Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride - October 14, 2015

RIDE REPORT

 

Wednesday, October 14, 2015, Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride
Ride Leaders:  Richard Vignoni & various
39 mile core ride, 10:00 am start from West Sterling Athletic Field, Sterling, MA 

62 mile remote start ride, 9:00 am start from Forbush Mill Road Soccer Field, Bolton, MA.

Riders - 39 mi (20):  Richard, Barry Nelson, Dave Balaban, Doug Hobkirk, Elizabeth Wicks, Ellen Gugel, Francie Sparks, Fred Newton, Jack Mroczkowski, Jim Cant, Jim Egerton, Jim Whinfield, Karen Saltus, Kathy Jonas, Kaz Zelny, Rich Taylor, Richard Fortier, Selig Saltzman, Winslow Green, and first-timer Neil Martin
Riders - 62 mi (6):  Bob Apsler, Clyde Kessel, Everett Briggs, Gene Ho, Lindy King, and Rick Carlson
Remoted from home (3):  Elizabeth Wicks, Everett Briggs, and Lindy King

The weather gods were once again kind to us, continuing their tradition of great weather for our annual circling Wachusett ride.  Showing up early at the ride start to organize the ride fell apart when I discovered that I had forgotten my helmet.  Elizabeth, who had remoted from home in Boylston, had a spare, so I drove her back to her house to retrieve it.  In the meantime six remote riders joined the twenty core riders who were all patiently waiting in the warm sun when I returned.  During my absence I phoned in and had someone offer that a spirited pace group could head on out, giving them a desired gap, but there were no takers.  We all exited the parking lot 15 to 20 minutes later than planned and headed up Holden Road for the first of many hills.

We cycled clockwise around the mountain through the towns of Rutland, Barre, Hubbardston, Westminster, and Princeton, where on many roads seeing a car was a rarity.  The foliage was not quite at its peak, but there were lots of good patches and stretches of color along the way, where the foliage camouflage pants worn by Everett could easily disappear into the background

While there were no flats, there was a mechanical issue with someone breaking a rear derailleur cable.  I did have a spare in my bag of “stuff,” so this was perhaps redemption for forgetting my helmet.  We were only two turns and two miles from the lunch stop at the ski area, so I sent the group, including the sweep, ahead with six of us staying behind.  The repair took longer than expected as Shimano has changed the design of their shifters.  In our haste, we did a real MacGyver, attaching a new cable to the rear and tying it to the old cable from the shifter allowing for pretty much the full range of gears.

We cycled on to the lunch stop.  Everett and four others biked to the summit and most of the other riders took off on their own as the weather turned cloudy and cooler.  Barry, who swept the ride, was patiently waiting for us but we released him to ride back with the few remaining riders while the six of us ate a leisurely lunch.  From there it was one last climb then seven miles of downhill back to the parking lot.

The ride lived up to its reputation of being very beautiful and hilly, with very little traffic.  It was another great day of cycling and being outdoors.

Thanks to Barry Nelson for sweeping the ride, to all those who arrowed and participated, and to Elizabeth Wicks for coming to the rescue and loaning me a helmet

Report by Richard Vignoni.

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Photo courtesy of Everett Briggs.

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