June 2006 Ride Report Page          
Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month June 2006 more or less as they happened. Please note that the ride reports are the results experienced by the writer and not necessarily a reflection of all the rides that went out on that particular day. We have rides for all abilities but I only publish the reports that I receive. This means that if no one from the beginner rides send me a report, then you will not see that ride listed here. I will publish any ride reports or digital photos that I receive. Editors notes are in pink. Please send them to  bikebob@crocker.com and you too can get yourself published on the web! Go to the Ride Schedule link; You will find information about ride schedules and how the rides are run.
I have changed the format for the reports. You will now find the latest report on the top of the page instead of scrolling down to the bottom of the page.

Friday 6/30: It has been another one of those weeks where we have had rain off and on and most of our rides got canceled. We did not do a MTB ride on Wednesday due to the soaking rain that fell all day. Then on Thursday we had thunderstorms right on top of us at 6:00 and I decided not to risk it, but there were 14 or so riders in the parking lot and they did ride. All of the riders made it back safely, for which we are thankful. After the group, which included Silko, David B., Mike McC., Jim, H, Bob Croake, Stan, Gary F., and Steve, returned I kind wished that I had gone.
    Today was a really nice day with warm temps and low humidity. There was a strong breeze from the south and sunny skies. Jamie had called me at noontime and asked if I wanted to go out for a ride at 6:00 and of course I said yes. I had a lot of things to get done and one of those tasks was to deliver three bikes to Sunderland and pick up a repair in Amherst. I left the shop to head for Sunderland via Montague and made excellent time down to my mother's house where I dropped off her bike. From there I delivered two new bikes to South Plain Road. After that I was on my way to Amherst. I picked up the bike for repairs in short order and then headed back to the shop. As I was heading back through Sunderland, Jason called me on my cell and he had a project started that required my attention. I told him that I would be back to the shop in twenty minutes. I then breezed through South Deerfield and headed north on 5&10. Traffic was pretty heavy so I decided to take RT. 91. BIG MISTAKE!!! I got onto the highway at the 116 on ramp and was quickly up to speed. This lasted about 30 seconds. As I neared the weigh station I saw the brake lights coming on and I knew that I was in trouble. I was caught in the traffic jam that extended from Greenfield all the way back to Deerfield. I inched along in the line of cars and trucks for  25 minutes. But after I got on the downhill past the Lee Road bridge, I had enough. I  made a u turn through the median and jumped onto the sparsely traveled southbound lanes. I got off the highway in So Dee and headed back to the shop via Lower Road in Deerfield. I finished my days work and at 6:00 I got ready to join Jamie for a ride. There was also a group that included Patrick, Karen, Kathy, Tom Graney, Joe and Pete that left the shop to do the Gill Loop. When Jamie finally arrived at 6:20 we headed off to Adams Road to begin the Northfield 25 mile ride. I set a moderate pace on the flatter roads and Jamie led up all the hills. We caught up to Kathy at Streeter's Store but after passing her, we did not catch the others on the Gill ride. Jamie and I rode over to the Bennett Meadow Bridge where we came upon a traffic accident that just occurred. There were lots of people helping out so we continued on. We got onto RT. 63 where we encountered a brisk headwind. We rode along at a steady 21 mph all the way to Millers Falls where we climbed the hill to Millers Falls Road. I did a long pull back to Turners Falls and we finished the ride via Esleeck hill, We did the 25 miles at a 20 mph pace.

Tuesday 6/27: Tonight we went out for our Guilford Center Ride, which is also know as the "Cursed Ride". It is so named because of the numerous flat tires and mechanical problems that seem to occur on this route. It was several years before I was actually able to do the entire route without stopping to fix someone's flat tire or help with a repair, so that is how the name came about. It was a very nice day today with low humidity and 85 degree temps. There were some clouds and a pretty good breeze blowing from the south at 6:00 ride time. We had a 32 riders show up for the three rides that went out today. My group had 15 riders while the remaining 17 riders went out on the other two rides. I left the shop and rode over to Adams Road where I relinquished the lead to Chris Williams. I rode up the hill in fourth position behind Jim Hayssen and the group made a modest 14 mph climb up the hill. I could hear Jamie and Curt talking behind me so I thought that the pace was going to be OK for everyone. We crested the hill and began the descent in a large pack. I rode along with the group until we got to Bascom Road, when I noticed that Jamie and Curt were not with the group. I rode to the front of the pack and told Mark Newton and Chris to continue on and not wait for me. I then slowed down and I could see Curt and Jamie coming up the road. Curt was hollering something but I couldn't make it out until he was nearly behind me. He was saying that he and Jamie would go on at their own pace, but I was already too far behind the lead pack for me to catch them, so they were stuck with me. I pulled the "Dynamic Duo" along as we made our way out to RT. 10 where we made the right turn at Streeter's Store. After the turn we caught a glimpse of the group ahead of us as they made their way over the 91 overpass. I set a 20 mph pace as we followed the lead pack for a while, but soon the group ahead of us pulled out of sight. We rode along at a steady tempo and soon after the turn onto 142 we caught up with Paul Voiland and Chris Dodson. The five of us rode through Northfield and into Vermont where I spied a couple of riders on the other side of the road. At first I thought that they were just a couple of riders out on their own loop, but when I got closer, I noticed that it was Walters and Dusty. I slowed down and our whole group turned around to see if we could lend a hand. It seems that Walters had broken his chain and he and Dusty were nearly done with the repair. (It was a good thing because, for the first time in a long while, I had left my Alien Tool kit at the shop.) After the repair we all set off to finish the ride. With our group now up to seven riders we were able to make a good pace line while we pedaled down Pond Road. After we got over on Gov. Hunt Road, Curt took the lead and I dropped to the back of the pack with Jamie. When we got to Tyler Hill, Curt was still at the front and feeling pretty good so he led the charge up the hill with me and Dusty right behind him. When I crested the steeper section of the hill I then drifted back to where Jamie was riding and then finished the hill with him. The group was waiting at the top of the hill and when Jamie and I got there we noticed that Socks had joined us. Our pack of eight riders then headed down the hill to RT. 5. At this point I realized that we had a "rules" problem. With a town line sprint ahead and Socks now back in the group I had a to sort out the issue before the sprint. The "Socks Rule" states that: "Any rider dropped from the pack and then allowed to re-join (with or without Bob or someone else dropping back to pull them up); that rider is not allowed to contest the sprint." This rule is not in effect, however, if Socks is actually in the group. Now, our issue was: Since we all had gotten dropped at one point and then pulled together, and Socks was in our group. Does this double negative mean that all riders are disqualified from sprinting or is the Socks Rule in effect but not enforceable because Socks is with us? Well the issue was never fully discussed because before a decision was rendered, Curt and Dusty went out for the sprint. Dust won and the group followed them down the hill to Algiers. We made the turn onto Guilford Center Road and headed up the hill. We all stayed together and rode at a modest pace into a pretty brisk headwind. I said hello to Joey when we passed his house and the group pedaled on to Weatherhead Hollow Road. We rode along at a good pace as we headed back to Massachusetts, but when we got to the Ice Pond, I noticed that Walters had dropped off the pace. It seems that he wrenched his back on the climb and was having a hard time working it out. Dusty and I dropped back to see if we could help. I suggested that Walters use a lower gear and spin at a modest cadence to see if that would help. Walters got in behind Dusty and I and soon we paced him back onto the group. I rode with Walters and Jamie up the last climb into Leyden while Curt and Dusty sprinted for the state/town line. We all rode together over to the descent back to Greenfield where Curt took the lead down the hill. I tried to keep up but he had too much "MO" for me to stay ahead. The group rode down to Leyden Road in Greenfield where Paul, who was getting tired, and Socks dropped off the pace. As we neared the traffic lights on Federal Street, Socks came blowing by us and we all sprinted to try and catch him. His attack was thwarted by a red light and we all then rode back to the shop. When I got back to the shop there were several riders waiting for us. Paul, Tom, Bob and Karen then told me of a crash that occurred on Mill Village Road. Somehow Mike S., and Doug Pratt collided and Doug took a nasty fall. I will fill you in on the details as I hear them. I addition to that, I heard that Mark Newton had flatted on our ride as well, thus the curse continues!

Saturday & Sunday 6/24-25: The Owasco Flyer road race. This was my first road race in several years and I drove for nearly 6 hours in the pouring rain on Friday night to get to Uncle Mic's house. I was pretty pooped when I arrived in the tiny town of Dreyden NY at 11:30 at night. So after a few hello's and a brief tour of the house, I was soon sound asleep in bed. I awoke on Saturday to a beautiful morning and I spent most of it hanging out on the front porch with MaryEllen. Uncle Mic had a house full of guests, but he had plenty of room in the 6 bedroom 4 bath house. In addition to MaryEllen and myself we had  sister-in-law Helen,  nephew Joe, nieces Kate and Amy as well as Jerry and Carla Saul with their 3 year old Zack. The whole premise for the trip was for me to do this race with Jerry and Uncle Mic to celebrate his 60th birthday. In addition to the race on Sunday, a large party was planned for Saturday afternoon with lots of relatives coming into town for the party. After the morning of hanging out, Jerry and I went out on a short ride around Yellow Barn Road. We left the house and headed down the mile long hill to do a 14 mile loop. The area where Mic lives is very hilly with lots of short steep climbs and rolling hills. Jerry and I did the loop and headed back to Uncle Mic's to get ready for the party. On Sunday we awoke to a mostly sunny and warm day. Jerry, Mic and I got up early and headed off to the start of the race (about a 45 minute drive). After a brief stop for food we arrived at Emerson Park in Auburn, NY around 9:00 for the 10:00 start. We got our bikes ready, got registered and warmed up and we were on the start line at 9:45. This race is a massed start event with everyone leaving in a pack of 180 riders of every imaginable ability. The local celebrities and clubs were all massed at the front on the narrow chute that leads to the road. I was with Jerry and Uncle Mic somewhere in the middle of the pack. After a few instructions, the gun sounded and we were off. The controlled start got us around a rotary and out onto the highway that runs next to Owasco Lake. After the pace car sped up things got very interesting pretty quickly. The speed went up to about 27 mph and we were cruising along in a pack that consumed the entire right lane and the brake down lane. Suddenly I heard the squeal of tires up ahead and we skidded to nearly a stop. I did not see what happened at the front but the old heart rate went right up. After that I started to look for a way to get around some of the folks at the front, but with cars coming at us in the other lane a left hand pass wasn't possible so I worked my way over to the right side of the group to see if I could come up the brake down lane. No luck there either, as the entire lane was plugged with riders and the retaining wall left no other options. We had gone only a few miles and I had managed to worm my way through the maze of riders to about a third of the way in the pack. Suddenly the brakes came on again and I saw a woman go skidding sideways in front of me. Amazingly she stayed up and we got going again. At this point there was a significant gap between me and the lead pack of about 90 or so riders ahead of us. Our pack sped up but at this point we were at the bottom of the two mile climb, (I figured that this probably was the reason for the split. as the lead group hit the hill and slowed up, the pack had to brake so as not to collide with them.) Anyway, I began the climb at the back of a group of 20 or so riders and we kept pace with the lead pack all the way up the hill. But by the time I got over the crest of the hill, the pace car was pulling away in the distance and any chance for glory was going with it. I organized my little pack into a nice pace line and I did a pretty nice pull at 28 mph along the flatter portion of the hill. I pulled off and the guy behind me did a nice pull at speed. At this point I figured that we could catch the front pack in a couple of miles or so. But... after the guy who followed me, pulled off the speed dropped to 20mph. I went back to the front and picked the pace up again and tried to keep the speed up to at least 27 or so. I got some help from the people in the pack but it soon became apparent that we were done for the day and that there would be no catch. The race route takes us around the entire lake and MaryEllen and the rest of the fan club was waiting for my pack at the turn. When I got to the turn there was only 10 of us left and we were then faced with a 12 mile climb (sort of like riding from So. Dee to Ashfield) over rolling hills with several moderate climbs. There were two primes at the top of each of the steepest pitches (not that it mattered to us) which sort of gave me an idea of where I was on the course. The group that I was with had several of the 50+ riders as well as some younger folks and one woman. I got the feeling that some of the guys wanted to get rid of the woman because she could not pull as hard as they did. I told her not to pay any attention to that and just stay in the group. Since I was one of the stronger riders in that pack I was able to keep her in the group. I told her (Tammy) to take my wheel and when she got off the front and into the back of the line I made sure that she stayed in contact. A couple of times the rotation left Tammy off the back, but I was able to help her get back into the paceline. As we rode down the back side of the course we dropped several of the riders in the pack and picked up a few of the riders who got dropped from the front group. After we got onto the second steep climb I was surprised to see a pack of twenty or so riders in front of me. They were only a few hundred yards ahead and I, along with a couple of the other guys, made a push to catch them. We got pretty close but the hill was too steep and I ran out of gas before the top. After I got to the top of the hill with those two other guys, the group we were trying to catch was already getting out of sight. I slowed up and waited for the rest of the group I had been riding with to arrive and we set off together. We soon caught the two riders who tried to catch the lead pack with me and who had continued on ahead me. We were once again a pack of 10. As we rode along there was a noticeable change in the demeanor of the pack. Some of the riders kept attacking and getting a few hundred yards off the front, only to get reeled in a mile or so down the road. I stayed with the main group and we had a nice time chatting as we zipped along at a nice pace. The group stayed together for the rest of the race but when it came to the finish hill I decided not to sprint with the attackers and I wheeled across the line at the back of the pack, letting the attackers sprint for 95th place. I had a great time and was pretty satisfied with my results (100th overall and 7th in the 55+ group). This is a really well done race in a beautiful area to ride. The roads are wide and there are lots of bike lanes and wide shoulders to ride on. If I do this race again I will not get caught in the back, that is for sure. I had a great time riding with my pack and I thank them all for a nice day.

Sunday 6/25: It was another, "take your chances" kind of weather forecast today and that seems to be the trend for this summer. I wanted to hit the road first thing in the morning, but I had to feed "Eddie The Wonder Dog" first, as Bob and Mare were in N.Y. After feeding Eddie his breakfast, I was off; destination unknown, but definitely I was heading north. I ended up riding on RT. 5 all the way to Guilford Vermont. I rode up Guilford Center Road to the hilly terrain on Weatherhead Hollow Road, a route that took me back through Leyden. Despite the hills I had a solo ride average of 18.3. As I made my way down Leyden Road I decided to take Barton Road for a 14 mile Bernardston cool down. As I approached the Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop, I heard someone coming from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see two men riding towards me. Although I was quite a bit ahead of them, I had to put the hammer down to break away. I hit 23mph and then I looked back again. One of them  was close enough to say that I should not worry, I had a good enough lead to stay ahead of them. I decided to soft pedal and wait for them to catch up. It turns out that they were a couple of the "Putney Guys". After they caught up to me we rode a few miles together and then parted ways. With all the numerous aerobics classes I am teaching these days, I keep missing the group rides, so it was nice to have some company on the ride....I still miss our group though!!!!
Jenn Bond

Thursday 6/22: Tonight we had a forecast for thunderstorms but with the radar clear all the way to Buffalo NY, I felt pretty confidant that we would stay dry tonight. I did a new route for tonight and sent out an email to everyone on the list. We had 32 riders in total with 10 of those going out on the shorter loop. I led the pack from the shop over to Turners Falls where we took the Third Street Hill up to Millers Falls Road. The group stayed pretty much intact for the ride out to Lake Pleasant road and we had 22 riders with us when we made the turn onto RT. 63. After the turn we (by that I mean everyone at the front) picked up the pace as we headed to Amherst. At some point five riders dropped off the back, but I was too busy staying in the middle to the back of the group to notice who they were. When we got near the Amherst town line I announced the 200 meters to go and the sprint was on. I was not contesting the sprint so I do not know who won. After we regrouped on the descent down Cherry Hill, we took the right onto Cowles Ave. The road is pretty rough and the group took it easy on the way over to RT. 116. We made the turn onto 116 and soon there was another sprint for the Sunderland town line (again not contested by me). After the sprint the peloton rode to and through Sunderland center on our way to River Road. After we made the turn I did a head count and we had 18 riders in the pack. We rode at a brisk pace down River Road to Depot Street where we made the turn to head up to RT. 5&10. At the railroad crossing that has caused more flat tires than I could count, everyone got off their bikes and walked their bikes across the railroad tracks. We then rode the short distance to RT. 5&10 where we had a brief discussion about which route to take. I wanted to keep on the flatter route while Mark Newton and a few others wanted to take the Whatley hills route. Parrot, myself and Chris Williams decided to continue on 5&10 and we turned right to head north. Chris was on the front with Parrott and me right behind him. Chris pulled us to the 91 overpass where Parrott took over. At this point we had a pretty good tempo going and we managed to keep it all the way north through the lights in South Deerfield (they turned green on cue). After the So, Dee traffic lights we headed north towards Old Deerfield. Parrott was at the front and made the executive decision to go down Mill Village Road. This was a bad choice for such a large group because it requires us to cross this busy highway at the end of Old Main Street. Fortunately for Parrott, he did not have to experience the argy-bargy at the highway crossing because he strategically got a flat tire on Old Main Street and stopped to fix it, leaving the rest of us to deal with the crossing. At the end of old Main Street there were some cars approaching from the south, but one of the cars slowed to allow us to cross. After everyone got across the highway, Chris Williams did a 30 mph pull all the way to the Wok where he pulled off and left me to slog it out for the sprint. I managed to stay with the speed for a short way before several riders swarmed past me for the town line contest. We took the Hope Street route back to the shop where everyone rejoiced in the fact that we did not get rained on. We finished the ride with a 22.5 mph average and all the riders returned safely. After the ride some of us headed down to Mesa Verde for dinner. It was a great ride!!

Wednesday 6/21: It was a nice warm day today with low humidity and I scheduled a MTB ride from the shop. At 6:00 Mark Newton, Parrott and I left to do a loop over to the Coke Plant. The three of us rode the Gill Road route to the trails and then did the ride through the swamp. After riding the swampy trails we hit Luke to the water tank and then did the power lines to the Chute. After climbing the Hill of Doom we then rode up the Streambed Trail to the Crossover Trail. We finished the ride with a rip down the Secret Trail and exited the trails onto the hardtop road at the Coke Plant. We returned to the shop via the trails behind Stop&Shop. All in all we did about an hour and a half ride.

Tuesday 6/20: It was another one of those unpredictable weather days today. The forecast was for thunderstorms in the afternoon and clearing after 8:00. The last time this happened, a whole bunch of riders went out on the ride and stayed dry, but I did not go. So I looked at the radar and saw that there were storms out in Albany NY., and I decided that we could get the ride in before the storms arrived. We had 29 riders show up for the ride. Stephanie went out on a ride with Tom, Jaap and a few others while Kathy Jacques went out on another loop with a few more riders. This left me with a group of 16 riders for the 50 mile ride to Wendell-Warwick. We left the shop at 6:00 with sunny skies and a few dark clouds off to the west. We took the Seventh Street route over to the fire house and made the right turn to head for Montague Center. The pace was pretty mellow (17 mph) up to this point but when we got out onto Turners Falls Road the speed went up to 26 mph. When we got near the dry bridge, Parrott came along side me and said that we should take Swamp Road to avoid the rough pavement in the center of town. I agreed and he went to the front of the pack to lead the group to the left turn. After making the turn we went by the new "Williams Ranch" and continued on toward Rt. 63. I rode behind Dusty and Parrott as we neared the turn and it was a good thing that I did because when we got to the stop sign, Parrott signaled a left turn. I quickly realized that being from Beermont means that the left hand out actually means a right turn and I so informed the rest of the group. We made the turn onto 63 and then made the left turn onto N. Leverett Road. At this point we still had sunny skies and warm temps and the group started to make our way up the hill to Lake Wyola. I tried to keep the pace fairly mellow so that everyone could stay with the pack, but as the hill steepened, the gaps opened and the group got pretty strung out. As we neared the lake, I turned around to see Walters, Curt and MPM just behind me. I slowed down and soon MPM went by and caught the lead group while I waited for Walters and Curt. When they got to me, I towed them up to the front pack just before the turn to Locks Village Road. As we began the climb, Parrott and Dusty came riding down the hill towards us. They had ridden off the front and when they got to the top of the hill they turned around to come back to help with the paceline. I told them to keep it at 14 mph or so going up the hill and they went off to set the pace for us. As we headed up the last steep section Walters and Curt came off the back and I dropped with them. The rest of the group went on ahead. When we made the last corner to head for the common, the clouds had thickened and there was thunder and lightning off to our west. As we continued on the rain began and soon we were in the middle of a thunderstorm. With heavy rain and lightning all around us, the group decided to wait out the storm in the gazebo on the common. We got to the shelter just before the heaviest of the rain, but poor old Jamie got the total wash, as he was the last one in. We waited out the storm before heading out. At this point Paul Voiland and Socks packed it in to head back home, while the rest of us took off to finish the ride. We rode down to Wendell Depot in moderate rain at 40 mph. This has the effect of getting sand blasted but with water. There were several points on the way down the hill that the rain along with the water splashing up from the other riders, made seeing the roadway pretty difficult. When we got to the bottom of the hill the skies started to brighten and we regrouped after the 2A crossing. A couple of riders got dropped on the descent and Dusty went back to get them. I had Parrott stop the group to give those riders behind us a chance to catch back on, since the trip back to the shop would require a good effort in the pace line to get everyone back before dark. After everyone was accounted for we headed up the hill to Warwick. As we got about half way up the hill, Keith Streeter's derailleur wire broke and he opted to ride home from there. After Keith dropped, the group worked well together. We made the turn onto Northfield Road where we made great time going down the hill. At this time the rain had stopped and the sun was out. This helped dry the roads and we were soon down in the center of Northfield. We all enjoyed the rainbow over the mountains to the east before we set about the task of riding the last 15 miles. We made good time up the hill on Rt. 10 and all of us made the turn in Bernardston together. There rest of the ride was a race with Jim H., who kept the pace high by attacking several times. We ended the 50 mile loop with a 19.6 mph average. After the ride some of us joined Stephanie for a bite to eat at the People's Pint where you can get so-so food, lousy service and OK beer.

Sunday 6/18: I had a ride scheduled a ride for 9:00 and that as it turns out was a pretty good choice. I was joined by Parrott, Jamie, Jim H., MPM, Stan, and Mike Levin. The route was a 50 mile hilly trip over to Shutesbury. It was already pretty warm when we left the shop to head for Deerfield. The plan was to stay on 5&10 all the way to 116 in South Deerfield and then take a left after Yankee Candle. We rode along in a pace line, changing the lead at regular intervals. When we got to North Main Street, Parrott was in the lead and he took the left. (Following directions were never Parrott's strong suit.) Anyway we rode through South Deerfield and headed down Sugarloaf Street. Parrott, being one of the Bladderboro boys, stopped to do the deed on Norm's dumpster. The rest of us continued on at a leisurely pace until we stopped to adjust Jamie's computer magnet. At that point, Parrott caught up and after getting Jamie's computer going, we headed for Amherst. We rode from 116 over to Rt. 63 via Cowles Ave. and after making the left turn onto 63 we headed north. I had told Parrott that we would ride up Cherry Hill but he started to make the turn onto the back road. I hollered up to him to continue straight on 63, which he did. We rode over to Depot Street and began the ride up the hill towards Shutesbury. We pretty much stayed together until the steep section near the switchbacks. Parrott, Jamie and I rode up the hill at a reasonable pace. As we climbed the hill we noticed that the temps were getting right up there. I must have been in the low 90's when we came upon a couple of riders on the side of the road. The man was trying to fix his flat but he needed a long valve tube. Parrott and I stopped and I gave the man a 60mm valve tube and a co2. After the stop Parrott and I rode to the top of the hill where the group was waiting. We decided to do the Wendell loop instead of just heading down the hill into Leverett. We rode from Shutesbury down to Lake Wyola and took the right. Parrot and I set a pace that kept the group together all the way to the Wendell Common. After making the turn onto Montague Road, Mike went flying down the first steep descent. I watched as he zoomed past me and then went backwards on the climb up the other side of the hill. Mike had thought that this was the long descent and he was sadly mistaken. After cresting that hill we all headed down the descent into Millers Falls. Parrott did a little shopping at a roadside tag sale while the rest of us continued on to the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. We all made the left turn onto 63 and then headed up the steep hill to Millers Falls Road. I rode up the hill with Jamie, while MPM and Mike were just ahead of us. Jamie and I caught up with MPM and Mike at Lake Pleasant Road and the four of us rode back to the shop together.

Saturday 6/17: I had wanted to go out for a ride last night but by the time I got done at the shop it was too late and I was pooped, so when I got a call from George Frick to do a ride tonight, I took it. Joining George and I was Jen Bond and Warren. We left the shop at 6:30 and headed over to Turners Falls. We took the L Street route up to the Fire House where we took a right to head for Montague. Warren and Jen followed me and George for most of the way over to the Ferry Road hill. At that point I drifted back a little to check on Jen. She was doing great and I then went back to the front of the group to do another pull because Grandpa Frick was getting tired. I dragged that fool all the way to the Sunderland town line where he sprinted. Needless to say I spanked the dear boy with Warren coming in second.

Thursday 6/15: It was a perfect day for a ride with temps in the 70's and low humidity it just doesn't get a whole lot better. We did have a fairly brisk wind blowing from the north but the route I had planned made maximal use of that. 42 riders took advantage of the good weather to join me on the 40 mile ride through the north county. We left the shop at 6:10 and headed for Adams Road. The group stayed mainly intact for the ride up the hill, with only a couple of gaps opening up as we neared the top of the hill. We rode to Streeter's Store and then took a right to head to Northfield. We had a good paceline going for most of the way and although we lost a couple of riders on way to Northfield (MPM, Socks and a couple others dropped off for one reason or another.) we stayed together for the most part. After we made the turn onto 63, the speed picked up a bit and the group sped down the highway at nearly 30 mph. This shelled a few more riders and the group got further pared down by the rolling hills that followed. By the time we got to the Northfield Pumped Storage facility the group was down to about 15 riders. Tom Terrific, David Bradford, myself and a few others provided the steam as we barreled down the highway at 35 mph. As we neared the Erving town line, Parrott and a couple of others went for the sprint. Not surprising anyone, Parrott won the sprint and then huffed up the next hill at the back of the group. We rode into Millers Falls and up the steep hill to Millers Falls. This fractured the group and I stayed back to try to bring the pack back together. I motored about 5 guys back to the lead group just before the turn onto Lake Pleasant Road (actually, Parrott took Mineral Road, but that's just Parrott's style.) At this point Malcolm decided to continue on Millers Falls Road and Wilber got tailed off. I got onto the back of the lead pack and rode over to RT. 63 with the group. When we got to the turn onto 63, the group got split when a pickup truck came along. I was in the group that had to stop at the stop sign. When we got going again I was in a group of four riders. As we neared Swamp Road we noticed that Parrott had taken a right onto Swamp Road and some of the group went with him. This left me with four riders and two riders out in front of us (they were ahead of Parrott and did not see him turn.) We chased the two riders for a few miles and caught them when they slowed down to take the RT. 47 turn. When we caught them it was Tom Terrific and Bob Bonneau who were the riders ahead. After the catch we all motored down RT. 47 to Sunderland where we took the right and crossed the river. I lost the town line sprint to Bob Croake and coasted across the bridge to Deerfield. We took the Sugarloaf Street route back to 5&10 where we took a right. We rode back to the shop at a pretty good clip and ended the ride with a 22.5 mph average.

Monday 6/12: It was a very nice day and we had a very large group show up for the beginner ride.

Sunday 6/4: It was a pretty nice day today and I had scheduled a MTB ride for 5:00 in Montague. I was working at the shop for a couple of hours before the ride  and when the time came to head out I was joined by Jan Wholey for the ride over to Montague Center. Joining us there was Curt, and Don McCool. We rode from the center of town to the Telephone Pole Trail. When we got to the top of the hill we were met there by Mark Courtemanche. After a couple of photos we headed off to ride on the Plains. We took the Second First Left Trail which takes us out onto the flatter parts of the plains and this gave everyone a chance to get warmed up before heading into the hills. The pace was moderate and everyone stayed together on the way out to Willis Hill. Jan was not a big fan of the sandy sections of road and she had a hard time in the deeper sand. Once we got to Willis Hill Road we decided to try the right side trail today. I haven't ridden this trail for a few months so I was willing to give it a go since I knew that the road on the left side of the hill is pretty washed out. To my surprise, we were able to ride up the hill with no dismounts from washouts and ruts. once on the top of the hill, we rode over to the swamp where both Curt and I took a dip in the slimy goo that the ATV's chewed up. After our mud bath we then rode over to the Kiabuckus Trail which is in great shape. I managed to ride the Apache all the way to the top in the middle ring. When we got to the top of the hill we rode up the trail to the I-H wreck where we had to stop for a moment to make an adjustment to Don's bike. After getting going again we headed over to the Pine Forest Trail which we took all the way over to the Ice Flow Trail. At the bottom of the Ice Flow Trail we took a left and headed out to the sand pit. Jan did much better in the sand now that she had gotten used to it and we soon were out on the power lines riding towards Brushy Way. We finished the ride down the Toilet Bowl Trail and then back over to the Telephone Pole Trail. Mark took off for home from there and the rest of us headed back to the center of town. When we got back to the cars, Betsey was there waiting for us. Betsey had gone on a hike and was going to ride home with Curt, but when we got back she saw the mud and smelled the stink and she was not too keen on that. At that point I loaded Curt into the van and he, Jan and I rode back to the shop for a hose down. After the bath, Curt was cleared to ride in the car and he and Betsey headed off for home.

Thursday 6/1: Last Thursday I did not get to ride because there was the threat of severe thunderstorms. I had decided not to ride because of this but when a bunch of guys showed up to ride I was not able to get ready to go before the ride left the shop. The weather station had predicted rain for today but there was ample sunshine at 5:30 so I decided to ride. Our plan was to do the Wendell loop that was scheduled for Tuesday. We left the shop with a group of 19 riders and I led them over to Turners Falls. The group got split up at the traffic light however several of us got through on green while the rest waited for the next green light. We rode up the Third Street Hill where one of the Bladderboro Boys (Silko) had a problem with his seatpost slipping so I gave him my tool kit and he stopped on the side of the road to make the repair while I headed up the hill. As I neared the top of the hill the group came along and soon I was riding along in the pack. I stayed near the back of the group and got sucked along all the way to the turn in Millers Falls. After we made the turn onto Prospect Street, I drifted to the back of the pack. I rode along at my own pace with the group in sight all the way to the top of the hill. I could see them but I could never catch up. I did manage to catch a couple of riders before the intersection in Wendell. When I got to the common, all the riders were waiting. I knew that there was a few riders behind me so I told the group that I was going to ride back down the hill to get them. When I returned to the center of town with Jeremy Coleman, there was only a few riders left. Joining me and Jeremy was Stan, Wilber, Matt Daflucus and Dougie. We started down the hill from the center of town and we made it all the way to the turn onto North Leverett Road at the summer camp before it started to rain. After we rode past Lake Wyola the rain got really heavy. As we rode down the hill to the Leverett Co-op at 35 mph the rain came down so hard it was difficult to see. We pressed on and eventually we got to the bottom of the hill at RT. 63. We crossed the highway and waited for everyone to get across before we rode down Leverett Road. Just before we got to Montague Center we saw Jenn coming towards us in the bus. She had come over to see if everyone was OK and after she turned around and came up from behind I asked her to go back to check on Jamie and Silko. I continued on with my group and by the time we got to the fire house the rain has slowed and it was a pretty good ride back to the center of Turners Falls. We took the L Street route over to the river and after we crossed the White Bridge we headed up the hill. It was not raining on the hill and when we got back to the French King Highway, the roads were dry. When we got back we heard about Patrick's ride to the south. It was a pretty soggy trip but everyone made it back safely.