Earlier this week I found out that the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail phase one, from Chelmsford to Westford, was opened to the public.

Even earlier on in the week I was in planning with one of my coworkers to get him out more on his bike. Our initial plan included another person, a former coworker of ours, who unfortunately had to back out due to issues with her ankle. Plans shifted from riding out to Concord, to starting a ride from Concord that might include Walden or the Sculpture Park, or even the Nagog Pond Loop (as I’ve been meaning to revisit it all summer.) But, when word of the rail trail opening came in we thought it was be good fun to go and check it out. So today we did just that.
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Got this in the email tonight. Looks like a good time, and not too far away either, you could easily ride up and check this out.

Tour de Lexington Bike Ride: Saturday, June 13

Celebrate the Fun of Bicycling in Lexington!

TOUR de LEXINGTON BIKE RIDE
SATURDAY, JUNE 13 9 AM
LEAVING from the LEXINGTON VISITORS’ CENTER
RECOMMENDED for RIDERS 14 years and older

An easy-pace 11-mile bike tour of Lexington, including brief stops at some of Lexington’s conservation lands.

Sponsored by the Friends of Lexington Bikeways, the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee, and the Lexington Conservation Stewards. Coming? Email lcarp@rcn.com (Includes some unpaved paths; heavy rain cancels).

Get involved with Biking in Lexington!

The Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Friends of Lexington Bikeways meet together on the 2d Thursday of every month: 7 pm, in Room 111 of the Town Office Building. All welcome!

Sign up for the Lexington Bicycle Newsgroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/ (search on Bike_Lexington)

Peggy Enders
Chair, Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee

At last. At long last. The training, the preparation, the nervous anticipation; it was all for something.

On May 16th I set out at 9:30AM to ride 100 miles. Six weeks prior to that day I began my training in earnest, building on a physical foundation that the last two+ years of riding my bike around Boston had sculpted.

I followed a plan I found which recommended performing long rides on weekends, increasing the distance each week until two weeks out. Since I did plenty of riding around during the mild winter we had this year I was able to start part of the way into the program.

First was a (roughly) 30-miler. The following weekend I went on a ride of opportunity: in the middle of the night I did a modified 50-mile route the Marathon was set to take several hours later. The next weekend I punched in 57 miles going around the Nagog Pond in Acton. Next up was a Metric Century achieving 68 mile ride that I stitched together from two smaller routes. Having done more than 65% of the total distance I planned the next ride to be a shorter 50 miles to Walden Pond and the DeCordova Sculpture Park, which is a much recommended way to ready oneself for…

a Century Ride:
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“Hey, wanna race ‘cross?”

Marcus asked me this as he, Eric, and I lingered on Harvard Ave last night after an IBC sushi fest. He just got a new cross bike that he’s building up today so maybe I should have expected the question. And even with a belly full of sushi, I nearly pounced at that question.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

That question lingered in my head and greeted me this morning, bright and somewhat early. My legs were a little worn out from the psycho 40-miler-plus-running workout combo of yesterday, and I was tempted to do an easy 30 mile loop instead. The hills I’ll have to tackle on my decided route…the fact that I’m on a single-speed…my leg being a little achy…

All those got shoved aside as I swung a leg over my bike and didn’t stop until I hit Arlington, again. And on the way, I remembered something that made me detour into the heart of Lexington. My aunt used to live here. Between Brussels and Tokyo, my aunt, uncle, and cousins lived in this quaint, little New England town. It was only for a few years, and because I associate my aunt with Belgium instead, it’s a fact that I tend to forget.

And sometimes, I wonder if my aunt has as many memories of Lexington as she does of Brussels. I remember one Christmas [yes, my family celebrates it even though we're complete heathens], she brought a small casserole dish that smelled deliciously of cream and cheese. Hiding between those gooey layers were endives, pale with a browned corner here and there, their distinctive bitterness tempered by butter, cream, and Gruyere. My first mouth-watering encounter with the vegetable, I gulped and gobbled it down. That gratin d’endives still has me yearning for Belgium.

As I took pictures of Lexington, I was tempted to call my aunt and cousins. Endives and waffles are amazing, but why did they never get into cycling? Why did they keep secret this sport called cyclocross?

“Wait, oh, you’ll have to get another bike,” Marcus said, last night.

“That’s a ‘cross bike. I can race it single-speed,” I said as I pointed to my Bianchi.

“Dude, that would be so awesome!”

Or it could just be incredibly embarrassing. Maybe it’ll get me to Belgium, though. And even if that takes a few years, I’d endure an hour or so of incredible pain to sink my teeth into a sugary waffle.

Alright, a cupcake might do, too, in a pinch.

Dear Mark,

I assume you’re not passed out in a ditch somewhere after whatever may have transpired last night to celebrate the end of 2L. I’m hoping you can read this through the haze of your hangover.

Remember yesterday when I ran into you again after our rescheduled exams? And you told me not to take that route to Natick and I should go to Dover instead? And you said that this one route would be good and I’d like it because it’s sort of hilly and quiet and nice?

Well, I was really excited about it, and got all changed and jersey-fied for this ride. And then like 5 miles in, I hit a highway.

I actually tried to ride on it, and then I figured maybe I shouldn’t, and I tried to see if it was just a sort-of highway that ends but it was kind of scary and I couldn’t imagine how I would get back. So, instead, I ended up taking the usual 12 mile loop home and then passed out when I got to my apartment. Dover, fail, apparently.

But today, I managed to make it to Arlington via Lexington. And let me tell you, it’s like a whole different world. There are trees and little traffic and even bodies of water were involved! I was totally channeling Rapha Continental [but maybe without the speed, style, and grace]. I mean, this does not look like Massachusetts. Or at least the Massachusetts I’m used to.

The people are incredibly nice too, at least if you’re a girl and sweating buckets on some isolated private way with no clue where she’s going. Oh, yeah, I did get spit on by some kids on the way back, but I guess that comes with the territory [don't worry, I showered].

And I got lost about five times, but that goes without saying. It made the 35 mile-ish ride into something like 40, and other than a 10 minute break in Arlington, I hardly stopped. Progress, right?

I think I’ve found my daily route. It even has some legit hills, and twisty roads. If you weren’t leaving tomorrow for New York City, I’d drag you and Obersheimer there tomorrow morning. Even though with your respective gears, you’d both dust me. But come August, when you’re back, I plan on being at least a little bit stronger.

Time to sink my face into some food. Then a nap maybe, and gym time. Yeah, running starts today. I have difficulty walking, so this will be interesting. Anyway, I’m hungry. See you next week in the city, yeah?

oxox,
k

This weekend’s ride started on Saturday morning. I began it a bit later in the morning while I waited for some rain to pass and, as designed, the ride was shorter than last week’s. After the rain moved on it became a very nice day, and perhaps a bit too nice as I opted not to put on any sunscreen and now have somewhat reddened shoulders and arms to remind me to apply it in the future.

I chose a Minuteman Bikeway extension ride that went from the Bedford end and hit Walden Pond and the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park. I haven’t been to either location and have been wanting to visit each for the last few years. Added bonus: Hanscom Airforce Base – the first airport I’ve ridden to.
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When I began my training for my upcoming century ride I recognized in the back of my mind the need for a contingency plan.

I had no idea how feasible it would be for me to build up to and actually ride 100 miles before June. I now think I am in a very good position to do that in the next couple of weeks, but I still feel it necessary to have a “fallback” ready.

For example: what if my bike breaks down? What if I hurt myself training and can’t do the ride? Maybe the weather will turn for the worst and blizzards will strike every weekend until June. (Hey, it’s New England, it doesn’t hurt to consider every weather possibility.) If something happens and I can’t do the full 100, how will I cheat/accomplish my goal and not bruise my precious ego too much?

Here is where I rationalize things and conclude that a one-off solution can be, under the right circumstances, considered a successful completion of task. If it comes down to it a metric century, which is to say 100 kilometers or roughly 62 miles, would “count” as achieving my goal if I found 100 miles to be out of reach.

Well, today I feel very good (and a bit weary.) Yesterday (Sunday) I achieved a major milestone in my training which accomplished my contingency plan by completing a metric century. Actually I managed to do a bit more and clocked in 68.35 miles for the day. Woo hoo!
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