Great post ride dinner -

Great post ride dinner - Red Bones BBQ.

Day 1 done - went

Day 1 done - went out with first break (2 person break). Easy pace over medium hills.

Waiting to start

Waiting to start

Mass Bike Pike Tour - Day 1

Amherst to Warren
Today, we head South from Amherst, towards Ludlow/Palmer to circumnavigate the Quabbin Reservoir. Paralleling the Mass Pike for a bit, at Three Rivers we turn North, up the East side of the reservoir until we reach South Barre, at which point we turn South toward Warren.

Distance: 69.5 miles
Climbing: 4922 ft

Update & Preview

2009 has not progressed as I had hopped. Accidents, Injuries, Work, and Weather all successfully conspired to derail my plans for the year.

It goes without saying that my preparation for this year's MassBike Pike tour has been a shadow of last year's. Factor in the fact, this year's tour is hillier (including a mountain ascent) with a quicker pace, and things don't look good for me.

That all being said, today's tune-up ride gives me some hope. The hills were bad and the gradients were aggressive, but my legs reacted properly. Two weeks ago I was struggling up these hills, but a week of intensive hill repeats and focusing on my climbing rhythm seems to have paid dividends. Of course, the true test comes in four days.