Most of the club ride today. A whole lot of riders set out with us in the morning - I didn't count but it had to be at least 30-40. It's one of the club's most popular rides and I think their hilliest if you do the whole thing. There was a 40 mile option and a 70, with a couple of alternatives for the 70. I wasn't sure if I was up for 70, but I was tired of not challenging myself, I felt much better than I had on Wednesday night, and I know the area well enough that I could find an alternate way back if needed. So even though the two riders I found myself with when I got to the split were taking the 40-mile route, I headed for the long way.

It was a beautiful day, sunny, light winds, 64F when we set out and warming to 82 by the end of the ride. The route was lovely, almost no traffic, most of the roads in very good condition, winding through woodlands and farmlands.

Lunch was at a convenient store 31 miles in. Mmmm, tuna fish sandwich and Powerade. I know it's not for everyone's stomach, but I do so much better on longer rides if I can grab some protein along the way - tuna salad or egg salad, usually. Today I even got a real store-made sandwich, not those scary ones in the sealed plastic packages you often find in convenient stores.

At the lunch stop I met up with a few people from our Wednesday night ride. One of them was looking for a way to cut a few miles off the remainder of the route. From where we were, there weren't a whole lot of options (he wanted to be back in 25 miles, but that just wasn't possible - it's at least that far in a car on the main highways). But I knew a way that would be a little shorter and a lot flatter (in fact it goes right by my house), and I didn't need much persuading to take it a little bit easier for the rest of the day. So we continued along the club route for about 9 more miles and then cut off - me, the Wednesday night ride leader, and a friend of his who's a very strong rider but happy to tag along.

By the end of the ride both of the boys were complaining about their butts. I am SOOOOO glad for the advice I got on this forum, and for finding a saddle that works for me on my first informed try! And one of them was very tired - he's strong but big, so the hills wear him out, plus he hadn't done a ride over 40 miles yet this year. But we made it back - just cruising the last few miles. I feel surprisingly fresh and I'm thinking I might ride with some other friends who're planning a 40-miler tomorrow morning.

64.9 miles, 4457 feet of climbing, moving average 14.4 mph, I'm happy