I don't expect to get a ride in tomorrow, and the best option today appeared to be the Cranbury B ride, which is usually pleasant (due to the company), but short and flat. I did the usual thing where I drive to Bagel Street for some breakfast, park in the office condo next door and ride to the ride start in Cranbury. I'm chronically early, and when I got to Cranbury about 9:20 (for a 10:00 ride start), I met Ed P and Henry, who were the only two to show up for the B+ ride, which was to have left at 9:00; they were fooling around with some new (carbon) wheels on Henry's bike, and invited me to go along with them when they did their ride. I demurred; I had been dropped on that ride a few years ago (I'm sure I posted about it, but I can't find the post now) [edit: found it], and rode around Cranbury a bit... but then we met again on the road; they asked if I wanted to come with, and I agreed.
Did pretty well this time, too. Here's the route and the results. I did some pulling, and was able to keep up until just about the end; Ed and Henry were encouraging, but I'm sure they were trying to make me feel better (and probably glad for the company), although Ed suggested several times that I drop some of the weight of the stuff I carry (I do carry a lot) and come out with his ride sometimes. Maybe not, though; I was "hitting the wall" by the time were were about six miles out from the return to Cranbury, and that wasn't much fun.
That said, at the end of the ride, in Cranbury, while I was getting my breath back, in rolled about a a half-dozen of the Major Taylor club. They were taking the long way back to Plainsboro, near where I parked, so I decided to ride along with them. They were led by young man on a fixed gear, who just ran away with 'em (and the MTCCNJ are a fast group anyway).
So I'm home now, writing this post, and looking forward to a long, hot shower, a nap, and probably a dose of NSAID before all is said and done. Yeah, I could keep up with those guys today. But I'll be glad to get back to my friendlier, slower rides.
Maybe next week.
So. Did you have to wipe the piss off your bike after the ride?
ReplyDelete(I know those guys. Ed P once dumped another rider's water bottle, on purpose, without asking, during a ride, to make her bike lighter. Henry is an Ironman. 'Nuff said.)
Nope, no piss, although with the wet today, there is an almost exhaustive collection of the varieties of road grime available in the Northeast on a January weekend; there will, I'm sure, be some bike-cleaning going on when it dries (it's still too goopy to make much headway now). I'm goin' back to ridin' with people I like, at a pace where I can make rude jokes and wax philosophic... because if it isn't fun, why bother?
ReplyDeleteHere's hopin' your every-second-Saturday all-day meeting was productive and not too painful (or am I just projecting my own distaste for meetings?), and hopin' to see you on the road - maybe next week?