bikebob@crocker.com

Sunday May 2: Tonight I was joined for the usual 5 PM ride by Bill and Laura Gordon, Lynn F., John Carney, Gerry P., Brian Ravish, Lisa Kiddwell, Matt S., Ben, and Our Hero. It was really nice to have CTD back with us, lifting our spirits as well as providing us with a lesson on his unique riding style. We left from Montague Center and rode up to the telephone to the power lines, where we regrouped. Since everyone was feeling good it was decided that we would all go up to Willis Hill. We rode the usual trails out to the base of the hill. It was nice to be able to ride on dirt instead of snow and ice. I always enjoy the banked corners and it is a lot easier now that I have been able to ride more often. We all got to the base of the hill together and decided to meet at the top so everyone could go at their own pace. All went well as I raced Matt to the top and beat him soundly. The rest of the crew rode up as far as they could and walked the rest of the way. Everyone did well except for Billy. It seems that the effort combined with the ingestion of PowerAde Ice made him hurl. It was a nice blue color spew that everyone enjoyed watching him produce. After that we decided that another climb would set him straight. So off we went for a quick trip down the west side of the hill and then back up the other side. After a quick shot up the steep little climb, Gerry reminded me that it would be in my best interest for us to take a somewhat flatter trip back to the cars. We returned the same way we went out and managed to get everyone back safe and sound.

Tuesday 5/5/98: Cinco De Mayo! Tonight we gathered for a trip over to the Coke Plant even though it had been raining most of the day. We started out with a crew that included Ken and Pat Heider, Marc W., Marc L., John F.,  Matt S., and Myself.  It was a beautiful night, warm and not too humid. It rained briefly, but the majority of the trip was dry. I decided to ride at the back of the group, as I had a pretty busy day at the shop. CTD did not come, which left me with no one to blame my slow riding on. I sort of slugged it out for a quick trip around the race course, but I was pretty whipped when we got to the top of the hill. Fortunately Ken,s new bike wasn't running well, so I had an excuse to stop and try to help him. After a quick spin on his rig, I discovered that his Gripshift had taken a dirt nap. He had to nurse it back to the shop with only a few of his gears operational. We all had a good time and I look forward to a good season.

Thursday 5/7/98: I was looking for an easier ride tonight as the day included a trip over to the Quabbin  to deliver some bikes for the Ranger patrol.  along for the journey was Marc W., Lynn F., John Carney,  John Friends, and myself. Ken Heider had called and said he would be late and would meet us out on the trail. After we got out to the top of the hill by red rock, Little Eddie rode up and joined us for the rest of the trip. We rode (or slid) down the "chute" and then headed back up the streambed climb. John F. showed us a unique stopping technique by slamming into a small tree half way down the hill. After a short rest, we headed back down the hill following Eddie. When we got to the bottom John F. noticed that he had lost his computer at the "chute" and he headed back over to retrieve it. We all met up on the mud road and because we didn't want to ride through the swamp we headed out to tar road. I asked Eddie to lead and he took us out to the trail that parallels the tar road. But the idiot didn't take the first left and we ended up in the middle of the swamp anyway.  After we got back on the road we headed back to the shop to wash the mud off and plan the next ride. (Saturday.)
Saturday and Sunday were washouts. We will ride on Tuesday

Tuesday 5/12/98: Tonight I scheduled a ride for the Montague Plains and accordingly I was greeted with a large group of enthusiastic riders. Along for tonight's adventure was Marc, Matt S., Adam C., John Carney, Lynn F., John F., Dave P., Ken and Pat Heider, and me. After we gathered at the shop we car pooled over to Montague where the first task was to fix a flat on Adam's bike and repair a leaky valve on Dave's bike. I sent everyone except for Adam, Marc, Dave, John F. on to the trails and I helped finish up the repairs. After everyone was set we headed off to catch up with the others. We met up with them at the Power Line trail, and from there we headed off towards Willis Hill. Even after all the rain, the trails were in good condition and there was not that much water in the puddles. We rode at a good clip out to the bottom of the hill, and then we headed up. I took the right trail and was followed by John Friends, while the rest of the riders split evenly between the two trails up the hill. Once we got to the bottom of the last climb the trail got really muddy and the bog stretched across the entire bottom of the hill. In fact, there was no way to get to the hill without getting wet. John Friends did a spectacular mud dive and was awarded the prize for style as well as the most mud on a person award. At the top of the hill we decided to head back to the cars, by riding down the stream. At the bottom we all took turns riding through the huge pond that blocks the road. Matt was the first to take a dive and end up swimming with his bike, although we all soon followed. I eventually found a good rideable line through and almost everyone made it across(some people rode through the woods to avoid the damp). We headed back to the cars and then over to the Peoples Pint for dinner and a brew. Marc took some pictures of the crew and I will publish them when I get them.

Wednesday 5/13: I was expecting to ride by my self tonight but instead ended up riding with a group of 14 people. It seem that Matt Fuller was waiting outside the shop for his bike to be dropped off, and he mentioned that a group from Yankee Rowe was meeting him at the Coke Plant. I mentioned that I was going out and he said it would be OK to join him. As I was leaving John Woods and Adam C. said they wanted to come so I loaded their bikes into the van and off we went. When we got to the Coke Plant there was 11 other people there. Among those getting ready was MaryLynn Wickar, Chuck Dart, Rod, Mike, Matt, Jeff and 4 others whom I do not know. Maybe they will come out again. We headed out for a quick loop around the Plant. I lead for the first half of the ride, but I had to keep dropping back and directing people onto the trails. We really kept up a good pace for such a large group, many of whom had never been on the trails. After we got back to the bottom of the hill, some of the riders wanted to head back, but Matt, Mar and others wanted to go for another loop. I took them out through the swamp and then back to the cars. It was a fun ride.

Thursday 5/14/98: I was pretty tired from a long week and last night's ride, so I was glad that most of the varsity team stayed home. Ken and Pat Heider along with Matt S. and myself left the shop for a trip up to Poet's Seat. We rode the trail at a pretty slow pace. Matt was always at the front and had to wait for us at every intersection. We rode all the way to the ski jump and back. It was a nice ride on a beautiful night.

Ride Report for 5/16/98 The faithful arrived for our Saturday night soiree, Ken and Pat Heider, Steven, M.P.M., and astride their new steeds were Dave M. and Matt S. How BikeBob ever got Dave to retire old faithful we’ll never know. The group headed up the ridge for a tour of Highland Park singletrack.Led by the tireless legs of Dave we first worked our way up the ridge trail to Poets Seat tower. We then headed down and across Mountain Road to continue the Ridge Trail (blue blazes) then took a left to head down to the Bears Den Road to let everyone catch up. Once regrouped, we took the yellow trail (I think)out to Mountain Road and headed back to the Poets Seat parking area where continued on the red trail along the river. The group split at the end of that trail, Ken headed back with young Steven who was tiring while the rest of us rode the white trail. The ride ended with a spirited decent along the Ridge trail led by the now fully suspended Dave M. As a side note, we hope "Our Hero" is feeling better as we miss his company and the "usual refreshments"! ( submitted by Marcus P. Marcus)

Sunday 5/17/98: 9:00 AM: I led a group of police officers on a trip to the Coke Plant so they could ride the race course. It was pouring rain when we left which made the trails pretty slippery. We took it easy as we rode the trails, so we wouldn't damage them, and we had a lot of fun just riding in the rain. We were out for about an hour when I took them through the swamp to finish up. It was a fitting conclusion to a sloppy wet ride.
5:00 PM: We had a small group of riders show up for the ride over on the Montague Plains. I was pleased that CTD and his son Mike made the trip. It has been a while since "our hero" has been feeling well enough to ride. Also joining us was Mike W., John C., Lynn F., and Matt Sawin. We rode out to Willis Hill and even though CTD and I had to wait for the rest of the crew, we kept up a good pace. I raced Matt up the climb (I let him win) and he and I watched the rest of the crew ride up the hill. From there, we rode down the west side of the hill and then back up to the top. Once again CTD and I "beat" the rest of the group to the rendezvous point, and we were forced to rest while we waited for them. We rode down the brook to the road. As I was riding in the water Lynn and CTD came roaring by me on the stream bank. They were quick to point out their skills to the rest of the group when we gathered at the pond in the road. From there we rode out to the power lines and then back to the cars. CTD provided the refreshments as usual and we all enjoyed another beautiful ride.

5/17/98: A small group assembled for a ride along the M&M trail in Northfield. Dave M. was the trail leader and Matt S. and myself (M.P.M) rounded out the group. Unfortunately, while making our first slippery climb not five minutes into the ride, Dave lost traction and fell onto his left knee. It didn’t seem to be a bad fall, but then I heard Dave say, "this is going to need stitches!" Sure enough Dave had found the only sharp rock hiding under the leaves and succeeded in splitting the knee open right to the patella. (yuck!) Now, here’s some irony, between the three of us we had all types of supplies; tubes, tires, saws, wrenches, zip ties, but not a Band-Aid between us. There’s a lesson here somewhere. Anyway, we turned around and followed Dave to his car to make sure he was ok to drive. Nothing like a few hours in the emergency room on a beautiful Sunday afternoon (ouch!").
Matt and I continued the ride out to the cliffs overlooking Northfield Mountain reservoir, definitely one of the nicest views in the area. While making believe I was Hans Rey on a rather large rock, I managed a graceful fall that brought me perilously close to a ledge and managed to severely mangle my rear brake lever. Matt to the rescue! Apparently Matt is from the school of "Our Hero" and had not one but two adjustable wrenches enabling us to effect a quick repair and continue our ride. We then doubled back to continue our ride along the northern section of trail. We went out to the power lines and rode these back to the car.
I needed to abbreviate this ride in order to win a bet that involved a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie from the Shady Glen, contingent upon my arrival home before 5 o clock. I made up for the shortened ride by treating Matt to a cone at the soft serve joint in Northfield.
Here’s hoping that Dave heals quickly. Also, it’s been reported that the absence of Steve D. from Shelburne Falls is related to a bad case of broken toes. Hope you can get your riding shoes on soon Steve!

See Ya! Marcus P. Marcus

5/19/98: A large group of riders gathered at the shop for a trip to the Coke Plant. I managed to get all the flat tires and derailleur adjustments done and we left at 6:30. We went out for a couple of loops and got back to the shop at 8:00

The rest of May was very busy at the shop. We rode almost every night and we have had a quite a few new riders show up for some pretty exciting trips. I wish I had more time for theses reports but I am just too busy. We'll see what happens in June.