Wintertide Ride

Wintertide Ride: Saturday, February 18, 2017

• Location: Starts in Sherborn, MA (but not at Ride Headquarters)
• Ride Type:  Mixed Terrain; trails and roads.
• Ideal bike:  Cross or gravel bike with 32+ knobby tires. Studded tires encouraged or required, depending on conditions.
• Distance: 45-mile option, 60-mile option, and 90-mile option.
• Price:  $145
• Details: Found on Overland Base Camp's website: http://www.overlandbasecamp.cc/overview-wintertide-ride-2017

Sunday Endurance Ride 2017

• Location:  Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, MA
• Ride Type:  Road Ride
• Date & Time:  Every Sunday at 8:30 am.  Ridden from April 23 through the end of October 2017.
• Distance:  ~61 Miles
• Price:  Free

Description:  The Endurance Ride is a steady pace base mile ride.  The average pace is 16-17 mph depending on the time of year and the weather.  This is a steady paced ride focused on enjoying the terrain, improving riding technique, and building endurance.  There is a food stop about halfway along the route at Ride Headquarters.

Proper Bike for this ride:  23-28c road slick tires, clipless pedals, drop handlebars; no aero bars. 

Route:  Route is https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20538686 - with a half-way stop at Ride Headquarters to rest, eat, fill water bottles, etc.

Ride Notes:  None beyond the description above.

Estimated time:  About 4.5 hours depending on the time or year and the weather.

Last Minute Information:  Watch Ride Studio Cafe's Twitter feed for last-minute updates, weather cancellations or other changes. 

Contact Information:  Email - connect@ridestudiocafe.com, Phone - (339) 970-0187

Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different:  All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

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

Sunday Coffee Ride

• Location: Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, MA

• Ride Type: Road Ride

• Time/Date: 9am Sunday Mornings Weekly, year round

• Distance: 36 miles

• Price: Free

Description: This is our hallmark ride. If you'd like to get to know the RSC riding community, this is the best place to begin riding with us. There are three (or more) riding groups so you can choose the pace that's best for you. We expect all riders to be proficient road bike riders prior to joining in this ride. We split up groups so there aren't too many people in each one. Your safety is our primary goal that guides how we break up groups and set ride expectations. Each group has a Ride Studio Super Domestique leading the way and ensuring ride rules are followed. 

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26598689

Route Notes: There are a few spots where single file is best. Take care when making the left from Concord Rd onto Morse Rd. The group may not be able to do this at once.

At mile ~30-31 while descending on Pine Hill Road, there is a manhole cover above the ground that needs to be avoided.

Ride Notes: When you arrive at the Studio (please arrive before 9am), there are color-coded cards. Choose one card that matches the pace you would like to ride. We collect the cards as you and your group rolls out. This way, we keep group sizes to a manageable size.

Green Cards: Pace is 18-19mph average – no faster. Riders wishing to go faster now have a ride just for you called the Mach One ride which now departs at 8:55am.

Yellow Cards: Pace is 17mph average. Moderate. We typically have 2 moderate groups departing. 

Red Cards: Pace is 15-16mph average, no drop if you’re up for the pace. We have someone sweeping this group so no one gets dropped if there is a mechanical or other reason someone needs to stop.  A minimum 15mph pace is required of all riders.

Brown Cards: “Decaf” Option – offered on select weeks. Pace is 13-14mph average, no drop.  We update this page on weeks when the Decaf Option is running. Also, feel free to email us to ask if you’re unsure which group you should ride in, or if you want to join in this group. Note: on Saturdays, the Espresso ride offers a 14-15mph ride group on quite a few weekends in the summer.

Last Minute Information: Watch our Twitter feed for last-minute updates, weather cancellations or other changes. 

Estimated time: 2-2.5 hours

Contact Information: Email - connect@ridestudiocafe.com, Phone - 339-970-0187

Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different: All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

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

Proper Bike for this ride:  23-28c road slick tires, clipless pedals, drop handlebars, no aero bars.

Sunday Polar Bear Ride 2017

• Location: Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, MA
• Ride Type:  Road Ride
• Date & Time: Departs at 10am Sunday Mornings Weekly, Fall through Spring 2017 
• Distance: 60 miles  
• Price:  Free

Description: This ride is for those who enjoy a longer day in the saddle regardless of the weather, who enjoy the company of others, and who are comfortable at a 16mph average for 60 miles. This route maximizes the ability to stop for warm food or drink in case the weather dictates it.

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17605855

Ride Notes: The ride route incorporates stops at mile 15.7 and mile 32 which is Ride Headquarters. There is an additional stop we can advise for riders on the very cold days when a stop between RHQ and RSC on the return trip is necessary in Wayland.

Last Minute Information: Watch our Twitter feed for last-minute updates, weather cancellations or other changes. 

Estimated time: ~4 hours (including food stop time)

Contact Information: Email - connect@ridestudiocafe.com, Phone - 339-970-0187

Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different: All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

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

Proper Bike for this ride:  23-28c road slick tires, clipless pedals, drop handlebars, no aero bars.

Ireland and Lightweight Touring with Pamela Blalock and John Bayley

• Location: Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, MA
• Event Type:  Presentation 
• Date & Time:  New time/date - watch for an update, will be late summer/early fall
• Reason for Event:  See stunning photos of riding in Ireland and learn about lightweight touring
• Price:  Free

Description:  John Bayley and Pamela Blalock are well known in New England for their accomplishments in cycling. They are serious endurance riders, tandem together frequently, and are known for putting up impressive times on Mt Washington. They also travel the world on bike.

During this presentation, they'll talk about riding all over Ireland. You'll see their stunning photographs of a two-month light-weight touring trip they recently completed.

The Blayleys, as they call themselves, have done a significant amount of lightweight touring and will share their insights on the best practices they've learned through many hours on the road. They will discuss logistics of lightweight touring - light, but prepared, they have advice specific to touring around Ireland, logistics and advice about touring alone (Pamela did some of the trip alone), and how to find the best tiny traffic-free roads.

Ride Studio Cafe will be providing light appetizers and drinks. Come out for this fun and insightful evening with Pamela and John! 

Last Minute Information: We will email all attendees with last-minute information if anything changes from what we have published here. Please be sure to RSVP!  

Questions? Email Ride Studio Cafe at connect@ridestudiocafe.com

Sunday Morning Mixed Terrain

• Location: Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, MA

• Ride Type: Mixed Terrain Ride

• Date & Time: Sundays at 9:30am

• Distance: ~15-18 miles typically

• Price: Free

Details:  The Sunday morning mixed-terrain ride takes cyclists all over Lexington and beyond. We can almost guarantee you’ll be introduced to a few trails you haven’t ridden.  The ride takes paved roads to trails, dirt roads, grassy areas, and other places off the beaten path. 

The ride departs at 9:30 am and returns no later than 12:00 noon; we ride based on time rather than distance. We have a designated RSC 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.

Route:  The route is available to attendees on the morning of the ride. The weather and trail conditions dictate the route. We do not ride on soft trails ever; we have rain trail-friendly routes prepared. 

Estimated time: ~2 hours

Ride Notes:  The pace is a moderate 8-9mph on the trails, ~16mph on the back roads. Another way to say this is that it is difficult to hold a conversation. We ride together.  

Last Minute Information: Watch Ride Studio Cafe's Twitter feed for last-minute updates, weather cancellations or other changes. 

Contact Information:  Email - connect@ridestudiocafe.com, Phone - (339) 970-0187

Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different:  All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

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

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 9:30 am, 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 9:30 we cancel the ride. If it’s only threatening to rain, we ride.

  • If it’s misting or drizzling at 9:30, 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 on Sunday morning, 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 Sunday; 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. The coldest Sunday ride started at 5 degrees. It was a blast!

• 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 9:30 without a ride leader, you are more than welcome to!

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.

Come by at least 15-minutes early so you can make any last minute bike adjustments or fuel up on something in the Cafe.  Ride Studio Cafe opens at 8am on Sundays.

 

Wednesday Morning Worlds 2017 [Over for the Season, back Spring 2018]

• Location:  Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, MA
• Ride Type:  Road Ride
• Date & Time:  Every Wednesday at 6:00 am.  Ridden from 19 April through the end of August 2017.
• Distance:  ~36 Miles
• Price:  Free

Description:  Wednesday Morning Worlds is the Studio's fastest and most lively weekly ride.  The average pace is 20-23 mph depending on the time of year and the weather.  It's also a very tight and serious ride; we ride two abreast and pull through as a paceline.  This ride is for experienced cyclists only.

Prior to the ride the Studio doors open for water, air, and bathroom.  After the ride the Cafe is open for caffeinated drinks!

Proper Bike for this ride:  23-28c road slick tires, clipless pedals, drop handlebars; no aero bars. 

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20409092

Ride Notes:  None beyond the description above.

Estimated time:  About 1.75 hours.

Last Minute Information:  Watch Ride Studio Cafe's Twitter feed for last-minute updates, weather cancellations or other changes. 

Contact Information:  Email - connect@ridestudiocafe.com, Phone - (339) 970-0187

Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different:  All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

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

Thursday Mixed Terrain Night Ride 2017

• Location:  Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington, MA
• Ride Type:  Mixed Terrain Ride
• Date & Time:  Weekly Thursday evenings 6:30pm departure - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter 2017
• Distance:  ~12-15 miles typically for an 8pm return
• Price:  Free

Note: October 19 - we are canceling this ride so that you can attend our Welcome Winter Party! Ride will be back next week. 

Details:  The Thursday evening mixed-terrain ride takes cyclists all over Lexington and beyond. We can almost guarantee you’ll be introduced to a few trails you haven’t ridden.  The ride follows paved roads to trails, dirt roads, grassy areas, and other places off the beaten path. 

The ride departs at 6:30pm and returns at 8pm; we ride based on time rather than distance. We have a designated RSC 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.

Route:  The route is available to attendees the evening of the ride. The weather and trail conditions dictate the route. We do not ride on soft trails ever; we have rain trail-friendly routes prepared. 

Estimated time: ~1 hour, 15 minutes

Ride Notes:  The pace is a moderate 8-9mph on the trails, ~16mph on the back roads. Another way to say this is that it is difficult to hold a conversation. We ride together.  

Last Minute Information: Watch Ride Studio Cafe's Twitter feed for last-minute updates, weather cancellations or other changes. 

Contact Information:  Email - connect@ridestudiocafe.com, Phone - (339) 970-0187

Riding Rules, What to Bring, How Our Rides are Different:  All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. 

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

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 9:30 am, 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 1 hour prior to the ride we cancel the ride.  If it’s only threatening to rain, we ride.
  • If it’s misting or drizzling 1 hour prior to the ride and 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 on Thursday evening, 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 Thursday; 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.  The coldest ride started at 5 degrees.  It was a blast!
• 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 without a ride leader, you are more than welcome to!

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.

Come by at least 15-minutes early so you can make any last minute bike adjustments or fuel up on something in the Cafe.