ABC Ride: TUESDAY, October 7 at 10:30 a.m. from 406 Commonwealth Ave, W. Concord, Ma

[Joel Arbeitman]

ABC RIDE MOVED TO ===============è  TUESDAY

 

This TUESDAY, October 7 at 10:30 a.m., ABC has scheduled a ride from the lower parking area directly across the street from the former Concord Prison at “roughly” 406 Commonwealth Ave, West Concord.

 

GPS Address:  406 Commonwealth Ave, West Concord, Ma

 

Note:  The parking lot is located on the opposite side of Commonwealth Ave from the prison.  It is located very close to a crosswalk where the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail crosses Commonwealth Ave.  Let’s meet in the lower parking lot.  Bathrooms are available at the far end of the lower lot near the gazebo.

 

Route Name:  ABC – Bruce Freeman to Kimball Farm Ice Cream – Reversed II (get the right version)

 

Ride Rating:
Distance:    Moderate (26.4)
Elevation:   Moderate-Challenging (46)

Total Gain: 1202 feet
Steepest:    6.4%

 

TUESDAY’s Weather

The forecast is calling for lots of sun with a few clouds and temps between 71 and 79 degrees.

 

We decided to move the ride to TUESDAY because the forecast is calling for a rainy day on Wednesday and Tuesday’s temps will be about 25 degrees warmer than Thursday’s. At this time, we’re planning to do our Mattapoisett ride on Saturday.

 

TUESDAY’s Ride

Each time we ride this route, or some variation of it, it receives some of the best feedback we ever get from our riders.  The scenery is spectacular.

 

The ride starts by heading north for about 1.0 mile on the Bruce Freeman Trail and finishes with just under 4.7 miles southbound on the trail.  The rest of the ride is packed with an endless series of beautiful country roads, ponds and marshes, farms and, of course, lots of hills as we travel through Concord, Acton, and Carlisle before returning to the start.

We have an ice cream stop at Kimball’s, which will close for the season next week, at the 11.8-mile mark. We’ve also scheduled other stops roughly every 5 or 6 miles at 6.0, 16.8, and a short regroup at 21.4 to allow the group to cross Route 27 as a unit.

Come explore this great route with us and be sure to let us know what you think.

Here’s a link to a map of TUESDAY’s route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46841041

You can print our “official cue sheet” for the ride by clicking the link above, then click “More”, then click “Print Map and Cue PDF”, and finally click “Print Official”.

Did you lose your water bottle on Saturday?
One of ABC’s riders lost their water bottle on Saturday’s ride.  Thanks to Harriet Dann for rescuing the bottle which I now have.  Please send an email if it’s yours.  No ransom has been demanded and the bottle seems to be a little lonely. Here’s a pic:

Off the Route
Our “Off the Route” feature includes interesting topics that we think are worth sharing with the ABC cycling community.  Please let us know what you think.

Ashland Bike Club Radio
Jonathan Edwards - Shanty

NYC imposes 15-mph speed limit for e-bikes
There are all kinds of arguments about e-bike policy. What we aren’t seeing much of, though, is any guidance from the federal government or, frankly, from most state governments.  Instead, we’re getting a convoluted patchwork of regulations from local condo associations, local cities and towns, and even rules that differ from one off-road bike path to the next.

This sorry state of affairs where e-bike (and scooter) accidents are increasing but there appears to be very little leadership is unlikely to change anytime soon.

But kudos to NYC.  A 15-mph e-bike speed limit seems like a good starting point.  What are your thoughts?

Read the article:  https://www.blanquivioletas.com/en/new-york-15-mph-speed-limit-e-bikes

E-Bike etiquette when riding with “regular” bikes
ABC has seen a significant influx of e-bikes this year.  We welcome them! At first, we weren’t really sure what impact, if any, these new-fangled things would have on our rides and on our riders.

ABC’s “experiment” has been a major success.

ABC’s e-bike riders have fit in very nicely on our rides. If I didn’t know who had an e-bike and who did not, it would be impossible to pick out the e-bike riders based on how they ride.

So a big shout out to ABC’s e-bike riders. We’re glad you choose to ride with us.

Check out this article about e-bike etiquette when riding in a group:  https://www.roadbikerider.com/mixing-ebikes-bikes/

To recap this TUESDAY’s ride, we’ll meet near the former Concord Prison at “roughly” 406 Commonwealth Ave, W. Concord at 10:30 a.m.

Be sure to check your email after 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY to make sure we didn’t cancel or postpone the ride and … don’t forget those helmets!!

See you soon.

Joel