Too Cool for School - July 12, 2021

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 14 July 2021, Too Cool for School

Ride Leader:  Jack Donohue

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

Riders(29): Aiko Pinkoski, Barry Nelson, Bernie Mango, Beth Rosenzweig, Bill Wachur, Butch Pemstein (sweep), Catherine Widgery, Celia Donatio, Curt Dudley-Marling, Cynthia Chin, Donald Buchholtz, Douglas Chin, Elsa Lawrence, Frank Aronson, Gail Ferreira, Gary Williams, Hugh Folsom, Jack Donohue, James Whinfield, Joel Bauman, Linda Nelson, Mike Barry, Pat Stabler, Patrick Ward, Rochelle Holman, Susan Sabin, Tom Lawrence, Wing Chow

My first thought was to describe the ride as an unmitigated disaster.  Upon reflection, I would say it was more of a mitigated disaster.

Some background:  despite the fact I planned the route, I really didn't know exactly where it went.  The route did go on many familiar roads, but not in the usual order.  Those that know me well know that I have absolutely no sense of direction.  I spent a good portion of my life following arrows, but then GPS came along.  This was a godsend.  A phone app that would tell me where to go.  What could be better?  When it works, it is marvelous,  When it doesn't, well . . . . .

I have been having trouble with my phone navigation lately.  It loses the GPS signal mysteriously.  So, I've taken to using two phones for navigation - the main one and a backup.  What could go wrong?

Started the ride with the usual spiel about human arrows for the newcomers.  Asked for a sweep and there was dead silence, until Butch, my main man, once again stepped into the breach.  Beth kindly offered to be the dedicated human arrow, since she was a faster rider and could keep ahead of the group.  Great, this should make my life easier.

The first thing that became clear was that I was old and in the way.  The faster riders were chafing at the bit, and gradually started passing me, the nominal leader.  No worries.  If they were ahead of me, not my responsibility,

All was well until around mile 10 when my lady of the phone stopped talking.  Sure enough, the main phone was stuck forever in the same place.  I had the backup phone in my jersey pocket, and it was croaking out directions but they were very hard to hear.  Ideally I would have swapped the handlebar phone with the jersey phone, but being the leader I couldn't really stop and muck about with my phones mid-ride.  There were a few of the breakaway group still visible ahead, and as long as I could see them and if they knew where they were going, all would be well.

That worked for a while until I got a phone call.  Usually I ignore calls when riding, but it could have been Butch with an actual emergency, so I stopped.  It wasn't Butch, and I lost precious time and the lead group.

At this point I was in survival mode.  I didn't know how many were in front, how many behind, and whether all the turns had arrows.  My plan had been to have a mid-ride break with a group photo, but that didn't work with the fragmented group.

I'm not sure how, but it all worked out.  Despite the absence of leader, arrowers appeared where needed.  Butch was pleased to report that each arrow stayed at his/her post and waited for him to appear - some of them remained for a very long time.

Thanks to Butch for sweeping, to Beth for being dedicated arrow, and to all the unsung arrows 

.

Report by Jack Donohue.

Aggie's Ice Cream Ride - July 7, 2021

 RIDE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 7 July 2021, Aggie's Ice Cream Ride

Ride Leader:  Karen Saltus

~33 miles, 10:00 am start from 16 Pocahontas Road, Kittery Point, ME

Riders (17):  Karen, Bernie Mango, Catherine Widgery, Don Mannes, Gene Ho, Joanne Samuels, Kate Strauchon, Patrick Ward, Paula Bossone, Rita Cramer, Rochelle Holman, Selig Saltzman, Susan Sabin, and first timers Gina Harrison, Mark Gotts, Sue Lupo, and Stephanie ???.

It was a hot and humid morning when we gathered at the leader’s house for a ride on beautiful back roads in southern Maine.  About five miles in, a rider had a rear derailleur cable break.  Using ingenuity and gauze, the rider was able to tie a knot in the cable to get a few more gears out of his bike for the rest of the ride.  Another rider had a few chain incidents during the day, but those were handled quickly and successfully.

On the way to Aggie’s Ice Cream, the leader realized that she had used the mileage from the usual start at the Lion’s Club instead of her house, which meant the ride would be at least nine miles longer than advertised.  Many of the riders who pay close attention to their GPS devices had pretty much already figured that out . . . . .

We rode along quiet roads until we reached a construction area.  The flagger indicated that the road was torn up for several miles, but the leader, being from these parts, knew an alternate route.  Taking a guess as to where the construction ended, the leader turned down a tree lined, shady street where we all enjoyed a slight downhill to the end of the road, exactly at the end of the construction area!

 

A few miles from Aggie’s, a rider, who lives locally and was on an ebike, shot ahead of the group, never to be seen again.  Since she had the leader’s telephone number and didn’t get in touch, AND was on an ebike, AND lives locally, it is assumed that she arrived comfortably back home, cleaned up, and enjoyed a cold beverage.

 

We rolled into Aggie’s Ice Cream, hot, thirsty, and ready for refreshment.  (FYI for future riders – the kiddie cone is probably the way to go. The servings at Aggie's are quite large.). We headed out of Aggie’s and rode through a series of neighborhood roads in a small but beautiful development, in order to avoid the congestion in South Berwick.  We then reversed our route for the return to Kittery Point.

Due to the heat and the extra miles, one rider called for a ride back to her car.  Our group stretched out a bit on the way home.  Some wanted to press on quickly to get back to the house – others wanted to rest up from time to time, but we all made it back in a timely manner and enjoyed food, folks, and fun at the leader’s house.

 

The leader was quite concerned that we ended up with 45 miles instead of 33 (SORRY! – I blame Pandemic Brain), but everyone handled it well and most people were happy to have done more mileage than they had planned.  The leader is eternally grateful for the flexibility and graciousness of the group.

Report by Karen Saltus.

Witches and Pitches 2.0 - June 23, 2021

RIDE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 23 June 2021, Witches and Pitches 2.0

Ride Leaders:  Lindy King & Roy Westerberg

29 and 39 miles, 10:00 am start from Groton, MA

Riders - 29 mi (7): Roy, Aliza Edwards, Bernie Mango, Bill Widnall, Jim Whinfield, Kaz Zelny, and Rochelle Holman.

Riders - 39 mi (7): Lindy, Beth Rosenzweig, Dan Bertko, Dave Balaban, Frank Aronson, Gene Ho, and Greg Stathis.

On a beautiful, cool, sunny June day (what is so rare as a day in June?), seven of us set out a few minutes after the long-ride group. We were honored to have Bill Widnall, the founder of the Wednesday Wheelers, as one of our members.

Since both rides followed the same route for the first ten miles, we met up in Hollis center.  Lindy had laid out a beautiful route over mostly rural roads with light traffic, including about ¾ mile on hard-packed dirt.  It was a lovely day, and we passed many homes with flowers in bloom in their front yards, but also many sections of woods with full foliage, and many chipmunks and squirrels scampering away as we passed.  We mostly stayed pretty close together, and only needed arrows occasionally.  We proceeded over the route without incident. Many of our group commented on what a lovely route it was.

Three of us went to have lunch at Salt and Light, a couple of blocks from the start, but found that they were only open for takeout.  Since we didn’t have any good place figured out to get together and dine, and didn’t want to stand on the sidewalk waiting until our orders were ready, we called it quits and went our separate ways.

Thanks to those who arrowed and, especially, to Kaz for sweeping the entire route.

Report by Roy Westerberg.

On the same beautiful, cool, sunny June day, six of us set out a few minutes ahead of the short ride group.  Being a congenial and compatible group, we generally rode together and, when needed, Beth would arrow and Gene would sweep.

We climbed up to Hollis the “quick” way, taking in the lovely Dow Road in Hollis and adding another climb.  There we met up with the short ride group, hung out briefly, said our hellos and then goodbyes.

We passed Fulcini Vineyards on Pine Hill Road and it was generally gentle ups and downs until we got off of Witches Spring Road onto Rte 122 (briefly).  We then took a right turn and looked up at the steep climb onto Hayden Road which took us over to the dirt part of the route on Rocky Pond Road.  There was a screaming descent into Brookline.  At this point Greg decided he was going to discover new dirt roads in Mason and beyond and rode on his own to Wachusett Station.  The rest of us did some climbing up to Pepperell and as we approached the covered bridge, Dave caught up to us (having been late to the start and rode until he rendezvoused with us).

Then we were six again.  It was a pleasant ride back through Groton to the Nashua River rail trail where we had started the ride.   Several of us stayed and chatted for quite some time after the ride.  A good time was had by all.  The consensus:  it was worth the drive out to Groton for riding on some beautiful, traffic free, scenic roads.

Thanks to Beth for arrowing and to Gene for sweeping.

Report by Lindy King.

 

Sherborn to Norfolk - June 16, 2021

RIDE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 16 June 2021, Sherborn to Norfolk

Ride Leader:  Alan Cantor

34 miles, 10:00 am start from Sherborn, MA

Riders (19): Alan, Al Berardi, Barry Nelson, Bernie Mango, Betsy Harper, Bill Widnall, Butch Pemstein, Dave Balaban, David Kaiser, Don Buchholtz, Ellen Dirgins, Gary Smiley, Gary Williams, James Hsia, Linda Nelson, Lindy King, Rochelle Holman, Tom Allen, and first-timer Wes DeNering.

Present at ride start:  Helen Greitzer.

Great people, great weather, great route.  A big thank you to all the arrows who cooperated and did their jobs impeccably, and a huge thank you to Butch for sweeping.

Report by Alan Cantor.

 

Bubbling Brook Ride - June 9, 2021

RIDE REPORT

 

Wednesday, 9 June 2021, Bubbling Brook Ride

Ride Leaders:  Dmitry Gorenburg & Susan Sabin

28 or 45 miles, 10:00 am start from Chickering Fields, Dover, MA

Riders (19): Dmitry, Susan, Alan Cantor, Barry Nelson, Bernie Mango, Betsy Harper, Bob Wadsworth, Dave Balaban, Don Mannes, Gary Williams, Gerry Sheetoo, Joel Bauman, Julia Zhogina, Linda Nelson, Lindy King, Ray Komow, Tom Allen, Wing Chow, and first timer Keith Gilbert.

Present at ride start: Helen Greitzer.

My concerns overnight about thunderstorms had dissipated by ride start, but the heat was certainly an issue.  Nevertheless, nine people joined the long ride.  The first fourteen miles were smooth, with the group staying pretty close to each other.  Thanks to Ray for sweeping and to Alan, Lindy, and Wing for doing the bulk of the arrowing.  We regrouped at the Millis police station, at which point two riders and the sweep decided that the heat was too much and went off on their own, following the short route.  The remaining six riders decided to try to ride together without the benefit of a sweep.  This may have been an error, as we rapidly split into two groups, with the ride leader falling behind the faster riders.  Fortunately, everyone had the route on their GPS devices.

Most of us eventually reconvened at Bubbling Brook, where we met up with the shorter ride group.  Some of us had ice cream, while others chose to press ahead to beat the heat.  With the faster riders having departed, I joined the remaining short riders, led by Susan, and took the more direct route back to our cars.

Thanks to everyone for coming out and braving the heat.  Special thanks to Susan for volunteering to lead the short ride, despite the somewhat extreme heat.

Report by Dmitry Gorenburg.

The weather forecast was very changeable, up to and through the ride.  However, nineteen riders showed up at the ride start, ten of whom took the short option.

  
As leader, I invited the group to go up Glen Road at their own speed, but I was not happy when only the sweep was waiting at the top of the hill.  (Not cool guys . . . . .).  Eventually, all but one (who had a time constraint) were reunited.

  

The long and short groups did overlap briefly before arriving at Bubbling Brook, where many indulged in long, cool drinks.  From there, it was an easy hop back to home base.

Thanks to all for tolerating my slow pace (12.6 mph), and to Dmitry for suggesting great modifications to my planned short route.

Report by Susan Sabin.

 

Concord via Heard Pond and Callahan State Parks - June 2, 2021

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 2 June 2021, Concord via Heard Pond and Callahan State Parks

Ride Leader: Linda Nelson, with assistance from Barry

36 or 42 miles, 10:00 am start from Burchard Park, Weston, MA

Riders (29): Linda, Barry, Adam Walpert, Al Berardi, Alan Cantor, Allison Easton, Bernie Mango, Betsy Harper, Bob Wadsworth, Butch Pemstein, David Wean, Don Mannes, Gary Williams, Gene Ho,Gerry Sheetoo, Glenn Pransky, Joel Bauman, Kaz Zelny, Lindy King, Rich Taylor, Sally Chapman, Sid Kadish, Stan Kay, Susan Broome, Susan Sabin,and first-timers Betsy Kimball,Catherine Widgery, Lynn DeWitt, and Terry Snyder.

Present at ride start: Helen Greitzer.

June 2ndmarked the start of the 2021 post-pandemic Wednesday Wheeler rides. It had been 448 days since the last WW ride and the 29 riders were eager to chat and ride with one another on a CRW group ride without masks and social distancing. It had been too long since we had seen each other. We all talked about how good it felt to be participating in a “normal” group ride.

Two ride options were offered: 36 or 42 miles. The short ride, with human arrows, was led by Linda Nelson and swept by Barry Nelson. It started at Burchard Park in Weston and went through the scenic rolling hills of the western suburbs - Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, Framingham, Concord, and Lincoln. The longer ride added the scenic hills of Carlisle.

There was no lunch stop due to the many restaurant closures in the western suburbs, as well as lingering health concerns about indoor eating. So the group had a snack stop in Concord in the Main Street Café alley or the Haute Café Alley before regrouping and returning to Weston. A special shout out to Stan Kay, who repeatedly volunteered to be the human arrow, and a “boo” to the human arrows who, even after listening to a thorough explanation of the human arrow concept, left their positions before the sweep passed by.

Report by Barry Nelson.

Three Rivers, Twelve Bridges - March 11, 2020

RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 11 March 2020, Three Rivers, Twelve Bridges

Ride Leader:  Bill Widnall (substituting for Jerry Skurla & assisted by Rich Taylor)
31 miles, 10:00 am start from Crosby's Market parking lot, Concord, MA

Riders (20):  Bill, Rich, Al Berardi, Annemarie Altman, Blaine French, Bruce Gelin, Butch Pemstein, David Fay, Doug Hobkirk, Ellen Gugel, Gerry Sheetoo, Harriet Fell, Kathy Horvath, Pat Stabler, Randy Stern, Roy Westerberg, Rudge McKenney, Selig Saltzman, Steve Miller, and Vic Lebovici.

Twenty-two years ago (1998) I created a ride that I named "Bridges of the Sudbury River."  After several seasons of my leading this ride for the Wednesday Wheelers, and as a CRW weekend ride,  Rich Taylor took over the leadership and has added both longer  and shorter route options.  Then, with the advent of  Ride With GPS (RWGPS), Rich posted his three ride options to RWGPS.  Jerry Skurla has since added another branch to the tree - his "Three Rivers, Twelve Bridges" ride includes my original eight Sudbury River crossings and adds two crossings each of the Concord and Assabet Rivers.  His ride also adds the delightful, new extension of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.  Jerry has posted his ride on RWGPS.

Regrettably, and on very short notice, Jerry was unable to lead his ride this past Wednesday.  At 5:59 pm on Tuesday, Helen accepted my offer to be the substitute leader.  With only sixteen hours (including sleep time) to prepare, I studied Jerry's new route and decided I would do my best to lead his intended route, rather than substitute an alternate ride that was more familiar to me.  I was aware that it was going to be a challenge to lead from a printed cue sheet (downloaded from RWGPS), as I do not yet have an on-bike RWGPS system worked out.

It was a lovely, sunny day for the ride, with dry roads and not too cold or windy, bringing out twenty WWs for the start at Crosby's Market in Concord.  Rich Taylor volunteered to be co-leader and Butch Pemstein volunteered as sweep.  I admitted to the group that I felt like a substitute teacher who, on very short notice, agrees to fill in despite having little time to study the intended lesson plan.  Rich agreed to stay right behind me and be the one to call for and designate a human arrow for each turn.  That freed me up to concentrate on my clipped-on paper cue sheet, which was happily flapping in the breeze.  I had planned a rest stop for halfway into the ride at the Longfellow Health Club in Wayland, which would be a short-distance diversion from Jerry's route.  When we regrouped at the foot of Goodman's Hill (at mile 15.4), the majority of the group wanted to skip the rest stop.  So, we split the group - Rich led the larger group, while I led the smaller number to the planned rest stop, after which we resumed riding the route.

Thank you to Rich for co-leading, to Butch for sweeping, to and all who volunteered to be arrows or help in other ways.  And thanks to all who refrained from giving a hard time to the "substitute teacher!"

Report by Bill Widnall.

At the base of Goodman's Hill Road, a group of twelve riders decided to bypass the rest stop and carry on.  Rich "led from the back" of the group to be sure no one got dropped.  The folks in the lead had the route on GPS or were familiar with the original route. We rode in a group of seven and five riders, keeping everyone in view so that arrows were not deployed.  A couple of traffic lights assured that we stayed together.  There was a bit of a split climbing Garfield Road after Bridge 11, but the speedy downhill got us together for the final two miles across Rte 2 and past Daniel Chester French's house (sculptor of the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in DC).

Everyone had a smile at ride's end - good route - good friends. Thanks, Jerry, for a new adventure and thanks, Bill, for volunteering to lead on such short notice.

Report by Rich Taylor.