Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride - October 16, 2019

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 16 October 2019, Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride
Ride Leader: Clyde Kessel
41 miles, 10:00 am start from West Sterling Athletic Field, Sterling, MA

Riders (17) :  Clyde, Bernie Flynn, Beth Rosenzweig, Betsy Harper, Bob Apsler, Bruce Lederer, Ellen Gugel, Everett Briggs, Francie Sparks, Gary Williams, Gene Ho, Gerry Sheetoo, Herb Kavet, Jerry Skurla, Mike Barry, Rick Lawrence, and first timer Ted Finch.

We had a good turnout of riders who were prepared and able to do this challenging ride.  One rider, who was unable to maintain anything close to the standard WW pace, quickly dropped out to ride at their own pace.  Another rider, who wouldn’t have been able to keep up, arrived with an eBike and fit into the group very nicely.  The weather gods were kind enough to delay the rain 'til evening, so there were no worries on that front.  It did cloud over and get a bit breezy, so warm cycling clothes were de rigueur.  This ride leader is not fond of YAPGP (yet another pointless group photo), so we did not make the customary stop in front of the silo at the top of the hill.  We saw a deer in the woods and lots of colorful foliage.

Traditionally, this ride makes a very sharp right turn at the bottom of the Bolton Road hill to go up to the ski area.  We skipped this turn and a number of riders expressed their appreciation.  At that point, Bob and Everett left the group and rode up to the summit of Mt. Wachusett.  The rest of us forged ahead on the low road.  At mile 35, most of the group split off to go directly to their cars, while three of us opted to go into Princeton for lunch.  This involved climbing Merriam Road, the steepest hill of the day, which brought us to the highest point of the entire route.  So, the last four miles took us from the highest point to the lowest point.  That means fast, and cold, since we had eaten lunch outdoors in Princeton and had gotten thoroughly chilled before starting the final descent.

A big thank you to Mike Barry for sweeping,  to all of the arrows who were VERY patient for the first part of the ride, and especially to Richard Vignoni for the wonderful route.

Report by Clyde Kessel.