jimmuller 

Oh yeah, I commute by car/train/bike. I can't imagine taking the tandem though. It's 30ft long! Won't fit into the train car.

sherbornpeddler

Andy,
Welcome and congratulations. Nice bike and nice destination. My childhood neighborhood growing up had a foot radius of about 1/2 mile and a balloon tire bike radius of maybe 3 miles, 3 speed 10 miles. Now, the old house shrunk and bike radius grew.

sherbornpeddler

Amtrak is missing an opportunity. Germany has a solution for soloists. CSX has an 86 footer.

pocky

A friend just posted this, with the caption "How my Seder Ended":



I suspect that this violates MA's open container law, and I'm certain getting pulled over could have made for an even more eventful end to his Passover!

rholland1951

Jim,

Thanks! I've been studying the map for that area, with connecting to the Nashua River Rail Trail in mind. Good to have a first-hand report on conditions.

rod

Andy2302

Good one, Pocky. Just change the label on the bottle, lol.

bikinggrrrl

Had a Jim Muller sighting today on Curve Street in Carlisle. Jim, you and Sharon are looking smooth on that tandem!

jimmuller 

Hi, Kat! Thank you! So that must have been you who honked and waved as you passed us.

It was a good day, cool and a bit windy. It actually rained or snowed/sleeted for a brief period or two. Light traffic compared to yesterday's frenzy. We did 25.75 miles today on comfortable, cozy roads, a recovery ride from yesterday.

At Great Brook Farm we had a nice conversation with a couple (on solo bikes) loaded up with panniers. They were doing a preparation run for an upcoming trip to France. Sharon and I are hoping to try some easy touring on the tandem this summer. That was one reason we did the run yesterday. So we took the opportunity to ask about their packing and bags and stuff.

Some pics...from yesterday. Lunch stop:



Across the road, the train station built in 1879 has seen better days.



From today's lunch stop:

GeezerPete

Great 33 mile ramble through the Central Mass hill towns of Phillipston, Petersham and Hartwick on the edge of the Quabbin. Beautiful cycling country if you like hills. Ain't a flat spot anywhere to be found.

ZIPP2001

Finished up a nice 3 day weekend of windy cycling with a 35 mile ride throughout Worcester. Before Easter dinner in West Boylston I went into Worcester to climb to the airport and then climb George street before taking the long way back to West Boylston to eat.

rholland1951

Low-energy 20 miles out to Bedford and back on the Minuteman, just spinning and listening to the birds: catbirds, mockingbirds, redwings, doves, robbins, crows, two species of woodpecker, plus interesting calls that I couldn't place. The cool, gray, breezy weather brightened and warmed just before sunset.

rod

GeezerPete

Climbing George Steet...you the man Zipp!

mtalinm

so I want to ride the Marathon this year. I did the midnight ride a couple years ago, but the course isn't marked until the morning.

last year a couple of friends rode it one way from Hopkinton and had a good time, but I had to take my kids to 6 flags :-(

this year I am going to ride it for sure. one possibility is to do what my friends did last year and get dropped off in Hopkinton. but if you start early enough I guess you can ride it both directions.

https://mysite.verizon.net/vze19fa1o/events.html#27th is a group that leaves at 6am, which sounds reasonable. thing is, I'm not sure the advantage of signing a waiver to ride with them (I'll get dropped anyway) vs. just taking off on my own a little earlier than that group.

anyone else have tips? mostly i just want the experience of riding the marathon route when it is blocked off.

still deciding whether to do it on my road bike or the folder (the latter would be more fun, though not quite as fast)

ZIPP2001

I did the the route last year with the 6 am group out of the ymca. The route isn't blocked to traffic until you start heading back from Hopkinton. It was a blast and my friend and I will be doing it this year. The group doesn't really stay together for to long, and i'm sure you will be able to find others that will be riding at whatever pace your looking for. If you decide to do the ride with the 6 am ymca group look for a black Kestrel with white lettering thats me ( George).

ZIPP2001

I always hit George street when I go thru Worcester, just makes it a little more fun.

mtalinm

thanks, if it's only blocvkd off on the way in then maybe I will just start out west.

cmolway

Last year's start from the ymca probably had over 100 cyclists of varying abilities. My favorite was the girl on the CAAD10 who had her helmet in a backpack (which she sheepishly put on after crashing). I rode off the front early on to get away from people like that and joined in with some guys from the MIT team. I'll probably do it again this year (3rd or 4th year for me). If you drive to the start, there is plenty of street parking in front of the Y at 5:45am. Since it's a Boston holiday, meters are not running.

Mr Sinister

I would like to do the marathon route this year both ways ( wanted to do it last year, but I wasn't up to it). I would be going by myself more than likely, so if anyone would want to meet me somewhere, I could give you my cell number in a PM. This would be so I would know where to meet you and all that junk.

I really reallyreally want to do this.

cmolway

Nice 50 miler after work with as many hills as I could find, including a nasty one near my house that I have been itching to try. Average grade of 8% over 1/2 mile with multiple pitches of 19 and 28.5% thrown in for good measure. Did this on mile 48 and it hurt. https://app.strava.com/rides/6542333

Early, early, early morning ride out to Winchester (about 10 miles from home) for the Ripper's Wednesday morning hillclimb. A variation of the NECB Wednesday night ride, it tries to find every any any hill. I didn't finish the ride since I had to break off to head in to Boston. That being said, I think we did 1800+ feet of climbing in 12 miles. With the ride out to the start and the commute in, I totaled 32 miles. At my desk before 7:30. Not a bad way to start the day. https://app.strava.com/rides/6572128

cmolway

I'll be at the YMCA start riding a white super six (probably in CCB kit too).

cmolway

I'll be at the YMCA start riding a white super six (probably in CCB kit too).

aruban

Anybody doing this ride?
It's the Boston Marathon route that leaves at 12 midnight on Marathon day:
https://www.bostonsos.org/adventure/b...-marathon.html

bikinggrrrl

Beautiful, peaceful day for a ride, hauling my son in the trailer. I'm getting slower as he gets heavier and today I was grateful. Had I been speeding along or breathing too hard, I would have missed the northern flicker calling amongst the humming of nuthatches and chickadees. A wayward deer standing in the middle of the road hesitated, then jumped, when I first whispered 'Shoo' in the hopes of not disturbing the tranquility of the moment any more than I had to.

jimmuller 

My riding today was only over to the gym and back after I got home from work. I had a bike in the car to do the commute thing, but slow traffic on 128 made missing the train very likely so I just motored on. And, ah, the fact that I would have had to carry some equipment for work in a pack on my back may have had something to do with that decision too.

mtalinm

I did the first one a couple of years ago. it was mostly college kids.

one thing to know is that the route isn't marked off until the early morning, so you won't really feel like you are "riding the marathon" - more than you are riding around in the dark with some friends.

I'm going to try the roundtrip ride instead this year.