bikebob@crocker.com

Wednesday 3/3: I did not get out last night on a MTB ride. By the time I got out of the shop it was 7:00 and the trails didn't look that much better than they were on Sunday, so I decided to bag it. Today however, I was planning to go out for a road ride, when Neal showed up on his road bike. Great! Now I had a good excuse to go out for a couple of hours. After a quick stop to rub it in Jay's nose, Neal and I headed out. We rode south into a stiff head wind and I really suffered in the first few miles. I haven't been out on my road bike in a couple of months and I had to acclimate to the position as well as the wind. Neal did most of the pulling as we headed towards So. Deerfield.  Even though he was in front we still had to work to keep a 15 mph average. We rode through the town and headed to River Rd. It was there that I took the lead and although I managed to get the speed up to 17 mph, I had a hard time staying in front for very long. The wind kept both Neal and I riding in the little ring all the way down River Rd. to Hatfield where we turned North and headed for home. This is what a cyclist lives for; a 20 mph tail wind that fairly well blew us back to Greenfield. We averaged 22 mph, riding in the big ring, as we headed up Rt. 5&10.   It was a good thing we had the tail wind, because if there was even a slight head wind, I would have called MaryEllen for a ride home in the van. I arrived back at the shop, having ridden 40 miles in about 2 hours and fifteen minutes, feeling pretty tired but glad I did it.

Friday 3/5: I wanted to go out for a ride last night but I got busy and didn't make it, so today is it, since we are supposed to be getting a big snowstorm tomorrow. I left the shop at 4:00 for a quick ride to the Coke Plant.  The trails behind Stop&Shop were pretty open, but there were a few spots that were pretty icy. I ended up walking down the decent behind Lodge Tire because of the ice, other than that it was OK. I rode over to Silvio Conte Dr. and entered the trails by the fire plug. The trails were mostly snow free but icy in many spots. I tried to go up the road by Jack's Pond, but it was too slippery to ride so I headed down the Mud Road to Five Points. I then rode the short route to the swamp. The trails in the swamp was pretty muddy and wet so I headed out behind the plant and then over RT. 2 to Gill Rd and back to the shop. All in all not too bad for this time of year. We'll see what happens next week after the snow stops.

Tuesday 3/9: Tonight was to be an easy ride to test the trails for later in the week. The snows of last weekend have left behind about 7 inches of fluff. I left the shop at 6 o'clock with Mick for a trip over to the Plains. We parked at the Book Mill and then headed for the Telephone Trail. The first few feet of the trail were pretty icy, but soon the snow firmed up, and we were motoring along at a pretty good clip. We made it to the road and then headed for the second first left, there we rode along the trail to the turn off. The snowmobiles had been out on all of the trails up to this point and I thought they might have gone all the way out to the power lines, but I soon discovered that they had only gone a short way and turned around. After talking it over with Mick, we decided to hike it over to the next trail. Well, it takes a lot longer to walk through snow than to ride through it, and although I tried to ride, it really wasn't possible. We walked for quite a while through some deep snow and we were glad when we got back to the power lines. After a short ride down the power lines we were back on the road. We rode slowly down the road and back to the van. We were out for about an hour and a half, and we got a good workout.

Wednesday 3/10: I wanted to go out for a short road ride today, as I was a little tired. I had invited Jay and Mike Todrin to go and they agreed to "take it easy" on the old man. We left the shop at 2:00 and headed North into a stiff wind. I led the way to the bottom of the first climb when Jay and Mike slipped by me and I knew this was going to be a long day. Now I'm not talking about doing 10 mph or anything like that.  I was hoping to maintain an 18 mph average, but my two compatriots were a little more ambitious, and although I urged them to go ahead, they still wanted to stick together.  So I tried to keep up and they slowed the pace a little. We rode up to Bernardston to RT. 10 and then we rode the tailwind over to RT. 63 where we turned into a crosswind. I relied on my fellow riders to shield me from the wind and even so I still died on most of the hills. I rode on down through Millers Falls to RT. 47 in Montague where I turned and started to head back toward home. Jay led the way at a 25 mph pace and I stayed with him until we got to the dry bridge in Montague Center, and I drifted off the back. Mike and Jay continued up the road and I waved them on as there were only 5 miles from the shop, but they waited and offered to ride back with me. I was grateful for the help as I was not looking forward to the prospect of riding alone into the headwind.  We rode through Turners Falls and headed across the canal and up the hill, where my pace slowed to a crawl. I did manage to recover somewhat and rode down High St. to the shop without incident. All in all it was a good ride, and even though I suffered somewhat, it was a good base builder.

Sunday 3/14: Beware the ides of March!  Words of wisdom, as I try to get some sort of schedule for our rides during this crazy winter. I did not get out yesterday, so I wasn't sure if the trails were open and I planned to ride on the road, just in case. I arrived at the shop at 1:00 and was soon joined by Ken and Pat Heider, Mick, Alex, Matt and Jack Rice.  Ken told me that he and Pat had been out yesterday on the Plains and that the trails were in good shape. After some discussion we decided to do two rides today. Since Jack was not ready to ride off road, he and I went on a road ride while the remainder of the people went out on a MTB ride on the Plains. ( I know that Pat will give me a report!) Jack and I took a fairly easy ride down RT. 5&10 to South Deerfield and then over to Sunderland before returning to the shop through Montague Center and over Poets Seat Tower to High St.

Tuesday 3/16: I got a report from Mick today that the Plains were pretty much un-rideable, so I decided to go it alone tonight. I left the shop at about 6:30 and headed for the trails behind Stop&Shop. I found the trails to be rideable for the most part, but there were sections that the snow was too deep and I had to get off and walk. I made it over to the Coke Plant in no time and found the trails to be about the same as the Stop&Shop trails.  I rode around the mud road and did a little exploration on the hill, but the trails were too wet and snow covered to ride so I headed back to the shop. I think that it won't be long before the trails will be open.

Wednesday 3/17: It 'twas a wee bright day today. Perfect for leprechaun's to go out for a shamrock hunt, but I decided to take bike ride instead. I had made arrangements with my Irish neighbor, Jay McO'donald to go out for a wee little ride. This ride almost became a solo event, because Jay's wee little brain forgot to switch on this morning, and he left home without his shoes. Fortunately, I happen to have a perfect pair of "champion" footwear, and I lent them to him.  We left the shop at 2:00 and headed into south into the wind. We rode down Rt. 5&10 at 21 mph. We made our way through South Deerfield and then we continued at the same rate all the way to Hatfield, where we made the turn onto Elm St. We rode through town and then out to River Rd. We got caught in a cross wind which slowed my pace quite a bit, but we pushed ahead and soon we were out on RT. 116 and headed back towards Rt5&10. After we made the turn back onto Rt. 5&10 we had a tail wind all the way back home. We rode for two hours and covered 42 miles. It was the first really warm day (69 deg) of the season and both Jay and I loved being out in shorts after a couple of months of cold temperatures.

Thursday 3/18: It was another warm day today and we are seeing the snow melt as we watch. It won't be long before our favorite trails are snow and ice free. But for now we must contend with snow, ice, soft ice, mud, water and any combination of these. I left the shop at 6:00 for the Book Mill in Montague. I took Mick, Alex and Matt with me and Paul was waiting for us in the parking lot. we got ready in the twilight and headed for the trails. The Telephone Pole Trail was pretty slushy and I found it hard to get any speed going. I fell back and rode at a steady pace and that seemed to work the best. We re-grouped at the top of the hill and then headed off towards the power lines. The trails near the power lines were pretty open but it got better as we got closer to the power lines. We rode down the trail on the right side until we got to the first right after the road. We took that trail all the way out to the other side of the Plains. We found the trails to be mostly ice covered but the ice was rideable. At this point Mick was getting tired and he decided to head back to the van, while the rest of us continued on. When we got to the other side of the Plains we rode along the right side of the trail which was completely snow and ice free. We turned right at the Red Rock Trail and then we headed towards Willis Hill. We rode up the hill and took the first left and headed over to Red Rock. Paul did the first op his many endo's along this trail. He slipped on the ice, fell through several ice holes, and flipped over in the mud. Much fun, too bad I didn't have a camera. Most of us managed to make it up Red Rock and then down the steep hill to the sand pit. We then rode down the power lines to Northfield Rd and then back to the van. This was a wonderful ride on a beautiful spring night.

Sunday 3/21: Today was warm and sunny as we gathered at the shop for our ride. Along for the trip was Dave M., Matt C., Todd A., Kyle, Mick and myself. Since there weren't that many kids I decided to ride over to Montague Center with Dave. We left the center and headed for the Telephone Pole Trail, and we were soon working hard as the ice has now become a slushy, wet challenge. After I got to the top of the hill I sent Todd, Kyle and Matt ahead and I waited for Dave and Mick. Today was Dave's first ride in four months and Mick is just now getting over the effects of having smoked cigarettes for many years, so I decided to ride a little easier and make it a nice time for both. My crew made it out to the power lines and then we headed down the right side as there was no snow or ice at all. After we made it most of the way down the power lines, we met up with Todd and his crew who were waiting on the road.  We decided to ride up to Willis Hill. We kept a steady pace up and over Red Rock and then headed over the Lost Trail near Three Ravines. We then got into the deeper woods where the snow was deeper and the mud thicker, so we found ourselves walking a bit. After we all got to the bottom of Willis Hill we decided to take the short cut trail up to the I-H wreck, because we could see that there wasn't that much snow as compared to the trail ahead of us. I gave directions to Matt and sent him Todd, Kyle and Mick off, while Dave and I took a slower pace. When I got to the turn point Dave could see that the others had gone the wrong way. I decided to continue up the trail and hope that we meet on the other side. Dave and I rode up the hill and then down the other side where we met up with everyone but Mick. We all headed down the hill towards the power lines where we found Mick. The trip back was a leisurely affair and when we got to Northfield Rd. Dave, Mick and I continued on the road, while the rest rode back down the Telephone Pole Trail. It isn't great yet, but it is getting better every day, so I hope that more people will start to come out on these rides.

Tuesday 3/23: Hallelujah!! It's springtime! Tonight MPM, Mick, John F., and I  went out for a rip over to the Coke Plant. The last time anyone had been out to the area, the snow and ice was too soft to ride through, so I was hopeful that the rain of yesterday would have taken care of all that. We found that to be the case as we easily rode the trails behind Stop&Shop. There were small patches of snow, but that was not any problem, as we easily rode through it. We made good time out to the road,but when we got there, Mick was no where to be found. We rode back over the trails looking for him but couldn't find him and we decided to continue over to the Coke Plant. As we got to RT. 2 we saw Mick along the roadside and when we got up to him he joined us as we headed to the trails. We went into the trails by the logs, as we wanted to avoid the swamp, and found the trails to be mostly open, although we had to muscle a few logs out of the path. We rode up the new trail and then up the Streambed Trail. After we re-grouped at the water tower, we headed over to the Power Line Trail and then we made our way down to Red Rock. We paused at the top of the rock, and we decided to ride down the Chute and over to the Hill of Doom, Mick however decided to ride the road down and meet us at the top of the Hill of Doom. The ride down the Chute was perfect, and even though I dabbed on a slippery root, it definitely was rideable, as MPM demonstrated. We rode over to the hill and I followed MPM as he made it to the top. I however did not and we then headed off to find Mick. When we were all together Mick decided to ride out to Five Points and wait for us as we wanted to try Double Death for the first time this year. I made it three quarters of the way up the hill and had to stop before I coughed up a vital organ. When all of us were at the top of the hill we turned and headed over to Five Points to get Mick. We rode out through the swamp and then down to the Rt. 2 cross over. From there it was an easy spin back to the shop. It was a glorious ride on a perfect spring night.

Wednesday 3/24: I was all set to go out for our weekly ride, when Jay Bird called and said he was too tired to ride, so I had to go out with the Little Puke on the MTB bikes. We left the shop at 2:00 and headed for the ridge. We found the trails leading up the hill to be somewhat icy and we had to walk up the first hill, but after that it was clear sailing. Matt made it up the steep ascent, but I miscued on the roots of the big tree and ended up hoofing it the last few feet. When we got going again we headed for the White Trail, where we found the trails were completely ice free. We made good time all the way up to Poets Seat, and then we crossed the road to Temple Woods. We rode the Blue Trail along the ridge all the way to Sachem's Head. I sent Matt ahead as I was going a little slower that he was. (What a surprise!) We met at the turn in the trail and then headed dawn towards the Yellow Trail. It was here that we found the largest amount of ice on the entire trip. It was just as we entered the deep valley that is shaded from the sun that I saw Matt start to slide on the ice. I quickly adjusted and was able to ride across the ice with no trouble. I would suggest, that anyone riding in the area, avoid that trail for another week or so. We made it down the Yellow Trail and then out to Bear's Den Trail, where we found the trail to be somewhat muddy and slippery. We rode through that and then did the loop out to the power lines and then back to the Bears Den Trail. We rested there and then headed back to the shop on the Blue Trail. It turned out to be a great day and that slacker Jay will get his turn at me next week.

Thursday 3/25: Tonight I was joined by Thad O., Ryan C., and Pat Heider for a trip over to the Coke Plant. It was a beautiful night, and we made good time over as we rode the trails behind Stop&Shop on our way over our favorite trails. When we got to the trailhead, we headed in at the logs, and then headed up the hill to the water tower. We rode over to the Power Line Trails and then we re-grouped at the Red Rock. By this time Thad and Ryan's lights had failed and I gave my helmet battery to Ryan so that he could ride with Thad and give him some light from behind while they followed Pat and I. We rode down the Chute and then over to the Hill of Doom. I made it almost to the top of the hill when I slipped on a rock and had to dismount. Maybe next time! We left the hill and headed over to Double Death, but because Thad and Ryan had to get back to meet Thad's dad, we rode back to Five Points. From there we rode through the swamp and then over RT. 2 and back to the shop. The season has begun. The trails are in great shape, so come on out and enjoy.

Friday 3/26: Ken Burdick and his dog Sculley came by today and made the grievous error of mentioning that he was going out for a ride. At the time it was 67 degrees and there was not much going on at the shop, so it didn't take me a second to suggest that we go together. Now Ken is normally a fairly sensible fellow, so my guess is that the warm temperature affected his brain, because he agreed to go for a ride with me. I got my stuff together and loaded my bike into his truck, and we were off for the Montague Plains. We parked off East Hatchery Rd, and soon we were heading down the trail. The dog ran along as Ken and I rode on mostly flat terrain. We headed into the woods where the trail was mostly ice and mud covered. We rode all the way out to the other side and then up and over Red Rock. Along the way Sculley hit every puddle, brook, and pond we passed, so that she was really ripe by the time we got back to the truck. The whole trip took about an hour and was just what I needed to break up a long day.

Monday 3/29: I have been waiting for the weather to break and now that it has I am going to make the most of it. Dave Minor stopped by to pick a part for his bike and we soon had a plan to ride tonight. We headed for the ridge just after six o'clock on a warm spring night. The ice and snow of last week is all gone and the trails have firmed up nicely. We rode up the steep trail and although we didn't make it to the top we knew that we could if we had really wanted to. From there we took a leisurely ride down the White Trail and then we crossed the road and into Temple Woods. We rode down to the turn at Sachem's Head and then down to the Yellow Trail. It was there that we encountered the IMBA trail Nazi. He ranted about how the almighty IMBA had given him the power to control all the trails in the area and how everyone should kneel at the alter of their vision of perfection. We listened to this pathetic creature for a few moments and then we headed off, knowing that his ignorance is exceeded only by his arrogance. We rode down the Bears Den road loop and then back to the Red Trail. We crossed the road from Temple Woods to the ridge trails, but we found a big tree across the trailhead and we had to detour to another road that leads to the Red Trail. When we finally got on the trail it was smooth sailing all the way back to the shop. It was a great ride.

Tuesday 3/30: I was joined at the shop by Dave, Billy C., and Mick, and we decided to head over to the Montague Plains. MPM and James were due to join us there so I brought the radio's so they could find us out on the trails. We left the center of town and rode up the Telephone Pole Trail, which was completely free of snow and ice, and then we headed across the blocked off trail to the Toilet Bowl Trail. We rode at a steady pace and we soon we were out on the power lines. Up to this point we were riding without using our lights as it was still twilight and a beautiful full moon was rising to supply us illumination. As we rode along the power lines with just the moonlight to see the trail,  we reminded each other of how lucky we truly are to have such a resource right in our "backyard".  We made good time as we rode behind Dave on our way up Willis Hill. The trails were in good shape with very little mud and not much water to slow us down. After we got to the top of the hill we paused for a few minutes to rest. From there we headed down the hill and then we rode up the other side of the hill and back to Red Rock where we regrouped again. We decided to avoid the certain mud on the lower trails and we headed back the same way we came. As we rode back we recounted some of our past epic rides and we thought that this will be surely a "once in a blue moon" ride, that we will not soon forget.

Wednesday 3/31: Today I joined Jay and MPM for a road ride. Steve Toplitz was also supposed to be there, but when 2:00 came and went, we headed out. Our plan was to ride down River Rd. in Deerfield and head for Amherst. As we began climbing the first hill, slacker Jay, complained that there was a problem with his bottom bracket. I asked him if he wanted me to look at it to see if there was a problem, but he said that it was OK. As we continued down the hill he said that he still felt something was wrong. Just as we began to climb the next hill, Jay broke his chain. I stopped, and with the generous offer of a spare link from a passing rider, I was able to get his chain repaired, Just as I was about to get him going, I noticed that he was missing a chainring bolt, This doomed our intrepid cyclist to a slow ride back to the shop. MPM, myself and Roger continued down the road. We rode to RT., 116 where Roger turned left onto Rt. 47 and we continued towards Amherst. As we rode along we noticed that the wind was picking up quite a bit. We slogged along all the way to the turn onto West St and then we rode over to RT. 63, where we turned left and headed towards Millers Falls. I lead all the way to Millers but the wind was starting to take it's toll. As we turned off Rt. 63 and onto Millers Falls Rd. where we ran into Tim Fowler as he was heading to Turners Falls. we chatted with Tim for a bit and then MPM and I headed for home. I was getting whipped, so I let MPM pull all the way to the base of the hill on Greenfield Rd, where he rode up at a pretty good clip. I chose to take a more leisurely pace and made it back to the shop about 2 minutes after MPM did. We averaged 19.5 mph, and considering the wind, that isn't too shabby.