Roadrunner - June 21, 2017

​​RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 21 June 2017, 2017, RoadRunner
Ride Leader:  Kathy Horvath
35 miles  - 10:00 am start from Bikeway Source parking lot, Bedford, MA

Riders (25): Kathy, Adena Schutzberg, Bob Wolf, Butch Pemstein, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dom Jorge, Don Buchholtz, Doug Hobkirk, Elizabeth Seabury, Francie Sparks, Gene Ho, Jack Donohue, Jack Mroczkowski, Larry Kernan, Lindy King, Mary Kernan, Pat Brennan, Ray Komow, Rick Lawrence, Robyn Maislin, Steve Robins, Susan Sabin, Veronica Vedensky, Wing Chow, and first-timer Kevin Donnelly.

A genial group of regulars and irregulars gathered promptly by 9:45 am.  The start location was propitious, as Pat Brennan forgot his helmet (and who hasn’t forgotten something?), and just as we were speculating about when the Bikeway Source shop would open, Chris (one of the owners) pulled up and Pat found himself ready for the ride with a shiny, new helmet.

After a few laughs, disses, and yawns about the theme song by the Modern Lovers, the group started down South Street.  A few blocks later, we encountered road work that had materialized overnight - a frequent surprise in several places on this ride.  We climbed the longest hill at mile 8, going into Lincoln, each at his/her preferred pace, and happily no one missed the left turn at the bottom.  Shortly thereafter, encountering road work with a detour sign, we opted to take our chances and, apologizing profusely to the construction crew, we dismounted and maneuvered around their equipment, while the police detail reminded us rather loudly that we were vehicles and had to obey traffic signs.  Of course he was right, although there are often signs left in place and no work being done - however, this ride leader will likely follow the detour signs in the foreseeable future.

A rest stop in Weston center provided an opportunity to use the “facilities” at Weston Town Hall and a shady spot to regroup, where Kathy noticed that we had picked up Gene and Doug along the way.  Starting off again, we immediately hit some scarified roadwork (no detour signs though), but it was short and we proceeded to Rte 20 to get to Plain Road.  A nice breeze made the beautiful roads in Wayland and Sudbury even prettier and, after stretching out a bit due to traffic lights, we stopped to regroup at Crosby’s parking lot in Concord.

Mary and Larry took a group of hurried people onward to the end, and the other half had a short rest/water stop and a comfortable ride back to the start.  Kathy, Susan, Rick, Gene, and Francie had lunch or snacks at Ken’s Deli and enjoyed sitting outside.

Thank you to the arrows who were ready and reliable at all turns and to Jack for sweeping.  Photo, courtesy of Jack Donohue who persistently and miraculously got everyone in the picture, except for relative newcomer Elizabeth who had notified me she was leaving the ride early due to previous injury and recovery.

Report by Kathy Horvath.

Assabet River Bash - June 14, 2017

​​RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday, 14 June 2017, 2017 Assabet River Beach Bash

Ride Leaders:  Bill Lane & Tom Fortmann

After-ride Party Hosts:  Connie & Bill Lane

27 & 39 miles  - 10:00 am (27 mi) & 9:30 am (39 mi) starts from 71 Lowell Road, Concord, MA

Riders - 39 mi (19): Tom, Bob Apsler, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dave Balaban, Dimitry Gorenburg, Dom Jorge, Everett Briggs, Herb Kavet, Julie Dodd, Ken Hablow, Kimberly Wach, Larry Kernan, Mary Kernan, Ray Komow, Rich Taylor, Rick Lawrence, Steve Bader, Steve Kolek, and Tim Jacoby.

We set off in gorgeous weather, riding at a vigorous pace on familiar roads through Acton, to Weston and the foot of Millstone Hill.  We climbed the hill(s), observing various domes and antennae on the way to MIT's Haystack Observatory at the top.  After a restroom and waterbottle-filling stop inside the facility, we gathered on the steps for a guest lecture, by Prof. Steve Kolek, on the provenance and function of the various antennae.  After a thrilling descent, we returned through Westford and South Chelmsford.

The trip was marred by a crash, resulting from an encounter with a turtle, following a right turn onto Old Lowell Road.  Rich was duly taken by ambulance to Emerson Hospital, accompanied by Everett, while the rest of us sprinted for lunch.  Rich reported in later to say that he's banged and bruised, but not seriously injured. 

Thanks to all the arrows and especially to Mary, whose stellar sweeping skills kept the group together throughout the ride.

Report by Tom Fortmann.

Riders - 27 mi (29): Bill, Adena Schutzberg, Ann Northup, Bette Simollardes, Bill Widnall, Butch Pemstein, Clyde Kessel, David Fay, Donald Buchholtz, Elsa Lawrence, Gary Smiley, Ilkka Suvanto, Jack Donohue, Jack Mroczkowski, Janet Miller, Jimmy White, Judith McMichael, Kathy Horvath, Kaz Zelny, Margie Lee, Mike Hanauer, Paula Hobson, Robyn Maislin, Roy Westerberg, Selig Saltzman, Stuart Kaufman, Tom Lawrence, Tony Lee, and Winslow Green.

An attempt to establish the world record for number of undesirable events occurring during a single, 30 mile or less, road ride, with three flats, a painful fail-to-clip-out fall, and word from the long ride of a rider down, was marred by beautiful cycling weather and a patio lunch.  We began auspiciously with a flat at the ride start.  Bill Widnall and Butch urged the large group to start without them and they would catch up (they did).

On Pope Road, on our way up Strawberry Hill, the clip-out fail occurred.  After assuring she was OK, we continued our ride.  (Ultimately, she decided to return home to attend to her road rash and since reported that she is doing fine.)  We continued along well-known roads through Acton and behind Nagog.

Not to be let off lightly, the day provided two more flats on the approach to the Nashoba area.  The main group proceeded to a rest stop beside the Bruce Freeman Trail until the flat-repair group and very patient arrows caught up.  Jack Donohue recorded the moment in a photo (attached), but could not record the odoriferous atmosphere coming off the pond.  Then, no sooner had we restarted than I received word from the long ride of Rich’s fall and trip to Emerson.

We continued home from Chelmsford, via Carlisle, where many enjoyed a wonderful patio lunch set out by my wife, Connie, whose mother had hosted this luncheon for ten years at her home in Plymouth.

Many thanks to Tom Fortmann for leading the long ride, for securing Rich’s and Everett’s bikes at a good soul’s house nearby the site of the accident, and for returning to retrieve them, rather than enjoying the bash.  A special thank you to Everett who accompanied Rich in the ambulance and stayed with him, at Emerson, ‘til all X-rays had been completed and Rich was given the thumbs-up.  Everett, Tom, Steve Kolek, and I continued the party after everyone had left (photo attached).  Lastly, Rich and his wife, Alix, came by late in the day to be reunited with his bike, now with a dent in its rear wheel that hurts more than Rich does.

Many thanks to all those who arrowed, and to Stuart for sweeping and keeping me up-to-date by phone throughout.  A special thank you to everyone’s generous lunch donations that will enable us to give $300 to our PMC riders this year.

Report by Bill Lane.

Sherborn to Norfolk - June 7, 2017

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday 7 June 2017, Sherborn to Norfolk
Ride Leader:  Alan Cantor
35 miles  - 10:00 am start from Steve the Bike Guy Velo Studio, Sherborn, MA

Riders (9):  Alan, Bruce Gelin, Butch Pemstein, Don Buchholtz  Herb Kavet, Julia Zhogina, Peggy Gelin, Selig Saltzman, and Veronica Vedensky.

Nine of us met up outside Steve the Bike Guy Velo Studio as the last of the threatening clouds passed overhead.  We set off for a lovely ride through the southern suburbs.  The roads were in great shape and there were very few cars.  One of the cars chose to right-hook the leader and I took a bit of a detour to educate the driver.  Given my pace compared to the group, nobody noticed my absence. That pace found me with an empty ‘quiver’ on many turns so I had to wait for the arrows to show up - no problem as I chose to ride at my pace and wait.

We rode with the Wednesday Wheelers spirit - using human arrows and welcoming all riders at all riding paces.  We may have stretched out at times, but we all had a great ride.

There were, gratefully, no mechanical issues.  The leader made one miscue on the directions which is pretty much his average when leading!   :)   Thanks to all the very willing arrows, as well as to Butch for ably sweeping us in and taking care of all.

Report by Alan Cantor.

Ride from Verrill Farm - May 30, 2017

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday 31 May 2017, Verrill Farm rides

Ride Leaders:  Ken Hablow & Jack Donohue

52 or 36 miles  - 10:00 am start from Verrill Farm, Concord, MA

Riders - 52 mi (13):  Ken, Barry Nelson, Bob Wolf, Curt Dudley-Marling, Frank Hubbard, Gene Ho, Greg Stathis, Julie Dodd, Larry Kernan, Ray Komow, Russ Keene, Steve Bader, and Veronica Vedensky.

Riders - 36 mi (13):  Jack, Adena Schutzberg, Dmitry Gorenburg, Dom Jorge, James Hsia, Mike Byrne, Kim Wach, Richard Fortier, Roy Westerberg, Selig Saltzman, Steve Carlson, Tom Allen, and Wing Chow.

We did not experience any rain.  The roads were damp for the first hour, then mostly dry.  With temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s, moderate humidity, no wind, and mostly cloudy skies, this was a very comfortable day.  Arrows were not needed as we stayed together, although Gene volunteered to sweep.  With his orange jacket and yellow helmet it was easy to keep him in sight with my mirror.

We generally split into two or three smaller groups, leaving enough space between groups to enable traffic to pass.  We made a few short stops to regroup, including a short lunch stop in Berlin center.  Early in the ride, as we approached Long Hill in Bolton, Larry and Barry took off and were never seen nor heard from again. 

Testing the Berlin and Hudson PD and FD:  As nice as the ride was, we needed some excitement which, unfortunately, was provided by Veronica.  At just about the crack-of-noon, in Hudson just over the Berlin line, she caught her front wheel in a crack and went down.  Bob Wolf called 911.  As he was on the phone, a sergeant from Berlin drove by, in a “company” pickup truck, on his way to lunch.  He stopped, put on his flashing blue lights (which promptly snarled traffic), and administered first aid.  Of course, by that time, the Hudson PD and FD were on their way.  Besides the Berlin sergeant, we had an officer from Hudson, an ambulance, and the obligatory fire truck.  Veronica wanted to ride, even though her knee was bandaged (see photo) and her rear derailleur hanger was bent.  We had options in place for her, but she soldiered on and finished the ride with us.  Back at the farm, several folks went inside for refreshments.  By that time the sun was shining and it was very comfortable riding home.

Report by Ken Hablow.

The weather forecast reminded me of that famous Clint Eastwood line:  "Do you feel lucky?"  Apparently, a number of WWs did, since there was a good group at the start.  I wasn't feeling too lucky since it started out gloomy and drizzly, but this gave way to gloomy and dry and we were able to complete the ride with nary a drop of rain.

I felt like I was on Mission Impossible and my mission, that I chose to accept, was to lead another ride that I had never ridden.  Once again, the RideWithGPS phone app performed flawlessly.  We did have a bit of operator error, when it signalled a turn and the words it said sounded a lot like "straight."  As I was checking the map, I noticed that every one of my followers had, in fact, abandoned me and made the proper left turn.  I could have said that this was a test of their loyalty to their leader, but I doubt they would have bought it.  This does point out that unlike days of old when the leader was the only one who knew where he was going, with modern GPS technology the leader can be the only one who DOESN'T know where he's going.

I tried to keep the group together so we wouldn't need arrows.  My sweep, Mike, chided me about that, since a large group is hard for cars to pass.  In my defense, I have in the past encouraged riders to break into smaller groups leaving a gap between groups for the cars, but this has always failed miserably, since no one wants to be the 'gappee.'  At least the entire merry band generally stayed to the right when cars were nearby.

The South Acton fire station is becoming my home away from home, as it seems that every ride that goes through Acton (and there are a lot) has a rest stop there.  While waiting my turn for the restroom, I noticed a sign on the door to the effect that while they are happy to provide the public with the facilities, some users have been less than tidy.  I can't imagine that our group is in this category, but let's not abuse this valuable resource and "leave no trace."

The only mishap was when Tom took the low road while the rest of the group took the high road.  He was MIA for a while, but rejoined us after the second rest stop at Fairbanks Center.  Tom was lost, but now he's found, as the gospel song says.

Most of the group had lunch at Verrill Farm. I elected not to join the group for lunch, since I still had to ride home and I didn't want to push my luck with the weather.  As  it turned out, I could have lunched and ridden home without getting wet.  Oh, well.

Thanks to Mike for sweeping.

Report by Jack Donohue.

Short Ride Riders

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Ride from Verrill Farm - May 31, 2017

 Long Ride Report:

Ken, Barry Nelson. Bob Wolf, Curt Dudley-Marling, Frank Hubbard, Gene Ho, Greg Stathis, Julie Dodd, Larry Kernan, Ray Komow, Russ Keene, Steve Bader, Veronica Vedensky

 

We also had no rain. The roads were damp for the first hour then mostly dry. With temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s, moderate humidity, no wind, and mostly cloudy this was a very comfortable day. Arrows were not needed as we stayed together although Gene volunteered to sweep. With his orange jacket and yellow helmet it was easy to keep him in sight with my mirror. We generally split into 2 or 3 smaller groups with enough space in-between for traffic. We made a few short stops to regroup including a short lunch stop in Berlin center. Early in the ride, as we approached Long Hill in Bolton Larry and Barry took off and were never seen or heard from again.

 

Testing the Berlin and Hudson PD and FD

As nice as the ride was we needed some excitement which unfortunately was provided by Veronica. Just about the crack-of- noon, in Hudson, just over the Berlin line, she caught her front wheel in a crack and went down. Bob Wolf called 911. As he was on the phone a sergeant from Berlin drove by in a “company” pickup truck on his way to lunch. He stopped, put on his flashing blue lights (which promptly snarled traffic) and administered first aid. Of course by that time the Hudson PD and FD were on their way. Besides the Berlin sergeant we had an officer from Hudson, an ambulance, and the obligatory fire truck. Veronica wanted to ride even though her knee was bandaged and her rear derailleur hanger was bent. We had options in place for her but she soldiered on and finished the ride with us. Back at the farm several folks went inside for refreshments. By that time the sun was out and it was very comfortable riding home.

Cape Ann Loop with remote start - May 24, 2017

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday 24 May 2017, Cape Ann Loop with remote start

Ride Leaders:  Richard Vignoni & Selig Saltzman (ably assisted by Ray Komow)
67 mi (remote start) option - 9:30 am start from Gordon College, Wenham, MA

32 mi core ride - 10:00 am start from Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, MA

Riders - 67 mi (6):  Richard, Barbara Martin, Bernie Flynn, Greg Stathis, Russ Keene, and Everett Briggs (who remoted from his home in Cambridge).

Riders - 32 mi (14):  Selig, Ray, Andrea Clardy, Barbara Jacobs, Dale Ferguson, David Fay, Jack Mroczkowski, Jimmy White, Jon Clardy, Marie Keutmann, Richard Fortier, Roy Westerberg, Susan Sabin, and Ted Nyder.

With a forecast for possible morning showers, five riders showed up at Gordon College.  Since the group was small, and since everyone was using RWGPS, we headed out without using a sweep or arrows managing nicely to stay together along the way.  Several miles into the route, we picked up Everett who had cycled in from Cambridge, making it six.  Unfortunately, we were not able to pick up another rider, which prevented us from calling ourselves the Magnificent Seven.

We worked our way up the coast making the usual loops through Kettle Cove and Magnolia.  We biked through Stage Fort Park, then started our way around Cape Ann.  We biked behind the buildings at the fish pier where several large fishing boats were docked.

From there, we biked to the end of the Rocky Neck artist colony and then into the Gloucester Marine Railway Company’s yard to view a 90 foot sailing vessel in dry dock.  The yard manager, a woman named Viking, came out, greeted us and gave us a short tour.  The boat is owned by the park department and is a 1960’s replica of an old sailing vessel, built using composite materials and fiberglass encapsulation.  Unfortunately, the intended low maintenance design did not hold up so well, due to fresh water leakage.  Viking took us inside a work shed attached to the side of the boat where we could see a cutaway in the hull and the front portion of the keel being re-built.  This was one of the highlights of the day.  Be sure to check out Russ Keene's photo album (below).

From there we proceeded along the coast making the usual loops which included Eastern Point Light and Good Harbor Beach.   After circling Lobster Cove, we biked over the wooden foot bridge, then on to our lunch stop at Willows Rest, which I deemed to be another highlight of the day.   After lunch, we headed out Rte 133 through the marshes of Essex, visiting Conomo Point where we hung out for a bit to enjoy the views.  Then we headed inland, arriving back at Gordon College at 4:15 pm.

It was a great day of cycling.  The weather cooperated, with the rain never materializing, and the commuting and route traffic was light.

Report by Richard Vignoni.

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The core ride went down the usual cul-de-sacs, for scenic views, and passed by some places of artistic and/or historic interest.  These included a house which was the subject of a Hopper painting, the Fitz Henry Lane house, and a lifesize giraffe statute.

Lunch for the majority was at Charlie's for lobster rolls.

There were no mishaps or lost riders.  Thank you to the numerous arrows, to Ray for being my co-leader, and to Jimmy for sweeping.

Report by Selig Saltzman.

Photo by Barbara Martin

Russ Keene's photos:     https://goo.gl/photos/9TpjASqbYhCnJXLE8  

Aggie's Ice Cream Ride & ME Coastal Ride - May 17, 2017

RIDE REPORTS

Wednesday 17 May 2017, Aggie's Ice Cream Ride & ME Coastal Ride

Ride Leaders:  Karen Saltus & Ken Hablow
38 or 52 miles, 10:00 am start from Kittery Lions Club parking lot, Kittery, ME


Riders - 38 mi (14):  Karen, Bob Anderson, Carol Anderson, Dale Ferguson, David Fay, Elsa Lawrence, Jimmy White, Paula Bossone, Tom Lawrence, and first-timers Cheryl Houston, Dick McNamara, Gina Harrison, Julia Zhogina, and Phil Hertz.

Riders - 52 mi (12):  Ken, Bernie Flynn, Bob Wadsworth, Curt Dudley-Marling, Dom Jorge, Gardner Gray, Greg Stathis, Ray Komow, Rich Taylor, Rick Lawrence, Russ Keene, and Selig Saltzman.


It was a gorgeous spring day with temps forecast into the 80s.  Soon after departing, the leader went on autopilot and led the group down the wrong road.  We quickly got back on track and enjoyed beautiful back roads through Kittery, Eliot, and South Berwick, with a few hills to get our heart rates going.


We got to Aggie’s and were shocked to find it closed!  We stood there uncomprehending for several minutes. Fortunately, the leader avoided mutiny when the Aggie's owner came from his house next door and said that there was an employee inside and that he would have her open the ordering windows.  Catastrophe averted.

The ride back was mostly along the Eastern Trail (if anyone doesn’t know what this is and would like to know, please email  kitterykaren@yahoo.com  and I’ll send you a link) with views of the Piscataqua River accompanying us from time to time.  Many riders commented that this route was a new favorite.

Report by Karen Saltus.


With all the confusion about routes, I got a confidential email from the NSA that they had picked up some online chatter about people in this area wanting to do a coastal ride on Wednesday.  Thus, the seeds were sown.  At the start I assembled all those wanting to do the long ride and made the proposal to do a coastal ride, instead of the original inland route.  All twelve of us agreed that, given the warm weather, conditions were ideal for a coastal ride.


It had to have been dead low tide, which makes the coast more interesting, especially going by York Beach with no umbrellas sticking out of the great expanse of sandy beach.  We made the obligatory swing into Nubble Light (see photo).  From York we took Shore Road through Cape Neddick to Ogunquit, with a short side trip into Perkins Cove.  We stopped for lunch at the Village Market in Ogunquit.

The route back was inland with a loop through Eliot. This portion of the ride had a few hills that we had not anticipated, but nothing very steep or long.  The return route goes along the Piscataqua River for a while.  We never got out of sight of one other the entire ride, although Rich Taylor did stop to arrow on a couple of occasions, just to be sure we had not lost anyone.

Thanks to Russ Keene for sweeping and for taking on-road photos.  Upon our return to Kittery, including the loop into Perkins Cove, our odometers registered 52 miles.  I heard eleven WWs comment that this was their favorite ride in that area.

Report by Ken Hablow.