Diverged 2015 Ride Report

Yesterday I rode in the 2015 version of Diverged, the third version of this ride.  This one was sponsored by Overland Base Camp, which seems to be an extension of Rob and Patria from Ride Studio Cafe and their interest in off road riding.  The ride was based at the studio and it was great fun.

First, I think that Rob's email describing the ride was the best ever - if you had any doubts about what you signed up for, Rob covered them, and they were accurate, like this one:

Always be ready for a sudden turn, and ride single file on the road.  Many of the turns into the woods are not readily apparent from the road.

On the way to the studio, I was overtaken by Brad Smith, a Seven/Honey welder, formerly of Geekhouse Bikes.  Brad is a very nice guy who I see occasionally at Union Square Donuts.  We rode in the last 1/4 mile together.  Given the 150 riders who were expected, the studio was less than chaotic and I was able to get to the sign in sheets (mine wasn't out yet, not surprising since I was early) then discovered breakfast.  I talked with some people who I had met on previous studio rides and some new to me.  It was easy to get motivated by the people also getting ready to ride.  And soon Rob announced that it was last call for the ride I signed  up for (it was also the first announcement for my ride).  While I was getting my bike unlocked (there we a lot of nicer bikes there but this is my commuter and I'd be bummed to lose it), I overheard someone say that Mo, a professional racer, was riding.  It's pretty cool that this cycling community includes a lot of very nice people, among them are pro racers, including recently retired ones like Mo Bruno Roy.

I was pleased to hear that Brad would be my group's leader/navigator.  Rob and Brad quickly got us on the road and we soon made a surprising turn that brought us into a parking lot and over a curb into another lot and soon onto smaller side streets in Lexington.  Brad bunny hopped the curb, as did several other people, including one who person who crashed (fortunately with no ill effects).  I chose to walk it.

We were soon on trails and the pattern for the ride was set - riding a side road, or a major road, and seeing (barely) a trail and turning on to the trail.  I missed the first side trail.  This one was part of a previous Diverged ride and I knew it was steep and once I saw people taking the turn, I realized that I needed to downshift before getting on the hill.  My Surly has Shimano 105 shifters and my only major complaint is that a shift on front chain rings to the granny gear is slow, very slow.  So I made the shift and got back in line.  One person in front of me tumbled over from riding to slowly on the steep hill.  She brushed herself off and checked her bike and was soon back riding, as I followed her up.

This ride, all 17 miles of it, was contained within the boundaries of Lexington, as was the part of last year's Diverged ride that I completed.  Not surprisingly, we rode some of the same trails from last year but a fair number of miles was also new.  And they were nice trails and dirt roads.  We enjoyed a number of boardwalks, which fortunately weren't slippery like last year, although one person tumbled off of one.  There were a number of other minor crashes, including one on a paved road - this one because of a deep gash in the pavement.  I also took a tumble, more a controlled fall as I pedaled up a steep hill.  I knew I was losing sufficient momentum to stay upright and made it to a point that left a small distance before I hit dirt and not rocks.  No harm done physically or to my ego.

The post ride time at the studio was great.  I enjoyed a second breakfast (the crew was still cooking!) and chatted with a few people who I rode with and some who I know from following them on Twitter.  I was early enough to enjoy 45 minutes there before heading back home.   Just before I left for the ride my wife asked, in seeming desperation, when I would be back.  I had originally thought I might do the Minuteman to the Reformatory Branch to Battle Road after the ride but duty called and I made it back home by the time I promised her.

All in all it was a great day of riding and socializing.  Overland Basecamp is planning a few more rides but some of these are out of my league and being overnight, out of my 'time away from family' budget.  I do have a few more group rides booked in my calendar: the May 31 Firefly ride (I hear there is a mixed terrain ride and a road ride - I'm undecided on which I will do), the Dunes Dynamo, and the D2R2.  I'd like to try the 250 mile MaNeHa ride but think I would do well with a 50 mile each day version.  125 miles of mixed terrain riding each day is over the top for me right now but it happens that I will be away that weekend so the question is moot.  I'll consider the Dusk to Dawn ride that I was planning on last year.

Some pictures:

We crossed paths with the medium speed 38 mile ride led by Jenny.  She took some pictures of my group but they somehow disappeared.

The trail led through the trees.

And across fields.

There was a decent amount of waiting while regrouping.  Notice the houses in the background.  Sometimes we were barely in the woods for a few minutes and sometimes the patch of woods was much bigger.

Getting started after a break to regroup.

Brad was a great navigator and trip leader.  He made it look easy, made everyone feel welcome, and was very patient.  He is also a mechanic.  One person's chain broke and another rider happened to have a spare.  Brad was happy to change it and get everyone back on the road very quickly.  Brad is part of the Drifters and fellow Drifters Greg and Tony came along.  Tony swept the ride and I barely met him but I had the chance to talk with Greg, who I had previously met at Union Square Donuts (there is a pattern here).

Miles for the day 27 (10 were commuting to and from the ride).  Miles for the year: 450.

Beavers, deer, and some minutemen

I did my second consecutive early Saturday morning ride, getting home a few hours before a GI bug caught me and dragged me to the ground (I've since recovered completely).  I took a familiar route, riding out to the Maple Street Bridge and then south to Sherman Bridge Road.  It was a great day to be out.  I wasn't fast and I stopped a lot, and I stopped for a cup of coffee in Lexington.  When my wife saw the pictures of the beaver and deer and the video (mostly sound) of the wetland, she commented that it was more of a spiritual journey than a bike ride.  I'd agree with her. I set no land speed records and still enjoyed myself immensely.  While I love my family and my job, it is nice to get out on my own with no agenda.

My only complaint of the weekend was that I missed riding with friends on the midnight marathon ride.  They had a great time.  I hope to do it with them, and many others, next year.

I was in Bedford by 6:30 and spotted the folks training for Monday's battle.  They were happy to pose for me.

I spotted a beaver while I was admiring the view from the Maple Street bridge.  It went under and slapped its tail on the way down.  Another one soon surface a decent distance from where the first went under.  This one patrolled the perimeter for a while and was not shy.  Despite a lot of time spent in beaver habitat, I've only seen a few prior to seeing this one. Another cyclists, John from Sudbury, stopped to check out the beaver.  We started out together and parted way soon after but he caught up with me later and road for a couple of miles together.

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A few minutes later a couple of deer ran across the road in front of me (not alarmingly close but close enough to remind me to keep an eye out to the sides - I wouldn't want to hit a deer, or be hit by one).

There were less than scenic parts of the trip, passing MCI Concord included.  It's a pretty forbidding place.

Scenic Water Row.  I couldn't resist and took a quick spin down Water Row to the first wetland before heading back to Sherman Bridge.

Wetland sounds on Water Row.

A video posted by NEBicyclist (@svillecyclist) on Apr 18, 2015 at 11:22am PDT

Another scenic spot on the ride, Sherman Bridge.  It's a great bridge and you get a sense of the breadth of the river near flood stage from here.

I finally spotted pony henge.  I thought this was in a field far from a paved road.  When I stopped here I was certain that this wasn't the pony henge but I have been corrected.

I did the ride on my IF road bike.

The ride wasn't all perfect.  On Concord Road, a quarter mile from the Lincoln, Sudbury School, I saw a deer, clearly struck by a car not so long before.  I called Sudbury Police, who promised to contact the people who would take it away.  It's always unsettling to see death, especially a large mammal.  There wasn't much for me to do, aside from a short prayer.

Miles for the year: about 390.

Commuting, sometimes

Well, the year has restarted.  The snow melted and my tendon is all healed and I started riding my bike to work.  Actually I went out for coffee once while waiting for my car to get fixed.  But that's it.  I had dreams that I would bike more but circumstances and weather conspired to slow me downand recreation rides are still in the future.  Bad weather is part of it but for commuting, I'll ride in the rain.  I am usually a fair weather commuter but riding in the rain seems like fair weather ride after this winter.  I did ride in the rain several times last year but it was less than 10 times, I think.  So I have to enjoy everything when I do ride, even if it's through the city and I won't worry about the rain.

Last Friday I finally did a little recreational riding, through an urban area.  I've seen pictures on Instagram (via Matt Roy and Rob Vandermark) of a walking/riding bridge under the Zakim Bridge.  I was meeting a friend for dinner and he needed more time so I decided to ride to the bridge before I went to my friend's house and it was fabulous.  It was gritty and very noisy but it was great fun and I highly recommend checking it out.  This route on Ride With GPS isn't exactly my route but it gives you and idea of how to get around.  I ended up in East Cambridge at my friend's house so I reversed this route and ended up on roads that looked pretty scary but it wasn't all that bad.

Miles for the year: 200


The bridge from the dam.  You can see the last of the ice from this winter.  The  TD Garden looks small from this perspective.  This was probably the noisiest part of the ride.  I wish I could have measure the sound but I assure you it was overwhelming.

The bridge from below.  It isn't the bright, colorful bridge that you will see on the Wikipedia site but it is cool perspective.

The deck from underneath.  It seems pretty wide when you are underneath it but it doesn't come out in this picture.

One of the four supports for the towers holding the cable stays.  It's not all that big but it seems to do the job.  You can see one of the supports for the entrance ramp in the distance.

You will pass by the tracks for the commuter rail heading north from North Station.  I don't know how often this bascule bridge is raised but I know they are still active.

Past the bridge, I came across the turn around for the Green Line at Lechmere.  It isn't fancy.

At one point during the day I also took a wrong  turn and ended up at the Longfellow Bridge, which is getting a much needed renovation.  Ice is piled up here  as well.

Matt Roy pointed out an owl that he saw on his commute and I stopped there last week. Unfortunately it wasn't there when I came with my son, who has been interested in owls since we saw one when he was four months old.

Finally, people carry many things by bike.  I was particularly impressed by Dan, who was carrying his goalie equipment, after an early morning game.  I played goalie a couple of times and I still have the sense of how massive the equipment is.