Last Day of July rides

[OakLeaf]

Some of the 70+'ers in our club are training for a Great Lakes trip later this summer, so they planned a 60-miler, longer and hillier than the Saturday club rides have been lately. It was nice because the Saturday ride had really been deteriorating. Still, I wondered how some of these guys were going to be able to ride what they'd planned. Everyone made it smiling, though, so that was great.

The plan was for a brunch stop at a McD's ... even though there's a sub shop right across the street where one could get marginally better food. I couldn't convince anyone to go there instead! I needed to be back a little earlier than I knew that some of their pace would permit, so two other riders and I went on ahead. We had just finished a leisurely breakfast when the other group arrived ... after breakfast had closed, so they were stuck with the lunch menu.

The three of us decided to take a different route back from what the others had planned. We started seeing rain clouds about 15 miles out, and it soon became clear that it would be raining near our endpoint, but we couldn't tell exactly where. Mrs. T was flagging, and our route option allowed her to go straight home while Mr. T and I rode back to the start, where he'd parked their truck. There was one last big hill just a few miles from where we'd started, and I was really hoping I wouldn't have to either climb or descend it in the wet.

Once again the weather gods smiled on me. Aside from the odd raindrop or two, it really didn't even start sprinkling until Mr. T and I were back in town, with less than a mile to go. Not even enough to get my bike dirty. By the time I was loaded up and had my gear packed, it was raining for real. Yay! (Unfortunately, we only got a few sprinkles at home, and we really need rain. )

Everyone who's got this beautiful weather enjoy it. Won't last long.

Bolt, velodrome, exciting!

Catrin, way to go on the hills. Nothing wrong with slow, and you've got to know that any time ANYONE is climbing, whether it's you or Anthony Charteau, they're going to ride slower than their average pace on the flat. Only way to get stronger on the hills, and more proficient at shifting, is to ride them! Having fun is the key, and sounds like you did.

jdub, wow, that sounds like fun.