At the start, 8 AM (trying to avoid some heat of the day), we had four riders. Madeline, Mark D, John M, and myself. It was already quite warm and (self described) gross. We met up with Wendy K on Elm St. 

It was a rapid pace on River Rd all the way out to the East Deerfield bike path trailhead. Our strong two woman team took massive pulls. I am grateful! We paused at the bike path trailhead for a quick rest. I noted that the railroad depot here recently received upgrades to transfer goods from train to truck for “last mile” connections, improving access to intermodal rail services in the region and opening new economic opportunities.

The bike path took us along the always calm and interesting Turners Falls Canal. I did a quick hydration check, and we were good to climb up through Gill’s Main Rd all the way to the end where it meets Rte 10. Wendy set the mood wanting to try to blow up some segments. Madeline put in a massive effort to chase her, and us guys, well, we did our own thing. Main Rd through Gill is always scenic. It is mostly up, but there are some fun descents, and we pass the Northfield Mount Hermon School campus.

We turned off of Rte 10 to head to the main climb of the day, Gulf Rd. It hurt. It was hot. It seemed to never end.  At the top, we paused briefly to dump water on our heads and I learned there was a “who is out of water first” competition.

Luckily, it was mostly down hill (and an enjoyable one!) to our refueling station, at the end of the road where it meets Rte 2 in Erving. Well, we apparently had been riding too fast and the store, Fils Market, did not open until 11 AM. Those of us who needed immediate hydration were in luck because they had an outdoor faucet. We hung around 15 minutes or so to gain access to ice cold beverages and salty snacks. We learned that the owners had only planned to be there for five years, and it was past time to sell the business, partly because they work 80 hours a week and have young children. I do hope they stay open, as it is really only place for miles to fuel up.

Unfortunately the store lacks public bathrooms (also seemed to lack air conditioning), but someone recalled across the street, in the Erving Waterfront Park there was a porta-toilet. Indeed, there was, and not just that, but a very nice park, complete with a bike fix station. We hung around here, maybe too long, but it was surely an enjoyable place to rest.

And of course, we needed to document the group.

It was tough getting going again, especially since there was a small climb up Rte 2. My least loved section, as Rte 2 is so busy. Lucky, just over two miles, we turned on to Farley Rd. And…..

I promise that I do not plan rides with bridges out!  I apparently have a reputation on rides I have led- I always seem to “find” bridges out on the routes, and we have had various levels of “fun” hiking around or under them.

We carefully traversed the closed bridge. It has seen better days for sure. Most of us walked our bikes- the planks were very wobbly and there were exposed nails. The bridge was built in 1889, and sure seems like not much maintenance has been done on it. It was closed in the fall of 2025 and the two towns it connects – Erving and Wendell are looking for over $780k needed to repair it.

With that crossing complete, Farley Rd was a treat with fresh pavement. The climbing up into Wendell was not so much a treat. When it is hot and humid, that pavement so hot, every hill looks bigger.

We got some relief on the way down to Lake Wyola where it sure looked and smelled (the cookouts!) like a hot August day. I suddenly had a craving for a hot dog.

We continued to enjoy the speedy and cooling descent to Rte 63 and crossed over Rte 47. Instead of going directly down Rte 47, we navigated some shadier back roads, eventually dropping us out to the town line on Falls Rd.

We made a second stop at the Sunderland country store, which did have awesome air conditioning, and we drank gallons of water and soda and ate anything in sight that was salty. We were in no hurry to head back home into a headwind with no shade and 95 degrees.

As we set out, Mark informed us it was an 8 MPH headwind. We took turns pulling, and at one point when I was on the front, Mark told me that wind had picked up to 11 MPH. Lucky me! As they did all day, Wendy and Madeline were impressive, pulling the rest of us for long periods.

I was quite happy to see the bike path and relax a bit and get some shade. We all split off from there, and at that point I had 76.07 miles, averaging a very impressive 17.5 MPH and 3533′ of climbing (per Garmin). Whew!

I was too close to booking my first century this season so I ended up riding another hour or so, looping around close to home to grab the extra miles for a 100. Double whew!