This time of year I get burnt out doing the same(ish) routes to the hill towns or up and down the river valley.  As I did last year about this time, I posted a meetup in Belchertown to ride around the Quabbin.  This would be my 14th traverse of the Quabbin.

I also thought it is cool to traverse reservoirs back to back weekends!

Seven riders (including me) met at Stop and Shop around 10 AM. In my opinion it was "cool" but not "cold". (50F) Other riders may beg to differ.  A summer bib, summer jersey, full leg and arm warmers, plus a vest nailed it for me all day.  I was comfortable at all times.

There is not much avoiding climbing or traffic on this route. Once we got out to Rte 202, I may have set a brisk pace to warm up! We had a pair of three of very strong riders in the group (OK, they deserve recognition)- Frank, Madeline, and Brent-- whom quickly surged ahead.

We regrouped at the Salem Store for some hydration and a quick break.

After a bit more busy traffic on Rte 202, the turn onto Rte 122 was welcome.  It was a bit quieter, but does have more climbing. I had to take a moment to reel in the strong riders so we could continue as a group.

The turn to Rte 32A has some pretty views going down for a while, but climbing into Hardwick lives up to the town's name.

We stopped at Mimi's at the town common for another refreshment.

Greenwich Rd is mostly a pleasure. Curvy descents with a view and little traffic.  Mostly, as there was a PITA climb in there too, reminding us we are not done.

The "home stretch" in Ware, on Rte 9 reminded me that this ride is hard.  The climb up out of Ware is always a kick.

We turned into Quabbin park, but took a detour over the  Goodnough Dike, thanks to Michael B's suggestion. I had never been over this. It is a nice quiet loop that adds only 1.5 miles and 142' of climbing. I really enjoyed the views here and it will be added to my future Quabbbin routes!

Group photo at Goodnough Dike, PC: Michael Bello

Beautiful perspective, PC: Michael Bello

Our detour put us back out to the "main" road, leading to the "roundabout" and then the punishing climb to the tower.  The views were epic, as usual!

We made our way back to Belchertown via the Windsor Dam (pretty cool to ride over both dams/dikes that hold back the Quabbin, in one ride??).

Our strong riders took the brunt (thanks!) of the head winds that decided to pick up, on Rte 9 back to Stop and Shop.

I had 64.34 miles, 4980' climbing , 15.8 MPH average, and 4:04 moving time when we entered the parking lot just shy of 3 PM.  Great ride, great crew.  Everyone worked hard on this ride but a shout-out to Brent for his first traverse of the Quabbin, and to Michael B, this being his second traverse of the Quabbin in a matter of three weeks.