ABC Ride: THURSDAY, November 13 at 10:30 a.m. from 310 Pond St, Ashland

[Joel Arbeitman]

The Ashland Bike Club’s next ride is scheduled for this THURSDAY, November 13 at 10:30 a.m. from the Habitat Re-Store lot at 310 Pond St, Ashland. 

GPS Address:  310 Pond St (aka Route 126), Ashland, Ma

Note: Due to construction equipment being stored in our usual parking spots, we’ll be using the same lot but a different part of the lot. See picture below:

Route Name:  ABC – Farm Pond (shorter)

Ride Rating:
Distance:    Easy (21.0)
Elevation:   Moderate-Challenging (51)
Total Gain: 1085 feet
Steepest:    7.4%

The Weather
THURSDAY’s forecast calls for a partly cloudy, breezy day with temps between 46 and 47.  Dress warm!! You can always leave extra gear in your car.

Looking ahead, it looks like we’re in for about 10 days of cold weather and we “might” not schedule any rides during that time.  RIDE WHILE YOU CAN!!

ABC group photo taken by ride leader John Sarnosky on Saturday’s Dover ride

THURSDAY’s Ride
Most of this THURSDAY’s ride, ride #57, will take place in Sherborn with short sections in Ashland and Holliston.

The highlight of the ride is a rest stop on the beach at spectacular Farm Pond in Sherborn. Some of the really scenic roads include Pleasant St, Ash Ln, Woodland St, Lake St, Farm Rd, Forest St, and Hollis St in Sherborn and Whitney St in Holliston. We’ll also do just over one mile each way on the Upper Charles Trail.

 

Overall, this ride rates in the moderate-challenging category for hills but, be warned, there are a couple of toughies lurking out there.

 

Rest stops are planned at 5.8, 10.3, and 15.6.

There are no food stops on the ride but a post-ride lunch at a very nearby Mexican restaurant, Los Cabos, is a possibility. Let me know if you’re interested.

Here’s a link to a map of THURSDAY’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53275645

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 Chenille Sisters - Namedroppings
Tom Chapin – My Electronic Vacation

These two songs might seem a bit dated but both are still good for a chuckle or two.

Major Peloton Recall (833,000 bikes)
If you have one of the original indoor Peloton trainers, you better check out the details on their massive recall. Apparently, there have been reports of the seat post breaking during use.

Read the article:  https://www.nbcnews.com/select/amp/rcna242414#anchor-109593

Are you feelin’ “Rouvy”?
Have you ever heard of “Rouvy”? I hadn’t until a few days ago. It sounds like a pretty cool product.

Most indoor cyclists have heard of Zwift, but, Rouvy, not so much.

Like Zwift, Rouvy is software that integrates with a “smart trainer”.  While you pedal, you watch a video of your ride.  When you ride up a hill, the pedaling gets harder. But Rouvy offers something a little different.

It allows users to upload local routes and then get realistic videos, including changes in terrain, of their rides. Could we use this to hold “indoor group rides” for ABC during the winter? It would allow us to upload any ABC route, or any route, and schedule a group ride. I’m not sure whether we could actually speak to each other during the ride but we would be able to see everyone’s avatar. Would this provide you with enough discipline to keep riding all winter?

What would you need to make all this work and what would it cost?

To start, you would need a smart trainer which you could use with your own bike. Trainers vary widely in price but good ones run around $500. After that, you would still need a monthly subscription to Rouvy (or Zwift).  It looks like we “might” be able to get a group rate which would cost us about $12 each per month.

Is this just a little too much craziness? Perhaps … Let me know what you think.

Here’s a link to Rouvy’s website:  https://rouvy.com/

To recap this THURSDAY’s ABC ride, we’ll meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Habitat Re-Store (310 Pond St aka Route 126, Ashland). Be sure to check the picture near the top of this email to see the slightly modified parking location.

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