ABC Ride: Saturday, November 1 at 10:30 a.m. from Featherland Park, Sudbury

[Joel Arbeitman]

The Ashland Bike Club’s next ride is scheduled for this Saturday, November 1 at 10:30 a.m. from Featherland Park in Sudbury.

GPS Address:  491 Concord Rd, Sudbury, Ma

Note:  if the lot is crowded, there’s plenty of parking at the Nixon School which is directly across Concord Rd from Featherland Park at 472 Concord Rd, Sudbury

Route Name:  ABC – Lap Around Sudbury

Ride Rating:
Distance:    Easy-Moderate (22.9)
Elevation:   Moderate (45)
Total Gain: 1022 feet
Steepest:    6.1%

The Weather
Saturday’s forecast calls for a very sunny but cool day with temps between 49 and 53.  A strong breeze from the west will make it feel colder. Dress warm!! You can always leave extra gear in your car.

The Ride
Our Saturday ABC ride is a brand-new route that, nevertheless, incorporates some of our favorite roads.

The route takes us through some great roads in both Sudbury and Concord, Some of the best roads include:  Newbridge Rd, Water Row, Morse Rd, Williams Rd, and even a two-mile run on the Bruce Freeman Trail.

The route is just under 23 miles long and, although it’s a bit rollercoasterish (rollercoastery?), most of the hills are in the moderate category. 

Rest stops are planned at 7.3 miles, 13.8 miles, and at 19.1 miles.

There are no food stops planned during the ride but a post-ride lunch at nearby Lotus Blossom (394 Boston Post Rd aka Route 20, Sudbury) is a possibility. Let me know if you’re interested.

Here’s a link to a map of Saturday’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53171668

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
The Elegants – Little Star

***** IMPORTANT ABC CLUB NEWS ******

Item 1
Effective immediately, ABC is switching to its “winter schedule”.

What does that mean?

ABC’s normal riding days are Wednesdays and Saturdays.  However, when we’re using our “winter schedule”, there are no “regular riding days.”  Instead, we’ll try to pick the best riding days. For example, if the Wednesday forecast is for 50 degrees and cloudy, but Thursday’s forecast is for 55 degrees and sunny, we’ll switch our ride to Thursday.

During the colder months, rides will be scheduled when the forecast 11 a.m. temperature is at or above 45 degrees and the roads are dry and free of ice and snow. Even with warm enough temps, rides might not be scheduled due to other factors (e.g. chance of rain, wind chill temps, high snow banks).

Some winters, we have gone for a couple of months without scheduling any rides. In other winters, we’ve been able to have rides in December, January, and even February. Stay tuned … you never know when a ride notice might be on the way.

Item 2
ABC is, and always has been, about “building community”.  We are a recreational riding club that puts a huge emphasis on inclusiveness and having everyone who rides with us get to know all the other riders.

To achieve this, rather than “squeezing in” our rides and getting them over as quickly as possible, we take 15 minutes or so before we start riding to give everyone a chance to chat a little.  Our rest stops are not limited to taking a quick gulp of water and then off we go.  And our pace is not intended to create big gaps from the front of the group to the sweep. Our goal, within reason, is to keep the group together.

Although we receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from most of our riders, there are a few who don’t seem to appreciate certain aspects of the club. This is to be expected with a group as large as ABC.  ABC’s “ride culture” is not, and could never be, everyone’s cup of tea. We’re okay with that.

What we’re not okay with, though, are efforts to challenge the club’s culture. If you ride with ABC, please understand that ABC is what it is. We’re very open to feedback if you think changes are warranted; we are not at all open to repeated complaints about the club’s culture. Complaining to other riders does little more than undermine the positive spirit we hope to convey. If ABC doesn’t meet your expectations, there are many other clubs that probably would.

So, our starting time, our rest stop lengths, and our riding pace are what they are. We have 13 years of experience doing things the ABC way and we do not intend to change any of these elements.

Also, as part of our refocusing on the club’s original culture, we will be asking all ride leaders to keep the average riding pace to right around 11 mph.

Please contact us if you have questions or comments.

To recap this Saturday’s ABC ride, we’ll meet at 10:30 a.m. at Featherland Park at 491 Concord Rd in Sudbury.

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