bikinggrrrl

Whitman Street ~ yeah, did that twice: once for bragging rights to say I did it and the second time was to remind myself that I really don't want to go that way ever again. Boon is a nice hill ~ gentle slope and an area you can recover before the final push.

SBP, do you include the Sherman Bridge loop ever in your travels?

Mastershake, I'm glad you are taking on food and drink on your travels. I try to eat a gel after 20/25 miles of riding and keep those fluids going in constantly. Are you eating (and drinking) well within that first hour after your rides as well? How you treat your body on Day #1 will certainly affect how it performs on Day #2.

I'm eyeing JM's music schedule (thank you for letting us know). A road trip is definitely in order!

sherbornpeddler

BG you know your roads! Sherman's Bridge is my spring flood bypass when River Road is flooded.

sherbornpeddler

BTW, I've been noodling Dover, Medfield, Millis and Holliston roads between showers. I bumped into a riding buddy yesterday in Holliston doing the same thing and very excitedly showed him the nearby Bullard's cow tunnel. I dunno. He is an excellent rider, nice guy and polite but just didn't seem thrilled.

sherbornpeddler

Rain. Rats. Fendered up and dragging dampened determination.
I wish I had a chaincase for a derailleur type bike.

mtalinm

rain sucked o the commute yesterday. chickened out and took the train home b/c my shoes were completely soaked (and not the type that dry quickly).

tomorrow i'll use booties, and I'm off to REI to get a Showers Pass jacket. picked up a helmet cover last night. wish me luck...

jimmuller 

A good workout. Lots of little side trips to check out the BBQ's too, I see!

bikinggrrrl

I confess that I want to see that cow tunnel.

I admire you, SBP, for continuing on in this damp, cold air these past couple of days. I'm hoping for a nice long mellow fall. Last year we rode comfortably until December. Wouldn't mind a repeat of that.

ModeratedUser01102018

Does anyone do group rides in NH?

Think I want to try one soon. See how I compare to other riders.

sherbornpeddler

It is good to ride with others and pick up tips and trail.
Your local bike shop is a good source of rides locally.
Charles River Wheelmen have a great selection of rides for small medium and large skilled riders. https://www.bikereg.com/ and search NH and serious racing types who should be helpful at least for easy links: https://nhcyclingclub.com


There are plenty of of others.

sherbornpeddler

BTW, the last Bike Friday is this morning.
And I hope to see you all at the great Hub on Wheels Boston ride: https://www.bikefridays.org/

jimmuller 

Did I sleep through a day? My calendar says Thursday.

sherbornpeddler

1. Yep, you slept through a day.
2. You are sooo provincial; it is Friday in Anadyr*
3. I erred.....because my dog ate my calendar
4. I left my calendar in my coat that went to the cleaners.
5. I left my dog at the cleaners in Anadyr.
6. This explains why no one else showed up at the meeting.
7. I dunno but I gained a day and this time it isn't raining!

I'm very glad Jim caught my error and everyone has a better shot at enjoying Bike Friday. BTW, if I manage to show up on the correct day, I'm riding the Bike Boston ride.
I'm so discouraged at my error I'm riding to Casey's for lunch, drowning my sorrows in hotdog and root beer then will go count tunnel cows**.

*pure trivia and I've not been there but Anadyr is a small town on the Bering Sea close to the international date line. It is Friday there, now.

** I have been here. Moo!
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=bullar...ed=0CBMQ8gEwAA

ModeratedUser01102018

New personal best in Road Cycling! Check it out

jimmuller 

Okay, I have to work out a route that goes down Bullard St in Holliston. I gotta' see this cow tunnel. I'll be riding on Saturday. Wanna' meet me somewhere for a joint ride? I don't know the roads down that way. If I did go that way I probably wouldn't manage to do the mileage I'd like.

jimmuller 

I went over there but couldn't find it. You have to give us a URL because otherwise it could be just about anywhere.

If you venture into Road Cycling you should be required to sign a liability waiver first, and carry more than few grains of salt. Sometimes they think cycling is about swinging the biggest hammer possible with the largest gear possible. On the other hand, they'll run their 30 miles in an hour and a half and call it a long day.

Oh, by the way, did you ever link up with some New Hampshire cycling groups? There are several, though I have no personal experience with them. One is Granite State Wheelmen, https://www.granitestatewheelmen.org I think. There is also a group in northeastern Massachusetts which might be close enough to you, North Shore Cyclists, https://www.nscyc.org.

sherbornpeddler

I have to check my social calendar and get back to let you know about tomorrow.
I'm always up for a cruise. Let's pick a half way point and I'll get back to confirm about tomorrow.

sherbornpeddler

I have to be back by noon so this may not be the weekend. Any and all interested in a swing through Holliston and tour of the Bullard Farm Cow tunnel are welcome. Maybe meet at a central point (Wellesley?, Dover?) and bike over and around or alternatively originate a ride from Holliston or Sherborn.

jimmuller 

"Cruise"?

(I'm thinking to myself: 50+ miles at 17mph and he calls it a cruise? Gulp! What have I asked for? ) Or maybe not ! Maybe

jimmuller 

Count me in. Details can be worked out later...

jimmuller 

I found your thread in Road Cycling. Waytago on the 50 miles! 16.1mph is a very good speed too. The longer you go the more you'll stop occasionally and the more cautious you should be about having enough energy to finish.

The bit about having chills when done doesn't sound good though. You do need to drink water, especially on real hot days. Using more GUs or whatever they are called probably isn't a good idea. Imagine drinking 4 cups of coffee...the first will work, the second and third might, and the fourth will make you sick. Since caffeine is a diuretic it will further dehydrate you. Better you should eat a banana, or mix something with more water. Find a convenience store or fountain if you don't have another bottle. Eat a good breakfast before you go.

I don't have a bottle cage on my bike (though I'm considering it). I carry a .75liter bottle in a handlebar bag and it is usually in an insulated sleeve. Inside the bar bag it stays cool for an hour or so if I start with ice water. Another good trick is to fill your bottle half full the night before then freeze it, trying to set it in the freezer on an angle so that the ice doesn't freeze the top shut but extends up one side of the bottle. This increases the ice surface area. Just before you leave for the ride fill it the rest of the way with water. You'll have ice water for a long time that way, especially if it is insulated. With half of it being ice you'll drink all the water part pretty quick. Refill as required, which will melt more of the ice.

But you see, I can get away with so little water because there is plenty on my usual ride. There are two fountains on the Minuteman path in Lexington, one at the end in Bedford, and one in Concord Center. If it is a Saturday I can go into the Carlisle library in Carlisle Center. Then there is a fountain at the North Bridge historical site. Water, water everywhere! Not counting the convenience stores. Drink! And eat snacks. Power bars, dried fruit, stuff like that.

Ride on!

jimmuller 

Yes, I did. 64.9 miles through much of my usual route, with some extra loops thrown in for fun.

Stopped and took some pics, stopped three times to eat, once for an extended lunch, so the whole trip took 6hrs on the nose door to door. (My sweetie insists on feeding me lots of food, some of which I can't eat but so fast. Of course, I ate almost all of it!)

Alas, the attack duck is not there, sign and big yellow ducky gone. The black one was still there though in the duckhouse.

Bikinggrrrl, I thought I remember you said you now ride a tandem with a trailer. If you were out today in orange jerseys (and you have red hair) I passed you twice going the opposite direction, once on Curve St, once at the intersection of River St and Rt225.

Had an interesting exchange with a guy who passed me on Lowell St. I'd been feeling good but was on my way home, the road was smooth, and maintaining 18 to 19mph was easier than normal. A downhill? A tailwind? I dunno'. I saw this guy in my mirror and decided I didn't like getting passed without making the guy work. (A different guy had passed me earlier and yelled "yeehaw!" as he went by, and half a mile later I had to pass him when he slowed so much on an uphill.) A mile later he blew passed me. We both stopped in Concord Center and I asked if he was the guy who'd passed me and if so how fast he was going. He said about 22. I said I asked because I was doing about 18. He said "Yeah, you were cranking", a nice compliment I didn't expect. I commented how he'd passed me so easily and he said "But I was drafting you!" Well, I guess that explains the speed differential. On the other hand, he had to catch me first! Of course, I'd already done 45 miles. Even so, he was good. I don't usually ride that fast.

One more thing. I've always claimed that the Minuteman was downhill from Lexington to Bedford. I checked it on my altimeter watch today. 110ft elevation difference between Hancock St and Depot Park. At one point on the way out it read a descent rate of 18ft/min.

Some pics:
Biker chicks, anyone?
Cranberries?
Lunch stop at Great Brook Farm Start Park
And who (or what) was Prospera?
Concord Center memorial

sherbornpeddler

MacCruiskeen

Hmmm. That reminds me of a travelling-salesman joke about a farmer with a three-legged pig.

I made it as far as Manchester this morning; 57 miles round trip. It was nearly perfect weather for it, though still a bit chilly when I left the house. When I got to Manchester, I felt like I probably could have made it all the way to Gloucester, but I was worried about having enough energy for the trip back. And I needed to be home when the wife got back from yoga.

jimmuller 

"Lemme' tell you about that pig. That's a very special pig..."


I always worry about having the energy to get home. And I hear the yoga problem too. I was supposed to take Sharon blueberry picking this afternoon, but she told me to take all the time I wanted. I'm still not convinced she meant it seriously.

bikinggrrrl

Hey! I saw you! Well ... I saw your bike. I tend to notice the machine underneath more than the cyclists themselves. Next time you see us, give a hollar! We were out doing our quickie Bedford-Concord-Monument-Maple-Rutland Street loop before taking my visiting MIL over to DeCordova for the afternoon. Beautiful day out, wasn't it?

I noticed the missing attack duck the other day. I hope it wasn't liberated by bored teenagers and will soon find its way back again. There will probably be a write up in our little newspaper next week.

I live very close to the bog and Tattooed Poultry, so your pictures made me smile. Despite having explored Great Brook Farm hundreds of times, I never noticed the Prospero gravesite. I'll be sure to look for it now. Sounds like you had a great trip ~ I'm awfully glad your naughty knee is behaving.

Did anyone else notice an odd odor the first dry day after all the rains? Rich, earthy smoky smell. Not woodfire smoke, but more of a chipotle pepper kind of smokiness. Perhaps something is blooming ... or rotting?