September 2006 Ride Report Page          
Here you will find the reports of our exploits for the month September 2006 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. Editors notes are in pink. 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.

Wendell: 9/28: Jan, Kurt, El Presidenté and myself gave Wendell a go last night. We started out in the usual fashion and decided to check out the western end of Wickett Pond Trail to see if we could make it to the Firepit before hitting tornado chaos. After climbing Carlton Road and getting about half way to the fire pit (by the way, the pond was very pristine last night) the blow downs were every where and the trail was impassable. We turned around, took Carlton Road to Dirth Road, took the Carlton-Dirth single track al the way back to the beach at Ruggles Pond and headed up to the Maple Leaf Trail. We took a leisurely pace along the Maple Leaf Trail up to the Nipmuck Trail and headed down to the bottom. Liam and I made quick work of Baker Road and Kurt and Jan crested the top shortly thereafter. After that, it was fire roads back to the HQ. Nearing the final climb up from the beach, Kurt snapped his chain, again, and was forced to push it up the rest of the way. Nonetheless, we had a pretty good ride and some amber refreshment flowed in the parking lot. Two notable happenings this evening. During the ride the idea of a "skills day" was brought up. You know, how to do wheelie drops or conquer rock gardens and whatnot. Sounds like a good idea. Folks who are interested in this should let Bob, Grasshopper, Liam or myself know and we'll see what we can arrange. The other happening was a quote. As some of you know, there are some very quotable things that are said during the context of the ride. Here's the latest one compliments of Jan: "One thing you can always count on during a shop mountain bike ride is that Liam is going to take his pants off." I'll leave it at that as it's way funnier without an explanation.
J, Disciple of Grasshopper

Sunday morning 9/24: I got up and it wasn’t raining yet so I headed out for a ride at about 8:20 am.  I knew the Deerfield Craft fair was going on so I didn’t want to go south.  I decided to do the same route I did with Tom on Friday, but I would start in Turners.  I headed down Montague City Road and rode to Deerfield Street and up High street to Silver Street and then continued onto Bernardston, etc.  Only this time I worked myself a little harder.  After my warm-up ride to Greenfield, I started pushing myself up all those hills instead of taking it easy and I did a few sprints, this time I did 27.2 miles with an average speed of 16.3, but I’ll tell you my legs were dead tired at the end of this ride.  I had a passing thought of riding to get 30 miles but I was a wimp and just went home.  Even though I was tired, I was still smiling, why, because I just love to ride!

Friday night 9/22: Tom and I showed up to do a ride at 5 pm, just before we left Wendy and Ben showed up and came along with us.  We headed out down Silver Street, and we were going to go to Leyden Road, but there was some construction on Silver so we turned and went up Country Club road instead.  Don’t listen to Tom when he says I was whining about the Barton Road hill and that’s why we didn’t go Leyden road, it’s not true!  From Country Club we took a right and headed to Bernardston.  Our original plan was to come back on Main Road in Gill.  I asked Wendy and Ben if they wanted to do that or do Turners Falls Road back, they said they would come with me and Tom.  So we continued on, this was the first time Wendy had this route and she was worried about the hills but I told her to take her time and go at her own pace and she really did a great job. She said she felt better knowing that none of the hills had mountainous names!  We came down the hill towards Turners, waited at the lights on Rt. 2, went across the bridge and then headed back to the shop via the Esleeck Hill.  We had a nice leisurely ride and made it back before dark; we went 19.5 miles at about 14.6 avg.

Thursday 9/21: It was a very nice day with warm temps and low humidity, making it a perfect night for a MTB ride. I drove over to Montague Center with Cooper and we were met there by Jan, Mark N., Gary Cole and Gary Fenton, Walters, Curt and Parrott. After getting our gear set we headed out on the hardtop roadway for the trails. As I rode along I noticed that my front tire was not seated well on the rim. I stopped briefly to try to fix it but I didn't get it right so I decided to continue on and fix it when we got to the trail. We made a brief stop on Swamp Road, to view the recent ecological disaster there. It seems that the entire forest was chopped down by some overzealous developer who is building some sort of "Williamsville" mansion over there. After the viewing, we left Swamp Road and were just about to enter the trails when Curt announced "Bob is Fat". Yep, the dear boy had a punctured! I stopped with Curt and helped him fix the flat and I also re-seated my tire as well. After the repair we headed up the Telephone Pole Trail to the Money Trail where the group was waiting for us. Now, I do not know why Parrott took us on that trail as there was a better route up at the fire pit, but I followed his lead anyway and we ended up out on the road near Bernardo Drive. We rode down the now closed trail (someone built a house out there and the trail is now a driveway) and onto our usual path. We followed Parrott over to the cyclocross course where we regrouped to do a lap. Parrott had been using Gary Fenton's mower to clear a path for the race course. Gary has been kind enough to loan us the mower so we can prepare the race course for the November race. Gary has done this for the last few years and that has saved us lots of money that we would have spent to rent a mower. The path was somewhat spongy but we all were able to ride it without any difficulty. When we got out onto the trails behind the "shooting range", Walters got off on his own route and we briefly "lost" him. When we were all together, Parrott led us into the woods. Just after we got onto the trail, Parrott suddenly stopped and got off his bike. He took a spray can that he had duct taped to his seatpost and started to spray it onto the ground. I was puzzled by all of this but before I could ask, I saw what was happening. There were bees flying out of a hole in the ground and Parrott had a match lighted. You can only guess what happened next. The "firefighter" lit the juice and soon there was a plume of flames shooting out of the hole. Jan mentioned that she was not on duty and would not be assisting in putting out the conflagration should things get out of control. Parrott, wisely, started to stomp on the flames and with the assist from a water bottle, was able to put out the flames. All this was precipitated by an incident earlier today. It seems that Parrott was mowing the brush in this section of woods and he stepped on the nest of bees. They were really mad and came out and bit Parrott several times. All this activity was retribution for the pain inflicted by the bees. After that exciting episode was over, we headed off to finish our lap of the course. After the lap was finished we thanked Parrott for his tremendous efforts to get the course ready. Parrott has really done an excellent job and I hope that more riders will show up for the rides and the race. After the lap around the course we headed off to ride over to Willis Hill. I managed to stay in the middle of the pack, which allowed me to keep a steady pace over to and up the hill. I followed Mark and Parrott up the hill and we waited at the top for the rest of our crew to arrive. After a brief discussion, I suggested that we head up the Kiabuckus Trail to the I-H Trail. I followed Mark over to the trailhead and we rode to the top of the hill on the Kiabuckus. There was a lot of blown down trees and limbs on the trail and while we were waiting for the rest of the group to get up the hill, I used the time to clear the trail of debris. There is still one very large tree that is down across the trail and I will call Paul to get him to cut a path for us. After the group was back together we rode over to the I-H Trail and then down the hill through the Pine Forest to the power lines. We followed the power lines over to Brushy Way where the group got split up. I rode with Parrott and Co. down the Toilet Bowl Trail to the Banked Trail. Curt was leading the pack on The Banked Trails, but we somehow missed the turn onto the cut off trail. This put some of the riders back onto the homeowner's driveway. Cooper and Parrott got into it with the now irate homeowner and it took a few minutes to get everyone back into the group. After all the riders were accounted for, we headed back to the center of town where we loaded our gear to head for home. It was a nice night for a ride and I hope to see some more of our experienced riders join us out here this fall.

Wednesday Night Ride 9/20: Tom and I went out at 5 tonight, it was a little windy so Tom said lets go North.  We left the shop and had to wait and wait for the traffic to break.  Tom was able to get across the street quicker than me, as I am such a chicken crossing traffic.  We headed up Adams Road towards Streeter’s Store with Tom in the lead; both of us said our legs were still a bit stiff from our Monday night ride with Bob!  Once we got to Streeter’s store we took a right and headed for Rt. 63.  I took the lead here and we were moving right along.  My computer said we hit 27 mph, Bob, we were flying just like the other night, alright maybe we were headed slightly downhill when I hit that speed, but we were moving along pretty good.  Just before we got to 63, Tom took the lead again and up and down the hills we went.  Tom and I chatted a little as we rode, remembering the different spots along 63 that we had to stop at when I first did this route earlier in this Spring. This time we just kept going, no stopping now. We made it to Millers Falls and thought of Patrick when we went over the train tracks; we made it across safely, no flats!  When we got to that wonderful one lane bridge in Millers, there were no cars around so we went over the bridge, Tom in the lead.  About half way across the bridge a couple of cars started to come over from the other direction.  Yes, they had the green light, and a guy in a truck tried to run Tom into the barriers to prove he had the right of way and yelled some obscenities at us, but we just kept going, hoping he wasn’t going to turn around and yell at us some more or worse.  We headed though Millers Falls, took the right up that lovely little hill and I was NOT in my easiest gear!!!  We headed up by the Airport and down 3^rd street, up the Esleeck Hill and back to the shop.  My computer said we did 24.5 miles and our average was 16.8 mph. Thanks Tom for the great ride. 

Monday Night Ride Sept. 18^th 2006: Tonight’s ride was supposed to be a “Recovery Ride”.  Yesterday morning, Karen D., Patrick J., and I chose a hilly ride, capping off with a climb up Eden Trail and a speedy rip down Frizzle Hill.  I smirked when Karen and Patrick rode the “flats” leading up to Eden Trail at 21 mph!  After the ascent, we were rewarded with Frizzle’s long, winding, very fast downhill.  My top speed was 49.3 mph (with a slight wiggle). Damn it! I wanted to hit 50 mph – maybe next time.  I spent Sunday afternoon kayaking (with a few beers concealed in the hull) so tonight, my upper body was as sore as my lower limbs.  

When I arrived at the shop Karen informed me that Bob P. was going to join us.  The Recovery Ride quickly became an O-S--t Ride. The riders were Karen, Christina, Socks, Bob P. and I.  The route was going to be the Sunderland Sweep – easy enough.  Turners Falls welcomed us with recently repaved roads (Karen’s tax dollars hard @ work).  Because of the pulls from Socks and Bob the ride on Turners Falls Road was easy even with the slight headwind.  I spent the first few miles on Meadow Road thinking about the Sunderland town line.  Do I attempt an early breakaway? Do I ride a wheel then a last minute sprint?  With the line in sight, I pulled up to Bob who was leading the pack with maybe 50 yards to the line.  Our eyes met and the sprint was on!  I was able to beat Bob by a bike length (I think that he was caught in the wrong gear). Bob decided to guide the group down River Road into Whately – another town line!  Socks and Bob started to position themselves for the sprint.

Socks had a slight lead. Bob started the action by breaking to the left; I was able to jump onto Bob’s back tire without being detected.  Somehow I was able to slingshot the two of them and take the line with an all out sprint. 

Bob was leading the group down River Road – the rest of us assumed that he was going to take the first right onto Christian Road.  W.T.F???  Bob continued straight down River Road (he knew that there was yet another town line - Hatfield).  Once again, Bob and Socks positioned themselves for battle.  Karen, Christina and I were only passive witnesses - from our view it seemed like Bob easily won Hatfield!  After right turns on both Depot and Straits Road's we were spat out on RT.116 N.  I knew that there was another quick town line. I was leading and thought that it was in the bag.  I looked back and saw Socks coming fast. Sprinting up a slight incline he nosed out the victory!  Socks also won (uncontested) the Deerfield town line that is only 75 yards down on Route 5&10 N. 

Bob pulled us the entire length of Route 5.  We were averaging 23 to 26 mph on the flats and exceeded 30 mph on the quick downhill's. The remaining town line was Greenfield.  I was second in line behind Bob, sucking his wheel.  I kept glancing back to Socks anticipating his sneak attack.  At the same time, Bob was adjusting his gears and hand positioning.  With maybe 100 yards before the Wok, Bob left his saddle and “Perry Power Pedaled” a fifty-yard lead. The last triumph of the evening was uncontested.                                                                                                                            

Bob, thanks for once again providing an exciting and entertaining ride.  Our final numbers were 34.7 miles. 19.76 average and 32.8 (sprint) max.  I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s Recovery Ride. 

Tom Graney

Monday 9/18: It was another beautiful day today and I was planning on doing a little ride in the middle of the afternoon. The shop was pretty busy, so I did not notice that the day was getting on. Karen Dowd came in early to get ready for her ride with Tom which was scheduled for 5:00 or so. In the meantime, Christina had emailed me and asked if there was a ride going out. I told her of the ride that Karen and Tom were planning and she said that she would join them. Not long after that, Socks came into the shop. I cajoled him into joining the Karen and Tom ride. Now at this point it was getting later in the afternoon, so I decided to join Karen and Tom's ride as well. Jack "Rabbit" and Denise also came in but they decided to start out ahead of us, and join us out on the route. After Christine "the crab" finally got to the shop, we headed out for the Sunderland Sweep at 5:15. I rode in the middle of the pack for most of the way over to the firehouse in Turners Falls. After we made the turn we came up Jack "Rabbit" and Denise who were stopped at the side of the road. They waved us on, saying that they wanted to do a shorter loop at their own pace. After that I went to the front of the group and started to pull the pack along. At first I set a 21 mph pace but Tom (who was right behind me) said that there were gaps opening in the line, so I slowed the pace down to 19 mph and everyone was OK with that. We rode down to Ferry Road and took a right to head down the hill to Meadow Road. Once we got out onto the open roads near the farms, there was a pretty brisk headwind so I went to the front to pull. I hauled the pack down to the Sunderland town line where Tommy jumped me for the town line sprint. I recovered from the sprint and then towed the pack over to Sunderland center and after making the turn onto 116, I started the sprint for the Deerfield town line. Bang!! I got jumped this time by Socks, who came up on the outside while I was looking for Tom on the inside. After that we rode across the Sunderland Bridge where we took a left to head south on River Road. We had plenty of sunlight left so I decided to lengthen the trip a little. We headed south past Christian Lane and into Hatfield. At this point I was waiting for the town line sprint and I went out early with Socks and then easily cruised on ahead of him for the win. After the sprint we regrouped on Depot Street. Karen took the lead and hammered on towards the hill up to Straits Road. After we got to the top of Straits Road, Karen paid for her exuberance! Karen and Tom were a bit behind me, Socks and Christina so I drifted back to pull them up. I had forgotten that there was a town line and so it was no contest for Socks to take it. After that I managed to get Karen and Tom back into the group and I then went to the front to pull the pack over to 116. We ran into a little traffic as we crossed 116 and Karen, Christina and I were 200 yards behind Tom and Socks when they sprinted for the town line into Whatley. We were still behind Tom and Socks as we made the right turn onto 5&10 and again we watched as Socks sprinted for the town line into Deerfield. We rode north through the traffic lights in Deerfield and when we got to Channing Bete I took the lead again. I pulled the pack all the way back to Greenfield where I took the town line by simply riding at 28 mph for the last quarter mile or so. After riding back into town we took the Hope Street route back to the shop. Christina was leading the way and she powered her way to the finish at nearly 20 mph for most of the way down High Street. We ended the ride with a 19.8 mph average at the shop, although we had an actual speed of 20.3 at the start of the cool down on Washington Street.

Sept 17-Kingdom Trails-East Burke, VT: I've been riding with Bicycles Unlimited and Crew for-what-5 and a half years now? I've had lots of great rides, some not so great ones, but yesterday was hands down the best ride I've done as a Shop-affiliated ride. People use the word "Perfect" a little too often, I think-but yesterday was just, well, perfect. Crystal blue skies, agreeable fall sunshine, mid 70's temperature all amidst a spectacular Vermont landscape. All the ingredients were all there for perfection. Throw into the mix; a crew of excellent riding companions, topnotch trail conditions, and of course, miles and miles of thoroughly enjoyable trails. Oh yeah-how about a day's worth of riding without a single mechanical (no flats or chain breaks-nothing-) and when you add it all up the sum is perfection. Thus was our day at the legendary Kingdom Trails in East Burke Vermont. So who all Came? Well, the Day was divided into two halves: a morning crew that hit the trails before 10:00am and the afternoon crew that joined the morning crew around noon.

So, let's see; for the morning crew: Me (Liam: El Presidenté), Harold "Hammerhead" Green, Matthew "The Kid" Green, and Shea "Billy" Craig.

In the Afternoon we were joined by Curt, Bob, Grasshopper, Dan and his buddy Seth, and the inimitable Jack Rice, for a lively and quick moving group of 10. I believe Kerry and Calvin came up and rode on their own around the trails, but I never saw them. Also, Mary Ellen and Betsey came up and enjoyed a lovely day of hiking.

The Morning Ride: Roughly speaking, Kingdom Trails can be divided into (I'd say anyway) three distinct areas. There is the renown showpiece main riding area of Darling Hill (what most people think of when they think of Kingdom Trails). And on the far side of town is the Burke Ski Area Trails-which are near the campground and offer some great riding to either side of the ski hill. Then, in between and connecting these two areas is another distinct set of trails that I'll call The White School/ Frost Hill Trails. It's along this middle area that I and the morning crew began our day's adventure at Kingdom Trails. Leaving from S. Deerfield at 6:00am, stopping for a syrup-laden breakfast in Lyndon, VT and hitting the trails before 10:00am. Billy, Hammerhead, The Kid and El Presidenté got right to business along the rooty, swoopy long White School Trail. The only really challenging technical feature found consistently in Kingdom Trails are lots and lots of roots. The beginning of the White School Trail is one of the rooty-est stretches in the trail system. So it was a good way for us to quickly adjust our skills, and get set for the riding ahead. We ambled and meandered along the White School Trail until we reached a road. We then began the long climb up the dirt Pinkham Rd (and main connector to the ski area as well). After a healthy climb, Hammerhead, the kid and myself turned right onto the Frost Hill Trail while Billy continued on the road to meet us up ahead. However, after about a mile of climbing a quicksand soft grass strewn trail, we let wisdom be the better part of valor and turned around and headed back to the road where we climbed up to the next trail head. After some more climbing we found ourselves atop the incredible Moose Alley Trail. A long, twisty challenging, sustained (like 15 minutes) down hill! The Kid and I launched first followed by Hammerhead and Billy. Dang, That's a great trail!! When you lead a crew up a slog of a climb you'd better be able to produce the goods! Well, suffice it to say: goods delivered! At the bottom of the hill our hands and arms were aching from the descent. Our jaws were also tired from all the smiling we did on the way down the hill. After that we headed off back towards the White School Trail where we zipped along the various Pond Trails and then we rode all the way back to east Darling Hill Road. Once there, we decided to climb up and hit the Kitchel's descent (a delightful high speed banked trail) before returning to the welcome center to refuel and look for the afternoon crew. Awesome first half of a day (by now we had 13 miles in already and many more to come).

Back at the Bailey and Burke General Store we were delighted to find Bob and crew had already arrived, gotten their maps and passes and were just about suited up!. We begged their indulgence for a few more minutes allowing us to eat, drink, re-water and then head out. And then, the Greenfield 10 headed on up East Darling Hill Rd to feast upon the hard packed banquet of Kingdom Trails. We climbed all the way to begin on the classic beginning trail: The Harp. This is a rooted, twisty, bridged-it's a wonderful introduction to the trails and gives everyone a chance to see what they can expect for the day. Furthermore, it allows everyone to adjust to the unique brand of riding on these trails. As I like to put it-"to get your sea legs". With a few miscues and stumbles we all made it to the next trail in good order-we then began zipping along 'Fenceline' and then we rode up to Pasture's Point. From the top we rode down Pasture's Point (with plenty of Bob photo ops of course). Everyone was now fully enthralled with the vibe of Kingdom Trails and we made our way over to the stellar "Tody's Tours/ Beaver Path trails" YEE HA! (if you've ridden them you get it!). From there we hit Webs and then worked our way over to West Branch (where Curt and Grasshopper set up for some fine photos). We then Climbed out on Hogback and worked our way to Sidewinder! Ain't another trail like this one anywhere-it's a one-way downhill with connected high rollers that-well, I can't explain them-but if you ride them you'll understand. Bob and Curt set up for some great photos here as well. Everyone now was all smiles-mostly stunned by the plentiful, wonderful riding--and there was more to come. Well, we soldiered out the tough climb on Coronary and headed over to Old Web-probably the biggest crowd pleaser at Kingdom Trails. This is a series of bone-smooth swooping switchbacks, high banks, rolling jumps through a lovely open pine forest. Some folks rode it twice! Also-there's some make shift structures at the entrance of these trails where some of the crew (Dan, Seth, The Kid, Grasshopper) had some fun rolling up over and off some fun stuff. We then climbed our way up Meadow Wood to River Run (Towards Heaven's Bench) where a chunk of the crew was ready to call it a day. At the road, I laid out a route (Bill McGill, to Sugarhouse Farm to Kitchel's--always got to end on Kitchel's) for those who wanted to head back, and Hammerhead led the way. Meanwhile, myself, The Kid and Billy (Shea) headed up to ride the best sequence of trails in kingdom trails--those who've been there know the route well. Say it with me now: Heaven's Bench (beautiful, beautiful and yeah, beautiful), To Ridge, to Rim, To East Branch (whole trail), back onto Vast and then onto to River wood--gosh darn, if that ain't the best 5 mile stretch of trails I've ever ridden!!! Well, now even the remnants of the morning crew closing in on 30 miles of riding were getting tired so we headed on over to Leatherwood, turned on up the nose to Sugar House Trail and then rode the classic Kitchel's then Herbs Trail back to town! What a day!! Some of us went and had burgers and beer before heading home all talking excitedly about when we would return and how this should be a regular stop. Final thoughts-this is the high water mark of mountain biking-great weather, trails, and guys to ride with-everyone rode well, had fun, no mechanicals--and Bob-for once, actually got to ride without having to worry about anything or anyone else but just having fun!

Kingdom Trails-yee-ha!

Liam

Sunday 9/17 The Kingdom Trails: Today we took our first annual fall bike excursion to the Kingdom Trails in E. Burke Vermont. I got over to the shop at 8:30 to meet up with Jack, Dan, Seth and Grasshopper. After getting our bikes in the van, MaryEllen and I led a caravan of three up to Putney where Curt and Betsey joined us at exit 4. We then headed north on RT. 91 to meet up with Liam & Co. at the Bailey and Burke General Store. After we got our trail passes we met at the back parking lot for some photos. After the photo session we headed out for the trails. It was an absolutely perfect day for a ride, with bright sunny skies and warm temperatures. I was the "sweep" as we headed over to start the climb up to the trails. The first part of the ride is a long uphill slog on hardtop roadways. I was really suffering at the back for the first part of the hill and it was no accident that I was last. As we got nearer the top of the hill, I started to warm up and by the time we actually got onto the singletrack I was doing OK. I followed Curt down the trail and it took me a little while to get the "flow" of the trails. At one point I tried to follow Curt's line and ended up going over the bar when I came upon an unexpected root on the trail. After that I left a gap so that I got a good look at the trail ahead of me. No more mishaps after that! I was just a passenger on the Liam Train, and I followed the route that he picked. We did some really sweet trails and I must say that the variety and great conditions kept me satisfied for entire trip. As we got into the third hour on the trails, it became apparent that there was some fatigue setting in and I told Liam that the time had come for us to head back. At the top of a long climb, I took some photos (posted on the homepage) of the group, strung out over a long distance. With that illustrative point made, Liam set off with Billy and Boy to do another trail, while Hammerhead and I led the remaining troops back to Kitchel for the final downhill run to the starting point. When we got back we met up with Betsey and MaryEllen, who were lounging on the blanket in the shade, after their 6 mile hike up the mountain. We stowed our gear and soon after Liam had returned, MaryEllen and I headed for home.

Wednesday 9/13: I left the shop and headed over to Wendell with Shane and Frank in the van with me. When we got to Wendell State Forest we quickly got our gear together and soon we were heading down the trails. I rode at the back of the group of 11 riders and as we got to the singletrack the leaders (J and Liam) were soon out of sight. When I got to Brook Road with Shane and Jan, Mark Newton and Frank were waiting for us. We took the Carlton-Dirth trail over to Carlton Road. Along the way we encountered a couple of very large Poodles that were running loose on the trail. The woman who was with them did her best to corral them and we passed unharmed. After we got out to Carlton Road we headed for Wickett Pond Road. At this point we were riding on the dirt roads on the way over to Wicket Pond Road. We passed the old Wickett Pond Trail that got destroyed and I looked for the other trail over to Wickett Pond Road but that too was obliterated by the storm. We continued on dirt roads and eventually we got to the Nipmuck Trail. Mark took the lead on the Nipmuck and I stayed at back as we headed down the hill towards Baker Road. We were only a short way on the trail before I spotted a light coming from behind me. It was Hammerhead Harold and he joined us for the rest of the ride down the trail. I followed Jan down the trail and when we got to Baker Road, everyone was waiting for us. I followed the group up the hill and I passed Frank who was getting tired and had to stop half way up the hill. Jan and Frank were a ways behind Shane, Mark and Harold, so I sent them down the upper Hanna Swarton while I waited for Frank and Jan. The three of us took the dirt roads over to the Pine Tree Trail and we took the Pond Loop to the bottom of the hill near the ranger station. From there we headed back to the parking lot via the hardtop road. It was a nice ride and I think everyone had a good time.

9/13/06 Wendell:
            Darkness was not far off as we gathered at the forest HQ for the obligatory photos and route discussion. We broke into two groups and headed out along the old singletrack toward Dirth (or is it Carlton?) road It is neither. The first road we hit is Brook Road.  El Presidenté, Pete, Singlespeed Eric, Matt G., Harold and myself took off in the faster paced group while Frank, Jan, Mark Newton, kid with a Zed (fill in his name Bob, Shane) and Bob came along behind but would soon split for their own adventure.  Bob would like it known that tonight’s ride was dedicated to James Blunt as Bob considers “Your Beautiful” his own personal anthem.
            Our group hit the usual Ruggles Pond trail to Pine Tree fire road route.  I think El Presidenté was the only one who cleared the entire rock garden at the end of Ruggles.  When we hit the main drag where pavement meets dirt, Harold decided that Bob’s group was where he wanted to be for the evening and went in search of that group.  The rest of us bore left on Jerusalem Road and headed toward the M&M trail.  A couple hundred yards in it appeared as if someone had made a lovely log cairn so as to prevent bikers from accessing the trail.  Seriously, do people realize that it is the bike crew that does almost all of the trail maintenance in the forest?  After a quick clean up, we were back on our way.  The nasty right hand turn/step up caught everyone but we persevered. 
            The next obstacle was the rock stairs with the rock slab on the left.  Still waiting for someone to ride up that, but alas, tonight was not the night.  We hit the new trail between the lookouts and came out on Damon Camp Road.  We decided that down it was and I took the lead with gravity as my aide, as Grasshopper has shown me the way.
            We entered the Hannah Swarton Trail at the bridge and began the tedious, technical climb back to Baker Road.  I led the way until Pete gunned by me at the big open rock face.  I tried to reel him in before we hit Baker, but was unsuccessful.  Liam and Matt arrived at Baker Road shortly thereafter, but where was Eric?  Suddenly, we saw a bright light, much like a UFO, heading down Baker Road from Damon Camp. What the…?  It was Eric.  Apparently, he lost Hannah and bushwhacked out to Damon Camp Road rather than risking an encounter with a yeti in the darkness of Wendell.
            With the group in tact, we headed out on Hannah again toward the infamous “Bob is Fat” tree, banged a left on the Maple Leaf Trail and headed for the Nipmuck.  Once on the Nipmuck, Liam put the hammer down and on some of the turns it looked like he was actually headed back in my direction.  Well, Grasshopper would never forgive me if I didn’t descend like a banshee so I threw caution to the wind and reeled Liam in, aided by a few sticks that he caught, shortly after the big berm.  We set a good pace down the Nipmuck and by the time we hit Baker Road, we had opened up a pretty good gap.  So we kept going.
            Kudos to Matt G., who finished 2^nd in the Sport category for his age at the Landmine Classic over the weekend.  He continued to ride strong and overtook me between the two climbs of Baker Road.  We regrouped at the top and decided to head for the HQ. 
            Liam and Matt duked it out for the finish line, while Pete, Eric and I, content with our standings in the overall classification, took a more leisurely pace back to the parking lot.  It appeared that Bob’s group had returned as a unit and they were waiting for us in the parking lot.  I checked my computer when I got home and had just over 12 miles for an hour and a half of riding.  All in all, it was a really good ride and Wendell at night is definitely something that everyone should get out and experience.
Racin' J

Tuesday 9/12: Tonight was the last of the weeknight road rides and we had a large group show up for the trip. There was some delay in getting going and we finally rolled out of the parking lot at 5:40. I led the pack of 18 riders down to River Road via the Hope Street route. My goal was to try to keep the group in together for as long a possible. We rolled over the first few hills and down to the riverside farmland in a long pace line. When we got to the larger hills the group got a little strung out, but with help from Parrott (keeping the pace a little slower at the front) and a couple of riders helping me at the back, we were all together before Hillside Road. The group overtook Roger's pack as we neared the UMass dairy farm and several of his group joined our group. After crossing RT. 116 we had a little difficulty keeping the pace, so I went to the front of the pack just after Christian Lane and did a 24 mph pull for a while. After that, the group settled into a nicely steady paceline. Robert Wilson, who joined in at the Sunderland Bridge, went for the Hatfield town line sprint with several others. I did not see who won that one, but I think it was Parrott. After the sprint the group was stretched out a bit so I went on to the front to slow the pace until everyone was back on. The group worked very well together and most of the riders got to get a pull on the front. It is hard to make it to the front of the pack when there are so many riders in a long line. Most of the time the leaders only get to go about half way down the line before "car back" is called out from the rear, and the rider has to duck into the middle of the line. Anyway, as we got near the center of Hatfield, I had worked my way to the front of the pack and took over the lead from Robert Wilson at the water treatment plant. I wanted to do this pull because I had figured that at our current speed, we would not be able to get back to the shop before dark if we went all the way down to NoHo. As we got to the center of town I had the group make a right turn onto Chestnut Street. After the turn I went to the back of the pack and chatted with Phillip May, Keith Streeter and Paul Voiland all of whom had started with Roger. The group rode together over to 5&10 where we made a right turn. Steve Power was at the front after the turn and he really did a nice long pull at 26 MPH all the way to Pantry Road. After pulling off the front Silko and several others took pulls and we cruised north at a pretty good clip. I got to the front just after Depot Street and pulled the pack all the way to Tom's Hot Dog stand. After pulling off I told Phillip, who was right behind me, not to stay too long on the front. He did a short pull but that proved to be his un-doing and he dropped off the back at the RT. 91 overpass near LaSalle's Greenhouse. The group kept a good pace going and we rode hard going north. The sun was setting and we knew that we would have to hustle to get back before it really got dark. The pack rode smoothly through the traffic lights in Whatley and I was on the front as we approached the town line in Deerfield. As expected, Parrott and a couple of other riders went for the line. Parrott got the sprint and he was well off the front when we got to Yankee Candle. We all came back together at the So Dee lights and from then on it was a rip. Several riders were in front of me as we got past Channing Bete. As they peeled off, it was Steve Power at the front with me right behind him as we passed Mill Village Road. Suddenly we heard a helicopter flying above. It was Mark Spencer in his State Police chopper. He flew low and I waved to him. He gave a short sound from the siren, before he flew off over the Pocumtuck Ridge. After we rode down the hill past Magic Wings, Steve pulled off and I was on the front again. I kept the pace at 30 mph for as long as I could and pulled off near Chapley Gardens. That was the last time at the front for me. After I got to the back of the pack the pace stayed pretty high for most of the way back to Greenfield. After we made the turn onto Washington Street the group kept the speed pretty high because it was getting pretty dark. I ended up following Mark Newton and a couple of others back to the shop. We ended the 37 mile trip with a 22.5 mph average. It was a great way to end the season!!

Monday, 9/11: After the disastrous ride of yesterday I needed to do a more moderate ride today. We had 18 riders for the last ride of the year, including a couple of first time riders. Since time was short due to the earlier sunset this time of year I decided to do a ride down River Road in Deerfield. I led the group that included Keith, Tom G., Bob Gray, Linda C., Karen D., Ann Pratt, Patrick, Christina "The Crab", Gary Cole, John Strong and Jamie. We took the Hope Street route down to Deerfield Street and headed south. We were all able to make the turn onto River Road without dodging heavy traffic, like last weeks adventure. After the turn the group rode over the first couple of hills and down to the farms in a long pace line. I had my LT. Jamie watching the back of the pack so that Christina did not get too far behind. I rode along in the middle of the pack until we got to the bigger hills. At that point I went to the front of the group to give some kind words of encouragement to Keith. I was there to gently offer some tips and coaching advice when he needed it the most. You could tell that Keith was so impressed with the help that he actually was able to get over the hills without getting towed by Patrick. After we got down the other side of the hill, Linda and Gary got a good gap on the group so I rode up to them to slow the pace a bit. There was a few riders off the back when we got to the UMass dairy farm so I had Linda and Gary slow down some more until Jamie was able to pull the group back together. After the brief stop on 116, the group then headed down River Road in Whatley to Christian Lane. Keith was leading the charge up the first hill on Christian Lane and I had to reel him in before he sprinted off the front at his usual warp speed. When everyone got to the ballet, I asked the group which direction did they want to go; up the hill or back on 5&10. UP THE HILL, was the reply from the group, so that's what we did. Linda led the group up the hill and she opened up quite a gap by the time she got to North Street. I rode up to her and had her slow down a bit so that the rest of the group could catch back on. The pace quickened on the descent down North Street and Jamie was at the front of the pack as we approached the hill  up to the Whatley Glen. As soon as we got to the bridge at the bottom of the climb, I noticed that Patrick was charging up the hill behind Jamie. I jumped out of the pack to chase down Patrick and was nearing the top of the hill when, suddenly a yellow sleeved demon went flying by both of us. Yep, it was our dear friend Keith. That little bugger waited until we were near the top of the hill and attacked us like a cougar on a deer. We were stunned!! After getting completely destroyed by Keith, Patrick and I went to the back of the pack to console ourselves. We rolled down the hill on the other side of the Glen and soon were nearing the campground. As we crossed the brook, Tommy went flying by the group and charged ahead to take the town line sprint. At that point I went to the middle of the pack to await the next attack. The group was working pretty good on the run over to 116, but a small group of riders did get a small gap just before we got to the highway. Fortunately there was some traffic and everyone crossed 116 together. On the run up the hill on Sawmill Plain Road, Karen Dowd put the hammer down and led the group to the top of the climb. The group got together again on Lee Road and we all headed down the hill on Mill Village Road together. The pace was pretty quick on the run by Tommy's house and we got out to the farmland near the river just as the sun was setting. Patrick was on the front of the group and I kept yelling up to him to pick up the pace so that we could get back before dark. Just before we got to Old Deerfield we saw Jaap on his tractor, still working the fields as darkness fell. Our group then headed for Old Main Street in Deerfield. As we neared the Academy, there was a group of kids standing in the middle of the road. Among the hooligans was our very own Mini Bell and he nearly got a ride on my handlebars as we wove our way through the throng. After getting through that, we headed out to 5&10. There was a little bit of argy-bargy on the crossing, due to an errant "clear" from the front of the pack. Note to self: Always be at the front for that crossing!! We all managed to get across safely and then the group headed back to Greenfield. We took the Hope Street route back to the shop where there was a spirited sprint for the finish. Gary got the sprint ahead of me, but most importantly, I beat "Thor" Olsen to the finish. It was a great way to finish the season and we ended the 29 mile ride with an 18.5 mph average.

Sunday 9/10: It was a beautiful morning for a ride, we had sunny skies and 55 degrees with a somewhat brisk wind. There were three riders plus myself that went out for the longer ride while ME, Tom, Karen D., Jeannie and Paul went out on the Tyler Hill ride. I had Jay Gump, Bentley, and Bruce Rogers (nervous Doctor) with me when we set out for the West County Ride. I have been a little fatigued lately and today I was feeling quite tired. We left the shop and rode over to Brook Road at a pretty leisurely pace behind Jay. Jay then rode at a very gentle pace up the hill on Brook Road (AKA Avery Brook Road) to Greenfield Road where we turned right to head for Colrain. I stayed at the back of the group for the whole way and even doing that I was having a hard time staying on Bruce's wheel. The pace quickened as we rode over the top of Chandler Hill and began the rip down the other side into Colrain. I was able to use my friend gravity to propel me down the hill at 54 mph. After we made the left turn onto RT. 112, Jay was forced to lead again (mainly because none of us wanted to be in the front!) and he pulled us all the way to Shelburne Falls. After we got through town we headed back out onto RT. 112( we avoided the RT. 2 part of 112)  where Jay was once again doing all the work. I struggled to stay with the group for most of the way to Ashfield but finally I came off right near the bottom of Ashfield Mountain. I really worked hard to keep a 8.5 mph pace up the hill and although neither Bentley or Bruce could stay with Jay, I was well behind both of them. When I got to the top of the hill I was able to recover a bit before we headed down Baptist Corner Road. This is a very hilly ride (mostly downhill, fortunately) and we all stayed together on the ride down to Shelburne Falls Road. At the end of Pine Road we took a left up to do the climb to the top of the hill on Shelburne Falls Road. This hill was not to difficult for me because Jay was going pretty slowly and I was able to hang onto the back of the group. After cresting the hill we made our way down to Bardwells Ferry Road. We rode over a couple of pretty steep climbs and I actually felt pretty good going up the last pitch to "the farm". I rode down the hill to the Bardwells Ferry Bridge at the back of the group and started up the hill on the other side of the bridge with Jay. As the hill steepened I started to lose speed and everyone passed me. Pretty soon I was going 6 mph and dying at that!! As the group pulled away, I struggled to keep going. At the top of the hill, Jay waited for me and we rode over to Zera Fisk Road where we caught up with Bruce and Bentley. I managed to stay with the group over to South Shelburne Road, but soon after we made the right turn, the hill started to get steep.  I completely ran out of gas after a few hundred feet of climbing. I was really struggling and I thought that I might not make it up this hill on my bike. I was really going slow when I felt "the hand of Jay" on my back. Yep, I got a push pretty much the whole way up the hill from Jay. I was really glad for that as I was cooked and I might have taken the rest of the day to get over the hump. Well, thanks to Jay's push I recovered enough to get down the other side of the hill and back to the shop. I didn't even look at the average for the ride as I guess it might be in the single digits. We ended up doing a 43 mile ride and I thank my companions for basically towing me around. "Bob is Fat"

Connecticut Valley Century Ride; Sept. 9^th 2006: About two weeks ago, Karen Dowd told the group about the Connecticut Valley Century Ride being held on Sept. 9th. Without hesitation, I said “Sure.  Why Not!!”  I will admit that I had reservations since I had never experienced a Century Ride and the longest that I had ever ridden was just shy of 50 miles – as expected, I didn’t sleep too well Friday night! Bicycles Unlimited was strongly represented with approx. 18 riders.  Our initial ride group was Nate, Karen, Patrick and Bob Shepherd. Shrouded in fog, Nate (it was the weather that was foggy not Nate) led us down to NoHo past Look Park and the Veterans Hospital into the small, artsy/bohemian village of Leeds.  Here we experienced a small brook road that had nut-busting potholes – there was actually a D.O.T. sign that read  “Potholes Use Caution” and that sign was for cars not bicyclists!  In Leeds, our group of five caught up and joined Rodger and Amber.   This is also where Kurt, Michelle and Walter passed us (of course, when we were climbing a hill) - it was nice to see familiar faces on the ride.
When High Street turned into Mountain Street (in Haydenville?), Rodger took over the ride, leading our group (and others) down the hill to the backside of the Whatley Inn.  Mountain Street was the first road that was familiar to our group.   Knowing the curves and turns – we maxed out at 43 mph!  Rodger and Amber pulled over at the Wheatley post office while the rest of us continued on Chestnut Plain past the White Birch Campground into South Deerfield.  Again, it was nice to have local knowledge, allowing us to take advantage of the downhill's and knowing when to chill before climbs.
The first SAG (25 miles) was in Old Deerfield but we stopped at my house for an “Executive Piss Stop” (why use a Porta-Potty when a normal bathroom is available).  The SAG was well stocked with cookies, fruits, drinks and a very friendly Staff.  It was here that we met up with Kurt/Michelle/Walter.  We had to pull chatty Patrick from the cookie (fig newtons were his favorite) and fruit table. I think Patrick thought it was an early Thanksgiving dinner! Kurt/Michelle/Walter/Nate pulled Patrick, Karen and myself up to Stillwater Bridge, Lower Road and into Greenfield to Barton Road.  I was able to “hang” with the group until the new Thomas and Thomas (the old American Traders) building at mile 40.  Realizing this pace was too fast for me, I broke off from the group and soft-pedaled until Karen and Patrick joined up.  We lost Bob Shepherd back in Old Deerfield when he dropped his water bottle and other items from his seat pack. At Streeter’s Store, Patrick asked up to stop for a short rest.  Patrick was paler than his normal pale, which concerned Karen. After a bottle of water and a few minutes rest, Patrick was ready to resume. 
We had a nice tail wind on 142 North so the leg to SAG#2 (Mile 54) was a easy ride.  At SAG#2 (Vernon, Vt.) we once again met up with Kurt/Michelle/Walter/Nate yet, more surprisingly, was the arrival of Bob Shepherd.  He was able grind 25 miles solo – nice job! Bob, Patrick, Karen and I then set out for Brattleboro and then the climb over to Hinsdale, N.H.  The hill into Hinsdale, at Mile 61, was fairly long and required a slower pace.   The road to Northfield was not a fun ride at all.  The road is a long, winding climb with few areas to build-up any speed.  Also, the surface is choppy and pitted.  Karen – thank you for pulling on that segment.  After the climb past NMH School, we welcomed the downhill's of RT. 63 South.  There was a headwind as our direction headed south, our legs, arms, backs and butts were really feeling the miles.
SAG#3 (Northfield, MA. Mile 80) surprisingly we once again met up with Kurt/Michelle/Walter/Nate!!   After just a few minutes of “re-carbing and re-hydrating”, Karen announced that she was going to finish the ride with K/M/W/N and that they were leaving immediately.  Doug and a few more Bicycle Unlimited joined the group - we left the parking lot with maybe ten riders.   Patrick and Bob decided that they need a bit more recovery time and stayed behind at SAG #3. The ascent of RT. 63 hills were killing my quads but Kurt and Michelle controlled the pace allowing everyone to stay “tight”.  The next leg was Ferry Road and the Sunderland Sweep – everyone took turns pulling into a fairly strong headwind.  I tried to instigate the other riders into a run for the Sunderland town line but wisely there were no takers! The last leg (mile 95) was River Road in Whately and Hatfield - into a strong headwind.   Again, everyone took turns pulling making the last few miles pleasurable verses heartbreaking. Kudos to the Race Staff – the SAGS were well stocked and everyone was helpful and friendly.  I want to thank Kurt/Michelle/Walter/Nate/Rodger for helping us enjoy our first Century Ride!  Also, thanks to Bob P. for developing us into better cyclists.
Tom Graney

September 9 - COVAC 2006: I wasn't sure if I was going to do the COVAC this year. I was pretty short on miles for the season and don't think I'd done a single ride over 65 miles all Summer! By Friday evening I was still on the fence about the ride. Finally, on Friday night, Michelle convinced me to do it. At the last minute, Walters hooked up with us and told us he'd meet us at the start at 7:15 or so. At 7:15 Walters and I were at the start with Michelle nowhere to be seen. She rolled in about 10 minutes later. She'd had to turn back to get her bike! The three of us rolled out of the parking lot a bit after 7:30, probably 10 minutes or so after the group containing Kathy, Patrick, Tom, Nathan and a few others. I'd told Michelle before the start that I was aiming for an easy 18MPH ride and was going to be slowing us down whenever we started to pick up the speed. We had a nice slow warm-up on the warm-up. The fog didn't burn off over the first 25 miles. I was going to take off a few layers at the first SAG, but was still a little chilly so left my arm/leg warmers and wind vest on. We reached the first SAG with an average of 18.0, right on target.

After leaving the SAG, we caught the group of mostly B.U. riders (Tom, Karen, Patrick, Nathan, etc. From now on I'm just going to refer to them as the 'B.U. group') just as they turned onto Stillwater Rd. We slowed to chat with them for a minute then slowly pulled ahead. As we traveled the next section, I had the feeling that we were pulling somebody behind our group, but Michelle, Walters and I stayed on the front and I never had a chance to really look back to see who (or how many) we were 'towing'. That happens a lot on this ride. Small groups or single riders will attach themselves to other groups going the same speed for a while.

Several miles later, as we rolled across the flat by the fairgrounds I finally had a chance to look back to see who was in our group. I was really pleased to see that it was the B.U. group plus a few other strangers. We stayed together all the way to Barton rd. The small climb on Barton rd. finally split us up a bit. Once over the top only Nathan and Tom were still with us. A few strangers took the front toward the end of Barton rd. and the pace got just a bit too high for Tom, who slowly faded off the back.

Michelle, Walters, Nathan and I made the core of our small group over the next dozen miles to the 55 mile SAG. We did this section at a slightly higher pace, as our average was now 18.8. Our stop was slightly longer here while we refilled our water bottles, grabbed some food and chatted with some of the other riders. I also shed my arm and leg warmers and vest. After about 10 minutes we were back on the road. Just a few miles short of Brattleboro, I was taking a break in the back of our 4 person group when I had a pretty explosive flat of my rear tire (is anybody surprised?). The tire looked like it had a small slice in it, so I put a 'boot' in it to be on the safe side and we continued on.

The section of 119 heading toward Hinsdale was a little tough, being a 'false flat' with a slight grade into a headwind and in the direct sunlight. Nathan came off the front of the group just before the little climb up to where the high school is, which was good for me since it let me set the pace on the climb. We dropped down the other side into the Center of Hinsdale and took the turn onto 63. This is where things started to get tough for me. Something was 'catching up' on me. I don't know if it was hydration, lack of miles, lack of long rides, or some combination of the above but I started to drop back and struggle a bit on every one of the little rollers on 63. This was not a good sign for the rest of the ride! By the time we got the hill into Northfield, I was in slow motion and just crawled up it. It was flat for a while after this and our group spread out a bit with Nathan, Michelle and another woman who had joined our group pulling ahead while Walters rode back with me at a slower pace. We picked up Mike S. just before "Bob's Hill" which was the last climb before the final SAG. We entered it with an average of 18.3MPH.

Our stop at the last SAG was the longest yet. While we were there, the entire B.U. group pulled in. Patrick was doing great, but said that his back was hurting him and he was going to hang out at this SAG for a while to give it a chance to recover before hitting the final 20 miles.

Just before we left, Nathan shot-gunned two Red Bulls to give him some energy on the final push home. We left the SAG with the majority of the B.U. group. I can't really say they were 'in tow' since they certainly did their fair share of the work over the final 20 miles. In fact Karen went to the front a few times and brought the pace up! We must have been going too slow for her :(

I was pretty much in 'survival mode' by this time. Something went out of me and I was more than happy to glue myself to Tom's wheel on Falls road and let him pull me along. This was the flattest part of the route so we made good time to Sunderland then one final rise after crossing the river before turning South onto River Road at the lights. About half way back along River road, we noticed that Karen had faded a bit off the back so we soft-pedaled while Nathan dropped back to bring her into the group. It would be a shame to finish 98 miles as a group only to drop a rider in the final few miles!

When we hit 100 miles, I announced that my century was done and somebody could come get me in a car, but nobody offered to pick me up so I had to keep going. As always, the final 2.5 miles after hitting 100 were the longest miles of the ride, but in no time we were back at the parking lot.

I think everybody in the B.U. group did a FANTASTIC job. Honestly, I didn't expect to see any of them again after passing them on Stillwater road, but they just kept on showing up and hanging on again and again.

In the end, I finished the ride with an average of 18.3, just a touch above my 'target' speed for the ride.
Curt Bousquet

Saturday 9/9: WOO HOO!!!  I did it!  Today I participated in the COVAC, Connecticut Valley Century.  The morning started out very foggy and I really couldn’t see where I was going and ended up driving right by Billings Way where the COVAC was starting.  When I started seeing cars with bikes going in the other direction, I knew it was time to turn around.  I parked the car, checked in and got myself ready.  When we were all ready, Nathan, Tom, Patrick, and Bob S, and me, we headed off.  It was about 7:30 am.  We started off in Hatfield and some of the towns we went through were Leeds, Whatley, Deerfield, Greenfield, Bernardston, Vernon and Brattleboro VT, Hinsdale and Winchester NH, back to Mass, Northfield, Millers Falls, Sunderland and to Hatfield.  There were stops about every 25 miles. I felt pretty good on the ride overall, I had a little cramp in my calf that started early in the ride but I was able to work through it.   At the 1^st stop, in Deerfield, we met up with Michelle and Curt, and we headed out with them for awhile, Curt put his hand on my back and said this was the hand of Bob through his arm.  Thank you, Curt, but I was really wishing I had that hand a little later as I lost a some momentum going uphill on Leyden Road and Barton Road (yes, I still love those hills).  We lost Bob S after the 1st stop as he had dropped something but he found us at the 2^nd stop, in Vermont.  I felt pretty good up to this point, which was about 54 miles, during the next 25 miles my shoulders started to get stiff and I had to keep stretching and trying to relax.  We continued on to Rt. 119, very windy, which would take us to Rt. 63.  Just before the turn to Rt. 63, going downhill, I thought I was going to have to do some fancy riding up on a sidewalk, as three cars just stopped in front of me, but my brakes worked and I stayed on the road.  As we were traveling on Rt. 63 I started to get tired, this was the 1^st time all ride I checked my computer to see how miles I had gone, 73, I knew the next stop was still about 7 miles away so I grabbed a GU and some water and after a couple of miles I started to feel better. (Although I think the hills at this point were getter harder!)   At the 3^rd stop, I grabbed some food and drink, Patrick said he needed a longer break, so Tom and I rode the rest of the way with Michelle, Curt, Nathan and their group.  We headed through Millers Falls and then crossed Swamp Road to Ferry road and to Meadow road (Sunderland Sweep).  As we got to Rt. 47, I was starting to slow down again and slid off the back of the group, I was able to catch them as they waited for the lights at 116, I did struggle a bit (ok maybe a lot) to stay with the group on the way back to Hatfield.  My computer says I did the ride in 6 hours, 3 minutes, with an average speed of 16.8!!  I am a little achy but what a great day I had!   I am so happy and excited that I did this ride.  Awesome!!
Karen Dowd

Thursday 9/7: As the season starts to wind down we are getting quite a turn out for the weeknight rides. It was a beautiful day today, with bright sunny skies and warm temps (75). We had a total of 35 riders that was split into three groups. My pack had a total of 19 riders when we left the parking lot to head over to Turners Falls. I kept the group together by soft pedaling through the traffic lights on Ave. A and putting Bruce Rogers (nervous Doctor) on the front of the field as we rode up the hill. When we got to the top of the hill I looked behind and Jamie, Curt and a few others were getting towed up by Dusty. I fell in behind them to make sure that they stayed in touch with the pack. We rode over to Montague Center and then headed out of town on North Leverett Road. Everyone was still together when we crossed RT. 63 although I had to give some kind words of encouragement to Jamie who momentarily lost his nerve while crossing the road. I was riding in the middle of the pack when I heard Curt say that he was going to take it easy on the run up to Cave Hill. At that point a gap had opened up when some of the riders in front went for the town line sprint and I had to choose which group to go with. I opened up the gas and caught back on to the front group. As we neared Cave Hill we caught some of the riders from Roger's ride. When we turned the corner I was a little winded but I managed to stay with it and I rode to the top of the hill behind Bruce, Stan and Wilber. I went over the top of the hill alone but I still had Wilber and Bruce in my sights. When I got to the bottom of the hill I joined a group that included Mark N., Bob C., Bruce, Wilber, Stan, Mile L., Parrott, Dusty, Gary Fenton, and Terri McKeon. We set off to ride through Leverett at a modest pace and then we all pedaled down the hill on Depot Road to RT. 63. We turned left on RT. 63 and then we headed for Amherst. The pace was pretty high with Mark and a few others taking good strong pulls at the front of the pack. There was a nice sprint for the Amherst town line which was won by Parrott. After we rode down Cherry Hill we made the turn onto Cowles Road. We rode easily down Cowles Road  past the Westview Cafe. That joint is noted for the number of drunken drivers that leave at all hours of the day. After we got past the cafe we headed out onto 116 where we saw a state policeman stuffing a drunk into the back of his cruiser. One less yahoo on the road. We continued on past the arrest site and headed for Sunderland. I took a couple of short pulls but I honestly did not have a lot to give. I kept the pace up for my pull into town and then got off the front. There was a sprint for the town line in Deerfield but it was a one sided affair, since only Parrott went for it. The group went across the Sunderland Bridge where I directed the group to take a left onto River Road. Again we had a sprint for the Whatley town line which was won by Parrott again. The group then got together for the ride down to Christian Lane where we turned right to head for 5&10. There was a problem on the way over to 5&10 and the majority of the riders had to wait at the ballet for Parrott and a couple of others to catch up. After getting going again we basically hammered all the way back to Greenfield on 5&10. We all took pulls on the front and the group made it back into town just as the daylight was waning. We took the usual route back to the shop and we ended the 40 mile ride with a 22 mph average. Not too bad for a long ride with a good hill in it.

Thursday 9/7: Sorry I missed tonight's ride.  I played in a softball game down in West Springfield last night.  I was pleased with my performance but in running the bases, something happened to the backs of both of my legs. Kinda like a "friction flat".....too fast for my own good!.
In any event I wasn't sure how I would feel on the bike so I changed at the office and headed up to Northfield.  Got a haircut for aero efficiency and rode for an hour plus to work out the kinks.  It was a beautiful day to be out on a bike. Thanks for the encouragement and advice. 
Keith Thanks to Keith's wife for helping him type this.

Wednesday 9/6: We did a ride on the Deerfield Ridge at 6:30 tonight. It was a perfect night for a ride with clear skies and cool temps. We had a large group to start with but shortly after the ride began Kerry and I got dropped when her shifter cable came un-done. After we got going again we did not catch up with the group until we were almost to the Red Rock look out. After I took some photos the group was about to leave when DR. Stamm, Hammerhead and Billy came along. Dr. Stamm and Hammerhead got turned around and they had done the climb twice. While Billy who had broken his derailleur, had ridden up the hill with a single speed. After everyone else had left, Kerry, Billy and I headed down the hill on the access road and we rode back to the cars. Shortly after we got there, Liam led the troops into the parking lot. It was a good ride and everyone got back safely.

Tuesday 9/5: It was a gloomy afternoon with off and on showers and I did not plan on riding. At 5:00 Roger Katz and Brian McCabe came in and they went on a 24 mile ride in the rain. I closed the shop before they returned and headed home. When I arrived home, I got Eddie (the wonder dog) and we headed out for his nightly constitutional. Just as we were walking by the shop, Roger and Brian drove in on their bikes. I let them into the shop so that they could change into dry clothes and then we all headed for home.

Monday 9/7: I wish someone else would write about the rides but I am taking a stab at it, so we beginners are not forgotten. You are never forgotten, just not chronicled often!   Thanks for your encouragement.
        There was a third group who went out on Monday. It was lead by Bad Bob, which included Paul B., Deb, Jack (Jack Rabbit) and Denise, Judi Singley as well as myself, Karen Moore. We headed out down High Street and over to Turners Falls. We ended up pretty much following the route of the other groups that left ahead of us.  I am not familiar with this route  but it is well known to all and was absolutely beautiful. The route went through Montague via Meadow Road and then down RT. 47 to Hadley. After crossing the river on the bike trail the riders then headed back to Greenfield via 5&10 and River Road. . For some of us this was the first time to do 50 miles. We got off to a good start and pretty good speeds. Despite strong head winds for much of the way back we averaged 15 MPH. Everyone stayed together and felt good. They tricked me however and when we got back to the shop we had clocked 49.5 miles so an extra loop was done by some of us (me) to legitimately mark the occasion. Thanks to all for coordinating the activity. Karen Moore

Monday 9/4: After getting washed out yesterday, I scheduled a ride for 12:00 noon today. It was cloudy and cool with a strong wind blowing from the south, but it was not raining. Although we did not have time to do the Greylock ride we did do a 64 mile ride down here in the valley. Joining me for the ride was Mark N., Steve P., Mike S., Jamie, Don Mc., Stan, Mike Levin, Wilber, and John Macy. Bruce Rogers (nervous Doctor) would have joined us but he showed up at the shop at 1:00. Now how is that for keeping appointments? Anyway, the ten of us headed out of the parking lot and over to Turners Falls. We took the L Street route to the top of the hill and the group was all together at that point. We made our way over to Turners Falls Road where Steve and Mike S did some long pulls at the front. We rode down through Montague Center and out onto RT. 47. At some point Mike S lost a water bottle on the rough roadway and he turned back to get it. We soft pedaled for a while but Mike was not making much headway so we stopped at the town line in Sunderland and waited for him. We got underway and rode down to Sunderland Center where we took a right and crossed the bridge into Deerfield. After taking a left onto River Road we settled into a nice pace line with everyone taking a pull. I was warmed up at this point so I was able to keep the pace going into a very brisk headwind. After riding through Hatfield Center we headed for 5&10 where we turned right to head north. The majority of the work up to this point was being done by Will, Steve and Mike who did very long pulls. After we got out on 5&10 we got a nice tailwind and Steve Power stayed on the front for most of the way to Pantry Road. When we got onto Pantry Road, Mark said that he was heading for home via Conway. Mark had already gone about 75 miles and he did not want to do the hill in Williamsburg. After Mark left, the rest of us rode over to Westbrook Road and climbed the hill to Williamsburg Road. Shortly after we got onto Williamsburg Road we had to climb the steep little hill near Conway Road. This put a sting in the legs of some of the riders and the group got split into three sections. I was at the front with Mike S. and Steve as we neared the top of the hill but when I looked back I could see the long line of riders behind me so I waited up for Don and Jamie. After Don and Jamie were on my wheel, I got the gear turned over and soon we were off to catch up with the two groups in front of us. I must say that I had to put in quite an effort to catch up with Wilber, Mike L., and Stan. When we finally caught up with them we were just about to climb a hill near the dump in Williamsburg. At this point Steve and Mike S. were just ahead of us and they slowed up so we were all back together for the hill. We rode out to RT. 9 in Williamsburg and took a right. Mike S., Don and Steve went on ahead to stop at the general store for water while the rest of us headed for Williamsburg Road. We slowly pedaled on past the general store and started up the hill on Williamsburg Road. We rode for quite a ways and the three riders had not caught up with us yet so I turned around to go back and see if they were coming. Just before I got to the bottom of the hill, I spotted them on their way up the. I jumped in at the back of their line with Jamie and Stan. When we all were back together we headed on up the hill towards Ashfield. We stayed together for a short time before Steve and Mike S., took off. I rode with Wilber and Stan to about the Poland Road where I got shelled. I looked behind me and I could see Jamie, Don and Mike L. coming so I just settled into a nice rhythm and pedaled up the hill in between the two riders ahead of me and the three behind. Will and Stan slowed up at the top of the hill at Chappell Falls and we waited for Jamie, Don and Mike to catch up. They were not that far behind and after climbing the last hill, we joined Steve and Mike who were waiting for us at the top of the climb. We rode down the hill to 116 and took a right. We stayed together behind Steve and Mike S., who were once again putting the power out for our group. When we got to Conway the group got really strung out on the hill out of town. I rode up behind Steve and Mike S., but I waited at the top for Jamie, Don and Stan. The four of us gave chase and we soon caught up with Wilber as we headed down the hill at 35 mph for Deerfield. It wasn't until we had Mike S. and Steve in sight that I realized that Mike L. was not with us. We waited for him at Pekarski's and when he came along we all rode over to Lee Road to join the rest of our crew. We took Lee Road down to Mill Village where we turned left to head for home. After we got down to the farms, Stan came along to tell us that Wilber, Jamie and Mike L. were going to take it easy for the trip back. Our group then headed for 5&10 where we had to wait for quite a while for the traffic to clear so we could cross the road. After getting out onto 5&10 Steve Power pulled the group back to Greenfield. We took the Hope Street route to head back to the shop. I rode most of the way back alone, in "cool down" mode and was joined by Don on High Street for the last mile or so. We ended the ride with 64 miles at a 19 .5 mph average. I know that I was tired!!

Monday 9/4: We had quite a few people show up for the Labor Day ride.  There were three groups that went out.  In my group was Patrick, Gary, John, Mike, Bob S, Christina, Keith and me (Karen).  We were doing a 50 mile route that Bad Bob had suggested because several of us are doing century rides next weekend and we needed to get some miles in.  We headed out behind Bob’s faster group to Turners, they disappeared from our view on L Street, and they were long gone!  We went up L Street, by the fire station and headed to Montague.  Keith and Mike were in the lead and went right by Ferry road, hmm; I thought we were turning there. Then they blew right by the Book Mill road, so I asked, where are we going??  Mike said we were supposed to stay on 47 the whole way!  Oh, guess I missed those directions.   We were traveling on 47, with lots of traffic and I hear “car back” and Bob S is in the middle of the road not moving over, and then we go a little further and I hear, “car back”, and now Keith is in the middle of the road!  Argh…motorcycle came soo close!!!   So now every time a car comes up behind we hear, “car back and get over now”!  We continue on our way and I hear this weird noise behind me, I think someone has crashed or something, but everyone is with us, I heard later that someone had thrown a Pepsi can out the window of a jeep and it hit Mike’s tire!  We finally make it to the intersection at 116; Bob S had to bail out at this point and headed up over the blue bridge, which meant he got to miss the lecture at the lights about NOT riding in the middle of the road!  We continued on Rt. 47, it was a nice road, Christina bailed out on us at Plumtree, so that left just six of us.  It was a pretty uneventful ride to the bike trail.  The bike trail was kind of bumpy and full of people walking, riding, rollerblading and oh lets not forget the three really cute guys jogging with no shirts on!  Somehow I missed the part of the directions that said we would be going over this wooden bridge that goes on forever.  I have decided that I do not like going over bridges where I can see the water, especially on both sides!!  I am working on trying to get over those fears, but I had to hold my breath, and focus on looking straight ahead, just looking at the tire in front of me.  I can do without that bridge for awhile thank you very much.  We headed out to Damon road and to RT. 5&10 and then turned right towards Hatfield, we made it to the 91 bridge overpass and Keith yelled for us to wait up.  Turns out John had a flat.  After about 15-20 minutes we were on our way again.  As we were riding through Hatfield, I guess Gary decided that he didn’t like me and kicked up a stick, it bounced off my helmet and down onto my arm.  (Hmm he did the same thing in South Deerfield, threw a stick at me and it went into my fork!  What did I do to him??)  The wind picked up as we headed toward river road, I did a quick pull and then headed to the back to hang on. We actually did a nice job of taking pulls throughout the ride.  We went through the lights at 116 and through South Deerfield, Mike decided to head back to the shop via 5&10 and the rest of us went through Mill Village and Old Deerfield.  As I had kept up a pretty good pace throughout the ride, I decided against my Old Deerfield Sprint.  Gary pulled us all the way back to Greenfield, we caught up to Mike at the underpass on Hope Street and we all headed back to the shop.  When we arrived I realized I only had 47 miles on my computer, I couldn’t have that, so I told the guys that we hadn’t done 50 miles and I would be back and I rode back down High Street to Main Street and back again so I could have my 50 miles.  Keith felt guilty so he put his shoes on again and followed me down high street to get 50 miles too.  Great ride everyone…50 miles and 18 mph  wow!
Karen Dowd