Cape Ann Loop with Remote Start - May 25, 2016

Wednesday, May 25, 2016, Cape Ann Loop with Remote Start
Ride Leaders:  Richard Vignoni and Selig Saltzman/Sandy Gray
67 Mile Option, 9:45 am start from Gordon College, Wenham, MA
34 Mile Core Ride, 10:00 am start from Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, MA

Riders - 67 mi (17):  Richard, Adena Schutzberg, Amy Lawrence, Bob Apsler, Butch Pemstein, Dan Bertko, Elizabeth Wicks, Francie Sparks, Herb Kavet, Joe Marcangelo, Julie Dodd, Lindy King, Ron Cater, Russ Keene, Stephen Page, and first-timers Michelle Swanson and Steve Bogue.
Riders 33 mi - (29):  Selig & Gardner, Alan Krupp, Andrea Clardy, Arvella Hagan, Barbara Jacobs, Bill Lane, Bill Widnall, Bob McCarty, Carol Anderson, Chris Schuch, Chuck McWilliams, Dale Ferguson, Dave Balaban, Ilkka Suvanto, Jack Mroczkowski, Janet Miller, Jon Clardy, Judi Burten, Karen Saltus, Kathy Horvath, Kathy Jonas, Marie Keutmann, Neil Martin, Paula Bossone, Richard Fortier, Stan Kay, Susan Sabin, and Tim Jacoby.

With temperatures inland forecast to be in the 90s, seventeen riders showed up for the remote start at Gordon College where they were greeted by jacket-appropriate temps.  Among these were quite a few new WW faces.

Heading out, as we approached the coast, you could hear and smell the ocean – this was a good thing since you couldn’t see it due to very dense fog over the water.  We made our way along the coast up to Gloucester, making loops through Kettle Cove and Magnolia, and making a quick rest stop at Stage Fort Park where there was a cyclist oasis of four never-been-used porta-johns!  We cycled behind the warehouses at the state fish pier where we were able to see fishing boats tied up and fishermen mending their nets.  In the interest of time, we skipped the Rocky Neck artist colony and headed out to Eastern Point Light.  Cycling past Good Harbor Beach, we noticed that beach-goers were not deterred by the cool temps, as we could see many ghost-like figures through the fog.  By the time we got to our rest stop at the T pier in Rockport, the fog had finally lifted.  Continuing on we looped through Lobster Cove, biked over the wooden bridge, and then it was a short ride to our lunch stop at Willow Rest.

After lunch, we headed out Rte 133, then through the marshes of Essex visiting Conomo Point.  We rejoined 133 before heading inland on a route that Butch had mapped out and which we adopted some years ago.  This took us on some quiet pastoral back roads through Hamilton.  On the final turn onto Grapevine Avenue, in what has now become a tradition, the group was told they were free to sprint ahead for the final 1.4 miles back to their cars.  Everyone arrived back at Gordon College by 4:35 pm, completing a nice day of cycling with the added bonus of escaping the heat.

Thanks to Butch and Adena for sweeping and to all those who arrowed and participated.

Report by Richard Vignoni.

Fog and more fog - the ocean was not visible anywhere in Gloucester.  All of the scenic vistas could only be imagined, but in Rockport the sun was shining and the ocean and distant views were visible everywhere.

Lunch at Destino's seemed to be enjoyed, particularly because of the free extras.  The ride turned out to be 34 miles.  There were two flats (one the ride leader’s) and two falls, but apparently no injuries.  Thanks to Gardner for being my co-leader and to Janet Miller for being a patient sweep.  Also thanks to the many arrows and, especially, to Tim and Kurt (?) for assisting the ride leader in fixing his flat.

Report by Selig Saltzman.

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Photos courtesy of Russ Keene

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North from Kittery Point & cookout - May 18, 2016

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday, May 18, 2016, North from Kittery Point & cookout

Ride Leaders:  Karen Saltus & Ken Hablow

32 & 52 miles, 10:30 am start from leader's home, Kittery Point, ME

Riders - 32 mi (6):  Karen, Carol Anderson, Dale Ferguson, Russ Keene, Selig Saltzman, and Susan Sabin.

Riders - 52 mi (17):  Ken, Adena Schutzberg, Barbara Martin, Bob Wadsworth, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dave Balaban, Frank Hubbard, Gardner Gray, Gene Ho, Greg Stathis, Jack Donohue, Larry Kernan, Mary Kernan, Rich Taylor, Rick Lawrence, Robin Frain, and Ron Cater.

Present at ride start & lunch:  Helen Greitzer.

Short Ride Report:

Six of us left a few minutes after the long ride group under beautiful, partly sunny skies.  We stopped briefly in York Harbor where we viewed interesting metal sculptures in a small park overlooking the ocean.  (I had cycled past there many times and not noticed these small figures, until I was riding one day with Bob and Carol Anderson and they pointed them out.)  A few minutes later the longer ride group passed us. (Ken told me later that they stopped at a scenic spot before the park, but, since it was off the route, we didn’t see them.)  They were leaving Nubble Light (aka The Nubble) just as we were arriving.

We stayed for a few minutes and then continued riding north, unfortunately getting caught on a stretch of torn up road that was being worked on.  Smooth pavement never felt so good after that bit of rough road . . .  We took a slight detour through a neighborhood with beautiful oceanfront homes and then turned inland.  Selig was interested in climbing Mt. Agamenticus, but wanted to get home to Boston before it got too late, and so didn’t take the eight mile detour.

At the Kittery/York reservoir, we stopped for a little while, soaking up the sun and beautiful scenery.  Then we headed back to the leader’s house for food, folks, and fun.

The leader was a little nervous leading her first ride for the WWs and wishes to thank everyone for making it such a positive experience.  It’s an absolute pleasure to ride with such courteous and safe people.  Thank you!

Report by Karen Saltus.

Long Ride report:

This was a picture-perfect day.  With a light south wind we rode as a group at 16-18 mph on the very pretty coastal roads up to Ogunquit.  This time of year there was no tourist traffic, so we flew along York Beach up to Nubble Light.  After a diversion on a coastal road with a beautiful view of York Harbor, Shore Road took us to Ogunquit.  Some of us made a short diversion into Perkins Cove.  Those that elected to strictly follow the GPS route went on ahead, so we were now separated into two groups.

Everything came back together at the top of Mt. Agamenticus - some of us thought that this was a much more difficult climb than Mt. Wachusett, in that it is constant up with some grades over 15%.  The view from the top is spectacular, with the ocean to the east and several mountain ranges to the north.

After the descent, Sandy heard a crack and stopped to find a broken spoke - he made it back fine.  Since we were all pretty close together we seldom needed arrows.  Whenever we got a bit spread out, we stopped to collect everybody.

Thanks to Greg for sweeping, and to our “local tour guide,” Bruce, who is a neighbor of Karen’s.  There is nothing better than local knowledge.

We got back to Karen’s earlier than expected and enjoyed a great lunch, with Karen flipping burgers and rolling dogs, lots of yummy salads and vegetarian dishes, plus cookies galore.  Kudos to Karen for putting on such a nice “feed” and offering the use of her home.

Report by Ken Hablow.

Long Ride Pictures

Honey Dew Ride - May 11, 2016

Wednesday, May 11, 2016, Honey Dew rides
Ride Leaders:  Marc Baskin/Ken Hablow & Jack Donohue/Fred (Clyde) Newton
40 & 30 miles, 10:00 am start from Burchard Park, Weston, MA

Riders - 40 mi (29):  Marc/Ken, Adena Schutzberg, Alan Cantor, Barbara Martin, Barry Nelson, Bernie Flynn, Butch Pemstein, Cecilia Scimia, Cindy Holthouse, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dom Jorge, Elizabeth Wicks, Francie Sparks, Frank Hubbard, Gene Ho, Herb Kavet, Julie Dodd, Kathy Horvath, Larry Kernan, Lindy King, Mary Kernan, Pat Schindeler, Rich Taylor, Richard Vignoni, Rick Lawrence, Steve Bader, and first-timers Lance Murty and Robin Frain.
Riders - 30 mi (28):  Jack/Fred, Ann Northup, Bill Widnall, Bob McCarty, Clyde Kessel, Dick Harter, Don Buchholtz, Ilkka Suvanto, Jack Mroczkowski, Janet Miller, John Allen, John Roberts, Kathy Jonas, Pat Brennan, Peggy Gelin, Richard Fortier, Robyn Maislin, Roy Westerberg, Steve Carlson, Steve Robins, Susan Broome, Tom Allen, Wing Chow, and first-timers Arvella Hagan, Chip Ziering, Emily McPhillips, and Stan Kay.
Present at ride start & lunch:  Helen Greitzer.

Long Ride(s) report:

We had a wonderful sunny day for the ride.  The 40 mile ride split into two groups. I led the first group and Larry Kernan swept, while Ken Hablow led the second group with Barry Nelson as loyal sweep.

The roads were flat and in good shape and we averaged about 15 mph.  Of course we had Honey Dew doughnuts at the Honey Dew Donut shop!  Back in Weston center, many of us ate al fresco at Off Center Café, while others enjoyed a fine lunch at Dumpling Daughter.

Report by Marc Baskin.

Short Ride Report (28 riders):

Since my previous report, where I extolled the virtues of navigating with my phone app, I've had a couple of glitches.  On one occasion, I had downloaded a route, but when I tried to follow it, it wasn't there.  The prospect of having this happen when I was the nominal leader of a WW ride filled me with fear and trepidation.  So, I arrived armed with not one, but two, faux-phones (smart phone with just the app, no service) AND an actual phone with a data plan.

We short riders hung around so that we could be clear of the long riders. This worked out well, since there was a late arrival who would otherwise have missed the boat.  Not too long into the ride, we seemed to be missing a number of people and someone reported that there had been a flat.  This was confirmed by a phone call from my sweep, Dick.  I said we would wait, then set out to find a good spot for waiting.  Someone suggested Great Meadows, so we pulled in there while John stood sentry as arrow.  A few riders went down the road to the park in quest of a bathroom, most elected to stay with John and block traffic (of which there was very little).  The potty people went back to help John block traffic and the chase group had still not arrived.  We were getting a bit antsy, when Tom announced he could track Dick with an app on his iPhone, and indeed he gave us updates on Dick's whereabouts until actual Dick appeared.

While we were enjoying the riding break, someone suggested that it might be good to divide into two groups.  I thought this was an excellent idea and quickly acquired Fred (Clyde) as leader #2 and Clyde as sweep #2.  This was a milestone in Wheeler history, since we now had two rides with recumbent riders sweeping and a ride with two Clydes as leader and sweep.

Report by Jack Donohue.

Bifurcated Short Ride Reports -

Pas de Clyde Ride:

We found our PTO (Perfect Toilet Opportunity) at the Fairbank Center in Sudbury, where we had our obligatory photo op.  A bit later some of the crew were getting peckish, and I realized we had advertised food, or at least doughnuts, and I had no idea where said donut place was.  We stopped at a strip mall that seemed likely to have places to eat, but the consensus was to wait for the fabled Honey Dew which never materialized, so we toughed it out until the end.  Thanks to Dick Harter for sweeping.

Both my faux-phones worked flawlessly, though many noticed slackening of the pace as I tried to poke at it while riding (this is probably the moral equivalent of texting while driving).

Report by Jack Donohue.

Clyde Ride:

The 30 mile group split into two groups at mile 6.5, Fred (Clyde) Newton volunteering to lead the second group, consisting of eight riders, with Clyde Kessel volunteering to be sweep.  One rider in my group, having had a flat before the split, had a second flat (in his other tire) - talk about lightning striking the same place twice.

We enjoyed the great scenery along Nixon and Edmands Roads, and Grove Street.  Since Pelham Island Road has been nicely repaved, we could also enjoy the scenery there without looking out for potholes.  We used arrows initially, but after skipping the donut stop, by consensus, we stayed quite close together, rarely needing an arrow.  Thanks to Roy Westerberg and others for arrowing, and thanks to Clyde for sweeping.

Report by Fred Newton.

Ride Home Report:

While my phone array worked fine on the ride itself, the route I had programmed for my return home didn't fare as well.  To my dismay, when I tried to load it on both of my faux-phones, neither seemed to have the route.  The backup was my real phone, which could suck down the info from the cloud, but, alas, it was completely dead.  Kathy came to my aid with directions, but my feeble brain was only able to remember one or two turns - Merriam Street and Conant Road figured in there somehow.  So I set off down the hill and, mirabile dictu, found Merriam Street.  From that point on I switched over to the DNS (Donohue Navigation System), which is (in a nutshell), when you come to an intersection, take the bigger road.  Eventually, you will come to a numbered road, possibly even with large signs pointing to towns you might want to go.  The other endearing thing about New England roads is that roads named Foobar Road often lead to the town of Foobar.  So, when I came upon Lincoln Road, it did in fact lead me to Lincoln center, from where I knew that, if I went up the big hill, I would find my way home.

Report by Jack Donohue.

West of Bedford - May 4, 2016

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday, May 4, 2016, West of Bedford
Ride Leaders:  Larry Kernan & Jack Donohue
27 or 42 miles, 10:00 am start from Bikeway Source parking lot, Bedford, MA

Riders - 27 mi (17):  Larry, Butch Pemstein, Clyde Kessel, Don Buchholtz, Fred Newton, Gardner Gray, James Hsia, John Roberts, Karen Hall, Kathy Horvath, Kathy Jonas, Pat Brennan, Richard Fortier, Robyn Maislin, Selig Saltzman, Tom Allen, and Veronica Vedensky.

Riders - 42 mi (16):  Jack, Andy Brand, Barbara Martin, Barry Nelson, Bob Wolf, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dom Jorge, Elizabeth Wicks, Francie Sparks, Gene Ho, Julie Dodd, Ken Hablow, Lindy King, Rich Taylor, Steve Carlson, and Tod Cochran.

Present at lunch:  Helen Greitzer.

The Short Ride group accepted Jack's suggestion to avoid Springs Road, through the VA Hospital, due to the huge potholes.  We headed up Pine Hill Road and out to Route 4.  Initially, the two groups rode fairly close together, but we avoided overlapping.  We passed the long ride group when they took a potty break at Great Brook Farm and we never saw them again, 'til lunch.

We had a beautiful ride despite the gray skies and a few raindrops.  The group rode beautifully, stayed together, and singled up immediately when "Car Back" was called.  I was surprised to see that we averaged almost 14 miles per hour.

Holi Restaurant served a delicious buffet lunch that was enjoyed by seven riders from the Short Ride, seven riders from the Long Ride, and Helen Greitzer (who was on crutches, but well looked-after by the Holi waitstaff).

Report by Larry Kernan.

It was a testament to technology that I was able to lead this ride without ever actually having ridden it in advance.  I downloaded the route and my Lady of the Phone guided my way.I did make one early route change, since the official route went north on Springs Road, past the pothole field in front of the VA.  So I opted for Route 4 instead.  I was happy to see new pavement on South Road in Carlisle which had previously been another problem road.

There was a constant threat of rain, but we managed to avoid all but a few short sprinkles in Acton.  We had a few breakaways, but mostly people understood and observed the leader-arrow-sweep model.  It was a pretty homogeneous group and the sweep was in sight for much of the ride.  We only needed a couple of regroupings and, of course, the de rigeur pee stops.  Great Brook was the obvious choice for the first one (where the short group, who did not heed the call of their bladders, blasted by us).  I was proud of myself that my eagle eye spotted two inviting portajohns in a field later in the ride.

Thanks to Barry Nelson for sweeping (and wearing a highly visible jacket).

Report by Jack Donohue.

Long Riders at Rest Stop #1 - Great Brook Farm

Not Quite Haverhill - April 27, 2016,

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, April 27, 2016,  Not Quite Haverhill (Haverhill Short)
Ride Leader:  Tom Allen
37 miles, 10:00 am start from Ipswich River Park, North Reading, MA

Riders(23): Tom, Adena Schutzberg, Amy Lawrence, Andy Brand, Barbara Martin, Dave Balaban, Dick Harter, Everett Briggs, Francie Sparks, Gene Ho, Greg Stathis, Herb Kavet, Ilkka Suvanto, James Hsia, Kathy Horvath, Kathy Jonas, Lindy King, Patrick Ward, Rich Taylor, Robyn Maislin, Steve Carlson, Susan Sabin, and Tod Cochran.

I had just finished taking attendance (using Jack's handy iPhone web app) when a tandem hove into view carrying Everett, with Barbara Martin stoking.  They had remoted from town for a total of 82 miles for the day. 

The beginning of the ride has a few uphill stretches and we spread out a bit at first.  We then proceeded through lovely Harold Parker State Park under bright sunny skies, and then on over roads with little traffic and a few potholes.  After a re-group, we pushed on to the rest stop at Ingaldsby Farm where some of us stoked up with donuts and coffee.

Departing there we encountered the little rise in the landscape that I call "the uptick on Uptack" (Uptack Road).  We continued south on the especially lovely Spofford Pond and Herrick Roads to Boxford, where we encountered a "Road Closed" barrier.  It had been placed by some tree workers who graciously paused their dropping of branches to let us pass.

At some point on the closing leg of the ride one of our riders began to flag.  She was tended to by Gene Ho and Pat Ward, who called the leader to tell me that they would navigate the rest of the ride at a slower pace and without relying on arrows (who would have otherwise had long waits).

We finished the ride at a considerably relaxed pace to keep remaining riders together and rendezvoused with the delayed riders at the Ryer's Store lunch stop.  The group split roughly in half between those who stayed for lunch and those who headed directly back to the start.

Thanks to Pat Ward for sweeping.  And a special shout-out to Butch Pemstein for accompanying me on my scouting ride on Patriot's Day.

Report by Tom Allen.