October 21, 2026 - Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride

 RIDE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 21 October 2026, Circling Wachusett Foliage Ride
Ride Leader:  Ellen Gugel
39 miles, 10:00 am start from West Sterling, MA.

Riders (5):  Ellen, Francine Sparks, John Trotter, Steve Hoffenberg, and Wing Chow

It was a beautiful day for a fall bike ride – moderate temperatures, mainly sunny.  Foliage was a little past peak, but still some color.  The photo at our lunch stop at the base of Mt. Wachusett was taken by Francine.  The other one I took of Francine and John at one of the prettiest, quietest spots on the route.  Two other riders missed it and went ahead where we met one of them for lunch.  The other continued on his own.

Everyone praised the route.  Many thanks to Richard Vignoni for this wonderful ride – very little traffic, beautiful rural scenery, views, and hills.

Report by Ellen Gugel.

Through the Woods and Over the River - Blue Hills and Neponset - October 14. 2026

 RIDE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 14 October 2026, Through the Woods and Over the River - Blue Hills and Neponset
Ride Leaders:  David Wean, Ron Beland
25 or 27 miles, 10:00 am start from Canton, MA.

Riders (6):  David, Ron, Cynthia Zabin, John Trotter, Steve Bogue, and Tom Allen.

What an extraordinary October day!  We ascended Chickatawbut Hill, catching our breath at the top, where our search for the Boston skyline view was in vain.  Oh well, we'd find a view soon enough.  We descended through the Blue Hills Reservation into Quincy, where we diverged from the published route to spend more time on Quincy Shore Drive, which at that time of day, in this season, wasn't as congested as we often find in summer.  After a restroom stop at Marina Bay, we rode through Squantum Point Park for a better view of downtown and a chance to ride on the (defunct) airfield.  We crossed from Quincy to Boston on the Neponset Bridge (separated sidewalks on both sides!) and connected through Pope John Paul II Park to the Neponset Trail, where we found the best foliage of the day (surprisingly, better than in the Blue Hills).  We left the trail at Mattapan Square and headed back to the ride start, with some of us detouring to the top of the Great Blue Hill, just because.  Lunch was at Trillium Brewery, shortly before the end of the route.

 

This ride was jointly sponsored by CRW and the Parkway Cycling Club, which is active in Southwest Boston - it's worth a look if you live in Roslindale, West Roxbury, Hyde Park or JP, or just want to try something a little different.

 

Report by David Wean.

Sudbury Reservoir Loop - October 7, 2026

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 7 October 2026, Sudbury Reservoir Loop

Ride Leader:  Tom Allen

26 miles, 10:00 am start from Haskell Field, Sudbury, MA 

 

Riders (3+1):  Tom, John Trotter, first-timer Chris Fisher, and David Klingsberg.

 

I was joined by three riders for this short notice outing.  It was too nice a day to not have a ride.  David would have been happy to join us, but, since he had a Wednesday conflict, he joined me on Tuesday for my outing with Arlington Community Ed (same ride, same route).  The other two riders were not known to each other, but they arrived at the start with identical Trek bikes and immediately bonded, each in admiration of the other's taste in wheels.

 

We by chance shared the start location and time with a separate MVP ride.  After we sorted out who was riding with whom, we set off on our separate ways.  About 4 miles into our route, we passed the MVP riders who were travelling in the opposite direction.

 

We did not employ a formal sweep, but stayed pretty much together, regrouping occasionally.  Highlights included a scenic ride up Breakneck Hill Road and a long glide down a freshly paved road through the Framingham County Club.  We made a stop for cider donuts at Hanson's Farm on Nixon Road.

 

Since the donuts satisfied short term calorie needs, we did not entertain the idea of a pizza lunch.

 

Report by Tom Allen.