Click click click kerchunk 2026 Outriders

 

Typical View from The Cape Cod Rail Trail

Outriders! One day from Boston to Provincetown. Including the bike ride to the start it's about 133 miles/214 km in one day.  JUST FOR FUN.

Last year I had a heck of time due to lack of training.  Due to the bad winter/early spring this year I kind of got caught on the back foot training wise, but I had just enough time to train adequately.  Not enough to excel, but enough to get out there and have a good time.

I spent a bunch of time riding my Trek Emonda racing bike (most of my miles are done on my Specialized Diverge gravel bike kitted out for commuting).  Heck, I even washed it!  Then my rear brakes started rubbing the wheel the week of the ride.  I couldn't get them to stay centered, so I went to the bike shop to get it checked out.  While I was there the mechanic noted my chain & cassette were quite worn and due for replacement.  The shop was too busy to do the replacement -- if you looked closely at the title of this post you might see where this is going.

I got all my kit ready the night before. 5 AM the day of the event is not the time to have to think about anything.  Everything is set.  Breakfast just needed to be warmed.  Coffee & water? In the pot ready for the button to be pressed.  Ride food?  On the bike.  Jersey and shorts laid out.  And I try to do get it done fairly early so I didn't stress out around bedtime.  I even managed to get a fairly good night's sleep.

The next day I was out the door around 5:35.  And with the first few pedal strokes I discovered my bike was not shifting well.  The chain was skipping and the shifting was crap.  This was new -- I had been riding the Emonda almost every weekend and even doing some commutes on it.  I briefly considered switching bikes. 

It was a quiet and easy spin down to the Cyclorama in Back Bay.  There was almost no one on the streets.  Incredibly, when I got there, registration wasn't set up yet!  Although it's supposed to open at 6 AM, they're usually there early!  I think this was the first time ever I had to wait a bit.  Anyway, they got set up, I registered (got the map & my rider number drawn on my leg), and I was off at 6:05. (How well run is this ride? One of the organizers apologized on Facebook for being ON TIME instead of early after reading this. Again, they were ON TIME.)

Just about to set out from the start

The queue to register. There was also a gear truck that would take a bag to the finish line for you.

The bike was shifting badly and was making a bunch of noise.  People passing me let me know that my bike was skipping.  "Oh, I know!".  Still, it was a beautiful spin out of Boston over the Neponset River, and through Quincy.  The early morning sunlight was gorgeous.  We had a nice tail wind which was going to stick with us through the whole day (until we got to where the Cape turns around).  The temperature was just perfect.  After the first 20-30 miles the shifting seemed to calm down.  The whole day my bike's shifting was far from perfect, but it was something I could cope with.

Fortunately this train passed quickly. But I got split from a small group by it.

I wasn't riding with anyone in particular, but I did leapfrog a lot of the same people through the day.  There was Richard who I know from a number of rides in the past.  An Australian(?) couple, and a couple other riders also wearing old Harbor to the Bay jerseys.  It was cool enough out that staying on top of hydration (and food) was not difficult.

At the first pit stop

Water, snacks, Gatorade, sunblock, etc. Not pictured: a portapotty, but it was there!

I got to the first pit Halifax around 8:30 AM, had a quick bite, refilled my bottles, talked to some fellow riders, and quickly got rolling again.

The next stretch was just lovely.  Woods, fields, farm stands.  But really, for me, it's just an appetizer for the main event on the other side of the bridge.  For a while I played leapfrog with a younger rider on a red Trek fitness bike with flat handlebars.  He overtook me because he was a faster cyclist, but I was a bit more daring & aero on the descents.  

There is a fantastic downhill into Plymouth.  I always think of the first time I rode to Ptown in one day.  It was back in 1998 with my friend Seth.  We did it unsupported and stopped for a long & leisurely lunch in Plymouth.  WHAT THE HELL WERE WE THINKING?  It was an epic day.

Last year the stretch of road from Plymouth to the bridge had fresh chip & seal pavement on it.  Yuck.  In the past year the cars have packed it down enough so it was just a bit rougher to ride on than good asphalt.

Plymouth! "America's Hometown"

Largish group about to pass me

Some of the drivers on this section were spectacular jerks.  One guy in particular made it clear at stop light that he'd been aggressive on purpose.  Fortunately for the two of us, I just ignored him.  What's the point?  I'm sure he also wonders why he doesn't get good service at restaurants too.

The day was warming up at this point.  It was up to about 85F/30C.  Nowhere near as bad as the previous weekend when it got up to 97F/36C.  But warm enough that I'd give myself a few squirts of water onto my head through my helmet vents.

Finally, I got to the bridge.  While crossing I caught up with Steve, a cyclist who I'd met in previous years who was wearing a 1998 Boston New York AIDS Ride jersey.  As an aside I saw quite a few Harbor to the Bay jerseys from various years.  At least three of us were wearing the Ride 16 jersey which I think is the best one.

On the other side of the bridge I saw that some construction has already started on the replacement bridge that's coming real soon. 

In just a few miles I was at the next stop in Sandwich.  Which is where I grabbed a sandwich (pb&j!).  I also got to talk a bit more with Richard.  I kept my stop short.  It wasn't going to be fastest year ever by a longshot.  Also, I don't like to cool down too much by taking too long at a stop.  

Chairs, benches, sandwiches, and more

A gourmet pb&j experience

The traffic was light and the drivers were generally mellow. It was a nice break from those drivers in Plymouth who would indeed turn out to be the nastiest of the day.  This section is a gradual climb up to the service road. And now there's a nice broad bike path there!  It was so great to get on that bike path and not have to worry about cars at all.  It's a bit exposed to the sun, but I'll take it.

Richard passing me on the still new bike path paralleling the service road.

The bike path is being gradually extended and some day you'll be able to ride from the Canal and get to the current Cape Cod Rail Trail.  In the meantime we had to get back on the service road and continue on Shootflying Hill Road into Hyannis.  The ride's arrowing on the road was outstanding in Hyannis.  I had no trouble following them.  Hyannis is also where the ride became my longest ride of the year.  Every turn of the wheel after 80 miles was a new record for the year.  This section can be tough, but again, the drivers were careful and it was fine.

Soon enough I got to the soon to be improved rail trail in Yarmouth.  It's recently been widened, but I got the feeling that the people who did the design/work of widening it did some malicious compliance.  It wasn't the best surface to bike on.  

The start of the recently half assedly widened rail trail in Yarmouth!

This side was made for me and you

I got to the next pit stop which featured a real bathroom with sinks!  It's amazing how nice it feels to wash your hands (and splash water on your face) after 85-90 miles of cycling.  It was great to know that there were at least two bottle filling stations on the Cape Cod Rail Trail before the next pit stop in Wellfleet.  The bottle filling stations are in Brewster and Orleans.  There might also be one in Nickerson State Park, but I'm not 100% sure.  I'm not sure what else I ate at this pit, but they did have packets of Utz Party Mix, a melange of every kind of crappy industrial snack food in one go.  I inhaled one.  And it was so good.

Pit 3 in Yarmouth!  With real bathrooms!

The green arrows 

There was a fair amount of traffic on the path and you had to pay attention and pass people carefully.  Though there were also sections that were fairly empty.  I hit 100 miles for the day right by Blueberry Pond in Brewster.  That's where I rented a cottage during the first part of the pandemic (and did a heck of a lot of cycling).  I also rode a bit with the Australian(?) couple that I'd been leapfrogging.  I let them know about the bottle filling stations along the CCRT.  Amazingly they stopped for a slice of pizza in Brewster.  Not my idea of mid ride food, but hey, they ended up being much faster than me.  So what do I know?  ;-)

I stopped in Orleans Center to refill my bottles and eat some of my almonds & dates.  In addition to the food from the pit stops I'd been eating Clif Bars and downing Gu "Liquid Energy" packets with caffeine.

Caffeine! Caffeine! And 100 calories!

All along the rail trail there were amazing views of kettle ponds, salt marshes, and cranberry bogs.  It was just something else, particularly on such a perfect sunny day.

Just another perfect Cape Cod day

So pretty

Still, I could feel the starch was definitely out of my legs and my average pace was slowly declining.

It was great to get to the end of the bike path and the Wellfleet pit.  They had slices of watermelon!  And then my phone rang.  It was my wife!  She was at PB Boulangerie -- just around the corner!  She asked what I wanted (oh, a double espresso!  And a pain au chocolat! Or an almond croissant.  I got on my bike and zipped over to the Peeb where I made a horrible discovery: THE PB BOULANGERIE HAS CLOSED!  There's a whole thing where they could not replace their head baker/pastry chef.  It's so sad.  I had so many great cups of coffee and pastries there over the years.  In the pandemic winter of 2019-20 stopping there to have a hot cup of coffee & a croissant in the middle of a cold bike ride was something very special.

I'll miss you PB Boulangerie! 

Well, I didn't get an espresso, but I did get to say hello to my wife and daughter!  And then I pressed on to one of the most beautiful parts of the route, Ocean View Road.  I jumped on the wheel of a random mountain biker and drafted him at 15mph going uphill.  Big guy and a big engine (and not on the ride, but hey).

No espresso for you!

Ocean View Road. The best or the best?

This year the ride had to skip some of Pamet marsh and the toughest climbs on the route.  Fortunately, the substitute was a fairly pretty road going by some kettle ponds.  Where I saw a large platoon of families on bikes with Burley carts going the other way.

Hope ice cream was next for these kids!

I got to the last pit stop in Truro where I met up with a friend of mine, Loren!  It was so nice of her to come out.  I think she was a little surprised at how cross eyed I was when I pulled into the pit.  I wasn't at my best.  We sat and talked while I had a brownie (sadly, the days of the homemade brownies at the Outriders is long long gone).

Loren came out to say hello!

Then it was time to mount up and tackle the last leg of the ride.  Nine miles with a couple climbs.  Soon I was on that last descent overlooking  Beach Point and Provincetown.  It was delightful!  With a strong headwind that wasn't so delightful.  I stopped to have a little conversation with a photographer using a film camera (an AE-1) by the flower cabins.  And then, there I was.  Crossing into Provincetown.  And then the finish line at the Surfside.  Where my wife and daughter were waiting.  With food and beverages.

Crossing into Ptown!

At the finish! Get me some broth!

After the ride I sat by the Surfside pool and cooled off a bit.  Changing out of my sticky kit into street clothes with this year's excellent ride t-shirt felt great.  I had a funny conversation with a cigar smoking hotel guest; "So, does that ride take like seven hours?".  I just laughed.  "What, do I look like I'm 30?"

This year's eye catching ride shirt

Next year's Outriders: 19 June 2027 Get it on your calendar!  And start getting ready in January!

Thanks for reading.  Keep the rubber side down.

Well, clean, degrease, and lube so it works better?

 I've been ramping up my weekend long rides for the past month or so getting ready for the 2026 Outriders event (one day from Boston to Provincetown).  Every weekend the long ride gets a bit longer, 50, 60, 70 and so on.  It's been good, certainly better than last year when I didn't have time to really get ready for Outriders.  The only bummer is none of my usual riding buddies have been able to join in.

The weather overall has been good.  We actually got to have a spring here in Massachusetts!  A few of my rides included riding in the rain.  Which is good training, since it could rain during the event.  The bad part is one or two of those rainy rides were on my Emonda racing bike which does not have fenders or disc brakes.  Both the bike and me got covered in road grit.  And I relearned how superior my Diverge's hydraulic disc brakes are in the rain.

A few vignettes from recent rides:

• Seeing a group of three on a family bike ride drop the mom.  A couple times (I stopped for a snack break & they passed me).  She was pretty wobbly on a warm day in a headwind. FFS, people, let the slowest person set the pace.  Or at least slow down if you're consistently dropping them.  You're not training for a race, it's supposed to a fun ride.
  
  
• Sad that Fern's Convenience Store in Carlise is closed -- and that the memorial bench for my good friend Bobby Mac is gone.
  
  
• Meeting a guy on the road who was tapering for a 1200 km randonee in Scandanavia.  In the "there's always someone going further than you department".
  
  
• Innumerable numbers of drivers passing me safely & carefully or otherwise cutting me slack on the road. They vastly outnumber the jerks and really, they have no idea how much I appreciate the courtesy.
   
• Washing my bike, degreasing & lubing the chain made a huge difference in ride quality.

My Emonda had been noisy and not shifting crisply.  It turned out that washing it with warm water & dish detergent plus "biodegreaser" on the drive train did the trick.  The next ride the bike was running silently and the shifting was a crisp as you'd like.  And the bike just looks great clean.

Solo riding means you win every town line sprint by default

Water Row in Sudbury

Knit poppies for Memorial Day in Carlisle

• I thought the knit poppies on display in Carlisle for Memorial Day was moving.  A little more humble than flags.  Certainly better than the church in Wellesley that the sign that US servicemembers died for "God and country".

Walden Pond Visitors' Center. Bottle filling station & clean bathrooms not shown.

• I've had some interesting conversations while sitting taking a break at the Walden Pond visitors' Center.  One guy interrogated me about how to best use an insulated water bottle - I'm not sure actually.  I recommended filling it 1/3 and freezing the water overnight.  If it's a really hot day and you're sure you can get more water, you can also pour water over your head & back to cool off.  Another time a woman from the midwest asked about where to get the best lobster roll (as a vegetarian, I don't have much personal experience in the game).  My answer that it was tough to mess up a lobster roll except by putting too much mayo in it was not well-taken.  She also didn't like my advice that raw oysters are a better way to get super local flavor (hey, I wasn't always vegetarian).

Map of the monarch butterfly's multigenerational routes in North America.  See the book "Bicycling With The Butterflies" or this magazine article

Wet ground from rain, but I've got my gravel bike with fenders

Diverge gravel bike v. Emonda racing bike is a big question for long rides, like Outriders.  I'm glad to have spent enough time on each bike this year that the answer will be delivered by the weather forecast for the event.

Water Row with a momma turtle crossing sign

One more long training ride before Outriders and then it's the big game.  Hoping for good weather and a fun ride this year.  Thanks for reading & keep the rubber side down.

Cold Midnight Marathon Ride: Fewer Photos

It's the Midnight Marathon Ride! The kick off event of my cycling year.  The ride is an ad hoc show and go thing.  Thousands of cyclists ride the Boston Marathon route the night before the Boston Marathon.  Many, like me, bicycle out from Boston to Hopkinton, the starting point of the marathon, and then ride back.  The biggest wave of cyclists start at midnight, but there are people out on the course all night long.

Cyclists in Ashland heading west

As always the weather was a concern. This year, it was cold, almost freezing. It had been raining, but it stopped shortly before I was going to roll out at 8 PM.  I wore a fleece helmet liner, a thin gaiter, cycling jersey, winter cycling jacket, a screaming yellow shell, winter cycling gloves, thermal tights, cycling shorts, wool socks, and booties over my shoes.  I also put hand warmers inside my shoes.  In addition to two water bottles, I had hot tea in my bike bottle shaped TK Travel Kuppe.

My friend Jay had a death in the family and a couple of my other regular riding buddies have Raynaud's syndrome, so the cold weather was keeping them off the road.  I arranged to meet up with another friend, Andy, later in the evening along the route (just like last year).

Despite the cold weather there were quite a number of cyclists heading out.  I decided to ride out along Beacon Street instead of Comm Ave.  I thought it meant I would end up riding solo, but I met up with three guys from Framingham.  I guess they were doing a different kind of out and back?  Maybe they drove in and left their car near the finish line?  I can't believe I didn't ask them.  Anyway, they were riding a bit slower than my pace, but I slowed down a bit and showed them my route through quiet side streets that cuts out most of the 128 interchange.  When we got back onto the regular marathon route, I said goodbye and went back to my regular pace.

It was clear out -- there was a slight waxing crescent moon low in the west with Venus shining below it.  Just amazing.

I had a mellow ride out to Hopkinton.  I stopped a couple times to IM family & friends.  It was pretty cold, so I did not like unzipping my jacket to get to my phone & reading glasses. This meant I took far fewer photos this year.  I made a point to check in on cyclists who were stopped by the side of the road and had to stop for one who had taken a spill on the railroad tracks in Framingham.  She was able to raise both arms without any discomfort, so hey, her collar bones were OK!  There are three sets of tracks on the route, two in Framingham and one in Cleveland Circle.  I was glad to be around people who took them all conservatively & safely when I went through them all (NB cross tracks as close to 90 degrees as possible!).

It was great to get to Hopkinton to see my friends Tyler and Marsha.  They were in the gazebo providing water (cold AND hot) as well as Clif bars to the cyclists and rollerbladers there.

Tyler and Marsha (making tea!)

It is just amazing that they come out like this every year.  And it was COLD.  While I was hanging out with them I started to get pretty chilled.  We were also talking to two young women who looked super cold -- they got some hot beverages.  At the time I was worried about them, but later in the ride I met them again while we were going up Heartbreak Hill and they were fine (and riding faster than me).

After saying goodbye to Tyler and Marsha (and thanking them again profusely for their support), I started on the way back to Boston.  It was a bit after 11 PM.  Holy moly I froze on the descent from Hopkinton.  How damp was my cycling kit from sweat?  I found out.  It evaporated and wow, you could feel the heat escaping.  Nice in on a summer day.  Tough on a chilly night. My refilled insulated bike bottle with hot tea in it from Tyler & Marsha was a real treat.  My high speed for the night was 32 mph and it was likely on this bit that I hit it.  For the descent I turned both my headlights on high.  My primary light is a stupid bright MagicShine that I was running on low for most of the night.  I had an optional high capacity battery which ended the night just below 50%.  I also had a secondary PlanetBike light which isn't bad on its own. I kept it off for most of the ride, leaving it in reserve in case there was an issue with my primary light.

DISCO BIKE HELMET!

I was so happy when I finally got off the hill and had to start really pedaling.  On the flip side, Hopkinton and Ashland just fly by.  By the time I got to Framingham I could feel myself warming up nicely.  For a while I played leapfrog with three or four other cyclists who were in a group.  It was their first time doing the ride.  They were kind of impressed with my bluetooth speaker.  I try to keep the volume down, not wanting to be that guy, but it's nice to have a bit of music on these long rides.  I told them it was my bluetooth enabled entertainment/navigation system.  Later on while we were riding together Andy called me and I had the muscle memory to hit the right button to pick up!  OK, it's the same button that you have to hit to start/pause music.  I rarely take calls in the saddle.  

Though the night I noted a disturbing percentage of riders who had no lights -- and some didn't even have reflectors.  It was tough to see them at times, and I saw a couple instances where drivers were giving well-light cyclists a wide berth and coming too close to the unlight cyclists who were very tough to see.  In general traffic was light all night and amazingly polite.  

There were people out on their lawns in a number of places cheering on the riders.  Many of them had small fires going.  In Ashland there was the traditional ENORMOUS bonfire.  

I met up with Andy in Wellesley.  It was great to ride with a friend!  We just chatted the rest of the way to Boston.  Extremely fast roadies passed us impressively.  Other people were having a tough time on Heartbreak Hill.  We just spun our way & talked.  Later on we stopped and I gave him an extra pair of handwarmers I had.  Somehow the group I had been leapfrogging with rejoined us in Brookline.  How they got behind us I'll never know.  

It was amazing to see some of the lights and decorated helmets that some of the riders had.  We also saw a number of people on the heavy Boston bike share "blue bikes".  Ouch.  

It's always tough to ride past my neighborhood.  My warm bed is right over there!  Why am I cycling past it on a cold night?  

We had a nice uneventful ride through Kenmore and then -- a turn or two -- we were coming up on the finish line!  

You can see the finish line from here!

The police wouldn't let us get very close.  The ride is not an official event and you get the feeling it's just barely tolerated.  Well, that's an element of the fun for me.  Even if it meant the cops started firmly asking us to move along.  Oh well.

After a celebratory snack of dates and almonds from my bag we mounted back up and rode back to Brookline.  That cold wind was sure blowing from the west. 

After I got home, I showered, snacked, and when I went to bed I started shivering!  It had been a long cold night.  But a lot of fun.

My Midnight Marathon Ride tips page w/ links to write ups of previous years

Thanks for reading.  Keep the rubber side down.

.  

What I Did Over My Summer Vacation

 What did I do over my summer vacation? Besides get to hang out with my whole family? A bunch of cycling on Cape Cod!

I took a day to recover from my 130 mile/209 km ride on Sunday.  Then, it was back in the saddle to enjoy the Cape.  I rode from Brewster out to Ocean View Drive in Wellfleet.  After stopping at the beach to admire the view, I doubled back to PB Boulangerie.

Does it look gorgeous? Well, it is.

I'm in a bread line. Did we lose a war?

There was a long line at the Boulangerie.  I thought about coming back another time, but my kids deserved some pain au chocolat!  Also, I wanted a coffee and an almond croissant.  It took about 30 minutes but I got my pasteries plus some baguette, cheese, and Orangina.  Riding back to my place with a baguette sticking out of my pannier was most definitely a humblebrag.  Oh, you passed me?  Well I have a pannier full of food.  I passed you?  You got passed by a greybearded guy with a pannier full of food.  No matter what the scenario, I was protected from mockery.  Plus I had baguette.

They couldn't sponsor the TdF if it wasn't really good for you, right? (file photo from France)

Later in the week I got to do a short ride with my oldest daughter and then a longish ride out to Truro through the Pamet Marsh/Estuary.  I confirmed that Gelato Joy is still open for business in Wellfleet center.  And that their water bottle filling station works.  And that their iced coffee is better than I remembered.  

Stopping to look out over the Namskaket Marsh on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. 

Ocean View Drive in Wellfleet

A selfie from Ocean View Drive, there's a couple cyclists behind me.

A large iced coffee in Wellfleet at Gelato Joy.  They also have a bathroom & a water fountain/bottle filling station.  The pastry didn't last long enough to be photographed.

Pamet Marsh in Truro. They're letting the salt water back in.  The trees took it on the chin, but more naturally occurring wetland is coming back.   

The rest of the week featured more rides, but I never got back up to above 40 miles for a given day.  My legs were just achy all week -- I never let them really recover.  For the seven days following the Big Ride Out, I got to about 260 miles/418 km.  That is a lot for me these days.  Unquestionably the biggest mileage week since I had Covid last year.

The rail trail by Marconi Beach. It was generally quiet until Labor Day weekend.

That's a well behaved dog on the back of the bike.  On a separate note, and how did I not get a photo of this guy, if you're going to wear a straw boater hat, you must ride an old English three speed, not a mid-90's mountain bike.  I don't make the rules.

Lots of sandals in Wellfleet at Newcomb Hollow.  I saw a hysterical (?) tiff between a married couple there.  The husband didn't want to leave his pricy Tevas there.  

For some reason I was unable to get rid of my helmet strap tanlines over vacation.

There's a big hill going up from Newcomb Hollow.  Really.

One of the things I love about late summer cycling is the occasional smell of Concord grapes in the air.  You get a bunch of this on the Cape in late August.  It's like GRAPES! You can smell them in various places along the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

                             

Why no pictures from a crowded rail trail? Because when it's crowded, I'm not going to take out my phone!  Sigh, overall people are courteous and careful on the bike path.  But there are exceptions. People riding well above their skill level on ebikes, people racing like it's a town line sprint, etc. People.  What are you going to do?  Well, besides trying to ride carefully yourself?