ABC Ride: Wednesday, June 3 at 10:30 a.m. from 406 Commonwealth Ave, W. Concord

[Joel Arbeitman]

IMPORTANT:  ABC is moving to its SUMMER SCHEDULE.  Instead of “meeting” at 11:00 a.m., we will now meet at 10:30 a.m.  We also will try to adhere to a regular Wednesday / Saturday schedule as long as the weather cooperates. If the weather isn’t good on ride days, we will send either a date change notice or a cancellation notice.

 

This Wednesday, June 3 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%

 

Wednesday’s Weather

The forecast is calling for a great riding day with temps between 72 and 78 degrees under partly cloudy skies.

 

Wednesday’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 and Kimball’s homemade ice cream is some of the best around. You’ll have to earn it, though. This is one of ABC’s more difficult routes.

 

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 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 Wednesday’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”.

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
In honor of ABC’s move to our “summer schedule”, even though it isn’t summer yet, we offer the following songs:

The Danleers - One Summer Night
Cheryl Wheeler - Summer Fly
Janis Joplin with Big Brother & the Holding Company – Summertime (best intro ever!)
The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City
The Beach Boys - All Summer Long (Trivia: what movie?)

Special Bonus Tune:
A bunch of ABC’s Roslindale riders are heading to Ireland next week. Here’s a truly remarkable tribute song to Ireland:
Mary Black – Song for Ireland

Massachusetts Ranks Among the Top Three States in the “Worst Roads” Contest
It’s amazing to go online and hear from all the drivers complaining about the roads. For most of them, bad roads can be a very real annoyance.

For cyclists, though, it can rightfully be called a matter of life and death. If hitting a deep pothole or a rut doesn’t take you down, swerving to miss one could easily get you hit by a car or something much larger. We’re not talking about scaped knees here; we’re talking about broken bones, traumatic head injuries, or worse.

Maybe we need a “Pothole Day” where millions of cyclists descend on the Statehouse to tell them we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore.

Enough is enough, Massachusetts. Fix the damned roads!

Read the article:  https://wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/new-survey-ranks-road-conditions-in-massachusetts-among-the-worst-in-us/

Queensborough Bridge (NYC) Bike Path Collision
Speed kills. Two men collided last week on a bike path that runs over the Queenborough Bridge in New York City. Both died.

One of the men was apparently riding a stand-up scooter at 53 mph and the other was riding a carbon bicycle. The scooter was totally illegal in NY. Some have responded with “what good are laws if they aren’t enforced?”

That’s a bit of an overstatement. Those laws may well be preventing thousands from buying or using illegal vehicles.

Still, law enforcement seems unwilling to take bicycles seriously. This is unconscionable. Cyclists should be protected, just like all residents, especially where life and death situations exist.

Why are there almost ZERO police officers on our bike paths? Why are cars allowed to park in bike lanes forcing cyclists into the traffic flow? Why are drivers who open car doors that injure cyclists usually given a mild slap on the risk by the courts? Why do the police refuse to investigate “close” passes that violate the four-foot buffer law?

Until we cyclists have our own roadway system where no cars or trucks are allowed, we need real enforcement and real protection from these dangerous vehicles. Cyclists riding 20-pound bicycles next to 2-ton cars that travel at 40 mph or faster makes us “vulnerable roadway users”. This means we need more protection; not less!

Are you listening, Beacon Hill? I doubt it!

Read the article: https://abc7ny.com/post/2-men-dead-colliding-bike-path-queensboro-bridge-nyc/19187512/

To recap this Wednesday’s ride, we’ll meet near the former Concord Prison at “roughly” 406 Commonwealth Ave, W. Concord at 10:30 a.m. Make note of ABC’s new meeting time!

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

See you soon.

Joel