Ride Page
Here You will find the reports of our exploits for the month September 2001 more or less as they happened. If you have a ride you want listed or want to submit a report of a ride you went on, please leave me a note. bikebob@crocker.com
Glossary of Names used in these reports: ME (MaryEllen) Ice Princess, IP (Lynn Black); Moose Boy, MB (Kris Black); Marcus P. Marcus, MPM (Marc Lombard); Black Beauty, BB (Marsha Martin); Timster, (Tim Fowler); Little Puke, LP (Matt Putnam); Jorge, (George Katzar); His Majesty Jack, HMJ (Jack Spanbauer); Queen Nancy, QN (Nancy Spanbauer); Donna the Hon, DTH (Donna Golec); Star, (Dave Walker); Crash Test Dummy, CTD (Ed Sokoloski); Georgie Boy. GB (George Bernegger); Little Bugger, LB (Casey Golec); 
JiT, Just-in-Time (Justin Golec); Homer (Michelle Hurley); Tywor (Tyler Golec); Service (Rod Perez); Rick² (Rick McCulloch and Rick Manson)

Monday 9/3: It's Labor Day again and we did a long ride today. I will try to get my report together as soon as I get some time, but in the meanwhile, below is Curt's account of the day's event.

The route: 
Rte 5 South to Northampton, 9 West to 112, 112 North to 2, then Rte 2 East back to Greenfield.
A note: I ate very poorly at a picnic Sunday night (burgers, chips, cake, ice-cream) and I think it really effected this ride. I can't think of any other reason why I might have felt so week in the first 30 miles.
12 riders started from the shop shortly after 10:00 and headed directly South on Rte 5. There was a slight headwind, but we took a nice long time to warm up at 18-20mph. Roger must have been feeling strong, as he took a good long pull on the front and helped keep the pace down and the group together as we all warmed up at a reasonable pace. I was already feeling less strong than I expected, and was dreading having to go to the front! I held back in about the middle of the group, trying to figure out why I just wasn't able to warm up and feel strong (and also trying to come up with a strategy for dropping even further back in the group before I was called upon for a turn in the front!!) Just above Sunderland, we passed two other riders who had started out earlier for a slower ride, then a mile or two later picked up Mary Ellen, who had also started out early (or biked directly from her house). She rode with us for a minute, then dropped back to sweep up the two riders now well behind us.
Once Roger came off the front, the pace slowly picked up as some of the faster riders went up and tried to push the pace a little. Bob was good at slowing them back down, and bringing the group back together when it started to split a few times. Just short of NoHo, the group got smaller when several riders including Roger and Rob pulled off to take the shorter loop back to the shop. Later in the day, I was regretting my decision not to follow them! I took the final pull on Rte 5 up a slight incline before we turned onto some side roads to avoid downtown traffic.
Once on Rte 9, the pace picked up again. I still wasn't feeling at all strong, and had pushed myself a little too hard on my turn at the front. When we approached the first short climb by the golf course I dropped right off the back. I was able to pull back up with Bob's help, but knew I wasn't going to be able to stay on for long amidst the generally faster pace and town line sprints that were going on. I was just about to tell Bob that I was going to drop off the group, when everyone pulled into a market for a water stop.
As I stopped, I felt that terrible nauseous feeling that tells me I'd been pushing much too hard. I know from experience that the best way of getting through it is NOT to stop, but to continue on at a more reasonable pace. I checked with Bob for directions for on the road ahead, then decided to start off at my own pace to get a head start on the 15 mile climb that we were about to begin.
I started out at a very leisurely pace (6-8mph on the incline), then slowly picked it up as I recovered. The climb took forever, but I was constantly surprised when every mile went by without me being caught by the riders somewhere behind me. By the time I got to the top of the climb, I was feeling pretty good and made some good time on the flats (20-22mph) and downhill's (25-43mph). I made the mistake of NOT stopping for water at the market on the top of the hill, then slowly ran out of water over the next 25 miles, finally riding at least 15 miles without any drink. Who knew that you could go 25 miles in Mass. without passing a single market or general store!!
By the time I hit Rte 2, I was still riding solo and was convinced that I had either taken a wrong turn, or the riders behind me had taken some sort of shortcut and had passed me unseen. A few miles East of Shelburne Falls, I finally came upon a gas station and stopped for some PowerAde and a snickers bar. I left my bike close to the side of the road, so other riders would see where I had stopped if they did happen to ride past as I was in shopping.
Seven minutes later, I was back on the bike heading East to Greenfield, half a Snickers bar still in my mouth as I started to ride. About 6 miles out, I FINALLY heard a voice behind me saying 'We had given you up for lost'! It was the front rider of the group behind me finally catching up! He pulled past after chatting for a minute, then a few riders behind him also passed. me. A few minutes later, I was riding with Bob, Jamie and two other riders. It was great to have their help up the rollers heading towards Greenfield. I was pretty dead at this point, do almost dropped off on the last few climbs before the long descent into town. As we got to the start of that drop, I had fallen about 20 yards behind the bulk of the riders.
We dropped into town at 35-40mph, then slipped through the rotary at a good clip. As we came up to Main Street, I gave up psychologically and limped the rest of the way into the shop. I just didn't have any push left in my legs, and no desire to put too much of an effort into finding any.
Of the group we started with, we lost some to the shorter loop, a few dropped off, and several rode home directly from various points as we came back through town, so as we rested and packed up at the shop, there were only 5 of us remaining!
All told, I think this was my most painful ride of the year. With poor diet the night before, lack of water for a good part of the ride, riding solo against a headwind for a good part of the ride and nothing to snack on as my energy faded, I pretty much got back on my last legs. I wasn't interested in doing anything that involved standing up or walking for the rest of the day!
posted by Curt Bousquet at 9/4/2001 12:21:50 PM

Wednesday 9/5: We had another beautiful day today so I was expecting a large turnout for the ride on the Montague Plains. I left the shop at 6:00 with Robbie, Kyle, and Tim as well as all of our bikes and headed over to the common. When I arrived, I was greeted by a group that included Ben L., Jason, Steve, Chris K., Homer, Penny, Mike S., Jack and Curt Golec. We left the center of town and rode through the meadow and up to the Telephone Pole Trail. When I got to the fire pit I decided to split the group up and let the faster riders go ahead. I rode with a group of 5 riders, while Curt and Ben took the rest of the crew on ahead. Our plan was to re-group at the base of Willis Hill. My group took off behind Curt's bunch and we rode at a good pace over to the Toilet Bowl Trail and then out to the power lines. I then took my riders over to the Brook Trail. I gave the faster riders instructions to wait at the brook for the rest of us and then we would decide on which route to take. Well, when I arrived at the meeting spot, Steve and Jason were waiting for me, but Jack was already half way up to Red Rock, so I hollered up to him to turn around. He couldn't hear me so Steve and Jason volunteered to go up after him. I told them that we would wait for them in the swamp and that they should take the Swamp Road over to meet us. After they left I took Mike and the girls up Middle road to the swamp where we waited for a while. After a bit of time passed, we heard the other riders comming down the Kiabuckus Trail so we headed off towards the bottom of Willis Hill to hook up with them. At this point we still hadn't seen Jack's trio, so we decided to head off towards the bottom of the hill. Kyle and Tim were riding their new Disco Monkey freeride bikes which are quite a chore to ride uphill, but the bikes sure do make quick work of the downhill sections. I waited for Curt and the rest of his bunch to pass before I set off for the rendezvous point. We re-grouped at the bottom and made adjustments to the lighting systems, because it was now getting dark on the wooded trails. When everyone got their lights set the way they wanted we all took off towards Red Rock Road. I followed behind the last rider and we all met up near The Big Pine Tree. Curt and some of the riders wanted to go a little further so I sent them up to Craggy Hill, while I rode with Tim, Kyle, Homer, Penny, and Mike up to Red Rock. I stayed near the back with Tim and Kyle as neither of them had lights, while the others went on ahead. When we got to the hill I followed the boys up and when we got to the top, I sent them down the other side. As we neared the bottom of the hill there is a steep drop off and I saw Mike head right for it. I was sure he saw it with his lights, but nope, he went right over the bars and onto the rocks. He seemed stunned for a moment, but soon he got up and started to check himself for damage. No harm done and he quickly got back onto his bike and headed down to the bottom, where the boys and I were waiting. We hung out for a couple of minutes for Penny and Homer to get to us and then we all took off for the power lines. I decided to take the power lines straight back to the Telephone Pole Trail since the boys did not have lights and it was dark out. The four of us rode together all the way back to the hard top where I stopped to wait for the other riders to come along. After a few minutes Penny and Homer passed me and they said that they couldn't see anyone behind them so I headed back to the vans to wait for everyone to arrive. It was about 5 minutes before Jack came along and he told me that he had passed Curt and his group as they were making a repair out on the trail. I loaded Kyle, Tim and all of our bikes into the van and headed out to look for Curt. Just as I got to the Telephone Pole Trail, Chris Koh came along and he said that everyone was OK and that the rest of the group would be along shortly. I then left to head back to the shop.

Thursday 9/6: It was another day in paradise today and I wonder if this gorgeous weather will ever end. Tonight I had two rides planned; one at 5:30 and one at 6:00.  The 5:30 ride was led by Curt and Roger and there were 6 other riders joining them for the 26 mile route. I led the 6:00 group and I had joining me for the loop up to Northfield and back. We took it easy on our way over to Turners Falls and we glided up the Third Street Hill at 15 mph to the intersection of Millers Falls Road. We took the left fork and headed out to the airport at a 19 mph clip. (A good warm-up speed for some!) I stayed near the front for most of the way out to Millers Falls, taking pulls as my turn arrived. It was such a nice night that it was almost a shame that we couldn't spend more time outside on our bikes. After we went through the village of Millers Falls, I took the lead as we headed up the hill towards Northfield. I stayed at the front until we got to the downhill section, where I let others take the rip down the hill. I rode at the front as we passed the recreation area and I again dropped back to let Doug Dale take a pull at the front as we neared the next hill. Doug took us up the hill at a 20 mph pace, but this proved too much for some of the folks at the back, so I hollered up to Doug and had him slow the pace a bit. After we got down the other side of the hill and onto the flatter section of RT. 63, I took the lead and kept the pace at 25 mph. We caught up to the 5:30 group just as they stopped to let Bob Schilling pause for a pee break. We, however, did not stop as Bob seemed to have things well in hand. I kept the group going as we made the turn onto RT. 10 and started the run for home. Doug and I kept the pace pretty high and John started to fade a bit, so I set a 15 mph pace up the hill to Gill. I thought that this would be OK for everyone, but we lost John on the hill and I and it wasn't until we were half way to Bernardston that Tom Martyn told me. I knew that Steve and Becky were comming along behind him so I decided to keep on going. We cruised along RT. 10 at about 27 mph for a while and soon we were at the RT. 5 turn. I took the lead as we headed south on RT. 5&10 and I kept the pace at 25 mph all the way back to the Greenfield town line. At this point I wanted to keep the pace up since we had a 21.5 mph average and I wanted to see if we could hit 22 mph. After everyone gave a turn at the front I sprinted up the last little hill and we headed for the final downhill. We hammered down the hill at 33 mph and when we got to the RT. 91 bridge I saw that we had averaged 22 mph and so I shut off my computer and started to do the cool-down back to the shop. We all finished as it was just starting to get dark, and I told everyone that we will not be doing any more 6:00 rides this year. Our last ride will be next Thursday at 5:30.

Tuesday 9/11: Today was a very strange day indeed. First there was the tragedy in New York and then the carnage in Washington D.C. that was on everyone's mind. We had a small group of riders that included Curt, Roger, IP, MB, Jamie, Jap and myself. We decided to take a trip down the valley and so I closed the shop at 5:30 and we headed out of the parking lot. I led the troops down to Silver Street which we followed all the way to Leyden Road. We took a right and then a quick left onto Nash's Mill Road which we took all the way to Colrain Road. We turned left and continued on a rather circuitous rout over to Lower Road in Deerfield. (I made certain that we all hollered to Penny, who was hiding out in her house, as we passed by.) We all headed down the hill on Lower Road together, but soon after we got up the first hill, Roger started to fall back. I called back to him to see if there was a problem with his bike but he said that he was just feeling a little off today. I rode up to Jamie and told him to continue on and that I would ride back to Roger. I fell back and soon Roger and I were pedaling along together. Roger said that he was OK but that his doctor told him to take it easy, so I suggested that we take a shortcut up Stillwater Road and try to catch on with the rest of the group. We rode up the hill and over to So. Mill River Road and headed towards Whately, but we did not see the rest of the group. At this point I thought that we had missed the others and that we would be riding the route by ourselves. Roger and I rode at a good pace down  to the first of several hills on this route and I kept looking ahead to see if I could see the other group, but they were not in sight. Just as we started to go up the hill, I looked behind and I saw MB at the front of a pack of rides comming on fast. Roger and I kept our pace and just before the top of the hill, we were caught. We all were back together, so we headed off towards the center of Whately in a group. When we got to the intersection of Christian Lane, some of the riders started to take a left and I hollered over to them that we were supposed to go straight through town. The group then headed straight but the always level headed MB pointed out that it was now 6:25 and that we had better turn around if we wanted to make it back before dark. I agreed and we then made a U turn and headed for Christian Lane. We rode down the hill and across RT 5&10 to Straights Road where we took a left and then headed towards Deerfield. We rode through the center of So. Deerfield and took Mill Village Road back to Old Deerfield. As we headed towards Old Main Street it was starting to get really dark out and I then picked the pace up somewhat so that we could make it back before it got too dark. We rode back to Greenfield and up to High Street to the shop and we all made it just as darkness was upon us. It was a great ride and I am a little sad that the season has come to an end, but I know that we will be back at it again next spring.

Wednesday 9/12: With all the news of the tragedy from yesterday, I was considering canceling the ride, but everyone seemed to think that we should continue, so we did. The ride was in Montague and I arrived in the center of  town to find a small group of people waiting for me. Along for the trip tonight was IP, DTH, Chris K., Jack, Liam O., Kip, Greg Dupree, Mark Newton, and myself. We had a mixed group of riders so I decided to split the bunch up with Kip taking the faster group out through the meadow while I led the girls and Jack on the usual route over to the Telephone Pole Trail. I took it easy on the ride up the hill and when IP and I arrived at the fire pit we waited for a couple of moments for Jack and DTH to arrive, before we headed out to the Toilet Bowl Trail. IP took the lead on the Toilet Bowl Trail and I hung on while she ripped through the woods out to the power lines. We paused at the power lines for a couple of minutes before deciding to take a new route out to Red Rock Road. We took a sandy jeep trail through the scrub pine and out to the Banked Trails and then took a left onto Red Rock Road. IP took the lead and we soon were on the hill to Red Rock, which IP rode up without hesitation. I stayed just in front of her on the climb and again when we turned onto Swamp Road, but IP was right there pushing the pace as we took the trail out to the bottom of Willis Hill. When we arrived at the hill it was just getting dark out and we could see the headlights of Jack and DTH coming through the woods. After a brief pause we headed out down Willis Hill Road at a reasonable pace. I followed DTH down the hill to where Jack and IP were waiting and we then continued along that road to the next intersection where we took a right onto the flatter trails. At this point IP was on fire, she started to push the pace and the two of us "wound it up" to the point that I had to put it in the big ring just to keep up with her. We ripped along the trails all the way back to the intersection with Red Rock Road where we stopped to wait for Jack and DTH. As we waited we looked back and we could see the lights of Jack and DTH in the distance and it was kind of cool to see the lights shinning through the trees. It was only a minute or so before they caught up with us and IP was ready to rip again, so I gave directions to Jack and DTH and then IP took off. She and I went flying down the road past what used to be the pond, all the way out to the power lines and then we took a left and we went flying down the left hand trail. It was neat to ride through the tall grass with just the headlight to illuminate the tunnel that was the trail. We rode along the double track as we headed back to the Telephone Pole Trail and when we got to the whoops, we again picked up the pace and soon we were flying down the hill to the hard top road. I led the way down the Telephone Pole Trail and as I neared the bottom of the hill I made the mistake of looking behind and I nearly lost it on the narrow side hill. After I slowed down and regained control, IP and I continued on back to the cars where we were greeted by Kip and his bunch. It seems that we kept missing each other out on the trails and they just kept on going, rather than wait for us. It was a nice night and we all had a great ride. All except Greg, who ripped off his derailleur just as he entered the trails, and who had to walk back to his truck. But, other than that, it was another day in paradise!

Thursday 9/13: Tonight is the last of this year's Thursday night road rides. It is fitting that we end the year on a high note and to that end I decided to take the few hardy souls that showed up on a trip up Huckle Hill. We gathered at the shop at 5:15 for the 5:30 start time and I had a good group show up. The riders included Curt, Roger, Tom "the Hat" Martyn, Bob and Deb Schilling, Becky and Steve, Rick McCulloch, QN, and myself (Chris Koh did show up, but he missed the start and we did not see him on the road). Bob and Deb led the group out of the parking lot and over to Bernardston Road at 15 mph and we held that until we got to the hill, where Bob picked it up a bit. The group started to come apart near the top, so I rode up to Bob and grabbed onto his seatpost. It took him a minute to figure out what happened but he got the point and slowed the pace a little. I followed behind the group and we rode up to Log Plain Road where Becky, Steve, Deb and Bob decided to take another route so that they could make it back before dark. The rest of us headed up RT. 5 &10 to Bernardston where we met up with Homer who was riding down from Northfield. She turned around and headed back to join us and soon we were all riding up RT. 10 towards Parmenter Road. We turned onto Parmenter Road and then onto Huckle Hill and began the climb. I stayed in the middle of the group and I watched Tom and QN take off up the steep sections. They pulled away from the rest of us and we all increased our tempo to try to keep up, but one by one riders dropped back until it was Homer and I taking up the chase. Homer kept a steady pace up the hill and we had QN in sight all the way to the top but we could never seem to catch up to her until the very top of the last climb. We rode down the hill to Pond Road together and we all made the right turn and headed for RT. 142. We all took turns at the front as we made our way back to Northfield where Homer took a left and headed for home and we turned right and headed for Turners Falls Road. I took the lead on Turners Falls Road and stayed at the front until we got to the hill where I had Tom take the lead a do a nice tempo up to the top. At this point I rode past QN and sped down the hill with Tom. We slowed up before the turn onto Main Road so that QN could catch on and then we rode down the last descent to RT. 2 where we were lucky enough to get a green light, and we all made it across together. We rode over to the canal and then crossed it and the river to Greenfield Road which we hammered up at a steady 15 mph. We arrived at the shop just before dark and waited for the rest of the riders to get back, which they did just before I started the van to go get them. It was another spectacular day and we will not have many of these left this year so I plan on riding as much as I can. 

Sunday: 9/16: Today I did the Josh Billings Runaground with my team mates "Big AL", Paul Petruski and Mike McKusker. I was not particularly thrilled with the idea of a 300 + person, mass start bike race, for my first competitive event in 10 years, but what the heck I have to start somewhere. I was fortunate enough to get myself positioned right in behind Sean Nealy on the starting line, so that when we started I could get to the front of the field. However, when they fired the gun, some spectators stepped out into the road right in front of us and I had to stop to get around them. I instantly went from first to last place. I stayed at the back of the group as we made our way across the river to the town of Great Barrington. I have done this race many times in the past and I knew that we were going to be making a right turn and then we had a big hill to climb. I also knew that if I was patient, I could get past most of the people in front of me. Sure enough, after I went under the bridge that leads to the hill, I saw a huge group of riders strung out from curb to curb. I also knew that there was a drainage ditch on each side of the road and when I got to the climb, I rode into the ditch on the left side of the road and then right up the hill past several hundred riders. As I neared the top of the hill, I could see the lead group and the pace car just ahead of me and I popped out of the ditch and got right in behind them. I was so proud of myself! That was until I looked at my heart monitor and it was at 185 and the group was beginning to accelerate. I knew that if I tried to stay with the front group, that they would spit me out the back on the next hill, so I dropped back into the main chase group and tried to recover.

Monday 9/17: I rode with the kids from NMH today and we did a nice ride up to the ridge where my "Bicycle Buddy" Tom showed off some of his newly acquired riding skills. Tom took up a position near the front of the group and rode up Cinder Road with ease. We took Cinder Road up to the Blue Trail and then rode up to the steep hill where we all took turns trying to ride up. Some of the kids swapped bikes with each other, while others made several tries at the hill on their own bike, but all of them did a great job and we had a lot of fun. After everyone got to the top of the hill, we decided to head back to school as it was getting late. I rode down the hill with Sophia and she did quite well riding over some logs that had fallen onto the trail. We all arrived back at Hillside at 5:00.

Tuesday 9/18: Tonight is the first night of the fall MTB schedule and we had MB, IP, Liam, Jack and Mark Newton show up for the trip to the Coke Plant. We left the shop at 6:00 and headed over to Gill Road with IP hammering at the front, while the rest of us tried to keep up. We crossed the highway and rode up to the truck turn-out and re-grouped. We then took off for the swamp behind MB. I was in front of Mark as we headed down the hill into the swamp and when I got to the plank bridge, I balked and went around, but Mark who was right behind me, didn't have time to correct and he crashed off the plank into the mud. Mark was OK and soon he was back on the bike and we headed off to catch up with MB and Liam. We rode over to Five Points and took the Ridge Trail to Luke and began the climb up to the water tank. Jack and IP were following me and when we got to the top we found Mark and Liam waiting, but MB had gone out for a loop around so we decided to just keep going and let MB catch us out on the power lines. We rode at a steady pace out to the top of the hill where MB caught us and then we all rode down to Red Rock. After a brief pause at Red Rock, I took the boys down the Chute, while IP headed down the road to the Hill of Doom. I was leading the boys down the Chute with Mark right behind me, when I hit a really loose section of the trail and I had to dab so that I could get back on the trail. As I did, however, I could hear some groans and a loud crashing sound behind me. Yep, Mark hit the ground again and tumbled down the hill a ways. Liam and Jack said that it was one of the better crashes that they had seen in a while. Mark was bruised a bit but he wasn't hurt and we all got going as soon as he arrived at the bottom of the hill. I rode over to the Hill of Doom behind Mark and then headed to the top where IP and the rest of the bunch were waiting. (Yes, IP did make the hill again tonight!) After I caught my breath I took off for the Orchard Trail with everyone following me. I rode to the top of Double Dip and when the boys came along I sent them on ahead to the Streambed Trail and I dropped back and rode with IP. The two of us followed Jack up the hill to the Cross-over Trail where we made the left turn and climbed the steep pitch to the top. (Yep, she made it up that one as well!) When we crested the hill we continued to follow Jack over to the Secret Trail where the rest of the riders were waiting. I suggested that we ride down to Deer Run and then do Double Death. IP said that she would prefer not to do that and that she would ride down the Secret Trail and meet us at the top of Double Death. We set out down the steep hill with Mark and MB in the front. I rode at the back of the group and when I rounded the corner to go down the steep hill (where Richard broke his collar bone) I saw MB's bike on the side of the trail and I thought "OH Boy, we lost another one!". But all was well, MB had just stopped to remove a large tree that had fallen across the trail, and when I got down there he had the job done. After MB got back on his bike I followed the dear boy over to the bottom of Double Death and started up the hill behind him. Both he and I spun out on the loose gravel near the top of the first pitch, so we went back to give it another try. I made it up on the second pass, and MB made most of the hill as well. After Double Death we headed down the Secret Trail to Stinger (IP climbed that one too!) and when everyone got to the top we then rode down the hill to Five Points again. I asked if the group wanted to take the old route through the swamp (The trail that IP and I cleaned last week) and IP said sure, so that's what we did. We rode all the way out to the Lillian Street trails and then back over the highway to Gill Road. There was some discussion about doing the trails behind Stop&Shop, but I had some work to do and so I declined. After a brief moment everyone else agreed that they had enough and we all headed back to the shop. It was a great ride and everyone seed to have had a good time.

Wednesday 9/19 At 3:00 I went down to Bement School to ride with the mountain bike class. Mr. Friends loaded the kids into a van while I took the bikes in my van and we drove to the Coke Plant in Greenfield. I will add the ride report form the kids when I get it.

Saturday 9/21: Today was the first of our Saturday road rides and I had a small group of people show up for a trip down to Sunderland. I led the group that included Will, John Bentley, QN, Roger Katz and Chris Koh. I led the group down High Street at a 17 mph pace and soon we were down on RT. 5&10, headed for River Road. I kept the group together as we made our way up the first climb at 15 mph. The riders we all content on a pretty mellow ride so I stayed at the back and rode along with the group. We continued at this pace until we got to the big hills where we lost Roger and Chris. I decided to keep on going, rather than waiting for Roger and Chris. I figured that we could do a small loop up Hillside Road and then catch up with the other two riders. I made the turn and started to climb the hill with Will, QN, and John right behind me. I led the group up the hill and started to make the turn to head back down the hill when I collided with John, who misunderstood my intentions. John slipped to the ground and quickly got right back up. He was fine and I helped him get his gears back on track and we all headed off to catch up with Roger. We rode down to River Road and headed over to the Sunderland Bridge, where we waited for a moment to see if Roger and Chris would come along. When they did not and we could not see them ahead of us, we continued on the route. We rode down to RT. 47 and turned right and then rode to Plumtree Road. We took that road back to RT. 116 and made the left turn to head back to Sunderland center. When we got to the traffic light we turned north onto RT. 47 and rode up to Falls Road. We pedaled along Falls Road to Montague and then we took Turners Falls Road over to Millers Falls Road. After the descent into the center of town, John and Will decided that they would do a longer loop and so they headed off for a trip up to Poet's Seat Tower, while QN and I headed back to the shop. QN and I ended up with a 20 mph average and we were both glad to be back.

Monday 9/24: Today was our NMH trip to the Montague Plains. I arrived at Hillside and quickly began to load the kids bikes into the van. We had 14 riders including myself, Homer and Hughes.  I filled the back of the BU van with bikes, leaving room only for Jesse Farrar and myself in the front, while Hughes and Homer took the kids in their cars and we headed off down RT. 63 towards Montague. We drove down to the power lines off Old Northfield Road and parked the vehicles and began unloading the kids and bikes. After we got everyone ready the group headed off for the trails. I rode at the front for a while as we made our way to the second first left, but soon the kids were swarming past me as we headed for the first turn. I had Homer wait at the turn so that all the kids would follow, then I took off in pursuit of Chas, Will, Jesse and Tom. I caught them as we got to the middle of the trail and we all rode together out to the next intersection, where we waited for the rest of the group to arrive. We only waited a few moments before Hughes arrived with some of the girls. I gave a short talk about the trails and where we would next meet, before we headed off. I rode near the front of the pack of kids as we made our way double file down the jeep trails towards the Banked Trail. All the kids were given instructions on how to ride the berms and the kids did really well for their first time out in this kind of terrain. After a brief rest we then headed for the first challenge of the day, which was the climb up to Red Rock. I rode along with Will, Chas, and Jesse until we got to the climb, where I took the lead and rode to the top. Everyone did well on the rocky climb and my "bicycle buddy" Tom was one of only four kids to make it to the top of the hill. I was pleased to see Molly, Amara, Deniz and Sophia try to ride up the hill. Although they did not make it all the way to the top, they put out a tremendous effort on what had to be a very difficult passage. These girls are really doing great! After we rested for a couple of minutes, I gave the kids an overview of the next two trails that we were going to ride and we then rode onward. As I rode up the Swamp Road we passed a little hill on the left and I decided to wait there for everyone to catch up. As I waited I there with Will, Jesse and Oliver I offered up a little challenge. I said that I would give a pair of the styling Defeet socks to anyone who could ride up the hill on the first try. Several kids gave it a go but only Oliver and myself were able to make it to the top. After everyone who wanted to try had finished, we then headed out for Willis Hill Road. I rode at the front of the group and when I got to the turn I stopped to make sure that everyone made the turn. When the last rider came by me, I then rode on to the rendezvous spot where we waited to re-group. When all the riders had arrived, I gave them instructions on the trail that we were going to go down. It is a rutted jeep trail and I told the kids to take it easy. After I finished with the instructions, I led the group out through the swamp to the road and I from there I rode to the top of the hill and stopped. I told each rider that passed me to be careful and to wait at the turn at the bottom of the hill. After Homer got up to my position, I then took off to catch up with the kids that had gone on ahead.  As I neared the bottom of the hill I could see several of the riders standing around on the trial. I was about to yell at them to get off the trail, when I came upon Jesse, who had fallen and hurt his shoulder. I got a quick update on what happened and I had Jesse sit down on the side of the trail and we waited for Homer and Hughes to arrive. We decided to leave Homer with Jesse while Hughes and I rode back to the van with the remainder of the kids. When I got there I left my bike with Hughes and I went out on the trails to get Jesse. It only took a few minutes to get there and load him and his bike into the van and then I drove back to where Hughes was waiting. We transferred Jesse to Homer's car and then we loaded up the bikes and the kids and headed back to Northfield. In spite of Jesse's misfortune, we had a great ride! Although Jesse ended up with a small fracture in his shoulder I am sure that he will be back on his bike very soon. (If I can fix it up, that is!)

Tuesday 9/25: Tonight I was joined by Liam and Penny for a ride over to the Coke Plant. We left at 6:00 and headed over to the trails for a quick loop up the trails. We rode the usual route up to the water tank and then we headed over to Red Rock. Penny did very well on the climbs and we rode together over to the Hill of Doom, which Penny did not try today. Liam and I rode up the hill, but neither of us made it to the top. We re-joined Penny out at the Orchard Trail and we all headed over to Double Dip. Penny decided to head back to Five Points, while Liam and I did the loop up the Streambed Trail to Deer Run. We rode over to Double Death and we both gave that a try, but we were not able to make it. After Double Death, Liam and I rode down to Five Points where Penny was waiting, and we then headed over to the Lillian Street trails. Liam and I led Penny back over the highway and then back to the shop. We all had a good ride.