Minuteman Road Club

Peeps,

My schedule this weekend includes a nice battenkill training ride. I am open to starting locations although I would prefer Berlin P&R, Westborough, or Frankenkill. Ride will be tempo / threshold / hill attacks. 3+ hrs.

By default I propose Westborough 9AM start.

Berlin P&R 8AM

How about this variation of the now infamous hybrid WNRFMR or whatever Jeremy called it….

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2263149

Leave from the Berlin PnR, unfortunately at 8am to accommodate SOMEONE’S (you know who you are) request to be home by 11:30. As it’s race-sim, we should fully expect A and B groups to form up as dictated by the terrain. The route is set up so there are 2 logical “re-attachment” points – At the 4 way stop sign at the top of Pinnacle/Oak Hill, and at the top of the Ball Street lollipop. This will allow us to split into A and B for some of the more difficult segments while still allowing us to reconnect.

So I’ll propose: Group roll out until crossing Rt 111 (Mile 12), then game on until regrouping at the Pinnacle 4-way. This will allow folks to turn left at the top of Old Schoolhouse and skip the down and up on Oak Hill in order to re-attach at the top of Pinnacle. Then game on again down to Berlin, and folks can use the top of the Ball Street lollipop (intersection of Green and Ball) to re-attach if needed while skipping the Ball Street down and up.

[ridewithgps]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2263149[/ridewithgps]

ok

In for an 8am start. Ill ride from Stow to the PnR for extra credit

In for the A-/B+

90% in.

One question: will the A ride not regroup at all except at Pinacle and the top of the Lolipop (the LolliTop?) or instead allow minor regrouping (soft pedaling instead of full-stop) at the tops of key climbs? Mainly, I want to know if I should put the route on my Garmin in case I forget specific turns, as I'm likely to be in the A- group on the climbs.

Yes to minor regrouping. Sorry that my original post sounded so draconian. There will be no blood spilled. (But also no static waiting).

In.

See you there! This time no ride to the ride for me. Although book ending March with century rides would be nice...

In.

In. Possibly join ride TO p&r. Jer, meet at Delaney& 117? Time?

Looks like the fight club has come together. I am all in! See you at 8.

Can we move this ride to 9:30? Just kidding in for 8.

Russ and Smudger, ill be swinging by Sweeneys house at 7:30, meet at delaney and 117 at 7:35.

Got it.

Chris, it was a great ride concept, and it was especially Battenkill-like on the Fruitlands climbs when the group shattered into 1s and 2s spread over 300 meters, but I would suggest one change in the first half for next time. (Yes, let's have another one of these soon.) The B group waited over 10 minutes for the A group at the 4-way at the top of Pinnacle. My legs were like cement after waiting that long. If the B group followed the normal WNR up Oak Hill then the time gap at the 4-way would be much shorter.

Good point, Alan, however looking at my historical data for the "traditional" WNR route, there is only a 3 minute difference between taking that left off Taylor & going up Old Schoolhouse versus staying straight on Taylor through Littleton Station then up Oak Hill (the "old" WNR way to the top). In both cases, the times are based on drilling it all the way to the Pinnacle rendezvous point.

I logged it at about 15 minutes wait time (for me). Apart from my legs cooling down & turning into "bags of spanners", I didn't need THAT much REST. Not sure what the other B's require but I'd say 2-3 minutes rest, if needed is plenty before moving on.

Here's an option Chris and I talked about: the A's do what they did today but the B's do a lap (or two at their discretion) on this 2.7 mile loop:

[ridewithgps]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2287957[/ridewithgps]

Advantage of this "time killer" or "sync enabler" is that it is short enough that if some B's want to do TWO laps around, they should be able to do it just as the A's are coming up Pinnacle. If a B wants to rest, or do just one lap "around the block," that is their choice.

Chris, can you check your file for the below section of today's ride and give us the elapsed time:

[ridewithgps]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2287980[/ridewithgps]

My data is misbehaving so I can't answer your question Russ but no matter -- that section of Harvard rd is too crappy to use on Wednesday night. I like the "around the block" idea, or maybe even simpler -- if the A's want to do a down and up just on Pinnacle Rd then sync up back at the 4 way stop I suspect that would work. That way we dont have to split and everyone can attack the main climb along the same route (either traditional Oak Hill OR via Old Schoolhouse).