Saturday Mixed Terrain Ride - 9am Departure

 

The Saturday Morning 9am Mixed terrain ride takes cyclists all over Sherborn and beyond. The only time we don't host this ride is when we're hosting a special Burning Snowflake Series ride. The next special upcoming Burning Snowflake rides are happening March 11, March 25, April 8, and April 15.

The route is approximately 15 miles in length, allowing for a sub-two-hour ride.

The ride takes paved roads to trails, dirt roads, grassy areas, and other places off the beaten path.

The ride departs at 9am Saturdays. We have a designated Ride Headquarters Super Domestique leading the ride and pointing out turns. We don’t have a sweep rider for this ride so only participate if you’re confident in your skill level and fitness – or know your way back.

Equipment

We do not recommend fenders since sticks and twigs can get caught in them.

The proper bike for this ride includes the following:

  • 32c knobby tires minimum.  Wider tires are nice, too. Tire choice depends on your riding skill set.
  • Clipless pedals and shoes.  These are important elements of bike control.  If you ride with platform pedals you’re likely to be over your head in some of the more technical parts of the ride.
  • A bike that’s in safe working order.  We don’t stop for preventable mechanical issues.
  • Higher tire pressure than you’d ride on a cyclocross ride.  We recommend about 80% to 90% of maximum rated tire pressure, for two reasons:
    • First, we want to minimize flats on the ride; waiting for someone to change flats is not why we ride.  We typically see zero flats on our ride.  One of the primary reasons for this is due to higher than average tire pressure.

    • Second, on average, about 50% of the ride is on pavement; having slightly higher pressure makes the road sections go by faster.

Is the ride cancelled? Assume the ride is ON unless you see a Tweet indicating otherwise.

Watch Twitter for last-minute ride announcements and cancellations when the trails are not rideable due to weather. We will try to Tweet ahead if the ride is cancelled. Use your better judgement.

How do we decide if we’re having the mixed-terrain ride each week?

  • Thunder storms:  If there’s a 33% or greater chance of a thunder storm at 9am, we don’t ride.  It is not safe to get caught out in a thunder storm.
  • Rain or sleet:  There are a few variants of this.  We don’t ride sensitive trails when they’re wet; this can cause damage that’s not repairable.  Fortunately, we have some rain-friendly routes that don’t damage sensitive trails.
    • If it’s raining at 9am we cancel the ride.  If it’s only threatening rain, we ride.
    • If it’s misting or drizzling at 9am, with less than 50% chance of rain in the coming hour, we ride.
    • If it’s been raining a lot for a couple days, but not raining the night before, we ride.  Our rain-friendly routes avoid sensitive trails.  Of course, every few years there’s such a bad storm that we won’t ride on a Saturday; we take the force majeure very seriously.
  • Snowing:  We ride;  it is so much fun to ride during a snow storm.
  • Snow on the ground:  We ride.  It doesn’t matter if there’s 1 inch or four feet, we ride. We recommend studded tires or fat bikes for these kinds of conditions.  The only exclusion to snow riding is when there is a state of emergency and we’ve been asked to stay off the road.
  • Icy conditions:  We ride.  For this you have to have studded tires in order to ride with us.
  • Cold:  It doesn’t matter what the temperature is, we ride.
  • Ride leader:  A couple times a year we don’t have a designated ride leader.  It’s not fair for us to send you out without someone to help guide.  Of course, if you want to ride at 9am without a ride leader, you are more than welcome to!

If you'd like us to do any work on your bike prior to the ride, please email us the day before so we're ready to do the work as soon as you come in; we want you to be ready to roll before 9am!

 

Riding Rules


All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules.


Waiver: Ride HQ requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.

What to bring:

  • Your helmet, cycling shoes with cleats, and I.D. Riders seem to forget these items more often than you might think.
  • Appropriate clothes for changing temperatures.
  • Tool kit including at least one appropriate tube. You'll be on your own if you have a mechanical so you'll want to bring an entire tool kit.
  • Lights. If there's dim sunlight or if the ride begins or ends when the sun isn't shining.
  • We have demo bikes available if you’d like to try one during the ride. Call ahead so we can have something ready.
  • Before the ride, if you need any mechanical help, or service of any kind, send us an email and we'll gladly be at the Studio to help with anything you need on the fly.