Minuteman Road Club

Who's in this year? I'm doing the Sturbridge -> Bourne -> Wellesley 2 day route again.

Perhaps Magnus Backstedt will be gracious enough to let me hang on his wheel again this year!

No one else from MRC is doing the Pan-Mass Challenge this year?

Sorry to say Jeff, I'm out this year. Maybe next year.

Jeff,
I too am out. I wish I could afford it but I think the PMC has jumped the shark with the minimum fundraising amounts.
Have a great ride and let Marcus pull a bit this year for a change. He's not used to racing with a Brevet Warrior.
-Len

Here’s the story. For the first 2 years of the my PMC experience, the MRC contingent led the pack going through Bellingham, about 30 miles into the ride. This was a great point of pride for me. The next 3 years, there was always some faster group or I was having an off morning but I was out of the money.

Last year I decided to alter my plan. I got there early, warned up on the trainer for an hour with the HR monitor, cranked the iPod and was ready to go. I found the front group and stayed with them easily. Then this big guy in tights with legs like tree trunks comes to the front. He’s chatting with some skinny guy but the 2 of them are doing all the work. Easily.

We go up one of the hills (Sutton maybe?). Big Guy stands to climb and I’m pedaling like mad to keep his wheel. My hands tingle, my vision narrows, my heart is pounding. My entire world is reduced to watching Big Guy’s wheel in front of me in black and white. I notice a Swedish flag on his bike.

I manage to hang on. I have no idea who he is but he’s not working nearly as hard as I am. We finally reach the top and Big Guy pulls out a camera and starts taking pictures of the landscape. “Great views from up here”, he says, still pedaling. I think: Yeah, nice view.” Now we start the descent. Gravity is betraying my efforts to stay with him but I manage to catch him soon after the bottom.

Big Guy and Skinny Guy are now back at the front. I notice Big Guy’s nametag says Magnus. I think: Funny! There’s a Euro Pro named Magnus who’s won Paris-Roubaix and TdF stages.” My narrow imagination and oxygen-deprived brain can’t fathom that this could actually be him.

Anyway, we’re keeping a really good pace going through Mendon and into Bellingham. He’s seems happy to work at the front and he seems happy to have me providing a heads-up on the next turn. We’re leading the PMC! We are going to be first thru Bellingham! We’re about to turn onto Cross Street and I pull around Big Guy and Skinny Guy. Out of respect for all their work, I mention that this is my neighborhood and would they mind if I lead the group down the street. Big Guy says, “be my guest”. I go to make the turn, some other rider tries to pass me and Big Guy yells, “Hey this is his street, let him go first.” Thanks Big Guy!

I lead the PMC through my neighborhood.

Big Guy stops in Franklin for water and I keep going. I don’t see him for the rest of the PMC. I still have no idea who he is.

I get into Mass Maritime and tell my roommate the above story and he informs me that Big Guy was indeed Magnus Backstedt. I still don’t know who Skinny Guy was.

Thanks Magnus. Next we meet, beer’s on me.

Tony Wood wrote:I'm riding - west stockbridge (NY border) to Sturbridge (fri), then Sturbridge to Ptown. 300 miles +/-. So that was you sucking Magnus' wheel as we flew by him!

Nice Tony! What route are you taking from Stockbridge to Sturbridge?