Ride Report - Brewery2Brewery Ride

[Larry D]

Saturday June 17th 2005 - The weather is cold and damp as the groups assemble for the 5th Annual Harpoon Brewery/Team Psycho Brewery2Brewery Ride. My group the 17mph slow peleton, for which I am the Peleton Captain, rolls out at 6:30 AM. As Peleton Captain, I am responsible for safely navigating the group through Boston, Cambridge, Arlington and Lexington and keeping them together until we reach Route 128. Once we hit 128, it is every rider for themselves.

This was my first doing this ride and the first time I have ridden in downtown Boston. It was nice not having to dodge traffic, but until we reached 128 all that was heard was "Hole", "rough road", "Slowing", "Stopping".

After 128 the group split up and each ride took over at his/her own pace. The original group I had signed up to ride with splintered, and Bradford and I rode together for the whole ride. As you will see from the phot taken at the end, we look like a couple of tired drowned rats.

The weather was almost everything you could imagine, cold, sunshine, cloudy, windy, rain, more sunshine, more rain adn a headwind the last 10 - 15 miles to the finish. The route went through some very beautiful scenery when yuo had the chance to enjoy it while climbing. 6700 vertical feet of climbing, although nothing as severe as the climb to Lake Desolation, but close.

There was a good contingent of Serotta riders, mainly on Legends. Forum member TimD also completed the ride.

The ride statistics were, a total of 320 riders, 139.1 miles. Our average speed was 17.6 mph. Total riding time 8:03. There were 3 very well manned and stocked rest stops along the way. This is the longest single day ride I have done. Will I do it again, YES.

I strongly suggest if you can get onboard for next year, sign up when registration opens next spring.

[Bradford]

Wow, what a ride. Everything Larry D said and more. I’m sure I could have done more distance, but I don’t think I would have made it up many more hills.

We had Boston roads, massive hills, heat, light rain, medium rain, and of course, downpours. Just to make things interesting, it even ended with a climb to the Brewery parking lot.

Larry rode like a champion all day. I sucked his wheel like a Pilot Fish on a shark. I stuck with him for about 2/3 of the 5 mile hill, and then I just fell off like a used stage of a Saturn V rocket. I plummeted back toward single digit MPH and Larry just cruised on up the hill. Once I got to the top we rode along together again. It was great to have someone to ride with; it sure made the 140 miles go a lot faster.

Tim D was treated to one of my more memorable verbal exchanges. He happened to pull up behind me for the first time towards the end of the big climb. I had just slipped off Larry’s wheel and I was trying desperately to catch my breath. Time recognized my bike and the conversation went something like this:

Tim D: Bradford?
Bradford: Gasp, gasp
Tim D: I’m Tim
Bradford: Gasp, cough, hi, gasp
Tim D: How’s the ride
Bradford: Ugh, Ugh
Tim D: Have a good ride, I’ll catch you later

I recovered and rode well enough after the climb and I tried to redeem myself with some more intelligent conversation on the flats and at the water stops.

I’m with Larry D; let’s get a group together for next year’s ride. With nasty climbs like that, there is no excuse for our friend from Concord not to be there. Maybe we can get Big Willie and Bruce K. to join also. Considering how many of us there are from the Boston area, we should be able to get a group of 10 or so.

See you next year :banana:

[TimD]

Epic it was, although after describing it yesterday to an irregular member of my work crew he replied he'd done a double century the (HOT) Saturday before and followed that up with a metric century on the Sunday... I was impressed :)

Sorry, Bradford, I didn't realize you were in such distress. Certainly the tone of your responses was friendly :)

All things considered my ride was uneventful. One aero bar-equipped rider did choose to work on his random braking technique in the middle of a small pack and consequently took out a Very Large rider directly in front of me. Both my buddy and I managed to dodge it, my buddy doing an impressive rear-wheel wheelie under braking. Another chose to squeeze between me and my wingman while we were riding in a double line and I was sitting up taking my vest off. What is up wit dat?


Other recollections:

. The hill through the forest near mile 122, I very nearly cracked there. The image of my son telling me before the start that I had all the luck I needed kept me going.

. The tracks near mile 130, which claimed several riders, one of whom was carted off in an ambulance. I went across at approximately 90 degrees, but my buddy didn't and somehow recovered from a huge wobble.

. Approximating a big ring sprint at the very end. Where did that come from? I have no idea...

A Good Time.

TimD

[davids]

Did either of you guys encounter a certain Bill Connolly, riding a IF Crown Jewel Ti with red panels? He's in his mid-50s, shaped sorta like a fireplug, one of the friendliest guys on the planet, and can smoke my butt without breaking a sweat.

[Bradford]

Sorry, Bradford, I didn't realize you were in such distress.
TimD

I wasn't actually that bad off, I was just a little slower than you guys.

I felt pretty good until the same hill that got you. I just put my head down and powered up that hill at about 5 mph. I may have been tired but I was determined that I would not fall over.