Wednesday, June 24, 2015, Boondoggle rides
Ride Leaders: Janet Miller & Patrick Ward
30 & 38 miles, 10:00 am start from Cousins Park, West Concord, MA.
30 & 38 miles, 10:00 am start from Cousins Park, West Concord, MA.
Riders - 30 mi (19): Janet, Aliza Edwards, Arthur Teepe, Barbara Pike, Chris Schuch, David Wean, Gary Smiley, Gene Konik, Jackie Maurer, James Hsia, Jim Cant, Joanne Samuels, Michael Levine, Mike Hanauer, Richard Fortier, Rini Kester, Tom Allen, Winslow Green, and first-timer Alan Lazar.
Riders - 38 mi (16): Patrick, Annemarie Altman, Brian O'Connor, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dave Balaban, Dave Slade, Dmitry Gorenburg, Doug Hobkirk, Elissa Brown, George Stromberg, Herb Kavet, Kathy Horvath, Maurice King, Rick Lawrence, Susan Sabin, and first-timer Peter Sharman.
Present at ride start & lunch: Helen Greitzer.
Present at ride start: John Roberts.
There was a great turnout for some new rides, staring at a new location, Cousins Park, in West Concord, where Helen kindly took attendance and sandwich orders for lunch. (My apologies for confusing some people by calling it Cousins Field, which is what I have heard my neighbors call it.) The long distance riders set off first to begin the 38 mile route, led by Patrick Ward. The short distance riders started a few minutes later on their 30 mile route. The first stop was at the Fairbanks Fields in Sudbury, after about seven miles, where the short-route riders caught up with the longer ride group. We managed to stay in our separate groups and headed off towards the Gristmill on Wayside Inn Road, where the shorter-route group stopped for a while. After that we passed through a corner of Marlborough and into Hudson, past Boon Lake.
The climb up Barton Road, just after the lake, was the steepest of the day, but luckily it is short. At the top, I had a call from Gene Konik to say that he had missed an arrow, but would find his own way back. Up until that time, he had been doing sterling service as an arrow. Our next stop was at a Dunkin Donuts on the corner of Hudson Road and Rte 117.
After that, the route was on roads that were familiar to most, through Harvard, Stow, and Acton, before heading back to Concord. The only mechanical issue was towards the end of the ride, when I dropped a chain, which was fixed with help from my fellow riders. Special thanks goes to Mike Hanauer, our sweep, and the many human arrows.
Most people came to my condominium for lunch after the ride, where Helen was waiting with the sandwiches and drinks she had picked up from the Nashoba Brook Bakery. Thank you, Helen!! Lots of people admired the lunch spot and were very complimentary about the routes.
Ride report by Janet Miller.
On a beautiful summer's day, the long riders demonstrated what a capable and experienced group they were. Their arrowing was flawless and riders did a good job of riding in a group and looking out for one another. To my knowledge, no one got lost, and there were no safety incidents.
Nor were there any mechanicals except my own flat, which occurred on Dutton Road near the Wayside Inn. Herb and Peter volunteered to fix it, and did so quickly and efficiently, despite the troublesome short stem of the replacement tube. Their work gave me a break and time to check that riders had all moved their bikes to the shoulder of the busy road.
The teamwork enabled everyone to focus on just enjoying riding on a beautiful mix of roads, which included fast, open cruising on tree-shaded roads, and a relaxed pace through the narrow residential roads on the shores of Lake Boon. I heard several compliments on the route, which neatly brought us back to Janet's house for lunch.
Many thanks to Susan Sabin for sweeping, and to Ilkka Suvanto for taking over when Susan's cell phone battery ran low. Thanks also to Brian O'Connor, arrow extraordinaire, who gave me a rest in leading the group before I took over again for the final stretch.
On a beautiful summer's day, the long riders demonstrated what a capable and experienced group they were. Their arrowing was flawless and riders did a good job of riding in a group and looking out for one another. To my knowledge, no one got lost, and there were no safety incidents.
Nor were there any mechanicals except my own flat, which occurred on Dutton Road near the Wayside Inn. Herb and Peter volunteered to fix it, and did so quickly and efficiently, despite the troublesome short stem of the replacement tube. Their work gave me a break and time to check that riders had all moved their bikes to the shoulder of the busy road.
The teamwork enabled everyone to focus on just enjoying riding on a beautiful mix of roads, which included fast, open cruising on tree-shaded roads, and a relaxed pace through the narrow residential roads on the shores of Lake Boon. I heard several compliments on the route, which neatly brought us back to Janet's house for lunch.
Many thanks to Susan Sabin for sweeping, and to Ilkka Suvanto for taking over when Susan's cell phone battery ran low. Thanks also to Brian O'Connor, arrow extraordinaire, who gave me a rest in leading the group before I took over again for the final stretch.
Ride report by Patrick Ward.
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Coordinator's comment: After checking and double-checking that the sandwich order was correct, I still delivered four fewer sandwiches than had been ordered. :( Through sharing and good humor, all, save Brian O'Connor, were fed and seemed content. Brian left without eating and in seemingly good humor. Unfortunately for us, this was Brian's last ride with the WWs.
FYI - the money which NBB refunded (for the missing sandwiches) will be sent to the PMC.
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