Change of Plans - West Groton Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

Here is a picture of Carole being mobbed by goats on the Westminster ride yesterday. I'm putting together a slide show of the Spring season. If anyone want to contribute, just email them to me. THANKS!

So we've come to the Last Fitness Ride of the Spring 2011 Season. Fear not though, the FREE SummeRides series start soon. 

The weather isn't looking real cooperative, so I changed the ride from Townsend - Greenville to a more flexible West Groton - Brookline ride. There are many ways to cut this ride short if the weather turns threatening. The forecast calls for "Few Showers" and 70s in the morning with "Scattered T-Storms" in the afternoon.

The ride itself will take us to West Pepperell past Mount Lebanon and the beautiful farms before we tackle a bit of Oak Hill on out way to Bohanon Bridge on the Nissitissit River. From there it is UP to Wallace Hill. This is the reverse way that we normally go, so it is a short Cat 5 hill getting UP to the ridge with beautiful views (hopefully) of the Wapack Mountain range. 

Then we zoom down to the Squannacook River valley and back to the start. I probably can't stay for lunch, but there is Clover Farm Store nearby and Filho's in Groton Center.

On Friday, June 17th - West Groton

• The Fitness Ride will leave at 9:30 AM.
• Starting Point Map - Cutler Field - West Groton - PortaPotty Equipped!
• Route Map - West Groton - Brookline - Wallace Hill
• Distance - 23 miles
• Elevation Gain - 700 feet (more difficult)
• Unpaved - None
• Equipment - I plan to bring my ROAD bike.

AR Index = roughly 30 flat, paved miles.

Here is the schedule:

• At 9:30 AM - The Fitness Ride will leave.
• At 12:30 PM - We will be back.
• Lunch - Although I probably can't stay.

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

GO - Partly Cloudy, 70s

See you in Westminster.

Reminder - Westminster Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

The weather should be better tomorrow with the forecast calling for Partly Cloudy, mid 60s to mid 70s and light winds. I need to pick up my kids at 1:30 tomorrow, so I've shortened the ride a bit, and I can't do lunch / brewery afterwards :-(

On Wednesday, June 15th - Westminster

The Wednesday Exploration Ride will take us west to the Mount Wachusett region. We will start in Westminster, climb UP toward the west shoulder of Mount Wachusett on some scenic backroads before zooming DOWN to beautiful views at Princeton. From there we ride to Gardner passing many lakes before turning back to Westminster. I'm planning to do the whole ride with just a couple of snack breaks. There are a couple of significant hills at the beginning of the ride including a Cat 5 (easiest category) as we pass the mountain. From there it is rolling hills back to Westminster.

• The Exploration Ride will leave at 9:30 AM.
• Starting Point Map - Westminster Bandshell
• Route Map - Westminster - Wachusett
• Distance - 23 miles
• Elevation Gain - 725 feet (more difficult)
• Unpaved - 1 mile - some rough spots
• Equipment - I plan to bring my ROAD bike.

AR Index = roughly 31 flat, paved miles.

Here is the schedule:

• 9:30 AM - The Exploration Ride leaves.
• 1:00 PM - We will be back to Westminster.

Hope to see you there,

Bill (and maybe Carole)

GO - It Could Be A Bit Chilly

See you in West Acton.

This Week - West Acton - Westminster - Townsend

Dear AdventuRiders,

ARRRGHHH! I just found out that Nancy's Airfield Cafe is closed on Mondays now. So we are going to do essentially the same rides I planned, but we will start at the Elm Street Playground in West Acton. It is just around the corner from Idylwilde Farms, so we can have lunch there.

The weather forecast isn't bad (for a Monday) with cloudy skies and around 60 degrees.

The morning Recreation Ride will take us on a loop through the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge with almost 6 miles of car free riding on mostly old asphalt roads and a bit of dirt / gravel.

The afternoon Recreation Ride will tour the unpaved portions of the Assabet River Rail Trail along the river. This ride has about 2 1/2 miles of car free riding on surprisingly smooth dirt / gravel. This ride has a few more hills than the morning ride, but it also has some great views of the Assabet River Valley.

On Monday, June 13th - West Acton

• The morning Recreation Ride will leave at 9:30 AM.
• Starting Point Map - Elm Street Playground - West Acton
• Route Map - Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
• Distance - 15 miles
• Elevation Gain - 200 feet (easy)
• Unpaved - 2 mile
• Equipment - I plan to bring my HYBRID bike.

AR Index = roughly 17 flat, paved miles.

Lunch will be at Idylwilde Farms

• The afternoon Recreation Ride will leave at 12:30 PM.
• Starting Point Map - Elm Street Playground - West Acton
• Route Map - Assabet River Rail Trail
• Distance - 15 miles
• Elevation Gain - 250 feet (moderate)
• Unpaved - 2 1/2 miles
• Equipment - I plan to bring my HYBRID bike.

AR Index = roughly 18 flat, paved miles.

Here is the schedule:

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

On Wednesday, June 15th - Westminster

The Wednesday Exploration Ride will take us west to the Mount Wachusett region. We will start in Westminster, climb UP toward the west shoulder of Mount Wachusett on some scenic backroads before zooming DOWN to beautiful views at Princeton. From there we ride to Gardner passing many lakes before turning back to Westminster. I'm planning to do the whole ride with just a couple of snack breaks and then have lunch afterwards. Lunch options include Gardner Ale House, Old Mill Restaurant, or a brewery tour at Wachusett Brewing.

• The Exploration Ride will leave at 9:30 AM.
• Starting Point Map - Westminster Bandshell
• Route Map - Westminster - Wachusett
• Distance - 27 miles
• Elevation Gain - 800 feet (more difficult)
• Unpaved - 1 mile - some rough spots
• Equipment - I plan to bring my ROAD bike.

AR Index = roughly 36 flat, paved miles.

On Friday, June 17th - Townsend - Greenville

This is the old Nennie's 5 Star Cafe ride to Greenville, NH. There are some serious hills getting up to Greenville and there are some seriously nice views all the way to Boston and there is a seriously fun 9 mile downhill run back to Townsend. Stay tuned.

Hope to see you there,

Bill and Carole

GO - A Good Biking Day!

See you at Thayer Field In Lancaster.

Reminder - Lancaster Fitness Ride Tomorrow

Dear AdventuRiders,

In spite of the weather today, tomorrow's forecast is for "Sunny and Delightful" with temps in the 70s, light northerly winds, and lower humidity.

The Fitness Ride will take on a quick tour of scenic Lancaster and Atlantic Union College before we tackle a Category 5 (easiest) climb up George Hill past stables and the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Center. From there we ride along quiet backroads past the Sterling National Country Club before climbing back up to distant views of the Nashoba Valley near Davis Farmland.

After a visit to Mary Sawyer's Birthplace (of Mary Had A Little Lamb fame) we will zoom down to Sterling for a short ride on the near perfection of the Mass Central Rail Trail. Then its off to Wachusett Reservoir and Dam in Clinton before returning by way of the old Lancaster Industrial School for Girls.

I can't stay for lunch, but I do have some suggestions.

On Friday, June 10th - Lancaster

• The Fitness Ride will leave at 9:30 AM.
• Starting Point Map - Lancaster - Packard Street - Thayer Field
• Route Map - Lancaster - Sterling - Wachusett
• Distance - 25 1/2 miles
• Elevation Gain - 700 feet (more difficult)
• Unpaved - 1 1/2 miles on the MCRT + 1 mile @ the Wachusett Reservoir
• Equipment - I plan to bring my ROAD bike.

AR Index = roughly 33 flat, paved miles.

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