ABC Ride: Wednesday, May 27 at 11:00 a.m. from 29 Pratt Way, Hopkinton
Joel Arbeitman
The Ashland Bike Club’s next ride will be held Wednesday, May 27 at 11:00 a.m. from Hopkinton's Fruit Street Athletic Fields.
GPS Address: 29 Pratt Way, Hopkinton, Ma (park at Fruit Street Athletic Fields at the end of the road)
Route Name: ABC – Red Rock, Upton XI (get the right version)
Ride
Rating:
Distance: Moderate
(23.8)
Elevation:
Moderate-Challenging
(60)
Total Gain: 1429 feet
Steepest: 7.3%
Wednesday’s Weather
Wednesday’s
forecast
is calling for a warm day with temps between 79 and 85 degrees
under partly
cloudy skies.
At least for now, next Saturday looks like a rainy day. Stay tuned …
The
Ride
ABC’s Red Rock route includes a scenic, pastoral roll along the
edge of Upton
State Forest, and a few back roads in Grafton that will make you
feel like
you’re traveling through the deep-woods boonies of Maine. Most
of the
route feels far more rural than it does suburban in that it
covers lots of
country roads with numerous water views. This is very clearly
one of
ABC’s most scenic routes.
At the ride’s mid-point, we’ll be paying a visit to the Red Rock Grill & Bar in Upton for a little outdoor dining on their patio. We’ll try to get a headcount before we start riding so that we’ll know whether to modify our reservation. If you would like to study the Red Rock’s menu before the ride, click here. We have a reservation for 12 at 12:30 pm.
Not
up for lunch? No problem. We’ll all meet at the Red Rock and
those who want to
skip lunch can wait in the parking lot can form their
own “thanks, but
no thanks” group and ride back together.
Bring your appetite and be prepared to do plenty of hill climbing, too. Make no mistake about it, this is a hilly route!!
Here’s a link to a map of Wednesday’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50691890
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 interesting
topics we think are worth sharing with the ABC cycling
community. Please let
us know what you think.
Ashland Bike Club Radio
We recently had some songs about different US states … here
are
some that focus on US cities.
Scott McKenzie - If You're
Going to San
Francisco (written by John Phillips of The Mamas and The
Papas)
Alison Krauss & Union Station – Oh,
Atlanta
Josh Ritter – Harrisburg
Emmylou Harris – I’ll Be
Your San Antone Rose
Arlo Guthrie - City of
New Orleans (written by Arlo’s friend, Steve Goodman)
Building muscle when you’re
over sixty
Sure, you could lift weights. Sure, you could drive to the
gym and
pay a membership fee. Or you could get little or no exercise
at all. For a very
small investment of nothing but your time, though, you could
increase your
fitness quickly and easily.
About a month ago, ABC included a list of easy exercises that only take seven or eight minutes a day. A few ABC’ers have already made this a habit. My goal is to not miss a day for an entire year. So far, so good.
These short-duration programs are ones you might actually stick with. The more these programs demand, the higher the dropout rate.
Here’s one that can be done in just 12 minutes: https://www.eatthis.com/12-minute-routine-rebuild-strength-balance-after-60/
Natick is redesigning Route 27
in its downtown
One of ABC’s regulars, a Natick resident, asked me to
review
Natick’s planned changes for Route 27 in downtown Natick. You
can view Natick’s
plan here.
I just couldn’t resist. Whether you live in Natick or not, I would love to hear your feedback (see attached). Virtually all of the analysis should apply to all Metrowest communities.
I hope to send my write-up to the town tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.
Please remember to check your email after 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday to make sure the ride was not cancelled or postponed due to weather or other reasons and … don’t forget those helmets … and your appetite!! Be sure to bring plenty of water, too.
See you Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. at Hopkinton’s Fruit Street Athletic Fields (29 Pratt Way, Hopkinton). The food will be great, the scenery will be even better, and the company of your fellow riders will be best of all!
Joel