ABC Ride: SUNDAY, May 18 at 10:30 a.m. from Dover-Sherborn Regional Middle School

[Joel Arbeitman]

The Ashland Bike Club’s next ride, called Dreaming of Dover VIII, is scheduled for this SUNDAY, May 18 at 10:30 a.m. from the Dover-Sherborn Regional Middle School parking lot.

GPS Address:  155 Farm St, Dover, Ma

Route Name:  ABC – Dreaming of Dover VIII (get the right version)

Ride Rating:
Distance:  Easy (21.3)
Elevation: Easy-Moderate (41)
Total Gain: 867 feet
Steepest:  5.7%

The Weather
SUNDAY’s forecast calls for a partly cloudy day with temps ranging from 66 - 70 degrees with a strong, steady breeze.

In keeping with recent efforts to rename the Gulf of Mexico, ABC has started a petition to change the name “Saturday” into “Rainday”.  Someone told me it’s rained 12 of the last 8 Saturdays.

The Ride
When we created this route, we knew we had come up with a winner.  Even still, we have been overwhelmed by the feedback we’ve received from club members.

The route meanders through Dover, South Natick, Wellesley, Needham, and Medfield before returning to Dover.  Although almost every road on the route is great, some standouts include Claybrook Rd (both directions!), Elm Bank in S. Natick, and Pine St in Dover.  The route is an embarrassment of riches with great scenery throughout the entire ride.

This version of our Dreaming of Dover route, version VIII, is just 21.3 miles long and, although it constantly goes up and down, the hills really aren’t too bad. 

Rest stops are planned at the 8-mile mark at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Elm Bank in South Natick and at roughly the 14-mile mark at Chickering Fields in Dover. 

Here’s a link to a map of SUNDAY’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50776356

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”.

Emergency Contact Form
Have you provided ABC with your emergency contact information yet?

If you haven’t or if your contact information has changed, please follow the instructions below. Note that we retain your information from previous years so there’s no need to resubmit it.

The Ashland Bike Club has an “Emergency Contact Form” that offers our riders the opportunity to provide us with their contact information and also their emergency contact information.  Completion of the form is optional but recommended.  If you would like us to be able to contact someone in case of emergency, this is the information we’ll need.

We try to bring an up-to-date list of everyone’s contact information on every ride.

The EMERGENCY CONTACT FORM can be reached by clicking here.

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:  Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cotton Fields

Court:  Cities MUST Maintain Safe Roads
A recent court ruling is a big deal for bike riders and cycling clubs.  A really big deal!!!

The California State Supreme Court just ruled that the City of Oakland failed to make its case and that it could be held liable for damages incurred by a cyclist on Oakland’s roadways.  The city tried to argue that the waiver the cyclist signed with an organization sponsoring the ride he was on absolved the city by default.

While it’s unclear whether this case will be appealed and whether it will eventually set a precedent all over the country, this is a major win for cyclists!!

Roadways, especially those in New England that frequently experience numerous freeze and thaw cycles during the winter, are often, well, life-threatening. Potholes, cracks, ridges, unsafe utility grates, and all sorts of other problems are found on almost every single road we cyclists use.

Most of the burden of fixing the roads falls on local Departments of Public Works.  But, perhaps we cyclists have been too lackadaisical in taking the time to report these very real threats when we see them.

I just researched apps that can assist with pothole reporting.  The app I found is called “SeeClickFix”.  The reviews for the app are horrible.  Good idea; poor implementation. I’ll keep looking …

In the meantime, check out this important win for cyclists:  https://cal.streetsblog.org/2025/05/07/state-supreme-court-reinforces-rules-that-cities-must-maintain-safe-roads

A Couple of Recipes from the ABC kitchen
You don’t have to be vegan to eat great tasting vegan dishes.  Here are a couple of soup recipes I make all the time that not only taste great, but they are very healthy, quick, and easy to make. And it’s great having plenty of left over soup on hand for when you don’t feel like cooking.  But first …

You don’t get much soup humor anymore (despite all the obvious demand!) so I thought I would offer this:

A restaurant patron was being rude and obnoxious and his waiter had really had it with him.

Customer:  Waiter, are you deaf?  I demand you tell me what is your soup de jour!!!

Waiter:  Certainly, sir, That would be our soup of the day!!!

Vegan Red Lentil Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 medium white or yellow onion (chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp whole fennel seeds
1 tsp oregano
1 lg carrot (thinly sliced)
1 stalk celery (chopped)
1 cup dried red lentils (rinsed)
4 cups vegetable stock (I use Better N’ Boullion vegetable)

DIRECTIONS
1. Peel and chop the onion and add to a pot with the olive oil and cumin, fennel seeds, and oregano
2. Sauté onion until slightly softened
3. Add carrots, celery, and lentils
4. Add the vegetable stock
5. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover the pot and simmer until the lentils, carrots, and celery are soft
6. Take the pot off the heat and blend directly in the pot using an immersion blender. If you don't have an immersion blender, then allow to cool before transferring to your blender and blending up in stages until it's all smooth.  If you don’t have a blender, just go out to a restaurant and order some miso soup

It's okay to add another cup or even two of water if the soup gets too thick

Serve

Vegan Miso Soup
INGREDIENTS
4 cups Vegetable Stock (I use Better N’ Boullion vegetable)
1 sheet Dried Nori (seaweed)
5 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms Sliced
3 Tablespoons Miso paste (I use Marukome low-sodium)
10 ounces Tofu Cubed (I use super firm or extra firm)
½ cup Scallions Chopped

DIRECTIONS
1.  Add vegetable stock to a pot on the stove and bring to a simmer
2.  Add dried nori and sliced shiitake mushrooms to the pot.
3.  Let the nori and mushrooms cook in the vegetable stock for around 5 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked. Switch off the heat.
4.  Mix miso paste with a little hot water to thin it out.
5.  Add the miso paste to the pot. Stir it in gently.
6.  Add cubed tofu and and chopped green onions and mix in. Serve immediately.

To recap this SUNDAY’s ride, we’ll meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Dover-Sherborn Regional Middle School parking lot at 155 Farm Street in Dover.

Remember to check your email after 9:00 a.m. on SUNDAY 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