32-mile recovery ride

So, after bitin' off more'n I could chew yesterday, I decided t do a reasonably flat, low-pace recovery ride today. I modified that route from last week a bit to add a couple miles and reduce the distance on busy Auten Road (I wasn't up to it today, but I've got a 35-mile route based on that one from Six Mile/Blackwells Mills, with [probably] less than 1000' of climb and a stop at about mile 25; I may offer it as a Club ride on Sundays*). I left from home, and rode over to Six Mile, where I found Snakehead and a few of his pals (including Sean, a volunteer at the bike exchange, and Andy, who is faster standing still than I am on a downhill on my best day). One of their number had a pedal cleat stuck, and, after a certain amount of imagination, profanity, and misuse of specialty tools, we got things back together so they could go.

They headed left. I headed right, at a pace that was faster than "funereal", but not as sprightly as "regal".

I headed up through Hillsborough again and got off Auten in a half mile this time, which was an improvement. There's not a light where I had to turn left onto New Amwell Road, but there wasn't enough traffic to make it a problem.

The route goes down by East Mountain, by that entrance to the Sourlands Preserve. It was another glorious day, with repeating cacophonies of those yellow flowers (are they Black-Eyed Susans?).

I had enough coffee on board, but no breakfast, so I stopped for a Granola Bar break at the Griggstown Firehouse to revive my flagging spirits. I'm not sure it worked; the ride page shows I didn't even break 15mph.

OTOH, my intention when I offer this ride is to have a flat, "real B" ride, that I bring in with the average below 16mph (low "B" range). There are places for the fast boys to sprint, and I'll let 'em... but I'll ride alone if I need to, and make a space for the B riders to ride along. So maybe that pace is not a bad thing.

*fama est: Rumor has it that the club is going to a ride listing online, where I don't have to commit to a ride six or seven weeks in advance; I can list it a day or two before. That's kind of the way I see leading this ride - if there's no alternative on Sundays that grabs my fancy, I'll put this up. Or something.