We set out at about 10 AM, in order to get back before our BBQ guests arrived. Our friends had asked us to ride with them up through Groton and Dunstable, but we knew it would be a longer ride, since we tend to stop a lot and have to wait for my friend, who rides a bit slower. So, we decided to do a ride through Harvard and Bolton, up a climb that i haven't done yet this year. The weather was perfect; a picture perfect new England day. Crowds were gathering for Memorial day parades in the various towns we rode through, but luckily we missed getting stuck in the parades. The only negative was the pollen count is sky high and I sort of felt like an asthma thing was going to happen until we actually did the climb up Westcott Rd. I guess that burned out all of the pollen! Again, my goal was to go slowly, which seems to take the pressure off and then I end up feeling good and actually not going that slow.
What I noticed on the ride was that there were lots of families out riding and lots of casual cyclists, perhaps because of the lack of traffic. Some were riding against the traffic and doing other various unsafe things, but most were having fun and being safe. It is very nice to see. At one point, we had stopped and when we started up, a guy on a big heavy hybrid passed us, going pretty fast. Then someone pulled out of a side street also in front of us. We rested behind them for awhile, and then passed them.
On the way back, we stopped in Concord center to use the restroom and I realized I was hungry, really hungry. I ate half a Luna bar and made the last 3 miles home, where I had like 45 minutes to set out all the stuff for our guests and clean myself up.
37.9 miles, 2700 ft. climbing