode up the hill with Jim H., and Michelle Lombardo. As we neared the top of the climb, we noticed that the temperature had dropped and the wind picked up. After we got to the top of the hill we all waited for the last few riders to arrive before we headed down Wendell Road. This is a really nice road because it is downhill and the roadway is smooth. We were ripping down the hill at 28mph and I felt pretty cold as we rode along. I almost wished that I had brought a jacket. After passing Moore's Pond I was riding in the middle of the pack when I cautioned the riders about the sharp left turn coming up. As we got to the turn I was riding near Michelle and she somehow misjudged the corner and nearly crashed into the stone wall. She was shaken up a bit afterwards, but she did a marvelous job of controlling her bike. We rode down to Wendell Depot and after we crossed RT. 2A we headed up the hill to Wendell Center. I rode near the front of the pack until I got almost to the top of the hill. As I neared the last couple of climbs into town, I slowed my pace and waited for Jaap, Lauren, Will Kraham, Jamie and Lana. We then rode together to the center of town where the rest of the riders were waiting. After a brief pause at the common, the group minus Michelle L. who went home, headed off on Locks Pond Road. We rode at a modest pace down past the general store and after making the sweeping right turn we then ripped down the hill past Lake Wyola. There was a lot of pollen on the roadway which made it pretty slick at times so we had to use care on the corners. Even with the pollen we had a 35 mph pace as we rode by the lake.  The pace was pretty high as we crossed into Leverett and with the large group it got pretty hectic at times. At one point, Silko moved over rather abruptly and collided with Lana's front wheel. That could have been really bad, but Lana did an excellent job of controlling her bike and was able to keep upright. Several of the riders who saw what happened were amazed at the skill she showed and were glad to have her in our group. After that we settled down for the dive down the hill past Cave Hill Road. At this point I realized that several of the riders were getting ready for the town line sprint. I was about 8 riders from the front and when Doug, Four Sticks, Chris Williams and Silko jumped, I hopped right on to the back of that train. I waited for the wind up and followed the group until Chris pulled ahead. I came around the other three and when the time was right, I came around Chris to take the sprint. I must say that I was pleased with the effort, since I usually do not even try and when I do, I usually get beat. After the sprint we rolled to the bottom of the hill and made our way over to Montague. We kept a fairly high pace on the ride to the fire house and I tried to keep the group together, but we lost a few riders on the last little hill. I dropped back briefly, but the riders behind were not interested in chasing so I took the shortcut and re-joined the pack. We rode over to Esleeck Hill via the usual route and I stayed at the front with Four Sticks and Chris all the way to the traffic lights. After the lights, I rode back to the shop at a cool-down pace and arrived in a large pack. It was a long (48 miles) ride but everyone made it in good shape. Although tired, many of the riders stayed around to enjoy the refreshments provided by Michelle H. before heading for home. This was truly a "group" ride and I think everyone enjoyed the trip.

Wednesday 6/15: Tonight we had a MTB ride planned for Deerfield. I left the shop at 6:00 with Dakota and our bikes to drive down to Eaglebrook where the ride was to start. It was quite a bit cooler tonight than last night; in fact about 30 degrees cooler, so I brought some warm clothing just in case. Mark Newton and Harold had stopped by the shop and they borrowed some long sleeved jerseys and jackets to use if they got cold. When I got to the parking lot at the Eaglebrook Gym, waiting for me was Liam, Harold and Mark. After getting the bikes out we soon were underway. We rode to the Mud Mile via the Pool Road but when we got there, Liam and Harold did not want to deal with the mud so I directed them to the route that would take them over to Crystal Caves but not through the mud. Mark, Dakota and I then headed off to ride the DA X-C course. Mark was in the lead and I followed Dakota to the uphill section, where he had to stop. I rode on past him and told him to ride or walk at his own pace to the top of the hill. I then rode off to catch up with Mark and we rode to the turn. I stopped to wait for Dakota and when he arrived we then rode up to Pine Nook Road. The three of us waited for a couple of minutes but when Liam and Harold did not come along, I sent Mark and Dakota on ahead. I rode around for several more minutes before the dynamic duo came along. They wanted to do the longer loop over to the ski area so I sent them on while I took the road to the top of the hill. I kept a steady pace for the entire climb and managed to do the whole climb in my middle ring. When I got to the top, Dakota and Mark were waiting for me and a few minutes later we were joined by Liam and Harold. Mark, Liam and Harold led the way down the ridge and they were quite far ahead of Dakota and I by the time we got to the first hill. Dakota was getting a little tired, so we backed the pace down a bit. We caught up with the rest of the group at the top of the steep trail that leads to Steam Mill Road. I followed the boys down the hill and then we all headed back to the parking spot. It was a really nice ride, although somewhat chilly for this time of year, and after stowing our gear we headed for home.

Friday 6/17: Tonight I was joined by Curt for the Body Shop ride. Curt has not been feeling well lately and he needed a "get me going again" ride, so I asked him to join me for the ride. We got over to the start early and we were joined by Steve, Becky, Chris Dodson and Ray Kingsbury. As we were waiting to leave we could see that the skies to the east were black and we could hear the thunder and see some lightning. Although the skies above us were clear and the sun was shining we were a little wary of the weather. We decided to give it a go anyway and if we ran into a storm we would just turn around. We left the Body Shop and followed Steve down to Deerfield Street. After getting across the highway we headed for Deerfield. As we neared Andy's Pine Shop, I noticed a rider on the other side of the road who was had his bike flipped over and seemed to be in need of assistance. I called over to him and he said that he had a flat. We all then turned around and rode back to give the lad a hand. I quickly took control and had his wheel off in a hurry. In addition to not having a helmet, the boy did not know how to fix a flat. Fortunately he had a tube (I would have given him one, but it was good to know that at least he was somewhat prepared.) and I used it to fix his flat. As I was making the repair I showed the lad the staple that caused his flat and then removed it from his tire. I then put the tire back on the rim, inserted the tube, and then blew up the tire with a Co2. The boy said he was riding to Northampton and we all wished him well before setting off to finish our ride. After getting back on the road again we crossed the bridge and turned onto River Road. We set a modest pace and chatted as we breezed along. After going down the hill by the cemetery we encountered some pretty wet roadway. Although it never rained on us we still got wet from the spray off the tires. We climbed the hills at an easy pace and then coasted down to the Pine Nook section of town. The group got strung out at times but we all waited for each other when necessary so that by the time we got to Hillside Road we were all together. There were large puddles left over from the recent rains and we had to bob and weave to avoid them until we got to Sugarloaf Street. It seems that the storm stayed on the east side of the mountains because the roads were dry on the west side. It was a nice sunny day and we tooled along at 16 mph through the town and headed for Mill Village Road. After passing the condo's Curt Becky and I got a gap on the rest of the group. We sped down the hill and then over to Old Deerfield where we soft pedaled over to RT. 5&10. We all crossed the highway together and headed north. I followed Curt and Becky up to the Wok Restaurant where I goaded Becky into a sprint with Curt. She took the bait and sped by Curt at the line. We waited for the rest of the crew to catch up before heading back to the shop. Even though we got a little wet on the way down we all had a very nice ride. We ended the trip with a 15 mph average for the 25 miles. After the ride Curt and Betsey came over to my house for some kabob's on the grill.

Sunday 6/19: Instead of the usual Sunday ride in Montague, I decided to try a ride from the shop. I was joined tonight by Ken and Patrick Heider, Steve Ellis, and Nathan Wallace. We left the shop and headed over to the trails behind Stop&Shop where we encountered quite a bit of overgrowth on the trail. We had to duck and weave through the branches on our way to the climb. When we got to the hill behind the animal shelter there was a large tree that had blown down, so we stopped and moved it out of the way. We continued over to Canada Hill and then rode down to the RT. 2 crossover. When we got over to the trails, Patrick and Steve were leading the pack and I followed Nathan. We headed out to the swamp and over to the Target Range where Pat and Steve took a wrong turn and ended up out on a dead end trail. I yelled out for them and soon we were all back on track. We rode the muddy trails over to the Ridge Trail and then over to Luke. The trails that are heavily used are in great shape and Luke was no exception. I rode to the top of the hill behind Patrick and Steve and we waited at the water tank for Ken and Nathan to arrive. It was a really nice day and much warmer than just a few days ago, when the temps were in the 60's. After the brief stop we rode down the power lines to Red Rock. The power lines were pretty muddy from all the truck and jeep traffic and I had to ride off trail to avoid some of the larger puddles. From Red Rock we rode down The Chute which is also in great shape even though there has been some motorcycle traffic on it. I followed the boys over to The Hill of Doom and was able to ride right up without difficulty. We paused at the top of the hill for a moment before we headed out to finish the ride via the Streambed Trail. At this point Nathan was getting a little tired so he, Ken and I took Deer Run over to Stinger instead of riding to the top of the hill and taking Crossover to the Secret Trail. We re-grouped at Five Points and then re-traced out path out to the trails behind Lillian Street. We finished the ride by riding back to the shop via Gill Road. It was a nice ride and a beautiful evening.
After I got home tonight I received a phone call informing me  that Patrick Bell had died today after finishing a race. I knew something had happened today when I got a call from Pa Bell early this afternoon at the shop, but this news was so shocking that I found it hard to believe. As I was finishing up the day's work, the doorbell rang and it was Bill, Baby Bell and Michael standing at my door. I knew what they had to say was so difficult, but that they came over to tell me personally was touching beyond words. After a few minutes, they left and MaryEllen and I were left to ponder this tragedy. No one can ever explain something like this, so I will not try. Rest in Peace Patch!

Monday 6/20: We had another beautiful day with warm temperatures and bright sunny skies. This brought out a large group for our beginner ride. We had 20 riders in total which we split into three groups. I led a group of eight riders that included Axle and Joan Hayssen, Jennifer, the Parrott's, Terry C., Steve and me on a 19 mile loop through Deerfield. We left the shop and headed down to Deerfield via Hope Street. The group stayed pretty much intact as we peddled down RT. 5&10 to Old Main Street where we slowed the pace a bit while we rode through town. After getting out onto Mill Village Road we caught up with Bad Bob's group and soon we had a large pack of riders heading for the hill. As always, Christina "the crab", took off on the hill and smoked everyone to the top. The rest of us followed her down to YCD where we stopped briefly. My group continued on across the highway to North Main Street while Bad Bob and his group headed north on 5&10. After crossing the highway Steve, myself and Axle rode on ahead to Hillside Road. I waited for the rest of our pack while Steve and Axle went on up the hill. (It should be noted that Axle was doing this ride in the big ring as his front shifter was not working.) After Parrott and the group arrived we headed up the hill. Everyone did very well and Parrott and I gave some tips to the riders as we rode along. After a brief stop at the intersection with River Road, we began the return trip. The hills were the hardest part for some of the riders but we managed to keep the pack together all the way to the cemetery hill, where Nice Kate and I sprinted for the top. After the hill we headed down past the train yards where Terry shifted her chain off the outside of the big ring. Terry had to stop to fix it as I had already gone by her and was not able to offer her assistance. After getting the chain back on, Terry caught up with us at the top of the next hill and rode back to the shop with the group. When we got back to the shop, the riders from the other groups were waiting for us so I took the opportunity to run a clinic on how to re-rail your chain if you shift it off the chainring on your crank. After the demo, we all headed for home. It was a perfect night to be out on the bike and everyone enjoyed the ride.

Tuesday 6/21: Tonight's ride is our annual South Mountain slugfest. We had 40 riders show up for the trip and it was a madhouse getting everyone ready to go. It was a very somber start to the ride as I had to announce that one of our own had passed away on Sunday. I said a few words about Patrick before we headed out for the ride. I rode near the front as we pedaled over to Turners Falls, but I drifted to the back to chat with some of the riders as we neared the traffic lights on Ave A. I rode near the front up the hill and it was a good thing I did because Andrew Hilton and a few others almost missed the turn onto High Street. I counted 28 riders in our group as we headed up the Seventh Street Hill. As we neared the top of the hill, Lana dropped her chain and had to dismount, so I slowed the group and we soft pedaled until she caught back on. After getting out onto Millers Falls Road, we got the speed up to 24 mph and the pack pushed on towards Millers Falls. We breezed through the town and headed up the hill to Erving. The group go a little strung out on the climb, but we all managed to get back on for the rip down to Northfield. On the next climb, the group split in two with the faster 12 or so riders going on and the remaining group following at a distance. I tried to pull a few riders up to the faster group but found that I was the only one to make contact, so I sent the front group on ahead and I dropped back to ride with the larger pack. I had some help from Bob Sagor to keep the pace going and I was glad for the assistance. Bob led the group down the hill to Northfield Farms at a pretty brisk pace, but it seems that he did not know where the turn was. I was riding about 4 riders from the front and yelled out "right turn" just as Bob sailed right by the turn onto South Mountain Road. Bob quickly turned around and caught back on just as we started up the hill. I rode in a group that included Norm, Michelle L. Lana, Chris D., Hammerhead Harold and several others and we set a modest pace on the early part of the climb. By the time we got to the school (and the 24 percent climb) the group was pretty well strung out. My plan was to try to keep a pack together for the ride back to the shop, so I stayed as near to the middle as possible. I knew that I needed to keep my pace and not get to the top too much before the rest of the group because if I stop to wait, I will have a really hard time getting going again. I waited for Harold and Lana and they joined me as we headed for the top of the hill. Mr. Hilton and Jay Gump who had stopped on the hill about half way up to help Rick McCullough with a flat tire, went flying by us just before the top. I drifted off behind my companions as we neared the crest of the hill and I said a prayed for Patch; just before pushing over the top. This was my way of saying good-bye to my dear friend. When I arrived at the top of the hill there was a group of 12 riders (most of whom were waiting for us) as we began the ride down the hill to the Gulf Road descent. After making the turn onto Gulf Road, I had to slow the group a couple of time to keep the pack together, but all in all, we rode together over to the downhill. At this point, Mr. Gravity (Me), shot from the back of the pack to the front and smoked his tires on a 55mph rip to the bottom of the hill. I coasted along with Craig Vettori and Matthew Green and the rest of the riders caught us as we entered Maple Street. We regrouped at the stop sign at the end of Maple Street and then we made the turn onto RT. 63&10. I led the pack down Main Street to RT. 10 where we made the turn and then headed across the river to ride up the RT. 10 hill. At this point some of the riders were getting a little tired so I had Harold set a 15 mph pace up the hill. Even with that speed limit, Harold and a couple of riders opened a gap on the main pack. I hurried from the back of the group to the front and slowed the pace until we all were back together at the top. After that, I rode at the front with Harold and we pulled the group all the way to Bernardston center. After making the turn onto RT.5&10 I led the pack all the way to Barton Road. After the turn onto Barton Road I went the back of the pack but I noticed that the speed at the front was picking up and I thought that there was going to be a sprint for the town line. So I timed my jump and rode right past Hammerhead Harold before he could react and took the sprint. After that we had several attacks by Lana, Jamie and several others, which brought the speed up quite a bit. We turned onto Country Club Road and then we headed for Silver Street. Michelle L. did a long pull to the tunnel where another sprint went off on the hill. I led it out but ran out of gas before the top of the hill and Bruce Rogers (Nervous Doctor) went right by me with several others in tow. We hammered all the way back to Silver Street and then we raced back to the shop. We pulled into the shop just ahead of the Experts who had done a longer loop. They came in small groups just after we arrived. It was a sad night for me but it was a great ride and I was glad to have such a large turn out.

Wednesday June 22: You know, I never really thought of Wendell as a place that would be one of our prime night-ride spots, but rather a longer ride destination place--but right now, it's well-suited to both purposes.
Over the last year and a half the prime season Wednesday night mountain rides have dwindled..sometimes cancelled due to lack of interest, or just 2 to three intrepid riders out in the woods. This season has seen the return of some old blood and the infusion of some new blood..and last night at Wendell was return to the glory days of bicycles unlimited mountain rides! Between 6:15 and 6:30, fourteen (14!) riders arrived in the park headquarters parking lot and quickly geared up for the ride. For tonight's ride we had: Liam O'Brien (me), Jason Duncan, Scott Wolfram, Rich Flye, Steve Powers, Ben and Craig Hefner, Luke Williams, Eric Malloy, Vern, Patrick Heider, Bob, Laura Evans, Mark Newton, and Mark Courtemanche. Everyone was absolutely bursting with eagerness--and when Mark Courtemanche finally arrived all fourteen riders shot out onto the trails like horses from the starting gate. We all Followed Jason Duncan down a really nice singletrack trail that lead us to the south side of the park onto Brook RD/ Carrolton RD--we were setting a blistering pace and the large group was quickly spread out. We regrouped and headed off towards the old Wickett pond trail, though loaded with branches and pongee stumps, the WP trail rode rather well, and offers up a very lovely view of the pond along the whole trail---with some NEMBA love this trail will become a premium casual route. Everyone did fine with the trail, even over the very boggy stretch to the boat ramp. Here we regrouped again and posed for some pictures for Bob. At this point we decided to ride the trail from Saxton Br. rd to the bottom of the Hannah Swarton trail. Bob and Laura jumped ahead via Wickett pond rd to get up on the switchback for some action photo opportunities. Hammerhead Harold Green has done some nice grooming work on this trail--and it rode really nicely..although, we forgot we haven't groomed or established the bog reroute yet so some confusion and bike hiking ensued near the end of the trail..however, we all stayed together and were soon ripping through the blooming laurel and then ascending the switchbacks of the Hannah Swarton trail. Bob got shots of many of us flubbing a turn and rock section. Upon reaching Baker Rd we again regrouped and agreed to let Bob and Laura jump ahead to set up for photographs of Vern sticking the Big Jump. Along the way to the rock, we suffered our first casualty as Jason's chain and derailleur flipped into his wheel tearing up his spokes (Yikes); his night was over and we received news that he had headed back home. Jason has been on of our real local heroes in the building of this trail and as a guide to Wendell--so he was sorely missed on the rest of the ride. Now to the Jump, we all waited and watch Vern effortlessly launch, hot dog, and stick his jump...however, upon landing we all heard a loud CRACK! No not a bone or a frame, but Vern's bottom bracket had burst! His ride was over as well..which again, really stinks--I always feel bad when technical take another rider (or me-as it does happen) out of a ride. But, Vern, to his credit was of exceedingly good cheer, knowing that these things happen and he quickly set off to catch up with Jason back at the cars. The rest of the ride was devoid of further mishaps...and, in fact, everyone handled our very challenging trail with aplomb and distinction! Certainly we all rode at different speeds, but we all made it through with flying colors...which, is what the sport is all about. At the end of the trail, at Davis road. WE split up...some opting to climb Damon Camp Rd and road it back to the cars, the other group (Rich Flye, Ben, Eric, Luke, Mark C) came with me up Jerusalem rd and down the lower portion o the "Trail to the Lookouts" back to Ruggles Pond and then out to the cars). I really love that trail, it's fairly challenging, mostly down hill, rather pretty and a real nice cherry on my Wendell Mountain ride Sunday...I think the other guys dug it too.

Back at the cars we enjoyed some watermelon provided by Craig Hefner and rapped about the joys and tribulation of riding on this beautiful long summer's night. Then me a some of the guys hit the roadhouse for some post ride beers. Although Wendell can be challenging I think that every rider of varying ability left tonight with a lot to feel great about. This, my friends is what mountain biking is all about...come on out again..there's always room for more!

Thursday 6/23: Tonight was the services for Patch and I had gone over to the funeral home to pay my respects to the family. It was very hard to see him, but I was glad that I went. I helps with closure.
It was a beautiful day today with warm temps, sunny skies and not much wind. The plan for the ride was to do a loop up to Guilford Vermont and then back. We had 39 riders show up for our trip tonight and there was three groups. Roger and his crew left at 5:30 and there was a group of 10 or so Leisure Group riders that went out after my group left. I left the shop with 23 riders and we headed over to Bernardston Road via Wildwood Ave. Doug Favreau and I led the group up the hill at a mellow 15 mph average and the pack was pretty much intact as we headed north to Bernardston. I tried to goad Socks and Doug to go for the town line sprint but as we neared Indoor Action, only Socks was sprinting. He got a long way up the road before he realized that there would be no challenge. After that we headed north at a 19 mph pace. We had to dodge a lot of rough road leading to the center of Bernardston but after getting out on RT. 5 and smoother pavement the pace picked up to 25 mph. Mike Townsley went off the front of the group taking several riders and soon they were several hundred yards ahead. I did not chase and very soon we learned why he did that. It seems that he had forgotten his water bottle and his wife left one out on the mailbox in front of his house. Mike rode up to the mailbox, slammed on the brakes and got his bottle. As he was doing that we shot right by him and he had a heck of a time catching back on. The group headed on towards the state line and we watched as Four Sticks, Doug and a few others went for the sprint, which Four Sticks won on the line. After that we headed on north, but the group kept on splitting up on the rolling hills and it was a struggle to keep the group together. We rolled into Algiers and then took the left turn onto Guilford Center Road. I stayed near the front of the pack as we rode over to Weatherhead Hollow Road and there was a split in the pack behind me. I got my pack to slow down a little and soon the pack was back together. As we headed towards the hill into Leyden, I heard the call "Bob is Fat" from behind me. It was Mark Newton who suffered a puncture and had to stop. I stopped to help with the repair along with about eight other riders. The rest of the riders headed on while I made a 5 minute repair. After we got going again the group kept a 20 to 25 mph pace all the way to the Leyden hill. At this point the hill started to take the energy from some of the riders and the group got strung out. Four Sticks and I soft pedaled over the top of the hill and soon the group was back together. We rode down Greenfield Road to the stop sign (which Doug blew right through) with the rest of us right behind him. We cruised down the newly paved roadway to the hill which I did a just under 49 mph. After getting down the hill we rolled along at a mellow pace until everyone was back in the pack. I led the group up the hill at the Wright Farm and after cresting the hill I slid to the back of the pack to ride the rest of the way to Silver Street. We had a little argy-bargy on the turn but everyone made it safely. We rode back to the shop at a modest pace and we were greeted by the group that finished ahead of us. 

Sunday 6/26: It was a nice day but with the heat and high humidity it made for some pretty soggy people. I finished up at the shop and was joined by Curt for the ride over to the Plains. We got there and were met by Patrick, Wayne, Jim Stevens, Harold and Matthew Green. We decided to ride down to North Street and cross the river on foot. As we drove by Ben Letcher house we taunted him to join us, but it seemed that he was busy. Anyway we rode down to the Sawmill River and waded across (the bridge got washed out this spring). The river banks are too steep to ride down and the current is too strong to ride across, so we walked our bikes over to the other side. We took the trail up to Swamp Road and then headed for the Telephone Pole Trail

Tuesday 6/28. It was a really busy day today and I was not able to do the ride. Due to the prediction of rain and the large storms in the area, there was a small group of riders who showed up and did the Shutesbury ride. Curt will send a ride report later.

6-29 Wendell Ugh!! More rain and sweaty dreary weather! And today saw a 'storm of the century' style downpour...1/2 inch in about 30 minutes, terrifying high winds--felled trees and power lines, and a little thunder and lightning for that special summer flavor. So yeah, we rode anyway. I was on the verge of calling it quits, I had no car and was weather intimidated (and feeling righteously sanctimonious about not riding wet trails..blah, blah, blah). But Mark C called and basically pointed out that I'd be a real sissy-Mary if I didn't ride tonight and then Harold Green contacted me offering me a ride with him and his son to Wendell--trapped and cajoled I submitted to the call of the wet and wild.

We all got to Wendell by 6:20 and quickly suited up and hit the trails. At a brisk pace we rode the trail that parallels Wendell Road (shown to us by Jason D) and then sampled a new trail (to us, anyway) that continues paralleling Montague Road out to Dearth Road. Along the way we encountered a few bogs but on the whole we all enjoyed the fast paced singletrack and eyed these trails as probable beginner routes for the harpoon ride.
Harold's Tubeless tires were running a little flat so he paused along the way to give them a blast of CO2. From Dearth Road we headed out towards the far side of Wickett Pond to ride the newly minted East Wickett Pond Trail. Along the way Harold busted his chain...thankfully he had a chain tool, a power link and some know how and in less time than it takes to fix a flat his chain was repaired. Which brings me to my first side bar. Ahem, There are three fixes that EVERY mountain biker from novice to Expert should be prepared to make on any ride..and by prepared I mean you should have on your possession the necessary tools, replacement parts and know-how to perform these common fixes. They are:
1. Fixing a flat (your own tube, levers and source of air.)
2.Fixing a chain..once demystified this is the easiest of fixes..you'll need your own Chain Tool, a 'quick link' ('cause nobody wants to wait on the long re-linking fix) and know-how and finally
3. Replacing a broken derailleur hanger...you'll need the appropriate proprietary derailleur hanger for your model of bike, hex wrenches and some patience. Technical's happen (often!) to EVERYONE--like the Scouts say BE PREPARED! and Harold being a scout master was prepared as always!
Ok, let me put my soap box away and get on with my ride report. The new Wickett Pond Trail, though muddy, slippery, pungy stumped, and loaded with standing water...well, it's a nice trail and it rode far better than expected! I imagine in the winter it'll be a wonderful XC ski/snowshoe trail with rather inviting bucolic views...very, very Wendell!

After the WP Trail we rode the unfinished trail along Saxton Bridge Road, than hoofed about 1/2 mile through the woods to the other section of the trail and rode out to the bottom of Baker Road. From Here we ascended the challenging Baker Road up to the Hannah Swarton Trail. Along the way we encountered a great deal of running water draining off the mountain.. Young Matthew Green stopped to fill his camelback with this running water...Side Bar #2 After much coaxing we got Matthew to dump the water amid his protests that 'running water is always ok to drink in the wild'. This is a very popular and VERY dangerous myth that has lead t many a bacterial infection and sometimes even worse fates. Unless a very real threat of death due to water deprivation exists...IT IS NEVER ok to drink water from an unknown source. even a 'running one". Put it in your book and read it often. Now, on some of our rides we encounter well-known and approved springs (MOODY SPRINGS at Hawley being the most notable) where the water is safe, and delicious...but use your head, folks!

Ok, the ride report-we all started off down the tough first half of the Hannah Swarton trail. I got to say, sections of this trail are getting down right fast--even in adverse conditions (plentiful water and fading light on a cloudy foggy night!). Certain sections I had to tread lightly (the drop before whales head and the brook bridge) but others I just opened fire and let the wheels roll. The section after the bridge was a pure delight! I was pretty happy by the time I reached Davis Road, but someone was already ahead of me. It was Harold!!??!!! Harold, feeling a little fatigued and suffering the annoying inconvenience of fogged glasses dropped out to Damon Camp Road at the bridge. Mark soon arrived and we all waited for Matthew. And waited. And Waited. After 15 minutes or so, we grew very concerning (Harold, ever-loving and protective Dad most of all!). Harold explained that he had told Matthew (who was ahead of him) that he was bailing and he should 'Head Home" at the bridge. When Harold exited the woods he saw no sign of Matthew and underestimating his boy's climbing prowess assumed he had dropped down to Davis Rd. Though nervous, we devised an expedient plan of action. Mark rode up Damon Camp to the Bridge---calling out to Matthew all along the way. Harold and I waited another 5 minutes then Harold rode up Damon Camp as well calling out too the lost lad. I attempted to ride the lower half of the Hannah Swarton in reverse, however, it was dark as hell and about 1/4 up, I crashed twice..and realized there was just no way Matthew was this far behind (he could have walked the section from the bridge twice in the time we had waited. So I dropped down and rode up Damon Camp to find the others. At the bridge there was still no Matthew; though Mark had expertly spied some fresh tracks heading up the hill. New Plan: Harold gave Mark his car keys and sent him out to get the car and bring it back on the forest roads. I rode back down to the bottom of Damon Camp/Davis Road to look for Matthew again; while Harold opted to RUN the trail from the bridge to Davis Road. Truthfully I had little doubt that Matthew was not on the trail, I was sure he had headed back to the car--though I was worried he didn't know the way and might be lost wandering along the forests roads of Wendell. Nonetheless, we had to be sure he wasn't seriously hurt on the trail...he wasn't, I met Harold at the bottom of the Hannah Swarton..Harold then ran (I slowly rode) back up Damon Camp again (this was quite a workout for all involved!). Harold Got his Bike and sped down to the junction of Damon Camp/Wickett Pond Road. Soon Mark arrived with Harold's car...and with Matthew comfortably riding shotgun. It seems the boy had followed his father's direction to a tee. All's well that ends well (I was actually quite relieved to see the boy...but only a fraction of how Harold felt..it's not easy being a Dad...but Harold does it EXTREMELY well....Matthew is pretty lucky!!).

Bringing me to the Final sidebar: Communication is Key (on all group rides). The real problem was that Harold was 1: unclear in his intentions and 2: He realized that he had no way of telling me and Mark he'd bagged off the trail (which is why he opted to ride down Damon Camp to Davis in the first place). No big deal this time, but it is something to keep in mind.

Keep riding, everyone...sooner or later this weather has got to break!

Thursday 7/30: Tonight I had planned on doing a ride to Tyler Hill but due to rain to the north we decided to change the route to MT. Warner instead. All the weather reports said that the rain would stay to our north and there would be no rain to the south, so at the last minute we made the change. We had a very large group (47) of riders for tonight's ride and we left the shop at a little after 6:00. I led the bunch down to Main Street and then handed off the lead to several others as we headed down to Deerfield Street. After we crossed the Cheapside Bridge we turned onto River Road and then the speed went way up. We had about 30 riders on the first River Road hill, but soon we lost several of them as they came off when the group accelerated. I tried to keep some order in the pack and the group stayed together until the larger hills. As we climbed the bigger hills, a group of 5 went off the front and an equal sized group went out the back door. That left me with a group of 20 riders to head for MT. Warner. We got to the end of River Road in good shape and from there we turned across the Sunderland Bridge where a sprint for the town line was won by Jim Hayssen. After the sprint we headed down RT. 47 at 26 mph, and there was another sprint at the Hadley town line, which was won by Chris Williams. We rolled along for another mile or so when the "Bob is Fat" cry came from behind. I looked behind to see a cloud of dust rise up as a rider went off the side of the road. Mark Newton got another flat and I dropped out of the pack to give him a hand. As I was fixing the tire, Todd Roberts and his bunch went by. I briefly thought about chasing them, but by the time we were set to go Todd was out of sight, so I went to plan B. Mark and I rode up to Stockbridge Road and turned left. This road eliminates the hill and we arrived out on Maple Street just as the pack was coming off the hill. Mark and I were swept up into the group and we all headed for RT. 116. We turned onto the newly paved RT. 116 and headed north. There was a small sprint for the Sunderland town line and then we headed towards town. We had a nice tail wind and the speed got up to 35 mph as we sped past Cliffside Apartments. We turned right onto North Silver Lane and then rode over to RT.47 where we took a right and headed up the hill to Falls Road. I noticed that there were some pretty ominous black clouds off to the west and the group got their tails up to push the pace in hopes of beating the storm. There was a lively sprint for the town line into Montague but I did not see who won it. After the sprint we got down to the business of returning safely to the shop. We took the usual route over to Ave A and we were just a mile away from the shop when the skies opened up. It was unbelievable! One minute we were riding on dry roads and the next minute we were riding through blinding rain and inches deep water on the roadside. At this point we were climbing up the hill and the group was strung out from the top of the hill to the bottom. After cresting the hill I waited at the traffic light and was joined by several riders who came from behind me. One of the riders was Curt and he went by me when the light turned green. Almost as soon as he passed me I heard a loud hissing sound and then I saw Curt pull over. I told him that I would come back to get him and continued on. When I got back to the shop it was still pouring rain out and there were lots of soaking wet riders crowded into the shop. There were huge puddles on the floor and MaryEllen and Nice Kate were checking in the riders. It was chaos! As more riders came along, I remembered that poor old Curt was still out on the roadside. I told Betsey that Curt was coming along and I was getting ready to go get him in the van when I saw him walking down the sidewalk. He was wet and tired but otherwise OK. Not the same could be said for the tire. I must say that I have not seen such a stroke of bad luck in quite a while. The photo tells the story. It was a good ride even with the storminess.

So... I went on a nice long bikeride last night with a group of about 20 riders... I had just put a brand new $45 tire on my bike just minutes before the ride. The ride was great (22mph average) until the very last mile, when the skies opened up and it rained so hard that there were rivers of water running down the road.

So now we are all soaked by torrential rain, but only a mile from the shop. We should be back and out of the rain in a few minutes, right?

Then this happened:
http://www.scanline.com/bikelog/graphics/spike.jpg

So I figure this ride came to more than $1/mile.... and now I have to walk (swim?) the last mile to the shop in rain that was coming down in buckets.

I hope YOU had fun in whatever you were doing last night. :)

BTW: Do you think any of my 'friends' would grab a car and come back for me to save me the walk? Of course not, they were all back at the shop digging into the cooler of beer!

That's OK, payback's a bitch.