ABC Ride: "minor" route change - same time and place
ABC Riders
NOTE: Same route with “minor” changes (same starting location and time).
I received an email this morning from AJ Gemperline that a few roads on our planned route are in really bad shape. We’ve made minor changes to the route to avoid “most” of them. Tomorrow’s ride is now version “III” (see link below).
This THURSDAY (tomorrow), July 23 at 10:30 a.m. from Hopkinton’s Fruit St Athletic Fields (29 Pratt Way, Hopkinton), we’re planning a ride in the towns of Hopkinton, Upton, Grafton, and Westborough through the wilds of Metrowest.
GPS Address: 29 Pratt Way, Hopkinton, MA (Fruit St Athletic Fields)
Route Name: ABC – Take Me Home, Country Roads III (get the right version)
Ride Rating:
Distance: Moderate (27.2)
Elevation: Challenging (59)
Total Gain: 1617 feet
Steepest: 6.6%
THURSDAY’s Weather
Well, the good old Weather Bureau tricked us again. It looks like we
could have ridden tomorrow (Wednesday) because the rain they had been
forecasting seems to have disappeared.
THURSDAY’s forecast looks great, though, with temps between 71 and 77 degrees, totally sunny skies, and really dry, comfortable air. THURSDAY’S weather should give us a perfect 10 out of 10!!
Looking ahead, Saturday looks great, too.
The Ride
ABC rides often include
lots of country roads. This one has so
many we named the ride after them. It’s
not definite but this route “might” not include a single traffic light. Let us
know if you spot one!
For THURSDAY’s ride, which will be our first time on this exact route, we’ll be heading west from Hopkinton, to Upton and Grafton before heading back to Hopkinton via Westborough. Parts of this route give an entirely new meaning to the term “boonies”.
So, no traffic lights, tons of country vistas, and … hills. There’s no escaping them on this route. With just over 1,600 feet of climbing, well, eat a good breakfast, reserve an Uber, or maybe check out some local B&Bs. There is some good news, though. The steepest grade is only 6.6% which isn’t all that steep. No killer hills; just lots of them.
You can see a map of THURSDAY’s route (version III) here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/56272599
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”.
As always, you can download a copy of the route to your phone or GPS device.
To recap THURSDAY’s ABC ride, it’s a hilly one. Be sure to check your email after 9:00 a.m. THURSDAY morning to make sure we didn’t cancel or postpone the ride and don’t forget those helmets.
See you soon.
Joel