We rolled out of Pulaski park with seven NCC riders and one guest e-cyclist who had the best kit ever – leather jacket, studded leather gloves, and a face shield with cat ears.
Our guest rode with us for a few miles and then broke off from our group to head back to town.
We headed to Cummington today. There were a few bigger climbs, but mostly the route had rolling hills and fun descents back to Northampton. Our first climb came as we headed out of Williamsburg on Old Village Hill Rd and Goshen Rd. One of the riders may have started the hillclimb shenanigans with a “let’s stay in the big ring challenge”. The rider will remain anonymous to protect her from further teasing about inhaler doping.
After the climb out of Williamsburg and the fun little rollercoaster on Damon Pond Rd, we stopped at Sugar Hill Rd to pay homage to Tim C.
We had a fun rip down 143 before turning onto Cummington Rd to start our climb to Cummington. When I mentioned hillclimb shenanigans earlier, what I really meant was that we all tried to keep up with Andy as he seemingly floated to the top of climbs.
After chasing Andy up hills, we all needed a rest. We stopped at the Cummington Creamery to refuel and caffeinate.
We had a little hiccup after our restop when someone got a flat. Unfortunately, the valve of the new tube got eaten by the pump and we spent a long time trying to figure out how to retrieve it before punting and using someone else’s tube. The tire itself proved difficult to get off and on the rim, adding to the time spent on the task. Thankfully, our group had no trouble entertaining ourselves and the motorists passing by.
In Ashfield we had a bear cub sighting as it darted across the road. There was a tense moment while we waited for its mama to come after it. Mama bear never showed, which left us worrying about the tiny cub. Hopefully they found each other shortly after we went by.
The last twenty miles of our ride was a pretty steady downhill. This included a sweet paceline down Williamsburg/Ashfield Rd.
We couldn’t have asked for better weather for a ride. Hopefully we can keep this beautiful weather trend going! When I stopped my Garmin, I had 65 miles and 5,000 ft of climbing. Tim will lead next week’s ride.
There will be no club rides on June 10th. Please consider signing up for the Hatfield Lions Club Bike Tour in support of eye research.
