by It was the last Bike for Brent. The organizing committee decided that ten years of putting so much time and energy into planning and supporting the ride was all they add. They had raised big buckets of donations for Camp Becket and Camp Chimney Corners over the years.
We gathered in Newton for the two-day ride to camp in Becket, Mass. Today would be the long day. 100 miles from Newton to Northampton.
The sky was foreboding. The forecast was grim. Rain was coming. Thunderstorms were likely. We weren’t going stay dry just standing around in a parking lot, so off we went. We ride into rain almost immediately. It was a few drops at first. The rain came down hard within in the first few miles. Thick, heavy rain.
We took the turn onto Main Street in Waltham. The rain was a wall of water. The bike tires were leaving a wake in the road. We saw flashes in the sky. The rain storm was turning into thunderstorm.
Flash!! Boom!!
The sky lit up around us . The lightning as the strike was nearby. No delay between the sound and the light. Time to pull over. We couldn’t see through the squall line anyhow. We found a convenient parking garage and pull underneath the entrance canopy until the rain squall line passed.
The weather got nicer and nicer as we pedaled west to Northhampton. As usual, the ride support was amazing. Watermelon with sea salt has become new favorite ride snack on hot days. It was 100 miles of solid riding with plenty of climbing and lots of fun: Bike for Brent Day 1 2019.
Recovery was treating ourselves in Northampton. Some beverages and a shower go a long way to working the pain out of my legs. Then it was off to Viva for dinner. Pasta. Lots of Pasta. The ice cream at Herrell’s. To bed early, rejuvenated for another day in the saddle.
Day Two of Bike for Brent is the climbing day. 3,000 feet of climbing over the 30 miles. Up out of the Connecticut River valley into Westhampton and down into the Westfield River valley. We pulled into Huntington for the traditional Bike for Brent gazebo photo.
From the gazebo, it was the big climb up Route 20 and Route 8 to camp. We paused at the access road while campers assembled. Then it was into the wall of sound of the girls from Chimney Corners and the boys from Camp Becket.
Then into the healing of water of Rudd Pond for a swim, followed by a final team photo.
Relive ‘Bike for Brent Day 2’
