Very excited for the ride I have planned this Saturday.

Taking a second stab at a three state century I rode back in May. It looks through RI and CT via the Blackstone valley. That ride was filled with lots of cramping for myself and ride partner. This time we're adding 2 riders so it should make the work load a bit easier.

I love long fall rides.

Clearly an example of cosmic re-occurrence. A month ago while riding along the Blackstone River on the way to work I too had to stop for a teleconference about software development, and I met a turkey along the river. However I can't recall whether those events occurred on the same day, one in response to the other. Most improbable, I'd say.

I returned to work today after two weeks wonderful vacation. Did not do the car/train/bike commute though. Expected to need more time at the office than that arrangement allows. It turns out I could have ridden after all. Perhaps on Wednesday...

Hey folks who ride the Rail Trail or travel through Chelmsford.... I noticed yesterday that over the weekend a bike rack and bicycle repair station (various tools secured by cables and pump) have been installed along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Chelmsford just south of the intersection in the center of town (where 110 crosses). There is a bike shop in Chelmsford but for minor repairs or tweaking ... a free station at your disposal.

I ran 13 mile yesterday so I'll be cycling with y'all today. Looks like a good day for it.

First ride in more than a week today (must get ready for the aforementioned Saturday ride I wrote about above). My bike had been out of commission while I waited for a warrantied shifter set to come in from SRAM. Banged out a quick 20 miles jaunting from Newton through Needham and Wellesley and back. Perfect day out. My legs felt good even though I ''attacked'' every hill pretty hard. Now it's time to pick apples in Stow. Perhaps a pumpkin or two will find it's way home with my girlfriend and I.

Sounds like a great ride. Enjoy!

rod

Gentle commute this morning, in beautiful weather. Saw two woolly bear caterpillars on the trail, and decided they were both wearing their hair like Grace Jones--crew cuts mean a mild winter, I hope. Work just wouldn't quit, and left after 7 and after dark, with the beginnings of a respectable migraine. Migrainous photosensitivity and on-coming automobile headlights are not a happy combination. The Running of the Bulls (Rt 62/Rt 3/Crosby Drive interchange) was unusually hectic for the hour, and featured one HYSTERICAL HONKER, a white HHR that I believe I've encountered before. I'm thinking it must be driven by a goose, but I suppose it could be some other sort of bird-brain. After that, the dark and quiet of the Minuteman was a relief. The Bedford segment was completely deserted, and met only 3 people (all westbound) in Lexington. Once over the Arlington line, the spell was broken, with 14 westbound and 3 eastbound, some lit, some not, riding, rolling, walking.

rod

Awesome commute today. Cool air, mostly blue overhead, light traffic, slanting cold sunlight, some foliage changing color.

I wanted to catch the early train this morning but after the excitement at the end of last night's baseball game I accidentally flipped the clock radio over to "off" instead of "alarm". My sweetie woke me up this morning with only 5 minutes to get out the door. Okay, I didn't really want to catch the 6:45 anyway. Stayed in bed for a while and caught the usual 8:10.

The ride home was nice too, still cool. I got a late start due to work but still had plenty of time.

Had a bit of trouble with my chain throwing itself off the chainrings both on the inside and the outside. Once it even jumped off the RD, made possible because of Suntour's "quick install" cage. Fortunately another chain skid wasn't in the cards. I wonder if it is too worn already after about 700 miles. Maybe differential oil isn't such a great lubricant after all. It has jumped a chainring a few times in the last few weeks. Must ponder...

About a mile and a half from Attleboro I flipped my generator on because the light had the feel of evening. As I waited for the train the sun set behind the subtle clouds blowing in from the east. It was a good day.

For anyone who has never seen one of these... they are awesome. We have one in Fresh Pond, and are about to get two of them at BU. They remind me of the quickie snowboard repair stations that you see at the top of some ski lifts -- but with a lot more tools. You can hang your bike by its frame on the stand's "arms" -- basically a clampless repair stand -- and the rubber pads at the ends of the arms should serve to protect against scratching your frame's finish.

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/ga...ikerepair.jpeg

Today's outbound commute followed a morning of telecommuting, and the good weather drew folks out and afforded lots of opportunities for people-watching. Particularly memorable was a series of three young women. The first was pregnant, wearing a tank top with that second trimester glow, out for a walk and a smile. The second was a mother, standing in a shady spot, gently rocking a sleeping infant in a pram, back and forth. The third was walking a King Charles spaniel on a leash; the old dog was whining complaints that sounded like a baby's cry crossed with the squeak of a squeeze toy, and she was talking soothingly to it, coaxing it along on a walk it didn't want to take ("I'm a lap-dog, dammit!"). Return was mostly in the dark with lots of company, whose various lights and reflective gear on the unlit Minuteman evoked accounts of the bioluminence of the deep sea creatures dwelling in the abyss.

rod

rode in the rain this morning. I am glad the temps are still warm enough to leave the rain jacket at home (though I did ride the "rain bike" with race blades).

Hope you managed to avoid the late-afternoon downpour. It was bad enough in a car...

rod

it was raining so hard on the way home I had to pull over and take cover in a convenience store for 15-20m. never happened before. not fun

Ouch. I wimped out and drove after hearing the forecast for the afternoon. There were some real frog-stranglers moving through. Sounds like you caught one.

rod

Today was supposed to be a vacation day, for a long weekend. However, thanks to the magic of the end-of-fiscal-year follies, I ended up logging in and working until mid-afternoon, then came to my senses and got on the bike. From East Arlington, rode out to North Bridge in Concord via Minuteman/225/Skelton Rd/River Rd/Monument Street, but then kept going and returned via Concord Center/Lexington Rd/Old Bedford Rd/Virginia Rd/Hanscom Dr/2A/Mill Street/Lexington Road/Lincoln St/Worthen Rd/Mass. Ave., picking up the Minuteman again in Lexington Center. 32 miles in all. It's been a while since I've done this one, and really enjoyed it: lots of variation in terrain, riding conditions, scenery, history, and civic and psychological ambiance. And lots of hills, which, like beans, are good for the heart.

rod

Today's ride was the usual commute, only slightly cooler as befits the last day of September. In fact, it was downright chilly when I left A'boro at 8:45. The ride was uneventful, wonderful.

I did see one thing I've never seen before. On a short connector bridge between rts 152 and 123 in A'boro center an elderly gent was slowly riding a cruiser-type bike in the opposite direction from me. Balanced on the handlebar was plastic laundry basket full of laundry.

The ride home was uneventful, very pleasant except for the late start home. Why does that always have to happen on Friday, except for how happened last Wednesday too?

Rholland1951 - a question if you please. Did you do Rt2A (Mass Ave) to cross Rt128? Did you spend much time on 2A? If so, how was it? The last time I rode it it was dirty and the pavement wasn't very good.

Sorry, lots of things are called 2A, that was confusing. This is the stretch that runs parallel to the Battle Road, and is marked as N. Great Road on the maps; lots of folks seem to ride it, but I find it too infested with impatient drivers to be fun, and only take the long block between Hanscom Dr and Mill St, in Lincoln. I cross under Rt 128 on Lincoln St, after transiting the north end of the Cambridge Reservoir (Mill St gets you there).

btw, Lincoln St in Lexington, between Marrett Rd and Worthen Rd, has been substantially repaired, and is a good deal more fun to ride than it used to be (it used to be a tissue of pot holes, capable of shaking your fillings right out of your teeth). They're not quite done with fixing it, so there are still some exposed man-hole rims, but those are all painted day-glo orange and are easy to avoid.

rod

Crappy commute today. I spend most of last night building up the frame set I have brought a few weeks ago, and I was doing pretty well on the way to work when I felt the steering go tight on me. Jeff at Ferris wheels took a quick look at it that said it was me because the steering was tmight while the head tube was loose, not a good combination. He said it would be okay to finish the commute to work, but I sort of wish that I have not because by the time I got there it was extremely tight. So I took the subway to South Station and then the commuter rail down to Westwood. From there I bike the last mile half home, but it wasn't pleasant at all. I finished today by dropping it off at Dedham Bike. We will see what they come up with.

Got it. I'll have to ride that some time soon. Those are roads I rarely drive, if ever, so I can't remember all the little twists and options through that portion of Lexington. Easier to stick to straight routes from point A to point B. (Okay, Jim, start studying the map.)

This artifact from the Google My Tracks Android app may help: http://www.google.com/fusiontables/e...=15&t=1&l=col2

rod

Any news about the bike?

rod

I should've taken it to Landry's, they would've looked at it by now. the smaller stores are slower...

Saturday was my rainy, sloppy and fun three state century with 2 friends. Ended up being just a shade under 116 miles. Day started damp, dried up, then got wetter, before the sun finally came out.

I really struggled on this ride. I realized that my month or so of not riding in August really destroyed any base I had. By mile 80 my legs were feeling decidedly ''jello-ish.'' But a break for some coke and sustenance helped me finish.

The middle 40ish miles are by the far hardest. A few rollers, along with a pair of 1 mile longish hills.

Probably my last ''long ride'' for a couple of months. My body needs a rest.

The ride data from my friend's Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1...3cRdY.facebook

Maybe I need to take a break from commuting. Last week it was getting stuck in the thunderstorm and then figuring out that my headtube was messed up. Today was no picnic either.

I thought I would leave a bit early (4:15), so I threw my phone in the trunk bag instead of putting it in my jersey pocket like I usually do. Turns out that just a few minutes later, my wife was frantically trying to call me to take my son to the ER after he sprained his finger. But of course I was already on my way home.

Then the ride itself was less than fun. While climbing the 8% grade up Bellevue Hill, 3 or 4 kids stuck their heads out of a school bus and yelled all sorts of insults. "Hey fata$$! your bike break yet? get off a walk, you can't handle the hill! surprised you're not dead yet!" Yes, these are the leaders of tomorrow. Obviously i didn't respond, but it doesn't help the ego.

Sounds like it'll be rainy enough tmw that I may skip anyway. At least I hope to get the folder back by Friday with the headtube fixed.

Children are sometimes the best advertisements for condoms...

rod

Good ride today. The morning commute started downright chilly with a bit of autumn in the air and a cold hard wind from the north. Fortunately pedaling into the wind meant working hard enough to stay warm anyway! The run home promised to be warmer, except that by 5PM the sun was pretty low and the wind was even stronger. It was downright cold standing on the platform waiting for the train. (There's a song in there somewhere, I just know.) Today's train was right on time, a nice touch.

Didn't ride on Monday though. One of my hobbies is old British sports cars. For some time I'd had the GT6 transmission apart, and then re-assembled and installed but the car idle. Last weekend I had time to give it a test run on the highway, so on Monday I took the risk of running it the 100-mile round trip to the office. It ran like a champ.

I don't know how late into the autumn I'm going to continue the bike commute. People start driving with an odd sense of urgency when the sun gets low. Also rt123 is pretty busy, and though the bike has lights I'm not sure I want to run that rt123 gauntlet regularly. Another feature of the run home lately has been that the sun is directly behind me for much of the distance. I can see the road okay but my mirror doesn't handle it well. Drivers behind me can see me easily, but people pulling into the road from side streets on the right have to squint into the sun and probably have trouble seeing both me and oncoming cars. We'll see...