A Midnight Rider

Ten Speed Spokes bike shop in Newport, R.I. held it’s 21st annual Longest Day of the Year Ride.  The number of riders was impressive as was the number of pizzas and beer cans. All free by the way.  It was my 7th and it’s always a hoot to ride this one.

In the past I rode in the second or third pack.  Today, I tucked myself into the fast group, and they pulled me along, allowing me to get some pretty good video.

2018 Longest Day of the Year Ride from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

Wednesday, June 20.  Wednesday Night Road Ride.

*****NOTE****This is an upgrade for the more advanced riders. We will no longer have two meeting places and the rides will be on quiet country roads.

Meet at Staples in Fairhaven at 5:45 P.M. for a 6 P.M. wheels down start.  This week will be around 26 miles through the towns of Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Rochester.  It’s mostly flat but there are a couple of inclines that may slow you down.  We will have a lead rider for those who want to hammer as well as a sag rider for those who want to smell the roses.

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Thursday, June 21.  Longest Day of the Year Ride.  Sponsored by Ten Speed Spokes Bike Shop.

Click Here for directions.

Ten Speed Spoke’s Longest Day Ride is our yearly event held to celebrate the start of summer and all things cycling.  It features 4 different length arrowed courses.  Everything is free!  Shirts and helmets are required.

All skill levels and ages of cyclists are invited.  To join, please register here.

See the video of one of the past year’s ride  HERE

8 A.M. sharp.  If your a minute late, there is no one at the parking lot, near the tennis courts of Bristol Community College in Fall River, MA.  Jim the retired Fire Fighter found this out today.  Luckily he is a strong rider and he was able to chase us down.

A short ride though the Upper Highlands of the city before a highway crossing into the industrial area.  Three of us did the extended couple of miles while the others took a break and waited the the Amazon distribution center.

On that extension, I was pleasantly surprise we were riding comfortably in excess of 20 MPH.  When we reached the turn around point, we all realized why?  Downhill and the wind at our back.  A strong wind that we now had to navigate back.  And the hills. Oh those hills. Short and steep.  Everyone was smiling between the curse words and gasps.

The weather cooperated nicely for our ride along the Atlantic Ocean in Westport, MA.  Quiet back roads, beaches, sand dunes and bikes.  What more could one ask for a perfect bicycle ride.

Westport_Horseneck Beach from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

The e-mail said 22 miles of flat easy riding.  Apparently rolling hills are flat easy riding to some people.  Twelve experienced road riders showed for this one.  Lots of ex’s. A couple of ex racers, ex touring riders,  but mostly ex young people.  Riding with a new member from Amsterdam, I learned a few new Dutch words as we climbed a couple of the longer hill together.

Everyone ended with a smile and some eased their pain at a local pub conveniently located at the end of the route.  I didn’t want to be tempted with a beer or two since I had a 20 mile drive home.  Not to worry, I did make up for it at home.

2018 June 14 Thursday Night Ramble from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

CAFE RIDE STARTING FROM FORT HILL SATURDAY 9 AM START

Starting at the Fort Hill parking lot a casual** 27 mile ride along the East Bay Bicycle Path to Bristol for coffee and bagels at Bristol Bagel on Hope Street.

For directions to Fort Hill bike path access search for directions to intersection of Mercer Street and Veterans Memorial Parkway in East Providence through Google Maps or GPS. (1 Mercer St.) Parking is overlooking the river on the West side of the highway.

Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.

Sunday, June 17, 2018 Westport ride to Horseneck Beach –

Meetup at 8:45 A.M. ride starts at 9:00 A.M. – Meetup location is at Westport Middle School – 380 Old County Rd. Westport, MA

Distance: approx. 21 miles – Rain cancels the ride. – We will ride From Westport Middle School to Horseneck Beach and back. – Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, cameras and anything else you might want or need. Helmets are highly recommended. This will be an all on road ride and is probably best suited for experienced riders.

50 miles through 6 towns of country riding.

It was an early morning start for this solo ride.  My first inkling was the Tour de Creme ice cream ride route.  But I also wanted to ride over the Padanaram (paid-nair-im) Bridge,  in Dartmouth, MA. that just opened after two years while under repair.   It didn’t take long to decide to do both.   Most of the ride was a pleasure but then some of it wasn’t.

When I turned into the UMass Dartmouth campus at around the 35 mile mark, my respect for the local weather man was bittersweet. Many complain that they seldom get thing right, this sonofabitch was spot on.  During his 7 A.M. report, he predicted a sunny, warm morning. He also said to beware of the wind sometime around noon.  When I made the turn onto “Ring Road”, it was like I rode into a net. The kind that used to catch the greyhounds at the end of the race. The one that gives when the dogs run into it. Yeah, like that.

One of the highlights of the ride was when I spotted a water pump in a cemetery.  While there I took a short stroll around the ground and found a grave stone marked  “Born 1600. died 1647”.  There were quite a few 1600’s birth dates on the stones.

I struggled here and there on this ride and my legs began to tighten when I had around eight miles left.  However, once I crossed the bridge from the city into my home town, I was like a cow smelling the barn.  All my woes melted away as I pedaled at a good clip the final three miles.

p.s.  I did stop at the marked for some flank steak to make a crock pot Mongolian beef dish.  It game out phenomenal.

50 Miles, 6 Towns of Country Riding from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

There were two rides offered this sunny, warm, Saturday morning. One was a full hammerfest replete with full spandex, helmets and all that other stuff , the other was a little slower, smell the roses kind of ride.  I chose to ride with the later group. My spandex days are long past.  I do wear the spandex shorts, but I cover them with hiking style riding shorts.  Tight clothing doesn’t do much for my image.

We took a couple of detours off the MUP to have a more pleasant experience scenery wise that the the MUP offers in small doses.  Naturally, near the end of the ride we stopped for coffee, as any bicyclist worthy of the bike life is apt to do on a ride.

Up next is the Monday Morning Wake Up  Ride with Margret, that meets at Bristol Community College tennis courts in Fall River, MA for an 8 A.M. wheels down.

Saturday Morning on the East Bay from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

Thursday:

Bike the Night in Providence. Don’t miss this one

RI Bike Coalition is partnering with PVDFest to host the most festive Bike the Night yet! We’ll be meeting at Burnside Park at 8 PM before departing on a 8 to 10 mile ride through Providence and ending for a party at the The Black Sheep Providence. Providence Art Culture Tourism will be providing some bike decorations, but support the fun by getting you and your bike PVDFest-ready!

CLICK HERE for the Facebook link with all the info

The forecast called for increasing winds throughout the morning with 25-30 MPH gusts. The next three days will be rainy.  The temp was a near perfect 58F and mostly sunny for my 8 AM wheels down. Same route as yesterday, but a whole different feeling.

Yesterday’s ride was a slog.  It usually takes me a mile or so to get into a comfortable rhythm. That never happened yesterday.  The hills really got to me so bad that I cut the ride short.  You see,  the route I took has two options, the “Rochester Long and Rochester Short”.  The bail out is around 7 miles into the ride.  The feeling good turn around spot is at the 12 mile mark.

Today I got into the zone.  Twice when I emerged from my “highway hypnosis”,  I was already beyond those hills.  My average speed was up quite a bit and the whole ride felt…well I didn’t really feel anything.  My mind took me to places other than where I was on the bike.  I was on the home stretch much sooner than I realized and as I though about the last climb, I realized that I had already done it.   That’s a good feeling.