RIDE SCHEDULE

MONDAY night rides from S. Deerfield
Meet at Flye Cycles at the base of Mt. Sugarloaf at 6:00 PM for The Old Farts rides. Pace is 15-17 mph. These are just starting, so give Norm a call for details, or visit Flye Cycles.

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 5:30 PM. Thursday has been attracting more people than Tuesday. Select a group based on how fast you want to go (fast group rides at >20 mph avg., intermediates are 18-20 mph avg, slow group is around 14-15 mph avg), each group has a separate leader. For more info, contact Bob Perry 413-772-2700 or BikeBob@crocker .com

WEDNESDAY night rides from Southampton Bike
Call Joe Pitchko at Southampton Bikes or visit his website for current info his ride schedule.

JULY 2 (SUN) - AROUND POCUMTUCK & POTLUCK PICNIC; 42 miles, fairly flat. The headquarters will be the Mill River Recreation area off Rt. 63 in North Amherst (on right ¼ mile north of the church at the lights). The FHF will provide Beverages, Ice and Utensils; Please bring a POTLUCK DISH in your own cooler. The coolers will be placed on tables at the recreation area or left in cars until all riders are back.
- The Ride begins along one side of the Connecticut River and crosses over to visit Old Deerfield then proceeds through S. Deerfield, Whately and Hatfield before returning to the other side of the river. The ride will leave PROMPTLY at 11:00 AM from the Mill River Recreation Area Parking Lot.
- The Food will be served at 3:30 PM or when the riders return. (Whichever occurs first.) If the weather is foul, we'll take shelter under the Pavilion and start the proceedings at 11:00 AM for a LUNCH Potluck. If we can't ride, we can always EAT!
COORDINATORS: Sally Peters & Bob Kowaleski (413) 527-4877
I heard there were around 10 people. The rainy weather stayed to the north, some sprinkles in Montague, but otherwise dry.

JULY 9 (SUN) - McCUSKERS LAST STAND; 45 miles, hilly. We'll bike UP Rt. 116 to Ashfield, DOWN to Buckland/Shelburne Falls where we'll eat lunch at McCusker's Market & Deli. One can also walk across the street and admire the Bridge of Flowers. Afterward, we'll ride UP along back roads to Conway & Whately and back DOWN to Mt. Sugarloaf. Meet at 9:00 AM in the Mt. Sugarloaf parking lot in South Deerfield off Rt. 116 just across the Connecticut River from Sunderland center. Bring plenty of water, you can buy delicious deli/bakery stuff at McCusker's.
COORDINATORS: Joyce Morris (413) 323-4183 - Cue sheet available online
Nice weather today, sunny, mid 80's. Around 10 riders, I think. Good timing with the 9:00 AM start; the first half of the ride is uphill. Quite a bit of road construction going on. A couple of freshly paved roads on the route and a number of bridges with temporary one-lane traffic lights. The riders got quite strung out as we climbed our way up to Conway and then to Ashfield for our first re-group. Frank was up front setting the pace. Only Joyce, Leonard, Mike and I were able to stay on his wheel. Kenny Rogers by-passed the regroup and flatted on Rt 112 in Ashfield. He had 2 spare tubes, but they both leaked. Jeff stopped and gave him his spare, but tore the valve stem pumping it up. Another rider donated a 4th spare, and that one held up. Leaving the lunch stop, Jeff found that he had a flat on his bike. Fortunately, he only required 1 spare to get him going. I decided on a much more relaxed pace on the return trip, staying with John Marcil & Susan, and brought up the rear. My Avg speed: 15.0 mph, total climbing: 2380 feet.

JULY 16 (SUN) – DISCOVERY CENTER RIDE; 40 miles, flat to rolling. Bring food and water. This ride will visit the Montague fish hatchery and the Turners Falls Discovery Center. Now open on Sundays, the Discovery Center has well crafted dioramas and a lot of information about the Connecticut River Valley. Meet at 10:00 AM at the Mill River Recreation Area off Rt. 63 in North Amherst (on right ¼ mile north of the church at the lights).
COORDINATORS: Bob Kowaleski and Sally Peters (413) 527-4877
9 riders today, including 1 tandem and our special guest rider, Bill Martin. We rode on the new part of the Turners Falls bike trail which goes along side the canal. Normally very scenic, but to our surprise, the canal was just about bone dry. There were workers from the power company doing some maintenance along the floor of the canal. It was getting pretty hot out by 11:00 AM. We took a tour of the Discovery Center, which is now open on Sundays, and which is air-conditioned! In anticipation of the heat, I had ridden my bike to the start and would now split from the group and head home (in time to catch "The Tour" on CBS).

JULY 23 (SUN) - "FLYE"ING TO ASHFIELD; 40-50 miles. We will ride through Whately and Williamsburg on the way to Ashfield where we will stop for lunch. The return trip to South Deerfield will be mostly downhill. The ride will leave at 9:00 AM from Flye Cycles (located at the base of Mt. Sugarloaf) in South Deerfield. Come prepared to talk about the exciting new winner of this year’s tour.
COORDINATOR: Norman Flye (413) 665-0033

JULY 30 (SUN) - LEVERETT LAYOUT; 30 miles, 4-mile hill up to Shutesbury. We'll be riding scenic back roads through the rolling hills of Leverett. We will stop at the Village Co-op for lunch and/or snacks. Meet at 9:00 AM in the parking lot at the Fort River School in Amherst. Follow Rt. 9 to South East St. in Amherst, MA. South East St. is 1 mile East of the center of town. Turn North onto South East St. at the lights. School is less than a quarter mile on the right.
COORDINATORS: Jack & Suzanne Fitz-Gibbon (413) 527-4052 - Cue sheet available online

AUG 6 (SUN) - GIANT SYCAMORE AND FARMINGTON RIVER; 40 to 45 miles, flat to rolling. This ride heads south from Suffield, CT through East Granby to Simsbury and returns via Granby. Bring snacks/lunch Meet at 9:00 AM at Suffield Village behind the Library. Take I-91 South to Rt. 57 to Rt. 75 South. Suffield Village is on the left just before the junction with Rt. 168. The starting point is a 1/2 hour drive from Northampton. This is a joint ride with the Cyclonauts.
COORDINATOR: Irv Friedman (860) 668-7023

AUG 13 (SUN) - "FLYE"ING TO WENDELL/NORTHFIELD; 50-60 miles. A gentle climb will take us through Wendell followed by a big down, an up and another big down to Northfield for lunch. The return trip to South Deerfield will be flat to rolling. The ride will leave at 9:00 AM from Flye Cycles (located at the base of Mt. Sugarloaf) in South Deerfield.
COORDINATOR: Norman Flye (413) 665-0033

AUG 11-13 – EASTERN TANDEM RALLY; Deadline was June 2. Check out there website at www.easterntandemrally.org for more details.

AUG 19 (SAT) – MT. WASHINGTON AUTO ROAD BICYCLE HILLCLIMB; Good luck to all. Registration for 2007 will open at 6:00 AM on Feb. 1, 2007. Visit their website for more details.
Results are in (and some pics as well, follow the links)! Joyce took the challenge, as well as several riders from Team Sohobikes.
Don Mientka - 1:26:40
Chris Soutra (age 14 !!) - 1:30:33
Scott Soutra - 1:35:17
Paul Knaplund - 1:35:24
Kevin Wilson - 1:37:53
Theresa Lak - 1:41:22
Elaine Skawski - 1:42:04
Sue Slowick - 1:42:43
Tony Swana - 1:44:42
Pat & Joe Pitchko Pic 1 Pic 2 (tandem) - 1:46:51
Erin McGill - 1:49:33
Joyce Morris (3rd place in her age group, podium finish !) - 2:00:47

AUG 20 (SUN) - ROWE ROUNDABOUT (I've looked at Rowe from both sides now); 38 miles, 2500 feet of climbing. This will be a very scenic ride on remote back roads. Be sure to bring munchies, lots of water AND a lunch. We'll bike UP Zoar Rd. to Rowe and on UP into Vermont, eat lunch at the Whitingham Common (No STORES), continue on to Readsboro, and back down into Mass. along the Deerfield River, past the RETIRED Yankee Rowe Atomic Power Plant in Rowe and the Hoosac Tunnel in Florida. Meet at 10:00 AM at Shunpike Roadside Rest Area beside the Deerfield River on Rt. 2, one mile west of Charlemont.
COORDINATORS: Jack & Suzanne Fitz-Gibbon (413) 527-4052 - Cue sheet available online.

AUG 26 (SAT) - POTLUCK DINNER AND MEETING AT THE VINSKEY’S HOUSE
391 West Pelham Road in Shutesbury. All interested are invited to come and share in the merriment. We always have a great time.
6:00 PM --Arrive & Socialize
6:30 PM --Potluck Dinner
7:00 PM --Meeting
After dinner we'll finalize preparations for the century and plan the Fall Rides Schedule for October & November.
HOSTS: Pat & Mike Vinskey (413) 253-4260

AUG 27 (SUN) – BACKROADS TO QUABBIN SUMMIT; 48 Miles. The ride is at a moderate pace over rolling terrain with a two-mile climb to the summit. We will make a stop at the Subway in Bondsville for those that would like to purchase lunch to be carried and eaten at the summit. Meet at the Granby Jr/Sr High School, Route 202 in Granby, MA. Ride leaves at 10:00 AM sharp. Joint with the Cyclonauts.
COORDINATOR: Ken Paquette (413) 593-3091
Fairly rainy day starting around 11:00 AM

SEPT 3 (SUN) - LABOR DAY WEEKEND SHOW & GO. Meet at 10:00 AM at the Mill River Recreation Area off Rt. 63 in North Amherst (on right ¼ mile north of the church at the lights. Those present will decide upon route and distance.

SEPT 9 (SAT) - COVAC (COnnecticut VAlley Century) – Ride will start at the Hatfield Lions Club Pavilion on Billings Way, behind Breor Elementary School off Main St. in Hatfield. FHF is offering rides of 100, 75, 50, or 25 miles along the Connecticut River through Mass., Vermont and New Hampshire over rolling terrain. Pre-Registration will cost $8.00 for FHF members and $13.00 for NON members and is available ONLY on-line through Active.com (Online pre-registration closes September 7, 2006 at 08:59 PM Pacific Time). Ride day registration is $20.00. There will be NO refunds. The fee will cover map, juice, snack foods and sag stops. The event will be held Rain or Shine! Check-In and Ride Day Registration will start at 7:00 AM and continue until 9:00 AM at the Lions Club Pavilion. The ride ends promptly at 5 PM. All riders must complete the route by this time.
Directions: From the South, take I-91 N to Exit 21. Go RIGHT at the end of the off ramp onto Elm St. Follow for 2.5 miles (Elm St. changes to Main St.) to Billings Way on the Left. From the North, take I-91 to Exit 21. At the end of the ramp turn left and then immediately left again to cross over I-91. Follow for 2.5 miles (Elm St. changes to Main St.) to Billings Way on the Left. The Pavilion is at the end of Billings Way.
COORDINATORS: Pat & Mike Vinskey (413) 253-4260

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

SEPT 17 (SUN) - NORTHFIELD RAMBLE; 35 miles. The ride will include a short section of dirt road, some spectacular views of the Connecticut River and a picnic. Bring food and water for the lunch stop at Northfield Mountain's Picnic Area on the bank of the Connecticut River. Meet at 10:00 AM in the Mt. Sugarloaf Parking lot in South Deerfield on Rt. 116 just across the Connecticut River from Sunderland center.
COORDINATORS: Jack & Suzanne Fitz-Gibbon (413) 527-4052 - Cue sheet available online.

SEPT 23 or 24 (SAT & SUN) GRANITE STATE WHEELMEN'S SEACOAST TRI-STATE CENTURY - an invitational 100, 63, 50, or 25-mile ride along the Mass., NH, and Maine Coastlines on relatively flat terrain. Pre-registration only! NO WALK-INS. Fee is $33 for both days. Pre-register through active.com (registration closes Aug 28, 2006 at 6:00 PM Pacific time). Check-in is from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM each day at Hampton Beach State Park, Rt. 1A, Hampton Beach, NH. The registration fee will cover parking at the State Park, route maps, sag wagon coverage, rest room facilities & T-shirt. The event will be held rain or shine. Contact the club sponsoring the event, Granite State Wheelmen, for more information.

PLEASE NOTE: Helmets are REQUIRED for all FHF rides. Bring drinking water, a spare inner tube that fits your bike & snack food. Prospective club members are welcome on FHF rides.