Dave C's B'Day Ride

A riding friend who was most supportive during the illness and death of my father turned 60 today, and decided months ago that he wanted to have a ride today, even though it was January. He had plans for iffy weather (including a mountain bike route if there was to be snow), but the weather came up clear and almost 50F, so seventeen of his friends did a 35-or-so-mile loop (forgive the open route; I didn't manage to get the GPS turned on correctly until a mile or so into the ride). He'd planned it with a number of points at which we could turn back if the weather threatened; as things turned out, we didn't need to do so. I swept at the back, and was surprised that a couple of normally-strong riders were keepin' me company back there in the cheap seats... but one was on a cyclo-cross bike with wide, knobby tires, and I understand she underestimated their rolling resistance. Another rider, an apparent newbie, either didn't eat or didn't drink enough, and was sufferin' at the end, but finished OK (I'd like to think my company and words of encouragement made his efforts less arduous, but I'm sure I'm over-valuing my effectiveness... nonetheless, it's for riders who have days like that that I like to sweep). Then the birthday dude had us all back to his house for food, drinks, and way too much respect and deference from his delightful family.

Laura OLPH was there, and we got to chatting at his house afterwards. She figured that since her birthday and mine are both in May, we might do a combined birthday ride - but if you add our ages, the sum is more miles than anybody might want to do that early in the season (although, Laura, if you convert that many miles to kilometers, it might be doable...). So we might do a combined celebration... or we might not; it strikes me that more of the work would probably be on her than on me, and that's not fair, nor is it much of an incentive for her to put it together. (I would like an excuse to meet her husband, Professor Jack, so I could gush over one of his books.)

Then back home to the excellent wife's chicken piccata (yummy, except the capers in the recipe look like boogers to me; I gotta scrape 'em off), and a laundry, and chores and set up for work tomorrow (when the diet starts... again... the scales are telling me I've been living a little too well).