Ride Page

Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month September 2002 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!
Glossary of Names used in these reports: Marcus P. Marcus, MPM (Marc Lombard);  Jorge, (George Katzar); His Majesty Jack, HMJ (Jack Spanbauer); Queen Nancy, QN (Nancy Spanbauer);  Georgie Boy, GB (George Bernegger); Homer (Michelle Hurley);  Service (Rod Perez); Ranger Rick, RR (Rick Manson); P. J. Wabbit, PJW (Penny Abbott) Ice Princess IP; (Lynn Black)  Mooseboy MB; (Kris Black) Fitness Twins, FT (Steve and Becky Shattuck)

Sunday 9/1: The shop was closed today for the long holiday weekend, but I did the ride at 5:00 in Montague anyway. Along for the ride today was Homer, Jack, Chris Koh, Oliver Koh and Rachel Koh, Isaac Brown-Anson, Bob Anson, Al Mason and me. Everyone headed out from the center of town and rode up the Telephone Pole Trail. I sent the faster riders along ahead and I stayed back with Chris and the kids. I rode up the hill with the Koh's and soon we were out to Old Northfield Road where the group was waiting for us. I sent the main group on ahead and I rode with the Koh's as we followed them out to the Banked Trails and then out to the power lines. When we arrived at the power lines, I did not see the group so we continued on out to the Big Pine Tree Trail. Just before I got to the BPT Trail I got a call on my cell phone and after a few minutes of "Can you hear me now?" I decided to ride out to the tree and see if I could get better reception on the phone. But by the time I got to the BPT I could hear the other riders talking in the woods nearby. I hollered over to them and they joined as we waited at the tree for the Koh's to arrive. At this point Bob was getting tired as well as the Koh kids, so I gave them directions to start the ride back to the cars and I joined with Jack, Al and the rest of the riders for a trip up Craggy Hill. I can usually make it up this hill, but today I got stuck on a patch of slippery leaves and my rear tire spun out. Normally I would have gone back down the hill to re-try the climb, but today I was not on my game so I walked to the top. When I got to the top of the hill I waited for everyone to arrive before heading out to the Willis Hill Road. The group stayed together as we made our way through the swamp and over to the Kiabuckus Trail. I led the troops up the hill to the I-H wreck where Jack and I waited. After everyone arrived we discussed which route we should take and Al mentioned that he had to be back to the car by 7:00. With that time constraint, I had the group take the trails out to Sock Hill and then down to Red Rock. We took the trail over to the sand pit and from there we headed out to Plains Road. After we crossed the sandy trail we were back to the Banked Trail which we followed out to the Power Lines. We came upon Chris and his group out on the power lines and when we caught up with them we found that Rachel was not feeling so good. I asked if Bob would take the kids back to the center of town in his car, which he had parked on the power lines. He said that he could do that and so they headed off to his car and the rest of us rode over to the Toilet Bowl Trail. We took that trail out to the Telephone Pole Trail and then we rode the hardtop back to the center of town where the cars were parked. I had a good ride tonight.

Tuesday, Sept. 3
Distance - 29.32
Average - 21.6
Ending Mileage - 2825.9

Because of concerns for early nightfall, Bob decided to schedule and early start for tonight's ride. We planned on the 'Bull Hill' loop, a 30 mile ride with no major climbs (but plenty of rolling hills).

By shortly after 5:30, the small group of 9 riders was ready to go with the exception of Bob, who was nowhere to be seen. The group headed out while Michelle and I waited for Bob. The three of us started out 4 minutes behind the group start, determined to catch them as soon as possible. We caught a red light in Turners Falls, which put us a little further behind. By the top of the climb by Third St., I was huffing like a steam train due to the effort to maintain a fast pace. It took me a while at the front to wind things back up to 20MPH, and as soon as I did so Bob came forward to take the front for a while.

He ended up in front for more than his share of time down through Montague. Michelle and I would go forward once in a while but after a few minutes he would ride up the outside to take control again. Just short of Montague, we passed several riders from another group. We had had them in our sites for a while, and until just before we caught them I thought that they were the early riders from OUR group. No such luck, we passed them and continued on.

We finally caught the first site of the people we were chasing just as we turned onto Rte. 63. They were just going over the top of the first small climb about 1/2 mile ahead of us. They must have been pushing pretty hard. No matter what we did to catch them, the distance between us didn't change much.

I was feeling a little worn out by this point. Michelle was setting a fast pace on the climbs and I would fade back off her wheel. Fortunately, I was able to pass her on every down hill. Things went on like this for the entire trip down 63. Finally, we began to see some progress in catching our targets.

Bob took the pull up the last small rise on 63, then pulled out. The riders in front were only a hundred yards or so ahead of us by that time, so I pushed with everything I had to catch Roger's wheel just as he turned off onto Bull Hill Rd. Once on the wheel of the main group, I glanced back and noticed that Bob and Michelle were not with us yet. I must have dropped them on my final push :(

They were with us by the time we dropped down onto Rte 116. Bob's computer showed an average of over 23MPH to this point.

As usual, the ride up 116 in a double paceline was a good recovery. The two riders in the front took the entire pull, leaving those of us in the rear with nothing to but glide along and enjoy the ride. By the time we got into the lights in Sunderland (we hit the light green) I was all rested and ready to pick things up again.

I considered going for the town line at the river bridge, but was 6 riders back in the single paceline. I also looked back to see several cars coming up behind us so decided to ride easy and not risk pulling out into traffic for the sprint. At the bridge, Roger went to the front. We hadn't decided on a route (River Rd. or Old Deerfield) back to the shop yet, so his strategy was to take the front of the group and ride past the River Road turn.

The pace started to pick up through South Deerfield. I took the final pull up to Rte 5, where we caught traffic just right and didn't have to stop at the intersection. It wasn't until we were a few hundred feet through it that I looked back and noticed that the group had split. There were four of us in front, and nobody to be seen behind.

We set up a paceline and kept the pace fast all the way through Old Deerfield and back to Rte. 5. Whenever the pace started to slacken, John Bentley would ride to the front and bring things up 3-4MPH faster. I think we must have averaged 25MPH+ through this part of the ride. When we came back to 5, I stopped for traffic but John and David pulled through. By the time I got across the road with another rider, they were ahead of us quite a bit and pulling away. I knew that if I didn't catch their wheel soon I never would, so dropped into a lower gear and stood on the pedals. I was beat by the time I caught David's wheel and was glad that they didn't up the pace after I was caught back on, as I would never have been able to hang on.

John pulled us most of the way to the Cheapside bridge. Just before the bridge, the fourth rider gave up and dropped off leaving John, David and me. John asked if either of us were up for adding the Poet's seat climb to the ride (No!). He ended up pulling off to do it solo. David pulled me for the mile or so to where we left 5 for the back roads, then I took the front for the rest of the way into the shop. EXCEPT that, in a move that didn't surprise me a bit, he pulled past me for a final sprint 100 yards from the end. I tried to pull out and pass him, but as I came up beside him he matched my speed. I dropped down a few gears and pushed as hard as I could, but he still slowly crept away from me. Seeing that I wasn't going to win this one, I gave up and dropped back to catch his wheel for the final few feet into the shop.

This was, to date, the fastest ride I have ever been on. But once back at the shop I felt great and was ready for another ride. Too bad that, at 7:15, it was almost too dark to ride.

Wednesday 9/4: Tonight we had a small group of riders for the trip out to the Coke Plant. Along for the ride tonight was Rich Flye, Mark C., Homer, Amelia, Erin, Jack, Doug and Jon Hillman, Peter Truesdell and me. We all rode over to the trails behind Stop&Shop and I put Rich at the front while I took up the sweep. I rode behind Amelia for a while and she did OK on the first climb but she was a little unsteady on the descent down to the sharp turn and when she got to the turn she hit it too fast and she crashed pretty hard onto the rocky trail. I rushed up to her, but she was soon back on her feet and on her bike. I asked her if she was OK and she said that she was fine. I then took up a position behind her and gave her a couple of pointers about over steering. We rode out to Canada Hill where the rest of the group was waiting and from there we took Gill Road to the RT. 2 crossover. I stayed behind with Amelia and Jack took the lead. I followed the group and shouted directions to Jack as we approached a turn. The group stayed together for a while but we somehow lost Mark and Erin. I had Jack take us along the Lillian Street trails and out to the truck turnout so that we could find Mark and Erin. When we did not find them there we headed into the trails and rode over to Five Points. We took the Mud Road over to the Red Rock Road where we headed up the hill to Red Rock. We regrouped at the rock and then we headed up the power lines to the water tank. Amelia fell a couple more times as we rode up the hill and I could see that she was a little shaky on the bike, so when we got to the water tank I sent all the other riders down the Secret Trail and then up Luke, while Amelia and I followed at a slower pace. Amelia did pretty well although she fell a couple more times on the climb up Luke so when we got to the top of Luke I sent the group along and I took Amelia down the hill on the road. We made it down to Five Points where we waited for several minutes for the rest of the crew to arrive, but after it got dark and the riders didn't show up, I switched on my lights and we headed for the shop. We made it over to Gill Road and as soon as we got going along, Peter came by to make sure we were OK. I told him we were fine and we rode back to the shop. It was a good ride, but I surly winced a few times when Amelia fell and I hope that she will be alright.

Thursday, Sept. 5
Distance - 29.90
Average - 20.6
Ending Mileage - 2855.8

There is one nice thing to say about some of these late-season weekday rides... We are tending to take shorter, flatter rides. Without major hills to slow us down or tire us out, the pace just 'feels' faster and we have more energy to spend on sprints or faster pacelines.

Tonight's ride had a few small hills, but no major climbs. We went South from the shop to River Road, South all the way across 116 then down to Christian (road? lane?), then North from Whately back through Old Deerfield.

The climb's) on River Road are feeling easier and easier to me as the season progresses (see my post for Feb. 23rd, where the hills on this road nearly killed me)! It was Tom Martin's turn to loose his water bottle on the rough roads at the start of River Road. He turned back for it then had to chase us for the next few miles to catch up, since we were cruel to him and didn't slow down. I managed to be in the first group of 4-5 riders over the top of the final ascent, then went to the front on the descent and tried to maintain as much of the downhill momentum as I could into the flat road on the other side. Bob signaled for us to slow down to give John Bentley (who had dropped his chain on the final climb) a chance to catch back onto the group. Once we were all back together, we continued down to Christian Lane and West to Whately.

There are a few small rises on this road, but I kept pushing to avoid being dropped. I actually managed to be one of the first few into Whately when we turned North. Five of us (Tom, John, Will, me and one other rider) broke away on this section and set a race-pace all the way back to the Deerfield town line. Tom took this sprint, as he had every town line sprint up to this point.

Somewhere just South of 116, the entire group came back together. I took a pull on the final leg to 116, but dropped back just before the intersection to rest up for the short climb that was coming up.

I was feeling strong enough that I stood up on the short climb North of 116, then Jamie and I chased Tom and John Bentley for the next few miles. The group came together again at the intersection of Mill Village road.

A half-dozen of us really took advantage of the nice downhill sweep into the farms south of Old Deerfield, then kept the pace up all the way into the village. Jamie had the final pull into Main Street, where I stood up on the last little rise and pulled past him to take the front through town.

Working our way through traffic split us up a bit as we came back onto Rte 5, but we were all back together soon heading back to Greenfield at a good clip. Tom and I were 5 or 6 riders back in the group when the final sprint for the Greenfield town line came up, but someone pulled out to go for the line, and tom pulled out to challenge him. I knew I didn't have much of a chance, but pulled out to stay on Tom's wheel. He won the sprint by a bike length, and I was right on his wheel in second, ready to pull past if he lost it in the last few feet.

Someone (Jamie?) yelled a suggestion for the Poets Seat climb from the back of the group, so most of us turned right once over the bridge. A few riders skipped this last hill and continued straight on to the shop. I checked my average speed here (21.6) since I always lost quite a bit going over this climb.

As I suspected, most of the riders pulled past me almost at once we started the climb, but Jamie and I kept a steady pace up at the rear. On the last final grade over the top, I realized I was still feeling pretty good and the ride was almost over, so I dropped down a few gears and stood up to push over the top.

I tried to keep my speed from the descent as much as I could for the final few miles back to the shop. Jamie went sprinting past in the final 100 yards to try to challenge Tom at the finish, but didn't quite have enough time.

We got back to the shop shortly after 7:00. It was light enough that we probably could have ridden another 8 miles before dusk, but things are really starting to get dark early. Tonight was the last Thursday evening ride of the season.

Sunday 9/8: Today was another family ride at the Plains. I arrived at the start and was greeted by PJW, Homer, Harold, Matthew and Allison Green, Al and Parker Mason, and Jack. I took Allison and Parker (It was his first ride with us and so he wasn't sure if he could keep the pace.) with me while the rest of the group rode off to do a loop over to Willis Hill. I told the group that I would meet them at the bottom of Willis Hill Road before they left. I forgot my phone, so I was counting on Homer and PJW to guide Jack and the rest over to the spot. I rode with Allison and Parker up the Telephone Pole Trail and then out to the power lines where we rested for a minute. We took the Second First Left and then rode out to the Banked Trails where we had another rest. From the end of the trail it is a straight shot up the road to the BPT, but we took the scenic route along the brush at the edge of the power lines. The trail is rather overgrown and it was hard for the kids to keep going and I ended up waiting for them on several occasions. When we got to the BPT, Allison was really tired so I had her wait there while Parker and I rode down to the other end of the trail. When we arrived at the end of the trail I told Parker that the riders would be coming down the hill shortly and so we waited for a couple of minutes and sure enough, we saw a figure appear on the horizon. Soon Jack came by us and I sent him and Parker along to join Allison at the BPT. One by one the riders passed me and when Tom finally came down the hill I jumped in right behind him. I arrived at the BPT and after a brief discussion Parker decided that he wanted to try to ride back with the main group, but Allison was pretty tired so I stayed with her while the rest of the group headed off to ride over Red Rock. After the group left, Allison and I headed back along the same route that we came on and when we got to the hard top road we waited for the rest of the group to come along. Soon after we got across the road the riders started to appear and I sent Allison off to ride back to town with her dad while I waited to make sure the riders got across the road safely. I rode back to town with Al Mason and Parker and when we got there everyone loaded up and headed for home.

Tuesday 9/10: I had scheduled a ride for 5:00 and 5:30 for the long ride and a shorter ride at 5:45  for Christina "the crab", Jeannie, and Sue. Roger was the first rider to arrive at 4:45 and he was joined by Curt and several others soon after that. Riders kept arriving for the next 15 minutes or so and the 5:00 group never left the shop until 5:15 or so for their 35 mile ride. I waited for a few more minutes and at 5:30 I had a group of four that included QN, "Big" Al, John Gustin, and Peter Truesdell. We left the shop for the 25 mile ride but since I wasn't sure what pace this group was going to keep, I had planned the trip with a possibility of adding a few more miles if we made good time. After we left the shop we headed for Bernardston Road and we met up with Todd Amato on Wildwood Ave. and he turned around to join us. It was a nice night for a ride, with clear sunny skies and although it was pretty warm (about 85 degrees when we left) we kept up a pretty good pace up the Bernardston Road hill. I kept the pace pretty mellow and we all crested the hill together. On the way down the other side of the hill I pulled off the front and went to the rear of the pack. Peter was slipping off the pace a bit and I hollered up to John at the front to slow it down a bit. Peter got back on but was put into difficulty on the next hill and he fell off again. I sent the rest of the group on ahead and then I dropped back to ride with Peter. I told him to take it easy and that I would ride with him, but he said that he wanted to take a shorter route and that he would make it back on his own. I then took off to try to catch up with the pack. I rode at a steady 27 mph from the Bernardston town line to the center of town before I could catch up with the group. I got onto the back of the group and took a rest as we cruised up RT. 10 towards Northfield. I stayed near the back for a while and then "Big" Al said that he had enough and he pulled off at Gill Road to head back to the shop. That left the group with four riders. I went to the front and did a pull up to the top of the Hermon hill and then I pulled off. I followed the group down across the Bennett bridge and did a tempo pace up the hill to RT. 63. I thought that everyone was behind me, but after the turn I noticed that John was the only rider in my shadow. Todd and QN were a little way behind, so I slowed up a bit to let them catch up. When QN got back on she said that Todd had turned around and headed for home so then the three of us settled in for the ride back to the shop. We rode at a good pace and we made it to Millers Falls in enough time to tack on a few more miles so we headed down RT. 63 to Swamp Road. After we got to Turners Falls Road, I took a long pull at the front and as we neared Hatchery Road I let QN take the lead and pick the route back. Instead of Greenfield Road/Poet's Seat she wisely chose the Esleeck route and we headed off for the final climb of the day. QN set a blistering pace as we climbed Greenfield Road, and only after we got onto High Street did she slow down a bit to let John and I recover so we wouldn't look too pooped when we arrived back at the shop. The other group was waiting in the parking lot when we got back and I will publish Curt's report below.

Tuesday, Sept. 10
Distance - 32.49
Average - 21.7
Ending Mileage - 2954.2

Bob bumped the ride start time up to 5:00 tonight because of failing light. I pulled in right at 5:00, and a small group left a few minutes later around 5:20. A few of us waited around a bit longer (for lack of a leader or clue about what we were supposed to be doing) and finally headed out at around 5:30.

Our group, made up of Will Kraham, Tom Martyn, myself, Michelle and Jamie, headed North on 5 to Bernardston. Tom took the first long turn on the front up the first climb. The pace was a little fast for me before being warmed up, but I managed to hang on. Next, it was Will's turn. He lead us to Bernardston still maintaining a good pace. I was 2nd in line at the Bernardston line, but didn't see anyone challenging for the sprint from behind so decided to save my energy on this one since I had the next pull.

Will turned off the front as we headed East on 10 out of Bernardston and I went to the front. I was planning on taking the group all the way to the top of the drop into Northfield that started at the Rte 142 intersection, but about 2/3 of the way out there decided it was smarter to save some energy for later so I pulled out and let Michelle take a turn. Michelle's and Jamie's pulls got us onto 63 South where Will and Tom went to the front once again. The three of us in the back started to lag a bit, so Will and Tom took the pace down a notch as we started to tackle the rollers down 63. We caught our fist site of the early group a few miles South of here, and were just about to catch them when we saw Roger pull off with a flat. He had another rider circling back to stop with him, so after asking if he was OK, we continued on. I didn't learn until later that the other rider didn't stay with him... if I had known he was going to be left on his own I would like to think I would have stopped to keep him company on his trip back. As it turns out, it would have been a great help to him as he went through both of his tubes then flatted again and finally caught a ride back to the shop. :(

We finally passed the early group a bit South of Roger's flat, and they all jumped onto our group making us now 8 strong. We continued South on 63 through Millers Falls with Will and Tom setting the pace down to 47 where we turned towards Montague. One of the early group riders took a pull into Montague, then I took over from there to hatchery road, trying to maintain the ~22 pace that everyone else had been setting.

The paceline fragmented a bit on Hatchery road as everyone was all over the road to avoid the crack, potholes and misc. hazards, but soon we were in the South end of Turners and ready for the final climb over Poet's Seat. I would LIKE to say that my season of riding has made this hill easier for me, but it still causes me to drop off the back like a rock. Soon, I was straining to keep the riders ahead in view. At the last rise of the climb I stood up to try to make some distance back and was only just a bit behind Jamie and Michelle as we went over the top. Another rider flatted just at the top of the hill, but we were so close to the shop that we just left him to fare for himself. After all, the race to the finish was on!

Jamie, Michelle and I kept it up on the final stretch to the shop. A few hundred yards from the finish, I dropped a bit off Jamie's wheel then slingshot around him for a sprint finish. I got a good gap on them, but Jamie wasn't satisfied to let me go. He came tearing up behind me, pushing his biggest gear. I need an inhaler like he has so *I* can pull tricks like that! I spun as fast as I could in my biggest gear, but just couldn't spin it fast enough to stay ahead of him. Damn you!

Even though this was a fairly flat ride as these rides go, it felt pretty strenuous. We were rewarded back at the shop with a 21.7mph average speed. I usually drop a few 10ths on the poets seat climb, so I probably had a 22+ speed before that final climb.

About flats and mechanical problems

I've been giving thought lately to what the proper protocol is for stopping/waiting for other riders that have flats or other mechanical problems on a ride. This has become more of an issue lately, as the weeknight group I usually ride in has not stopped for the last 3 flats we've had in the group.

Of course, in a perfect world the entire group would come to a halt any time any rider flats or breaks down. But a lot of our rides are pretty competitive and it is too easy to rush on. Once you DO stop and lose the group's wheel (if the entire group doesn't stop), then the tone of the ride changes.

I've been with groups that stop for everything, but more and more lately the groups I've been riding with have cast off riders with flats in favor of keeping the pace up. But even THESE groups will stop under some circumstances. What is the difference? I don't know, but here are a few thoughts.

I think the entire group (or at least a few people) will stop for you if you flat and one or more of the below is true:

You will be less likely to have company if:

I don't agree with all of the above reasons, they are just things I've picked up by observation. I'm writing this because I've been more guilty lately of not stopping for misc. flats. I think the best solution would be to set policy at the start of the ride. Here are a few ways to deal with the question before you need to make a spur of the moment decision on the ride.

Bike riding is supposed to be a social event. This kill or be killed attitude lately is effecting that.

Finally, if you are not going to stop for the disabled cyclist, AT LEAST make sure as you pass them that they have all the tubes/patches/pump/air to effect a repair and continue on!

Editor's note: I will usually stop for a rider in trouble unless he/she indicates that all is well. This is true not only for "our" riders, but for anyone alongside of the road. It is my preference that when I get a flat, I will fix it at my own pace. I have found that having a group waiting for me tends to make me go faster than I should and sometimes I end up having to stop again to make adjustments that were hurried at the first stop.

I will also ride "sweep" if the group wants to split up, but if not then I will try to stay at or near the front to keep up with the group. I have always felt that everyone should do "their" ride, and I try to keep an eye out for the folks who are having trouble with the pace. I will suggest that they slow down a bit and I will ride with them to ensure that no one is left alone. I have encouraged riders to take a chance and ride with the main group and if the pace is too much, then they can always slow down and wait for the group behind or ask me to join them.

Wednesday 9/11: It was a cloudy, cool day today with the temperatures in the 60's and rain in the forecast. I went up to NMH to do the school ride in Northfield and I was greeted by an energetic group of 23 kids. After some school stuff was completed I rode off with a group of 11 riders and the leader Louis Goff. I rode at the front with Ben Young, Mike Wilson, Vince Harrington, Will Wilkins, Jonny Tillson, and a few others as we headed up the hill to the reservoir. The group made quick work of the hill and I knew I was going to have to push to keep up with this crowd. After the reservoir we took the Blue Trail all the way around to the snowmobile trial where we met up with the group led by Mr. Pack and Michelle. At this point it was getting late so we opted to take the Cinder Road back down to the hardtop and then back to school. The wind was really howling for most of the ride today and we all took notice of the large amount of downed tree limbs that virtually covered Burnum Road on the way back to campus. I would have to say that on a scale of 10 this was an 8 or 9 for me. After we got back to school I loaded my bike and headed back to the shop where I finished the day before getting ready for the night ride.
    I had a small group show up at six o'clock for the ride up to the ridge. It was somewhat cool and the wind was really howling when we left. Most of us had to wear long sleeve jerseys for the trip due to the conditions. Joining me was Kip, Mark C., Jack, and Kent Webster. We headed out of the shop and up the first climb and I knew that this was not going to be my best effort. I struggled to stay with the group for the trip up to the tower and I passed up on doing the loop down to the White Dot Trail, opting instead to go straight down the road to the parking lot to wait for the others to arrive. As we left the tower area we came upon Chris Koh and his friend Bill who were out for a short ride. They declined joining us and headed out to do their own route. I waited in the parking lot for a few minutes before the group joined me and then we all crossed the road to ride in Temple Woods. I followed the group out to the turn before Sachem's Head and we all descended down to Bears Den road. I got dropped on the climb up to the sharp turn to the power lines and I took the shortcut over to the top of the climb on the power lines. The group rode up to Joe's Rock and I took the trail around to wait at the bottom of the hill on the other side. After everyone got down the hill we headed over to the Green Dot Trail which take us past MPM's house and then back up to Bear's Den Road. Kip, Mark and Kent wanted to do the climb up to Sachem's Head but Jack and I decided to take Bear's Den Road out to the hardtop. Kip and his companions were going to ride the ridge back to the road and then up to the parking lot to join Jack and I who would be waiting there. Jack and I made it to the parking lot and we rode around that area for quite a while before Kip and his bunch arrived. We again split up for the ride back to the shop. Jack and I took the White Dot Trail while the rest of the group did the Red Dot Trail. We met up again at the top of the hill overlooking the shop and we rode down together. Although it was really windy and some what cool we had a good ride.

Tuesday, Sept. 12 Distance - 28.2
 

Although the 'regular' weekday rides from Bob's shop ended last week, we set up this ride to see if we can do a few more before the light really dies. We left the shop just after 5:30, planing on doing the Sunderland/Plumtree Road figure 8 loop. Before we got into Turners Falls, a rider dropped a water bottle, went back for it, then took a wrong turn when trying to catch back up to us. We spent several minutes trying to find this person and finally started out again but we were probably now too late to do the entire Plumtree road loop.

This was a mixed-ability group, so we kept the pace down so we could all stay together down to Sunderland. I went out for a town line sprint for the Sunderland line, but misjudged where the line was an went out WAY too early. John stayed on my wheel until I died just short of the line, then went around me to take the line.

When we got to Sunderland, Bob was still planning on giving Plumtree Road a shot, but Jamie suggested to me that we take a side trip up to the top of Sugarloaf instead. I like this idea and as it turned out about half the group did, so we headed for the access road. About 1/2 the group did the climb, while the remainder waited and took a rest at the bottom. The climb wasn't as steep as I had imagined (I had never biked it before, only driven it in a car). We spent a few minutes at the top before a really cautious descent back to the bottom.

It was going to get dark soon, so Bob directed us up 5 instead of the normal route through Old Deerfield. The group started to come apart as we reached Greenfield when some riders picked up the pace to get back before dark. Michelle and I missed out on the Greenfield sprint since we had stayed in the back to pull a few riders back into the group, but we battled it out between us (I think she won it). After the sprint, I kept the speed up and finally caught up to Jamie and a few others just as they got onto Hope St.

One lone rider pulled away on the final stretch and managed to open a 50 yard gap on us. Jamie wondered if we would be able to catch him if we tried. I wasn't sure, but told him that I would pull him to the guy's wheel then he could shoot around for to sprint past him. We did this and it worked like a charm. I put everything I had left into catching onto the guys wheel then died, while Jamie took the speed I pulled him up with and used it to slingshot around him for a great sprint finish.
The above was submitted by Curt Bousquet

 

Thursday 9/12: Tonight we had another of our "last" rides. I led a small group out for the Sunderland Sweep ride. I led the group over to Turners with Roger, QN, Jamie and the usual crew following. We took it easy as we headed down to Ave. A, but a some point we lost Wendy when she dropped her water bottle and turned around to get it. Stewart went back to get her and the rest of us continued on. We rode down to Greenfield Road and headed up the hill to Montague Center. I kept the pace mellow and the group stayed together to the turn onto Ferry Road. After some confusion at the next intersection we all made it to Meadow Road in a long pace line. We rode at a steady pace all the way to Sunderland Center where we turned right and headed over to Deerfield. After we crossed the bridge the group decided to head back through So. Deerfield and that gave rise to the suggestion that the group climb Mt. Sugarloaf. As we headed up to the lights at the bottom of the mountain, Stuart and Wendy came along and joined up with the group. I along with Wendy and Roger waited at the bottom of the hill for the group to do the climb and return. After everyone returned, we headed out to return to Greenfield. We followed the usual route up through Deerfield and after we crossed the bridge into town everyone except for Stuart and I headed over to do Poet's Seat. Stuart and I rode back to the shop through town and we all arrived at the shop just as it got dark.

Tuesday 9/17: Tonight was another small ride. The group left the shop at 5:30 and we headed out to Silver Street where we turned left and rode down to the swimming pool. I led the group as we meandered through the streets of the west side of town and eventually we found ourselves doing the climb up to Meridian Street. After we turned onto Meridian Street Rob and Peter dropped off and the group headed off to ride down Upper Road. Roger got tailed off near Clarkdale's and we hoped that he joined with Peter. At this point Keith Streeter came along in the other direction and joined up with us. We all stayed together for most of the way up the next few hills although Jon Parrott had to get towed up most of the climbs by hanging onto Kate's shorts. She was really generous with her tolerance of him getting a tow every time the terrain pointed up. The group headed down to Stillwater Bridge and from there we headed up to South Deerfield. We rode through the center of town and then we headed down Sugarloaf Street to RT.116. where we took a left at the light and rode to River Road. We turned left to head back to Greenfield, but I suffered a flat near Pine Nook and I stopped to make the change. Kate and Jon went on ahead while the rest of group saw me adroitly repair the flat and then proceed to fight for five minutes to try to get the bugger back into the dropouts. I should have brought my glasses, as I failed to notice the quick release springs were jammed into the drops, which prevented the wheel from going in. After adjusting the springs, I then got the wheel back in the frame and I re-mounted the bike and we were again underway. We all rode back to the shop together and we arrived just as it got dark. It's time to cut back on the road rides.

Thursday 9/19: Tonight is the last of our weekday evening road rides. I left the shop with a group that included QN, Homer, Peter, Tom Martyn, John Bentley, Rob Mack, Roger, Keith Streeter, and John Gustin. Today we decided to do the Sunderland Sweep ride. We rode over to Montague at an easy pace and we rode down to Meadow road all together. I rode in the middle of the bunch and only took a few pulls at the front. I kept the pace at a reasonable level and we cruised all the way to Sunderland in a pace line. I suggested that we take the So. Deerfield route back and all agreed that we should. I rode near the back until we got to RT. 5&10 and then I moved to the front to suggest that we take the highway back. The group turned right onto 5&10 and we began the return trip to Greenfield. At this point the sun had set and we had to pick up the pace quite a bit all the way back to the turn off at Washington Street. We slowed the pace somewhat to do a cool down and it was dark when we pulled into the parking lot. It was a good ride and we all were sad that the season has come to an end.

Saturday 9/21: This is the second of the season's weekend road rides and I was joined today by Roger, John Bentley, and Rob Mack. We set off to do the Cave Hill ride at 1:30 under bright sunny skies and 75 degree temperatures. I set a respectable pace over to Montague and we all stayed together as we cruised through Montague Center and headed for Leverett. I dropped off the lead as we got to the hill on North Leverett Road so that Roger and Rob could set their own pace. Roger led the way up to Cave Hill and we all turned onto the climb in a group. John and I rode at an good clip up to the first turn on the hill and when we turned looked behind to check on Roger and Rob, we saw that Rob had dropped off quite a way back. I then turned around and rode back down the hill and accompanied Rob to the top. Once over the top we sped down the other side to Montague Road where we took a left. We rode through Leverett and down to Bull Hill Road in Sunderland. At this point Rob was getting a little tired so John and I doubled up and we rode down RT. 116 to the center of town with the help of a nice little tailwind. After crossing the bridge into Deerfield we headed up to Sugarloaf Street where we turned right and began the return leg of our journey. We kept the pace fairly mellow and the four of us cruised up Sugarloaf Street where we saw Rich Doherty just ahead of us. Rich stopped at the turn onto North Main Street and we waved as we passed by on our way towards RT. 5&10. As we neared the highway we saw lots of cars that were heading towards the Crap Fair (which I had forgotten was this weekend) and we all decided to take a chance on going up Mill Village Road, knowing that the "craft crazed" loonies might be driving at 150 mph to get that next piece of macramé that they cannot live without. Anyway, we found that all the "loonies" were safely at the fair and I led the four riders down the road at a 23 mph pace. Soon after we passed Melnick's farm Roger took the lead and when he pulled in front of me he ripped up the road at 30 mph for nearly 1000 meters or so. This surprised everyone and caused Rob to drop off. As we got to the end of Main Street, Roger decided to drop off and wait up for Rob who had left us on Mill Village Road. That left the three of us to push it back to the shop. Rich did a good pull on RT. 5&10 and I took the lead as we crossed the bridge back into Greenfield and led the boys back up to High Street. The three of us made it back to the shop together and we ended the ride with a respectable pace of 19.5 mph.

Sunday 9/22: Today was another beautiful early fall day, with sunny skies and warm temps I headed off to Montague Center for the ride at 5:30. I was joined today by Harold, Mathew and Jeffery Green, Jack, Homer, Mark and Kip. I decided to ride with Jeffery while the rest of the group headed up to the plains. I told the group that we would meet them up on the plains and then they headed off. I rode up to the fire pit with Jeffery and we kept a moderate pace for him all the way out to the road. Jeffery took a little rest there and soon we headed off to do the Banked Trails. Jeffery rode the Banked Trails to the power lines and then we started to make the turn to head over Red Rock. As we started the hill to Red Rock we were joined by Homer and Jack. The four of us took it easy up the hill and then we headed down to the sand pit where we were joined by the rest of the group. We all then headed out to do the Toilet Bowl Trail. The group stayed together all the way back to the Telephone Pole Trail. Harold was just ahead of Jeffery and I when Matthew went flying by us. Harold took off to chase down Matthew and just before we got to the end of the trail, Harold stacked it up on some roots. He hit so hard that the de-barked a good 12 inches of the root with his bike. It was quite a spectacular crash, but luckily Harold was just fine, having hit the soft dirt beyond the roots. After Harold got up I rode down the Telephone Pole Trail with him and we re-joined the group for the ride back to the cars. It was a good ride!!