dnuzzomueller

Last couple days have been beautiful. The Newton Tuesday Night Worlds were amazing and today I got out to the blue hills with the father for 38 miles. Supposed to be a rest week but meh, I want to enjoy this weather.

pocky

Much better than the midnight ride? By what standards? The midnight ride was INCREDIBLE this year, and I totally forgot to post about it!



Over 700 people and bikes turned up, including 595 on the Commuter Rail. Here's the final on-train head/bike count tally on Greg's arm:

My friend John and I both did the ride on our 1980's Giant-made Schwinn Worlds, in 52/16 fixed-gear. Including multiple 10-minute stops to help fix peoples' broken-down rides, including a chain that kept locking up, a pair of stem shifters whose bolt had come off, and some very underinflated tires, the trip took 1:40 , and subtracting the stops, this should have been at most 1:15 of straight riding, or 21mph avg.


For a very entertaining perspective from someone who did the ride (slowly!) on a Hubway bike, read here: https://digboston.com/experience/2012...hon-ride-2012/
I too ate the bacon!

jimmuller 

Yeah, I did ride today. My usual 25mile round trip commute. Raced a shower cloud to the station this afternoon. It caught me briefly about half a mile from Attleboro but it didn't have much to say.

However I'm starting to think it is time to retire an old friend, my '72 UO8. The old saddle is become less friendly to my 63y.o. prostate, but more importantly I've become jaded after commuting on the Bianchi and riding the Masi. I have much to ponder.

mtalinm

40 miles along the Chicago Lake Shore bike path. probably the most beautiful ride I've ever done

cmolway

rode 100 miles today: 40 before work and 60 after (a good deal of it in the rain). Did I mention that my wife took the kids to see the inlaws for the week? Guilt-free riding....

jimmuller 

CMolway, if I was a native Bostonian I'd say you was a monstah. But I'm not so I'll just compliment you politely. Well done! Good luck on Sunday.

I did my usual 25 mile commute today, but I think it stretched into about 28 miles. I found a few route modifications. But then, I was riding the Masi today for its first commute. Maybe that had something to do with it. Today was cool and very windy. And did I mention that it was windy? Even in my low gear I had to struggle against the headwind at times.

jimmuller 

35.5 miles on the tandem today. Our usual grounds, Concord, Carlisle, Bedford, Lexington. Lot of wind, cool temps too but not cold. Lot of traffic! This must be Drive-Your-Car-Somewhere-Unnecessary Day. Sleepy little Carlisle Center was like Storrow Drive. Drivers were frantic too. But why? We're still 8 days from the next full moon. At one awkward intersection (225 and 4 west of Bedford Center) I signaled left, tried to wait for a good break in the traffic, and from behind me a woman in an Audi cut me off to pull into the left turn lane, and of course had to wait for oncoming traffic. Oh wait, maybe this is Be-Brain-Dead Day.

A stop in Bedford at Depot Park:




The bike that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsnips:


We did have a delightful visit from bikingrrrl. We had stopped for some lunch at Fern's and had struck up a conversation with another cyclist when a familiar face came up and said hello! She was going into the library across the road and had seen up cycle by and stop, so she had to come over. Kat, that was a real nice treat!

bikinggrrrl

Always nice to see you and Sharon, Jim! Wish I could have been out there with you.
All bad drivers in Carlisle end up at Kimball's. Perhaps they were all just in a big hurry to get some ice cream!

mtalinm

all I had time for was hill repeats on Great Blue in Milton. Felt terribly slow, so I stopped after 3, but it turned out Strava later said I set a PR. So much for my ability to self-appraise...

rholland1951

After more than a week off the bike for a passel of good and bad reasons, had a late afternoon ride, 28 miles through Lexington, Bedford, and Billerica. Out on the Minuteman and the Narrow-Gauge Rail Trail, back on Dudley Road with its history, haunts, and crocodalian pavement, followed by the staged hill climb up Page Road and brisk descent (30.9 mph, speedy for my slow self and a technical violation of the posted speed limit) down Grove Street, home by dusk. Felt good.

rod

jimmuller 

Sharon and I did 45.2 miles on the tandem today, the 45-mile option of North Shore Cycling Club's North To Newburyport ride. Well, actually we did 45.2 miles but only the first 2/3rds were on their ride. The last third was spent following a map and my nose when the route instructions stopped, shall we say, agreeing with reality. It was a windy but otherwise lovely ride, fast at times.

We weren't sure anyone else chose the 45-mile option. There was a 50-mile option and those guys started a little ahead of us and disappeared after maybe 5 miles. For another 5 or 10 miles or so we hung with another group who had passed us. Then all but one turned off for the shorter loops and the only guy who continued on disappeared. After that we were all alone until the return when the 50-milers passed us again.

A quick shot at the start:


On the return we stopped on a sidewalk park bench in Georgetown to have some lunch, and while we were there we watched a parade go up Main St, a celebration of the local Little League teams. Unfortunately we didn't get any pics of the parade.

Lunch:

ZIPP2001

Did everyone enjoy the wind this weekend ? Got out for a solo 35 miles Saturday, then a 45 mile ride with Chris my riding partner today.

godshammgod

Found a nice new group ride Saturday. Did 50+ plus miles out to Harvard with a group of about a dozen from Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington. Really great ride. Some hills, beautiful scenery and a fast, but not too fast, pace.

Ride data from my friend: https://app.strava.com/rides/7498340

rholland1951

Cool, quiet ride to Lexington Center after work, 10 miles. Contemplative mood, mostly contemplating the fact that I wish our beautiful deciduous trees would leave my nostrils out of their reproductive strategy.

rod

ZIPP2001

Just signed up for the TFCE2012 ride on Sept. 9th. Registration is 80% full so if anyone was interested in doing it sign up soon.

cmolway

Only 25 hours left of my guilt-free riding week. Rode about 270 guilt-free miles so far in the 7 days the family was away. Long rides, short rides, rainy rides and even a race. Hoping the rain clears out so I can get at least two more in: tonight's club ride and the weekly, grueling early morning hill-climb ride.

rholland1951

Hmmm... got a pointer to the cue sheet for that?

rod

jimmuller 

The ride is described here:
https://www.nscyc.org/north_to_newburyport_april_2012

The cue sheet for two long rides (out of five):
https://nscyc.org/files/north_2011_L_XL_cue.pdf

The on-road symbol was a white "A", but (as another rider told us at the finish but wasn't announced at the start) Boxford doesn't allow road markings so you can't rely on them for either instructions or confirmation! We lost the route around mile 31 and in retrospect it was partly because we were expecting road markers when there were none. There were other reasons too but that's a whole 'nother story.

Despite our getting off course it was a great ride. We intend to do it again soon, and were regretting that we hadn't picked up the cue sheet for the whole 50 miles.

cmolway

Yeah Boxford is pretty anti-cyclist. I know guys who have been ticketed for riding 3 abreast and pulled over for riding two. They even went so far as to remove chalk paint markers that were laid down the night before the ECV tour D'Essex last year. Got a lot of people lost since everyone expected to see the road markings.

cmolway

beat myself up this morning after ditching a rainy ride to drink beers and stay up late with a friend. 5:15 came a bit too early and the nearly 2K feet of climbing before 7am did not help. Or maybe it did I don't know. I am still working up the strength to pull off my wet shoes.

https://app.strava.com/rides/7736011

godshammgod

I think I'm doing the Tour d'Essex this year. I grew up on the North Shore, but I've never actually done that ride. Looking forward to it.

rholland1951

Quick ride up to Lexington Center after work, cool and damp, 10 miles. A kid near Bow Street was reinventing the caber toss; I'm pleased to say he missed me.

rod

rholland1951

Evening ride to Depot Park, Bedford, after work, 20 miles. The drizzle had ended by the time I started, and the temperature was mild. There was a hint of fog in a few spots. Had the Minuteman to myself for miles at a time: it was as if all the usual pedestrians, runners, skaters, and cyclists had been turned into bunnies, which were numerous. This isn't a complaint.


rod

cmolway

best damn century around. cheap, fast and has free beer and food at the end (free b/c the low cost entry fee covers the after-ride bbq--free if your a member like me ). I think the main group averaged 21.5mph. After getting shelled on the 133 "hammerfest leg" at mile ~85 (I saw 30mph on my computer before seeing stars) I rolled in with the second group and still averaged over 20mph for the ride.

JandersUF

Haven't been checking in as much lately; not so many "new" rides, plus with a new baby been doing more trainer spinning than normal for springtime.

I am doing the blue hills race this weekend, and sterling + wells ave next weekend if anyone else is up for some Cat. 5 fun.

I do have a question for the group... I have this silly idea for a century, starting and ending around my place (Cambridge), connecting all the best climbs in the metro boston area. I'd love any brainstorming ideas...
My current concept is to start in Cambridge, head out towards belmont and hit the ridgeline between there and arlington (concord ave, eastern ave), then perhaps swing towards winchester (some punchy climbs there), and then pick up Page Rd. in Lexington. From there swing southwest to Prospect Park in Waltham, and up that big hill. Then the easy section, meandering southwards through Needham/Dover where I don't know any great climbs, over to the Blue hills in Milton, where we'd hit Unquity, Chicawhatyoumacallit, and finally Great Blue Hill. From there straight back to town, to finish up Summit Ave in Brookline.

Any ideas?