Friday Night Trio with The Excellent Wife (TEW) & Sue M
TEW has been agitating t do the occasional evening ride on a Friday, and this week (July 17) we finally got it together to do it. We found that Sue Moser leads a ride from Mercer Park East at 6pm on Fridays, when she gets a companion or two (which is, evidently, not all the time; we had to email confirmation that we were going). We left North Brunswick before 5pm, because we were both SURE that Friday evening rush-hour traffic would be HORRENDOUS... and were at the park before 5:30.
Shortly thereafter, Sue rode up...
... and, since tere weren't any others about whom she knew who were coming, we left.
We did this route. It was a nice ride, a good time, not least because TEW had such a good time: Sue picked a route that was into the wind on the way out, which meant we had tailwinds on the way back. Part of the route was wooded, which cut the wind, but much of it was through open fields, where the winds had space to get their momentum up!
TEW did the ride at a mid-C+ pace, of which she is so proud (and, to be honest, so am I). She's spent the days since telling me how C+ riders do things. I'm learning a lot about the C+ lifestyle.
Another good thing is that we passed (although we did not stop at) the new Roy's Deli, near 524 & Imlaystown Road. It's only a few miles from the Ptomaine Ptower in Clarksburg, and if anybody ever thinks of going back to Ptomaine Ptower, I'm going to plug for Roy's!
In which Jim is a Jonah on the Major Taylors Saturday ride
Jonah (noun):
3) A person who is believed to bring bad luck.
As I've said before, Vern H has been inviting me to ride with the Major Taylors for so long, and wit such frequency, that I could no longer put off going. I got a text that the usual ride was scheduled to leave from the usual spot at the Main St Cafe in Kingston. Despite the threat of rain (including TEW's direst predictions), I got to the start at about 7:45. A few minutes later, Vern rolled up, and after that, a few of his regulars. Below, from left to right: Andre, Vern, Wendell, and (I think) Roland:
Soon thereafter, Benny, from Kim's Bikes, appeared, and, just as quickly, dispappeared:
The four Taylors and I got rolling. I think I remember that we had the intention of trying to see the Iron Man competition at Mercer Park... but the rain started, maybe even before we were all the way across Route 1. Vern lives near there, and invited us into his house to drip, watch highlights of the Tour de France, and wait out the rain. Here's my waterlogged-camera pic of Roland & Wendell taking shelter:
I think I was the bad luck charm on this ride. When the rain stopped, we started riding again. The Taylors have a system where each person rides at whatever pace he or she likes (and these folks can be fast) to the next turn or stop, and they go when everybody's caught up. But Vern caught a flat (wheel hit something hard; it was way out of true), and I waited with him ('cause ya dance with him what brung ya), and Andre went off the front, and it was getting late... so we had a meeting when te rest of us got together:
We decided to go home. Wendell and I were going sort of the same way, and, on the way back, he got a slow leak. He wanted to try to ride it back, but, along New Road before 27, he used my phone to call for a ride, and sent me along.
Overall, I did this route... and I'm only glad I didn't bring more bad luck in my seatbag!
NBBX Social Ride
Today was the social ride for the New Brunswick Bike Exchange. I do these about once per month (weather permitting). I advertise these as "no attitudes, lots of stops, nobody dropped; if you can keep the bike upright, you can do this ride." It's supposed to generate interest in the Bike Exchange, but I get few people, and many of those never come to the Exchange. But I see the offering of slow, social rides as a community service.
That said, the rides are short and not very challenging, so I got out early for my morning bagels and a few extra miles. I decided to do the Old Georgetown descent, and when I got to Coppermine, who did I see, but a number of the Kim's gang collecting their wind; they'd obviously just come up Coppermine:
I told 'em they'd be famous.
On to the start of the ride. Freewheelers Laura OLPH and former board member John S appeared, as did TEW, and Francis (who's actually volunteered at the Bike Exchange!) and his consort Kelly:
We did the Canal Road at a stately pace; there was not much traffic on the way to Kingston:
That's some rig John is draggin', huh?
The gang at Rockingham:
At Kingston:
I saw randonneur Eoghan B there (didn't get a picture...); he's prepping and packing for Paris-Brest-Paris. I'm impressed.
I saw this happy-looking family across the street. That girl in the back isn't half suspicious, though:
At Kingston, John & Laura went their separate ways; TEW and I rode back with Francis & Kelly. They live in Maine, but are also refurbishing an old Victorian in Plainfield (which sounds cool). There was more traffic on the way back, and, with the heat, it was a tough day. I'm glad of the air conditioning.
Also, TEW has a new bike... but that will make another post; this one's long enough.
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