WEDNESDAY NIGHT rides with Joe Pitchko
Rides leave from Southampton Bicycle Center at 6:00 PM sharp. Contact Joe at 413-527-9784 or JPitchko@aol.com

CENTURY RIDES every weekend with Russ Loomis
The UltraMarathon Cycling Assoc (UMCA) has Hub Rides throughout the US. Russ is the Hub leader for Western Mass. Hub rides are recognized rides of between 100-200 miles. He leads these rides every Sat and or Sunday from Ashfield. If interested contact Russ Loomis 413-628-4002 or rloomis@crocker.com before 9pm Friday.

TUESDAY & THURSDAY night rides from Amherst
Meet at the Mill River Recreation Area off Rt. 63 in North Amherst (on right ¼ mile north of the church at the lights) at 5:15 PM Pace is 14-16 mph. Distance is between 20 - 28 miles until daylight diminishes. Ride as a group. There are NO Cue sheets.

TUESDAY & THURSDAY night rides from Greenfield
Meet at Bicycles Unlimited on High St. in Greenfield at 6:00 PM. Thursday ride is usually a little faster than Tuesday. Select a group based on how fast you want to go, fast and slow groups have separate leaders. No cue sheets. For more info, contact Bob Perry 413-772-2700 or BikeBob@crocker.com
6/9/02: No ride this past Thursday due to rain.

MARCH 17 (Sun) - ST. PATRICK'S DAY BREAKFAST RIDE; 22 miles. Meet at 10:00 AM at Jack & Suzanne's in Easthampton for a 22-mile breakfast ride to the Florence Diner in Northampton and back.

APRIL 6 (Sat) MEET & EAT WITH THE LAB REP. A potluck meeting.
Agenda: Volunteering for the L.A.B. Rally (Bikefest 2002) in August.
Place: Jack & Suzanne's house
6:00 PM - Arrive & Socialize
6:30 PM - Potluck Dinner served
7:30 PM - Meeting with LAB Rep to discuss volunteer options for Bikefest 2002 at Umass.

APRIL 7 - DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS! SPRING AHEAD AND ARRIVE ON TIME.

APRIL 7 (Sun) - SPRING FORWARD AND GET LOST (in Greenfield); F-R/L-M/28 miles. Meet at Mt. Sugarloaf parking lot in South Deerfield on Rt. 116 just across the Connecticut River from Sunderland center at 11:00 AM. Lunch stop at the Green Fields Market in Greenfield. COORDINATORS: John & Karen Gustin - Cue sheet available online.
Sunny, 45-55° so it was quite chilly, slight breeze. 15 riders (I think), including 1 tandem. I don't think anyone got lost, but there was a flat tire incident at the lunch stop. I knew there were a lot of stops and left turns in this ride, but I wanted to take people down some different roads. Hope everyone enjoyed the ride.

APRIL 7 (SUN) - East Granby-Suffield- Southwick; F/L-M/31 miles. Bring food and drink as there are few stores along the route. Meet at 10:00 AM at the Center Shops, at the junction of Routes 20 and 187 in East Granby, CT. Rain or wet roads cancels.
COORDINATORS: Steve and Suzanne Petke

APRIL 14 (Sun) - BOOKMILL BONANZA; F-R/L-M/25 miles. We'll ride to the Montague Bookmill, which has books and a little cafe where we can buy juices, pastries, sandwiches & coffee. Meet at Mill River Recreation Area off Rt. 63 in North Amherst (on right 1/4 mile north of the church at the lights.) at 11:00 AM Bring drinking water and DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR THE WEATHER!
COORDINATORS: Bob Kowaleski & Sally Peters - Cue sheet available online.
A really nice spring day! Sunny, in the 70's. 25 riders left the parking lot (including 3 tandems and several new riders) but we eventually gained 3 more at the Bookmill. Jon Fitzpatrick showed up after time-trialing from his house! He broke his leg, clavicle and a few ribs, as well as puncturing a lung in a bad bike crash in August of last year. He said he's been back riding since last November! Mary and Elsa also showed up after getting a late start.
In other news, Mort showed up late at the Bookmill owing to a broken spoke, his second in 2 days! I think he's really "pushing the edge of the envelope" by only having 28 spokes on his rear wheel. Gary was riding his cross bike after crashing his road bike this morning. He failed to negotiate a huge tree branch that had fallen into the road. He tried to swerve and ended up ripping the rear tire right off the bead. Fortunately, he didn't break any bones, just a nice case of road rash.

APRIL 14 (Sun) - RIDING HIGH at the Springfield Science Museum: An exhibit detailing the development of the bicycle "The bicycle takes Off: From Boneshaker to Boom" - FHF will have a table at the April 14th event. Also providing exhibits will be Mike Augsburger from One Off Titanium, his wife Leni Freed who does custom bicycle painting, a BMX freestyle demo and other Pioneer Valley bike clubs. RIDE TO THE EVENT FROM JACK & SUZANNE'S HOUSE! The route will utilize low-traffic secondary roads, providing a unique approach to the center of the City of Springfield. Meet at 9:30 AM at Jack & Suzanne's house - 14 Westview Terrace in Easthampton.

APRIL 21 (Sun) - UP & DOWN THE RIVER & POET'S SEAT CLIMB; R/L-M/25 miles, with a climb UP to Poet's Seat! The view will be worth the effort. Meet at 1:00 PM in the Mt. Sugarloaf parking lot in South Deerfield on Rt. 116 just across the Connecticut River from Sunderland center. Bring water & munchies for the stop at the top of Poet's Seat. This will be a Multi-Club ride.
COORDINATORS: Al Shane & Marion Gorham - Cue sheet available online.
Mostly sunny, temps in the high 50s/low 60s. I heard the ride went okay, with about a dozen riders showing up. Karen and I didn't quite make it to the ride. We crashed bikes on our way to the start. Karen escaped with a black & blue on her leg, but not a scratch on her new Jamis. I ended up with a broken scapula and a few broken ribs (ouch!). I also cracked my helmet, bent my front wheel and bent the chainstay and cracked the frame near the seat binder bolt on my Cannondale (ouch, ouch!). Well, hopefully I'll see everyone at the potluck in June. I should be just about ready to ride by then.

APRIL 21 (Sat) - SCENIC SUFFIELD; R/M/32, 40 or 44 miles. Enjoy a rolling, rural, road ride mainly through the back roads of town. Bring food and drink, as there are few stores along the route. Meet at 10:00 AM at Suffield Village Shopping Center on Bridge Street just east of the junction of Routes 75 and 168 in the center of Suffield, CT. This is a joint ride with the Yankee Pedalers. Be prepared for a traditionally windy day. Rain or wet roads cancels.
COORDINATORS: Steve & Suzanne Petke

APRIL 28 (Sun) - RIVER ROAD RAMBLE; F-R/L-M/24 miles. Meet at 11:00 AM at Wal-Mart's parking lot on North King St. (Rt. 5) in Northampton. We'll ride along the banks of the Mill River and the Connecticut River. There will be a couple of hills to climb, but the descents will be worth the effort. Bring Snacks and Water as the route is RURAL.
COORDINATOR: John Clifford
Steady rain all day...Sigh...

MAY 5 (Sun) 3rd ANNUAL "NEW" BELCHERTOWN SURPRISE; F-R/M/30-40 miles. Meet at the CVS parking lot in Belchertown at the intersection of Rt. 9 and Rt. 202 at 10:00 AM. Bring water and munchies to provide enough energy to get you to the lunch stop.
COORDINATORS: Fred & Joyce Morris
A picture perfect day! Sunny in the 70's! Hope everyone had a great ride. I'm still on the mend, waiting for my new frame to arrive.

MAY 12 (Sun) - DON MAYNARD'S MEMORIAL GUILFORD CONNECTION; R/L-M/45 miles. This ride is a tribute to Don Maynard who was murdered in 1994. This year we will pass the hat to accept voluntary contributions for the Franklin County Bikeway. Come join fellow cyclists who will carry on the Guilford Connection ride in Don's memory. Meet at 10:00 AM at Greenfield Community College Parking lot, which is off Colrain Road just north of the I-91/Rt. 2 interchange. From I-91, take Exit 26 - Follow signs for Rt. 2 West (Mohawk Trail). Colrain Road is the FIRST Right. We'll cycle through Guilford and Vernon VT encountering a few "good" hills and 2 miles of Vermont DIRT (which is better than some Mass. pavement). Lunch will be at the Schoolhouse Grocery in Vernon, VT.
COORDINATORS: Bob Kowaleski & Sally Peters - Cue sheet available online.
Even with the threat of rain, 8 hearty souls left the parking lot at 10:25 AM, encountering a 9th who had ridden down from Vermont. Sounds like they cut the ride real short, going north to the covered bridge then taking a right onto Greenfield Rd and coming right back to Greenfield. The rain finally started falling just after 11 o'clock.
This is a great ride and normally attracts a lot of people, so it will be offered again in July. I'm kind of glad that it rained, I'm still dealing with some broken bones and I always look forward to going on this ride each year. I should be healed and my new bike should ready by then.

MAY 19 (SUN) "The eRide" - East Windsor, Enfield, East Longmeadow and Ellington. F/L-M/42 miles. Enjoy this spring warm-up ride through three counties in two states. Bring food and drink or buy lunch at the Ellington Town Green. Meet at 10:00 AM at Santilli's Market Place, in Chester's Plaza on Route 140 in East Windsor. Take exit 45 off I-91 and follow Route 140 east for 1.5 miles. Rain or wet roads cancels.
COORDINATORS: Steve and Suzanne Petke

MAY 24 to MAY 27 (Fri thru Mon) MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND BIKING & CAMPING ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD. Ride to historic Oak Bluffs, Gay Head Cliffs, Menemsha fishing village, Edgartown, and Chilmark or just do your own thing. We will be camping in Vineyard Haven at Martha's Vineyard Family Campground that has a group site in a nice wooded area away from RV's. Their group rate is $8.00 per person per night, however, to get that rate, they require a minimum of ten persons, and advanced reservations with a 50% advance deposit.
Some people cook all their meals at the campground while others eat out at nearby restaurants. We generally cook breakfast in camp each morning and this year we'll continue the Outback Oven bake-off. Expect gooey pastries in the morning and gloppy desserts in the evening. Every year we have a great time! ...
Reservations and an advance deposit are required. Deadline for reservations and $$$ to Bob & Sally is May 3.
COORDINATORS: Sally Peters & Bob Kowaleski

MAY 26 (Sun) - SHOW & GO RIDE - For those who didn't go to the Vineyard, meet at 10:00 AM at Mill River Recreation area on Rt. 63 in North Amherst. (A quarter mile north of the light). Participants present will decide upon route and distance.
Cooler than yesterday, brief showers passed through around 1:00 PM.

JUNE 1 (SAT) POTLUCK DINNER AND MEETING AT THE VINSKEY'S HOUSE
6:00 PM -----Arrive & Socialize
6:30 PM -----Potluck Dinner
7:30 PM-----Meeting
Main order of business is to fill the rides schedule, please consider being a ride coordinator. If you can't come to the meeting, you can always call Sally Peters ahead of time and she can put you on the calendar.
22 Freewheelers came and ate and ironed out the rides schedule through September. Watch this site for details.

JUNE 2 (SUN) - HILL & DALE; H-S/M/50 miles. Meet at the new Hadley Elementary school on Route 47 North of Rt 9 in Hadley. Ride Leaves at 9:00 AM. This will be a multi-Club ride with the Cyclonauts Bike Club. We will be riding up to the beautiful scenic hills of Conway, Shelburne (past Bill Cosby's House) and back down to Greenfield. Food stop in S. Deerfield. Bring water and snacks as the route is rural and there are no stores.
COORDINATOR: Walt Chudzik
It rained an hour before the ride, but it looks like it dried up.

JUNE 9 (SUN) WHERE'S WYBEN?? R-H/M/35 miles. Where's Wyben? Come on this "wyde" and find out. We will have a real lunch stop at Sheldon's Deli. Meet at the Big Y parking lot (on Rt. 10) on the Easthampton/Southampton line at 10:00 AM. Bring plenty of water - this ride is RURAL!!
COORDINATORS: Charlie & Eileen Meyers - Cue sheet available online.

JUNE 9 (Sun) - KATELYNN'S RIDE;
Location: Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
Start Times:
100 mile ride ~ 8:00 AM
50 mile ride ~ 9:30 AM
25 mile ride ~ 11:00 AM
10 mile ride ~ 12:00 PM
(anticipated finish for all riders between 2 & 3 PM)

Registration Fee: $25 (non-refundable)

Fundraising Commitment:
Adult riders guarantee minimum of $200,
Riders under 18 guarantee minimum of $100,
(registration fee is not counted toward fundraising minimum)

Maximum Riders: 400 Registration for Katelynn's Ride will open April, 1. This year you will be able to register on line! Check out www.DanandKimRadio.com for the latest updates.
Turned out to be a nice day after threat of rain in the AM. I heard they raised over $110,000 for the Jimmy Fund.

JUNE 16 (SUN) - RIDE TO THE FLOWERS; F/R-L/M 40 miles. Meet at 10:00 AM in Suffield Village parking lot, Suffield CT. Ride through Suffield, Agawam, Southwick to Stanley Park in Westfield, MA. Bring snacks/lunch for stop at the park. Starting point is a 1/2 hour drive from Northampton and is in a southern climate.
COORDINATOR: Irv Friedman
Looks like the rain let up just long enough to get in a ride. Hope for better weather in the coming weeks. Check out some still pictures from the ride.

*** CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF WEEKLY RIDES ***

JUNE 23 (SUN) - GREYLOCK CENTURY (This is a non-FHF ride); The Body Shoppe and Bicycles Unlimited of Greenfield are sponsoring a supported ride to the top of Greylock and back. 100 miles of fun in the sun. Stop by the Body Shoppe in Greenfield to sign up or sign up online at www.bikes-unlimited.com. Ride leaves from Bicycles Unlimited (located on High St. in Greenfield) at 9:00 AM.