Annual Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride - October 15, 2025

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 15 October 2025, Annual Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride

Ride Leader:  Clyde Kessel

37.6 mi, 10:00 am start from Sterling, MA

Riders (7):  Clyde, Barbara Martin, Ed Hill, Ellen Gugel, Greg Stathis, Wing Chow, and first-timer Jim French.  [Barbara and Greg remoted from an undisclosed location in Lancaster.]

 

It was a brisk day with a brisk wind and we (almost) all had the route on our GPS devices, so we (almost) all agreed to dispense with human arrows for the day.  Barbara and Greg were, however, appointed to be co-sweeps.   In the end, Greg did arrow a few of the turns (how does the sweep arrow a turn?).  The ride leader, on a recumbent, on a hilly route, did not spend much of the day at the front of the pack, and he was the last and slowest one up Mountain Road.  The group didn’t get very spread out because the folks in front stopped to wait at the tops of hills.

 

This particular ride starts with a long climb, which is great to warm you up on a brisk morning.  It ends with a matching three-mile descent which is great, just because.  At one point during the ride, half the group stopped to watch a flock of starlings cavorting while the other half rode ahead and waited out in the middle of a three-way intersection.

 

We had a tail wind on the way up Mountain Road, so several of us complained about getting overheated, then chilled, at the visitor center.  No-one opted to climb to the summit.  Several riders thought going down Pine Street would be unpleasant and unsafe, so we opted to go down Merriam Street instead.

 

After most of us had arrived at the finish, Barbara phoned to say her wheel had locked up on the final descent.  There was no accident and no injury, and Barbara showed up shortly afterwards after diagnosing and fixing a problem with her fender.

 

Thanks to everyone for showing up.

 

Ride report by Clyde Kessel.

, Merrimack River and Newburyport - October 1, 2025

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 1 October 2025, Merrimack River and Newburyport

Ride Leader:  Tom Allen

~37 mi, 10:00 am start from Newbury, MA

Riders (8):  Tom, Frank Aronson, Jim Campen, Richard French, Shawn Corr, Wing Chow, and first-timers David Rotman (friend of Frank) and Stephen Epstein.

Our start was a little delayed awaiting latecomers.  (Shawn—not a latecomer—took the train from Boston as his car was unavailable.)  As we were about to set out at about 10:15, Frank said his electronic shifter was uncharged.  So he was locked into a single speed bike.  Fortunately this was a relatively flat ride, with only a couple of climbs that were short enough for him to walk.  The flatness of the ride was offset by headwinds in parts of the route, so the rest of us were happy to have working shifters while Frank got a good workout. 

Did I mention that the day was absolutely gorgeous with clear blue skies and blue waters of the Merrimack?  A feast for the eyes.  We stopped briefly on Plum Island to see the large waves rolling in from the Atlantic storms.

Newburyport maintains bike trails and we rode on a couple of them.  They're decorated with various art pieces and provide a change of pace on a long(ish) ride. 

Lunch was enjoyed at the Port City Sandwiches shop.  Two folks didn't have time to stay and headed back to the parking lot on their own.  Shawn headed back up the trail to the railroad station.  The rest of us had a pleasant ride back to our cars.

Report by Tom Allen.

Breakheart Reservation - September 17, 2025

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 17 September 2025, Breakheart Reservation

Ride Leader:  Tom Allen

~27 miles, 10:00 am start from Winchester, MA

Riders (11):  Tom, Aiko Pinkoski, Armen Kasparian, David Goldberg, Frank Aronson, Harry Spatz, Karen Hall, Keren Hamel, Susan Broome, Wing Chow, and first-timer Michael Lonetto.

We met promptly at the Shannon Beach (newly renovated and organized) parking lot, with the number arriving by car and those by bike being approximately equal.  Riding through Winchester we had to deal with some construction and small detours, but once underway we explored some of the Tri-Community Greenway before getting through Stoneham and Wakefield.

After a wardrobe-adjustment pause, we passed Wakefield High School and entered the parking area for the Northeast Met Technical High School, which several of the riders recognized as a former starting location for the CRW spring century.  From there we entered the Breakheart Reservation and faced the choice of the hilly and fun route (as mapped in the CRW route) or the flatter, but still scenic, route.  There were takers for both options, so the GPS served as guide for the hilly route, while the ride leader guided those who opted for the more gentle path.  (The latter group's ride was hampered by some very slow tree maintenance equipment making its way along the path.)

We all met at the park headquarters building (see photo) and made use of the facilities.  Continuing on, we followed the route through some of the more obscure roadways (and hills) of Saugus, Melrose, Malden and Medford back to Winchester.

Four of us lunched al fresco at the Black Horse Tavern in Winchester center.

Report by Tom Allen.

Concord to Westford - August 27, 2025

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 27 August 2025, Concord to Westford

Ride Leader:  Gene Ho

~33.5 mi, 10:00 am start from Concord, MA

Riders (13):  Gene, Aliza Edwards, Armen Kasparian, Dmitry Gorenburg, Everett Briggs, Gary Williams, Gerry Sheetoo, Harry Spatz, Herb Kavet, Joel Bauman, Keren Hamel, Steve Hoffenberg, and Wing Chow.

Spur of the moment notice notwithstanding, the forecast for good weather overcame common sense and work responsibilities to induce a dozen people to sign up for the ride.  Of the twelve responders, thirteen of them actually showed up.  With many familiar faces at the start, it was apparent to me that many would want a faster pace than I could sustain.  To avoid testing the patience of the human arrows, I took a show of hands to form separate fast and slow groups.  The fast group started first and remained in sight for about five minutes.  That was the last we saw of them.  

Per the elevation chart on RWGPS, there's only one hill on the route and that's the last mile to Westford center.  Per the elevation gauge in my legs, there are a lot more hills.  But, unlike the hills in Harvard, which are easy to see with the many open vistas en route, Westford is more densely populated.  You know you're on a hill when your legs feel it.

With the effort needed to get there, the arrival at the Muffin Shop was all the more appreciated, and their products were eagerly consumed.

This was an educational trip.  We learned, from Everett, that range anxiety isn't limited to EVs.  On a trip via motorcycle to the northernmost point in Canada, gas stations were not abundant.  Even roads were not abundant.  The location of the last gas station and the capacity of the bike's gas tank made getting to the destination, and back, just barely possible.  But, there was some buffer - since Everett was camping, he had a gas stove and a one-liter bottle of white gas to fuel it.  In a pinch, the contents would work in the bike adding maybe ten miles to his range.   If it were I, I woulda eaten those ramen noodles cold and saved the gas (just in case).

One person got dropped from the fast group but was still too fast for us to catch up with them.  But, they did express some frustration at the slowness of the traffic light at the intersection of Bruce Street/Willow Street/Rte 2A.  I refer to it as the light that never changes.  The reconstruction of that intersection is now done and there is some improvement, but it's subtle.  The picture below shows the work in progress.   The street sign, outlined in yellow, has been moved and in its place is an actual traffic light post with a button to activate a pedestrian walk sign.  It's easy to bike right up to it.

The trick is to push the button, wait for the pedestrian walk sign to light (very fast), and cross at right angles to Rte 2A.  Not great but better than it was before.

I frequently fix other people's mechanical problems, but my smugness caught up with me.  My bike's fork started to wobble shortly after the start and I had to pause from time to time to fix the problem.  This consisted of my tightening the bolt on top of the stem.  Too tight and I couldn't steer; too loose and I couldn't steer.  For those who found my pace too slow, it was a real annoyance.  For those who thought we were going too fast, it was a welcome breather.   I eventually found a good enough setting and put up with the problem to the end of the ride.  At home, dis-assembling the head tube revealed an inexplicable situation:

There's some space, not much, between the headset bearings and the steering tube attached to the fork.  Otherwise, it would be too hard to remove the fork from the frame and it wouldn't turn easily.  That space is taken up by a split ring thrust washer whose snugness is controlled by the tightness of the bolt on top of the stem.  Somehow, this washer got displaced from its proper location and got pushed down into the open space in the head tube between the top and bottom bearings.   Without the washer in place, the steering tube was free to wobble in the space between it and the bearing.  I put the washer back into its proper position and all is fine now.  But, it's still a mystery as to how it got displaced - possibly due to one of the frequent dives into potholes with my weight on the handle bars (?).  Thankfully, I didn't have to call Uber.

Report by Gene Ho.

 

Martha's Vineyard ride - August 6, 2025

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 6 August 2025, Martha's Vineyard ride

Ride Leader:  Tom Allen

45 miles, 10:00 am start from Oak Bluffs, MA

Riders (8): Tom, Christine Corr, Renée Rees, Rich Levine, Shawn Corr, Susan Broome, Wing Chow, and first-timer Dick Katz (Tom's neighbor on MV).

I met five riders at the Island Queen ferry landing with the expectation of meeting the other two en route.  After a nearby restroom break we set out around East Chop and made a brief stop at the lighthouse.  (Martha's Vineyard has two peninsulas called East Chop and West Chop.)  We rode past a house that was featured in the "Jaws" movie of 50 years ago.  We then continued on a new bike path, past the MV Hospital and on into Vineyard Haven.  We paused to take in the view at Tashmoo Overlook, then proceeded to Lambert's Cove Road where we met up with Dick and Susan.

We continued to the small fishing port of Menemsha, where we looked at the fish dock and found the bike ferry across to Aquinnah (Gay Head).  We were more riders than the little bike shuttle could accommodate, so we split into two groups. The second group befriended a solo rider (Latesha) who joined us for the rest of the ride.  At Gay Head we briefly considered visiting the light house, but decided to simply keep going.

Returning from Aquinnah via roads (no ferry), we stopped at the Chilmark General Store to find some lunch.  Wing decided that he was set for lunch and elected to continue the ride solo.  It is assumed that he completed the ride and caught an early boat back to the mainland.  The rest of us bought simple sandwiches at exorbitant prices, sat on a bench outside, and took in the Chilmark vibe.

We continued east on the scenic and pleasant Middle Road where, at the end of it, Dick and Susan split off to take a more direct route back to Lambert's Cove.  The rest of us, including Latesha, continued on through the West Tisbury town center and found the State Forest bike path to take us back toward Oak Bluffs.

As we arrived at the main intersection in Oak Bluffs, I was asked, "What's the best ice cream store?"  I replied, "The nearest one!"  So we had a treat while waiting for the next ferry departure.

With excellent riding weather (not hot, cloudy skies) and varied and interesting scenery, I would rate this ride a "10".

Report by Tom Allen.

New Hampshire Seacoast ride - July 30. 2025

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 30 July 2025, New Hampshire Seacoast ride
Ride Leader:  Gene Ho
37 mi, 10:00 am start from Seabrook, NH

Riders (6):  Gene, Armen Kasparian, Francine Sparks, Frank Aronson, Gary Williams, and Susan Broome.

 Some newish words for a tune familiar to those of us of a certain age:

Needing my thirst slaked.

Getting my face baked.

Legs feeling tired from all of the toil.

Got cramps in my hamstrings.

And itches from bug stings.

Let's get to lunch cause I'm beginning to boil.

Wastin away again on Hampton's cool sands.

Looking for any break from the heat.

Some people claim that global warming's to blame.

All I know is, it feels really hot.

Susan Broome, Frank Aronson, Gary Williams, Armen Kasperian, and Francine Sparks shared the sentiments of the above, if not in those words, and joined me in my quest for seabreeze on a ride from Hampton Beach to Portsmouth.

ne point fog rolled in briefly as we approached the Wentworth hotel and it actually got chilly.

Lunch at Geno's, a restaurant new to most of us, was especially appealing with awning covered outdoor seating next to the Piscataqua river.

Such a seductive setting was a challenge from which to depart but more riding remained.

Comfortable temps notwithstanding, some us, attentive to our post ride rehydration obligations, elected to discharge these at Bernie's Beach Bar, a Hampton Beach landmark.

Tough duty but health needs must be met.

The beach below us, along which we rode for much of the trip, made for a constantly changing panorama.

Can't say that this was hard to take considering the temps back in Boston.

To the End of the World and Back - July 23, 2025

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 23 July 2025, To the End of the World and Back
Ride Leaders:  David Wean & Ron Beland
27 mi, 10:00 am start from Hingham, MA

Riders (13):  David, Ron, Armen Kasparian, Barry Kaditz, Frank Aronson, Frank Calabrese, Gary Williams, Gene Ho,  Marie Keutmann, Sandy Gotlib, Steve Bogue, Susan Broome, and first-timer John Sarnosky.

After the first few miles on the road, we began our “tour de parks.”  We started with Weymouth's Osprey Overlook Park and then climbed through Great ("more than just pretty good") Esker Park, riding the paved knife-edge path and viewing the Back River estuary on one side and the roofs of nearby houses on the other.

 

We then meandered through Hingham's Bare Cove Park along the other side of the estuary which divides Hingham and Weymouth.  Continuing by road through downtown Hingham (passing through an unexpected mid-weekday local protest), we made our way to World's End (admission fee, but we had almost enough Trustees memberships between us) where we enjoyed the water views from this fantastic park.  The entire group chose to ride the couple of miles of gravel paths all around the two hummocks that make up the park, though some of the paths had been recently re-graveled, so some of us walked some of the stretches.

 

From there we cruised the smoother pavement on Jerusalem Road and Atlantic Avenue in Cohasset, passing lovely homes and enjoying some dramatic views.  In Cohasset center, we stopped for lunch at the picnic tables in the park, with sandwiches and salads from four of the available restaurant choices.

 

After a couple more road miles and one last hill, we rolled along the stone dust Whitney Spur Bikeway, which led us back into Wompatuck Park to finish the ride.  Low average speed, but high average enjoyment.  

 

Report by David Wean.