https://www.relive.cc/view/1747381657 Due to ROAG group not being able to ride this year, Warren W connected with another group for their Day Zero "Donut Run". We stayed Thursday night at the shambolic Berkshire Travel Lodge (for $150/night!) whose only virtue is that it was 1 mile from the border where the ride starts. The group was about 20 in total. The SAG support was amazing: at every one of 4 stops they had a table out with PB&J sandwiches, bananas, water in a cooler, and lots more. They even had popsicles at the final rest stop in Palmer, when it was brutally hot. That was a well-oiled machine. What a gift. The ride was beautiful and challenging, as I remembered it. It was 70F and misty when we started for the 7am departure. It was going to be a high humidity day. The group seemed to splinter early with a fast group on the front and a significantly slower bunch in the rear. Naturally, I fell somewhere in between, so had only 1-3 people to ride at times, especially on the climbs. Rode the two big climbs just below threshold HR, which made me a little worried whether I'd blow up later in the ride, pushing too hard. But the two long descents, from Jacob's Ladder and down to the Connecticut River Valley are so much fun, so it's worth the effort. The route was really nice: it added this turn off Rt. 20 near Huntington onto a lovely road along a river, which was the old state highway (Rt 20). The other nice stretch was when we got onto a rail trail from Northampton towards Amherst and bypassed the horrible bridge on Rt 9 over the Connecticut River. Next year we will add more of that rail trail as we enter Northampton to bypass the crazy middle of Northampton. The rail trail section was really lovely and tree-covered, so it was relatively cool. But when we emerged onto the streets again in Hadley to go to our lunch stop, it was in the low 80's and humid, which didn't feel great. We had the traditional lunch stop at Atkins Farms Country Market, which is terrific. There are some punchy short climbs, and temps seemed to rise significantly, so any time in the open was hot. I was really feeling it, I like the route south on 161 from Belchertown much more than last year's route that nipped the south end of the Quabbin Reservoir then went on Rt 9 through Ware; that's a horrible stretch. This year's route was less crowded with cars. Then on to the last 1/3 of the ride....The heat and humidity and the early effort were taking their toll. The SAG at the Palmer Public Library was a real treat, with popsicles. Thank you Donut Run people! Just east of Palmer is the final 2 mile climb, 2-5%, but it stings being so far in. I just wanted to be done at that point. Felt a swell of emotion rolling into Sturbridge and turning into the Host Hotel to join the 2018 Pan Mass Challenge. Thankfully, the shower trucks worked this year and I could get properly cleaned up before gorging myself on food and beer to recover before the PMC. Met up with Jim W (his first PMC) and hung out for a little while. I was sufficiently tired that I decided to go back to my hotel (La Quinta) and crash early. Watched the PMC psych-up on WBZ on my TV. Early rise the next morning (3:30AM), so needed to get to bed early. All in all, another great Day Zero. So glad I did it. NB: Lost power midway through ride, so stripped the power data. F*ing PowerPod....