ABC Ride: Saturday, August 1 at 10:30 a.m. from 49 Exchange St, Holliston

[ABC Riders]

The Ashland Bike Club’s next ride is scheduled for this Saturday, August 1 at 10:30 a.m. from the Exchange St lot in downtown Holliston. 

GPS Address:  across from 49 Exchange St, Holliston, Ma

Route Name:  ABC – Two Causeways (shorter)

Ride Rating:
Distance:    Easy (22.6)
Elevation:   Moderate-Challenging (47)
Total Gain: 1053 feet
Steepest:    6.7%

The Weather
Saturday’s forecast calls for a warm, mostly cloudy day with temps between 77 and 83 and slightly higher humidity.

Saturday’s Ride
This Saturday’s ride is a multi-town tour that will travel through Holliston, Medway, Millis, Medfield, and Sherborn before returning to the start.

We'll begin by riding from Holliston to Medway to Millis.  After passing the very scenic Millis Swamp on Causeway Street, we're off to causeway number two that takes us over the Charles River (and up the toughest hill of the day) into some truly wild marshes along the river in Medfield.

 

Rest stops are planned at the 7.7-mile mark and the 14.3-mile mark.

Here’s a link to a map of Saturday’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53207176

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

Off the Route
Our “Off the Route” feature includes interesting tidbits we’ve come across that we think are worth sharing.  Please let us know what you think.

Ashland Bike Club Radio
I sometimes think of photographs as symbols of our desire to stop time at an important moment in our lives. Is there one photo you have that you would travel back in time to revisit if you could? The lyrics below seem to capture that spirit.

Now for you and me it may not be
That hard to reach our dreams
But that magic feeling never seems to last
And while the future’s there for anyone to change
Still you know it seems
It would be easier sometimes to change the past

-   Jackson Browne

Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They’re all that’s left you

-   Paul Simon

Jackson Browne – Fountain of Sorrow
Paul Simon - Kodachrome
Ray Lamontagne – Gone Away from Me (check out the offbeat movie “Café” on Tubi)
Robert Earl Keen – Jennifer Johnson & Me
Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends

Another ABC’er is tackling this year’s Pan Mass Challenge
One of ABC’s newest riders, Jim Corey, is doing the PMC charity ride this year. Let’s toss a few bucks his way to help him out.

Here’s a link to Jim’s PMC fundraising page:  https://profile.pmc.org/pmc/JC1018

Jim writes:

After volunteering for a couple of years, I decided I could still manage the ride and the fund-raising.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine at work started coughing, and eventually got diagnosed with lung cancer.  She maintained her work load even though treatment constantly interrupted her schedule.  She volunteered for experimental treatment and Brigham and Women's, but unfortunately was not able to manage it.'  Eventually she told me goodbye and that she accepted what was happening to her. I could only admire her courage.

So I am riding with her in mind.

100 percent of every dollar I raise goes directly to Dana-Farber, meaning that your donation has a real impact! Please donate to my PMC fundraising and help me reach my fundraising goal.

Thanks,

Jim

Every little bit helps. I hope ABC’ers will chip in to help Jim achieve his PMC fundraising goal!

Did Mayor Wu Finally Hear Our Cries for Help?
Dammit, we have as much right to be safe as anyone else. We are not selfish whiners and complainers. We just don’t want to die on your roads, okay?

Roads are not just for cars and trucks. Cyclists and pedestrians are by far the most vulnerable road users but you wouldn’t know that by looking at the current infrastructure. The Massachusetts “Complete Streets” funding program states that a complete street is one that “provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes – walking, biking, transit, and vehicles – for people of all ages and abilities.”

Cities and towns have been raking in “Complete Streets” cash but most of them have done far too little, if anything, to protect our safety. How many roads does ABC ride on that have absolutely no bike lanes not to mention protected bike lanes?

The program is a joke because Massachusetts keeps handing out grant money but never verifies that improvements for pedestrians and cyclists actually are being made. Virtually all of local roadway budgets are spent on cars and trucks.

The whole point was to make the streets safer for everyone. This hasn’t happened and it will not happen until those we elect make this a priority instead of paying it lip-service.

The time for action is now.  We don’t need an improvement here and another improvement there. We need safer cycling everywhere and we need to recognize the urgency of safer streets for all.  Perhaps Mayor Wu, after a recent cyclist fatality in Boston, has finally heard our message. That message was loud enough to be heard all over the country. Maybe, at least in Boston, things are about to improve.

Check it out:  https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/07/24/boston-mayor-michelle-wu-street-planning-louisa-gag

To recap this Saturday’s ABC ride, we’ll meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Exchange Street lot opposite 49 Exchange Street in downtown Holliston.

Remember to check your email after 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning to make sure we didn't cancel or postpone the ride due to weather or for other reasons and ... don't forget those helmets!

See you soon.

Joel