Wednesday 11 October 2017, Circling Wachusett rides
Ride Leaders: Richard Vignoni (core ride) & Bob Apsler (remote start)
39 miles, 10:00 am start from West Sterling Athletic Field, Sterling, MA
62 miles, 8:50 am start from Forbush Mill Road Soccer Field, Bolton, MA
Riders - 39 mi (12): Richard, Bill Lane, Don Buchholtz, Ellen Gugel, Francie Sparks, Judith McMichael, Julie Dodd, Kevin Donnelly, Ray Komow, Richard Lawrence, Rochelle Holman, and Winslow Green.
Riders - 62 mi (5): Bob, Everett Briggs, David Cooper, Lindy King, and Rick Carlson.
Five remote riders arrived at the West Sterling Athletic field to join the group of core riders, with plenty of time to spare. After explaining the various combinations of options, all seventeen riders headed out together under overcast skies, making a right turn onto Holden Road for the first of many hills.
As the day progressed, the sun came out with the temperature reaching the mid-60s for near perfect cycling weather. The foliage was running noticeably late, but the route still proved to be spectacular, with subdued colors, leaves on the sides of the roads, and nearly no car traffic for the first 30 miles. The ride leader and sweep stopped to address a recurring mechanical problem which was diagnosed to be due to a non-fixable, faulty repair from a high end bike shop. With many riders going ahead, there was some confusion as to who was with whom and one of the riders got in some extra miles before meeting the rest of the group at the ski area lunch stop.
After eating our BYO lunches and with the day getting late, the core group decided to take the quickest route back along Rte 140, skipping a few extra miles, a few extra climbs, and an exhilarating downhill. Despite the confusion, it was a great day of cycling.
Thanks to Rick Carlson for sweeping the ride and to all those who arrowed and participated.
Report by Richard Vignoni.
The remote start began inauspiciously when the Ride Leader arrived twenty minutes before the start and found the parking lot empty. I’ve never before been the first to arrive at a ride and assumed I was either an hour early or late, but three others arrived, and Everett caught up with us not much later.
The optional rides got messed up a bit. Only a few of us stopped for lunch at the ski area, while maybe four rode directly up to the Visitor Center. Two of the four climbed further to the summit, while Everett was prevented from doing so by a broken derailleur cable. In the meantime, the Ride Leader enjoyed lunch, as planned, at the ski area. Having no one to lead, he rode alone to the Visitor Center, where he met David Cooper. Dave graciously gave the Ride Leader the opportunity of leading the final climb by riding a second time to the summit. The two of us returned to the start of the Core ride, found that everyone else had departed, and rode back to the start of the remote.
Report by Bob Apsler.
Photo courtesy of Judith McMichael.
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