jimmuller 

Mark the day, pump up the tires, grab your helmet, come ride.

Start ~10AM, Depot Park, Bedford, MA, Depending on how people feel toward the end we can run anywhere from maybe 35 miles to the upper 40's.

Bring a bike with gear, as there are a few small hills but no mountains. You can even bring a non-C&V bike, but when your CF shatters you'll need a cell phone for someone to come pick up the pieces.

Sharon and I will be riding our '82 Peugeot tandem so we'll fly down the hills, move along pretty well on the flats, and slog uphill while everyone else leaves us in the dust.

Directions to Depot Park - intersection of Loomis Rd, South St, and Railroad Ave, a few blocks south of Bedford Center. From Rt128 go west on Rt4/225. After a mile and half or so turn left on Loomis. There is no sign for Loomis but it is the first stoplight after Rt62 joins Rt4/225 from the right.

Per popular request: We'll start at 9AM! (Instead of 10.)

Rocket-Sauce 

Any chance for an earlier start? We have picnic plans for early afternoon.

I would love to go!

jimmuller 

How much earlier? PastorBob will be coming down from New Hampshire so he'll have a 1 1/2hr drive.

The route I've worked out has several opportunities for you to head straight back to Bedford. So you could do just part of it with us.

pastorbobnlnh 

I can be there as early as 9:00 a.m. I'm excited this ride could be rescheduled!

jimmuller 

Okay, we'll start at 9AM!

Rocket-Sauce 

I will check with the boss. The picnic is noon so I'd need to be home in Cambridge around 11:30. I can bow out of the ride early. Looking forward to meeting you all.

jimmuller 

BUMP! (And with luck the stoker behind me won't cry out @!%*! because of that bump.)

The weather is now predicted to be great!

Only 6 days away. (It would be good if we had a head count.)

pastorbobnlnh 

Jim, I'm still on board.

Any suggestions on what to ride? It will have to be a Schwinn or a Cannondale, and most likely the former. Fillet brazed or lugged?

Quick question: Any steep climbs? Can I leave the mega range freewheel at home?

southpawboston

I didn't even know about this ride! I'm doing a Father's day ride on Sunday. I don't know if I can convince my wife to allow me to celebrate Father's day twice, if you know what I mean.

Are you going to share the route with us? I'm curious to see, as Bedford is the launching point for a lot of my local ride (as the 11 miles on the Minuteman path out to Bedford from Somerville doesn't count ).

Jim, put me down as a possible.

Rocket-Sauce 

I was just informed by the boss (aka my beautiful wife) that we will be at her parents this weekend for father's day (her dad is in his 70s...).

I wish I could be there for this, but please don't feel any guilt and have a great ride!

Enjoy!

jptwins

i'll be missing this, i'll be on the same ride with southpaw on sunday. And since when does the 11 miles on the minuteman not count? I do that round trip twice a week, and my body tells me it counts. ha!

and not to hijack the thread, but the redbones bike party's tonight too. (june 11th)

ScottRyder 

Jim, I'm away on the Cape this weekend, sorry I'll miss the ride.

Scott

jimmuller 

Hope you can make it, Anton!

The nucleus of the route I'd planned is this: From Bedford out 225 to a right on Maple, left on East, right on Rutland, left on North through Great Brook Farm State Park, with a possible short stop there. Across Lowell to Curve, past the cranberry bog and the "Tattooed Chickens" sign, to 225. East on 225 for 100yards, right on to Acton, left on West St. This puts us south of Carlisle Center after looping around north of it. We can take a shorter or longer run back north either by going left on South St or by going right on Pope and left and down Strawberry Hill then left on Barrett's Mill. Either way takes us to Lowell, so a left turn gets up to Carlisle Center where a stop a Fern's can provide lunch!

From there east on 225, right on River/Monument to Concord with a stop at the North Bridge. From Concord Center we have several options. Rt 126 is a 1.6mi run over to Walden Pond. Or 62 to Sudbury Rd, across 117 and a series of lefts to cross the Concord River on Sherman's Bridge Rd, then left on 126 past Walden Pond back to Concord.

Either way, from Concord Center we take 2A east to Meriam's Corner, left on Old Bedford Rd, right on 62, right on McMahon and around the school back to Depot Park.

The last option is to run the 3.9mi on the Minuteman Bike Path into Lexington, stop at Ride Studio, then back out to Bedford.

If we do the shortest run with no gratuitous runs out and back anywhere it will be 27.9mi. The runs to Walden Pond and Lexington will add more 3.2mi plus 7.8mi.

If we do the Strawberry Hill run the core will be 33.5mi (plus the optional 11mi).

If we do the Sherman's Bridge run with the Strawberry Hill option it will be 47.7mi (plus the optional 7.8 to Lexington). Sharon wants to go the longest distance possible! I figured I ask what the group wanted. Don't know how many miles people have been putting in.

southpawboston

Heh, I meant that the Minunteman is pretty boring, so it doesn't count for "scenic satisfaction". But yeah, my body tells me it counts for something!

jimmuller 

Wow, that's quite a cog set. Uh, I can't quite make out the numbers - that looks like 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 38, right?

What to ride, he asks. I'd say lugged because fillet brazed sounds edible, or at least cooked. Pretty is good. We'll be on the Peugeot tandem, the one with the fork Frank straightened when we visited his shop. This is a C&V forum but I don't know what anyone else will be riding. We expect BF member berner to join us, and I know he isn't a C&V'er. BF member bikemore has said he's coming; he's a C&V'er but I don't know what he'll bring.

All seriousness aside though, I'm not sure how to answer about hills. There are no steep pitches longer than a few tens of yards. There is nothing like central NH. But a few pitches are best done with either some momentum or rested leg muscles or low gears. The worst problems are the hills which seem to go on for half a mile then get slightly steeper. We don't climb especially well on the tandem so I drop us down to our 28/32 combination on a few of these sections. (That puts us at about 5.5mph.) But I could do them with higher gearing on a solo bike. I did much of this on the Masi weekend before last, and it has 42/32. Does that help?

southpawboston

Jim, much of this sounds like bits and pieces of my weekly metro-west variations. All nice!

If you're interested in some ideas, Baker Bridge Road to Sandy Pond Road (past the De Cordova) to Trapelo Road is nice, too, with beautiful rolling hills. Might be worth doing a loop of Baker Bridge - Sandy Pond - Lincoln Rd to connect back to 117. On the way down to Concord via Monument, a nice stop could be the Concord Battleground and the old north Bridge (which you can bike over). Nice gravel path!

jimmuller 

Thanks for the Baker Bridge Road suggestion. I'll have to check it out. Sharon and I did some roads in southern Lincoln once and it didn't seem ideal. We went past the De Cordova once too. Not sure now what it covered without I check a map again. As for the North Bridge, I'm expecting that will be one of the attractions. (I did write up a description of the April 19, 1775 battle in the original Minuteman Ride thread, the ride that got rained out so badly.)

southpawboston

Baker Bridge Road will also take you past the Walter Gropius house (shortly before the De Cordova when heading east).

There's also a great burrito joint in Concord center, maybe you know it. I don't know the name of it and it's nestled back in an alley next to the Main Street Market Cafe, but it's one of my favorite lunch destinations. They have a screened in dining area and there's a shaded grassy area in back next to a stream, great for parking bikes.

It turns out I can't make the ride... bummer.

jimmuller 

BUMP! In case anyone has forgotten. Saturday. 9AM, Depot park, Bedford.

bikemore 

Since I don't ride nearly enough I would like to keep it under 40. Looks like I will have to drive out in that riding to Bedford Depot is 30 mile round trip for me.

jimmuller 

I didn't figure you'd want to ride out from Boston. There is parking and a restroom at the start. Lots of bikes start from there! You could park in Lexington or even Arlington and run the Minuteman out. That way your car would be at Ride Studio at the end.

bikemore 

You know, I've never parked in Lexington for more then an hour or 2. Where is the best place to park around there? Is the paid lot the only real option?

jimmuller 

I don't park there very often either. The paid lot is only about $2 for all day, as I recall. We looked at the price board when we rode through a few weeks ago and noted that it wasn't expensive at all, not like Boston! But you may be able to find on-street parking.

Rocket-Sauce 

I wish I could ride with you all! Make sure at least one town-line sprint is in my honor

Hopefully this can become a semi-regular event?

Orrery

Damn this looks like fun. If I didn't have to help someone move up in my hometown I'd love to meet all you folks. Enjoy the ride!