by Jonathan O’Keeffe » Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:16 am
We are taking the SMR on the road this week to do a pre-ride of the course for next Saturday’s Quabbin Road Race.
The ride today will start from the parking lot of the Stop & Shop in Belchertown on Route 9 at 9 AM and will proceed clockwise along the race route around the Quabbin. This will be a long ride, about 66 miles, with a lot of climbing, but if you’re looking for a shorter ride you’ll be able to turn back at any point along Route 202 and retrace your steps back to the start.
There will be a secondary meeting point at 9:30 AM at the top of the first big climb on Route 202 in the center of Pelham at the blinking light, to meet up with the group riding over from Amherst. This group will meet in Amherst center, in front of the Town Hall, at 9 AM, and ride up into Pelham on Pelham Rd/Amherst Rd.
by Jonathan O’Keeffe » Fri Apr 19, 2013 4:44 pm
Weather for Saturday is looking decent but a little questionable. Looks like we will get some rain overnight that will be clearing out by ride time. I’m optimistic that we can get this ride in, but steady rain in the morning will cancel. I’ll post updates here, so keep an eye on this post if you’re planning on riding.
by Jonathan O’Keeffe » Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:44 am
Radar is perfectly clear, the sky is getting blue in Amherst, and the birds are chirping (no kidding, spring must finally be here). So we are ON. See you on the road.
by Mike_Foley » Sun Apr 21, 2013 8:42 am
Another great SMR!
Belchertown riders: MikeF and 2 of his WooTown peeps …KevinY and SamT. Matt and Aaron from Springfield. Robeerto, Dr. Joe. And Chris.
Junction of 202/118: DavidG, JOK, Tim, Rich, Andrew.
Am I forgetting anyone?
Hilly, obviously … and we stuck together pretty well…until fracturing into small groups on 202….Andrew, Roberto, Dr. Joe, and JOK among the strongest riders all day. No KOM or townline sprint games … just steady riding.
General store in Hardwick was closed (unexpected). Scenic vista and screaming descent from Hardwick …. then some very fast cooperative pacelining on the flat stretch into Ware.
Took a left on route 9 west (race course goes right) to find a convience store where we refueled … and Rich fixed a flat. 7 patches on that tube … amazing re-use.
Rollers in Ware were too much for me and I was off the back at this point. Regrouped at the entrance to the Quabbin. Splinter group formed of MikeF, Kevin, Sam, Chris, and Dr. Joe … taking route 9 back to Belchertown …while the rest presumably summitted the Quabbin climb.
Great ride! Fun!
http://app.strava.com/activities/49733553
by Jonathan O’Keeffe » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:48 pm
Thanks for the write-up, Mike! Below are the map and a few photos.
