ZIPP2001

Got out for a century ride to Worcester airport with George street being a tad over the half way mark. Was a little disappointed because it was overcast almost the whole ride, saw sun the last 12 miles of the ride. I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the day.

rholland1951

31 miles out to North Bridge and back, River Road and Monument Street outbound, Virginia Road and Mill Street returning, warm and humid weather, the beta release of Summer. Lots of chipmunks and irises today; all the chipmunks looked pretty much the same, but there was quite a lot of variation in color and conformation among the irises. Good work, gardeners! Held eye contact with a doe on Mill Street for 10 seconds, until she decided she'd had enough of me and bounded off.

rod

bikinggrrrl

Yellow with blue 2007 PMC jerseys. I heard my husband yell "Tandem" but I was lost in concentration on my pedal stroke and didn't realize till it was too late. Sorry I missed you.
Goodness, you guys are racking up the miles this year! That is wonderful.

jimmuller 

Whoever that was on that tandem looked focused. Truth be told, we were late in our ride, which means I was getting tired and Sharon was falling asleep. But on some sections of 225 we often crank up the gear and hit 22+mph. At that speed I'm usually pretty focused myself, so anything more than a glance at another bike is out of the question!

Yes, we have been racking up miles. Sharon won't let me take my solo bikes out anymore. Except tomorrow. This winter I rescued and built up a mid-70's Masi Gran Criterium and haven't had time yet to put it to any real test.

JandersUF

Lots of riding lately, but haven't posted.

My TL;DR summary would be: check my Strava:
https://app.strava.com/athletes/12980

In the week of may 14- may 20 I got over 225mi in, despite working everyday and multiple overnights, which is certainly a record for this year. The highlight was a 80 some mile ride out past Framingham, up a nice steep hill called Brimstone. I stole the route off the Blayley's website, which cmolway posted about recently (https://blayleys.blogspot.com/p/routes.html). Nice route for anyone interested (did have to hop a fence near Brimstone, no one seemed to mind).

I also learned about painful new hills from cmolway, all in winchester (which is nearby, but I've just never ridden through it). On strava one is labelled Girard, and has a block towards the end so steep that you'll wish you brought your mountain climbing gear.

This week the highlight was a 40some mile jaunt out via trapelo rd to lincoln, by Walden Pond, and back through concord/carlise/lexington on Saturday AM. It was great hot humid weather, and there were MILLIONS of bikes out. I rarely get out for long rides on weekends, so sometimes I forget how many cyclists are around these parts!

Did Wells Ave today (and last week), posted about that here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post14279284

jimmuller 

Did 45 miles on the tandem today, following the route of a C&V ride I've organized for next weekend. Beautiful day for a ride. Saw some interesting wildlife.






A bit later we saw a turkey in the road, strutting and clucking loudly...



apparently guarding the rest of his flock



While we watched a car came up the road from the other direction and slowed. The turkey apparently took it's advance as an aggressive gesture and decided to be aggressive back. While the driver tried to go around him he started pecking at the car tire. This continued for at least 50ft. The driver stopped to chat with us while the turkey kept up its aggression on the other side of the car. Eventually the car drove away and we took the opportunity to pedal away before the turkey decided to attack us.

It was a good day.

GeezerPete

A 45 mile Memorial Day ride through Phillipston, Templeton, Gardner, Westminster and Princeton with a jaunt to the top of Mt Wachusett. The auto road is now offically open and has been recently paved. It's in silky smooth condition.

jimmuller 

My sweetie who has been insisting that we take the tandem out let me go out solo today. So I did 47 miles on the Masi, Waltham to Lexington, Bedford, Concord, Carlisle, back to Concord, Bedford, Lexington, Waltham. What a stupendous day for biking!

That makes 137 miles for the weekend, 90 of which were on the tandem.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone. Continue to be safe. Remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may bike in freedom.

cmolway

Rode the Essex County Velo "Tour D'Essex County" club century on Saturday. Fastest century ride to date (for me). The field was about half of what it was last year (a good thing) and comprised of mostly "racer" types. First rest stop was at mile 56 and the main group of 60 stayed together and yet managed to average 21mph (including stops for lights and wrong turns). Felt like I was racing the whole time. I ate and drank as much water and electrolytes as I could and yet still managed to get a couple of "nearly fall of your bike" cramps by mile 80. The temps in the mid 80's probably didn't help. After that, I split from the main field and took a short cut back to the start, coaxing my legs to turn over the pedals the whole way. Finished with 89 miles, relaxing with a beer and burgers before the group rolled in. Still managed a 19.6mph average even though the last 9 miles were ridden at about 15 miles an hour with a few stops to massage the cramps.

The 60 miles I rode on Friday probably did me in. All in all, a great day to be on the bike.

Ended up pulling my right hamstring when I cramped. Spent the next two days off the bike. Back on the bike this morning for a slow spin into work to test the leg. Planning to get a ride in this afternoon if the storms keep away.

cmolway

I get queasy just thinking about that hill. I try to put it well out of my mind when I do that hill ride until I hit the 22% grade at the corner. A couple of guys I ride with simply fly up it (one tries to get a large enough gap from the group so he can hop off his bike and take "suffer face" photos of people cresting the last hill). Me, I just keep turning over the pedals and try not to lose my breakfast in the process. That being said, I think Eastern Ave in Arlington is worse. The grade is less but it is MUCH longer with a couple of leg destroying false-flats that will do you in if you don't pace it right (it is a CAT4 climb after all).

jimmuller 

It was a great day to ride. However...

Hey, all you hotshot metro-west cyclists. Learn some of the traffic laws, and show a little courtesy too.

Not that I like throwing cold water on anyone's great weekend but I have to speak out.

On my return through the rotary in Concord Center yesterday there is one spot where the left lane is marked straight into the rotary and the right is marked right-turn-only onto Main St. It also has a pedestrian crosswalk. As I pulled up in the left lane a family was standing at the edge of the sidewalk, as in "real family" with a youngster, a dad, and a mom pushing a carriage. I slowed and asked if they wanted to cross and when dad said yes I stopped in a way that would not tempt any car behind me to go around. (The speed limit there is 20mph, and drivers are almost uniformly courteous.) As they stepped into the street a group of a dozen or more cyclist in full "We're cyclists!" gear raced up behind me, pulled over into the right turn lane to go around me, barely slowed, and proceeded into the rotary. Of course the family had to back off, said "thanks anyway" and repeatedly waved both an accumulation of cars and myself into the intersection.

You cyclists broke two state traffic laws. You failed to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and you went straight from the right-turn-only lane. With just a bit less speed and a bit more awareness you would have observed the situation. I am forced to wonder, do you drive that way too? You make all us cyclists look bad.

JandersUF

Yeah I can't decide which climb around there is my (least) favorite. Eastern Ave hurts, but i tend to pull away from my riding buddies on it... I think I'm just better at that moderate grade, constant climb style, versus the up-and-down extreme grade of Girard. Subjectively, the hardest to me is the one labelled Puke On The Top Tube on strava (it is the same height as Eastern, but a bit steeper and curvier... try it sometime).

rholland1951

Quick mental health ride after work, Lexington Center and back. Blue-grey sky, looked bruised, thunderstorms coming but not here yet.

rod

cmolway

36 mile spin yesterday from Boston up through Lynnfield and North Reading to loosen up the hamstring. Felt better after the ride than before which was a good sign. Rode the identical loop in reverse to work this morning instead of joining the Wednesday Hill sufferfest ride. No point in exacerbating an injury with a hard group ride up steep hills.

rholland1951

Another ride to Lexington Center after work, 10 miles on the Minuteman. The eye was mostly turned inward tonight, thinking about this and that, and I was back home in a couple of blinks.

rod

cmolway

60 miles done and dusted yesterday. Hamstring felt good as new afterwards. With the hamstring sorted, I started the morning early (5:15) by riding out to Winchester for a group ride. Probably 12 people showed up and we set a fast pace from the start. When we got to Page Rd in Burlington, there were 3 other groups of cyclists slogging up the initial climb (probably another 15 or 20 cyclists). Felt like I was riding a century. Chasing and passing cyclists all the way over the climb made the climb interesting (unlike the usual demoralizing view of watching the rabbits in my groups sprint up the hill and out of sight, leaving me to slog it out alone). Nice when you can get 35 miles in before 7am.

JandersUF

Yesterday I got about 25 miles in... went to check out a used car (good move, we're buying it), and was near the hills of Winchester/Arlington, so I went up a few of them. I worked the overnight the night before, and was a bit un-rested, but I felt OK on every-other climb.

Today I got a nice 40mi in during the afternoon, out to lexingon, around the east side of Hanscom (called The Chute on strava, I'd actually never been on this road), then to bedford, carlise, concord, lexington (iced coffee) and back to town. Weather was good (I like heat), but the traffic was extra-annoying. I did see a turkey with her chicks in carlise, but they ran away before I got a picture.

I've certainly in better shape now that last year (or anytime recently), and I've lost some weight too... but the legs just aren't feeling smooth on the bike the past month or two. I feel like I can only put out about 90% of what I should be. Just a little wall I need to break through. Probably a side effect of the stress/lack of sleep that a newborn brings.

rholland1951

Another ride to Lexington Center after work. The late daylight at this time of year had a lot of folks out on the Minuteman after 8pm, lots of civic virtue. Didn't hit any.

rod

rholland1951

Lexington Center and back at sunset, cool air and grey sky, long sleeves for a change. On the return, was passed by a firetruck, two ambulances, and two police cars, all blinking and squawking authoritatively. These congregated two blocks from my house, in response to some unknown calamity.

rod

jimmuller 

Did my commute today. It was far better than being at work.

On my return as I was riding south on the Blackstone Bikeway I heard sirens to the west. As I emerged onto public roads at Ann&Hope St I saw a police car and ambulance on the bridge to my right and two policeman talking to a woman with a bicycle. She seemed unhurt. I hope no one else was. If a problem was caused by a stupid driver I hope they find it. (I will not honor that person by using a personal pronoun.)

GeezerPete

60 mile ride around northern Worcester County with a trip up Mt Wachusett thrown in. Not too bad for an old guy.

jimmuller 

Started in Bedford. 47 miles on the vintage tandem. Drizzle and wet roads when we started. Spent 20 minutes cleaning debris off the bike when we got home. Still, it was a good ride.

Just after our lunch stop we stopped to lend our vintage Zefal Solibloc pump to a guy who'd left his pump at home then picked a piece of glass in his rear tire. Our lunch stop:



On our return to Bedford we explored 2 miles of the Bedford & Billerica RR Bike Trail. Except for the first few hundred yards it isn't paved , just packed gravel, so we weren't sure how the tandem would handle it. We took it about 10mph and it worked out fine. Wouldn't want to run it too fast on a road bike but it's an interesting trail.

rholland1951

Out to Depot Park, Bedford, 20 miles, towards the end of the day, cool, gray, and damp. For some reason, everything smelled pleasant: wildflowers, barbeques, the mud. The water was high enough in Tophet Swamp and the Shawsheen River to look good, but not scary.

rod

Bishbike

Easy spin from Waverly Square out to Concord and back.

mtalinm

all:

our good friend Jim from Boston was very seriously injured in a hit-and-run Friday night on his way back from work: https://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/06/0...hit-something/

I'm told by a friend that his surgery this morning was successful, and that he may be up to receiving visitors in a day or two when he gets out of the ICU.

I live rather close to the site of the accident (400 block of Washington St in Norwood) and drove through there today. the street is soooo wide that the motorist either had to be inebriated or out to get Jim.

here's the BF thread (in Commuting): https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...t-Friday-Night