ABC Ride: Saturday, October 18 at 10:30 a.m. from 5 Groton St, Ayer, Ma
Joel Arbeitman
This Saturday, October 18 at 10:30 a.m., the Ashland Bike Club will meet in Ayer in northern Massachusetts for a round-trip bike ride on the spectacular Nashua River Rail Trail.
GPS address: Next to 5 Groton St, Ayer, Ma between Park St and Pearl St – park in or just outside the parking garage – (the entire parking garage is free on weekends and evenings – on weekdays, very limited free garage parking is available for trail users).
Directions (see map below) – coming from Park St, turn right onto Groton St and then turn right into the parking lot immediately before the rail trail crosswalk.
Note: the entrance to the garage has a very low clearance. If you have a very tall vehicle or if you transport your bike on top of your car, be extremely careful. You can park just outside the garage if spots are available or anywhere inside the garage.
Special scenery tip: Try taking Route 111 (exit 75) off Route 495 through Harvard to get to and from Ayer. It’s a little bit slower but much more scenic!
Route Name: ABC – Nashua River Rail Trail (do NOT use version II)
Ride
Rating:
Distance:
Moderate (25.9)
Elevation:
Easy (20)
Total Gain: 518 feet
Steepest: 2.3%
The
Weather
Saturday’s
forecast is
calling for a very sunny but cool day with temps ranging from
about 54 up to
about 62 degrees. Be sure to dress appropriately.
We have been planning to do our Hog Island / Cape Cod Canal ride on the Cape next Wednesday but, at least for now, the forecast is calling for rain. Stay tuned …
Saturday’s
Ride
The Nashua River Rail Trail is one of the most scenic rail trail
rides we
do. ABC’s autumn version
of this ride
offers spectacular foliage viewing.
Nashua
River Rail Trail
The Nashua River Rail Trail travels along a flat and scenic landscape with many opportunities to see wildlife. The trail passes wetlands, ponds, woods, swamps, and farmland where a variety of wildlife can be viewed, such as beavers, herons and swans. Ideal for casual and beginner cyclists, the trail was built on a former railroad right-of-way.
The paved path is level for nearly its entire 12-mile distance. The last mile of the trail crosses the border into New Hampshire so be sure to brush up on your cow-mooing technique. You can read more about the Nashua River Rail Trail by clicking here.
Because this is a bike path, we’ll try to keep our pace down so that riders of all skill levels can be accommodated. The round-trip ride, including a short out and back on the roads to go to lunch (.75 miles each way), totals 25.9 miles.
We’re planning to have lunch at C&S Pizza (click for menu) in Pepperell which is a very popular lunch stop with the club. Outdoor picnic tables are available. For “just a sub shop”, the food here gets excellent ratings from club members.
Here’s a link to a map of Saturday’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27659980
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 a variety
of topics we think are worth sharing.
Ashland Bike Club Radio
Jethro Tull – Locomotive
Breath
What do you mean the trail is
closed?
On yesterday’s ABC ride, we learned that construction was
being
done on a section of the Mass Central Rail Trail and we would
have to modify
our route.
Kudos to ride leader Rich Bellofatto who rerouted us to a section of the trail just beyond the closure. We had to walk our bikes down a steep embankment (shown on the right side in the pic below) before continuing our ride.
Thanks to John DiLuna for taking and sending the pic!!
Documentary:
From Rails to Trails
ABC spends a fair amount of time riding on rail trails and
other
non-rail multiuse paths. Yesterday,
we
rode on 3 different trails. Saturday, we’re planning a fourth.
And,
weather-permitting, our Cape ride will add yet another trail.
The progress being made on these trails in Massachusetts is nothing short of extraordinary.
This documentary (see below) does a great job exploring the seemingly endless struggle to get these trails built. You can ride on them without knowing any of the history, but it certainly deepens your appreciation of these trails by gaining an understanding of how they came to be.
Thanks to ABC’s Amelia Bye for sending the following. You can watch the full documentary for free online by clicking the link below or you can watch it on PBS when it airs (see schedule):
On WGBH WORLD
Thursday (tonight!) Oct. 16 –
8pm
Friday Oct. 17 – 1am, 9am and 3pm
Sunday Oct. 19 – 2am, 9am and 5pm
Or stream anytime either on the PBS app or at https://www.pbs.org/show/from-rails-to-trails/
Please help spread the word!
Get involved by signing up for the Mass Central Rail Trail mailing list
and learn more about the Rails to Trails Conservancy
To recap this Saturday’s Nashua River Rail Trail ride, we’ll meet just outside the commuter parking garage in Ayer at 10:30 a.m.
Don’t forget to check your email after 9:00 a.m. on Saturday to make sure we didn’t cancel or postpone the ride. And, as always … don’t forget those helmets.
See you soon.
Joel