To Long Pond, Lakeville, Massachusetts

On Thursday, August 19, I set out from Byfield, MA at 7:30 A.M., and promptly headed in the wrong direction. Well, I guess it wasn't really "wrong;" I was biking with Madeline to her work, and then I turned around and got down to the business of heading South. I figured what could a few (ten) extra miles hurt?

A few miles after my "warm-up" ride with Madeline, I stopped at a grocery store to stock up and use the bathroom. I also took this time to check my tire pressures and try to fix the problem that had been developing with my shifting. The shifting problem, I realized, wasn't going to be fixed by me. It appeared to me that the front derailleur was bound up a bit, and wouldn't pivot correctly when asked to. I decided that since it did move when forced, I would simply force it to move when I wanted it to move. So, when I wanted to shift from the big ring to the small ring, I would make the appropriate change with the shifter, and then clip out with my right foot and simply kick the mechanism into place. Later, it occurred to me that this might not be maximizing the longevity of the derailleur, but at the time I thought it might even help loosen it up. This temporary solution actually worked pretty darn well for the entire ride, and I was pretty pleased with myself. One simply has to be creative and adaptable, right?

From the grocery store I set out South on Route 1 with fully inflated tires, a nicely lubricated chain, a solution to the shifting problem, and a bad feeling about the luck for the ride. At the start, my problem was simply tiredness in my legs. But, I was used to this, as it tends to take me at least 25 miles to get really warmed up and into a stage. So, from Route 1, I turned West in Danvers, MA onto Route 62, which turned into an unpaved construction zone a few minutes later. But that was temporary, and only mildly annoying. I was still fearing much worse to come.

Route 62 wound its way west and eventually I realized I would be riding right through Bedford, the hometown of my good friend Dan Buttrick. I couldn't remember if I was actually going to ride right by his family's house or not, but it turns out I didn't. But the whole route was actually very nice, minus the construction and couple intersections. I would even consider recommending Route 62 to bicyclists; it was visually pretty enough and also pretty safe. In Maynard, I finally turned South, onto Route 27. This road, too, was often pretty, especially through Sherborn. When I hit Natick, though, I was no longer happy with the road.

In Natick I was also hungry, and my feet (mostly my right foot) had become very painful. The weather was nice, but a bit warm, so I stayed inside at the little take-out Chinese place I bought lunch. The Olympics were on, and I realized that this whole biking tour has made me very tired and quite susceptible to raw emotions. While I was watching the television, I felt tears welling up at the tone of voice of the announcers at the Olympics. Don't get me wrong; I like emotions. But, it certainly was an odd feeling to get when I wasn't expecting to feel any particular attachment to the subject.

Still travelling southwards on Route 27, I began to tire, and my right foot continued to be very painful. The only way I could really alleviate the pain was to cease riding (even better to take my shoe off). This wasn't the first appearance of this problem, but it was the worst by far. But hey, I was tiring, so taking a couple extra breaks was good for me. I rode through another friend's hometown when I came upon Sharon, MA. It gives one a little insight into the youth of a person to see her or his hometown, I think, assuming that he or she grew up only or mostly there.

Still travelling approximately South I ran smack into downtown Brockton, MA. This was not fun. The roads were pretty awful, with lots of trash and broken glass on the sides where bicyclists tend to ride. I was also very tired. In fact, I was getting tired enough that I forgot to fear that something bad would happen. But, I made it through Brockton okay, and onto Route 28, finally leaving Route 27.

South of Brockton things got better, but they didn't get pretty again until I was almost to the end of the stage. I eventually found Route 18, and took that until I recognized the local roads in Lakeville, MA. By this time light was fading, and I was nearly exhausted, though all the pains I felt were somehow tolerable. I was very excited to pull into the driveway to the cottage my grandmother and aunt maintain on Long Pond. Of course, the cottage was locked and I didn't know where the key was hidden, so it took a phone call to my grandmother to figure it all out, but it was so nice to lay down and zone out in front of the television for a while! And thankfully, nothing like I had feared happened on the stage.

Total stage distance:  123 miles  (my second longest ride ever!)
Total stage time:  11 hours
Net elevation change:  ???

On to Stage 12: To Brimfield, Massachusetts

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