Harold Parker Reversed - May 17, 2023

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 17 May 2023, Harold Parker Reversed

Ride Leader:  Tom Allen

34 miles, 10:00 am start from North Reading, MA

Bikers (11):  Tom, Betsy Kimball, Craig Tulig, Dick French, Frank Aronson, Gene Ho, Julia Zhogina, Martin Hemler, Susan Broome, Susan Sabin, and Zach Woods.

The route is called Ingaldsby CCW for a counter clockwise route from North Reading to Ingaldsby Farm in Boxford.  However, when we arrived at that point in the ride, Ingaldsby Farm was shuttered with no sign of any activity. I guess the route name should change.

Regardless, we enjoyed a bright day of cycling over scenic and low-traffic roads, despite cool and blustery conditions.  After the failure of the planned stop at Ingaldsby, we pushed on another couple of miles to West Village Provisions in West Boxford for some calorie-loading and fluid-unloading.

The return back towards North Reading brought the wind to a more favorable quarter, but it was still not really helpful.  Also not helpful was a flat that took some time to repair.  And then, a complication introduced by the leader who had called up a prior version of the route on his phone - this added an extra half-mile and 30 vertical feet for those riders who followed the leader rather than the published route.

From there we muddled our way back to lunch at Ryer's Store where the sandwiches got rave reviews from those who stayed.

Thank you to Susan Broome for serving as sweep, and to the numerous arrows who never needed to be asked.

Report by Tom Allen.