For the past three days, I've bike commuted to work and back, nothing new really.
What is new is that I've been running errands in some capacity while on the bike.
I have been toting a pannier bag full of work gear, like changes of clothes, grocery items that we've run out of, mail for a post office run, etc. All of that extra weight is adding a level of training that I haven't really explored, which, hopefully, will make my light bike training and events really fun and fast!
As much as I want to bike EVERY single day of this month for 30 Day Of Biking, realistically, I know that it wont happen, as my work schedule starts to change with the end of every week, giving me less and less hours of sleep.
To add another wrinkle, my workplace is in the process of implementing a new warehousing system, which has added much more overtime to my workday. By the time I am ready to leave back for home, I have little to no energy left. I keep telling myself that any time on the bike is good forward progress, but only time will tell if I'm improving to where I was a year and a half ago.
For early Spring, I think that I'm off to a good start though, so I'll take it and keep building!
Next event: Sat April 21st: the New England Randonneurs 100k to Sterling, MA.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Sunday was the official start of 30 Days Of Biking month. I started it off with a recovery ride, due to riding a 110k event the day before.
So, my April 1st ride was with the Quad Cycles crew out of Arlington, MA. It was a good-sized group, with a diverse ridership. There's something for everyone on these rides. That day, unfortunately, there were no recovery riders, everyone wanting to put the pedal to the metal. So I spun along, at my own pace, with my aching quads and hamstrings from 80 miles and 3500' climbing the previous day.
The loops were beautiful as usual, riding up the Minuteman Bikeway to Bedford, by the North Bridge in Concord, up Lowell Rd to Ferns Country Store in Carlisle, then down Rt 225 back into Bedford and the Bikeway back home.
Total distance: 40 miles.
To register for 30 Days Of Biking, sign up at 30daysofbiking.com.
Do it today, and pass it on! :-)
So, my April 1st ride was with the Quad Cycles crew out of Arlington, MA. It was a good-sized group, with a diverse ridership. There's something for everyone on these rides. That day, unfortunately, there were no recovery riders, everyone wanting to put the pedal to the metal. So I spun along, at my own pace, with my aching quads and hamstrings from 80 miles and 3500' climbing the previous day.
The loops were beautiful as usual, riding up the Minuteman Bikeway to Bedford, by the North Bridge in Concord, up Lowell Rd to Ferns Country Store in Carlisle, then down Rt 225 back into Bedford and the Bikeway back home.
Total distance: 40 miles.
To register for 30 Days Of Biking, sign up at 30daysofbiking.com.
Do it today, and pass it on! :-)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
For the month of April, I will be taking the 30 Days Of Biking Challenge.
The point:
Bike somewhere every day for 30 days—around the block, 20 miles to work, whatever suits you—then share your adventures online.
30 Days advocates daily bicycling because they believe it enriches lives and preserves the Earth. A worldwide, thousands-strong community of joyful cyclists has been forming around that idea since April 2010—and will further amass in 2012.
So, wont you join me in taking the 30 Days of Biking Challenge? It will be interesting to read the experiences that folks have during their times of bliss on their two-wheeled wonders!
Pass the word about this event. The more that we do to promote healthy living and green transportation, we make our environments that much better for everyone!
To learn more and register, please visit their website: http://30daysofbiking.com/
The point:
Bike somewhere every day for 30 days—around the block, 20 miles to work, whatever suits you—then share your adventures online.
30 Days advocates daily bicycling because they believe it enriches lives and preserves the Earth. A worldwide, thousands-strong community of joyful cyclists has been forming around that idea since April 2010—and will further amass in 2012.
So, wont you join me in taking the 30 Days of Biking Challenge? It will be interesting to read the experiences that folks have during their times of bliss on their two-wheeled wonders!
Pass the word about this event. The more that we do to promote healthy living and green transportation, we make our environments that much better for everyone!
To learn more and register, please visit their website: http://30daysofbiking.com/
Saturday, October 01, 2011
In an effort to do more blogging and less chumming around on Facebook, I've decided to get my journal here back on track.
Today is Oct 1st. It is pretty much the winding down for most cyclists for the season. For me, I've only just begun!
This year proved to be quite a busy year, making for a very challenging year for cycling.
I started out the year with a major change of shift at work. Having had stress problems with a delivery route in Boston, I decided to jump onto a night shift. Stress was indeed lowered, but changing back to daytime operating hours for cycling purposes for the weekends still proves to be a big stumbling block. So I'm looking to get back onto days again, provided that I'm not dumped back into Boston again.
MJ and I finally got married, after 16 years together. We were wed on May 21st at The Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA. Under a colonial backdrop, we took our vows and partied with around 90 guests. A fun time was had by all.
We had our honeymoon in Paris, France in August. For two weeks, we saw the sights, ate fine French cuisine and sipped fine French wine, enjoying all that the city has to offer. We did not want to return!
In the meantime, while all this was underway, I tried to eke out a cycling season. It was more of a ride-when-I-felt-like-it training! I didn't qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris because of the time constraints and frankly my mind wasn't concentrating on the cycling, but rather, the wedding, the honeymoon, trying to stay awake on weekends when my body was usually sleeping, etc.. I decided not to pursue the PBP this time. I will, however be back in Paris for PBP 2015, no distractions allowed! ;-)
Lately I have been consumed with the news of a friend of mine, Rica Mendes, from South Salem, NY, who has recently started chemo for a dual-breast cancer diagnosis.
Rica is a Team Leader for the Livestrong Challenges. I met her through another cycling friend that I was riding brevets with. While we have never rode together, I long to do so, and will be riding 2012 Livestrong Austin with her. She still plans to ride Austin this year, despite her diagnosis and treatment (as of this entry, Livestrong Austin is two weeks away). She is a strong lady, and I know that she'll wont stop until cancer is pounded into the ground! She is my inspiration to kick my training back into a road-ripping asphalt-kicking condition!
I have been riding to work several days per week, and trying to ride at least one distance ride on the weekends, usually on Sundays when my body is most acclimated to daytime operation. I hope to get back to two distance rides shortly so I can get a distance base again. I'll get there.
So next year, it is the Pan Mass Challenge AND Livestrong for the charity rides, plus a full brevet series to start building the base for PBP 2015. Maybe, just maybe I will get to experience a 1000k for the very first time as well. We'll see.
Today is Oct 1st. It is pretty much the winding down for most cyclists for the season. For me, I've only just begun!
This year proved to be quite a busy year, making for a very challenging year for cycling.
I started out the year with a major change of shift at work. Having had stress problems with a delivery route in Boston, I decided to jump onto a night shift. Stress was indeed lowered, but changing back to daytime operating hours for cycling purposes for the weekends still proves to be a big stumbling block. So I'm looking to get back onto days again, provided that I'm not dumped back into Boston again.
MJ and I finally got married, after 16 years together. We were wed on May 21st at The Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA. Under a colonial backdrop, we took our vows and partied with around 90 guests. A fun time was had by all.
We had our honeymoon in Paris, France in August. For two weeks, we saw the sights, ate fine French cuisine and sipped fine French wine, enjoying all that the city has to offer. We did not want to return!
In the meantime, while all this was underway, I tried to eke out a cycling season. It was more of a ride-when-I-felt-like-it training! I didn't qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris because of the time constraints and frankly my mind wasn't concentrating on the cycling, but rather, the wedding, the honeymoon, trying to stay awake on weekends when my body was usually sleeping, etc.. I decided not to pursue the PBP this time. I will, however be back in Paris for PBP 2015, no distractions allowed! ;-)
Lately I have been consumed with the news of a friend of mine, Rica Mendes, from South Salem, NY, who has recently started chemo for a dual-breast cancer diagnosis.
Rica is a Team Leader for the Livestrong Challenges. I met her through another cycling friend that I was riding brevets with. While we have never rode together, I long to do so, and will be riding 2012 Livestrong Austin with her. She still plans to ride Austin this year, despite her diagnosis and treatment (as of this entry, Livestrong Austin is two weeks away). She is a strong lady, and I know that she'll wont stop until cancer is pounded into the ground! She is my inspiration to kick my training back into a road-ripping asphalt-kicking condition!
I have been riding to work several days per week, and trying to ride at least one distance ride on the weekends, usually on Sundays when my body is most acclimated to daytime operation. I hope to get back to two distance rides shortly so I can get a distance base again. I'll get there.
So next year, it is the Pan Mass Challenge AND Livestrong for the charity rides, plus a full brevet series to start building the base for PBP 2015. Maybe, just maybe I will get to experience a 1000k for the very first time as well. We'll see.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The New England Randonneurs' Boston Brevet Series 600k Ride Report
This was my very first 600k event.
Up at 1am.
Coffee!
Shredded Wheat w/banana, nectarine for breakfast
Everything ok and packed.
Items out in truck at 2am
Leave house 3am
Arrived at Hanscom Air Field 3:30am
Met Laura and Greg M at lot
Prompt departure at 4am
As we climbed that first hill, leaving the air field behind, I reminded myself not to try and keep up with the rocket riders, for that’s a sure-fire way of ensuring a quick burn-out, and knowing that we will need to save precious energy for the Green Mountains in VT, hanging back and just enjoying the nice, quiet streets is all that I aimed to do.
So we made swift work of getting out of Concord, Acton, Boxboro, Harvard, Shirley, Leominster, Westminster, Templeton, Royalston, and arrived in Gardner for Check Point 1 at 6:45 am. Filled up on water and food, stretched, and was on my way come 7am.
Lynda and Brevet organizer Tracey Ingle
With the legs still fresh, keeping up a fair pace was still pretty effortless. The terrain had mostly rolling hills, and the larger hills were mostly going downward – so easy now, I’ll learn that they are not so easy on the way back! We passed through the towns of Templeton, Baldwinville and Royalston on our way up into New Hampshire, where, in Richmond, rode onto Route 119, which was like a roller-coaster ride! The 12+% grades were all going in our favor – down! It was an exhilarating ride, for sure! For about 5 miles, we were treated to the sights and sounds of the Roaring Brook and the Ashuelot River. My first close-up look at a covered bridge was at mile 78.6 – the Ashuelot Covered Bridge – and I was mighty impressed! Part of what I like about randonneuring is that it becomes a sight-seeing trip! So much natural beauty to see. We were now treated to the Connecticut River all the way into Brattleboro, VT! We descended the last screaming hill that led to the Green Bridge, crossing over into the great state of VT around 9:50am.
Crossing the CT River into Brattleboro
Checkpoint 2 : Brattleboro, was located at the Motel 6 on Route 5. A tent structure was set up in parking lot right in front of hotel room that was used for bag storage and bathroom facilities. I methodically gathered items from my drop bag that I’d need to get me to Sandgate, a good 67 miles away. Filled bottles of water and Perpetuem, a quick stretch and we’re off.
The next 67.9 mile stretch was the most difficult part of the brevet, not only because of the heat that was starting to build from mid-morning into the afternoon hours, but because of the length and steepness of the hills of the Green Mountains. For about 22 miles, we mostly climbed. Some hills were rather benign, others very taxing at 8% grade for 2 miles. It was on this leg of the ride that I spent much time alone. Greg M, who I had rode with up to this point, started having problems due to lack of rest and the steepness of the terrain was just sapping his energy. He decided that he’d had enough and decided not to go on, posting a DNF (did not finish). I pushed on by myself. It wasn’t until the 30th mile into the leg that I saw other riders. Stopped at a convenience store in Bondville for more water, and there I saw a few riders. We pretty much stayed together for the rest of the leg, ebbing and flowing the pace.
Riding through the town of West Arlington was a treat: 5 miles of dirt road that followed the Battenkill River. There were tubers and boaters out in full-force on the water, just relaxing in the Summer sun. The dirt roads of Vermont are surprisingly well-maintained; they are smooth and graded. They provided a nice rustic flair to an already country landscape. River Road was my favorite part of this trip.
A few blinks after we left River Rd and onto Route 313, we took a right onto another dirt road, this one was about 1 mile, and it was mostly uphill. This road led to the ½ mile driveway for the summer home and check point of John McClellan, a New England Randonneur member. More dirt, more uphill, and loose gravel from the rains that Vermont has been getting hit with often this summer provided quite the challenge in getting to the house. I tried riding the length of the driveway, but only made it up perhaps a third of the way before having to stop due to rutting and the rear wheel not gaining any traction, grinding the bike to a halt. I walked the bike up the rest of the way, getting back on within 100 feet of John’s yard.
Once at John’s house at Sandgate, I went about filling my bottles and brevet card signed. Gathered items needed for the 30mi out/30mi back trek to the check point in Bennington. More food, more endurolytes. We’re off!
Getting ready to leave the Sandgate checkpoint for Bennington.
I left for Bennington with Jake Kassen, a well- seasoned randonneur who, with girlfriend Emily O’Brien, have biked just about everywhere! They have such a wealth of knowledge when it comes to these brevets, so as we were riding through New York State, I asked questions regarding sleep and just how much would be enough/ what to expect pace-wise on the return trip and other questions pertaining to finishing on-time. Through Eagleville, Anaquassacook, Cambridge (yes, there’s a Cambridge, NY), White Creek and Hoosick Falls we rolled, the wind really helping us along! With my head up and looking around, I took in the vast farm land that route 313 and 22 slice through. Lush, green land, lots of corn fields and livestock lined the roadsides. It was a quick ride out to Bennington, the road graded on a slight decline in most parts, with little bits of climbing here and there. At this point, my feet were starting to fatigue, so once we arrived at the check point, I took my shoes off and let my feet breathe a little. I called MJ to let her know where we were, and that everything was okay. There’s no cell phone service back at Sandgate, so this was my last chance to talk to her before hitting the road back there for some sleep. While I made my call, most of the others headed out for the ride back to John’s house.
New York State scenery
The return route getting us back into NY State had us climbing yet again – this time, it was up to the Bennington Monument – a huge structure atop of one steep hill. I managed to catch up with a tandem from my group of folks that left while I was making the call back home. We rode up to the monument, and then they missed a turn. I tried yelling for them to turn around, but they didn’t hear me. They must have figured it out, because it wasn’t long before they caught up with me. The ride back through New York was tedious: we had a cross-wind the whole way, a slight up grade that kept us from coasting to conserve a little energy, and night had fallen not too long after leaving Bennington. Lights and reflector vests/bands went on, and I just got lost in thought in the darkness. Some parts of the road were busy, others were not, and it was the barer roads north of Cambridge that proved to be very peaceful. Very shortly after getting onto the quiet roads, I arrived back at the turn to get to John’s house. Relying on gps technology, I located in the black night the dirt hill turnoff and prepared to climb once again. It is way different in the darkness being that close to wooded areas. I started wondering what was in those woods, and remembered in just what jersey pocket the animal mace was located in. Eventually, I needed to dismount and walk the bike, and I wanted to be prepared for anything. Got to the driveway, and I didn’t even want to chance riding the knarly ruts that lie ahead, so I walked up to the house. I saw my first fireflies of the trip here; there weren’t many, but just enough where I felt the magic of randonneuring that I was told about. Nature’s version of entertainment is spectacular! Arrived at Hotel McClellan at 11pm. Had a great pasta meal with garlic toast, a Coke, and got the gear staged for tomorrow’s early start back to Hanscom.
John woke me, just as I had asked him to, promptly at 2am. 2.25 hours of sleep. I felt pretty good! He asked me if I’d like some breakfast and what would I like. French toast it was! And it was so good! He used 7-grain bread from the check point grub, farm-freshly-laid eggs a little vanilla, top it off with local maple syrup, and voila! The grains popped in my mouth, what a great texture! That and a cup of coffee were all that I needed to jump-start my day.
It started to lightly rain around 2am. By the time that I left, at 3:15am, it had reduced to a light refreshing mist. I decided that a rain jacket was a good idea to start off with, and I could stop to take it off later on.
It was a dark, dark descent down John’s driveway and the dirt road leading to Route 313. No longer was I admiring being surrounded by nature; I was now holding on for dear life, just trying to survive without falling and get back on some asphalt! I headed out on 313 alone, knowing that someone from the camp would eventually catch up with me in the mountains.
The ride out from Sandgate back to Brattleboro was mostly downhill after the climb out of Sandgate. First I had to climb up Spruce Peak, for around 5miles. After that, all of the other hills that we slogged up on Saturday were now thrilling downhills! Hooray for downhills! East-West Rd and Middle Rd in Dummerston was the last of the slogging for this leg, and the twists and turns all at a nice, steep incline caused me to cuss a little bit. I started riding with another rider at this point – Paul from New Jersey. He wanted a challenging brevet, so he travelled up here for this ride. He most certainly found his challenge! We rolled strongly into Brattleboro and I visited my drop bag to load up food and to drop off unnecessary items. We set off, preparing for the steep mostly uphill, relentless kickers that would handily kick our butts for the next 12 miles.
We crossed the Green Bridge, crossing over into Hinsdale, NH. Route 119 going back east proved to be as challenging as crossing the Green Mountains, considering that the grades were way more steep than any road on Routes 100, 30, 11 and 7, just not nearly as long. For about 10 miles, Route 119 climbs, drops just a little, then climbs again, and every climb is on order of 15% grade, maybe ¼ mile up at a time. We slogged it out over grade after grade. After around 5 miles of up and up some more, I was getting demoralized; my mind had just about had enough for that moment in time. I told Paul that I was stopping at the next “shelf,” to take a 15 minute nap and to decide if I was to continue with this ride or call it a day. I kind of knew that I wasn’t going to give up on finishing, as the word quit is not in my vocabulary. I’m stubborn as hell. So I lay the bike in the grassy shoulder of Rt 119 in Richmond, NH, and took THE best power-nap of 15 minutes, just lying there with my eyes closed, listening to the cars whirr by. When my alarm sounded, I stretched a little, got back on and made it over the last series of asphalt walls.
I caught up with Paul again on Rt 12, close to the NH/MA border. The Winchendon check point was not too far away. My butt was toast at this point - my saddle sores were finally putting the hurt on me! I gingerly pedaled into the MacDonald’s parking lot where our check point was set up.
Chuck Howes, the check point volunteer back in Bennington, was also the volunteer at the Winchendon check point as well. He was super! He made me a turkey and swiss sandwich, and told us about certain landmarks to keep us on the proper route. We were to expect rough roads through Fitchburg, and some residential streets that either had barricaded bridges that we could still ride over or bearing direction on a road with no street sign. He really didn’t want us losing any time due to straying off-route. Jake caught up with us, had a bite and rode off with Paul and me.
Within 2 miles of leaving the Winchendon check point, I flatted on Route 12. Dang! So we stopped, and I started zipping the tire off and fumbling with fitting the new tube in. I can hold my own changing flats, but, at mile 315, with 2.25 hours of sleep in over a 30-hour span, I was not the most dexterous of individuals! Jake offered to finish the job for me, and I was more than happy to let him do it! Off we went.
By this time, I was singing, trying to keep my mind off of my nether regions and just trying to keep the enjoyment level up – the surroundings weren’t too pretty in this area – very industrial section of the state, just highway and businesses.
After getting off of Rt 12 in Ashburnham, the scenery got better again, going into residential areas. BUT, the road surface eventually got really bad in Fitchburg, for about 5 miles. The hills were returning, as we climbed up Maplewood Golf Course in Lunenburg.
Once we got onto Rt 2A in Goodrichville, time just flew by getting through Shirley and into familiar territory in Ayer. The clouds were getting pretty dark at this point, and once in Ayer, the skies opened up and we even had some thunder claps. When I say the skies opened up, I mean they really dumped some good rain onto us! There was serious ponding of the roads, making for a tricky time of deciding where is best to ride without hitting any underlying potholes. So we slowed it way down, and rode so as to avoid most of the puddles, which, I’m sure motorists weren’t too pleased with us, but we have every right to avoid road hazards, water-covered potholes being one of them. We rode in the rain for around 15 minutes, and we were out of the rain clouds. Paul stopped to get some supplies at a local Cumberland Farms, Jake had rode up the hills more efficiently than us, so he was up ahead, and I continued on, hoping to catch up with him (but never did).
Riding on Rt 2A/110 through Ayer was the most nerve-wracking part of the whole trip. The traffic whizzes by at high-speeds, and there’s not much of a breakdown lane. The good news is that we’re only on 119 for a 1.6 mile stretch, then it is back to more quiet areas. My pace at this point had dropped significantly. I was not really concerned with the time limit any more; it was around 5:30pm, and I had about 15 miles to go. Time expires at 8pm. I’d have to drop my average to 6mph to fill up the 3 remaining hours, and my avg was more like14mph.
I rode confidently and leisurely on very familiar roads all the way back to Hanscom Field. By the time I rolled into Concord Center, I was once again riding like a champ, forgetting about those darn saddle sores. Up and down Bedford Rd and the last hill on Virginia Rd I went, descending Hanscom Rd in victory mode! There were riders and volunteers there, cheering on the incoming riders, a nice sound to hear after 377 miles.
Conclusion: this was an epic ride that made every ride after look like a piece of cake. It was beautiful, grueling, breathtaking and breath–taking. It was a dance of energy and fatigue, and I give it 5 stars. Kudos to New England Randonneurs for organizing such a great brevet!
This was my very first 600k event.
Up at 1am.
Coffee!
Shredded Wheat w/banana, nectarine for breakfast
Everything ok and packed.
Items out in truck at 2am
Leave house 3am
Arrived at Hanscom Air Field 3:30am
Met Laura and Greg M at lot
Prompt departure at 4am
As we climbed that first hill, leaving the air field behind, I reminded myself not to try and keep up with the rocket riders, for that’s a sure-fire way of ensuring a quick burn-out, and knowing that we will need to save precious energy for the Green Mountains in VT, hanging back and just enjoying the nice, quiet streets is all that I aimed to do.
So we made swift work of getting out of Concord, Acton, Boxboro, Harvard, Shirley, Leominster, Westminster, Templeton, Royalston, and arrived in Gardner for Check Point 1 at 6:45 am. Filled up on water and food, stretched, and was on my way come 7am.
Lynda and Brevet organizer Tracey Ingle
With the legs still fresh, keeping up a fair pace was still pretty effortless. The terrain had mostly rolling hills, and the larger hills were mostly going downward – so easy now, I’ll learn that they are not so easy on the way back! We passed through the towns of Templeton, Baldwinville and Royalston on our way up into New Hampshire, where, in Richmond, rode onto Route 119, which was like a roller-coaster ride! The 12+% grades were all going in our favor – down! It was an exhilarating ride, for sure! For about 5 miles, we were treated to the sights and sounds of the Roaring Brook and the Ashuelot River. My first close-up look at a covered bridge was at mile 78.6 – the Ashuelot Covered Bridge – and I was mighty impressed! Part of what I like about randonneuring is that it becomes a sight-seeing trip! So much natural beauty to see. We were now treated to the Connecticut River all the way into Brattleboro, VT! We descended the last screaming hill that led to the Green Bridge, crossing over into the great state of VT around 9:50am.
Crossing the CT River into Brattleboro
Checkpoint 2 : Brattleboro, was located at the Motel 6 on Route 5. A tent structure was set up in parking lot right in front of hotel room that was used for bag storage and bathroom facilities. I methodically gathered items from my drop bag that I’d need to get me to Sandgate, a good 67 miles away. Filled bottles of water and Perpetuem, a quick stretch and we’re off.
The next 67.9 mile stretch was the most difficult part of the brevet, not only because of the heat that was starting to build from mid-morning into the afternoon hours, but because of the length and steepness of the hills of the Green Mountains. For about 22 miles, we mostly climbed. Some hills were rather benign, others very taxing at 8% grade for 2 miles. It was on this leg of the ride that I spent much time alone. Greg M, who I had rode with up to this point, started having problems due to lack of rest and the steepness of the terrain was just sapping his energy. He decided that he’d had enough and decided not to go on, posting a DNF (did not finish). I pushed on by myself. It wasn’t until the 30th mile into the leg that I saw other riders. Stopped at a convenience store in Bondville for more water, and there I saw a few riders. We pretty much stayed together for the rest of the leg, ebbing and flowing the pace.
Riding through the town of West Arlington was a treat: 5 miles of dirt road that followed the Battenkill River. There were tubers and boaters out in full-force on the water, just relaxing in the Summer sun. The dirt roads of Vermont are surprisingly well-maintained; they are smooth and graded. They provided a nice rustic flair to an already country landscape. River Road was my favorite part of this trip.
A few blinks after we left River Rd and onto Route 313, we took a right onto another dirt road, this one was about 1 mile, and it was mostly uphill. This road led to the ½ mile driveway for the summer home and check point of John McClellan, a New England Randonneur member. More dirt, more uphill, and loose gravel from the rains that Vermont has been getting hit with often this summer provided quite the challenge in getting to the house. I tried riding the length of the driveway, but only made it up perhaps a third of the way before having to stop due to rutting and the rear wheel not gaining any traction, grinding the bike to a halt. I walked the bike up the rest of the way, getting back on within 100 feet of John’s yard.
Once at John’s house at Sandgate, I went about filling my bottles and brevet card signed. Gathered items needed for the 30mi out/30mi back trek to the check point in Bennington. More food, more endurolytes. We’re off!
Getting ready to leave the Sandgate checkpoint for Bennington.
I left for Bennington with Jake Kassen, a well- seasoned randonneur who, with girlfriend Emily O’Brien, have biked just about everywhere! They have such a wealth of knowledge when it comes to these brevets, so as we were riding through New York State, I asked questions regarding sleep and just how much would be enough/ what to expect pace-wise on the return trip and other questions pertaining to finishing on-time. Through Eagleville, Anaquassacook, Cambridge (yes, there’s a Cambridge, NY), White Creek and Hoosick Falls we rolled, the wind really helping us along! With my head up and looking around, I took in the vast farm land that route 313 and 22 slice through. Lush, green land, lots of corn fields and livestock lined the roadsides. It was a quick ride out to Bennington, the road graded on a slight decline in most parts, with little bits of climbing here and there. At this point, my feet were starting to fatigue, so once we arrived at the check point, I took my shoes off and let my feet breathe a little. I called MJ to let her know where we were, and that everything was okay. There’s no cell phone service back at Sandgate, so this was my last chance to talk to her before hitting the road back there for some sleep. While I made my call, most of the others headed out for the ride back to John’s house.
New York State scenery
The return route getting us back into NY State had us climbing yet again – this time, it was up to the Bennington Monument – a huge structure atop of one steep hill. I managed to catch up with a tandem from my group of folks that left while I was making the call back home. We rode up to the monument, and then they missed a turn. I tried yelling for them to turn around, but they didn’t hear me. They must have figured it out, because it wasn’t long before they caught up with me. The ride back through New York was tedious: we had a cross-wind the whole way, a slight up grade that kept us from coasting to conserve a little energy, and night had fallen not too long after leaving Bennington. Lights and reflector vests/bands went on, and I just got lost in thought in the darkness. Some parts of the road were busy, others were not, and it was the barer roads north of Cambridge that proved to be very peaceful. Very shortly after getting onto the quiet roads, I arrived back at the turn to get to John’s house. Relying on gps technology, I located in the black night the dirt hill turnoff and prepared to climb once again. It is way different in the darkness being that close to wooded areas. I started wondering what was in those woods, and remembered in just what jersey pocket the animal mace was located in. Eventually, I needed to dismount and walk the bike, and I wanted to be prepared for anything. Got to the driveway, and I didn’t even want to chance riding the knarly ruts that lie ahead, so I walked up to the house. I saw my first fireflies of the trip here; there weren’t many, but just enough where I felt the magic of randonneuring that I was told about. Nature’s version of entertainment is spectacular! Arrived at Hotel McClellan at 11pm. Had a great pasta meal with garlic toast, a Coke, and got the gear staged for tomorrow’s early start back to Hanscom.
John woke me, just as I had asked him to, promptly at 2am. 2.25 hours of sleep. I felt pretty good! He asked me if I’d like some breakfast and what would I like. French toast it was! And it was so good! He used 7-grain bread from the check point grub, farm-freshly-laid eggs a little vanilla, top it off with local maple syrup, and voila! The grains popped in my mouth, what a great texture! That and a cup of coffee were all that I needed to jump-start my day.
It started to lightly rain around 2am. By the time that I left, at 3:15am, it had reduced to a light refreshing mist. I decided that a rain jacket was a good idea to start off with, and I could stop to take it off later on.
It was a dark, dark descent down John’s driveway and the dirt road leading to Route 313. No longer was I admiring being surrounded by nature; I was now holding on for dear life, just trying to survive without falling and get back on some asphalt! I headed out on 313 alone, knowing that someone from the camp would eventually catch up with me in the mountains.
The ride out from Sandgate back to Brattleboro was mostly downhill after the climb out of Sandgate. First I had to climb up Spruce Peak, for around 5miles. After that, all of the other hills that we slogged up on Saturday were now thrilling downhills! Hooray for downhills! East-West Rd and Middle Rd in Dummerston was the last of the slogging for this leg, and the twists and turns all at a nice, steep incline caused me to cuss a little bit. I started riding with another rider at this point – Paul from New Jersey. He wanted a challenging brevet, so he travelled up here for this ride. He most certainly found his challenge! We rolled strongly into Brattleboro and I visited my drop bag to load up food and to drop off unnecessary items. We set off, preparing for the steep mostly uphill, relentless kickers that would handily kick our butts for the next 12 miles.
We crossed the Green Bridge, crossing over into Hinsdale, NH. Route 119 going back east proved to be as challenging as crossing the Green Mountains, considering that the grades were way more steep than any road on Routes 100, 30, 11 and 7, just not nearly as long. For about 10 miles, Route 119 climbs, drops just a little, then climbs again, and every climb is on order of 15% grade, maybe ¼ mile up at a time. We slogged it out over grade after grade. After around 5 miles of up and up some more, I was getting demoralized; my mind had just about had enough for that moment in time. I told Paul that I was stopping at the next “shelf,” to take a 15 minute nap and to decide if I was to continue with this ride or call it a day. I kind of knew that I wasn’t going to give up on finishing, as the word quit is not in my vocabulary. I’m stubborn as hell. So I lay the bike in the grassy shoulder of Rt 119 in Richmond, NH, and took THE best power-nap of 15 minutes, just lying there with my eyes closed, listening to the cars whirr by. When my alarm sounded, I stretched a little, got back on and made it over the last series of asphalt walls.
I caught up with Paul again on Rt 12, close to the NH/MA border. The Winchendon check point was not too far away. My butt was toast at this point - my saddle sores were finally putting the hurt on me! I gingerly pedaled into the MacDonald’s parking lot where our check point was set up.
Chuck Howes, the check point volunteer back in Bennington, was also the volunteer at the Winchendon check point as well. He was super! He made me a turkey and swiss sandwich, and told us about certain landmarks to keep us on the proper route. We were to expect rough roads through Fitchburg, and some residential streets that either had barricaded bridges that we could still ride over or bearing direction on a road with no street sign. He really didn’t want us losing any time due to straying off-route. Jake caught up with us, had a bite and rode off with Paul and me.
Within 2 miles of leaving the Winchendon check point, I flatted on Route 12. Dang! So we stopped, and I started zipping the tire off and fumbling with fitting the new tube in. I can hold my own changing flats, but, at mile 315, with 2.25 hours of sleep in over a 30-hour span, I was not the most dexterous of individuals! Jake offered to finish the job for me, and I was more than happy to let him do it! Off we went.
By this time, I was singing, trying to keep my mind off of my nether regions and just trying to keep the enjoyment level up – the surroundings weren’t too pretty in this area – very industrial section of the state, just highway and businesses.
After getting off of Rt 12 in Ashburnham, the scenery got better again, going into residential areas. BUT, the road surface eventually got really bad in Fitchburg, for about 5 miles. The hills were returning, as we climbed up Maplewood Golf Course in Lunenburg.
Once we got onto Rt 2A in Goodrichville, time just flew by getting through Shirley and into familiar territory in Ayer. The clouds were getting pretty dark at this point, and once in Ayer, the skies opened up and we even had some thunder claps. When I say the skies opened up, I mean they really dumped some good rain onto us! There was serious ponding of the roads, making for a tricky time of deciding where is best to ride without hitting any underlying potholes. So we slowed it way down, and rode so as to avoid most of the puddles, which, I’m sure motorists weren’t too pleased with us, but we have every right to avoid road hazards, water-covered potholes being one of them. We rode in the rain for around 15 minutes, and we were out of the rain clouds. Paul stopped to get some supplies at a local Cumberland Farms, Jake had rode up the hills more efficiently than us, so he was up ahead, and I continued on, hoping to catch up with him (but never did).
Riding on Rt 2A/110 through Ayer was the most nerve-wracking part of the whole trip. The traffic whizzes by at high-speeds, and there’s not much of a breakdown lane. The good news is that we’re only on 119 for a 1.6 mile stretch, then it is back to more quiet areas. My pace at this point had dropped significantly. I was not really concerned with the time limit any more; it was around 5:30pm, and I had about 15 miles to go. Time expires at 8pm. I’d have to drop my average to 6mph to fill up the 3 remaining hours, and my avg was more like14mph.
I rode confidently and leisurely on very familiar roads all the way back to Hanscom Field. By the time I rolled into Concord Center, I was once again riding like a champ, forgetting about those darn saddle sores. Up and down Bedford Rd and the last hill on Virginia Rd I went, descending Hanscom Rd in victory mode! There were riders and volunteers there, cheering on the incoming riders, a nice sound to hear after 377 miles.
Conclusion: this was an epic ride that made every ride after look like a piece of cake. It was beautiful, grueling, breathtaking and breath–taking. It was a dance of energy and fatigue, and I give it 5 stars. Kudos to New England Randonneurs for organizing such a great brevet!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sun, Jun 28, 2009 - 39.50 mi [Cycling]
Sun, Jun 28, 2009 - 39.50 mi [Cycling]
39.50 mi on Soma Smoothie ES. [Cycling] Sues Sea Glass Ride. Foggy, dank, misty, but no rain. Nice ride for remembering a great person.
Posted from My Cycling Log
39.50 mi on Soma Smoothie ES. [Cycling] Sues Sea Glass Ride. Foggy, dank, misty, but no rain. Nice ride for remembering a great person.
Posted from My Cycling Log
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Boston Brevet Series 400k: Concord to Meredith, NH: Ride Recap
The ride started at 4am, the usual start time for the 300, 400 and 600k events. There was rain forecast in the afternoon for the area, so I brought along the rain gear, plus a change of clothes and a towel in the drop bag destined for Hillsboro, check point 3.
I rode the first segment partially with Aaron Bigio, and when he scooted off with a tandem bike, I found Dwight Atherton, whom I had rode with for a time on the 300k. The first segment was a familiar one: It was the same route up to New Boston, NH that the 200k took us on. This time, there was much less traffic on the roads, due to the earlier start. The two-mile climb up New Boston Rd was not so bad, now that I realized where it was and planned my energy for it.
At the New Boston checkpoint, I went about my usual routine, getting my brevet card signed, filling up with water and supplies, a bathroom break, and dropped off the bag to be transported to Hillsboro. In 10 minutes time, I was ready. Aaron was ready to leave at the same time, so we were going to be riding partners once again. Before taking off, I did a tire check, and found that my rear tire had gone soft. A closer inspection revealed that the tube had failed at the valve stem, where the tube joins with the stem. I’m not the fastest tire changer, but I do hold my own, getting the job done. Once there are a few people watching you do it, however, you start to feel like you do not know what you are doing! I always struggle with the final bead popping to finish the job, and that is when Bruce Ingle, one of the volunteers for the day, gave me a lesson in popping the last section of bead, which was to start opposite of the last section to fit, taking up all of the slack, so there is extra tire at the portion where the bead needs to pop, making it so much easier to finish the job. I was very grateful for that tip, I’ve struggled with that last step so many times!
Aaron and I got on the road, and passed Greg Misicko just coming into the check point. He wasn’t in there for very long, as he caught up with us in a short time. Greg and I have Garmin cyclo-computers, and had maps loaded in them created from the cue-sheets. Shortly after leaving New Boston, our GPSes were telling us to turn left, which corresponded to the cue sheet’s instruction to turn left onto Breed Brook Rd, following the sign to Parker Rd. We took the turn to find a barricaded roadway, and, recalling the conversation with one of the volunteers at the start of the ride, he mentioned that there would be a barricaded road that we could still ride on, no detours were needed. We got past the gate, rode on a really short section of road and another barricade, then a grassy hill that led to a dam with a sand and gravel path trail. After unsuccessfully attempting to ride on the loose rocky surface of the trail, we opted to walk the half-mile, following the route, which eventually led to Route 114, but not before trekking through someone’s backyard and alerting the resident bulls to our prescence. They promptly ran over to the fence and stared at us like we were brightly-colored aliens.
We travelled past the Everett Dam in Weare, the landscape turning into actual climbs rather than rolling hills at this point. The air was getting rather muggy and I thought for sure that we’d start seeing some raindrops, but the rain held off.
At mile 91, we arrived at the Shaker Village in Canterbury, a national historic landmark and museum , with 25 restored and 4 reconstructed Shaker buildings. Its 694 acre site includes picturesque gardens, fields, ponds and forests. The village offers tours, exhibits, workshops, family programs, hiking trails, unique shopping and delicious food. If it weren’t for the legions of motorcyclists roaring by (it was Bike Week in Laconia), this would have been the most beautiful part of the trip. Visually, it was, but the roaring background noise took away from the total enjoyment of the view.
The 12.8 miles riding on Route 106 was, well, long. We were warned to bring an earplug for this part of the trip, due to the asphalt-splitting motorcycles that were rumbling around the area for Bike Week – thousands of them! While they all seemed to give us our space, the vibration note of the tailpipes was uncomfortable. I was glad to finally get off of the 50mph route and onto slower roads.
Riding into Meredith Center was fun. To see all of the bikes lined up in front of bars was a sight, and riding out of the center and seeing Lake Winnipesauke was a treat.
Checkpoint 2: Blueberry Hill Rd – 1.1 miles of climbing more hills to get to Checkpoint 2 is only fitting for a brevet I guess. It wouldn’t be a brevet if you didn’t have to work to get to the checkpoint! We got to Blueberry Hill Rd at 1:45pm, and were greeted by my friends Mike and Ellen Gutermuth who live in nearby Gilford. I was so happy to see them, as I haven’t seen them in over a year! We sat and chatted for around a half-hour, and my group of four saddled up to move on out on the third leg of our trip.
The third leg of the trip, we rode through New Hampton, Sanbornton, Hopkinton, Franklin, Salisbury, Cantoocook, Henniker, to our check point 3 in Hillsboro: Peter White Cycles. The motorcycle traffic thinned out after the interchange with Route 93 in Sanbornton, and we could once again enjoy some peace and quiet and take in the incredible views of mountains and farmland. We stopped once to re-fuel in Franklin, mile 143, re-loading with water and some snacks. I was craving some effervescence, so I opted for a Sprite, just for something fizzy and cold to drink. I wasn’t quite sick of the Perpetuem drink yet, so I didn’t feel the need to get any food. Plus, I had turkey jerky in my pack for when and if I did get sick of the liquid nutrition. Aaron split a jug of spring water with me, and we were off.
We arrived at Peter White’s shop around 8pm. Again, another check point located at the top of a hill! We huffed up the grade, and were greeted by Linda and Peter White, owners of Peter White Cycles: the mecca of randonneuring bikes and accessories. I wasn’t really chatty when we arrived there, feeling pretty tired and just wanted to sit and relax for a bit, so I didn’t talk any shop with them. I did fill my face with Linda’s baked beans though! Mmmmm! Those hit the spot! There was also the usual array of cookies, cold-cuts, Nutella (MMMMM!), potato chips and pickles. I had some pickles and potato chips along with the beans. Later on, I’d find out the hard way that pickles do not agree with my delicate stomach (sorry Emily). But the beans did agree, and that made me happy. Aaron, Dan, Greg and I stayed at Check 3 for about an hour to digest a little and rest up some for the last 70-mile leg of the trip back to Concord. We hit the road at 9pm.
It was very dark out in Hillsboro when we left Peter White’s place. Not many street lights out in the country. The four of us stayed in a close pack to channel our lights and create a super-beam to ride by. It was definitely cooler out now, and I had realized back at Peter’s house that I had left my arm warmers behind back in my truck at the start, so I had decided that I wasn’t going to put on the rain jacket just to keep the arms warm; rather, I would play it by how I felt later on – if it got too cool out, then I’d dig it out, but I really didn’t want to fuss with a jacket just then.
Leg 4 had more downhills than uphills, and we were all grateful for it! The downhills were at times very fast. We enjoyed coasting, as we all were pretty tired from all 11,654f feet of climbing that the previous 182 miles presented to us! There were some climbs, most notably mile 195, climbing Crotched Mtn in Bennington. 715ft up to 1,136ft in 3.7 miles. Even in the granny gear, I was struggling to get up the grade. I was definitely tired, and was lagging behind the other three. I’d catch back up with them on the massive downhill. There were a few other climbs from that point , but they were few and far between the descents. Nice!
After midnight, we all really needed to watch each other for drowsiness. I had some Cliff Shot Bloks in Cola flavor with caffeine in them, and others had forms of caffeine chews and drinks. We planned to have a bathroom stop once we were in Hollis.
It was around 2am when I really started feeling the fatigue set in. I’m finding that I don’t struggle with holding my line, my eyelids do not feel heavy, I just yawn a whole lot. Yawning excessively is tiresome in itself.
The closer that we got to the end, the more excited we were to get there! As we turned onto Lowell Rd, we started getting our legs back and blazing it towards Concord Center. And Virginia Rd, with the short kicker of a hill at the end – what hill??? We powered up the hill, turned the corner and prepared to descend into the Hanscom Civvie parking lot.
The group’s official time in: 3:42am. Total time: 23h42m. Great ride!!
Lynda with Ellen G
Lynda with Mike G
Lynda Beaulieu, Aaron Bigio, Greg Misicko, and Dan Sullivan
The ride started at 4am, the usual start time for the 300, 400 and 600k events. There was rain forecast in the afternoon for the area, so I brought along the rain gear, plus a change of clothes and a towel in the drop bag destined for Hillsboro, check point 3.
I rode the first segment partially with Aaron Bigio, and when he scooted off with a tandem bike, I found Dwight Atherton, whom I had rode with for a time on the 300k. The first segment was a familiar one: It was the same route up to New Boston, NH that the 200k took us on. This time, there was much less traffic on the roads, due to the earlier start. The two-mile climb up New Boston Rd was not so bad, now that I realized where it was and planned my energy for it.
At the New Boston checkpoint, I went about my usual routine, getting my brevet card signed, filling up with water and supplies, a bathroom break, and dropped off the bag to be transported to Hillsboro. In 10 minutes time, I was ready. Aaron was ready to leave at the same time, so we were going to be riding partners once again. Before taking off, I did a tire check, and found that my rear tire had gone soft. A closer inspection revealed that the tube had failed at the valve stem, where the tube joins with the stem. I’m not the fastest tire changer, but I do hold my own, getting the job done. Once there are a few people watching you do it, however, you start to feel like you do not know what you are doing! I always struggle with the final bead popping to finish the job, and that is when Bruce Ingle, one of the volunteers for the day, gave me a lesson in popping the last section of bead, which was to start opposite of the last section to fit, taking up all of the slack, so there is extra tire at the portion where the bead needs to pop, making it so much easier to finish the job. I was very grateful for that tip, I’ve struggled with that last step so many times!
Aaron and I got on the road, and passed Greg Misicko just coming into the check point. He wasn’t in there for very long, as he caught up with us in a short time. Greg and I have Garmin cyclo-computers, and had maps loaded in them created from the cue-sheets. Shortly after leaving New Boston, our GPSes were telling us to turn left, which corresponded to the cue sheet’s instruction to turn left onto Breed Brook Rd, following the sign to Parker Rd. We took the turn to find a barricaded roadway, and, recalling the conversation with one of the volunteers at the start of the ride, he mentioned that there would be a barricaded road that we could still ride on, no detours were needed. We got past the gate, rode on a really short section of road and another barricade, then a grassy hill that led to a dam with a sand and gravel path trail. After unsuccessfully attempting to ride on the loose rocky surface of the trail, we opted to walk the half-mile, following the route, which eventually led to Route 114, but not before trekking through someone’s backyard and alerting the resident bulls to our prescence. They promptly ran over to the fence and stared at us like we were brightly-colored aliens.
We travelled past the Everett Dam in Weare, the landscape turning into actual climbs rather than rolling hills at this point. The air was getting rather muggy and I thought for sure that we’d start seeing some raindrops, but the rain held off.
At mile 91, we arrived at the Shaker Village in Canterbury, a national historic landmark and museum , with 25 restored and 4 reconstructed Shaker buildings. Its 694 acre site includes picturesque gardens, fields, ponds and forests. The village offers tours, exhibits, workshops, family programs, hiking trails, unique shopping and delicious food. If it weren’t for the legions of motorcyclists roaring by (it was Bike Week in Laconia), this would have been the most beautiful part of the trip. Visually, it was, but the roaring background noise took away from the total enjoyment of the view.
The 12.8 miles riding on Route 106 was, well, long. We were warned to bring an earplug for this part of the trip, due to the asphalt-splitting motorcycles that were rumbling around the area for Bike Week – thousands of them! While they all seemed to give us our space, the vibration note of the tailpipes was uncomfortable. I was glad to finally get off of the 50mph route and onto slower roads.
Riding into Meredith Center was fun. To see all of the bikes lined up in front of bars was a sight, and riding out of the center and seeing Lake Winnipesauke was a treat.
Checkpoint 2: Blueberry Hill Rd – 1.1 miles of climbing more hills to get to Checkpoint 2 is only fitting for a brevet I guess. It wouldn’t be a brevet if you didn’t have to work to get to the checkpoint! We got to Blueberry Hill Rd at 1:45pm, and were greeted by my friends Mike and Ellen Gutermuth who live in nearby Gilford. I was so happy to see them, as I haven’t seen them in over a year! We sat and chatted for around a half-hour, and my group of four saddled up to move on out on the third leg of our trip.
The third leg of the trip, we rode through New Hampton, Sanbornton, Hopkinton, Franklin, Salisbury, Cantoocook, Henniker, to our check point 3 in Hillsboro: Peter White Cycles. The motorcycle traffic thinned out after the interchange with Route 93 in Sanbornton, and we could once again enjoy some peace and quiet and take in the incredible views of mountains and farmland. We stopped once to re-fuel in Franklin, mile 143, re-loading with water and some snacks. I was craving some effervescence, so I opted for a Sprite, just for something fizzy and cold to drink. I wasn’t quite sick of the Perpetuem drink yet, so I didn’t feel the need to get any food. Plus, I had turkey jerky in my pack for when and if I did get sick of the liquid nutrition. Aaron split a jug of spring water with me, and we were off.
We arrived at Peter White’s shop around 8pm. Again, another check point located at the top of a hill! We huffed up the grade, and were greeted by Linda and Peter White, owners of Peter White Cycles: the mecca of randonneuring bikes and accessories. I wasn’t really chatty when we arrived there, feeling pretty tired and just wanted to sit and relax for a bit, so I didn’t talk any shop with them. I did fill my face with Linda’s baked beans though! Mmmmm! Those hit the spot! There was also the usual array of cookies, cold-cuts, Nutella (MMMMM!), potato chips and pickles. I had some pickles and potato chips along with the beans. Later on, I’d find out the hard way that pickles do not agree with my delicate stomach (sorry Emily). But the beans did agree, and that made me happy. Aaron, Dan, Greg and I stayed at Check 3 for about an hour to digest a little and rest up some for the last 70-mile leg of the trip back to Concord. We hit the road at 9pm.
It was very dark out in Hillsboro when we left Peter White’s place. Not many street lights out in the country. The four of us stayed in a close pack to channel our lights and create a super-beam to ride by. It was definitely cooler out now, and I had realized back at Peter’s house that I had left my arm warmers behind back in my truck at the start, so I had decided that I wasn’t going to put on the rain jacket just to keep the arms warm; rather, I would play it by how I felt later on – if it got too cool out, then I’d dig it out, but I really didn’t want to fuss with a jacket just then.
Leg 4 had more downhills than uphills, and we were all grateful for it! The downhills were at times very fast. We enjoyed coasting, as we all were pretty tired from all 11,654f feet of climbing that the previous 182 miles presented to us! There were some climbs, most notably mile 195, climbing Crotched Mtn in Bennington. 715ft up to 1,136ft in 3.7 miles. Even in the granny gear, I was struggling to get up the grade. I was definitely tired, and was lagging behind the other three. I’d catch back up with them on the massive downhill. There were a few other climbs from that point , but they were few and far between the descents. Nice!
After midnight, we all really needed to watch each other for drowsiness. I had some Cliff Shot Bloks in Cola flavor with caffeine in them, and others had forms of caffeine chews and drinks. We planned to have a bathroom stop once we were in Hollis.
It was around 2am when I really started feeling the fatigue set in. I’m finding that I don’t struggle with holding my line, my eyelids do not feel heavy, I just yawn a whole lot. Yawning excessively is tiresome in itself.
The closer that we got to the end, the more excited we were to get there! As we turned onto Lowell Rd, we started getting our legs back and blazing it towards Concord Center. And Virginia Rd, with the short kicker of a hill at the end – what hill??? We powered up the hill, turned the corner and prepared to descend into the Hanscom Civvie parking lot.
The group’s official time in: 3:42am. Total time: 23h42m. Great ride!!
Lynda with Ellen G
Lynda with Mike G
Lynda Beaulieu, Aaron Bigio, Greg Misicko, and Dan Sullivan
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