NBW-028: East Providence Spring Season Opening Ride

Chilly Start

Chilly start, middle, and finish... The skies were gray and it felt cold. Cold enough for me to wear my winter riding shirt (07 Pearl Izumi Kodiak Jersey), my shell (Performance Transformer Jacket), and my shoe covers. I couldn't believe how cold I felt. Wasn't is supposed to be a warn, sunny, 50° day? I should have filled a thermos with coffee for the ride...

Ride Start, originally uploaded by Martinator.

A "portion" of the riders that showed up. I'd guess over 100 people showed up for this ride. Pretty much everybody has their winter gear on. Except for one guy in shorts.

Pup-cycle, originally uploaded by Martinator.

~100 riders plus 1 dog! I wonder what the dog is thinking right about now...

What? No Tabs?!?

I only had enough Nuun Hydration Tablets for one bottle. No big deal. I figured that, since the ride was starting at a bike shop that I would just pick up some Camelbak Elixir Lemon Lime Hydration Tabs, which I prefer anyway over the NUUN Tabs. However, much to my surprise, the East Providence Cycle bike shop didn't carry any of either.

What?!? You've got to be kidding me...

EP Cycle loses points in my book...

30 Miles or 40?

I had about 10 miles to decide if I was going to do the either the 30 mile option of the 40. It was chilly, I was getting dropped on the climbs (though not as bad as the same time last year) and it was only my second time out on the bike this year. So when I came upon the split, I decided not to push myself and I chose the 30 mile option. It was still a lot of riding for March (for me) and I wanted to ease myself into the season.

Halfway, originally uploaded by Martinator.

This is me at about the halfway point in the 30 mile option. Nobody in front of me and nobody behind me. The club ride became a solo ride at this point (until others caught up to me). Notice the beautiful shades of gray that we call "Early Spring in New England"...

March is for Serious People

As I was riding a thought occurred to me:

If you really love what you do, you do it in March!

Nobody who does anything casually in New England, does it in March. They just don't. Here's a list:

• Serious Skiers ski in March (and April, and May...)
  Casual Skiers think February break marks the end of the season.
• Serious Golfers hit the links in March, and by that I mean locally (flying down to NC or Fla doesn't count). I saw some golfers while I was riding.
• If you love softball, you are out there playing. Like those guys were on the field towards the end of the ride.
• Serious runners are, well, running.
• Even gardening is a good example!
• And then there are us Cyclists. (Cyclist who bike over the winter are just plain nuts and belong in a separate category.)

There are probably more examples, but I think you get the idea.

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Pan Mass Challenge

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NBW: The Flatest Century in the East...

Hannah's One Night Stand

Tropical Storm Hannah had been threatening to wash out the TCFE. Luckily, it was a one night stand. I drove down 495 and Rt 24 under heave cloud cover. I parked my car at UMASS Dartmouth with half the sky dark clouds and half clear blue skies. As I was getting my gear together I could see the long line of dark clouds disappearing north. Nice.

Pre Ride

Registration went smoothly. On my way to reg I noticed a mechanic's tent. My rear wheel wasn't perfectly true. So I figured I would take advantage of the volunteer mechanics and have them check it out.

Some fine tuning of the rear wheel before heading out. It was ever-so-slightly out of true.

I made sure I was loaded up on Clif Bars and Gu. CamelBack and Water bottles filled with Camelbak Elixir electrolyte enhanced water.

Ever since I've started using the Elixir I haven't had to worry about cramping. I first used it on the Hill and Gully ride and I never cramped up. I swear by the stuff now.

I took care of a few other pre-long-ride rituals and headed out.

First Leg

Now I knew some people who were doing this ride. I just never made plans to meet up with them. So the tricky part of showing up to a century ride by ones self is to pick the right group of riders to ride along with. Now with the TFCE that is no mass start. You just show up, register, and head out at your leisure. I trolled around the parking lot for a bit looking for a promising group before I decided to just head out. Upon exiting the parking lot I saw Monica Foulkes taking pictures. I stopped and chatted with her for a bit (00:02:37 to be precise) as a group of riders passed by.

I headed out made an effort to catch that group as I didn't see another group rolling out anytime soon. I caught up with them on the other side of route 6. I figured "If I could catch them, I can hang with them." they weren't going too fast or too slow.

I wasn't sure who the people in this group were, but they were riding at just the right pace for me. (FYI - The gentleman in the white shirt really needs to invest in a new pair of bike shorts.)

I didn't know how lucky I was to catch up with this group. It turns out that this group was being pulled by Gil Peel and consisted mostly of the people who actually arrowed the route. What dumb luck on my part!

TFCE Ride Stats

Leg	Distance	Moving Time	Avg Mph
Leg 1	30.60	1:51:04	16.5

Food Stop #1 - Hixville Fire Department

At the first rest stop I grabbed a PB&J, visited to the Facilities, chatted with some of the riders I was with. I also ran into Scott who I know from the Phat Tuesday rides. We chatted for a bit, then he took off. I looked around for the group I was with, and they were gone. I double checked to be sure. Then I headed out to see if I could catch them...

Rest Stop Duration: 0:12:41

Second Leg

So here I am, riding solo trying to catch a group of riders that was averaging ~16.5 mph in the first leg and my batteries die in my GPS unit. Ugh! So much for a clean track of this route. I ride on hoping I can get some fresh batteries. I catch up to rider after rider, group after group... nope, not them. Then a group buzzes past me! I jump on. I hang on for a while letting them pull me along.

Eventually they drop me, but I press on. I get to Rest Stop #2 and there is a store there where I can buy batteries.

TFCE Ride Stats

Leg	Distance	Moving Time	Avg Mph
Leg 2	16.99	1:05:14	15.6

Food Stop #2 - Tiverton Four Corners

I check-in, buy some fresh batteries and a bottle of Gatorade, and I rejoin the group here (they've been here a little bit longer than me), I learn everybodies names, and then promptly forget them as I am very bad with names.

somebody says that they think we might get more rain, I promptly check the radar. No rain in sight :-)

This was a very short rest stop for me.

Rest Stop Duration: 0:03:56

Third Leg

I hung with group for a little bit. But I think the combination of trying to catch the group plus the 3 minute rest stop might have been costly. I got dropped by group about 6-8 miles somewhere along Route 77. They weren't going that much faster than me, however they were ever so slowly disappearing in from of me.

Gil Peel. This is a picture of Gil that I took before I got dropped.

This is me. Alone. On Howland St.

Hannah's aftermath: Big, crashing waves all along the coastline. it was difficult to get this picture as the dune between the road and the beach was ~ 6" high.

Me by a calm inlet.

TFCE Ride Stats

Leg	Distance	Moving Time	Avg Mph
Leg 3	23.42	1:28:35	15.9

15.9 mph - Not too bad for getting dropped and beginning to feel tired.

Food Stop #3 - Adamsville Baseball Field

Paula at the Check-in Table

I walk up to the check-in table, give my number, and Paula immediately tells me that she is selling the recumbent the she bought from my friend in May 2007. Here is a picture of Paula on that bike from the Uxbridge Animal Farm Ride 2007.

I caught up with the group again. They were getting ready to head out. I decided not to rejoin them and take a more leisurely break. It turned out to be almost a half hour.

Lots of water. I refilled my CamelBack here and added some of the Elixir tabs I had brought along.

The "mood" at this final rest stop was a lot less "rushed". I could sense how tired people were starting to feel.

Rest Stop Duration: 0:27:25

Fourth Leg

The last thirty miles I ground it out and enjoyed the scenery. I didn't know there were so many vineyards and farms down here.

Water.

Apponagansett Bay is filled with pleasure craft.

This is me and Apponagansett Bay.

Waiting for the bridge. 0:03:49

A first. I never had to wait for a bridge while riding before. A bunch of us were, well, bunched up waiting for the bridge to open. The bridge keeper, (I think that is what he is called), waved us through the gates once the bridge was realigned and made the cars wait until we were all across. That was nice of him.

Last draft, then last drop. This rider dropped me on the last climb to UMASS with less that a mile to go.

Fini

I had packed a couple of Yogurt Smoothies in a cooler with a ton of ice packs in my car. They were still very cold. They both made for a good recovery snack (20g Protien total).

TFCE Ride Stats

Leg	Distance	Moving Time	Avg Mph
Leg 4	31.52	2:05:10	15.1

My TFCE Stats

Weight before leaving home in the morning: 179.5 lbs.

• I went through about ~100+ oz. of Elixir supplemented water.
• 1 16 oz bottle of Gatorade at Tiverton Four Corners
• 1.5 PBJ Sandwiches
• 1 banana
• 1 Blueberry Clif Bar
• A bunch of Gu
• and countless no-hands adjustments of the chamois ("What's that guy doing?")

Weight upon arriving back home in the afternoon: 180.0 lbs. (I guess I hydrated appropriately)

TFCE Ride Stats

Leg	Distance	Moving Time	Avg Mph
Leg 1	30.60	1:51:04	16.5
Leg 2	16.99	1:05:14	15.6
Leg 3	23.42	1:28:35	15.9
Leg 4	31.52	2:05:10	15.1
Total	102.53	6:30.03	15.8

Home Sweet Home

A freshly baked Blueberry Pie made by my wife with fresh blueberries from a local farm was waiting for me once I got home :-)

NBW-129: Diamond Hill One

Good Turnout

I don't know how many riders turned up, but there seemed to be quite a lot. I told a fellow Tuesday evening rider, Scott, about this ride. As I drove in I saw him riding in.

Scott's First NBW Ride, originally uploaded by Martinator.

I know Scott from the Phat Tuesday rides. This is his first year riding and he is kicking butt.

Monica Sends us Off

Monica Giving the Pre-ride Talk, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Monica giving the pre-ride speech.

Start by Climbing out of the valley

The first 3.7 miles of this ride was a couple of climbs that took us from the park (@ 221") to the top of a hill near the Big Apple (@ 473"). It had the effect of stretching out the large group into many smaller groups rather early. This was good as it was a lot harder to wind up with the wrong group of riders (either too fast or too slow).

Familiar Territory

I live just north of the ride start in Franklin, MA. I have already biked on just about every road on the route at one point or another (with the exception of the rotary in Norfolk, I typically avoid that). I didn't take any pictures along the route. It was all pretty familiar to me so nothing really jumped out as picture worthy like the incredible views from the Hill and Gully Ride a few weeks ago or the South Shore Century I did in May of 2007.

Wrong Turn

I was with a group on Miller and I guess the arrow was either hard to see or just plain not there. Miller is a weird street. There is a really bad intersection on Miller where you have to make a left to stay on Miller, yet the right of way bears right onto Green. This is newly paved and the intersection is ambiguous to begin with. Well, everybody I was with turned right. I said "Um, I think we were supposed to go left back there." The group stopped at Chestnut Street (where there were return arrows for the ride back.) I turned around and headed back and people followed me. Then we were back on track.

Overall the ride was very scenic, though traffic was somewhat heavy at times. I was able to hang with a group of riders until we made a right off of Rt 27 onto South St. in Medfield at about the 35 mile point. Then it was a solo ride. I felt pretty good at the end. Hopefully I'm in good enough shape for the TCFE this upcoming weekend.

Social Tent

It was nice having a Social Tent at the end of the ride. The new shirts look real nice. The hot dogs tasted really good after a 50 mile ride :-) I finally got a chance to meet Monica Foulkes after emailing her back and forth. We talked about the website and what potential improvements/enhancements could be implemented. We'll probably talk more as the days get shorter and the weather gets more wintery.

Monica , originally uploaded by Martinator.

Monica holding court at the Social Tent post ride.

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Hill and Gully Rider

Last Minute Decision...

Went to bed in one frame of mind...

Saturday night I was beat and went to bed figuring I wanted to ride a long distance on Sunday, but didn't want to have to trek out to West Gloucester, RI. I also thought that I probably wouldn't do a distance ride because I would futz around and stall too much to take advantage of the day.

...Woke Up (sort of) Motivated.

At 8:00 AM, Sunday morning the reminder I had set for this ride buzzed and woke me up. Hmmm, I can still make it. I figured I was more likely to get a good distance ride in if I did it with a group. I checked Google Maps and determined I was 1 hour and 5 minutes from the starting point. I better get moving. I just went though the motions of getting ready because I knew if I thought about it, I would find excuses not to head out.

No Time for Breakfast!

I didn't have time for breakfast. I also knew I couldn't afford to ride the 50 or 70 miles route on an empty stomach. So I hit the Dunkin Donuts drive through and ordered two breakfast sandwiches and a coffee. I got to the starting point in plenty of time.

Quick Start, Too Quick...

The lead group was running at a 19.5 mph pace after the first half hour. Too fast for me.

The Fast Group, originally uploaded by Martinator.

This is the last I saw of them. They were averaging 19.5 mph at this point. There was no way I was going to be able to maintain this pace for this ride.

Alone with the Scenery

Horses, originally uploaded by Martinator.

So after I got dropped I was alone. Time to relax and take in the scenery.

Flat Tire

Russel, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Russel was fixing a flat in the shade right after the turn onto Lake street on the outskirts of downtown Webster. I stopped and offered him the use of my pump.

Local Rider

George, originally uploaded by Martinator.

This is George. He isn't a club member and wasn't part of the ride. He lives in Charlton and was just out for a local ride. We rode together for a while until our paths diverged.

Dresser Hill Road

Nice View, originally uploaded by Martinator.

This is the view from the top of Dresser Hill Road (Rt. 31). The picture doesn't do it justice.

Clam Shack @ Food Stop #1

Food Stop #1, originally uploaded by Martinator.

A Clam Shack this far inland at mile 25 and at an elevation of 830 ft seemed out of place for some reason.

Regroup and Refuel, originally uploaded by Martinator.

I regrouped with a couple of other club riders here. That is Mark in the bright shirt getting some frozen yogurt.

70 Miles

Mark and Dave, originally uploaded by Martinator.

I rode with Mark and Dave for the remainder of the 70 mile route. I would not have done the 70 mile option if I was alone. I'm glad I hooked up with these guys for this ride.

Another Stop

Second Stop, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Mark was getting tired and told us to not let him hold us back. Dave said what I was thinking "It is better if we stay in a group." Luckily, we were right near one of the marked food stops on the map. So we decided to take 5 and hang out in the shade for a bit. We also bought some bizarre disgusting tasting Snapple Antioxidant Water (Grape Pomegranate). I emptied my water bottles into my Camelback and then filled them up with this odd tasting drink.

Dave, Climbing, and Cadence

Dave in the Shade, originally uploaded by Martinator.

Dave is the master of the cadence. I watched how he rode and tried to match his cadence as best I could. Even if it meant dropping back a bit. I am pretty sure that if I didn't have his cadence as a guide, I would have burnt myself out. Thanks Dave.

We Saw Santa on a Harley...

Motorcycle Toy Drive, originally uploaded by Martinator.

As we were approaching the 395 overpass, we saw a car stop in the intersection in front of us. He was blocking the road to allow about a few hundred motorcycles pass through led by a Santa Clause on a Harley. This shot doesn't do it justice.

...and a person get hit by a car!

As the motorcycle procession was making a left onto the on ramp to 395 North, there was a Ride Support Staff member blocking traffic to allow them to make the left turn. She was also taking pictures of the procession. I was riding up to her (I was on the left side for the road at this point looking for an opportunity to cross back over) when the car that was stopped behind inexplicably started driving forward. The car clipped the staff member in the hip with her car. Unbelievable! She didn't get knocked down but she did get knocked aside and was limping. The car eventually pulled over and a lady probably in her 60's got out and said "I think my brake released". This is BS as brakes simply don't do that.

A Good Ride

It was hilly and not easy. I made sure to stay hydrated and take a shot of GU every 45 minutes. I also was more aware of my cadence thanks to Dave. I never once came close to cramping up. At mile 50 though, my thoughts turned to food...

Pizza

On my way home I ordered a pizza and ate the entire thing. Note, this wasn't an individual size pizza, this was a regular size pizza. Mmmmmmm...

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NBW: South Shore Century

The South Shore Century

I didn't really train to ride a Century this year, however I put in almost as many miles in the previous 10 week as I did when I was training for my first Century last year. So I figured I should be in good shape. This is my 4th ride with the Naragansett Bay Wheelmen. Some of the faces are starting to look familiar.

This is a serious Biking Van. The roof has as many bike racks as its real estate can accommodate.

Morning Meeting

Luca, the arrower, telling us about all the hazards and obstacles to expect. He was more than thorough :-)

Luca was the sole arrower for the ride. He marked just about every single hazard on the route and then some. Somebody commented "A blind man can follow these arrows!" Normally the NBW Club rides are very well arrowed. However, Luca's arrowing stepped it up to a completley higher level. He had compiled a full page of significant hazards and obstacles like "bridge closed" and "road missing". He was thorough yet succinct in his descriptions. There were no surprises.

The ride

As I am learning with Group Rides, the mass start quickly breaks up into smaller groups. The trick is to join a group that matches your pace. I think the is the first NBW Club ride where I managed to do that. We had a fast but not insane pace and I comfortably hung with the group until the rest stop at mile 50.

The South Shore

The South Shore is really nice. At least the expensive, waterfront sections we rode through is nice.

.33 miles of Dirt in Duxbury along Duxbury Beach.

Scenic Coastline in Ocean_Bluff (Marshfield), MA

Approaching the Old Scituate Light Lighthouse.

100 miles and only one rest stop...

At about mile 40 I was wondering if the group I was riding with was ever going to stop. I was 1/4 the way through my second bottle of Gatorade and while I didn't have to "go", I knew it would be only a matter of time before nature called.

Rest Stop at Halfway point. Scotty's in Scituate. Gatorade refill and a restroom :-)

That's Sara on the left. Sitting down in the red shirt is another Marty. He's a Chiropractor.

The second 50...

I couldn't keep up the pace with the group I was riding with. I got dropped around mile 60. Not bad. I wasn't the only one. Steve had dropped before I did and I thought at the time "I'll see him later..., after I get dropped." and I did.

Wompatuck State Park.

The ride through the Wompatuck State Park was interesting.

Pick-up Truck in Norwell

A guy in a green pick-up truck in Norwell seemed to have an issue with me. He yelled something about "grumble grumble follow traffic rules a-hole...". Then he pulled in front of me and hit the brakes. I soooo wanted to respond with a hand signal, but I thought it prudent not to. So I just stared him down. If you are ever in Norwell, MA and see a guy in a Green Pick-up with Mass Plates "1984-TO", feel free to give him a piece of your mind.

Thanks Steve!

This is Steve Rodriguez. He pulled me along for the last 20 miles. The other Marty is his Chiropractor.

After mile 80 my bicycle felt like it was made of lead. That pretty much sums up my state of affairs at the end of the ride. I was glad to be riding with Steve for this last leg of the ride.

Animal Farm - 30 Mile GPS Track & Dot Race

I wasn't the only one tracking this past Sunday's ride with a GPS. I found another rider who tracked the 30 mile route and uploaded it to Motionbased.com

• NBW ride Uxbridge - The 30 mile track by a person with a Motionbased UserName of 'jussaume'.

If you bring up both of our tracks you can run a "dot race", (or just 'Click Here' to launch the 'dot race'). You can see that we were right next to each other at one point. It also looks like he had a "Mechanical Issue" just north of downtown Grafton. He stopped for 15 minutes in a spot that had no food services of any kind, so I can only assume it was a "Mechanical" stop.

NBW-106: Uxbridge Animal Farm Ride

This was my third ride with the club since joining last summer. It was the first one in warm weather. I finally got an opportunity to meet and socialize with some of the members. I saw someone on a recumbent that looked very similar to one a friend of mine had. It turns out that Paula Bissel had bought my friend's Strada, small world.

As the ride stretched out, it started to feel like a solo ride with the difference being that most of the other rider I saw was going in the same direction. At the 30 mile cut off point, it was a solo ride. That is, until I caught up with Andy on the outbound portion of the 50 mile loop. I wasn't breaking any personal records at this point and our pace matched up pretty well so we rode together for most of the remainder of the ride.

At about mile 45 or so, with my legs tired and muscles burning, I remember thinking: "This feels good". Probably the endorphins talking ;-)

The next ride I hope to make it out for is the NBW: Scramble Metric. According to the map, it passes less than a mile from my house. That rotary along the route in Norfolk (@ Rt. 115 in the center of town) might pose a challenge.

Map, um, differences…

The ride was very well arrowed. There was one arrow that led some of us into a person's driveway, though that was a painless wrong turn. To be fair, the driveway resembled a small side road enough to cause a bit of confusion.

There were three areas along route (if one did the full 50) where the arrows differed from the map. All of these updates were improvements.

The start was different than it was on the map. The map had the route going through downtown Uxbridge. That would have been problematic given how "grouped" we all still were at that point.

The second was a minor change in Grafton, where George Hill Road meets Leland St. The arrow pointed left instead of right and took us down a side road (Leland St.) that ran parallel to RT 140 as opposed to riding on RT 140 itself. (Trust the arrows…, trust the arrows…)

The third was along the 50 mile "loop". It "cornered off" the Rt. 16/North Ave intersection (Mendon). I only saw it on the way back. I don't know if it cut it off on the way out. That could explain why I didn't see any arrows where Rt. 16 met North Ave . I was with Andy at that point. Andy saw the arrow; I knew it was different than the map. We stopped. I checked the map. We decided to "Trust the Arrows" and proceeded. Ironically this safer quieter cut-off was the only place we had an issue with a car as somebody came tearing out of a blind driveway in a Pacifica without looking first just as another (more patient) motorist was trying to pass us.

Fini

Back at the car, feeling fresh

Why are the end of rides so anti-climatic?

Zoo

I can't pass the Southwick Zoo without taking a picture :-) Mostly downhill from here...

Upton

Andy's water stop at the liquor store in Upton.

Andy

I catch up to fellow member Andy. My solo ride is now not so lonely :-)

Refuel

Gatorade stop at the 40/50 split. Should I do the 40, or the 50. I do the 50.

Lazy Acres Farm

Lazy Acres Farm, that is what the sign behind my fat head says.