October 2003 Ride Report Page
Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month October 2003 more or less as they happened. I will publish any ride reports that I receive. Please send them to bikebob@crocker.com and you too can get yourself published on the web!
Thursday 10/2: It was a clear but rather chilly night when I left the shop for Deerfield. After the recent rains I knew that we were in for a rather muddy ride, but given the choices for rides, the ridge in Deerfield would be the least muddy. The last customer left the shop at 6:05 and I got loaded up and headed out soon after that. I got to the parking spot just as Curt and Steve did and we were joined there by Liam, Sop, and Homer. The group got ready and we left the parking spot just as the sun was setting. It was pretty cool out and I still am recovering from a cold so I had dressed with several layers of jerseys as well as tights and winter riding shoes. It was a little chilly going down the first hill but we soon were heated up on the climb up to the Crystal Cave Trail. I did pretty well on the climb but I ran out of gas right near the top. I was pleased with having gotten that far, given my coughing and hacking on the way up. We only paused for a moment before heading out to run down to the Pool Road. I rode at the front with Liam and Steve to the turn, where I stopped to wait for the rest of the riders to come by. After Curt passed me, I hopped back on my bike and the followed the group down to the road. The Pool Road is really just a brook that some jeeps have used to get from the river to the ridge, we call it a road, but I think that anything less than a Hummer would have trouble driving on it. As I got to the Pool Road, everyone was stopped on the trail heading in the wrong direction, so I just made the left turn and called out to them to follow. I rode down the trail to the next turn and waited until all the riders had passed me before heading out behind them. As we got to the steeper section I came upon Homer who was lying on the trail, after a fall on the rocks. She got up and seemed OK so left Curt behind and I headed up the hill to join the rest of the group. I caught up with the boys waiting on the trail and we then headed off to finish the climb. We got up to Pine Nook Road where we stopped to wait for the rest of the riders to arrive. After a brief discussion we decided to take the Ski Slope Trail up to Red Rock. I led the riders over to the trailhead and I fell in line behind Steve and Sop to begin the climb. I only made it a short way before slipping on some rocks. I walked to the top and rode on ahead and caught up with Steve and Liam. We rode most of the way up to the turn where we stopped to wait for the crew to catch up. After everyone arrived I headed on with Steve and Liam to the Red Rock Road. We pedaled at a steady tempo up to the top of the hill and when everyone got to the top we all went over to the rock to look at the view. Curt and Steve had never been there and they were very impressed. After that stop we headed down the trail to the power lines where we took a right and headed down the steep hill. I led the riders down to the dirt trail that leads us out to the blacktop road. We rode down Steam Mill Road and then back over to Pine Nook Road. My lights started to dim so I rode with Liam and Steve up the hill to the tennis courts. My trio paused briefly at the turn to the Mud Mile before we headed down the hill to the starting point. As we neared the end of the trail we encountered a group of young people drinking, their cars nearly blocked the trail, but we were able to get around them OK. It was a nice night to be out for a ride.
Thursday, September 2nd, Deerfield It was getting pretty chilly by the time we all gathered for this night ride. I opted for tights for the first time this fall, along with a fleece undershirt, long finger gloves and a jacket. I was glad for all the layers, as I never got overheated on the ride but did start to get chilly every time we stopped for a break. Tonight's ride was on trails new to me. Mostly wooded singletrack, tied together by some dirt roads and 4WD trails. The rains this fall have really taken their toll on the trail conditions. While the singletrack was mostly OK (but very wet in places) the non-maintained gravel roads were rutted and rough. It really added a degree of difficulty to the climbs when I couldn't keep good traction with by back wheel. I had a few stumbles, and put my foot down on a few to many climbs. On the other hand, I made it UP some sections that I didn't think I would. I just ducked my head, swore I wasn't going to give up, and kept pushing the gears until I reached the top. I am feeling MUCH more confident on these rides than I was just a week ago. I'm starting to get the feel for it again and it feels GOOD! I only had one 'close call' tonight. I was descending pretty quickly on a jeep trail when my front wheel hit a slippery rut. It threw my balance off and I thought I was about to go over at about 15MPH. I don't know how I did it, but I recovered and ended up in some brush just a foot or so off the trail. The problem was that while recovering I ended up swinging all the way across the trail and cutting Soap off. He barely avoided plowing in to me after I stopped, but neither one of us was worse for wear, so we hopped back on the bikes and continued on our way. There is a certain rhythm to mountain bike riding... long climbs when my internal voice is saying "why do I do this? I'm not enjoying myself" over and over, followed by the most wonderful feeling in the world as I glide down smooth banked singletrack trails, my lights focusing my attention on a small part of the world just 20' in front of my wheel. Several times during the ride, we stop and turn off our lights while taking a break and a drink. These moments in the middle of the woods, not a light shining for miles, while I listen to the voices of my friends around me are magical. After a short break we mount back up and head for the next climb. I can see the bobbing lights of my companions ahead of me and hear the occasional laugh or swear echo back to me as we bounce our way over, around and through whatever comes our way. Even the thought of getting cold and covered with mud is pleasant during these times. As I'm gliding along these sections, I think of the thousands of people cloistered away in their living rooms, slouched in an easy chair flipping randomly through the cable television's offerings. They don't know how to live. They aren't out here with us tonight. I feel sorry for them. A cold beer at the tailgate of our parked cars as we begin to wind down from the ride tastes better than any 5-star meal you could imagine.
Sunday, Oct. 5 Distance - 39.02 Average - 16.7 Ending Mileage - 2657.7
I don't think the distance I have recorded for this ride is correct. I noticed that I had 38 miles in Old Deerfield on the way back to the shop, then only 39 at the finish? I'll have to check my bike to make sure that the computer is still working... 6 riders showed up at Bob's shop for this Sunday 1:00 ride. Things were pretty chilly (low 40s?) so we all bundled up pretty well and headed down River Road then through Whately and Conway before heading back to the shop via 116 and Old Deerfield. I wasn't feeling like I had too much power for the first 10 miles of the ride, so I was glad that the group was setting an easy pace. We had a wide mix of ability levels in the group but did a good job keeping things together by waiting at the tops of the climbs and slowing up once in a while for things to come back together. As Michelle, the two Chris's and I took the usual route to the reservoir, Bob took the slowest rider (I forget his name) on a shortcut and met us where we were waiting at the top of the climb. Just before the climb, I noticed Michelle enjoying a Gu and decided to treat myself to one as well. I don't know where Bob gets these things, but the packaging is pretty tough. Tearing the top of the Gu off with my teeth resulted in me spitting out a large chunk of my front tooth. There has got to be some way I can blame this on Bob. I hope he has insurance for these rides! From the top of the climb it was mostly downhill back to Deerfield except for a short section as we turned onto 116. Chris thought he was going to take the Deerfield sprint on 116 but I kept on his wheel as he moved past Michelle and was ready for it when the sign suddenly appeared. The line is right after a sharp turn with no warning, so I'm glad that Chris didn't know I was on his wheel. If he had picked up his pace just a bit more it would have been enough to stay ahead of me. As it was, I took the line by just half a wheel. I found myself out in front on Rte 5 coming back to Greenfield, so let myself drop back behind Chris and Michelle to save up energy for the final sprint. I went out for it early, not knowing if Chris was going to challenge me for it. I pulled past Michelle, shifted down a few more gears and pushed with everything I had, expecting to glimpse someone coming up beside me at any moment. I took the line then looked back to see Michelle and Chris rolling along 100 yards behind. There is no satisfaction to taking a sprint if nobody even challenges you for it! Once we got back to the shop, Bob hopped into the van to go pick up the new rider who had flatted on Hope St. He may be new, but he knows enough to slash his own tires if he doesn't feel like riding any further!
Sunday 10/5: With all the rain that we have had lately I was beginning to wonder if we would ever ride on dry roads again. The weather channel predicted a nice sunny day for a change, so I planned a ride for 1:00. It was a little windy and cool when I arrived at the shop, but the sun was out and I was ready to ride. Soon after I opened the shop Chris Dodson arrived and then Curt, Homer, Rick and Chris Koh followed. Curt's wife Betsey accompanied him down to the shop. She had planned to do a hike on the Rocky Ridge Trail while we were out riding. We decided to do the Whatley-Conway route and shortly after 1:00 we headed south on High Street. I led the group down to River Road in Deerfield with Curt doing the sweep duties. After the turn onto River Road I began the hill at the front of the bunch, but I drifted to the back about half way up to check in with Rick and Curt. This was Rick's first ride with us and I wanted to make sure he was doing OK. After the check in, I went to the front and we cruised along the road to the first big hill. Rick was quickly off the back and I went back to ride with him. He was doing fine, but this was only the fifth ride of the year and he was having a little trouble on the uphill sections. The group waited at the top of the last climb for Rick and I to arrive and then we all headed for Whatley. The group stayed together down to Christian Lane, where Rick got tailed off on the hill. I sent the others on ahead and told them to wait for us at the Whatley Ballet. When Rick and I got to the meeting spot he was getting a little fatigued so I told the group to head up Haydenville Road to Strippe Road and then over to the reservoir, where Rick and I would again meet up with them. After the group left, Rick and I headed out to do the big climbs of the ride. Rick did very well on the Haydenville Road climb. He paced himself all the way up and finished the climb without any difficulty. Rick and I then headed for the shortcut to Whatley Road and he did very well climbing the dirt section of Conway Road. We soon were at the top of the hill by the reservoir where the group was waiting. After a brief stop we all headed out to finish the ride. The group stayed together for most of the way down to Conway and we re-grouped at the top of the hill on RT. 116. I rode behind Chris Dodson on the descent down RT. 116 where the heavy traffic from the Festival of the Hills gave us some nervous moments. At one point when some knucklehead on a motorcycle decided to pass a car in a no passing zone, Chris got forced off the road into the shoulder dirt. I thought he was done, but he somehow managed to control the bike and get back onto the pavement without any trouble. That was good work to keep it upright at 25 mph!! Anyway, after that scary moment, we headed to the bottom of the hill where we re-joined the group at Lee Road. We stayed together all the way down Stillwater hill and through Old Deerfield, but Rick and I got tailed off on Main Street and we ended up riding back to Greenfield together. After we made the turn onto Washington Street, Rick said his rear tire was going flat. I stopped and used a CO2 to refill his tube, but shortly after that it went completely flat, so Rick started to walk and I went back to the shop to get the van. After picking up Rick, we returned to the shop where we hung out for a couple of minutes, talking about new bikes. We agreed to talk some more on Monday. Curt, Betsey and I then headed over to my house to do some work on my computer. Curt, Homer and Chris2, did 45 miles while Rick and I did 39 miles. It was a nice ride on a great fall afternoon.
Thursday, October 9th, Mt. Toby
For the last few days I've been battling my yearly fall cold, so
didn't know until afternoon if I was going to attempt to make tonight's ride or
not. By 3:00 or so, I was still feeling weak and trying to ignore a headache but
I decided to give the ride a try to see if it would help burn the remains of the
cold out of my body.
I dosed up on
aspirin and headed down to Bob's, where we loaded a half dozen bikes into the
van and headed to Mt. Toby. We met more cars at the parking area, for a total of
12 riders on tonight's ride. I've only been on Mt. Toby twice in my life. Once
hiking up the steep side and once with Adam during a thunderstorm (See July 1 on
my
2001 bike log page). So I'm not familiar with the trails at all. For the
most part, the trails we rode tonight were jeep trails and non-maintained gravel
roads tied together by shorter sections of singletrack. Some of the trails were
wet and we had to avoid some mud pits. There was also quite a lot of wet tree
roots and wet exposed ledge on the trail but for the most part it was very
rideable. My muscles were willing to do the work, but my lung capacity was
greatly reduced by the cold. I could hear the air in my lungs bubbling through
liquid as I tried to breathe deeper. I basically felt like I do in April after a
long Winter on the couch :( There was one long climb that started
with a short steep pitch, then continued on for about a mile at a slightly
easier angle. I did have to stop and catch my breath about 3/4 of the way to the
top and was huffing and puffing by the time I pulled up to the front half of the
group that was waiting at the top. I was glad that this was the last major climb
of the night. As I neared the top, I could feel the last of my reserves leaving
my legs.
Once over the top, we
faced a long descent down steep rocky loose gravel and rock on a narrow trail. I
know that in these conditions, it is sometimes best to maintain a good speed and
float over the rubble, but I didn't know the trails at all and didn't want to
come upon a surprise in the trail and not have time to slow down for it. So I
picked my way down the trail at 3MPH, riding the brakes all the way. At the
bottom of this section, we all had a break while Bob and Chris fixed a flat on
Chris's bike. From this point back to the cars was made up of some nice sweeping
downhill's, then a mile or two of paved road back to the parking area.
Hey Bob,
I didn't check email this morning and ended up going to the Mill River Rec Area
in N. Amherst for the Freewheeler ride. No one else showed up so I rode alone
not realizing you were going out. It was cool, mostly cloudy and windy as heck
as I got myself lost on lovely back roads. But It was also lonely, not the kind
of day that invited heroic solo riding like we did as kids yearning to break
away from all that was familiar and easy. There were only a few other riders
out and a lot of Geese looking for some clue as to where South is. They seem
somewhat disoriented this year. All seem to be headed mostly North. Then there
is all the road kill. More than any other year at this time. Lots of
squirrels..... 11 on today's ride alone. 2 coons. 2 muskrats. 2 skunks. Odd. I
found a delightful hill to climb which brought me onto a dirt road and an old
pasture where I stopped for lunch with chipmunks basking in the momentary sun.
Apples from an old tree supplemented my sandwich, some ancient variety hard as
a Mac but more bitter. It was a day , a ride, for reflection . Lying back on
softly bent spears of sweet-grass with eyes closed, images formed on the
eyelids merged with memories of a lifetime of Autumnal rides in the peaceful
countryside. It could have been my Michigan homeland or Vermont or
Massachusetts to which I awoke some moments later with two mountain-bikers
looking down at my limp form, wondering what sort of fool would ride these back
roads and cow trails on 25mm tires. Sam and Annie are in school in Amherst
where their bikes offer an easy means of exploration with the benefit of
clearing their heads and lungs and muscles of the week's lethargenic lifestyle.
I no longer pay much attention to road names even though my legendary sense of
direction most often leads me more to adventure than to whence I came. One must
learn, even as a man, to accept the kindness of strangers in returning to one's
car or to one's acknowledged life. The option , of course , is to ride far
enough away into strange territory to where one might begin a new life full of
new adventure while disavowing previous identity, job, family , and friends. I
wrote a short story about that once in college. Funny how silly ideas entertain
teachers and classmates. We live in a wonderful place to ride. The bike can take
us almost anywhere in the region while allowing us to interact with the world we
have chosen. Hope your ride was full of adventure and vision and sounds and
smells.
Roger
The following was sent to me by Steve Shattuck:
Sunday 10/12 Hello all. Happy grey Sunday. Let me start out my
newsletter this month by mentioning a feat by a Greenfield resident that is
pretty incredible. Ron Rancourt, a 25 year old postal worker that has used
TBS for some of his training has performed extremely well at the Hawaii
Ironman Championship that took place in Hawaii yesterday. Beck and I were
riveted to the computer for a good part of this 8 to 16 hour athletic
endeavor that Ron took part in and couldn't believe how well he did.
Out of about 1,600 world class athletes, Ron came in 360 overall. The
Ironman Triathlon, for those of you who don't know consists of a 2.4 mile
swim, a 112 mile bike race and a 26.2 mile running race (a marathon). Having
just completed a marathon last week, (and just barely hanging on to do it), I
cannot yet imagine running one after biking 112 miles and swimming 2.4. The
H.I. is a championship event that you must qualify for and Ron did just that
in order to get in. He was right in there, arm and arm with many other world
class athletes. In fact, from looking at the standings, here's a brief list
of homelands for 10 athletes that finished right around Ron: Italy, Germany,
New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, Brazil and Austria. In short, this is a
world class event with world class athletes and Greenfield had one right in
the middle of it all. Ron's strong suit is the run in which he always picks up
ground. After the swim portion of the event, Ron was in 800th place. After
the bike portion he picked up a few positions, but after the run he made his
way all the way down to 360th place. Awesome. Credit for part of Ron's good
showing should go to Physical Therapists Assistant Jim Lyons from OPT for
helping Ron out with his swimming. Jim is also an Ironman competitor and has
been a big help mentoring Ron. Ron's time was 10 hours, 14 minutes and 47
seconds.
Below are the ride reports submitted by Michelle.
Tuesday 10/14: Curt, Jamie and I met at Bennett Meadow. It was a beautiful afternoon - we were able to get away with short sleeved jerseys! I don't think that we will get many more opportunities to do that this year. Curt decided that after the lashing and abuse from the last time we did a Tuesday road ride (stream crossing, mud, dirt roads) that he was not going to pick the route. Jamie and Curt decided that I should pick the route so that in case something happens they can place all the blame on me. So, I thought that given the time of year that it would be nice to ride up the Bernardston side of Huckle Hill and enjoy the foliage. Rather than warming up on the hill, we headed down 63 to Swamp Road and then up to Turners and over to Greenfield and up 5/10. We all decided that we didn't have a whole lot of zip - it felt like one of those early March rides when you wish that you had done something more than hold the sofa down all winter. Once we turned on to 10 we Gu'd up and headed towards Huckle Hill. We took our time going up and actually looked at the trees. We saw houses (and geodesic domes) that we had not previously noticed. It was actually quite pleasant. I remarked about how some people pay thousands of dollars to bike touring companies to go on a foliage ride like this. We really do live in a beautiful area. When we got to the top, we bombed down the other side. I think Curt hit 53 mph. We then went out to 142 and headed back to Bennett Meadow. We were definitely done by the time we got back. I think Jamie had a giant fork stuck in him! We did 39 miles at a leisurely 17.4 mph. Anyway, it was a great ride on a beautiful day.
Thursday, October 16th, Montague: I don't' really have time to write about this ride tonight (off to Utah in the morning...). About a dozen of us showed up in Montague to ride in the plains. Tonight was my first ride on my new bike. I didn't quite have some of the adjustments just right (the seat would have been better about 1.5 inches higher for one thing) but it was a great ride! I felt a LOT more comfortable on the descents with the rear suspension soaking up a lot of the bumps and holding my rear wheel to the trail. The recent wind storms have left the trails littered with sticks and logs just looking for a derailleur to destroy. Bob was the first victim. He hit something that bent his derailleur right into the spokes of his wheel. When he tried to bend the hanger back, the soft aluminum started to crack. One of the other riders had a spare hanger, but there were more problems with the derailleur so he made a temporary repair and headed back to the cars. He tried to give us directions for the rest of the ride before leaving, but I didn't have much confidence that anyone REALLY understood this section of trails. After passing a few turns where there the opinion was split as to if we should go left or right, I was beginning to doubt if we would be home for sunrise. Mark was the next victim. On the bottom of a singletrack climb, a stick ripped the derailleur right off his bike. We took a few minutes to cut the cable so he could stick it in his backpack, then made a temporary repair to his chain so he could ride home in a fixed gear. No more than 20' further up the climb, a third rider was down when he broke his chain. This had us stopped for a good 20 minutes until they were able to get the repair link to work (with the help of some pliers). After all this, I was just glad to make it back to the cars in one piece!
Thursday 10/16: I just returned from Las Vegas yesterday and I did not get to send out an email for the ride. The short story is that we (K2 George and I) got to the airport in Newark and due to the high winds all the flights out were canceled. We rented a car and drove home. I got into Greenfield just in time for the power to go out. When I got to the shop today I planned on doing a ride to the ridge in Greenfield, but with the wind I figured that there would be a lot of trees down, so I was trying to figure out where else to ride. Five minutes later, in comes Ant Penny, and she says that she likes the Plains. So, the plains it is. I sent out an email about the ride and set off to finish the day. At 6:00 I packed up my van with bikes and then Curt and Jon hopped in for the ride to the parking spot. When we got to the plains we were met by Liam, Ant Penny, Mark Newton, Homer, MPM, Steve Daby, Rich Flye, Doug Linell, and Tom. After everyone got their gear together we then headed off to ride to the Telephone Pole Trail. Ant Penny led the way at a pretty good clip and soon we all were heading up the hill to the fire pit. Ant Penny and Doug wanted a little slower pace so they decided to take a different route out to the BPT Trail. The rest of the group decided to stay on the flat lands so we headed off to ride the rest of the Telephone Pole Trail. I was trying to stay near enough to the front of the pack to give directions, but also close to the last few riders to give assistance if needed. The group got out to Northfield Road where we took a right and headed for the Second First Left Trail. I then rode at the front all the way to the turn so that everyone would make the corner. After the group passed I hopped on my bike and caught up to the group as they hiked over a large tree that had fallen. We all stayed together for the ride out to Banked Trail and then we re-grouped at the end of the trail. We took the trail over to Plains Road where we took a right and then we took the next left. I rode near the front so that I could give directions to MPM, who was leading the pack. But when we got out to the power lines MPM went straight instead of taking a left onto Willis Hill Road. By the time I got to the turn MPM was quite a way up the trail so I just let him lead and I followed him up the hill. The trail is somewhat overgrown but I was able to ride all the way out to the fence. I had to get off at the fence because I missed the turn onto the path around it. After crossing the brook I rode up the hill to the water tanks where we all stopped to rest and gaze at the stars above. After everyone got a rest, I led the group over to the trail that takes us out to Willis Hill. We rode through the swamp with some of the riders getting pretty muddy in the process while myself and Mark managed to sail through without getting into the muck. After exiting the swamp I decided to take the group up the hill that parallels Willis Hill Road. I was doing great on the climb until I got right near the top and I felt a stick get into my derailleur. I stopped as quickly as I could but not before the derailleur got pushed into the spokes. I hopped off the bike and walked the short distance to the top of the hill and commenced to repairing the bike. It looked at first like I could bend the hanger out and the derailleur would be OK, but after pulling on the hanger it was bent beyond repair. Luckily, Rich Flye had a spare in his kit and we made the repair, but when we were done, I found that the "b switch" was broken and I could not shift into the larger cogs or the smaller rings. At this point I decided to head back down the hill and hook up with PJW and Doug. I rode down to the Big Pine Tree Trail but they had already left so I headed back to the van to await the arrival of the rest of the riders. When I got to the center of town I found Doug and Ant Penny waiting by Ant Penny's car. Ant Penny had transported the refreshments over from the shop, but she did not have any way to open the containers. "Ant Penny says: Never be first back to the car that has the refreshments, without making sure you have the bottle opener." Lucky for them I had the opening device and we soon were imbibing on the contents of the bottles. We were almost done with our drinks when the main group arrived, with tales of woe and wonder about the trip I missed. It seems that there was several mishaps out on the trail that required repairs of one sort or another, but all the riders returned, some were a little battered and had broken bikes, but all were in good cheer. This was furthered when they had the opportunity to get some of the refreshments that were provided by PJW and me. After a few minutes the riders started to feel the evening chill, so we packed up our bikes and headed for home. It was a fun ride on a nice fall evening.
Tuesday 10/21: It was an unsettled day today with thunderstorms in the morning giving way to wind and some sun in the afternoon. It was fairly warm at 6:00 when the riders arrived for our trip up to the Rocky Ridge and most of us dressed in shorts and short sleeved jerseys. Joining me for the ride tonight was Mark Newton, Guy Brunell, Eric, Sop, Harold and Matthew Green, Jack, and Chris Koh. We left the shop and rode over to the trailhead to begin the climb up to the ridge. I led the way up the hill to the steep part of the climb, where I slipped on a root and had to dismount. I waited until all the other riders had passed me before walking the last few yards to the top. I hopped on my bike and followed the group up the Blue Trail to the tower where we waited for everyone to arrive. We rode down the paved road to Temple Woods where we got onto the Blue Trail again. This is a fairly rocky and technical trail and some of the trail was covered in leaves which made it even trickier. I made my way out to the turn where I joined Chris, Mark and Jack to await the rest of the crew. After everyone arrived we headed out to do the Yellow Dot Trail down to Bears Den Road. I stopped on the steep section to warn the new riders of the danger and after everyone passed, I followed them down to the road. Jack was leading when we came to the left turn and he crashed hard on the corner, but he got up and said he was OK. We had to dismount when we got deeper into the woods due to the many trees that blew down in the last storm. After the hike we got out onto the trail and headed for Five Points. The group got split up here, Mark and I went to look for Jack and Eric and when we couldn't find them we rode over to the meeting spot and re-joined the group. I had the group give me a head start on the return so that I could stop at the next turn. After all the riders had gone by me, I hopped on my bike and caught up with Guy on the climb up to the Red Dot Trail. I made it all the way up and then the group took off to do the last section of this trail. I was doing fine until I caught up with Matthew. He had stopped on the trail and I pulled up short behind him. I jumped off the trail to allow the others behind me to pass, and when I did, I tripped on a rock and hit another rock with my knee. It made that cracking sound that you never want to hear. I froze for a minute with my bike on top of me. I checked for movement and when I was able to move I got up and walked a short way before getting back on the bike. I then rode over to the parking lot at Poet's Seat where I met up with the rest of the riders. We all then took the white trail back to the trailhead and we then rode to the shop. It was a little chilly but it was a nice night for a ride.
Thursday 10/23: I had asked several people to get me trail conditions for several of our favorite spots and most had said that the trails were very wet and not ready to accommodate large groups of riders. With that in mind I got a report that the ridge in Deerfield was relatively dry so I set that as our ride for tonight. It was only 34 degrees when I drove through town and with the wind it felt a lot cooler. When we got to the parking spot we were met by Liam, Homer, Chris Koh, and Jack. After we got the bikes and lights ready I suggested that we take a different route tonight. After some discussion everyone agreed and so we headed off to ride up the Mud Mile. At the top of the climb we took a left and then rode up the Refrigerator Trail. I rode at the front until we got to the 'Fridge where I stopped to make sure that everyone made the turn. After we got to the top of the hill we rode up Pine Nook Road to the trailhead for the ridge run. I like this route because it is pretty tough but if I pace myself I can ride all the way up to the Rock. I sent Liam and Jack on ahead but they took a wrong turn and I then ended up riding up the hill behind Chris and Homer. When we got to the turn at the top I then went to the front to ride over to the road. At this point Liam, Jack and Chris went over to do the trail at the ski slope, while the rest of us headed the short distance up the road to the top. After everyone arrived we headed off to do the Pocumtuck Ridge. As I rode along I got some brush stuck in my cassette and I could not use my smaller cogs. This made it very difficult to keep up with the others and I arrived at the power lines well after the rest of the bunch. When I stopped to view the problem, Chris Koh provided the knife to cut the debris from my gears. After cleaning my gears I then took the lead on the last segment of this trail. Liam was following me with the others right behind him, but I soon put some distance on him and I made it to the end of the trail out of sight of the group. The last segment of the trail is mostly downhill and you can get going at 30 mph as you near the finish. It is important to note that there is a large fence at the trailhead and if you are not aware of it, you could easily crash into it, with painful results. I alerted the riders as they approached and when all had arrived we headed down the paved road to the next trailhead. I led the way and held the cable up so that the riders could pass underneath, then I sprinted to the front to lead the way to Clapp's Pond. When we arrived at the pond we found that the bridge had been washed downstream and we had to ford the brook by leaping from rock to rock. When everyone got across we then headed up the hill to the power lines. I led the way down to the turn which is somewhat tricky because of the waterbar. When the group got over the waterbar, they started to climb up the Stairmaster. This is the MT. Everest of climbs here in the valley. I mean that it is moderately steep at the bottom and it gets steeper and steeper as you make your way up the hill. As you near the top it seems like the trail goes straight up and is never going to end. I can usually ride up the entire hill at a pretty slow pace, but tonight I only made it 3/4 of the way before having to stop. I was somewhat disappointed, but there is always the next time. When I got to the top of the hill the group was waiting for me. We were all pretty tired so we decided to head back on the same trail that we came out on. I rode near the front most of the way across the ridge and I took the lead on the descent down the road. When I got to the bottom the group was not that far behind so I just took the lead and we rode down the Refrigerator Trail to the Mud Mile which led us back to the cars. It was pretty cold tonight so we stayed only briefly and after loading our bikes Sop and I headed back to the shop. It was a great ride.
Tuesday, October 28: After several days off the bike (Utah) tonight's ride at the Coke plant was pretty tough. The trails were very wet and covered with sticks. I got mud or something in my drive train and had to deal with a lot of skipping and jumping when I really needed the power to get up some hills. I was also very overdressed for the temperatures, so half the moisture that ended up soaking my clothes by the end of my ride was probably sweat. Eric took a spectacular fall as we all stood watching He was trying to make it up a very steep hill while we were waiting for some other bikers behind us to catch up. He got about half-way up before his front wheel left the ground. As he tried to unclip, the bike went right over backwards, slamming him down so the middle of his back landed right on a stump. From there he bounced further down the hill and bounced his head off a log. For a moment I was having visions of needing to call EMS, but he got up and shook it off with no more damage than a sore knee.
Tuesday 10/28: Our ride tonight was to celebrate the opening of the Chute and the Hill of Doom Trails that have been unrideable for the last year or so. There were 11 riders that gathered at the shop for our trip. Joining me tonight was Walter Goodridge, Gary Fenton, Sop, Eric, Jack, Jon, Rich Flye, Mark Newton, Jamie Laurin, Curt, and Guy Brunell. I got a late start due to some last minute repairs for a customer and helping out with the loaner lights. I managed to get ready by 10 after 6 and soon the group was heading down the sidewalk to Gill Road. We made it over to the highway in no time and we then headed into the woods on the other side of the road. I was riding at the back of the group and watched as the group rode through the stinkhole. Everyone made it across until Curt's turn came. He was right behind Gary when Gary missed the bridge and Curt then ended up in the water. I managed to stop on the bank and waited until they got going before crossing. After he got to the other side of the stinkhole, Curt found that his gears were jamming up. I suspected that he picked up a rock or stick when he went into the muck, but we could not see the problem when we stopped so he kept on riding. The group was waiting for us at the truck turnout and I just rolled through on my way to the trailhead. I decided to try the loop out to the Cellar Hole Trail to avoid the mud in the swamp. I rode over to the turn and stopped to give direction to the following riders. I rode down the hill into the woods and we were greeted by quite a bit of mud and water at the bottom. There was a group of riders bunched up at the brook. All of them were on one bank, leaving me room to go through the water, which I did and soon I was on the other side riding up the hill. This little exercise was soon to be forgotten as the next section of mud sucked my chain up and I had to soft pedal until I could shift. This would be my fate for the rest of the evening. Every encounter with mud would result with me struggling to free up my chain. After I got to Five Points the group was ready to go so I sent them up the hill to ride over to Luke. I rode in the middle of the group and picked my way up the log and stick strewn trail to the water tank. When I got there we waited for the rest of the crew before heading over to the power lines and down to Red Rock. I followed Walter as we headed over to the power lines and he fell a couple of times on the way over but he got right up. We re-grouped at the top of Red Rock and I told the group about the Chute. I reminded the group that the trail is very steep and that everyone needed to be careful going down. At this point the group voted to have me lead the way down the hill, which I did for a short way, until a large stick got caught in my wheel and I had to dismount. Several riders went by me before I could get going and when I got to the Chute I found that the trail was now a brook and the leaves that I had cleaned off on Sunday were now back on the trail and slick as ice. I managed to get most of the way down the hill, but a rider had stopped in the trail and I had to dismount. At this point I pulled off and let the rest of the group go by and then I followed them. I caught up with the front of the bunch just as they missed the turn and I hollered to them to turn back, which they did. I waited at the turn for the rest of the guys and then followed them down to the bottom of the Hill of Doom. When I got down to the trail turnoff I noticed that everyone had missed it and they were climbing back up to the logging road so I followed. At the top of the hill we discussed the route and I gave directions to the group so that we would end up at the top of the Streambed Trail. As the riders headed off they encountered huge puddles and for the most part they rode around them. but I had been on these trails on Sunday and there was no water so I figured that the recent rain left shallow puddles. Wrong! I rode through several puddles until I got to a fairly large one near the end of the trail. I rode into it and my rear wheel disappeared into the muck. I was knee deep in the goop and my bike was really stuck. A couple of people helped me pull it out and I was soon on my way. My bike was shifting really crappy and so I waited until I got to the Streambed Trail and I rode up the hill in the brook. This worked well until I again rode into a fairly deep mud hole and got stuck again. By the time I got out of the mud I was the last rider up the hill. As I got near the top I came upon Mark Newton who was stopped with a broken derailleur. He was all done and he headed back to the shop. I rode up the hill to where the riders were waiting. From there I led the group up the steep Crossover Trail. I waited at the top of Luke for everyone to catch up and then I rode on ahead to clear some of the larger logs from the trail. After everyone passed I followed them for the last loop of the night. We headed up the Secret Trail and then down to Deer Run. After hopping over a large tree we headed back down the hill to the Coke Plant. We regrouped at the fallen tree that blocked the brook crossing and then hoofed it through the woods. I led the riders back to the highway crossover and then we all headed back to the shop. It was a muddy ride, but everyone had fun. After cleaning their bikes with out hose, the riders headed home.
10/30 The Greenfield Ridge. Under brilliantly starry skies our stalwart group (MPM, Eric, Ben, Michelle, Liam, Mark Newton, Steve, Sop...a real good group). departed from the shop around 6:30 (after patiently waiting for me to arrive and get my stuff together...thanks, guys!). We headed right up the cliff side climb to Poet's Tower, which swiftly humbled us. Everything being incredibly leafy and wet provided a challenge that would stay with the group all night long. No one made the first steep rutted section of the climb and sadly, no one made the final rocky section just before the tower (much to my disgruntlement, I usually nail this little section-damn). Once on top, standing next to the tower, the group was delighted to see a brilliant display of the northern lights filling the star-filled night sky (an unusual bonus due to recent solar flare activity). The sublimity of this experience is hard to pen, but suffice it to say we were all elated by the celestial display. From here we dropped down the switchbacks to the white trail and met up at the parking lot/ entrance to poet's seat. Once we all regrouped we crossed the road into sachem's head reserve and proceeded to climb the blue trail. For those unfamiliar with this trail, let me tell you it's a fairly rocky-rooted, rugged grinder of a climb...made even more rugged due to extensive leaf cover and recent rains. After our slog up this trail we turned off on the yellow trail to bears den road and then down the white trail to the power lines. At this point the group briefly split, with some of us taking the low road and some of us trying our hand at Joe's hill, a little steep rocky knob that crosses off the top of the power lines. Again, none of us were up to clearing this challenging little incline...but here's to trying! We met up at five points and opted to not take the green trail due to mud concerns but instead took the main trail around to the foot of sachem's head lookout on bear's den road. From here we all attempted to climb the uber-steep switchback up to the platform lookout...some of us did better than others with MPM and Sop making the best showing of it. Once we ascended this climb, I encouraged (tricked) the group into hiking our bikes all the way up to the cliff side wooden platform lookout atop Sachem's Head...this is a fairly vigorous task not made any easier after a long ride. I had hoped to get another stellar view of the Northern lights, however, they had disappointingly dissipated considerably from their earlier brilliance (dang!), but the view was still pretty great. At this point the viewpoints of the groups diverged with the curmudgeonly grousing of some ("Hey I came out to ride my bike not carry it..etc.") and the enthusiastic adventurousness of others ("Cool, now we get to ride down this rock?!?). Personally, my take is if you don't climb up to the lookout and take the gnarly blue trail down, you didn't ride the ridge. I admit, the Greenfield ridge is one of the more challenging and arduous rides in the shop ride repertoire. But I think that's a reason to revel in it's tougher challenges, we all need a little trail humbling once in a while...it makes the beer that much sweeter. Anyway, we descended from the lookout down the blue trail over some really bony terrain. Lots of rocky-pitches and crags, all on the edge of a several hundred foot cliff. On one particularly challenging descent (where most of us walked down) MPM, Sop, and Eric attempted to clear this tough terrain. After several hair-raising falls and repeated attempts, Sop and MPM conquered the Rocks (good work boys. and to Eric too for trying!). From here we stayed on the blue trail all the way to the road, MPM led us back to the shop via the white trail (a fun and challenging little traverse). When we returned to our cars, we found that MPM's meager beer supply had been supplemented magically by the Good Beer Fairy who left some cold ones in Michelle's car! Thanks Bob!
Friday, October 31st: We had a few new riders on tonight's ride, so Bob took us on a fairly flat ride on the plains. The sandy parts of the trails were nice (the sand, being wet, wasn't able to suck our wheels down as well). Once we got off the power lines and into the woods, we hit some very wet muddy trails. We made our way all the way to John and Kate's house where we trick-or-treated for candy, then made a pretty straight shot down the power lines back the shop where we had a Halloween party of snacks, pizza and beer
Friday 10/31: Halloween ride! Tonight we had our annual Spook Night ride from Montague Center. Joining me for this ride was Stephanie, Chad, Curt, Jack, Laura, Homer, Sop, and Norm. We arrived at the common in Montague Center where there were 93,000 trick-or-treaters infesting the street. These people were dressed in all manner of funny clothing and they were cavorting about the village making noise and asking for candy from the unsuspecting denizens of the berg. We tried to be polite but Lord knows what kind of skullduggery these folks could be up to so we hopped on our bikes and headed out of town as fast as we could. As soon as we were safely on the trails we were able to relax and enjoy the evening. I rode with Jack and Chad at the front of the group, stopping at the turns to make sure everyone stayed on course. We rode the Toilet Bowl Trail out to the power lines and continued over to Red Rock. I got jammed up on the climb up Red Rock but I was able to pedal over the cross over and then I headed up the Swamp Road. This trail is now a brook and it is also covered with large branches and well as some larger trees that blew down recently. Chad and I were the first over the top of the hill and we encountered a sapling that was pinned across the trail on the descent. Chad and I dismounted and with some help from the other riders, we were able to free it up. This gave the riders a passage underneath it and soon we all were on our way. I led the group the rest of the way down the hill and then we continued on the swamp trail which was not as wet as I had feared. When we got out to Willis Hill Road I was still in the lead. I headed down the hill with another rider right behind me and we opened up a gap on the group. As we got to the rocky section of the road, the rider behind me was closing fast, so I told him to pass but to be careful. That rider was Sop and he thought that I was giving him my line to follow. At the time I was riding on the left side of the trail and he stayed left as he went over the drop off. This was a mistake!!! There is a big ravine right after the drop and Sop went right in and flipped over the handlebars. I was going too fast to stop right there but when it was safe I pulled over and then I saw Sop get up and continue down the hill. Whew!! When he caught up to me he said he was OK and so I continued on the trail. The group headed from the hill out on the flatter section of trails to Parrott's Passage. I led the way and then waited for everyone to catch up before we rode over to Parrottville. We stopped at Nice Kate's house and visited with her and Parrott for a few minutes before heading out to finish the ride. We rode down Old Northfield Road and then down the Telephone Pole Trail to the hard top road. We finished the ride back in the center of town where the hooligans were still at it. We packed up and headed back to the shop where MaryEllen, PJW and Betsey had a nice party waiting for us. We all feasted on pizza and then we had cake and cookies to finish the meal. It was a great ride and a really nice party.