last-minute listing

One of the advantages of the online ride listings on the website is that when we have a traffic-choking snowstorm on Thursday, and I don't want to list a ride for Sunday until I can see what the roads look like on Tom H's ride on Saturday, I can do that, and then email a few folks and see if they show up.

Which Chris, Laura, and Ricky did.

What I hadn't planned on when I got to the start at Blackwells Mills was that there would be a canoe race.

I saw license plates from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. There was a carbon-fiber single-person canoe (of which I didn't get a picture), and those women with the orange canoe above took the title for their four-person-team division. They tried to act humble when they pointed out that they were the only team in the division to appear... but I say, if you're willing to get into a canoe where the gunwales are inches above the waterline on a day that didn't get north of 44°F, you deserve the damn title.

The next time somebody says you're crazy for taking the bike out in the weather, tell 'em about these canoeists.

Below, pictures of comparatively sane bicyclists preparing for 36 miles on a grey day:

Both the Griggstown Causeway and the causeway at Blackwells Mills were closed due to flooding. I went to investigate the flooding at Blackwells Mills, and i wasn't bad; I figured the causeway would be open by the time we wanted to go through on the way back. In the meantime, we went down to Rocky Hill and then Princeton, then climbed up to Hopewell for a quick cuppa at the Boro Bean (but you might know that from that lead picture).

A little condensation on the lens on that one above. My glasses were a lot worse.

Chris came out to a flat in his tubular tire, and gave us a lesson in changing tubulars in cold weather. No thanks; I'll stick to my clinchers.

Now: you remember that causeway that was supposed to be reopened at Blackwells Mills? It wasn't reopened. But, taking a leaf from Tom H (and Laura OLPH, if the truth be told),we just went under the gate.

We got back as the canoeists were packing up (but I guess you know that part). The mountain bikers were out today, too. this guy looks like he had fun:

He's got a chore to do alter, do you think?

Ride page. This time, we almost actually made a B pace!

In other news, just because I want to record it:

• On the advice of someone who'd been watching me ride, I lowered the saddle a couple of millimeters to keep my hips from rocking. I haven't been satisfied with it, and before today's ride, I raised the saddle back to where it had been. I think that's where I want to keep it; my knees are complaining a LOT less.
• I've been avoiding caffeine because my anxiety was out of control for a while. The anxiety is somewhat better managed, and I had regular coffee today, both before the start and at the break. I think it helped with riding. And I'm not feeling too crazy, so I'm going to try regular coffee on ride days.

I'm still too heavy, though; need to lose some tonnage.