bike exchange ride

Today was the ride I agreed to lead for the New Brunswick Bike Exchange (link to original ride post & link to bike exchange moribund site, someday I hope we get the permissions back to update it). I decided to reprise me "Purple Cow" rides from the summer, but after some discussion, it became clear that some of the managers didn't want an all-road ride, so we split it: we started at Six Mile Run near the corner of Blackwells Mills and Canal Roads in Franklin, rode the towpath down to 518, then took the Rocky-Hill-Kingston Road the rest of the way to the Main St Cafe.

Mary Martha, one of the Exchange managers, set the time for 11:30 am ("Don't any of y'all up here go to church?" asks this [I think] Virginian). I got antsy and left the house early, getting to the start before 11, which gave me a chance to ride a couple miles down the towpath and see that there wasn't mush "traffic" on it today (the weather was grey, and I'm SURE there were drops of rain as I was riding in, which may have helped to keep people away). As I got back, a few people were gathering at the canal house... and there was Mike B, so sure enough, they were for my ride!

Soon enough, there were a dozen and more... but no managers from the Exchange! I got a call that they would be a bit late, and they were, but not too much... and just as they were getting ready, a last rider showed up, so we were 17. John S, whom I know both from the Exchange and from the Princeton Freewheelers, was there, so I asked him to sweep, in his inescapable orange jacket.

On down the towpath. We passed a number of walkers and runners, and got passed by a gal on a bicycle, and I repeated my mantra: "I will not chase the rider ahead. I will not chase the rider ahead." It was good not to do so; there were a few up front with me, but we had a variety of skill levels among these riders, and soon got spread out over quite a distance, but we met up at each intersection, and nobody got far behind until we were on the last stretch in Kingston before the cafe. I went and got the straggler with John.

Seventeen is a big group at a stop. Some had a quick drink and were ready to go, and some had lunch. I was ready long before the entire group was... and when we were ready, more than half the group decided to go straight back up Route 27 to New Brunswick. So I was left with eight. (I've long tweaked Laura OLPH about people leaving her rides, but for her, it's never been very many. I'm sure she never lost more than half her riders, the way I did today!)

By this time the sun was out; we few went back the same way we came, this time fighting a headwind on Rocky Hill-Kingston Road, and a few more fellow-travelers on the towpath. By the time we were done, those riding with me had done about 19 miles, and I had 35 including my rides to and from home and some other miles I did.

This will probably be it as far as Exchange rides for this year, but in the spring, I'm thinking of continuing the rides, and doing them in conjunction with the Freewheelers as slow-paced, no-drop rides. The Excellent Wife (TEW) thinks it might be my cosmic responsibility to do so.

Pictures (lots, today!)

Above and following: Zach met us at the Griggstown Causeway.

Above and following: near the quarry.

In Kingston:

Below: at the cafe.