Seabrook to Portsmouth - August 24, 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 24 August 2022, Seabrook to Portsmouth

Ride Leader:  Jimmy White

38 miles, 10:00 am start from Seabrook, NH

Riders (14):  Jimmy, Adam Walpert, Chris Schuch, Francie Sparks, Frank Aronson, Gene Ho, Gerry Sheetoo, Harriet Fell, Ken Weber, Renee Rees, Selig Saltzman, Sue Amsel, Susan Broome, and Susan Sabin.

The day was gloomy, with a dark overcast, as we began our ride, but there was a clear view of the Seabrook Nuclear Powerplant.  Hampton Beach, which we reached within the first mile, was not too crowded as a result of the weather, but the clouds quickly dissipated and the sun came out for the remainder of the day.  Unfortunately, the sweep soon had a flat tire and we decided to ditch him and Chris, as the route to Portsmouth was straightforward with no turns and it was too hot to wait in the sun.  We were reunited at Rye Harbor State Park and there were no further problems for the remainder of the ride.

To my surprise, few people were interested in the gorgeous botanical gardens in Portsmouth.  We agreed to spend twenty minutes in downtown Portsmouth, where we snacked, and it was agreed to have a post-ride lunch in Seabrook.

The return was a pleasant inland route that had little traffic, and I allowed a large gap to develop on a five-mile straightaway to let some faster riders have a fun sprint.  For lunch, some people went to Markey's, and six of us ate at the Tuna Striker Pub, a very elegant eatery which none of us had been to previously (but always with a wait to be seated).

A cross/ocean breeze for most of the day made for a near-perfect cycling Wednesday.   Thanks to Gene and Susan Broome for sweeping.

Report by Jimmy White.

Through the Woods (along the bay) and Over the River - Blue Hills and Neponset - August 10. 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 10 August 2022, Through the Woods (along the bay) 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 - (18):  David, Ron, Adam Walpert, Bruce Barnett, Butch Pemstein, Cynthia Zabin, Emily Wean, Frank Aronson, Gary Williams, Gene Ho, Gerry Sheetoo, Herb Kavet, Julia Zhogina, Ken Weber, Maya Mosyak, Veronica Vedensky, and first-timers, Christine Talbot and Susan Amsel.

We had a nice romp through Milton, Quincy, Dorchester, Mattapan, Milton (again), and Canton.  We warmed up with a climb to the not-terribly-impressive-today overlook on Chickatawbut Road, then sped down the back side into Quincy.  Along that stretch one rider had an irremediable mechanical issue, and Ron stayed with them until they arranged transportation back to the ride start.  Butch volunteered to be the interim sweep, and we rode through Quincy, cruised Wollaston Beach, stopping at Marina Bay for a water view and restroom break, where we were rejoined by Ron who resumed his sweeply duties.

We crossed to Dorchester on the Neponset Bridge walkway and viewed the estuary from the paths around Pope John Paul II Park.  The Neponset Trail took us back along the "high speed trolley" line to Mattapan Square, from which we found our way back to the Blue Hills Reservation.

Seven of the riders chose to climb the access road to the top of Great Blue (0.9 miles, 400 feet of climbing), and eight of the group enjoyed a tasty lunch on the patio at Trillium Brewery, a mile and a half from the ride start/finish.

Ride report by David Wean.

August 3, 2022 - Circle the City & The Emerald Necklace -

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 3 August 2022, Circle the City & The Emerald Necklace

Ride Leader:  Gary Williams

34 miles, 10:00 am start from South Boston, MA

Riders (7) Gary, Adam Walpert, Don Buchholtz, Everett Briggs, Gene Ho, Robin Frain, and Rochelle Holman.

Our petite group mustered at Castle Island for a unique tour of the Seaport, the North End, Charlestown (Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution), Back Bay, the Fenway, Jamaica Plain, the Arnold Arboretum, Franklin Park, Mattapan, the Neponset River Trail, Dorchester, UMASS/JFK, and South Boston.  We had only one incident, when a bus cut between riders at the back of the line and we lost Gene - he fell victim to the whims of RWGPS and made an early turn ahead of the group (we met up with him again later).  The route featured a mixture of paved trails, dedicated bike lanes, and city streets.  Notwithstanding the traffic, everyone made it back to Castle Island, without further incident, on a warm summer day.

Ride report by Gary Williams.

Westford Ho - July 27, 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 27 July 2022, Westford Ho

Ride Leader:  Clyde Kessel

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

Riders (17) Clyde, Adam Walpert, Alan Cantor, Annemarie Altman, Barry Kaditz, Barry Nelson, Curt Dudley-Marling, Ed Hill, Gary Williams, Ken Weber, Linda Nelson, Marc Baskin, Ray Komow, Robin Frain, Rochelle Holman, Veronica Vedensky, and Wing Chow.

Present at lunch: Chris Dudley-Marling.

A beautiful day for a bike ride with dew point below 60.  It’s too bad that weather forecasters tell you what the temperature will be when it is really the dew point which determines whether you will be comfortable or not.  We had perfect attendance today with no no-shows.  And everyone was on time, even Wing, and Alan who said he would be late.  We even had three doctors from Children’s Hospital in the group.

The ride proceeded perfectly according to plan.  I didn’t even get any complaints about the surprise cut-through which Bob Wolf discovered 10 years ago and requires climbing up an embankment.  After the second rest stop, when the group was 3/4 of the way through the ride, it was starting to seem like nothing would go wrong (does that make a boring ride?).  But, the ride leader had forgotten to knock on wood and made a wrong turn, forcing almost everyone to go up an unnecessary hill (on brand new pavement, though) and then back down.

Seven of us stayed for lunch on the patio at Ken's NY Deli (eight, if you believe the rumor that Marc stayed for lunch at the waffle shop).  Barry jury-rigged the umbrella so it would stay open - until it suddenly didn’t.  It’s a good thing no one was hurt, because our ER doctor was busy stuffing himself with waffles elsewhere.  In the end, the ride leader left his water bottle behind on the lunch table but Chris saved the day by picking it up and, eventually, returning it.

Thank you to Ray for sweeping, and to all the arrows.

Ride report by Clyde Kessel.

Great Brook Farm State Park road ride - July 20. 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 20 July 2022, Great Brook Farm State Park road ride

Ride Leader:  Clyde Kessel

31 miles, 9:00 am start from Carlisle, MA

Riders (12):  Clyde, Alex Nelson, Beth Rosenzweig, Curt Dudley-Marling, Ed Hill, Gary Williams, Gerry Sheetoo, Hugh Folsom, Jim Pearl, Rochelle Holman, Wing Chow, and first-timer Ken Weber.

Half of our group had cycled from home, so we didn’t take up much space in the parking lot.  Hardly anyone else was at the state park on such a hot day, so it didn’t matter anyway.  A couple of people encountered slow traffic (the early start did impinge on rush hour) and were a bit late, but we still got rolling by 9:15 am.  This ride leader doesn’t talk much at the ride start.

They say to make something happen, you have to visualize it.  Well, I visualized a relaxed ride at a pace slow enough so no one would get overheated.  I can tell you that the visualization stuff is a bunch of malarky.  The group took off like a rocket and, before long, the leader found himself riding with the sweep.  So, if you can’t beat them, join them.  I picked up my pace enough to (mostly) keep the front of the group in sight.  As it was, no one seemed to have much trouble with the heat, but folks did take advantage of the water bubbler at the Concord Visitor Center to cool down.

There were no notable wildlife sightings - I guess all sensible souls were chilling in the shade somewhere.

At Verrill Farm, a couple of riders split off to go for a swim at White Pond.  Others split off at various points to cycle back home (or in one case, to get some extra miles!).  At the end, we were down to six riders, three of whom went to the restaurant only to find it closed for vacation.  So much for lunch in air-conditioned comfort.

Thanks to Rochelle for sweeping and to the many faithful arrows.

Ride report by Clyde Kessel.

For Sheldon 2022 - a ride from Wayland - July 13 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 13 July 2022, For Sheldon 2022 - a ride from Wayland

Ride Leaders:  Harriet Fell & John Allen

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

Riders (17):  Harriet, John, Adam Walpert, Barry Nelson, Butch Pemstein, Cynthia Zabin, David Wean, Ed Hill, Gary Williams, Gerry Sheetoo, Glenn Pransky, Linda Nelson, Sandy Gotlib, Tami Kellogg, Terry Snyder, and first-timers Ernie Glickman and Henry Hamilton. 

This was a ride celebrating Sheldon Brown’s life.  His birthday was July 14th and he would have been 78 on that day this year. 

Our ride started off a few minutes after 10:00 am, with Harriet leading and John riding sweep.  We headed out of the Wayland Town Center parking area on Andrew Avenue and crossed Rte 20, to ride on the road through Russell's Garden Center, a little-known, ridable dirt road that crosses over to Pelham Island Road.  From there on we stuck to paved roads.

The temperature rose to the high 80s, but there was good shade cover on most of the route which made for comfortable riding, and the humidity was not high.  A few riders rode faster, especially on the hills, but we waited periodically so the group stayed pretty much together throughout the ride.  Three riders announced that they had to split off somewhere along the way and did so as planned.  

When most of the group was approaching the Wayside Inn, Harriet got a call from Ed Hill saying he had taken over someone’s position as an arrow and started out after no-one had passed for fifteen minutes.  He had lost the route and needed directions.  So we hung out for a while in front of the Wayside Inn, giving people a chance to use the facilities and/or refill their water bottles. This stop also provided a chance for those of us who knew about the Wayside Inn and nearby buildings to tell the others about it.  John recited the last verse of “Mary had a Little Lamb” which was written about an incident at a one-room schoolhouse that had been moved to the site.

Part of the return route was on Water Row, which Sheldon always claimed was his favorite road.  Toward the end of the ride, we rode on the Weston-Wayland stretch of the Mass Central Rail Trail, a route Sheldon never got to ride.  At the end of the paved path, some people continued on the pressed dirt stretch back to the start and others returned via Rte 126, Bow Road, Rte 27, and Andrew Avenue.

For lunch, seven of us shared an outdoor table at The Local and two others ate at a nearby table with friends they had arranged to meet. 

Ride report by Harriet Fell and John Allen.

Border Run Redux 2022 - July 6, 2022

 RIDE REPORT

Wednesday, 6 July 2022, Border Run Redux 2022

Ride Leader:  Wes DeNering

~40 miles, 10:00 am start from Ashland, MA

Riders (9):  Wes, Alan Cantor, Gary Williams, Gerry Sheetoo, John Kitchen, Kim Wach, Pat Schindeler, Yuliya Zhogina, and first-timer Sharon Segal. 

While much of the rest of the country is baking in brutal heat, we continue to have just one gorgeous summer day after another.  The July 6th Wednesday Wheeler ride was no exception.  Temps in the low 80s and low humidity made for very comfortable riding. 

  

We got off to a slow start due to some late arrivals.  We also had a huge range in abilities, making it hard for human arrows to work well.  The route went mostly south towards Rhode Island, in a pocket of relatively undeveloped territory with lots of town forests and quiet back roads.  I think everyone still enjoyed the ride, but most chose not to stick around for the party due to the late return time.

Thanks to all that came to either!  And special thanks to Pat for sweeping.

Ride report by Wes DeNering.