October 2005 Ride Report Page           
Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month October 2005 more or less as they happened. Please note that the ride reports are the results experienced by the writer and not necessarily a reflection of all the rides 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. 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.

Sunday 10/2: There was a ride today at 1:00 from the shop, but I was not able to go as I had to open the shop. It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine and very warm temperatures. A group of riders that included David Bradbury, Tom Terrific, Curt, Michelle, Socks and several others. The group left the shop a little after 1:00 for a trip to Shutesbury and I will get more info on what the ride was like a little later.

Monday 10/3: After not getting a ride in yesterday, I decided to try to get out for a ride today. It was a bright, beautiful day with un-seasonably warm temperatures so I gave my LT Jamie a call. As it turns out, Jamie had just gotten home from work and he said that he would join me. Jamie arrived a little after 2:30 and soon we were on the road heading north. I wanted to do the Guilford Center ride so that I could lose the curse that this ride has had on me all season. Up to this point I have never finished this ride without stopping for a crash, repair a bike or flat tire in the four times we have done it this year, so this was the curse breaker. I led Jamie from the shop and we rode north through Bernardston at a 21 mph pace and we settled into a nice tempo as we headed out of town. I stayed at the front for most of the way to the Vermont state line, where Jamie took over. We rode the rest of the way to the turn in Guilford with me at the front. After the turn onto Guilford Center Road, Jamie took the lead and it was just in time as I was getting a little tired. Jamie and I took turns for the next few miles and soon I was recovered. We climbed the hills back into Mass and we soon were on the long downhill run from Leyden to Greenfield. As we headed down the hill Jamie's wheel started to squeal and vibrate so he slowed way down on the descent. At the bottom of the hill I waited for Jamie and we rode back to the shop together. We ended the curse on this ride with a 20 mph average and not one mishap.

Tuesday 10/4: I scheduled another ride for the Montague Plains tonight so that any of the newer riders could get a night ride in on fairly tame trails. It is still very warm and sunny for this time of year and I was glad to still be able to ride in shorts and short sleeves.  I left the shop with Curt following me and we got over to the center of Montague at 6:20. We were met by Gary Fenton, Mark Newton, Snakeboy, Jack, and Chris Williams. After getting our gear together we headed out from the common to the Telephone Pole Trail. After Curt nearly killed himself on the guy wire that he hit, we headed up the hill to the fire pit where we regrouped. We rode over to the Banked Trails and took the Toilet Bowl Trail out to the power lines. I rode at the back of the pack with Snakeboy and when we got out to the power lines the group headed right off to do the Pine Forest Trail. I led the boys over to the trail and then led them up the hill. As I got to the really steep part of the trail I took a bad line and ended up walking a few yards to where I could remount to ride the rest of the way up the hill. When I got to the turn at the top of the hill there were a few riders waiting and soon after I arrived, the rest of the group came up the hill. After a brief rest we headed over to Sock Hill and then we rode down the steep trail that leads to Red Rock. At the bottom of the hill I noticed that Gary was quite a ways behind so I sent the rest of the boys up Red Rock to the Swamp Road to wait for us. Gary came right along and we soon joined the rest of our crew. We rode up Swamp Road to the Kiabuckus Trail where I took the lead. I rode up the hill and made the turn onto the I-H Trail and the rest of the crew followed me. As I got to the top of the hill, Chris told me that the group was getting strung out so I hung back and waited for the last rider to arrive. When Gary arrived, he and I rode up the hill to where the rest of the group was waiting and then we headed up the Swamp Trail. I was amazed at the number of guys that spilled on the very large tree that blocked the trail, since there was a very noticeable trail around that hazard. With all the riders either on the ground or waiting to get over the tree, I was able to go from last to second on the trail. I followed Mark down the hill to the swamp and then led the group over to the Kiabuckus Trail. Everyone followed me up the hill and when I got to the top of the hill, I took a right onto the I-H Trail and I just kept on going up the hill. After getting to the turn I stopped and waited for everyone to catch up. We turned right on the trail that parallels Willis Hill and rode out to Willis Hill Road. I followed Mark and Steve down the hill to the BPT Trail and when all the riders were in sight, I made the turn and headed out to the Big Pine Tree. After touching the tree, I continued on for a ways and ended up riding over Red Rock with Gary, Curt and Snakeboy. When we got to the sand pits, I led the group down the sand road to the Snowshoe Trail. We took the Snowshoe Trail over to the banked trails and then took the Second First Left back to the Telephone Pole Trail. I ripped the Telephone Pole Trail all the way to the bottom of the hill where I eased up a bit to wait for everyone to get to the hardtop road. We all rode back to the common and I sprinted to the finish just ahead of Curt and a few others. We all had a great ride and we look forward to a nice Fall riding season.

Wednesday 10/5: It was another beautiful summer-like day today and I headed down to Eaglebrook to ride with the kids. I arrived at the gym parking lot to find a group of boys riding around the area and another group working on their bikes. I had brought a couple of repaired bikes with me and after I unloaded them and my bike, I headed over to lend a hand with the "repair dept". I helped with a couple of minor adjustments and a flat tire and was just finishing up when the NMH caravan arrived. Hughes and Michelle brought 5 boys with them and they quickly got their gear together and we were ready to roll. After discussing the route with Mr. Lakey and Mr. Landenberger, we decided to do the Over The River route. Mr. Lakey took the lead and the rest of us followed him out of the parking lot and up the hill to the trails. The group got pretty well spread out as we headed past the Schwab Pool, and by the time we got to the Mud Mile, you could not see the back of the pack from the front of the group. I rode with Mr. Lakey at the front until I got to the turn onto the OTR Trail. At that point, I stopped at the turn and waited for the riders to come along. This turn is easy to miss because you are coming down a hill at a pretty fast clip and the turn itself is not that visible from the trail. I waited for the last rider to come by and then followed him down the trail. I came upon Hughes and a group of kids waiting for me at a trail junction. I directed them onto the OTR and then headed up the trail myself. This is a very tricky trail to ride due to lots of loose rocks, slippery roots and gooey mud. The group got jammed up a couple of times due to riders either dismounting on the trail or falling on the rocks. We managed to get everyone up the hill without too much difficulty and soon we were all at Pine Nook Road. From the road we headed over to the access road to climb up the hill to Red Rock. This road is the service road for the ski hill as well as the radio and microwave towers at the top of the ridge and it is a long, fairly steep climb. I began the hill in dead last place, but as soon as the pitch steepened, I started to catch and pass riders as they rode/walked up the hill. I can usually ride up the entire hill in my middle ring, but today I needed to shift into my little ring on the section just before the ski lift. When I got to the ski lift, Mr. Lakey and several boys were waiting for me and I asked them to stay there while I rode to the top. I wanted to get some photos of the riders coming up the hill, so I pedaled past them and rode up to the ridge. I took lots of shots of the riders as they climbed the hill. When everyone had gotten to the top I headed over to the rock where the group was taking in the views. Although the views are always great here, today we had lots of haze in the valley which made it not quite as good as it usually is. After a brief rest I led the boys down the trail to the power lines where we re-grouped before heading down the steep descent. I rode down the first part of the hill and waited at the bottom to get some videos of the kids coming down the hill. It was pretty hairy at times but everyone made is down the hill in one piece. After the last rider had passed me I rode down the hill to Steam Mill Road where Mr. Lakey and the boys were waiting for me. Michelle and Hughes were still up on the mountain, rounding up the last few stragglers and a couple of kids who took a wrong turn. After everyone was present and accounted for, we headed back to school. It was a fun ride, but the boys were pretty tired at the end. I took some photos of the group out on the trails and they are posted at this link: 10-5.

Thursday 10/6: Tonight I had scheduled a ride for MT. Toby and although it was a great night for a ride, I was not feeling up to the task. I have been coming down with a "bug" of some sort and I needed to stay home tonight. Mark Newton went down to the parking spot at the pond where he met up with a couple of other riders. The three of them went out for a ride on the mountain and came back after an hour or so.

Monday October 10:
Columbus Day at Noon; It was raining lightly as I piled the kids and bikes into the car for a trip up to Wendell. I hadn't been up there since the Harpoon Event and Jeffrey and Allison had never ridden Wendell. We arrived in the middle of a heavy drizzle, and I expected the kids to get sick of this really quick - so we headed up to the Accessible Ski Trail paralleling Montague Rd. This trail was in pretty good condition considering all the rain we had been having with only a few places with running water and almost no mud. Matt and Jeff took off in the lead while I stayed with Allison at a pace she was comfortable with while warming up. She was on her first trail ride with clipless pedals and was consistently having a difficult time clipping in her left foot. At the end of the trail we bombed down Dirth Rd. and headed up Carlton Rd. to the West Wicket Pond Trail. This trail still needs a lot of grooming to be a reasonable bike trail - many too many pungies remain. We all had a pretty difficult time with Al taking one good spill, Jeff walking quite a bit and I caught my pedal on some laurel stumps a couple of times which resulted in 'dismounts at speed'. We stopped for lunch at the picnic spot and watched a deer across the pond while munching on sandwiches, Clif Bars and Gu.

After the lunchtime boost of energy we headed over to the Nipmunk trail. Everyone rode it very well, both Jeff and Allison clearing most of the roll-overs and logs, most accompanied by a squeal or two. Allison declared herself 'Awesomated' by the experience and her grin was as big as some of the hucks her big brother took by the time we reached the bottom of Baker Rd. At the bottom we opted to climb up Saxon's Bridge Rd., rather than Baker Rd. because I suspected that there would be quite a bit of running water on Baker and I wanted the kids to keep their feet as dry as possible. At the top of the hill we headed back into the woods on the Maple Leaf Trail and road out to the swamp. At the swamp Allison and Jeff decided they had had enough of the rocks and roots, so the three of us headed back to Damon Camp Rd via the road while Matt continued on the Maple Leaf Trail the rest of the way to the intersection.

While we waited for Matt the kids said they still had a few more miles in their legs, so, when Matt got there, we decided to take a spin out to Whales Head. He took the lead up Damon Camp Rd. and then headed up Baker Rd. to Hannah Swarton while the younger two and I stayed on the road all the way to the parking area for Whales Head. After playing on the rock for a while we heard Matthew bombing through the woods and appearing on the trail below the rock. After a short break we all headed back on the road to the car, loaded up and headed down out of the hills. I was certainly a proud dad at how well all my kids had ridden some pretty difficult stuff, in some very difficult conditions. I don't expect there are many more 11-year-old girls around that would be comfortable tackling those trails at 55 degrees in the rain.

Harold

10/7 to 10/15: It has rained for this entire week, with flooding and torrential downpours from time to time. We have not had a ride scheduled and from what I am hearing, not too many people have been out on their bikes. I am hoping to get a ride in tomorrow if it does not rain.

Saturday and Sunday 10/14-15: I think that maybe I have been taking the name of the season, "Fall," a little too literally lately. It seems that when Fall rolls around, I turn black and blue. 'Cross season is officially underway for me now as I have my characteristic black and blue 'cross shoulder. Someday I'll learn how to carry my bike.

Anyway, my trip to Maine was a muddy schooling. Saturday was a UCI race so I did the B race. I wasn't feeling the need to pay $75 for a UCI license so that Lyne Bessette could lap me. It rained most of Friday and Friday night (and Saturday too) in Maine so the ground was really soft and as soon as people started to ride the course, it quickly turned into a giant mud pit. I don't think I've ever been so muddy. There were two off camber dirt sections that quickly became unrideable. The mud was literally a foot deep. Our race was 40 minutes/5 laps. By the 4th lap, there were 4 places I had to get off and run, not including the barriers. Speaking of which, I usually dread barriers but they were the highlight of my race. I was much smoother going over these barriers than any others I have encountered so that was good. Anyway, long story short, the women who finished 1st and 2nd rode off the front right from the start. I was with them for the first half a lap and then lost it entirely, slipping to 5th place and then went back and forth from 3rd - 5th for the remainder of the race to finish 4th. Not too bad considering that I hadn't ridden my cross bike since Lake Pleasant. The ribs were mostly OK, but I was definitely sore by the end.

Sunday's race... well, it was horrible. I had a bad day, and so did my bike. I did the elite race and it was all I could do to just finish. I didn't come in last place, but pretty darned close. More mud, more rain, more pain. Yet, despite all of that, I find myself already looking ahead to my next race.
Michelle

Sunday 10/16: It was a cloudy and somewhat cool day today, but the big story was the wind. The wind was blowing at a steady 25 mph with gusts to over 50mph when I arrived at the shop. I was soon joined there by Dougie, Wilbert, Walters, Gary Fentin, Robert Burnett and Mark Newton. I was delayed as usual and we did not leave the shop until 20 after 1:00. When we finally got going, I led the boys out of the parking lot and down High Street. I had shortened the planned route by 10 miles due to the wind. Our original plan was to ride down to Northampton and then take RT. 9 to Williamsburg, but I decided to ride to Whatley and take Haydenville Road instead. I led the group all the way from the shop to Old Deerfield where I pulled off to get some rest. Even 5 miles into that wind was pretty tough and I knew that there was much more to come and that wasn't even counting the hills. The group stayed pretty tight as we made our way down Mill Village Road and I managed to get some rest before my turn came again. I rode up the hill on Mill Village with Will and when we made the corner I noticed that Mark and Walters were a little behind. We slowed the pace a little and soon we were all together again. After making the turns onto Stillwater Road and RT. 116 we rode down to So. Mill River Road and headed out onto the open road near the farms. The winds were brutal and our speed dropped from 22 mph to about 17 mph as we headed towards Whatley Center. After getting over the hills into Whatley it was clear that the pace was too high for Walters, so we backed it off a bit as we turned onto Haydenville Road. I tried to keep the pace mellow, but Walters was falling off on the hills and when I was near the top, Gary came by to say that we should not wait up for Walters. At that point I rode on ahead and started down the other side of the hill. I followed Mark and Robert down the hill and then up the next steep hill. When I got to the top of the hill I looked behind and I could see Gary and Walters coming over the crest of the hill. We all turned around and rode back to Walters. Walters said that he was tired and he and Gary would be heading for home. After Gary and Walters left we were down to five riders. We headed towards Haydenville and we all took turns at the front into a very stiff cross and headwind. When we got to RT.9 I thought that we would take the back roads over to Williamsburg, but the roads were closed so we ended up riding on RT. 9 all the way to Williamsburg. We took the Williamsburg Road all the way to South Ashfield where we turned onto RT.116 to head for Conway. At this point we got a nice tailwind, too bad it was on the downhill portion of the ride. Anyway, we rode down the hill into Conway at a 25 mph pace. When we got to the hill out of town we were all pretty tired and we rode up the hill at 12 mph. I rode over the crest of the hill and down the other side to Lee Road where we slowed up to let Dougie and Robert catch back on. After riding down Lee Road we took Mill Village back to Old Deerfield. Robert dropped off at Deerfield Academy (where he is a student) and the rest of us rode back to the shop via the Hope Street route. We finished the ride with 50 miles at 18.3 mph. Not too bad considering the conditions.

10/16: Two Weeks-that's two long weeks I've been off the bike (any bike!). It's been an unusually hectic Fall-my wife was away for a week and then,, there was that rain. And Rain, and, oh yeah, rain. But finally, on a merely windy Sunday-a window of opportunity burst open--I had noting to do but ride. Problem was, I had had a big 10th Anniversary Party the night before with much libation and Song with my friends, Family, and tireless Irish cousins (Danny Boy till three in the morning!!). But, when Chris Koh called and held out the carrot of Bachelor Street before me-I shook off the delirium tremens, the dry mouth, the fatigue, dusted off the old Razorback-and drove off to Granby to sample the rocky wilderness of the famed Bachelor Street Trails. It was a crisp (frankly, ideal!) day-around 3:00pm by the time we suited up and hit the trails. I led Chris up through the logging zone over to the new singletrack trails surrounding the old roller coaster trail. A good warm up as it is mostly uphill-but not overly technical (well-not for Bachelor Street, anyway). Our first real test came when we hit the legendary Jacob's Ladder--being a little worse for wear-and a little rusty-I decided to hit the killer trails in the "easier" (but not easy!) direction. In spite of the rain, Jacob's ladder rode wonderfully- I was a little off my game in the fine tuned technical area-but my lungs and legs were up to the task. We both got thru Jacob's ladder with a minimal of dabbing-though, Chris fessed up too one crash along the way. He also told me this was only the second time he had ridden that trail--it's a trail that requires a good deal of familiarity to ride well! From there we rode over to the newly improved Raptor trail--one of the finest-yet little used trails in the Bachelor St, milieu in my opinion. At several points we found ourselves crossing raging streams, deep standing water and even rode up against currents of drainage--a lot of fun actually--the water gave the whole place a real adventure wilderness feel and it was just warm enough to make wet feet not too much of a burden to bear. I then led Chris down another new trail that connects the far side of the Technical Trail with end of Serpentine (a much needed bypass of he perennially flooded lower access trail!). From here we rode Serpentine all the way out to the upper access trail.

Next we began the long slow slog up the double track upper access trail--now even though this is just a rutted old jeep road-mostly avoided by bikers-I must admit I love this trail--I never bypass it-it's one of the few sustained climbs at Bachelor Street-it has some challenging rocky ups, and it allows me to regroup between the singletrack nuttiness at Bachelor Street. Today, it was also a rushing streambed! The whole way up required riding through downward rushing water (actually-this was a lot of fun). We then worked our way over too Missing Persons via the rather fun and challenging Lost and Found Trail (knowing the nomenclature of Bachelor St makes a big difference!). Yes, Mark, we rode Missing Persons in the Easy Direction--but it ain't easy- this is really one of the best technical trails in New England-on Par with our own Hannah Swarton-really a lot of fun. After MP we decided to finish our ride with a descent down the beloved, well-worn Twister-and, it was the icing on the cake. back at the cars we rhapsodized a little about the joys of the sport, biking in general, and then left to find dinner.

Man I love this sport--btw, I think we need to do a shop ride at the Batch-It's still one of the best!
Liam

Tuesday 10/18: Hi all…hope things are going well back home.  Geez, though from the looks of it, you all should be floating away by now...we in San Diego are enjoying some rain of our own--2 to 3 days of showers.  I was just thinking how it was nearly two years ago on that Halloween night that I went for my first night ride with Bob and the gang...how times flies. 

Racing and riding has been going very well.  I finished strong in downhill on the NORBA circuit, winning the 2005 NORBA NMBS championship for expert women 25-29.  In total, I raced nationals at Phoenix (super d and XC only), Deer Valley UT, Brian Head UT, and Snowshoe WV.  In Mammoth for US Nationals, I came in 3^rd for dh and fourth in my newest venture: mountain cross (I also did dual slalom in WV).  Also, I raced the Cal State series for super d and came in 2^nd in the state…plus, we’ve done a lot of random races here and there.  In the “for fun only” riding category, this summer saw a large group of us up in Whistler, the North Shore, and the Hood River valley.  Below, I included the race report I wrote up for the race we did a few weekends ago in Ensenada, Baja California.  It was a truly unique experience, and we’re going back at the end of November.  Also, next weekend, we put together a small jump/dh clinic with none other than Marla Streb…the first lady of DH.  Needless to say, it’s been busy!  Hopefully, it’ll dry out soon for you so that you can get out on the trails…I’ll try to send some California sun your way! 

Ensenada Race Report:

Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Saturday-Sunday, October 8 & 9, 2005

At pretty much the “last minute” (11 pm on Friday night), Dan and I decided to head down to Ensenada for the Gran Final del Campeonato, Pista Escalones downhill race.  Since this would be my first ever trip to Mexico (yes, I know you are saying…”What?!  You lived in Arizona for a year and have spent a few months in San Diego so far, and this was your first time in Mexico?!”), I was pretty excited about going down.  Dan had done a few races there and assured me it would be a really fun time.  So, we packed up on Saturday afternoon, and made the 90-minute drive across the border and south to the seaside city of Ensenada.  Along the way, we drove through Rosarito, checking out the local scenery.  We soon arrived at our destination, and with a couple hours to spare before meeting Manny Vargas at “the flag”, we decided to walk around and get lunch.  Somehow, I ended up eating spaghetti…and drinking a margarita…my taste buds were a little confused J We finally met up with Manny, and were soon after met by Steve Mohr, Curtis, Steve’s daughter Nikki, and her boyfriend Mark. 

With daylight fading fast, we drove south out of Ensenada and out to the downhill course.  I was expecting the course to end up in a country-ish area, but instead, it came out at the bottom of a neighborhood, amongst a bunch of houses and apartments.  We pulled up, got out, and were met by a large group of wide-eyed kids, some on bikes, some not.  They seemed immediately fascinated by our presence, probably due mostly to the fact that there aren’t many girls who ride bikes there.  They were also trying to score some of the tires we brought.  We kept saying “mañana” because we wanted to give them away after the race.  We got dressed, and realized there wouldn’t be enough time to shuttle up in one of the trucks.  There was a large group of SoCal riders present, and still hanging around, so a bunch of us decided to push up most of the way, then take a quick run down.  The bottom part of the course was pretty steep and off-camber, ending with a few small log drops and a jump at the end.  After we pushed up (which took a while), we were rewarded with a stunning view of the coastline and the harbor.  The course had some fun, high-speed sections, single-track with some tight turns, loose dirt corners, steep off-camber, a little bit of pedaling, and a few rocks thrown in for good measure.  

With our one practice run out of the way, we drove out toward our hotel, and stopped along the way to get some street tacos down in the Estero Beach area.  While feasting on all the deliciousness, we were tossing around ideas for how to spend the evening…go into Ensenada and hit Papas & Beer or go light off fireworks at the beach.  The group ended up splitting roughly 60/40—the majority of us driving out to the beach and watching as we lit off M-80s, roman candles, and a plethora of firecrackers.  Of course, what night on a Mexican beach would be complete without seeing a drunken American serviceman roll his quad (not hurt seriously) and have his friends console him with some medicine (another can of beer); getting one-upped by some seriously good fireworks going on down the beach; and watching a curious local custom of a bunch of cars driving around in circles around a bonfire.  It truly was “good times”!  On the way back to our hotel, we couldn’t resist the calling of more street tacos…

The morning greeted us with chilly air and bright sunshine.  We downed breakfast at a great little restaurant, and headed over to the venue.  We managed to get one shuttled practice run, the whole bunch of us stacking the bed of Alf’s dad’s truck with bikes and then laying some more on top.  Folks were beginning to gather…neighborhood kids, racers, vendors selling goodies like candies and fresh olives (my favorite was a gentleman selling candies, nuts, and fruits out of a neatly arranged wheelbarrow).  The kids were clamoring for free stuff…anything from jerseys to gloves to shoes.  I honestly think there were more people watching than I’ve seen at most of the NORBA races.  The atmosphere was very laid back and mellow.  Despite a generalized language barrier between most people in our group and the locals, it was all cool because we all had our bikes in common.  I relished the chance, though, to try out my Spanish skills, and had a great time trading little bits of info with the kids. 

The race was over soon for the girls…me, Barbara (she’s made it up to some of the Fontana races and was one of the organizers for this race…she and Pollo did an awesome job putting the event on), and another local girl, Miriam.  Before I knew it, I was pedaling down the course, and the race was over.  I ended up making it successfully down the bottom section (which claimed many of the kids and older guys who got bogged down in the loose turns while trying to rip it), though I honestly wouldn’t have cared if I came in dead last…I was just having so much fun.  Watching everyone race was a treat, and I can’t wait to do it again.  We ended the evening with a carne asada and beer dinner, where we got awards, and just chilled out together.  Everyone should definitely head down for either the race at the end of October, or better yet, the one at the end of November…it’s going to be a blast (and ladies, we could win some $$ at the November race…when’s the last time NORBA paid you for getting on the podium)? 

Steph

Wednesday 10/19: It has been fairly warm these last few days and I was finally able to get out for a ride today. I got my work done at the shop by 4:30 and I then got ready to head over to the cyclocross course. I rode the Felt over to Turners and then up the hill to Millers Falls Road. It was much warmer than I had anticipated and I was somewhat overdressed. I pedaled over to the course and got ride of a couple of layers and the I headed out on the cross course. Since there wasn't anyone around I headed out to do a couple of warm up laps. I did a lap and I was riding near the barriers when Chris came by in his cruiser. I stopped briefly to chat with Chris at the bottom of the run-up. As we talked, Jazzy Jeff came down the run-up and he and I then headed back for Lake Pleasant Road. When we got there we were joined by Parrott. The three of us took a quick lap around the course and then we headed over to the plains. We rode the Banked Trails and then headed off towards Willis Hill. We encountered a few hunters with their dogs and so we took a trail over to the Big Pine Tree Trail. From there we headed for Red Rock and after crossing the brook we then made a loop out to Plains Road. We took the Toilet Bowl Trail to the Banked Trail and then looped over to the Telephone Pole Trail. I kept telling Parrott that if the pace was too high I would slow down, but he seemed to be doing OK so we headed back to the cross course. I ended up doing about an hour and a half ride and that was plenty for me. After getting back to the van, we were greeted by MaryEllen and Eddie. I loaded my bike into the back of the van and we drove back to the shop. It was a great ride and I was glad that I was able to get a ride in today.

Thursday 10/20: It was a busy day for me today and 6:00 came sooner than I could get all the work done, but I decided to put all that aside and go on the ride. The rain has limited my time on the bike so I felt that I needed to get out and ride tonight. I planned on riding a new Ironhorse Azure and Mark Newton was going to ride the Mk III. Mark and I left the shop at 6:00 and headed for Sunderland. I was a little late getting to the parking spot and when I arrived, everyone was riding around, warming up. Waiting for me at the pond was Walters, Gary, Mark, Chris Williams, Dusty King and Mike Stamm. After pulling into the parking lot, I got Mark's bike out and then got myself dressed and ready to go. But by the time I got my gear together, everyone except for Dusty had already headed out for the trails. Dusty waited for me and soon we were off to try and catch up with the group. This ride is mostly uphill for the first half of the trip so I was not looking forward to hammering myself into the dirt during a long chase. I was on the new bike and in addition to having to learn how to shift it, I was getting used to how the suspension worked. I rode up the hill on the paved road with Dusty and soon we were on the trails. I was amazed at how easy the chase seemed to be. I thought that I would be winded by the time I hit the trails, but I actually felt pretty good. Soon after we got into the woods we saw the effects of last weeks rain. The jeep road that we take was a mostly washed out singletrack trail. There were lots of ruts and washouts on the way up the hill. I rode the Azure over the large boulders and ruts with an ease I was not accustomed to. Dusty and I rode about a quarter of the way up the hill before we came upon the back of the pack. I caught and passed several riders before reaching the front of the group. As I caught up with Chris, Mark and Mike they were just passing the left turn that I usually take. I hollered over to them and they turned around. We rode up the trail for a short way before we encountered a huge swamp across the road. Mark tried to find a way around the water but after he fell in, we decided to turn around and head back. After riding back to the trail we waited at the turn for everyone to join us and then we discussed the route. In light of what I had seen on the last trail we thought that it might be better to take the usual route over to the Sugar Shack Trail. We rode across the power lines and headed up the hill to the Sugar Shack Trail. I had been warning the riders that the trail might be in bad shape and that the bridge across the brook might be damaged. This is the information that I got from Liam, who had ridden here earlier today. He told me that the run down to the fire road would be super dangerous due to the wash outs. When we got to the bridge, we found that it had been moved several feet downstream by the flooded brook. We went to work and were able to muscle it back to more or less where it was originally. After that we headed up the trail. The Sugar Shack Trail was pretty messed up but Mark and I were able to ride up it without any trouble on our new bikes. I was surprised at how easily I was able to ride up the loose, rutted trail in the middle ring. As I neared the top of the climb, I made a bad choice over some logs on the trail and I had to dismount. After the rest of the riders had passed me, I rode to the top of the hill. At this point I told the riders that the trail would most likely be pretty dangerous, based on what I had heard from Liam. Mark and Chris took the lead while I rode in the middle of the pack. We rode down the hill without seeing any of the damage that Liam had told me about. I was the last rider down the hill (I waited at the turn on the trail to make sure that everyone went the right way) and the group was already heading up the fire road. We rode up the hill and I noticed that there was some erosion, but it wasn't too bad, so I thought that the worst was behind us. Well after making the left turn past the Telephone Pole Trail, I saw what Liam was talking about. As we rode up the very steep hill, I was shocked at the amount of damage that the water had done to the roadway. Huge sections of road were simply not there anymore. The brook had washed over 6 foot high culverts and taken 12 to 15 feet of the roadway down the hill. The washouts were several hundred feet long in some places. I rode on sections of what remained of the road that were only 2 feet wide. There were several places where everyone had to dismount, but over all I and most of the group, were able to ride up the majority of the hill. The bike worked perfectly and if a stronger rider was aboard, I am sure that the entire hill could have been ridden. At the top of the hill we paused for some photos before heading down the other side. The trip down the hill was a little dicey in places but over all it was not nearly as bad as the road we were just on. We regrouped at the bottom of the hill near the Robert Frost Trail and then headed for the return loop. I made a slight error on the way down the hill. I told Mark to take the first right turn, but it turns out that the trail was not the one I wanted. We looped back to the main road (Middle Mountain Road) and then took the next right. Walters started to have trouble with his light and we stopped several times to let him re-start his headlight. It seems that the light does not like going underwater and when it does, the light turns off. After getting Walter straightened out we headed across the mountain on the trail and soon we were back to the power lines. We rode down the hill we came up on and headed back to the start. I was really pleased with the ride even taking into account the difficult trail conditions. I felt that the bike I had worked very well and I did not feel like I had to work any harder than I would have if I had been on the Razorback. I will take this new bike out again and let you know how it does on some of our other rides.

Sunday 10/23: I was a cool raw day with off and on rain showers all morning. I went over to the shop at 12:30 to get ready to do the scheduled ride at 1:30. It was raining pretty good when I arrived at the shop, but it stopped at 1:00 and so I decided to do the ride. I was joined for the trip by Curt, Michelle, and Steve Power. We left the shop and headed down to Hope Street and we were all glad to see the new pavement that the town had applied there and on the railroad underpass.  I led the group down to the highway crossing and I ended up rolling down the road on the wrong side of the road waiting for the cars to let me across. After getting across the highway I led the group down to Old Deerfield where we met up with Robert Burnett, who had called earlier and arranged to meet us there. We rode south on Mill Village road at a 20 mph pace and at the top of the hill we headed for North Main Street. Although it was a chilly day I was dressed pretty warmly and the weather had no effect on me. My car karma, however, was not working today and we got jammed up at every intersection we came to. The RT. 5&10 crossing was no different and we had to stop and wait for the cars to clear. After getting across the highway we rode down to the center of South Deerfield. We traded turns at the front as we headed through town which was a welcome respite for me. After getting out to RT. 116 we headed for Sunderland. When we got to the center of town we took a right and headed for Hadley. We rode south into a slight headwind and when we got to the hill top we took a left onto Hadley Road. At this point I had Robert take a pull for the first time today. It was difficult to get through all the traffic in North Amherst and we actually got split into two groups at one point. After Rob, Steve and I got out to RT. 63 we waited for Michelle and Curt to catch up. After everyone was together I had Robert take the lead and he rode at the front up Cherry Hill. At the top of the hill Steve took over and he pulled us down the other side. Once we got onto the rolling hills heading into Leverett we all took turns on the front and soon we were ripping down the hill towards RT. 47. After the turn onto RT. 47 I took the lead and we rode through Montague Center. I was getting a little tired at that point so I went to the back of the line and stayed there until we got to the fire house. At the fire house I went to the front and took the bunch down to the Third Street Hill. Since the road was wet and slippery I wanted to see how fast I could ride down the hill on the new blacktop. I was looking to see if the tires would get loose on the corners but I was able to do over 30 mph without mishap. At the bottom of the hill we slowed for the traffic light and then we headed across the river and back to the shop. It was a good ride and although I was a little overdressed, I was pretty comfortable for the most part. Today I wore my NRM jacket and long sleeve jersey with a long sleeve Descente baselayer. I also wore my bib knickers and my new Lake winter road shoes.

Thursday October 27, 2005- "Da Ridge"

My first night ride of the fall-yep-I dusted off the assorted Turbo cat batteries and lights (btw-the cats are still burning strong and bright and reliable after 4 years of use! No, they aren't as bright as the HID fusion bomb Bob has on his handlebars now-but they work year in and year out-simple and reliable)-saddled up the bike, headed to the shop-got there around 6:10 or so--another aside, since it's now dark by six, we're no longer chasing the light and luckily for me-I don't have to race out to catch the ride-which means I can make more of these rides now (yea!). After some more equipment help from Bob, we were all ready to roll-heading out for the climb up the cliff to Poet's seat by around 6:25. Along for the ride tonight were Bob and his snappy demo Azure, Mr. Mark Newton aboard his equally cool new MKIII, Michele, Steve Powers (Activate!), and Myself (Liam) all aboard K2 Razorbacks with varying trims. I didn't realize this until after the ride but Bicycles Unlimited regular Steve Powers (Activate!) had never ridden the Ridge before(!). How could that be? But I've been thinking about the ridge a little since last night and here are my reflections: A little over four years ago I started riding with the Bicycles Unlimited Crew. twice a week-every week we headed over to he coke plant primarily with occasional side trips to the Montague plains--nice enough places, but every so often I'd hear about riding on the Greenfield Ridge...but we'd never go, in fact I think I rode with Bob for a Year before finally, one night we decided to ride the Ridge.
Though the Coke Plant has it's challenges, and is great for mixed groups because of the varying trails and general familiarity everyone has the place, the Greenfield ridge is just a more fulfilling, and honest to goodness Mountain Bike Ride--It's much steeper than the coke plant, rocky and challenging, and it has some of the best trails in the region, Period. The White and Red Trails on the poet's seat side (in either direction) are smooth, fast (and challenging when near the cliffs!) and delightful. The ominous blue trail on the Sachem's head side is a wonderful, challenging rocky grind going up, and, coming down from the Platform (which we didn't do last night-next time Steve) is a very technical, balance and gut ride. All in All, it's one of the best short rides anywhere-and usually my go to place when I only have an hour or so to ride. For the next few years I usually pushed to ride the ridge once a week with the group rides (excluding after the winter snow where it becomes a great snowshoeing destination). I learned a lot about biking on the ridge and along with the Deerfield Ridge it is my favorite ride in the Bob ride repertoire.

Anyway--so we started up the cliffside poet seat climb--usually a system shocker as you start immediately with steep-hard spin climbing with no warn up and quickly get a good 300 ft of vertical in about ten minutes. I arrives at the rocky ledge near the top first-and promptly muffed the initial attempt to climb it--but determined I tried again and nailed it (first time in a while I might add!). At the tower, I saw the lights of the other guys coming up on the regular trail so I dropped down the road and met up with the crew. We gabbed for a minute and then rolled down to the white trail...all of our (well, mine anyway) night vision/navigation skills were a little off as we sort of missed and mis-rolled the proper drop onto the steep section of the White trail--no big deal, after a few seconds of re-positioning we were all whizzing down the delightful white trail towards the entrance to Poet's Seat. Michelle and I both noticed that at high speeds the cliff along the side of the white trail can be pretty scary-so we tried to ignore it and focus straight ahead.

Without a break we crossed the road at the bottom and entered the Sachem's Head side and began the grind up the blue trail-without mishap and in good order we all made it to the yellow trail cross-over--of note: Michele made really great time with a strong push up this section right on Mark and my heels-Again we all regrouped and shot down to Bear's Den rd along the loose, leafy yellow trail. I should mention here that the trail tread was unusually challenging tonight with the thick and, with all the rain, very wet and slick leaves on the forest floor. We then soldiered up Bear's Den Rd to the trail head on the left-and, with some prodding, the group avoided the Bob-cut opting to drop all the way down to the bottom of the powerline climb. On the way down we encountered a huge fallen tree--as I dismounted to walk around the tree, Bob shouted to be careful of the slick rock--on top of which I predictably and immediately fell. No damage, so we were soon riding up the powerlines-I was the first to arrive at Joe's Rock, and soon I had a very lonely feeling--I called out to the crew with no answer--they had gone around I had surmised, so I turned around, went back down the last powerline climb and rode over meeting the gang at the intersection. We saw some lights approaching us from the bottom of the green trail, the were Todd and his wife (Bike World riders)--his wife is newer to riding and seemed irritated and frustrated by the conditions tonight (as I said wet leaves on wet rocks can be tough). But we offered encouragement-I mean-after all-sure it's hard, but she was out there on a cold night riding her bike in woods-and most other people-well, aren't! Anyway, after some chatting about tires and conditions we both went our merry ways. We then whipped down the trail, I slightly overshot the entrance for the green trail-so I followed Mark Newton along and over the nice new NEMBA bridges, and soon we were pedaling up and down Bear's Den Road (no riding to the Lookouts tonight!) we then made the second left, up the loose climb and then turned onto the red trail and then out to the road (nice up-down section here!). Back on the Poet's seat side-we stopped while Bob gave Steve a new Battery for his light (which was from his own helmet light--one of the things that only Bob would do and why we all appreciate riding with him!). Usually we ride the white dot trail back, but tonight we dropped all the way down and took the red dot trail (I haven't ridden this trail in well over a year!)-It was Great! First part fast and furious, and the second part a steady single track climb. Near the end we regrouped once again as Bob properly oriented the group and soon we were bombing back down the Cliffside Trail and out to the road and back to the shop. This was a really nice night ride, with a small and talented crew who provided good company, cheer and enthusiasm. Everyone rode well without mishap; technical or physical! I really miss these rides, so I'm trying to get out more this season.

Liam

Sunday 10/30: The weather has given us a little of everything over the last few weeks and today was, for a change, a pleasant surprise. After weeks of rainy weather and then a cool down last week, we were treated to sunny skies and 65 degree temperatures. However, along with the sun and warmth we also got quite a breeze that was blowing from the south. Joining me for the ride today was MaryEllen, Stan and Deb Kolpa, Patrick and Kathy Jacques, Jen, Linda Chandler, Doug Dale, Michelle, Ed Guyot, Robert Burnett, Karen Dowd, and Hammerhead. At 1:20 my group left the shop I had Stan, Ed, Doug, Michelle, Hammerhead, Jen, Linda and Robert with me. I led the riders down High Street to Main. We took the usual route down to RT. 5&10 where I took over the lead again. I stayed at the front until we got to the Wok and then I pulled off. We stayed on 5&10 as we made our way through Deerfield with most of us taking a pull as we headed to South Deerfield. The wind was blowing pretty hard but we were able to keep a 21 mph pace for most of the way. As we got to the traffic light I pulled ahead just as the light turned green and led the group down to Whatley. After I pulled off I noticed that Jen and Linda were gone, having dropped off earlier on. We battled the wind for most of the rest of the way down to Northampton and it was only when we got to Hatfield Street that we got a break from it. When we got out to Bridge Street, Hammerhead was in the lead and he got hit with the full force of the headwind and we struggled to keep a 17 mph pace. Things did not go well for Ed and Stan either, as they got dropped at some point on Bridge Street. I found out about them after we turned onto RT. 9, so I had the group wait up until they were back on. We made the left at the VA hospital and then rode over to River Street. Ed and Stan were having a hard time keeping up on the hill so I dropped back with them. After we got onto River Street I went to the front and chatted with Doug and we set a mellow pace on this back road so that Ed and Stan could get a rest. When we got to the turn onto RT. 9 I went to the front and brought the speed back up to 20 mph. The wind was really pretty brisk and I pulled off after a mile or so. When I went to the back of the line, Ed and Stan were off so I told the rest of the group to continue on and not wait up. I went back and rode with Ed and Stan and soon we had Hammerhead dropping back with us as well. After we made the turn onto Williamsburg Road my group rode at a steady pace up the hill. We actually caught up with Doug, Michelle and Robert and I thought that we would all be able to pace line up the hill. But shortly after we made contact I looked back and the other three were falling off on one of the steeper pitches. At that point I sent Doug, Michelle and Robert on ahead to South Ashfield and I dropped back to ride with the rest of the group. We got back together at the bottom of the hill in South Ashfield and then headed off for Conway. I stayed near the front for a while as we rode down the hill to Conway. As we got near the Poland Road, Ed and Stan fell off again so I rode up to Doug who was at the front of the lead pack, and I told them to head for the shop and not to wait for me, Stan and Ed. After Doug & Co. left I rode with Stan and Ed all the way to the Wok. After I got back to Greenfield, I just rode on ahead back to the shop. Ed and Stan arrived shortly after I did. We did 55 miles and it was a really great ride, we do not get too many of these this late in the year. I hope that we get more people out next week.