2005 Petersham Double VI

The weatherman called for partly sunny skies and a temperature of 79 degrees. But, this is New England and we were headed for an Epic. At 5:00 AM we had 40 starters including 6 women. The ride started with the Nelsons leading a “parade lap” around the Wells Ave race course then headed onto the familiar Fitness Course.

The morning proceeded smoothly with a couple groups off the front with a large group behind of about 25 riders cruising through deserted roads. At the water stop in Uxbridge a group of five, including three Crack O’ Dawn riders and John J, were apparently riding for a good average speed. Walter Page (Tour of New England fame) had the water stop ready to go. In this first leg, the leaders were ten minutes behind leaders in previous years so we began to adjust our water stop schedule a bit.

On Leg 2 I watched the riders chug up Buck Hill, the first real climb of the day. The legs were certainly getting a wake-up call. As we entered Connecticut I came across police cars blocking the road for a women’s triathlon. They could not have been more helpful and began to give turn instructions to our riders as they merged with the race in progress.

The hill to the Clam Shack is where the real fun began, nearly a 5 mile climb followed by a great descent into the town of Charlton. I was amazed to find this whole section of road repaved since we did the pre-ride only a few weeks before. The weather was fantastic but I could see dark skies to the north. It appeared we were heading into some unexpected trouble.

A group of three finally crested the hill and pulled in for water and snacks. A few minutes later the Desert Camp group seemed to be holding to their promise of riding together. A mile or so down the road, Anthony (Cycle Loft) began a day-long process of keeping Andrew’s rear wheel going. He even drafted Andrew back to the Desert Camp group behind the Cycle Loft truck!

Somewhere between Charlton and Paxton I noticed wet pavement but did not see any showers until Paxton. My son Colt began phoning in updates on the weather forecast and radar. It seemed to be changing by the minute. It appeared that we would get nailed with rain on the way to Petersham. Most likely we would duck back out of the rain on the way to Oxford, but of course nothing was guaranteed. I began to worry that the combination of slick roads and tired riders might lead to some crashes, but the day would end without a single fall. Central Mass Public Safety had a boring day and nothing could have made us happier.

In Petersham the showers had become steady rain and the skies were dark. In addition to food and water, Althea and Jenny handed out plastic trash bags to the riders to put under their jerseys. The leaders were riding back by 11:15 AM . Steve Caldwell had been in a car accident a couple days earlier and his family was eagerly awaiting him at the top of the last hill

I was a bit surprised to see several riders including Susan, Elizabeth, and Mel still heading to Petersham at 12:15 PM. They had time to make it but with little time to spare. I knew there was zero chance that Mel and Elizabeth would not finish in Newton, but I was not sure how many long miles Susan had logged this year.

Miraculously, by the time I got back to Paxton, the roads were dry and it had stopped raining. We would not see any more rain that day. The cold and rain had caused 13 riders to DNF either at Paxton or Petersham. Some just could not get warm, and other just did not relish the prospect of 90 miles in rain. Susan decided to sag in but when she saw the dry roads in Paxton, she got back on her bike and finished the ride.

The Petersham Double is a ride, not a race. However, several UMCA riders were riding against the clock for John Marino points so their stops were short. Other riders may have taken objection to them bolting out of water stops, but they were only trying for a good average speed. My opinion is that if you are still riding together in the last twenty miles or so, you should help each other and try to finish together. You can all celebrate the same time, not to mention the feeling of having accomplished something together.

As I began to chase down the leaders heading towards Oxford, their lead had grown to nearly 30 minutes, but they were now almost 30 minutes behind the pace of the last two events. Again, we adjusted the water stop schedule. At this point, the Desert Camp group was bringing up the rear but riding strong.

At the front, I could see that John was taking monster pulls. It appeared that Rakesh was hurting but was still taking turns at the front. I would later learn he was having some serious cramping. They arrived at Nahanton Park at 4:27 PM to the cheers of family and volunteers. The Nelsons had set up food and refreshments and welcomed everyone as they rolled in.

A total of 27 riders would finish over a three hour period. The joy of “doing a double” seemed to overwhelm any feelings of fatigue. Even the DNF’s got in at least 110 miles, still a great ride. There were people at the finish who regretted dropping out, given that the skies cleared, but in Petersham things did look bleak. Nearly all the women finished and they all looked very strong all day.

So, it’s in the record books. The high temperature was 71 and the low was 63. The last 75 miles were nearly perfect cycling conditions. The rain made the day an Epic that will be talked about for years to come.