Reminder - Sterling Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

If you noticed the bright sunshine, breeze and chill this afternoon, you have a good idea what tomorrow's weather will be like. Bring some warm clothes, gloves, etc, and enjoy the spectacular Fall colors in Central Massachusetts.


To take advantage of the sunny weather, and to try something new, I thought we would meet in Sterling, MA. Google claims its 35 minutes from Groton and 25 minutes from Harvard. Here is a map.

My son, Keaton, and I made this video last summer that covers much of the area we will be riding.

The morning Recreation Ride will explore the Mass Central Rail Trail from Sterling to Holden. We will also stop at the Old Stone Church on the Wachusett Reservoir. Its an out and back sort of trip, so we will be spending quite a bit of time off road on a beautiful crushed rock surface. The route is 17 miles with about 750 feet vertical and 8 miles off road. Much of the elevation gain is on the 2% grade of the rail trail, so its not as hard as it sounds. I am planning to bring my road bike anyway. Here is a map.


Lunch will be at Bambi's Corner Cafe in Sterling Center.

"A little slice of the American pie, the Corner Café, in Sterling Center, offers basic diner fare at very low prices. Informal and chatty servers make for a nice experience, as do reliably prepared comfort foods."

NOTE: Last time we sort of overwhelmed Bambi, so we may go to Village Pizza and More instead.

The afternoon Fitness Ride will go up the hill to Davis' Farmland before swooping down to historic Clinton. After visiting the Wachusett Dam and riding along the reservoir, we will enjoy the rolling orchards and views of the Nashoba valley from Chase Hill Road. From there, its down to Waushacum Pond and a short stretch of the Mass Central Rail Trail back to Sterling. The route is about 15 miles and 800 feet vertical with a couple miles of very civilized off road. I am planning to bring my road bike. Here is a map.


On Friday, October 22nd, - We will meet at the Rail Trail parking in Sterling Center. Here is a map.

* At 9:30 AM, the Recreation Ride will leave for Holden. Here is a map.
* At 11:30 AM, we will have lunch at Bambi's Corner Cafe or Village Pizza.
* At 12:15 PM, the Fitness Ride will leave for the Wachusett Dam. Here is a map.
* At 2:15 PM, we will be back.


Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

GO - Partly Cloudy and 47 in Gloucester

Bring something warm.

Reminder - CAPE ANN Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

Well is looks like another nice Fall bike riding day! The Gloucester forecast calls for low 50s and partly cloudy in the morning with increasing clouds and near 60 in the afternoon. Wind shouldn't be an issue, but bring a warmth layer and a wind layer anyhow. Since my road bike's crank is still clicking, I am planning to bring my hybrid bike. The route is all on road, so a road bike will work fine too.


On Wednesday we will have a SPECIAL ride on beautiful Cape Ann. We also have a guest leader to show us around Gloucester and Rockport and wherever else he chooses. This should be a real treat, especially for me, and a true Exploration Ride for all of us. And a special thanks to Joe for helping to arrange this trip.

it is a little over an hours drive from Shaw's parking lot in Groton to Gloucester. If you want to carpool, RSVP and show up at Shaw's at 8:45 AM. Here is a map.


On Wednesday October 20th - We will meet at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. Here is a map.

* At 8:45 AM - We will meet to carpool in Shaw's parking lot at 4 corners in Groton. Here is a map. RSVP so we can get a headcount and arrange bike racks etc.
* At 10:00 AM - We will leave Stage Fort Park for a tour of Cape Ann. The route is about 27 miles.
* At Noonish - Lunch!
* At 2:30 PM - We will be back to Stage Fort Park.
* At 3:30 PM - We should be back to Groton.

A note from our guest leader "I can recommend a stop for food – Halibut Point, a tavern on Main Street in Gloucester - http://www.halibutpointrestaurant.com/. (I can also recommend the Italian fish chowder – tomato based and spicy.) After the ride, for the beer drinkers there's Cape Anne Brewing - http://www.capeannbrewing.com/". Our guest leader obviously understands our prime motivations :-)


Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

GO - Another Beauty

Bring something warm and a wind layer.

This Week - Westford - Cape Ann(?) - Sterling

Dear AdventuRiders,

The weather is looking very nice tomorrow, sunny and mid 40's in the morning, partly cloudy and mid 50s in the afternoon. It will be a bit breezy, so bring a warmth layer and a wind layer. The routes are doable on a road bike, but there will be some loose surfaces, so I plan to bring my hybrid bike.


On Monday October 18th - We will meet at Forge Pond Beach in Westford. Here is a map. From the intersection of West Prescott Street and Pleasant Street, follow the narrow paved road along the railroad tracks to the beach.

* At 9:30 AM the Fitness ride will leave to explore Lost Lake and Massapoag Pond. Here is a map.
* At 11:30 AM we will have a picnic lunch at the beach or the restaurant.
* At 12:15 PM the Recreational ride will leave for the Stone Arch Bridge and Graniteville. Here is a map.
* At 2:15 PM we will be back.

The Fitness Ride will explore Lost Lake, Duck Pond, Massapoag Pond, and Keyes Pond as well as parts of the NA&B rail line. The route is a little over 16 miles with a significant amount of off road. I plan to bring my hybrid bike.

We can have a Picnic Lunch at Forge Pond Beach and we can get subs at Pizzaria Presti across the street.

The Recreation Ride will feature one of the wonders of the Merrimack Valley: the Stone Arch Bridge in Westford. We will also visit Nabnasset Lake and possibly Burge's Pond. The route is about 12 miles with a some civilized off road and a few hills. I plan to bring my hybrid bike.

PortaPotty Warning: There is no PortaPotty at the starting point! There will be some along the ride.



On Wednesday, October 20th, we are working on a trip to Cape Ann. Stay Tuned.



On Friday, October 22nd, - We will meet at the Rail Trail parking in Sterling Center. Here is a map.

* At 9:30 AM, the Recreation Ride will leave for the Wachusett Dam. Here is a map.
* At 11:30 AM, we will have lunch at Bambi's Corner Cafe or Sterling Pizza.
* At 12:15 PM, the Fitness Ride will leave for Holden. Here is a map.
* At 2:15 PM, we will be back.



Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole

STOP - All Friday Rides Are Postponed

Definitely NOT a top 10 day!

Local Events + Reminder - Stow - Nancy's Airfield Cafe

Dear AdventuRiders,

Well the weather is looking pretty grim tomorrow :-( 100% chance or rain in the morning. I will send out email and update the website before 8:00 AM with GO / STOP status.

In the mean time, let me plug a few local bicycle related events:

Human Powered Vehicle Festival

On Saturday 10/16 (rain date 10/17) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, come to the Nashua River Rail Trail between Groton Center and Ayer and see all sorts of strange human powered vehicles. Carole and I will have a table for AdventuRides stuff and I am going to bring some of my wheeled creations Including Carole's new "hybrid" bike.

Bikes Not Bombs

If you have some old bikes laying around the house, I know I do, you can donate them to Bikes Not Bombs. They ask for a $10 per bike donation to help pay for restoring the bike.

"For 25 years, BNB has been a nexus of bike recycling and community empowerment both in lower income neighborhoods of Boston and in the nations of the Global South. BNB's programs involve young people and adults in mutually respectful leadership development and environmental stewardship, while recycling thousands of bicycles."

Here are some local dropoff spots.

• Concord Dropoff Day

  Sat Oct 16th
• Westford Bike Drive

  Sat Oct 16th
• Ayer Recycle Day

  Sat Oct 23rd
• Acton Boxborough Regional Bike Drive

  Sun Nov 7th

On Friday, October 15th, we will meet at the Stow Airfield on Boxboro Road. Here is a map. Please park away from Nancy's. I plan to bring my Hybrid Bike.

• At 9:30 AM - we will leave for Delaney Pond. Here is a map.
• At 11:30 AM - we will have lunch at Nancy's Airfield Cafe.
• At 12:15 PM - we will leave for the ARNWR. Here is a map.
• At 2:15 PM - we will be back.

Hope to see you there,
Bill and Carole