ABC Ride: Saturday, November 16 at 10:30 a.m. from 151 Davison Ave, Woonsocket, RI
Joel Arbeitman
Hi everyone.
This Saturday, November 16 at 10:30 a.m. the Ashland Bike Club will be doing one of our easiest rides on the Blackstone River Greenway. We’ll meet at the trailhead in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Plenty of free parking is available.
GPS Address: 151 Davison Ave, Woonsocket, RI
Route Name: ABC - Blackstone River Greenway – No Food
Ride
Rating:
Distance: Easy (19.8)
Elevation: Easy (22)
Total Gain: 444 feet
Steepest: 3.5%
Saturday’s Weather
The current forecast for Saturday calls for a sunny
day with
temperatures between 55 and 60 and
really breezy with
windspeeds between 10 and 15 mph.
Lighter riders should consider eating a really big
breakfast or perhaps
carrying a bowling ball during the ride.
The Ride
We’ve been getting lots of requests for an easier ride. We couldn’t find one
easier than this.
The
Blackstone River Greenway
is ideal for casual and beginner cyclists. The paved path is level
most of the way. Our
round-trip bike ride will total right around 20 miles. When completed, the
greenway will cover 48
miles from Worcester to Providence. It
will also be linked to the East Bay Bike Path resulting in a
trail more than
sixty miles long (one-way).
Unlike our regular Blackstone route, we’ve eliminated our trip to Angelo’s for lunch because it will probably be too cool to sit outside. Instead, everyone is invited to a post-ride lunch at the Beef Barn (click for menu) in Bellingham, which is roughly a ten-minute drive from where the ride ends. Here’s their address: 160 Pulaski Boulevard, Bellingham, MA.
Here’s a link to a map of the route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49051148
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.
Your Mother Dresses You Funny!
With the cooler weather upon us, it seems like a good time
to take
a look at a “what to wear” guide based on different
temperatures. Saturday’s
ride should bring comfortable
temps although watch out for that wind.
As most of you know, layers are rule #1. You can always remove a layer if you get too warm. And speaking of getting too warm, overdressing might seem like a safe thing to do but, if you sweat too much, it can eventually make you much colder. Being “just slightly cool”, and most of our riders are way cool, is probably a good compromise.
Wearing some type of beanie (under your helmet, of course) and the right gloves can really help. I just picked up a free pair of gloves from T-Mobile that lets you use the touchscreen on your phone. I’ve also been trying out Bar Mitts. They are pretty pricey but they seem to be working really well so far. Make sure you get the right ones to match your handlebar. It’s also good to check a few reviews on youtube.
Check out this article on how to dress based on different weather conditions: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/training/what-to-wear-cycling-a-temperature-by-temperature-cycling-dress-guide
The Blizzard of ‘78
I just came across this article (see below) and, although
it’s the
wrong time of year, I thought the pictures it contains are
pretty amazing.
Almost everyone who was here back then has a great
blizzard story. I
was working in downtown Boston in an office
with no windows. I
wasn’t aware the snow
had even started. My
boss called and
couldn’t believe I was still at work.
When I went outside to walk to my car, a sign on
State Street said we
were having 100 mph winds. Like
most
survivors, the next week or two were … crazy.
I loved every minute of it.
What’s your tall tale? I’d love to hear it!!
A few things have stayed with
me all these years
about what I observed:
1. Everyone became instantly kind and helpful (why can't we
be that way
all the time?)
2. Mother Nature is always more powerful than humans (we
can destroy
the environment but, in the end, it will win)
3. Looking at all the pictures in the article below, it was
great to see
people out on the streets walking instead of using their
cars. (it's too
bad there can’t be regular "no cars" days).
Note: some of the pictures seem to appear multiple times. I have no idea why.
Check out the Blizzard of ’78 pics: https://www.bygonely.com/boston-blizzard-1978/
See you Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. in Woonsocket. At some point, we might move the rides back to 11 a.m. to gain another couple of degrees, but … not yet!
Be sure to check your email after 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning to make sure we didn’t postpone or cancel the ride, and … don’t forget those helmets.
Joel