Smooth as Silk Ride - June 22, 2016

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, June 22, 2016, Smooth as Silk
Ride Leaders:  Jack Donohue & Bernie Flynn
35 miles, 10:00 am start from Bedford Public Library, Bedford, MA

Riders (4​2​):  ​Jack, Bernie, Tom Allen, Adena Schutzberg, Andrea Clardy, Andy Lewis, Ann Northup, Barbara Martin, Bill Haynes, Bill Lane, Bob Wolf, Butch Pemstein, Chris Schuch, Chuck McWilliams, Cindy Holthouse, Dave Balaban, Dmitry Gorenburg, Dom Jorge, Don Buchholtz, Don Mannes, Emily McPhillips, Francie Sparks, Fred Newton, George Stromberg, Irv Kurki, James Hsia, Janet Miller, Jeff Smith, Jon Clardy, Larry Kernan, Lindy King, Mary Kernan, Mike Hanauer, Richard Lawrence, Richard Vignoni​​, Robert Wilson, Steve Bogue, Steve Page, Steve Robins, Susan Sabin, Tim Jacoby, and Wing Chow.

This ride was the inauguration of my Wednesday Wheeler Attendance App 2.0.  I'm happy to report it worked flawlessly, except for a minor glitch when your hamfisted leader poked John Allen instead of Tom Allen.

The beginning of summer brought a lot of Wheelers out of the woodwork whom I didn't know or hadn't seen in a long time.  I had advertised a classic Wheeler
ride, moderate pace, human arrows, regrouping as required, but was not sure how this was going to play out.  The problem of keeping a diverse group together was solved by Bernie who offered to take a group that wanted to go faster.  He advertised a no frills ride: no arrows, no sweep, and no prisoners, and I'm sure he did not disappoint.

In a classic bait and switch, I changed the route at the last minute to make it even smoother than silk, adding a newly paved portion of South Street in Carlisle.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the gratuitous climb up Vose Hill.  There was a bit of confusion when some of the group decided not to do the hill, but wait for those who did.  I first told this group to wait at the intersection of Routes 27 and 225, and someone suggested the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) instead, which seemed a better idea.  When we got to the bottom of the hill, I waited for the sweep and told the rest to go ahead and wait with the others at the BFRT which was just ahead.  Unfortunately, I forgot that the BFRT crosses Rte 27 twice, and the spot I pointed to was not where the others were waiting.  Several of the group started down the trail, so I had to go chasing after them.  Moral of the story:  leader should lead.

The weather had started out gloomy, but improved, and I was thinking we might achieve a moisture-free ride.  We did have some serious rain in Chelmsford, but just as I was thinking about stopping to put on rain gear, it let up.  Several of the group cheated and got weather updates via their phones.  Being superstitious, I view this as a harbinger of bad luck and may have to adopt Pamela Blaylock's approach of forbidding the "W" word to be spoken on rides.

No one wanted to stop at Heart Pond off the BFRT in Chelmsford (possibly because of the "W" word), but I made everyone stop for a photo op in front of the cranberry bogs.  All in all, the ride went very well, but Butch did report that, in his view from the rear, several Wheelers cut a rather wide swath on the road.  Admittedly, there was very little traffic, but, as you all recall from your WW Safety Agreement, this is a no-no.

A group of us went to Ken's Deli after the ride and feasted on their giant sandwiches.  A goodly percentage of the group ended up ordering large, cool glasses of beer, which hadn't occurred to me.  Next time.

Thanks to Butch for sweeping, and to Bernie for providing an outlet for the type A riders.

Ride report by Jack Donohue.



















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