HOLDING IT DOWN!

Morning Everyone!  I just wanted to give the proper "kudos" to our very own Sean Kennedy!  Last Wednesday, he and a few of the other Comp Edge racers ventured up to Ski Ward in Shrewsbury, MA for "The Night Weasels Cometh" Cross Race.  It was wet, muddy and awesome! Sean ripped that course apart and came in 3rd.

On top of that, CYCLING DIRT interviewed Sean for a post race wrap up.

Great job, Sean!  Thanks for holding it down for the Comp Edge Crew!

Friday Fun!

Hi everyone!

So, I know it's been a while since our last post, but rest assured, we're still alive and kickin'.  We've had a lot of changes over at the shop (ski season is coming in hot!) and thus have been crazy busy getting everything dialed in.

First off, if you haven't heard, Seth has left the shop for a "big boy" job in the bicycle industry.  Seth was an integral part in the success of Competitive Edge and the community of cyclists that we have built.  We're super psyched for him and wish him the best of luck with his new job.  Congrats, Seth!!!

As well as the big changes happening at the shop, we have some awsome stuff in store for the blog.  It's a work in progress, so when we get it all situated, we will go live with the new COMP EDGE CYCLING SUPER BLOG!

Now here's some stuff to tide you over...

FIRST:
The next awesome recreational ride (and pretty much the last big one of the season) is coming up on Sunday October 10th!  The Great River Ride is one of the most sceneic rides in New England!  And the timing for the ride couldn't be any better...FALL! Head over to BIKEREG.COM to check it out! 


SECOND:

Although the group road rides have come to an end, there is still a lot of riding to be had.  It's cyclocross season!  And the Competitive Edge team has been wandering all over New England racing!  So far, it's been an awesome season.  If you don't know what cyclocross is or want to see what it's all about you should head down to Providence, RI this weekend to watch the races.  Plus, there is going to be some awesome vendors and demos.  Check out the event website : www.providencecrossfest.com


LAST, BUT NOT LEAST:
GET OUT AND RIDE!!!  This is going to be a great weekend, so go enjoy it!

Stay tuned....
-Scott

TENT SALE!

It's that time of year again! Get psyched on saving tons of cash!

(click on the images below for the full size flyer)

MOUNTAIN BIKE GROUP RIDE!

Hi everyone! We are going to be riding out of Robinson State Park this week. Since the sun light is dwindling, we are going to plan on rolling into Robinson at 5:30 instead of our usual 6PM. Hope that works for everyone.

See you all there!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: Shenipsit - SEPTEMBER 1st!

Hey out there all our bike riding friends!!

We had a pretty awesome ride last night at Shenipsit. Even though it was brutally hot and as dry as the Sahara, it didn't stop us from getting radical on those trails.

Thanks again to Jeff Landry for showing us around.

Here's the recap:


See everyone soon!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: August 30th 2010

Usually, as we move away from summer and into the fall months, we start to see a decrease in the temperature and have to battle some rain and high winds. Well, that was NOT the case last night. It was about 90 degrees when we left the shop and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was pretty amazing.

We left the shop as one group and headed into Wilbraham and Hampden in hopes to find some cooler temperatures. We kept the pace pretty consistent through the ride & ended up with about a 17-18mph average for the 33.5 mile route.

I also want to say thanks to the few new faces that we had on the ride. It is always awesome any time we get new riders and you guys were awesome. Thanks for coming out and joining us. Welcome to the crew!

Anyway, here's the recap:


Thanks again to everyone that showed up. See you soon!

-Scott

p.s. I know that we are losing too much daylight to keep the rides going much longer. I'm going to work on putting together a few weekend rides in order to extend our season a little. Stay tuned to the blog for more details.

GROUP RIDE: Monday August 30th 2010

Hi Everyone!

Well, we finally have the weather on our side! Unfortunately, the sunlight is what's against us this week.

That being said, please be at the shop and ready to roll out at 5:30 on the dot. That will give us 2 solid hours of riding and plenty of time to get the route in.

The A and B GROUPS will be riding the same route. We will split the groups at the shop with the A GROUP leaving the shop first and the B GROUP leaving immediately after.

Here is the route:

A & B GROUP
• 35.2 mile loop
• 17-21 mph average (determined by group)
• rolling hills


See you all at the shop!

-Scott

This week's mountain bike ride:

Since we are in a constant battle with diminishing daylight, we are going to be heading into Robinson for this week's mountain bike ride. This way, we will be able to adjust our ride distance if the light begins to fade.

We are also getting closer to the time of year where lights are going to be a crucial part of keeping the mountain bike rides going. If you have lights, please charge 'em up and bring them with you. If you don't have lights, I would strongly suggest that you invest in at least one good light. Head over to the bike shop for the lowdown on what you should be getting.

And finally, we are going to try to start the ride as early as possible. I would like us to be rolling into the park between 5:30 and 5:45. If you are having trouble making that time, please get in contact with us (via email or phone) so that we can make proper adjustments to accommodate.

See you all at the ride!

-Scott

Tonight's Group Ride is CANCELLED!

Hi everyone. It looks like the weather has gotten the best of us. It's pretty gross out, so we're going to give ourselves the night off. The Wednesday mountain bike ride is still on...rain or shine. See you all next week!

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday August 23rd 2010

Hi Everyone!

We missed out last week on account of the poor weather and it seems like the weather is going to be against us again for this week's ride. Either way, we are going to plan on going out and if we decide to cancel the ride, I'll send an email and post it on the blog by 3PM on Monday.

The other thing that has been looming is our slow decay of daylight. It looks as though the sun is going to be setting around 7:40PM tomorrow. That being said, our rides are going to have to get progressively shorter.

Anyway, here are the routes:

A GROUP
• 37.5 mile loop
• 19-21 mph average
• Lots of hills


B GROUP
• 30.6 mile loop
• 16-18 mph average(dependent on group)

Let's keep our fingers crossed that the rain holds off and hopefully I'll see you all at the shop!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: August 18th 2010 - Shenipset

Well, we were missing a few people on this ride. It only ended up being myself and Jeff Landry. But that didn't stop us from getting wicked in the woods. Jeff and I ended up doing a hybrid of the the loop he took us on when we were at Shenipset the last time. And we added a nice little loop on the other side of the road. It was super fun! Thanks, Jeff.

And here's the recap:

MOUNTAIN BIKE GROUP RIDE - Location revealed!

Hi everyone!

I have been out of town on business, so I haven't had a chance to update the blog with this week's mountain bike ride info. But, I'm back...and here it is.

We'll be heading over to Shenipsit State Park again & Jeff Landry is going to be leading us out. We're going to try to ride some different trails than the last time we were over there. I'm sure it's going to be awesome!

We are going to be meeting at the parking lot at the entrance to the park around 5:30PM and rolling into the woods at 6PM on the dot.

Here is where we are going to meet:
370 Gulf Road, Somers, CT

Hopefully we'll see you all there!

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday August 16th 2010

Hi Everyone!

I am going to be out of town for our upcoming ride. So, Tim & Steve are going to be leading the groups out. Thanks, guys!

Here are the routes for the rides.

A GROUP
• 46.57 mile loop
• 19-21 mph average
• Lots of hills


B GROUP
• 36.37 mile loop
• 16-18 mph average


Have fun and I'll see everyone soon.

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: August 11th 2010 - Robinson

We had a great ride last night in Robinson. The usual crew was all there, with the exception of a few. You know who you are. And we missed having you guys out there. Hopefully we'll see you next week. Either way, awesome ride!

Here's the recap:

See everyone next week.

-Scott

Heading back to Robinson

Hey team! This week we are heading back to super fast and super fun Robinson for our mountain bike ride. Same plan as usual...5:30 meet up - 6PM roll in. The sun has been setting earlier and earlier, so if we can get everyone there and ready before 6, that would allow us to roll into the woods early and get a few more minutes of daylight.

See everyone there!

RIDE RECAP: August 9th 2010

Well, the humidity was back last night as we set out for the ride. I can't wait for the fall.

The same as last week, we left the shop as one group and rode together for the first 20-22 miles. We then split off and finished the ride as two groups. Tim and Steve took one group and tacked on another 22 miles finishing with a solid 45 mile ride.

I took the other group and we added about 17 miles finishing with 37.6 and an average of 16.5 mph.

Here's the recap:

Thanks again to everyone that showed up for the ride. It was a blast as usual!

See you all next week.

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday August 9th 2010

Hi Everyone!

We've got a couple really nice rides planned for tonight.

The A GROUP is going to be venturing over the hills and into the Crystal Lake area. There are going to be some really nice climbs & some awesome flat and fast sections.

Here is the A GROUP route:

A GROUP
• 44.7 mile loop
• 19-21 mph average

The B GROUP is going to be heading on a nice large loop. The route is pretty mellow, with only a few short and easy climbs.

Here is the B GROUP route:

A GROUP
• 35.9 mile loop
• 16-18 mph average (depending on group)


Both rides have the same 10 mile route at the end of the ride. If we time it correctly, both groups could potentially meet back up and ride in together.

On a secondary note...I want to make sure that everyone's equipment is ride ready before we head out on tonight's rides. We have had a few issues in that last few rides where equipment has not been properly checked and tuned before the ride. I know that we will occasionally get flats, dropped chains, etc. during rides and those are unavoidable. However, it is everyone's responsibility to make sure that their equipment is tuned and ready to go. It can be a very dangerous situation if a bike is to have a mechanical fail during a ride. Especially if the group is riding fast and tight. Please double check your gear for the rides. Thanks.

Thanks! See you all tonight!!!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: August 4th 2010 - BACHELOR ST. TRAILS

It's always nice to get out to a set of trails that you have never ridden before. Challenging...but, nice. I have to say that the Bachelor St. Trails was some of the best mountain biking that I have ever had! All though we haven't had rain in a while and the trails were pretty dry, it was still awesome! The trails are fast, challenging and totally fun.

It is really amazing how lucky we are to live in an area with some of the best bike riding.  I'm not just talking about the terrain, but also the people.  Thanks to everyone that showed up and extra special thanks to Seth for leading the group out!

Now, here's the recap:

See everyone next week!

-Scott

MOUNTAIN BIKE GROUP RIDE: August 4th 2010

Hey everyone! 

For this week's mountain bike ride, we are heading up to the Hadley/Amherst, MA area to ride some awesome trails.  Seth is going to be leading the way on what is know as Earl's and then heading over to the Bachelor St. trails for a little.  You can expect a good mix of climbs, descents, single track and technical.  So, in other words...a great deal of AWESOME! 

We will be meeting at Atkin's Farm in Amherst, MA at 5:30 and rolling out at 5:45. 

Here's where we are meeting:
150 West Street, Amherst, MA

See you all there!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: August 2nd 2010

Good Moring Everyone!

So, last night's ride was awesome!  We planned on taking two groups out, but at 5:25 we only had about 10 of us at the shop.  We decided to stay as one group and do a hybrid of the two loops.  Well, five minutes later we had about 16.  Either way, we stayed together as one group.  We did a couple pretty big climbs and had some really awesome descents.  As always, it was a great ride!

Here's the recap:

Thanks again to everyone that showed up and we'll see you all next week.

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday August 2nd 2010

WOW!I can't believe that it's already August! Time has been flying this summer. But we have had some of the best group rides that I have ever been on. So thanks to everyone that has come to ride with us.

For this week's A GROUP ride instead of trying to up the mileage, we are going to work it in the hills. It's going to be a tough one, but I promise that the descents will be worth all the work.

Here is the A GROUP route:

A GROUP
• 43.7 mile loop
• 19-21 mph average


The B GROUP will be going on one of my favorite routes in the area. There will be a couple long mellow climbs, some fun descents and a lot of really awesome road to rip on!

Here's the B GROUP route:
B GROUP
• 36 mile loop
• 16-18 mph average (determined by the group)


I can't wait to ride & we'll see everyone at the shop!

-Scott

RECAP: Jim's Epic Journey!

Jim Hartman took it to the next level last night. He took us out on the trails virtually right out his front door. They were nothing short of awesome! The weather was perfect, the crew was great & other than forgetting to unlock my front fork, I couldn't have asked for a better ride.

Here's the recap:

Thanks a ton, Jim! You rule!

-Scott

MOUNTAIN BIKE GROUP RIDE: July 28th 2010

All right! This Wednesday, July 28th, we'll be heading out to Jim Hartman's house in Westfield to ride some of his trails. They are a great combination of everything...climbs, descents, fast single track & technical rocky sections.

We are going to be meeting at Jim's house around 5:30PM and rolling into the woods at 6PM on the dot.

Here is where we are going to meet:
38 Deer Path Ln. Westfield, MA

It's going to be awesome!!! See you all there!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: July 26th 2010

Well, it was the first Monday night in a while that wasn't blazin' hot with the chance of severe thunderstorms. THANK GOD! The temperature was perfect and with the exception of the ridiculous winds, you couldn't have asked for a better night to ride.

We pedaled down into Enfield and over the 190 bridge as one group. After we crossed the bridge, we split into the 2 groups. Steve W. took out the B GROUP and I took out the A GROUP.  We went our separate ways and like it was fate, we ended up back at the bridge at the same time.  We then pedaled the rest of the way home as one group. It was perfect!

The B GROUP ended up with 39 miles with about a 17.5 mph average.  Great riding guys!  As for the A GROUP, here's the recap:

Awesome riding from both groups! Thanks to everyone that came out and we'll see you all next week!

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday July 26th 2010

Good Morning Everyone!

Not only are we going to have some amazing weather tonight for the ride, but we are going to be venturing into some uncharted territory and crossing the Connecticutt River!  The bike/walking path is finally finished on the 190 bridge, which means that we can cross the river safely!

Both groups are going to be leaving the shop together, promptly at 5:30.  We will ride as one big group to the bridge and split up after we cross the river.  There is a good chance that both groups will meet up again at the bridge on the way home.  If we do meet up, we will ride as one group from the bridge back to the shop.  Get psyched, because this is going to be a super fun ride!

Here are the routes:

A GROUP
• 43.5 mile loop
• 19-21 mph average


B GROUP
• 37 mile loop
• 17-18 mph average


See everyone at the shop!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: July 21st 2010 - SHENIPSIT

Hat's off to Jeff Landry for taking us out to his local trails at Shenipsit for a pretty epic ride! Thanks, Jeff!

The trails were (to quote Jeff) "climby" and "boney". Or in other words, super technical. Despite being a little wet and slippery, the trails were in great shape with tons of different little lines and climbs over the rocks and roots. It was great to get out to a different spot to ride that offered a completely different type of riding.

Here's the recap:

We ended the ride with a quick little sprint up to the top of the Soapstone access road and climbed up the fire tower for a view that was nothing short of breathtaking.

Here are a couple pics from the top of the firetower:

Thanks again to everyone that made it out for the ride! And a super thanks to Jeff for leading us out.

-Scott

THIS WEEKS MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE!!!

Hi everyone!

The polls are closed and it looks like Shenipsit State Forest is the winner!

So, this Wednesday, July 21st, we are going to be heading out to Shenipsit to ride some different terrain. Compared to Robinson, Shenipsit is much rockier and way more technical.

We are going to be meeting at the parking lot at the entrance to the park around 5:30PM and rolling into the woods at 6PM on the dot.

Here is where we are going to meet:
370 Gulf Road, Somers, CT

It's going to be a blast, so hopefully we'll see you all there!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: July 19th 2010

Good Morning Everyone!

We had a great ride last night. The heat and the chance of thunderstorms must have scared off some of you, because we only ended up having enough for one group. Either way, it was awesome!

We did an abridged version of the B GROUP route adding a couple hills and bringing the pace up a little.

Here's the recap:


Thanks again to everyone that showed up & we'll see you all next week.

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday July 19th 2010

I hope you all had a great weekend!  I'm really excited for week's rides!

We had a couple really great groups go out last week, so I'm hoping that this week will be the same.  The weather looks really good, minus a small amount of scattered thunderstorms(I doubt we'll see any of that).  Here's the weather:

WEATHER • Monday, July 19th 2010

This week's A GROUP route is coming to us courtesy of Steve Wallbridge!  It's a 50 mile loop out to Belchertown, looping through wilbraham and Hampden and finally coming back to the shop.  We should have no problem making it back to the shop before the sun goes down(8:22PM).  But, that means that the A GROUP pace is going to have to be quick.

As for the B GROUP, this is going to be a little bit more challenging of a ride than we have done in the past.  There are going to be a couple short steep climbs, a couple longer slow climbs and some fun and fast rolling hills. But, the bottom line is that the ride is going to be FUN!  

HERE ARE THE ROUTES:

A GROUP
• 50.2 mile loop
• 20-22 mph average


B GROUP
• 34.3 mile loop
• 17-18 mph average


SEE EVERYONE AT THE SHOP!

RIDE RECAP: Robinson - July 14th 2010

Well...i'm just going to get right into it!  It was wet, muddy, and AWESOME!!  We had a couple test Stumpjumpers, so Steve Wallbridge and Dan Walker hopped on those.  Dan rode great! After taking his freshman beatdown last week, he came out and slayed the trails.  And then there was Steve...

This was Steve's first ride on a mountain bike and his first ride in the woods.  Now, we all know that Steve is an animal on the road. Well...he is definitely an animal in the woods.  That rang true when he ripped both chainrings in half and completely off the bike!

We managed to push and tow Steve out of the woods, smiling the whole time.  Either way, it was a blast!  Thanks to everyone who came out & we can't wait till next week!

Oh yeah...here's the recap:


We're also going to be heading to a different spot to pedal in the woods starting next week. Stay tuned to the blog for the details!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: July 12th 2010

AWESOME NIGHT! AWESOME RIDES!

I'm going to start with the B GROUP. Led out by Steve Wallbridge (thanks, Steve!) the group ended up with a little more than 35 miles with a 17.5mph average. I think that Tommy A. said it best in his email...

"once again on the B ride the ladies put the screws to the boys. Great to see. Great ride great course led by Steve W....seriously, great ride and I hope we can do that again. Season is still young as the best rides are in the fall."
-Tom

As for the A GROUP, I couldn't have asked for a better crew to ride with. We all looked out for each other in the head winds and on the hills. Fast climbs and faster descents! Great job, guys!

Here's the A GROUP recap:


Thanks again to everyone that came out and we'll see you all next week!

GROUP RIDE: Monday July 12th 2010

I hope everyone had a good week off. But now we're back on the regular schedule. We've got a couple really great rides planned. The sun isn't going to set until 8:30, so we are going to take advantage and head out for a nice long ride.

HERE ARE THE ROUTES:
A GROUP
• 41.5 mile loop
• 18-20 mph average (decided by group)
• very hilly

B GROUP
• 35 mile loop
• 16-18 mph average (decided by the group)

As usual, we're going to leave the shop promptly at 5:30.  So, please be there are ready to ride out for that time.  We will split the groups at the shop, letting the A GROUP pedal out first and the B GROUP shortly after.

SEE YOU AT THE SHOP!

VOTE NOW!

All right...we're looking to see where else we should go to ride our mountain bikes.  Check out the poll on the right & VOTE NOW!!!  Which ever place comes out on top is where we will head next!

RIDE RECAP: July 7th 2010 - ROBINSON!

Hot, hot & hot!  And in case you hadn't heard...yesterday was HOT!  But despite the heat and humidity, we went into Robinson like a bat out of hell(excuse the Meatloaf reference)!  We had an awesome group with a good mix of 29ers, the old school 26ers and some cross bikes.  But, the hero of the night was Dan Walker!  This was his first time up to Robinson, first time on his cross bike and really his first time in the woods at all...HE KILLED IT!  He took his fair share of bumps and bruises, but I've never seen anyone with as much determination as he had last night.  Look out everyone! A couple more times in the woods and Dan is going to make us look like a bunch of clowns.  Nice job, Dan & great seeing everyone else out there. See you all next week.

And here's the ride recap:

HAPPY 4th of JULY!

However you decide to celebrate, we hope that you have a happy and safe holiday weekend.  And, in keeping with the theme of the 4th, we are celebrating our freedom and taking Monday off.  We'll get everyone back together next Monday.  Stay tuned to the blog for next week's routes.  See you all soon.

-Scott

IT'S TOUR TIME!

So it's time for the the Tour de France once again! I'm sure that everyone already knows, but just in case, here is where your up to date info on the tour is:

VERSUS.COM and LETOUR.FR

And, here's the television schedule on Versus:

Enjoy the race! And see you out on the road!

RIDE RECAP: June 28th 2010 Group Ride

Last night's ride was hot, muggy & AWESOME! It seemed as though the thought of rain had scared the majority of the group away. However, there were still 10 of us that weren't thwarted by the thought of severe thunderstorms and torrential downpours. I'm not sure if that means we are just dedicated to pedaling...or just idiots. Either way, we lucked out and the rain held off. We ended up combining the A & B GROUPS and did a modified route. We rode 37 miles at about an 18-18.5 average. It was a super fun ride, so thanks to everyone for coming out.

Here's the recap:

GROUP RIDE: Monday June 28th 2010

What an awesome weekend we are having!  I went out for a nice long bike ride yesterday and ended up scouting out some new routes for later this season.  All I can say is that we're going to the other side of the river! Stay tuned for those!

For tomorrow's rides, we are going to head into Hampden and Wilbraham for some hills and fast descents!  The A GROUP will of course do the most climbing, while the B GROUP will still have their fare share of rolling hills with a couple longer slow climbs. No matter what group you ride with, I can guarantee that you'll get a workout.

HERE ARE THE ROUTES:
A GROUP
• 40 mile loop
• 19-20 mph average (or more)




B GROUP
• 33 mile loop
• 16-18 mph average (decided by the group)
 


As usual, we're going to leave the shop promptly at 5:30.  So, please be there are ready to ride out for that time.  We will split the groups at the shop, letting the A GROUP pedal out first and the B GROUP shortly after.

SEE YOU ALL AT THE SHOP!

Wednesday's RECAP!

• ROBINSON STATE PARK • 
        • June 23rd 2010 •

well, I know that it is Friday and I might be a little late on the recap, but oh well...here it is.

There were only four of us on the ride, but we had a special guest! I can't say who it was, but I can say that he may or may not have been testing out a top secret "magical" chain/bike lube...all I can say is stay tuned for something awesome.

We also tried to get some video footage of the ride.  I am working on putting a couple of the clips together, so stay tuned for a little video edit of Wednesday's ride.  It'll be pretty cool. (I hope)

As for the ride, we ended up with about 12 miles and a 10mph pace. Like a dummy, I forgot to turn my computer on, so I don't have the recap data and map. sorry. Hope to see everyone out with us next week!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: June 21st 2010 Group Ride

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!

Once again, we had some new faces on the ride, which is always a pleasant sight. And besides the bobbles in the first few miles of the ride, last night's ride was AWESOME!

Tim took out the B GROUP and ended the ride with 35 mile at a 17mph average. Awesome job guys.

As for the A GROUP, we set out for Crystal Lake, climbing over to the lake and then climbing back out. It was a a great group, everyone watched out for each other and we made it out and back in great time.

Here's the recap of the A GROUP ride:


Thanks to everyone that came out & see you next week!

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday June 21st 2010

Hey Everyone!

A happy and HOT Monday to  you all!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Unfortunately, I was out of town on business and didn't have a chance to update the blog till now.  So, enough of my crying...here's the scoop!

Today is officially the LONGEST day of the year & it's beautiful out...so we are going out for a nice long ride!

Here are the routes:

A GROUP

B GROUP

The same as last week, We will determine the groups prior to leaving the shop and make sure that everyone knows the route they will be taking. We will have cue sheets for everyone as well. Both groups will start together and stay together for the first 6.5 miles. We will stop at the intersection by the jail & then split into the two groups.

Please remember that we should all be looking out for each other on these rides! If anyone has any mechanical issues during the ride (dropped chain, flats, etc.) the whole group should stop, fix the issue and continue...AS A GROUP. These rides are meant to be fun! Let's make sure it stays that way.

See everyone there!
-Scott

RIDE RECAP: June 16th 2010 Group Ride

• ROBINSON STATE PARK • MOUNTAIN/CROSS RIDE •

We had an AWESOME ride last night!  There were eight of us...some full suspension...some 29ers...and a couple cross bikes.  We rode fast and hard!  Everyone was feeding off each other and really pushing as hard as they could go.  It was a blast!

There was a major trail cleanup this past Saturday from our friends at NEMBA (http://www.nemba.org/).  All I can say is that the trails were in impeccable condition.  There were new bridges, banks, rollers, and all the brush was cut back.  Absolutely amazing job guys. Thanks so much to every who helped to clean up the trails.

And last but not least...our ride:

Thanks to everyone who showed up to ride & we'll see you all next week!

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: June 14th 2010 Group Ride

It wasn't until we actually started pedaling that the clouds cleared up. But, what an amazing night it turned out to be. We had about 20 people between both groups. Steve and Tim led out the A GROUP, while I rode with the B GROUP. Both groups were awesome!

The A GROUP ended up with 39 miles and averaged 19mph. Fast pace lines, town line sprints and speedy climbs littered the ride. Great job to everyone!

On the B GROUP ride, we had our share of sprints and climbs. The ladies made mince meat out of the guys on a couple climbs and one of the town line sprints. Nice job, ladies! Bottom line...this ride was a blast!

Here's the recap of the B GROUP ride:


Thanks again to everyone that showed up & we'll see everyone next week.

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday June 14th 2010

Hey Everyone!

I hope that you all are having a great weekend. This past week has been a tough one for road rides since there has been a ton of rain. However, the woods and trails were great. So, I'm sure you managed to get out and keep those legs moving. Lucky for us, the weather for this week looks much better and Monday is going to be perfect for a ride.

Last week, we had another good size group with a variety of fitness and experience levels. Since the group has been consistently growing, we are going to start posting 2 rides every Monday. One will be an "A" group with a faster pace and some longer, steeper climbs. The second ride will be a "B" group with a slower pace and less climbing.

Here are the routes:

A GROUP

B GROUP

We will determine the groups prior to leaving the shop and make sure that everyone knows the route they will be taking. Both groups will start together and stay together for the first 7.5 miles. The A GROUP will split off, going left on Issac Bradway Rd. and the B GROUP will continue going south on Somers Road.

Please remember that we should all be looking out for each other on these rides! If anyone has any mechanical issues during the ride (dropped chain, flats, etc.) the whole group should stop, fix the issue and continue...AS A GROUP. These rides are meant to be fun! Let's make sure it stays that way.

See everyone there!
-Scott

RIDE RECAP: June 9th 2010 Group Ride

• ROBINSON STATE PARK • MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE •

As you can tell, the weather didn't stop us from heading into the woods for one of the best mountain bike rides I've been on in a while!  It was wet, muddy, slippery and FAST as hell!  Wheels were sliding out, the roots were attacking like they were alive and if it weren't for the sun setting on us, we could have been out for the whole day.

All that being said, a little rain isn't going to scare us away from getting into the woods on these Wednesday night group rides.  If the ride is going to be canceled due to inclement weather, we'll let everyone know via email and this blog.  So, hopefully we'll see everyone next time...RAIN or SHINE!

Oh yeah...and here's our route:

MOUNTAIN/CROSS GROUP RIDES!

Hey everyone!  Don't forget that out mountain/cross bike group rides are starting tomorrow(June 9th)!  We are going to be meeting up HERE! We'll meet up between 5:30 and 5:45 and roll into Robinson State Park at 6PM on the nose.  The pace of the ride will be determined by the group and there will be plenty of places to stop and regroup.  Hope to see you all there!  Shoot us an email if you have any questions! 

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: June 7th 2010 Group Ride

Hi Everyone!

Last night's ride was great! Although we had to split into two groups and there were a couple flats, everything worked out and there were nothing but smiles in the parking lot after the ride.

I'm not going to be posting a recap on the ride since my route ended up very differently from the other 2 groups.  Either way, the first group completed the loop that was posted while the second group avoided the hills, but still ended up at the 33 mile mark.  Great riding from both groups.

I can't thank everyone enough for showing their support for our group rides. We have been continuously growing in numbers week after week. It's awesome! If the momentum keeps up, we may have to split into 2 groups every Monday. I hope that's the case!

Thanks again to everyone who showed up & we'll see you all at next week's ride.

-Scott

GROUP RIDE: Monday June 7th 2010

Good Morning everyone!

We hope you had an awesome weekend.  The weather was great, except for those nasty thunderstorms on Sunday.  But, I'm sure you all went out for a nice long ride on Saturday!

Anyway, Here is the route for the Monday night ride:


Here's the scoop on the ride:
• 33 mile loop
• 17mph average
• nice easy 8 mile warmup
• 3 long slow climbs (spaced out with recovery in between)
• As usual, we are leaving the shop at 5:30 PM

Hope to see everyone there!

29er's ARE HERE!

Well, at least a couple.  The guys at the East Longmeadow shop just got a couple of the 2010 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29ers.  They look TOTALLY AWESOME!  I can't wait to ride it! I'm going to try and demo one tomorrow.  I'll let you all know what I think.  Stay tuned.

-Scott

RIDE RECAP: May 31st 2010 Group Ride

WOW!!! What an amazing day for a ride! The weather couldn't have been better and the crew that showed up was awesome. We ended up adding a few miles to the original route & ended up with 48.5 miles with a decent amount of climbing(2,116 ft). Here's the recap:

So, thanks again to everyone who showed up & I can't wait to see everyone next Monday.

Memorial Day Group Ride

Hey Everyone. I've got a nice ride planned for Memorial Day.


Here's the skinny:
• 45 mile loop
• 16-17mph average
• rolling hills with a couple longer climbs
• Meet at the East Longmeadow shop between 9:30-10AM
• The ride will leave around 10:15

Hope to see everyone there!

RIDE RECAP: May 24th 2010 Group Ride

Morning everyone!

What an amazing ride we had last night! There were about 20 of us, which is about the biggest ride that we've had in the last couple of years. So, thanks to everyone who showed up.

Here's the recap of last night's ride:


Thanks again to everyone who came out for the ride! See you all soon!