mcbride 2015

Since he died in 2010, there's been a ride for Joe McBride every year. The first was a pick-up ride, but since 2011, every fall there's a ride that supports a scholarship in the Social work school at U Penn, where Joe taught.

I don't think I ever met Joe, but he was a friend to people I consider friends. I've made every one of the rides in his memory, and I intend to continue doing so. For the past couple of years, The Excellent Wife (TEW) has come along as well; I do the 50-mile ride, and she does one of the shorter routes.

Laura OLPH set up a team so that the Freewheelers would donate $100, but she didn't list the ride or intend to lead, as far as I can tell. Nonetheless, at the start, we had twenty or so people to ride with Laura's group on the 50-mile ride (Mary F would lead another group at a more sensible pace). Below are some of the folks at the start.

(Even though many of the pictures didn't come out, this is a much more sensible camera than the one I used yesterday. Only one of my road shots came out.)

We started out at a quick pace, and some of the group went off the front, leaving about nineteen. Although there was no hot sun (which was a blessing), there was a heavy wind (and why does it always seem to be a headwind, even when it's coming athwart your bike?), and we got spread out again.

(Along the way, an older gentleman in an orange Freewheeler jersey passed us; it was all I could do not to chase him. I'm only partially successful managing that competitive urge.)
 
Even on this fairly flat route, we got spread out, and we had maybe eleven or thirteen at the stop.

We mostly kept the group together after that, although we had a range of abilities even in this group. I got to ride a while with Mike, whom I haven't seen in a while (and who's fast!) and Raj, who did the Grand Fondo yesterday, as well as in the back with some of the stragglers. Pics below are some of us waiting for others to catch up (and still others had gone on ahead).

We had eleven when we got back. The others in the group we started with were getting lunch or had already left; other riders kept coming in. I met up with TEW, who was sitting with Dale and Sean, and Terry C. After a feed, there was the annual memorial for Joe, and the announcement of the scholarship. I'd forgotten the camera, and went back to get it for these pics.

Almost forgot... ride page!