Minuteman, Westford, and Nashoba

The ride

Looking for a confidence boost after the previous week’s challenging ride, I picked a straightforward route. I went out on the Minuteman rail trail, rode a big loop (getting into the countryside a little bit), then came back the same way.

The ride was uneventful, just as I had hoped.

The usual thrill hit me when I reached the end of the Minuteman, rode out a couple of miles, took a left, and found myself on a foreign street. The entire time I ride out on these familiar trails, I wait for that moment when I’m finally off into a small town, by a new pond, or for the moment that I’m riding on an unfamiliar tree-lined street. Then I’m out! I’m away. I’m somewhere that most people I meet will never see, and I’m somewhere that I’m lucky to be seeing for the first time.

Just as lovely is the related thrill of finding a glimpse of the familiar in the unknown – seeing the gold embossed letters on the sign of a well-known farm, just to realize that I’m somewhere I’ve ridden before.

Still well within the unknown, I had pulled over to the side to eat when I heard the characteristic call of a flock of road cyclists. “Rider up!” the alpha cyclist cried. After they whizzed past, I lumbered back into my saddle. I imagined joining them – being a spandex-clad hummingbird, zipping around on short, social outings. Then I creaked off, resuming my slow, solitary ride.

The rest of the ride went smoothly. I found a pond! There’s a picture of it above.

Nominal

• The long gloves helped with the finger numbness. My fingers got a bit numb from the cold, but I could still grip my water bottle and shift by feel.
• The rice blocks work! I didn’t have any other fuel sources, and I felt great the entire ride. I pushed hard the last fifteen miles (the return on the Minuteman), and that pace felt very comfortable.

Off nominal

• In spite of heavy socks, I’m three for three on numb toes this year. I need to look into gear for warmer feet. Not being able to feel from my ankles down drains my energy and makes it easy to slip into poor form.
• When wearing long gloves, I can’t grab rice blocks from my pockets. I have to stop, put a foot down, and take off my glove in order to fuel. I despise stopping that much. It’s vanity and contrary to the spirit of these long rides and adventures, but I get annoyed that it slows down my average time.

The route