Saturday 5 Hour Ride Stow

[teamkimball]

Who is up for a 5 + hour ride Saturday starting at 6:00 am? I would like to head out to Wachusett and do a long loop. I am planning on starting earlier and will bike from my house to Harvard so if people want to meet me in Harvard center please be ready to roll at 5:00 am.

[rusto]

In.

[mdemello]

I AM IN. Tom Ball wil you be attending?

[Pattie]

are you sure Mark

sounds like fun!

[gcdavid]

Just FYI, the Harvard 5 mile and 1 mile fun run are taking place, starting at 8:15. Might want to avoid that area if riding through.

[mdemello]

are you sure Mark

sounds like fun!

Only if you show up baby!!!!!

[Smudger]

Also note that Fitchburg stage race is this weekend. You should try and plan your route to go on the opposite direction to the road race and avoid getting caught up in the middle of a peloton.

[onegeardoug]

I could be in, but I don't know how you can leave Stow at 6AM and arrive at Harvard at 5AM.

[rusto]

I could be in, but I don't know how you can leave Stow at 6AM and arrive at Harvard at 5AM.

There once was a lady named bright...

[teamkimball]

Hi everybody

Due to the race in Harvard and Wachusett I will adjust the ride route some. A few folks have inquired about a shorter options so I will plan on looping back to Stow accordingly.

• Start Time 6:00 am Stow Plaza ( Please note I am leaving my house at 4:30 am and will loop through Harvard - Please let me know if anybody wants to meet me there at 5:00 )
• Pace for the ride will be in the 18 - 19 mph range. This is a long easy ride not a hammer fest.
• Based on who shows we can loop back to Stow for those that want a little shorter ride.
• Route Change - Loop around The Wachusett Reservoir then circle back to Stow. We can end with a flatter route around Charlisle.

Let's be ready for 6:00 am.


Thanks,

Steve

[teamkimball]

Mark
We can be back in Stow at 9:00.

Steve

[Pattie]

Last minute kid stuff... I am sure you are having a great ride, what a beautiful day

[rusto]

Whew! Tom Ball can really bury you on the hills. Moments after I volunteered to ride along with him towards Wachusett, I wondered if I had made a big mistake.

When we got to Mile Hill Road, he was off like a rocket. The climb appeared to be a minor inconvenience to him. We re-connected at the welcome center (I expected to find him napping in a hammock when I finally got up there) and did not summit.

Lots of folks on the roads warming up for the race. Humbling to think people would use that climb as a warmup...

Tom had to be back in Stow at 10, so we hammered back nearly the whole way - at least for me, it was hammering. I was waiting for something to give out: calves, thighs, shoulder... Bob Crane would trail behind us on the climbs but would catch up and gave us some long, monster 27 MPH+ pulls on the flats, especially as we made our way back from Bolton along 117. Thanks, Bob!

I was surprised I hung in there as long as I did one day after FMR.