Memorial Day Weekend: 2 Rides, 111 miles, Involuntary Yee-haas and Dead Guy Ale...

Just a quick training update... I managed to get in 2 rides this Memorial Day weekend: a quick 36-mile ride on Sunday and somewhat more strenuous 75-mile ride on Monday.   The Sunday ride was a quick out-n-back to Nashua NH, mostly on the Nashua River Rail Trail.  The weather on both days was remarkable, but the Memorial Day ride was the more memorable of the two...

The Memorial Day ride started with some nasty hills in Harvard.   Even though the hills around the Harvard/Berlin area can be brutal climbs, the downhills are thrilling enough to more than make up for the pain.   Case in point: after a mile-long ascent up Pinnacle Road to Oak Hill Road,  it's another mile downhill into Harvard Center on Oak Hill Road.   You can build up an awful lot of speed on a 1-mile downhill grade like that, especially on a recumbent bike like mine.   I got my top speed for the season (so far) on that stretch: 51 mph.  Speeds in excess of 50mph on a bike are known to induce an involuntary "yeeeee haaaaa" response from the rider. This weekend was no exception; the folks in Harvard out getting ready for their Memorial Day parade heard me coming...

After the hills of Harvard, Stow and Berlin I made it down to Northboro for a quick visit with my in-laws.  I topped off my water and got back on the road east to Marlboro.  In Marlboro I rode by the church where Sandy and I were married -- it hasn't changed a bit -- then found the terminus for the Assabet River Rail Trail to Hudson.  

The ride into Hudson was shady and seemed like it was mostly downhill.  Once in Hudson I stopped at my favorite lunch place: The Horseshoe Pub.  The Horseshoe has one of the best selections of  beers on tap (about 100, I think ) and I was pleased to find that they had Dead Guy Ale (from Rogue Ales in Portland,  WA) on tap.  So, sat down a the back bar for a burger and a couple of pints of Dead Guy Ale (just to balance my electrolytes) and another 2 pints of ice water (to counteract dehydration from the Dead Guy), then got back on the road a little after 2PM, refreshed and ready.  

I made my way north up route 62 to Stow then up to Acton and up Pope Road to route 225 where I got on the Bruce Freeman Rail trail.  I rode the BFRT up to Lowell and back down, stopping at Chelmsford Cyclery (nice shop) to pick up some chain lube for the bikes.  Then I biked home from Chelmsford, racking up a total of 75.27 miles for the day.   So, no "century ride" that day, but it was still a gorgeous day to be out and on a bike, so no complaints.