• Approval of June Meeting Minutes and several administrative items.

• Fiscal Update - The club is currently on budget.

• The club Privacy Policy is still being finalized and a final vote will be brought to the Board at the next meeting.

Updates from committees:

• Internal Operations Committee discussed the grants program.  There is a total of $5,000 allocated to grants.  There will be $3,000 for general charity funds and $2,000 for Century support by local non-profits. 

• The Rides and Safety Committee presented a Century Update.  Currently CTTC is active for registration.  The Cranberry Century details are being finalized and registration should become active soon.

There will not be an August meeting, the next meeting will be on September 8th. 

By Jerry Skurla

On Saturday, July 13th at 10 AM in St. Johnsbury, Vermont seven enthusiastic riders joined leader Jerry Skurla for an unforgettable bikepacking adventure. Among them were three returning Bikepacking 101 riders and four first timers at 19, 26, 71 and 80 years young!

Day 1: St. Johnsbury to Ricker Pond State Park

The first day’s ride covered 37 miles and 3,000 vertical feet, featuring challenging dirt road climbs, breathtaking hilltop views, and a picturesque long covered bridge built in 1927.

The adventurous route was both fun and challenging, especially navigating numerous large puddles on the Cross Vermont Trail formed by two heavy downpours that narrowly missed the crew. As the day progressed, the team arrived at Ricker Pond State Park in Groton, VT, where they set up camp.

The serene environment provided an opportunity for several riders to enjoy refreshing swims in the “water temp is perfect” mountain pond.

Dinner was a delightful affair, with everyone swapping stories of past adventures while preparing meals on a variety of stoves, from old-school white gas to the latest tech propane canisters and ultralight alcohol-fueled backpacking stoves.

Day 2: Ricker Pond to St. Johnsbury

After breaking camp, the group pedaled 9 miles up the Cross Vermont Trail to the Marshfield General Store for a hearty breakfast.

Energized and ready for the day, they headed towards Cabot, VT, home of the famous Cabot Cheese Company. The main challenge of the day was the climb out of Cabot to the historic Bayley-Hazen Road, which rewarded them with wide-open views of Camel’s Hump and the Green Mountains.

The ride continued with several miles of sweeping gravel roads leading towards Joe’s Pond, where the group took a break to refresh their water bottles and regroup in Danville. The adventure concluded with a cool, wooded 15-mile glide down the Lamoine rail trail, bringing them back to St. Johnsbury.

Overall the weekend was a resounding success, filled with camaraderie, breathtaking scenery, and memorable experiences. For the first timers, it marked the beginning of what promises to be many more bikepacking adventures!

If you are interested in bikepacking with CRW feel free to email Jerry Skurla at jskurla@comcast.net. 

Town you live in? I'm in Lexington, originally from Illinois.

What led to you joining CRW and what do you enjoy most about being a member? I first joined after discovering bicycle tours as being a great way to explore other countries. I stopped after having two kids and then rejoined last year to find other cyclists with whom I could ride.

What is your best advice for a new club member? Join rides and make friends with other members who ride at similar speeds and with whom you “click.” Last summer, I made some friends from the “fast group” on the Lexington Social Revolutions rides; and we have been riding together ever since. They are now among my best friends; and we all support and encourage each other. Joining them for rides also provides extra motivation.

When did you become a Ride Leader? Just this spring!

What led to you becoming a ride leader? To help make the Lexington Social Revolutions ride a regular feature.

What types of rides are you planning on leading? Mostly, the Lexington Social Revolutions ride.

How long have you been cycling, and what initially got you interested in the sport? I had a bike in college and became interested in mountain biking after joining NEMBA soon after I moved here. Taking bike tours made me appreciate road cycling even more, as I could maintain a more consistent effort and cover more ground.

What is your favorite thing about cycling? The beauty of transporting myself with such an efficient and timeless device (the bicycle); and, of course, riding with friends or family is even better. Plus, I know of no better way to intimately explore a place.

How many miles a year do you typically ride? I am currently on track to ride about 3,700 miles this year (more than 10/day, which is the most I have ever done).

What is your greatest cycling accomplishment? Completing the Cape Town Cycle Tour last spring, which is 109 km along the western cape of South Africa. My new goal is to complete my first imperial century this fall.

What is your favorite road or trail to ride on? The best trail I have ever ridden is the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail from Anchorage, Alaska–bald eagles, bears, so much nature.

What is your favorite route to ride? My favorite local trail is the Bruce Freeman rail trail. I also appreciate my work commute–Minuteman Bikeway to Green Line extension path.

What is your favorite post-ride food or drink? I start earlier–I love a mid-ride coffee / snack break at a nice cafe, such as Ferns or the Harvard General Store.

By John Allen

If you or someone you are riding with suffers a bicycle crash, the bike needs to be checked out, and the rider too.

Step 1. Assess and care for the rider

I have a story about this, just for reference.1983 -- I was riding in Harvard Square, Cambridge, when a wrong-way cyclist headed toward me.  I slalomed, trying to get him to move aside. Bad move, I lost control of my bicycle and fell on top of it.

I got up.  A quick check showed no obvious damage to the bike. It was my Raleigh Twenty city bike, which is pretty much bombproof. As I rode the mile home to Somerville, I could feel bone grinding against bone in my groin, but I felt no pain whatsoever until I was 100 feet from my front door. I was in shock. A primitive nesting instinct had overridden rational thought and my ability to feel pain.

X-rays the next day showed that I had broken my pelvis. Fortunately, the pelvis has three rami (loops, no relation to the former CRW president!) on each side. Only two on the right side were broken. The third one held everything in place. I was off crutches after three weeks.

Had my injury been a bit different, I could have worsened it by riding. The prudent course of action when I crashed would have been to call 911 (this is much easier now that everyone has cell phones).

I am no medical expert, so my primary advice here is to recognize that you or your companion who crashed may not be in a normal state of mind following a crash and not necessarily one involving an impact to the head – my crash did not. Err on the side of caution and call for medical assistance.

And if the crash happens on a CRW ride, work with the ride leader to report the accident to the VP of Rides.

Step 2. Assess the bicycle

Damage rendering a bicycle unsafe to ride can occur in a crash, or even without crashing. Even following a trivial crash or if the bicycle just fell over, checking for damage is advisable.

Here’s a comprehensive article on the topic.  It covers the traditional ABC Quick check, but also how to check for a bent frame or fork and other crash damage. Something as simple and easy to overlook as a bent derailleur hanger can lead to big problems if the derailleur goes into the spokes.

Some damage will reveal itself through noises. Things may rattle because they are loose, or creak, or clunk. Here’s an article about how to check for the source of noises. Just as an example, I recently rescued a pair of cranks which had begun to creak as they were seating themselves on a new bottom bracket spindle. They would have been ruined if I let the problem go.

Sometimes there is no workable choice with a damaged bicycle other than to limp home, or to the nearest bike shop. Traditional bicycle design often makes it possible for a cyclist who is reasonably skilled as a mechanic to get a warped wheel true enough to ride. Here is an article which describes wheel-rescue tricks. It may also be possible to straighten a steel frame or fork. But the tricks are less likely to work with newer bikes which emphasize light weight, and then the tool of choice is the cell phone (as it is for any crash when you can’t be reasonably sure that you can safely continue).

After a significant crash, it good practice to have a reputable bike shop assess your frame for damage and overall safety before you head out on the road again.

Further reading

See MassBike’s list of steps you should follow post-crash, including crashes involving a motor vehicle.

Best though is not to crash, and we have had lots of advice on that in this column!

By Norma Loehr

Don't forget to register for Climb to the Clouds on August 11, 2024!

This legendary CRW ride will test your biking abilities with two challenging routes climbing up Mount Wachusett. There is a century length ride with 6,324 feet of climbing or a metric century with 3,358 feet of climbing. To help you succeed there are rest stops along the way.

Register Now!

By Amy Juodawlkis

Exploring Vermont with CRW:

Out and about in the CRW club kit:

***SHARE YOUR RIDE PHOTOS WITH CRW!***
Email them to: media-share@crw.org

Board Meeting Summary - June 2, 2024

The CRW Board of Directors met on June 2, 2024. Key highlights from the meeting include:

• Approval of the May meeting minutes and several administrative items.
• Discussion of the club's new Privacy Policy, which will be reviewed by board members and ratified at the July meeting. A new privacy@crw.org email address was created to handle privacy-related matters.
• Updates from committees:
  • The Club Promotion and Events Committee is working on a ride leader incentive program.
  • The Rides and Safety Committee presented a new Ride Leader Status Policy, which was unanimously approved and is being introduced this July.
• A debrief on the recent century ride, which had high turnout despite poor weather. The organizers are working on improving logistics and tracking for future events.
• The planned June member meeting has been postponed to October/November 2024.
• Eli Post's resignation as WheelPeople editor was noted. The board thanks Eli for his dedicated service in this role.

The next board meeting is scheduled for July 7. Members are welcome to contact board@crw.org with any questions or feedback.

Dear CRW Members,

I'm thrilled to share the incredible success of our new Neighborhood Rides initiative, which is already transforming how we ride together in CRW!

Launched on May 4 in Lexington, MA, our first Neighborhood Ride, aptly named "Social Revolutions," has quickly become a local cycling sensation. The program's popularity was evident when I led a ride on June 15, welcoming 41 registered riders.

But the numbers tell an even more exciting story. Let's break down the statistics so far:

• We've had an impressive total of 129 registrations for Neighborhood Rides.
• 87 participants have been one-time riders, exploring what the program has to offer.
• An encouraging 42 are repeat riders, joining us for anywhere from 2 to 5 rides already.
• We're grateful to our 5 dedicated ride leaders and 1 coordinator so far who are making this program possible.

These numbers speak volumes about the program's appeal and the community it's building. We're especially excited to see so many new faces trying out the rides, as well as the growing group of regulars who are making Neighborhood Rides a part of their cycling routine.

The Neighborhood Rides program offers several key benefits:

1. More Ride Locations: We're introducing rides in areas where we have at least 8 potential ride leaders, ensuring a sustainable schedule.
2. Consistency: Each location will have rides starting at the same time and place weekly, making it easy to plan and participate.
3. Less Hassle for Leaders: Routes will be pre-selected, and rides will be pre-posted on the calendar. Ride leaders simply need to opt-in and show up!
4. Club Connections: This format provides a great opportunity to get to know fellow CRW members in your area through reliably scheduled weekly rides.

Ride Leaders: We're actively seeking input from our ride leaders to identify more locations, determine optimal start times, and establish a network of local rides across the Greater Boston area. If you're interested in leading a Neighborhood Ride in your community, please don't hesitate to reach out.

I want to extend a special thank you to Norma Loehr coordinating, and all the ride leaders (Diana Antczak, Melissa Quirk, Robert Sayre, and Tariq Kassum) who have helped put Lexington on the map as our first Neighborhood Rides location. Their dedication and enthusiasm are what make CRW such a vibrant cycling community.

As we continue to develop and expand this program, we welcome members' feedback and suggestions. Together, we can make Neighborhood Rides a cornerstone of CRW's offerings, bringing the joy of group cycling closer to home for all our members.

Are you excited about the possibility of starting a Neighborhood Ride series in your area? We'd love to hear from you! If you're interested in leading rides or helping to establish a new Neighborhood Ride location, please contact John O'Dowd at vp-rides@crw.org. John and our rides team are ready to support you in bringing this fantastic program to your community.

Stay tuned for more Neighborhood Rides coming to a location near you!

Happy cycling,

Randolph Williams
President, Charles River Wheelers

By Mark Nardone and Erik D'Entremont

Join CRW on August 11 at 7 AM for the Climb to the Clouds (CTTC) Century, departing from Lincoln-Sudbury High School. This ride will challenge cyclists with its numerous ascents and a thrilling climb up the iconic Mt. Wachusett. “The Climb to the Clouds is not just about the physical challenge; it's about  pushing yourself, supporting your fellow riders, and creating unforgettable memories. And if you missed out on earning your medallion last year, now is your chance!” said Mark Nardone, a Century Committee lead organizer.

Erik D’Entremont, also Century Committee Lead, adds, "We're thrilled to bring back the Climb to the Clouds for another year. This event showcases the best of New England cycling. We can't wait to see everyone at the start!"

Route Details: The Climb to the Clouds Century will take you on a scenic journey through Lincoln, Princeton and up Mt. Wachusetts. The ride starts at the Lincoln Sudbury HS with the 100 mile ride reaching the top of Mt. Wachusett at mile 38 with a 1995’ climb and 6324’ overall elevation gain.  

A full supported water stop awaits you at the base of the mountain. There is also a great lunch stop at the Mountainside Bakery and Cafe just after the descent on mountain road. The 60 mile route will circle Wachusetts lake with a lunch stop at the Boylston Deli. All riders will enjoy a fast downhill return through Berlin to Lincoln-Sudbury HS for an after party with sandwiches, chips, pickles, and cold sparkling water.

Be Prepared: For riders’ enjoyment and safety, we encourage riders to bring a rain shell and most of their nutrition needs on-board. Water-only rest stops will be available at Dexter Drumlin Reservation and Berlin Orchards, while a full-service stop with food, water, and Gatorade awaits at the Mt. Wachusett Visitor Entrance. All rest stops will have porta johns.

 

Dexter Drumlin Reservation

Berlin Orchards

CTTC is a classic CRW ride and the century ride is one of the more challenging routes, but the views and sense of achievement are unbeatable. Follow this link for registration and more information.

See you on Sunday, August 11!

by John O'Dowd

Dear Valued CRW Ride Leaders,

At the heart of our cycling club are the dedicated individuals who lead our rides and foster our community spirit. Your commitment and enthusiasm make our club thrive, and we're grateful for your continued involvement. To ensure we maintain a vibrant and active leadership roster, we're introducing a new policy on maintaining ride leader status. We believe this update will help us better support our active leaders and encourage increased participation.

Background

Our club currently has 172 registered ride leaders, with 84 leading rides in the past year. A recent analysis showed that many registered leaders haven't led rides in over a decade. While we understand that personal circumstances change, we want to ensure our roster reflects our active leadership accurately.

This policy aims to:

1. Recognize and support active ride leaders

2. Encourage increased ride leadership participation

3. Maintain an up-to-date roster of active leaders 

New Policy Overview

Effective January 1, 2025, to maintain ride leader status, individuals will need to meet the following criteria:

• Lead or co-lead at least three rides within a two-year period (the first evaluation period will be from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2027)

Implementation Details

To receive credit for leading or co-leading a ride:

• Register for the ride you're leading

• Select "Ride Leader" or "Co-leader" ticket type when registering

Exceptions and Support

We understand that life can present unexpected challenges. If you're unable to meet these requirements due to injury, family obligations, work commitments, or other circumstances:

• Contact the VP of Rides to discuss your situation

• We'll work with you to accommodate your circumstances and maintain your status

What Happens If Requirements Aren't Met?

If a ride leader doesn't meet the requirements:

• We'll reach out to discuss your situation and interests

• We'll work with you to find ways to help you maintain your status if desired

• If inactive status is preferred, ride leader benefits (gifts, awards, discounts, events) will be discontinued

How We'll Support You

To help our ride leaders meet these new requirements, we're planning to:

• Offer mentorship programs pairing experienced leaders with new ones

• Provide additional training and resources for ride planning and execution

• Create more opportunities for co-leading rides

Why This Change?

This policy was carefully crafted by our senior leadership team, with input from the Rides and Safety Committee and the CRW Board. The requirements are designed to be achievable while ensuring an active leadership roster. By maintaining an accurate list of active leaders, we can better allocate resources, plan events, and support those who are regularly contributing to our riding community.

We're excited about the positive impact this change will have on our club. If you have any questions or concerns about this new policy, please don't hesitate to reach out to our ride program coordinators or the VP of Rides. Your feedback and involvement are crucial as we work together to strengthen our club.

Thank you for your dedication to CRW. We look forward to many more great rides with you at the helm!

Ride on, 

John O’Dowd
VP of Rides, Charles River Wheelers