Join us and our friends from Rialto and Trade - two of the best restaurants in the Boston area - for a final group training ride:

The Crazy 88 Ride | Sunday, July 1 at 8am

The Plan: Ring in the second half of the year with our expansion on the first Team Rialto-TRADE ride of the 2012 season. Two rides from which to choose: 88-miles or 100-miles. With a fair amount of climbing. We're wrapping up the Rialto-TRADE Pan Mass Challenge training ride project in a big way.

The Routes

We're offering two routes; really one route with and optional additional climb. We'll have printed cue sheets available on Sunday morning. GPS file links are below.

Route One: Eighty-eight miles in a double figure eight set of loops - hence the name. We originally wanted to do an 80-90 mile ride for this Rialto-TRADE collaborative. Here is a link to the route and GPX file options.

Route Two: A century: 100-mile loop that follows the same route as the Crazy 88 with an addition of about 12 miles that brings you to the top of Mount Wachusett. Here is a link to the route and GPX file options.

Pamela Blalock comes to the rescue for this ride. Pamela has a great route that heads west past Harvard, to Wachusett Mountain. Remember, the Wachusett climb is optional. Even without that climb we're seeing some of the beautiful roads west of the Studio.

The high point - if you're not climbing Wachusett is just shy of 1,000 feet. The top of Wachusett is just over 2,000 feet.

The Riding Style

We're running this ride is a bit different from most Studio rides, in part because this ride is longer and in part because we're enjoying brevet style rides so much. In short, we're not riding in large groups, unless that happens naturally. We'll head out in groups of twenty and then let riders coalesce into smaller groups as people find paces that work best for them. Sometimes this might mean riding alone for a bit. Therefore it's important to be prepared with a minimum of the following:

Have a tool kit, spare tubes, a bit of extra clothing, and anything else you might need on your typical long ride. If you have any questions about what to bring, let us know.
Have a cue sheet or a GPS unit - or both. Know how to use a cue sheet - it's a great skill to have. If you haven't used a cue sheet before, not to worry; email us and we can help.
Bring food and water. The Studio has two food stops along the way but it'll be wise to have a spare bite or two just in case. We strongly recommend having two 24 ounce water bottles in your bike, too - filled with your favorite beverage, of course.
Make sure your bike is in good working order. If you have any concerns, come by the Studio early - maybe even a day or two before - so we can help.
Ride with people that are at a similar fitness level. It's fun to ride with others but if you're riding over your head those faster cyclists are not likely to wait for you. Fortunately there is probably a group of riders not far behind for which you can wait.

Make no mistake that our ride is not a true brevet event. To learn more about official brevets, visit the New England Randonneurs' website. They still have a few more happening this year!

The Food

Food on the last Rialto-TRADE ride from the Studio was a bit out of hand. So, we're tying to top it.

Keyks bakery is hosting a rest stop with special treats and Studio drinks.
The Sul Posto Cafe will be out on the road somewhere. We'll have refreshments and food.
And, best for last, after all those miles, when you're back to the threshold of the Ride Studio, we'll have cupcakes for the first 50 riders. Not just any cupcakes: Customized Keyks Cupcakes. Believe those that have had a Keyk cupcake before, 88-miles will be well worth it.
In addition to the cupcakes, TRADE is providing sandwiches and Ride Studio Cafe will have wholesome post-ride snacks to help you recover and recharge.

The Ride Details

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The Purpose

The overarching purpose of this ride is to raise awareness about TRADE, Rialto, and the Pan Mass Challenge. We want riders to come out and meet the great people of Trade and Rialto.

The RSVP

Please RSVP because we're providing food.

Special thanks to:

TRADE Restaurant
Rialto Restaurant
Keyk Bakery
Pamela Blalock
The Ride Studio Cafe Team