ABC Ride: Wednesday, April 15 at 11 a.m. from lot across from 49 Exchange St, Holliston

[Joel Arbeitman]

Hi everyone.

The Ashland Bike Club’s next “spring warmup” ride has been scheduled for this Wednesday, April 15 at 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday’s ride will begin at the downtown Holliston parking lot across from 49 Exchange St in Holliston.  There’s plenty of parking available.

GPS address:  across from 49 Exchange St, Holliston

Route Name:  ABC – Spring Warmup 6 (version II) (get the right version)

Ride Rating:
Distance:   Easy (15.5)
Elevation:  Easy-Moderate (41)
Total Gain: 653 feet
Steepest:    6.2%

The Weather
The forecast for Wednesday is calling for a mostly cloudy with temps in the upper-60s.  Rain is forecast for much later in the day and should have no effect on our ride.

The Ride
This is a really short route at just 15.5 miles.  Most of the route is very flat although it does include two moderately challenging hills.  This extremely scenic route rolls past a number of farms as we travel through Holliston, Millis and Medway. We’ll also ride past the spectacular Millis Swamp.

On the way back, for those who are interested, we have a lunch stop / rest stop at the Out Post Farm.

As with all our early season rides, we plan to keep the pace down to give everyone a chance to get back into shape after the winter.

Here’s a link to a map of Wednesday’s route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42519822

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”.

ABC 2026 Memberships
Please note that all memberships from last year expired on January 31.  Although our insurance premium increased again for 2026 (what else is new), we’re going to keep the same $10 per year dues we’ve always had.

If you want to join the club for 2026, dues should be paid as soon as possible so that you will be covered by ABC’s insurance. Memberships can only be paid for with cash; we have no way to accept checks or credit cards.  We often are unable to make change; please try to pay with a $10 bill.  Thanks!!

Off the Route
Our “Off the Route” feature includes various bicycling and non-bicycling topics we think are worth sharing.  Please let us know what you think.

Ashland Bike Club Radio

Ernie K. Doe – Mother-In-Law
Elvis Presley – Don’t Be Cruel
Bob Dylan – Rollin’ and Tumblin’
The Platters – Only You

9 Common Mistakes Riders Make in the Spring
With some people, spring begins when they see their first robin.  With others, the grass starts to turn green.  With ABC’ers, we know spring has sprung when we start having our “Spring Warmup” series of rides which are much shorter than our summer rides.

The idea is to start easy and build up gradually.  The article below provides a “best practices” approach to getting back into shape on those early spring rides.

Check it out:  https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/im-a-cycling-coach-these-are-the-9-most-common-mistakes-riders-make-every-spring

Are you having “balance issues”?
As we age, many of us are at increased risk of falls due to poor balance.  These problems can also be worsened by “sarcopenia” which is defined as age-related muscle loss. 

It’s not really too difficult to address muscle loss. Exercises like cycling, squats, scissors, and calf raises can go a long way to not just retaining muscle tone but actually increasing it.  This can be true at almost any age.

But what about the loss of balance? “Proprioception” is a fancy medical term that describes the ability to sense the orientation of your body in its environment. Put another way, it’s your ability to have an inner sense of where vertical is.

And there are exercises that can help you improve this important mind-body connection. If you find yourself being a little more wobbly than you used to be, perhaps it’s time to check out these easy-to-do routines. You don’t need special equipment, you can do them anywhere and anytime, and they just take a couple of minutes a day.

Check ‘em out - https://www.eatthis.com/standing-exercises-restore-full-body-balance-after-60/

See you this Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. at the downtown Holliston lot (across from 49 Exchange St, Holliston).

Remember to check your email after 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday to make sure we didn’t postpone or cancel the ride due to weather or other reasons and … don’t forget those helmets!

Joel