ABC Ride: Wednesday, October 29 at 10:30 a.m. from the Exchange St lot in downtown Holliston

[Joel Arbeitman]

Hi everyone.

The Ashland Bike Club’s next ride has been scheduled for this Wednesday, October 29 at 10:30 a.m. from the Exchange Street parking lot in downtown Holliston.

GPS address:  opposite 49 Exchange Street, Holliston

Route name:  ABC – Spring Warmup 7

Ride Rating:
Distance:  Easy (18.1)
Elevation: Easy (37)
Total Gain: 664 feet
Steepest:   5.6%

The Weather
Wednesday’s forecast calls for a chilly and cloudy day with temperatures holding steady between 46 and 48 with a light breeze.

There is a slight chance of a passing shower around 7 a.m. which could cause us to cancel the ride.  Be sure to check your email after 9:00 a.m.  If there’s no email, the ride is ON.

The Ride
This is a fairly short route coming in at just over 18 miles.  It’s part of ABC’s
spring warmup series but it’s often a good choice both early and late in the riding season.  The first 10.5 miles or so are on a very flat bike path.  The last 7 miles are on some very scenic roads although there are a few moderate hills.  The Holliston section of the trail is surfaced with packed stone dust rather than asphalt.  It’s a very smooth, easy-to-ride surface even for road bikes.  Milford’s section is paved with asphalt.

We’ll take a rest stop at Louisa Lake at the 7.7-mile mark and another at the Out Post later in the ride.  Some of us might go to Coffee Haven, a CLSS (cute little sandwich shop), after the ride ends.

Here’s a link to a map of Wednesday’s route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27197733.

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 both bicycling topics and non-cycling topics we think are worth sharing.

Ashland Bike Club Radio
The Rolling Stones – Time is On My Side

The Great DST Debate
Reminder:  Set your clocks BACK ONE HOUR on Sunday morning (aka Saturday night), November 2, at 2 a.m.

There are all kinds of opinions about what’s good or bad with how we handle daylight saving time in Massachusetts.

It seems to me that almost no one likes how early it gets dark in the winter. The earliest sunset is around 4:13 pm which is ridiculous. In the summer, many 9 – 5 workers have little if any daylight after they get home from work. As a kid, I always loved that first day where we could go outside to play after dinner.

For what’s it’s worth, here are my two cents on this clock-changing business.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Because Massachusetts and especially eastern Massachusetts is in the eastern part of the eastern time zone, we suffer from very early sunsets in the winter and very few "after work" sunlight hours in the summer for many who work traditional 9 - 5 jobs.

The solution is to move Massachusetts onto the Atlantic Time Zone schedule. We would use Atlantic Standard Time during the winter and Atlantic Daylight Time during the warmer months.

This is what would happen to the approximate sunrise and sunset times on the longest and shortest days of the year (in Massachusetts). All sunrise and sunset times would be one hour later than they are under the current system, which should be much better for most people. Keep in mind that daylight usually begins about one-half hour before the sun actually rises and darkness doesn't usually begin until about one-half hour after the sun sets.

June 21 - Sunrise: 6:11 a.m., Sunset: 9:24 p.m. (Atlantic Daylight Time)

December 21 - Sunrise: 8:10 a.m., Sunset: 5:15 p.m. (Atlantic Standard Time)

This would eliminate the way-too-early winter sunsets and would provide a huge amount of "after work" daylight in the summer for people who work during the day.

Also, this should not be a problem for kids going to or coming from school. If necessary, slight adjustments could be made to the time schools start and end. Kids (and adults) are not getting enough sleep and the extra hour in the morning could be hugely beneficial to their health and their alertness. It should also be noted that kids staying after school for various activities would be able to return home while it's still light out.

All the arguments about no more clock changing are nonsense. Let's minimize the early sunsets in the winter and maximize the late sunsets during the summer.

What do you think?

Sweet Potato Soup
This recipe is “souper” quick and easy and you can add or omit anything to “soup” your tastes!

Saute in 1 tbsp oil: 1 red onion, then 3 cloves garlic, then 1 cup red lentils (no need to presoak) in a large pot

Add spices:

black pepper, turmeric, coriander (or cilantro), cumin, red pepper flakes (just a few), salt, cumin, garam masala (optional), dried cranberries (optional), large tbsp miso (optional), 1 tbsp honey

Add 6 cups water

Peel and dice large uncooked sweet potato and add to soup

Simmer for 1/2 hour or more

If soup gets too thick, add 1 to 2 cups more water

Great with biscuits!

Add a small amount of lime juice AFTER serving

Remember to check your email after 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday (always 90 minutes before the “meeting time”) to make sure the ride was not cancelled or postponed due to weather or other reasons.  If there’s no email, the ride is on.

See you Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Exchange Street lot in Holliston opposite 49 Exchange Street and … don’t forget those helmets and be sure to dress WARM!!

Joel