Next Week - Heart Pond - East Pepperell - TBD

Dear AdventuRiders,

I am going to New York City this weekend to ride in the Five Boro Bicycle Tour. Just me, Eddie,  and 32,000 of our closest bicycling friends.

So, here is an abbreviated announcement of next weeks rides.

Monday, May 2nd - Heart Pond

The weather for Monday isn't looking so good (again) at this point, but we'll hope for the best.

We have two choices of rides on Monday, the morning ride will be an easy cruise along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and a trip through Great Brook Farm State Park. The afternoon ride will be a bit more challenging as we visit the scenic backroads of Carlisle.

We will meet at the Heart Pond parking lot in South Chelmsford. Here is a starting point map.

• The morning Recreation Ride will feature the new ($1,000,000 per mile) Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. We will also cruise over to Great Brook Farm State Park and ride past the cranberry bogs.

• The route is a little less than 14 miles long, a little over 200 feet vertical (easy), and there are only two noticeable hill on it. There is a short bit of old dirt road in GBFSP, but a road bike will work fine. Here is a route map.

We will have a picnic lunch at Heart Pond beach. We can get subs at Kate's Corner store or BYOL.

• The afternoon Recreation Ride will also visit Great Brook Farm State Park on our way to the scenic backroads of Carlisle.

• The route is a little over 14 miles long with almost 300 feet vertical (average). It is all on road. Here is a route map.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The morning Recreation Ride will leave.
• At 11:30 AM - We will have a picnic lunch.
• At 12:30 PM - The afternoon Recreation Ride will leave.
• At 2:30 PM - We will be back.

Wednesday, May 4th - East Pepperell

This is a "new" ride that starts at East Pepperell Center, goes UP to Hollis Center, then DOWN to Nashua. Lunch / drinking will be at Martha's Exchange on Main Street. Then we will ride through Mine Falls Park on our way back to the Nashua River Rail Trail and back to Pepperell.

The route is a little over 27 miles with about 500 feet vertical (easy). Here is a route map.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The Exploration Ride will leave.
• At 12:30 PM ish - We will have lunch.
• At 2:30 PM - We will be back.

Friday, May 6th - TBD

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

GO - It's A Beautiful Day!

Reminder - Boxboro Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

FINALLY, tomorrow is looking like a very nice biking day! The forecast is calling for 60s, SUNSHINE, and light winds. The forsythia is brilliant, the daffodils are out, and many trees are in bloom.

Friday, April 29th - Boxboro

We will meet at the soccer fields on Liberty Square Road. Here is a starting point map.

• This is one of my favorite rides. Its scenic, challenging, and has a two mile downhill run through Harvard and Littleton. Of course that means that there are some uphills too, but the one significant hill we have is mostly just long and not that steep. 

• The route is about 24 1/2 miles long and 650 feet vertical (moderate) with most of the elevation gain going UP Oak Hill in Harvard, although it is uphill back to the starting point too. It is all on road and I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a route map.

• I don't have any good ideas for lunch since Boxboro is "Cuisine Challenged". Put on your thinking caps!

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave.
• At 12:30 PM - We will be back.
• Lunch?

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

GO - See You In Groton Center

Change of Plans - Groton Center Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

I've given up trying to figure out tomorrow's weather! The best I can tell is should be "Patchy fog in the morning. Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers." in Portsmouth. Not ideal for spending all day at the coast. 

So, since I need a ride before my legs atrophy, I designed a nice ride from Groton Center that will get us out of the house and give us the ability to bailout if the weather turns ugly.

On Wednesday, April 27th - Groton Center

We will meet in Groton Center at the Nashua River Rail Trail parking lot. Here is the starting point map.

• The route will take us down Martin's Pond Road to Baddacook Pond, over to Massapoag Pond, and down to Keyes Pond. From there we will ride to Tyngsboro and UP to a beautiful view in Dunstable.

• We can get lunch at The Convenient Mann in Dunstable and / or have a picnic at Larter Field.

• Then we cruise the backroads to Sand Hill Road and catch the rail trail back to the Center. The route is about 26 1/2 miles with about 500 feet vertical (moderate). Here is a route map. There is a bit of dirt / gravel but I'm planning to bring my road bike.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The Exploration Ride will leave.
• At noonish - Lunch.
• At 2:30 PM - We will be back.

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

STOP - All Monday Rides Are POSTPONED

This Week - Heart Pond - Portsmouth - Boxboro

Dear AdventuRiders,

I hope everyone had a peaceful and relaxing "Spring Break". Its actually starting to look a bit like Spring outside.

We also seem to be getting the "Spring Showers". The forecast looks a bit unsettled all week, we'll see what we can do.

Monday, April 25th - Heart Pond

The weather for Monday isn't looking so good at this point, but we'll hope for the best.

We have two choices of rides on Monday, the morning ride will be an easy cruise along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and a trip through Great Brook Farm State Park. The afternoon ride will be a bit more challenging as we visit the scenic backroads of Carlisle.

We will meet at the Heart Pond parking lot in South Chelmsford. Here is a starting point map.

• The morning Recreation Ride will feature the new ($1,000,000 per mile) Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. We will also cruise over to Great Brook Farm State Park and ride past the cranberry bogs.

• The route is a little less than 14 miles long, a little over 200 feet vertical (easy), and there are only two noticeable hill on it. There is a short bit of old dirt road in GBFSP, but a road bike will work fine. Here is a route map.

We will have a picnic lunch at Heart Pond beach. We can get subs at Kate's Corner store or BYOL.

• The afternoon Recreation Ride will also visit Great Brook Farm State Park on our way to the scenic backroads of Carlisle.

• The route is a little over 14 miles long with almost 300 feet vertical (average). It is all on road. Here is a route map.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The morning Recreation Ride will leave.
• At 11:30 AM - We will have a picnic lunch.
• At 12:30 PM - The afternoon Recreation Ride will leave.
• At 2:30 PM - We will be back.

Wednesday, April 27th - Portsmouth

As usual, the weather for the Portsmouth ride is looking "iffy". What does "Isolated Thunderstorms" actually mean? I'll keep you posted.

Although its an hour drive each way, this is a good route to accumulate early season miles without hills and with marvelous scenery. We also need to do this ride before May 1st when parking and entrance fees in NH go into effect. Yup, $4.00 per person every time we stop to admire the scenery!

We can meet at the Shaw's parking lot at 4 corners in Groton to carpool. Here is a meeting place map.

We will meet at the Hampton North Beach Parking. Here is a starting point map.

• The Exploration Ride will ride along the beautiful NH seacoast to New Castle and then to Portsmouth. Along the way we will stop at Rye Harbor State Park, O'Diorne State Park, Fort Constitution, ... Since we have experience with afternoon headwinds on the coast, I have mapped out an inland route on the way back if necessary.

• The route is about 31 miles and mostly flat. Here is a map. Its all on road, so I plan to bring my road bike.

We have many choices for lunch in Portsmouth. Here are a few suggestions:

• Lunch on the deck overlooking Portsmouth Harbor at River House Restaurant.
• Pub lunch with fresh microbrew beer at the Portsmouth Brewery.
• Lighter fare at Popovers on the sidewalk in bustling Market Square.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:00 AM - Meet at Shaw's to carpool.
• At 10:00 AM - Meet at Hampton North Beach parking lot.
• At 12:30 PM ish - We will have lunch.
• At 3:00 PM - We will be back to North Hampton Beach.

Friday, April 29th - Boxboro

We will meet at the soccer fields on Liberty Square Road. Here is a starting point map.

• This is one of my favorite rides. Its scenic, challenging, and has a two mile downhill run through Harvard. Of course that means that there are some uphills too, but the one category 5 (easiest category) hill we have is mostly just long and not that steep. 

• The route is about 25 miles long and 700 feet vertical (moderate) with most of the elevation gain in the first hill, although it is uphill back to the starting point too. It is all on road and I plan to bring my road bike. Here is a route map.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave.
• At 12:30 PM - We will be back.
• Lunch

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

Change of Plans - DIY Ride Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

Well tomorrow looks like a great day to ride, unfortunately I'm feeling kind of crappy right now :-( I don't think I will want to ride tomorrow.

So, I did the next best thing and planned a DIY ride for anyone who is interested.

On Friday, April 22 - Groton Center DIY

You will meet in Groton Center at the Nashua River Rail Trail parking lot. Here is the starting point map.

The weather forecast is calling for Mostly Sunny and around 50 degrees.

The route is about 20 1/2 miles with only 322 feet vertical. Here is a route map. Its all on road except with a bit of gravel on Rocky Hill Road. Be sure to stop at Baddacook Pond and Massapoag Pond. 

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave.
• At 12:00 PM - You should be back.
• Lunch - Filho's Cucina?

Have a good ride,

Bill

Friday Ride? + Marathon Pictures

Dear AdventuRides,

Mark your calendars! It looks like Friday 4/22 will be a nice day, so I am planning a Fitness sort of ride. Stay Tuned.

Also, I attached a few pictures from our Boston Marathon ride this morning. We got up at an ungodly hour and the 3 miles ride UP to Hopkinton was challenging for someone who had only managed to half open their eyes.

After that, we had an EXCELLENT DOWNHILL ride with a TAILWIND and minimal traffic. We rode in 8 new towns as well, Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston. Lunch at a sidewalk cafe at the finish line capped off the day. This ride is definitely going on the calendar for next year!

Bill

GO - Dress Warmly.

This Week - Marathon Ride - School Vacation

Dear AdventuRiders,

This week is school vacation week, so we don't have any regularly scheduled rides. However, we are planning the First Annual AdventuRides Marathon. Apparently its a cycling tradition to ride the Boston Marathon route before the runners start. The wheelchair racers leave first, and they are wicked fast, so we need to leave well before they leave at 9:00 AM.

On Monday, April 18th - Boston Marathon.

OK, here's my plan. We park at the Southboro MBTA train station, its about 32 miles and 41 minutes from Groton Center. It cost $4.00 to park, and you need (4) one dollar bills. We leave there at 7:00 AM  and ride the 3 miles to Hopkinton Center where the Boston Marathon starts. We leave Hopkinton at 7:30 AM just as they are closing the road behind us and cruise - mostly downhill - to Boston. We should get to Boston by 10:30 ish, how hard can 26 miles, 385 yards be? The top runners will shame us by running to Boston in just a little over 2 hours.

I think if we leave Hopkinton by 7:30 AM we should be all right, at least until we get to downtown Boston. I'll bet Boyleston Street will be a madhouse, but we can always walk the last 4 blocks. We can get brunch in Boston, watch the Marathon finishers and grab the train from Back Bay station back to Southboro. Here is the MBTA schedule.

The weather is look quite nice at this point. It will be partly cloudy and CHILLY in the morning with windchills in the mid 30s - dress warmly. It is about 3 miles UP to Hopkinton with a couple of significant hills and we will have a crosswind. About half of the elevation gain on the ride is getting up to Hopkinton. After that it is mostly DOWNHILL to Boston and we will have a strong TAILWIND. Even "Heartbreak Hill" shouldn't be particularly noticeable since we are not running or close to "hitting the wall". By the time we get to Boston it should be SUNNY and near 50 degrees. 

Our route from train station to train station will be about 30 miles with 500 feet elevation gain. Here is a route map. Its all on road, and I plan to bring my road bike.

RSVP if you are interested in carpooling from the Shaw's parking lot in Groton (35 minutes to Southboro).

Here's the schedule:

• At 6:50 AM - Meet at the Southboro Commuter Rail Station. Its $4.00 to park all day. Here is a starting point map.
• At 7:00 AM - Ride the 3 miles to the starting line in Hopkinton.
• At 7:30 AM - Leave Hopkinton for Boston.
• Before 10:30 AM - We should be in Boston. 
• At 12:16 PM - Take the Framingham / Worcester commuter train back to Southboro. Bicycles are allowed (and they are free) and the fare is $6.75.
• At 1:14 PM - Arrive in Southboro.
• Nap!

Hope to see you there,

Bill

GO - Sunny and Chilly

Reminder - Groton Center Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

Its looks like a beautiful Spring day tomorrow! The forecast calls for 40s, SUNNY, with little wind. Please try to be a few minutes early so we can leave on time.

Friday, April 15th - Groton Center

We will meet in Groton Center at the Nashua River Rail Trail parking lot. Here is the starting point map.

• This week's Fitness Ride will take us DOWN the hill and across the Nashua River on our way to West Groton. Then we cross the Squannacook River and head for Hickory Hills Lake in Lunenburg. From there it is UP to Flat Hill and beautiful views. We will stop in Shirley Center for an extended snack / break in the "Most Historic Town in America". 

• We can check out the flowers at Holdenwood on our way to Shirley Village. From there we cross the Nashua River again and ride through part of old Fort Devens. Then its off to Ayer Center before we return on the Nashua River Rail Trail.

• The route is about 25 1/2 miles with about 600 feet elevation gain (moderate). Its all on road, so I plan to bring my road bike. Here is the route map.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave.
• At 12:30 PM - We will be back.
• Lunch - Filho's Cucina.

Hope to see you there.

Bill and Carole

GO - Chilly This Morning

Boston Marathon Bike Ride?

Dear AdventuRiders,

Is anybody interested in doing the Boston Marathon by bike on Monday? RSVP if you're interested. I will have trouble getting up that early without company :-)

Apparently its a cycling tradition to ride the Boston Marathon route before the runners start. The wheelchair racers leave first, and they are wicked fast, so we need to leave well before they leave at 9:00 AM.

On Monday, April 18th - Boston Marathon.

OK, here's my plan. We park at the Southboro MBTA train station, its about 32 miles and 41 minutes from Groton Center. We leave there at 7:00 AM  and ride the 3 miles to Hopkinton Center where the Boston Marathon starts. We leave Hopkinton at 7:30 AM just as they are closing the road behind us and cruise - mostly downhill - to Boston. We should get to Boston by 10:30 ish, how hard can 26 miles, 385 yards be? The top runners will shame us by running to Boston in just a little over 2 hours.

I think if we leave Hopkinton by 7:30 AM we should be all right, at least until we get to downtown Boston. I'll bet Boyleston Street will be a madhouse, but we can always walk the last 4 blocks. We can get lunch in Boston, watch the Marathon finishers and grab the train from Back Bay station back to Southboro. Here is the MBTA schedule.

Here's the schedule:

• At 7:00 AM - Meet at the Southboro Commuter Rail Station. Its $4.00 to park all day. Here is a map.
•                        Ride the 3 miles to the starting line in Hopkinton.
• At 7:30 AM - Leave Hopkinton for Boston.
• At 8:45 AM - We should easily get to Framingham before they close the road.
• At 10:30 AM - We should be in Boston. 
• At 12:16 PM or 2:46 PM - Take the Framingham / Worcester commuter train back to Southboro. Bicycles are allowed, and it costs $6.75.
• At 1:14 PM or 3:44 PM - Arrive in Southboro.
• Nap!

Any takers?

Bill

Change of Plans - Portsmouth POSTPONED - Hollis on Thursday Instead

Dear AdventuRiders,

How does 1 to 2 inches of rain and a windchill in the 30s sound? We always have "interesting" weather on the Portsmouth ride, but, ... So, Wednesday's ride to Portsmouth is POSTPONED.

Thursday is looking reasonably nice (partly cloudy, 50s), but not nice enough drive an hour each way to go to Portsmouth. Instead, let's do something local and ride from Groton Center to Hollis for lunch at the Hollis Country Kitchen.

Thursday, April 14th - Hollis

• The Exploration Ride will travel to West Groton, ride along the Squannacook River to Pepperell where we cross over into the Nissitissitt River watershed. From there it is UP past the Beaverbrook Association Conservation Area to Hollis, NH. 

• Lunch is at the Hollis Country Kitchen. Hopefully we can sit outside on their patio for lunch.

• After lunch, the last 13 miles or so are "all downhill" or on the Nashua River Rail Trail.

• The route is about 31 1/2 miles with a significant hill getting up to Hollis. There is almost 600 feet vertical (moderate). Here is a map. Its all on road except for a bit of smooth dirt / gravel in Hollis, so I plan to bring my road bike.

We will meet in Groton Center at the Nashua River Rail Trail parking lot. Here is a map.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - We will leave from Groton Center for Hollis, NH.
• At Noonish - We will have lunch at Hollis Country Kitchen.
• At 2:30 PM - We will be back.

Hope to see you there,

Bill (and maybe Carole)

GO - Warm, maybe a sprinkle.

This Week - East Pepperell - Portsmouth - Groton

Dear AdventuRiders,

Welcome to week 2 of AdventuRides Spring 2011! The weather forecast for this week looks similar to last week, but much warmer. We'll do our best to get as many rides in as possible.

Monday, April 11th - East Pepperell

The current weather forecast calls for a 40% chance of morning showers and a high temperature in the low 70s. Lets hope for better weather, but we will try to get the afternoon ride in at least.

We will meet in East Pepperell Center at the gravel Rail Trail parking lot. Here is a map.

• Since this is the first Recreation Ride of the season, the morning ride will feature the Nashua River Rail Trail to Groton. From there we will see a bit of the Groton School and the Surrenden Farm Conservation Area before returning to Pepperell on the NRRT. 

• The route is about 14 miles and essentially flat. Its a good way to accumulate some early season miles, avoid traffic, and enjoy the beauty of the NRRT. There is a tiny bit of gravel at Surrenden Farm, but any well maintained bike will work fine. Here is a map.

Lunch will be at the Pepperell Spa Restaurant. The food is adequate, but the "olde timey" ambience is something not to be missed. The restroom is one of the most adventurous that we have found.

• The afternoon Recreation Ride will also make use of the NRRT, but this time we will be going northeast to Dunstable. After leaving the rail trail and climbing a small hill, we will pass Tully Farm on our way to the Jointgrass Brook Conservation Area. From there we will pass Swallow Cemetery and return by way of farm-filled Hollis Street and River Road.

• The route is a little over 12 mile with some rolling hills. It is all on road and any well maintained bike will work fine. Here is a map.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The morning Recreation Ride will leave.
• At 11:30 AM - We will have lunch.
• At 12:30 PM - The afternoon Recreation Ride will leave.
• At 2:30 PM - We will be back.

Wednesday, April 13th - Portsmouth

The weather is looking very nice with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 50s. Its supposed to be cooler in Portsmouth and there could be a sea breeze, so I'll keep my eye on it. We always have "interesting" weather on our seacoast trips.

Although its an hour drive each way, this is a good route to accumulate early season miles without hills and with marvelous scenery. We also need to do this ride before May 1st when parking and entrance fees in NH go into effect.

We can meet at the Shaw's parking lot at 4 corners in Groton to carpool. Here is a map.

We will meet at the Hampton North Beach Parking. Here is a map.

• The Exploration Ride will ride along the beautiful NH seacoast to New Castle and then to Portsmouth. Along the way we will stop at Rye Harbor State Park, O'Diorne State Park, Fort Constitution, ... Since we have experience with afternoon headwinds on the coast, I have mapped out an inland route on the way back if necessary.

• The route is about 31 miles and mostly flat. Here is a map. Its all on road, so I plan to bring my road bike.

We have many choices for lunch in Portsmouth. Here are a few suggestions:

• Lunch on the deck overlooking Portsmouth Harbor at River House Restaurant.
• Pub lunch with fresh microbrew beer at the Portsmouth Brewery.
• Lighter fare at Popovers on the sidewalk in bustling Market Square.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:00 AM - Meet at Shaw's to carpool.
• At 10:00 AM - Meet at Hampton North Beach parking lot.
• At 12:30 PM ish - We will have lunch.
• At 3:00 PM - We will be back to North Hampton Beach.

Friday, April 15th - Groton

Beware the Ides of April, for it is Tax Day! The weather looks Mostly Cloudy and 50s, but its too far off to have any confidence in the forecast.

For various reasons, we ended up riding 24 miles in about 2 hours moving time last week, a little fast for this early in the season. Please bear with us as we fine tune our new Fitness Rides. 

We will meet in Groton Center at the Nashua River Rail Trail parking lot. Here is a map.

I have a couple of ideas for the Fitness Ride. One takes us to Lunenburg where we can mourn the loss of Trudy's Treats. This route is about 25 miles with some significant hills. The other idea takes us to Hollis, NH through the hills of West Pepperell. Its about 30 miles, but the last dozen miles back to Groton are downhill or flat on the NRRT. Stay tuned!

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave.
• At 12:30 PM - We will be back.
• Lunch - Filho's Cucina.

Hope to see you there.

Bill and Carole

GO - It's A Beautiful Day!

Reminder - Fitness Ride Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

Well, the forecast for Friday is looking better all the time! Currently it is looking like mid 40s in the morning with sunny skies and little wind, and low 50s by noon. It should be a perfect day for the inaugural, All New And Improved Fitness Ride. 

So the idea behind the ANAI Fitness Ride is to get a good workout without spending all day doing it. Its not a race, and we won't leave anybody behind, but we plan to ride a bit more purposefully and cover many more miles than the Fitness Rides of yore. Think or it as doing both the morning and afternoon ride from last year but without the lunch break in the middle. We will stop for a snack along the way, so plan accordingly. Please don't be intimidated, if you find the Recreation Rides too easy, give the Fitness Rides a try.

Since this is "Rail Trail Week" at AdventuRides, we will ride a few miles of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail on our way to the Olde North Bridge in Concord. Along the way we will visit Chelmsford Center, Great Brook Farm State Park, the backroads of Carlisle, and beautiful views from Monument Street. Then we return via Strawberry Hill Road and some more of the BFRT.

We will meet at Heart Pond in South Chelmsford. Last time I checked, there was a PortaPotty in the parking lot. The route is about 26 miles with about 500 feet elevation gain. Here is a map. There is a bit of easy gravel / dirt in GBFSP and at the Olde North Bridge, but I plan to bring my road bike.

Please arrive a few minutes early so we can finish the paperwork and get everybody ready for a great ride!

On Friday, April 8th, we will meet at the Heart Pond Parking lot in South Chelmsford.

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave for the Olde North Bridge in Concord. Here is a map.
• At 12:30 PM - We will be back.
• LUNCH - TBD

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

GO - Dress Warmly

Reminder - Minuteman Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

The weather for tomorrow is looking quite nice, mid 40s and sunny in the morning, mid 50s and partly cloudy in the afternoon. It is supposed to be quite breezy though.

Given the amount of rain we've gotten recently, I think we should skip the unpaved Narrow Gauge extension and just meet at the Minuteman parking lot in Bedford. We can always explore the extension after we get back.

Note the 10:00 AM starting time. BTW, the bathrooms at the parking lot were not open last time we were there, plan accordingly. The route is about 22 miles, all paved, and essentially flat. Its a good way to rack up some early season miles without killing ourselves, and we get delicious sandwiches from Dave's Fresh Pasta.

On Wednesday, April 6th, we will meet in Bedford at the Minuteman Bikeway Parking.

• At 10:00 AM - The Exploration Ride will leave from the Minuteman Rail Trail Parking for Somerville. Here is a map.
• At 11:30 AM - LUNCH at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville.
• At 12:30 PM - We will head back to Bedford.
• At 2:30 PM - We should be back to the Minuteman rail Trail Parking.

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

A Few Gentle Safety Reminders

Dear AdventuRiders,

Well I spent my day watching the snow / sleet / rain and putting together some safety reminders. Here they are.

Bill

Helmets.

• A CPSC approved helmet in good condition is required on all of our rides.
• All bicycle helmets sold in this country since 1999 are CPSC approved.
• Helmets should be replaced at least every 10 years since the materials deteriorate over time.

Lane Usage. OK, I admit it. I am probably the worst offender here, but here are the guidelines we will follow.

• NEVER ride on the wrong side of the road. The are enough blind corners and silent Priuses to cause a serious accident. Even if there is no yellow line, we should always leave enough room for oncoming traffic to easily pass us.
• On busy roads we should ride single file as close to the right side as safe.
• On quiet roads we should generally ride only two abreast. Traffic coming around blind corners behind us don't expect the whole lane to be filled with bikes.
• The exception to all this is when we are turning left or on a very narrow road when we want to "control the lane" to prevent cars from trying to squeeze past us.
• In general we want to share the road and not surprise other users.
• Remember, "Dress to be visible, ride like you're invisible".

Parked Cars. 

• DO NOT ride near a parked car. 
• When passing a parked car, move left at least 6 feet. This is an example of controlling the lane.
• Hitting a car door that swings out in front of you is bad.
• Instinctively swerving left into traffic is worse.

Hand Signals.

• When turning right, I use my right arm to point to where I am going rather than the traditional left arm signal. That 17 year old driver will know exactly what you mean.
• When stopping, I raise one or the other arm like I'm going to ask the teacher a question. This is "Bike New York" style and it is more visible than the tradition arm down signal.

Courtesy. We find that drivers are generally very courteous to us and we need to return the favor.

• When we stop along the road, we should stay in line rather than bunching up and blocking the lane.
• When a driver is courteous to us, its always nice to acknowledge it with a friendly wave.

Speed. Again, I am one of the worst offenders. I'm not going to play cop, but keep this in mind:

• Yes, it is fun to see how fast you can charge down a hill.
• The laws of physics tell us that falling off a bike at 30 MPH will hurt 4 times as much as falling off at 15 MPH.

STOP - All Monday Rides Postponed

Reminder - East Pepperell Center Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

I hope you got out to enjoy the beautiful weather today. Unfortunately, if you DO enjoy the weather in New England, just wait 10 minutes. The forecast for tomorrow features a 90% chance of rain / snow in the morning and just rain in the afternoon. One of our intrepid riders report that the NRRT is still covered in slush north of Groton, Thanks Ed!

I will send out email and update the website before 8:00 tomorrow morning with the GO / STOP ride status.

We will meet in East Pepperell Center at the gravel Rail Trail Parking lot.

The Monday morning Recreation Ride will take us south on the NRRT to Groton Center and then to the new Surrenden Farm conservation area. From there, we will check out the mural under the bridge on our way back to Pepperell. The route is mostly on the rail trail, basically flat and about 14 miles. There is a tiny bit of gravel at Surrenden, but a road bike will work fine. Here is a map.

The Monday afternoon Recreation Ride will take us north across the new covered bridge to Hollis, NH along the Nissitissit River. From there we turn back to historic West Pepperell, avoiding as many hills as possible, to check out the shrine and the pound. The route is about 12 miles, a bit hilly (250 feet gain) and there are some smooth dirt roads along the way. A sturdy road bike will work.  Here is a map.

On Monday, April 4th, we will meet in East Pepperell Center at the gravel Rail Trail Parking lot.

• At 9:30 AM - The morning Recreation Ride will leave for Groton Center and beautiful views of Mount Wachusett. Here is a map.
• At 11:30 AM - We will be back for LUNCH at the good ole Pepperell Spa.
• At 12:30 PM - The afternoon Recreation Ride will leave for the Nissitissit River and West Pepperell. Here is a map.
• At 2:30 PM - We will be back.

On Wednesday, April 6th, we will meet in Bedford at either Fawn Pond Parking or the Minuteman Rail Trail Parking.

• At 9:45 AM - The Exploration Ride will leave from Fawn Pond and ride on the Narrow Gauge Rail Bed. Here is a map.
• At 10:00 AM - The Exploration Ride will leave from the Minuteman Rail Trail Parking for Somerville. Here is a map.
• At 11:30 AM - LUNCH at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville.
• At 12:30 PM - We will head back to Bedford.
• At 2:30 PM - We should be back to the Minuteman rail Trail Parking.
• At 3:00 PM - We should be back to Fawn Pond.

On Friday, April 8th, we will meet at the Heart Pond Parking lot in South Chelmsford.

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave for the Olde North Bridge in Concord. Here is a map.
• At 12:30 PM - We will be back.
• LUNCH - TBD

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

Our 15th Season Begins Monday!

Dear AdventuRiders,

It doesn't look very much like Spring out the window today, but let's hope for better weather next week.

Anyhow, now is the time to:

1. Find your bike.
2. Pump up your tires! Riding on low tires is no fun at all, and believe me, your tire have lost air over the winter.
3. Find your helmet.
4. Take your bike (and helmet) out for a test ride to make sure everything is working properly.
5. Review our Release and Waiver and bring a signed copy to your first ride, or we will have copies available for you to sign.
6. You can give us a try for free, and when you decide that this is a great physical and social outlet, you can:
7. Sign up for AdventuRides at :

• Acton Recreation (Program #237, Page 30).
• Littleton Recreation - (Page 8).
• Roudenbush Community Center - Coming soon.

We still offer two pass options, the descriptions have changed a bit though.

The One Day A Week Pass entitles you to ride one day a week during the season. If you miss a week, come twice the next week. We don't keep track, its on the honor system. You may ride a different day each week if you choose. Here are your choices:

• Monday - morning and/or afternoon Recreation Rides. 
• Wednesday (usually) - Exploration Ride. 
• Friday - Fitness Ride.

The Season Pass entitles you to all the all the rides you want during the season.

Here are the rides planned for next week. I will send out more details and a reminder before each ride.

The Nashua River Rail Trail still had quite a bit of snow on it north of Pepperell even before the latest snow. So, I designed a couple of new rides that should be snow free by Monday. We will meet in East Pepperell Center at the gravel Rail Trail Parking lot.

The Monday morning Recreation Ride will take us south on the NRRT to Groton Center and then to the new Surrenden Farm conservation area. From there, we will check out the mural under the bridge on our way back to Pepperell. The route is mostly on the rail trail, basically flat and about 14 miles. There is a tiny bit of gravel at Surrenden, but a road bike will work fine. Here is a map.

The Monday afternoon Recreation Ride will take us north across the new covered bridge to Hollis, NH along the Nissitissit River. From there we turn back to historic West Pepperell, avoiding as many hills as possible, to check out the shrine and the pound. The route is about 12 miles, a bit hilly (250 feet gain) and there are some smooth dirt roads along the way. A sturdy road bike will work.  Here is a map.

On Monday, April 4th, we will meet in East Pepperell Center at the gravel Rail Trail Parking lot.

• At 9:30 AM - The morning Recreation Ride will leave for Groton Center and beautiful views of Mount Wachusett. Here is a map.
• At 11:30 AM - We will be back for LUNCH at the good ole Pepperell Spa.
• At 12:30 PM - The afternoon Recreation Ride will leave for the Nissitissit River and West Pepperell. Here is a map.
• At 2:30 PM - We will be back.

On Wednesday, April 6th, we will meet in Bedford at either Fawn Pond Parking or the Minuteman Rail Trail Parking.

• At 9:45 AM - The Exploration Ride will leave from Fawn Pond and ride on the Narrow Gauge Rail Bed. Here is a map.
• At 10:00 AM - The Exploration Ride will leave from the Minuteman Rail Trail Parking for Somerville. Here is a map.
• At 11:30 AM - LUNCH at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville.
• At 12:30 PM - We will head back to Bedford.
• At 2:30 PM - We should be back to the Minuteman rail Trail Parking.
• At 3:00 PM - We should be back to Fawn Pond.

On Friday, April 8th, we will meet at the Heart Pond Parking lot in South Chelmsford.

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave for the Olde North Bridge in Concord. Here is a map.
• At 12:30 PM - We will be back.
• LUNCH - TBD

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole