For Sheldon 2022 - a ride from Wayland - July 13 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 13 July 2022, For Sheldon 2022 - a ride from Wayland

Ride Leaders:  Harriet Fell & John Allen

31 miles, 10:00 am start from Wayland, MA

Riders (17):  Harriet, John, Adam Walpert, Barry Nelson, Butch Pemstein, Cynthia Zabin, David Wean, Ed Hill, Gary Williams, Gerry Sheetoo, Glenn Pransky, Linda Nelson, Sandy Gotlib, Tami Kellogg, Terry Snyder, and first-timers Ernie Glickman and Henry Hamilton. 

This was a ride celebrating Sheldon Brown’s life.  His birthday was July 14th and he would have been 78 on that day this year. 

Our ride started off a few minutes after 10:00 am, with Harriet leading and John riding sweep.  We headed out of the Wayland Town Center parking area on Andrew Avenue and crossed Rte 20, to ride on the road through Russell's Garden Center, a little-known, ridable dirt road that crosses over to Pelham Island Road.  From there on we stuck to paved roads.

The temperature rose to the high 80s, but there was good shade cover on most of the route which made for comfortable riding, and the humidity was not high.  A few riders rode faster, especially on the hills, but we waited periodically so the group stayed pretty much together throughout the ride.  Three riders announced that they had to split off somewhere along the way and did so as planned.  

When most of the group was approaching the Wayside Inn, Harriet got a call from Ed Hill saying he had taken over someone’s position as an arrow and started out after no-one had passed for fifteen minutes.  He had lost the route and needed directions.  So we hung out for a while in front of the Wayside Inn, giving people a chance to use the facilities and/or refill their water bottles. This stop also provided a chance for those of us who knew about the Wayside Inn and nearby buildings to tell the others about it.  John recited the last verse of “Mary had a Little Lamb” which was written about an incident at a one-room schoolhouse that had been moved to the site.

Part of the return route was on Water Row, which Sheldon always claimed was his favorite road.  Toward the end of the ride, we rode on the Weston-Wayland stretch of the Mass Central Rail Trail, a route Sheldon never got to ride.  At the end of the paved path, some people continued on the pressed dirt stretch back to the start and others returned via Rte 126, Bow Road, Rte 27, and Andrew Avenue.

For lunch, seven of us shared an outdoor table at The Local and two others ate at a nearby table with friends they had arranged to meet. 

Ride report by Harriet Fell and John Allen.