Wachusett from the East and Lancaster Meander - August 16, 2017

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday, 16 August 2017, Wachusett from the East and Lancaster Meander
Ride Leaders:  Richard Vignoni & Butch Pemstein
39 or 18 miles, 10:00 & 10:30 am starts from Forbush Mill Soccer Field, Bolton, MA

Riders 39 mile (16): Richard, Bob Apsler, Elizabeth Wicks, Ellen Gugel, Everett Briggs, Francie Sparks, Frank Hubbard, Gene Ho, Judith McMichael, Kaz Zelny, Kevin Donnelly, Lindy King, Margie Lee, Ray Komow, Steve Carlson, and Tony Lee.
Riders 18 mile (12): Butch, Ann Northup, Barbara Jacobs, David Kobes, Don Buchholtz, Janet Miller, Jeff Smith, Judi Burten, Marie Keutmann, Rochelle Holman, Susan Sabin, and Ted Nyder.

Wachusett from the East (39 mi) - With nice weather, fifteen veteran WW riders headed out of the Forbush Mill Road parking lot, through the hills and climbs on their way to Mount Wachusett.  The 20 mile route to the mountain took some lesser known/used roads, arriving at the visitor center via Pine Hill.  Some of the riders chose to go to the summit, while a few of us stayed behind and hung out while waiting for the return of the summiteers.  Bob and Everett apparently didn’t have enough climbing so they went down and back up Mile Hill Road.  While the outbound route was almost all uphill, we were rewarded with a return that was almost all downhill.  The route lived up to its advertising, as being very hilly and very beautiful, and found the leader near the back of the pack on some of the climbs.  Lunch was at Meadowbrook Orchards, with a few riders heading back on their own due to time constraints.  Thanks to Everett for sweeping the group to the mountain and to Judith McMichael for sweeping the return.  Additional thanks to all those who arrowed and participated.

Report By Richard Vignoni.

Lancaster Meander (18 mi) - We were almost always well spaced and there were an adequate number of regroups, ALL of which were well off the traveled way.  There was one terrific downhill, no particularly memorable uphills, and very little traffic.  Lunch was at Bolton Orchards.

Thanks to David for sweeping, accolades to Don for his reign as Arrow King, and a special tip of the hat to John Nilsson who designed the route.  It was a lovely day on the bike.  It was Truly Mellow.

Report By Butch Pemstein.

Long Riders

Down Brown & Crossing Cisco - August 9, 2017

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 9 August 2017, Down Brown & Crossing Cisco
Ride Leaders:  Bill Wachur & Patrick Ward
39 or 29 miles, 10:00 am start from Stow Shopping Center, Stow, MA

Riders - 39 mi (16):  Bill, Barry Kaditz, Bob Wadsworth, Dave Balaban, Dom Jorge, Don Buchholtz, Francie Sparks, Kathy Horvath, Kaz Zelny, Kevin Donnelly, Ray Komow, Richard Vignoni, Rick Lawrence, Tim Wilson, and first-timers Dan Krechmer and Sue Edwards.
Riders - 29 mi (15):  Patrick, Arthur Teepe, Butch Pemstein, David Kobes, Doug Hobkirk, Elsa Lawrence, Janet Miller, Jimmy White, Richard Fortier, Ron Marland, Susan Broome, Tom Lawrence, Winslow Green, and first-timers Mark Levine and Melissa Brown.

Many accolades for the new "Down Brown" route.  Some folks were grateful for all the shady country lanes, some loved the "dipsy doodle" of Old Littleton Road heading to the Harvard General Store, and some of us were just plain happy that there were more downhills than uphills.  And let's not forget the weather - it was spectacular!  Beaucoup thanks to Kevin Donnelly for sweeping and for all the like-minded riders that joined us today and made it one enjoyable ride.

One mechanical issue to report and it was mine (dropped chain).  We safely regrouped several times, including stops at the Harvard General Store and Bolton Orchards.  Some folks stopped for a congenial post-ride lunch at Emma's Café in the Stow Shopping Center.

Report by Bill Wachur.

"Mellow" was the advertised pace of the shorter ride and I tried to deliver, often cruising along flatter stretches at 13-14 mph.  The whole group easily handled this speed, so we kept together and made the sweep's work easy.  Riders handled the Stow Road climb well and loved the long downhill on Oak Hill Road.  After a relaxed pit stop, we cruised back through very quiet, tree-shaded roads in Harvard to the Stow Shopping Center.  Many of us tarried there to enjoy a social lunch at Emma's Café.

Many thanks to Jimmy for sweeping and for the many pro-active arrows.

We did have one safety incident in which a driver going down Oak Hill Road swerved wide to the left to avoid a rider, also going downhill.  (I think this was a judgement error on the driver's part.)  Another driver, coming uphill, swerved almost off the road in response.  The two drivers wound up cursing each other.

In the safety talk, Bill and I had both emphasized the importance of keeping to the right (if pavement conditions allow) when descending on these quiet roads, especially when the rider spots cars coming from opposite directions.  Keeping to the right is even more important when a rider going downhill can't see around corners because of trees and greenery.

Report by Patrick Ward.

To the End of the World and Back/To Hull in a Handbasket - August 2, 2017

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 2 August 2017, "To the End of the World and Back" / "To Hull in a Handbasket"
Ride Leaders:  David Wean, Bob Apsler
28 and 40 miles, 10:00 am start from Wompatuck State Park, Hingham, MA

Riders - 28 mi (9):  David, Barry Kaditz, David Kobes, Greg Tobin, Marie Keutmann, Nancy Cahn, Richard Vignoni, Ron Beland, and Susan Broome.
Riders - 40 mi (8):  Bob, Butch Pemstein, Dave Balaban, Dmitry Gorenburg, Francie Sparks, Herb Kavet, Kevin Donnelly, and Ray Komow.

We rode together for the first ten miles, through Great Esker and Bare Cove Parks, on either side of the Back River estuary that divides Weymouth and Hingham.

After the split, the longer riders took off for the tip of Hull, leaving no water unviewed, nor hill unclimbed.  Who knew that there would be 13% grades on a beach ride?  The beautiful day provided gorgeous views from many vantage points.

The shorter riders substituted three miles on the carriage paths of World's End, enjoying water views as well as the mirror labyrinth, "A New End" (photo attached).

Both groups continued along Jerusalem Road in Cohasset, passing "some ok houses," and about half of us ate sandwiches on the deck at Fresh Feast in Cohasset Center.  We returned via a couple of miles of paved roads through Wompatuck Park, with plenty of time to miss the afternoon thunderstorms.

Thanks to David Kobes, the (first time!) sweep for the short ride, to Butch for sweeping the long ride, which was managed without arrows, as well as to those who volunteered to arrow (on the short ride).  We'd be lost without you!

Safety notes - we successfully broke two of the three cardinal rules of Wednesday Wheelers, one on purpose and one inadvertently:  "Single file, single file, single file" (ask Butch) was suspended as we took one of the lanes of the Rte 3A bridge and, again, as we climbed Summer Street after Hingham Center (both are narrow-laned four lane roads without shoulders).  The second violation ("Regroup off the road") occurred when we regrouped on the path at the bottom of the Great Esker, not realizing that one of people coming our way was walking with a seeing eye dog.  Oops!

Report by David Wean and Bob Apsler.

Hollis in Summer - July 26, 2017

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 26 July 2017, Hollis in Summer
Ride Leader:  Lindy King
34 miles, 10:00 am start from Nashua River Rail Trail parking area, Groton, MA

Riders (25):  Lindy, Bob Wadsworth, Bob Wolf, Butch Pemstein, Chuck McWilliams, Dave Balaban, Dick Lawrence, Elizabeth Wicks, Everett Briggs, Herb Kavet, Judith McMichael, Julie Dodd, Kaz Zelny, Ken Hablow, Kevin Donnelly, Marc Baskin, Martha Soper, Maureen Nelting, Pat Brennan, Robert Wilson, Rochelle Holman, Stuart Kaufman, Susan Sabin, and first-timers Nancy Cole and Nebojsa Miskovic.

Starting off on a 34 mile “Summer in Hollis” ride on a cool morning, the Wednesday Wheelers had a gorgeous day of temps in the 70’s and glorious sunshine after a couple of days of rain.  It felt great to be on the bike with some new friends and old ones, too.  We had a great start down Long Hill Road in Groton and, rounding the corner onto Hill Road, I got the call from Butch, our capable sweep, about a mechanical.  All was under control and they’d be coming along at any minute.  The group was very good about stopping to wait for an update from Butch and, mostly, pulling off the quiet road.  We continued into Pepperell for a wake-up ride UP Shirley Street with its bucolic views.  The human arrows were plentiful and riders were fighting it out for their turns - a welcome event for any WW ride leader!  The scenery got even more beautiful once we rode into Hollis, up Worcester Road.  For a change of pace we proceeded down Blood Road and then up Dow Road, passing open green fields until we got to Monument Square where we took a break, with restrooms at the Town Hall and snacks and drinks from the Market, at the half-way point.  We had a long break, socializing and waiting for Kaz.

Once he returned, we set off DOWN Broad Street over to some new side roads in Hollis.  When we got to Depot Road, we found that it was being repaved and everyone waited quietly until we were asked to ride on the wrong side of the road up to the traffic light.  The construction crew even said “have a nice ride!”  From this point the group really moved along the open roads onto Gregg Road in Dunstable where we crossed over Rte 113 and pace-lined up to Groton-Dunstable HS.  From there it was Reedy Meadow Road meandering downhill, where we zig-zagged onto Sand Hill Road and an upward finish on Common Street.

So many riders commented on how much they liked the route - I think this one is a keeper.  Several people went to Filho’s Cucina for lunch, dining al fresco.  Marc Baskin remoted from home and bagged a century for the day.  Sadly our intrepid photographer did not attend the ride, so we are without photographs, but have plenty of memories!

Many thanks to the plentiful human arrows and to Butch for sweeping.

Report by Lindy King.

Three Cs Excursions - July 19, 2017

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday, 19 July 2017, Three Cs Excursions & after-ride party

Organizer & Party Host:  Mike Hanauer

Ride Leaders:  Clyde Kessel & Jack Mroczkowski

36 and 22 miles  - 10:00 am start from 200 Long Ridge Road, Carlisle, MA

Riders - 36 mi (28):  Clyde, Adena Schutzberg, Andy Brand, Barry Kaditz, Bernie Flynn, Bob Apsler, Bob Wolf, Butch Pemstein, Chuck McWilliams, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dick Lawrence, Dom Jorge, Doug Hobkirk, Gene Ho, Herb Kavet, Jack Donohue, Judith McMichael, Kathy Horvath, Ken Hablow, Nancy Schlecht, Patrick Brennan, Ray Komow, Rich Taylor, Richard Vignoni, Steve Kolek, Steve Robins, Tom Fortmann, and first-timer Rochelle Holman.  

Riders - 22 mi (12):  Jack, Barbara Jacobs, Eli Post, Jeff Smith, Jimmy White, Judi Burten, Kaz Zelny, Marie Keutmann, Nancy Smith, Sandi Hartwell, Ted Nyder, and first-timer Bob Clarke.

Present at lunch (12):  Mike, Bob Sawyer, Edie Baxter, Helen Greitzer, Ilkka Suvanto, Jacque Smith, Jerry Green, Joan Laxson, Kathy Halmi, Patrick Ward, Rita Cramer, and Susan Sabin.

A surprisingly large group of cyclists showed up for the long ride, considering the hot and humid weather.  This ride leader started things off by exhorting riders to be considerate to drivers and used rather strong language.  He apologizes to anyone who may have been offended.  The original route was modified in three places:  once by plan, once accidentally, and once on the spur of the moment.  The result was a few fewer hills and a few fewer miles.  I tried to keep up a brisk pace, to spread the group out, and was partially successful.

There were no accidents or incidents brought to my attention.  Thanks very much to all the arrows and, especially, to Adena for sweeping.

Report by Clyde Kessel.

By cycling mostly on well shaded country roads the group reduced the effects of rising temperatures.  A few cooling downhill bursts were particularly welcome.  At about eight miles into the ride, we were surprised to encounter Kaz riding in the opposite direction!  He quickly reversed, and attached to the group.

There were no flats or falls.  The substitute ride leader (the designated leader, Ilkka Suvanto, was injured a few days before the ride) appreciated receiving helpful suggestions and navigation guidance.  Particular thanks go to our sweep, Jimmy White

Report by Jack Mroczkowski.

A sunny day that was both hot and very humid did not prevent many riders from pedaling by the vistas of Carlisle, Concord, and Chelmsford.  There were many newly smoothed roads, canopied with shade producing trees.  The rides were followed by lunch (or was it a feast?) which made for a festive day.  Is that cycling, or is that really an idyllic life?  The question is for all to ponder . . . . .

It was good to see many at lunch who do not often ride these days - and gotta call out our almost centenarian, Bob Sawyer, and the sidelined Ilkka Suvanto who had been scheduled to lead the shorter ride option.  I also want to note the presence of Helen, an unusual delight these days with her busy travel schedule.

My thanks to Clyde and Jack for leading, and for the help from many others who lent a hand during the rides or with the after-ride party.  Then there was Adena, adding a new dimension to our repertoire by the introduction of disc golf!

The party seems to have been enjoyed by all.  The large lunch spread included appetizers, BBQ chicken, salad, pasta, potatoes, brussel sprouts, Watermelon, and the now traditional banana-lemon smoothies - all disappeared with velocity.

Thanks for great rides, a great group, and some great teamwork - all so appreciated!!

Report by Mike Hanauer.

Heart Pond Facilities

Long Riders at Heart Pond

Mike's Party

Mike's Party

Westford Ho - July 5, 2017

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 5 July 2017, Westford Ho

Ride Leader:  Jack Donohue

36 miles  - 10:00 am start from Bikeway Source parking lot, Bedford, MA

Riders (33):  Jack, Andy Brand, Barry Kaditz, Bob Wadsworth, Bob Wolf, Butch Pemstein, Chuck McWilliams, Clyde Kessel, Curt Dudley-Marling, David Wean, Dom Jorge, Don Buchholtz, Greg Stathis, Herb Kavet, Jack Mroczkowski, James Hsia, Judi Burten, Judith McMichael, Kathy Horvath, Lindy King, Martha Soper, Mike Hanauer, Nancy Schlecht, Patrick Brennan, Patrick Ward, Rich Taylor, Richard Fortier, Robert Wilson, Roy Westerberg, Steve Robins, Wing Chow, and first-timers Ed Ramsey and Greg Tobin.

The ride was basically a mashup of my favorite back roads and a Ken Hablow route.  Someone pointed out that the eponymous Gene Ho was missing from his namesake ride (don't get to use that word very often).  He was there in spirit.

With a big group, I suggested that we split into several separate, but equal, groups.  Three groups of eleven would have been nice.  Two groups of 16/17 would have been OK, but it never seems to work since no one wants to be the gappee.  To spread out a bit, I picked up the pace, and was reprimanded for exceeding the advertised speed.  With the human arrow system it sort of doesn't matter how fast the leader goes- it should all sort itself out, but the perception is that people have to hustle to keep up with the leader.  So I shifted gears (literally) after the first stop and everyone seemed happier.

The faster riders in the group did yeoman's work arrowing.  We had a couple of instances of arrows "paying forward" by going ahead of the leader and doing a preemptive arrowing stint, which worked well.  Unlike some rides where there was reluctance to arrow, the group was happy to perform arrow duty.  In fact, there was some competition for arrowing.

First stop was Great Brook farm, for bathroom, water, and the obligatory photo op.  While I had a captive audience, I took the opportunity to stress the need for singling up when there was a car back.  From my rear view mirror perspective, it appears people for the most part did this.

Except for a wisp of a cloud in an otherwise completely blue sky, the weather was perfect.  We did have to make a detour off the planned route when it turned out Grandview Road was closed.  This is where a real GPS would come in handy, since the RideWithGPS phone app I was using doesn't allow for rerouting.  If you're off the planned route, all bets are off.  Fortunately, I was able to see that the alternate road joined the route shortly, so we were easily able to get back on course.

I never did find the pond where our planned second stop was, but the store at Kate's Corner seemed a good alternative.  When we stopped, no one seemed interested in visiting the store, so we just carried on.

Butch and I did have a couple of "failures to communicate."  We exchanged phone numbers at the start and I had Butch call me to make sure we had each others' numbers.  Problem was, I had inadvertently turned the volume down on my phone, so when Butch had an actual problem, his calls went unanswered.  It seems someone in the group had a mechanical, but was able to secure a ride.  It should have been a clue that, when we did our test call at the start, my phone didn't actually ring.

When we got to the end, I figured everyone could find their way back to the parking lot, but, just to be sure, posted an arrow at the traffic light and at the final turn in front of Bikeway Source.  Butch decided to go straight to the restaurant, and we had two hanging arrows until I called him.  Next time a better plan might be to collect everyone in front of Ken's, so I could point out its location, before returning to the ride start.

All's well that ends well, and a number of people found their way to Ken's for lunch.  Thanks to Butch for sweeping and to all of the very willing arrows!

Report by Jack Donohue

Water Row - June 28, 2017

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 28 June 2017, Water Row
Ride Leaders:  Mary & Larry Kernan
31 or 40 miles  - 10:00 am & 9:30 am starts from Bikeway Source parking lot, Bedford, MA

Riders - 31mi (19):  Mary, Barry Kaditz, Butch Pemstein, Clyde Kessel, Don Mannes, Elissa Brown, Francie Sparks, Gene Ho, Ilkka Suvanto, Jack Donohue, Jack Mroczkowski, Janet Miller, Nancy Schlecht, Pat Brennan, Richard Vignoni, Robert Wilson, Steve Robins, Susan Sabin, and Wing Chow.
Riders - 40 mi (19):  Larry, Adena Schutzberg, Andy Brand, Barbara Martin, Bill Lane, Bob Wolf, Dave Balaban, Joe Marcangelo, Judith McMichael, Julie Dodd, Kathy Horvath, Kevin Donnelly, Lindy King, Marc Baskin, Mike Byrne, Rich Taylor, Steve Kolek, Tom Fortmann, and Veronica Vedensky.

This was an easy ride for me to lead because Larry set up the route; Jack offered to take attendance and sweep; and it was an experienced and easy going Wednesday Wheeler group.  I decided to forego a detailed safety talk and, instead, focused on my biggest pet peeve - cyclists who don't single up when someone calls "car back."  Although this is hard to monitor from the front, given the number of cars that passed me on narrow streets, it appears that the group was well disciplined.

We followed a route that looked suspiciously like the one Kathy Horvath led last week, and that only speaks to her good taste in laying out a ride.  The long ride option added Page Road into Lexington and a loop around Pelham Island Road in Wayland.  I offered the group a chance to go out via Page Road instead of Wood Street and was shocked (shocked!!) when I got no takers.

We stayed together until Rte 2A when Wing Chow was the first to peel off the front and disappear.  (Apparently, he had been riding with the wrong group - see below.)  There were several stops to regroup along the way, especially after a few hills and traffic lights that split us up.  Starting at around mile 18, about a third of the group picked up the pace and we started to spread out.  This worked really well, as it's a much safer way for everyone to ride.  I stayed in the lead and never went above 95 rpm, in spite of being spurred on by Pat Brennan, who, along with others, was happy to stay with me.  Our able arrowers also realized that you can easily turn a WW ride into a great interval workout by arrowing, dropping to the back, and then sprinting to the front.

We stopped for a rest and a group photo at Verrill Farm, where we were met by the long group and had to shoo away several of its members who wanted to get in on our picture.  We also managed to pull out before the long group was ready to leave.  I think that its leader could use some pointers on how to manage a group.  The route for all was the same on the return to Bedford from Verrill Farm, and once I was passed by the leader of the long ride option, I took a familiar spot staring at his backside for the rest of the ride.

We had a total of ten from both rides who joined us for lunch at Holi.  A good time was had by all.

Report by Mary Kernan.

We had a beautiful day for one of my favorite rides.  Our large, but spirited, group quickly made the climb up Page Hill into Lexington.  I was encouraged that our group hung together on the hill.  Tom and Steve joined us in Lexington and we headed towards our second climb on Bedford Road, heading into Lincoln.  At a quick bio-break at Lincoln Town Hall, Wing Chow who had fled from the shorter ride, caught up with us.

The group stayed reasonably close together and our arrows and sweep all performed flawlessly.  As we hit Pelham Island Road, we found Barbara Martin and Bob Wolf waiting for us.  Riders enjoyed the great views on Pelham Island Road and Water Row.  We caught up with the 31 mile riders who were lounging at Verrill Farm.  After our second short break, our sweep, Kathy, asked to address the riders.  Kathy was concerned that a couple of our riders were being "lazy" about singling up when "car back" was called.  (Thanks, Kathy, for sweeping, as well as for caring about the group's safety.)

We finished our ride to Bedford briskly where a few of our riders joined with a few of the shorter riders for a fabulous buffet lunch at Holi.  Overall, our group had a great ride, stayed together and averaged over 15 mph.

Report by Larry Kernan.

Long riders at start

Short riders at Verrill Farm