November 12, 2014, Rides from Verrill Farm

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, November 12, 2014, Rides from Verrill Farm

Ride Leaders:  Ken Hablow & Bernie Flynn

40 & 30 miles, 10:00 am start from Verrill Farm, Concord, MA

Riders - 40 mi (15):  Ken, Barry Nelson, Bob Wolf, Brian Miller, Brian O'Connor, Butch Pemstein, Clyde Kessel, Dmitry Gorenburg, Dom Jorge, Howie Davidson, James Hsia, Rick Carlson, Sarit Feldman, Selig Saltzman, and Steve Bader.

Riders - 30 mi (17):  Bernie, Dave Slade, Ellen Gugel, Illka Suvanto, Jack Donohue, Jimmy White, Kathy Jonas, Maurice King, Mike Hanauer, Paul Greco, Rich Taylor, Richard Fortier, Skip Perry, Susan Broome, Susan Sabin, Tom Swanson, and Wick Doggett.

The morning fog burned off and by 10:00 am the weather was very comfortable and the roads mostly dry.  Since Helen had a “household emergency,” Eli filled in for her at the start and took attendance.  During the safety talk I emphasized the importance of the arrows being in the line of sight of the oncoming riders.

Those of us on the long ride stayed together pretty much the whole ride, except for one long hill going into Harvard and, even then, we were only a few minutes apart.  Although we “arrowed” most of the time, the sweep was always in sight.  We stopped for a Porta-John break at mile 11, after which we encountered Howie Davidson and Sarit Feldman on their tandem - they stayed with us for the rest of the ride.  We made one more short stop at a Dunkin Donuts at mile 27.  Upon our return, we all remained for lunch at Verrill Farm, after which five of us departed by bike for the ride home.

Our only incident was a flat tire less than a mile from the end of the ride.  Thanks to Barry for sweeping.  Our average speed was 14.5 mph.

Report by Ken Hablow.

Seventeen riders joined the 30 mile ride from Verrill Farm in Concord.  It was a delightful fall day and the route took us on quiet roads through Acton, Boxboro, Stow, Sudbury, and back to Concord.  The group stooped for a breather at the Delaney Flood Control Boat Launch, a picturesque pond with a strange name.  There was one more stop at a gas station/Dunkin Donuts for an indoor nature break about two miles later, following a GPS induced, wrong turn on Rte 117.  I guess that my editing of Ken's route was not as careful as I thought - a lesson learned.

The group stayed mostly together, with some concern about bunching up.  There were requests to pick up the pace and requests to slow it down, but in the end we made it back without incident and with many smiles.

Report by Bernie Flynn.

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Photo (above) courtesy of Clyde Kessel.  Additional photos, courtesy of Jack Donohue, may be found at   https://www.facebook.com/WednesDayWheelers/posts/294496974072220

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SAFETY REPORT

We started out with a long line of sixteen riders behind the leader, but, by the time we reached Lawes Brook Road, we were able to establish a second group several car lengths behind the lead group.  As arrows were released from the leader's quiver, the second group provided fresh arrows up front, while occasionally frisky arrows returned to the front from their arrow positions.  Later on, group size was regulated by a gentle increase in pace.  Both of these were/are effective techniques.

We did a good job regrouping off the road at the Delaney Wildlife Management Area (FWIW - the water area there shows up as Delaney Flood Control Site - inquiring minds wanted to know - but I digress) and at the Dunkin Donuts on Hudson Road.

Report by Rich Taylor.

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RIDE ANNOUNCEMENT

WED, November 19, 2014, Dessert Anglais II - Jam Roly Poly

Ride Leader:  Brian O'Connor, <brianoconnor78@gmail.com>

~35 miles, 10:00 am start from Nancy's Airfield Cafe, 302 Boxboro Road, Stow, MA

Description:  With a healthy appetite for a childhood winter pudding classic, I have concocted Dessert Anglais II - Jam Roly Poly.  The ride starts at Nancy's Airfield Cafe (located at the Minuteman Airfield in Stow), and takes in the well known Lost Lake rollercoaster, but for me this part of the ride is my "Jam Roly Poly."  The ride will be at a moderate pace, but, as long as I have plenty of arrows in my quiver, all members of the team can ride at their own pace.  There are restrooms at the start, inside Nancy’s cafe, and at the public library in Groton.

Lunch will be at Nancy’s - it is a little pricey, but there are a lot of options, the food is very good, and Nancy is a great hostess.  Those interested in lunch need to commit at the ride start, so we can let Nancy know how many to expect at ~1:00 pm.

For those who arrive early at the ride start, you are welcome to join the ride leader who will be enjoying an expresso or two at Nancy's, beginning at 9:15 am.
GPS Route - http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6100551

A recipe for Jam Roly Poly:  http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/13354/jam-rolypoly

 

Directions:   use 302 Boxboro Road, Stow, MA for GPS or google maps.

Rain cancels - watch your email.  If in doubt, contact ride leader.

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Upcoming rides:

November 26, Bob Apsler, Clyde Kessel, & John Allen, Day Before Turkey Day rides & party
December 3, Tom Allen, Weston Piece
December 10, TBD, TBA

December 17, Marie Keutmann, Hanukkah ride/hike & party

December 24, Ann Northup, Jingle Bell walk/ride & party

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Wednesday Wheeler 2014 Scoreboard:

Number of rides/activities:  41
Average & of riders:  26.0
Total rider-miles:  31,381

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Helen Greitzer, 508 878 6988, <helengreitzer@hotmail.com>

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