Frenchtown Loop

Even the littlest biker was out today.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, for which I have A Command Appearance at The Excellent Mother-In-Law's house, a commitment not to be missed. Plus, rain is predicted to such an extent that some of our more suggestible neighbors might be collecting pairs of animals and building boats. So when today's prediction promised a comfortable riding day, and Tom H listed a not-too-hilly one (ideal for this early in the season), four of his Insane Bike Posse took him up on it, along with one newcomer, who perhaps didn't know what she was getting herself into.

I got  to the starting point (the CVS Parking Lot in Lambertville) early, of course, and there was a delegation from the Central Bucks club who were preparing for a start a half-hour earlier than Tom's ride.

I love the look of that guy above. I wish my beard would come in like that.

 Aside from the Central Bucks club, Ricky was already there, and he said Jack H was out getting a few extra miles in.

Tom came in, as did Peter G... and Hilary (whose name I may be misspelling), whom none of us knew.

Usual-Insane_Bike_Posse member Laura OLPH was NOT there; she's out blowing glass for the last time this semester. Tom wondered if Hilary could stand in for her.

I think she fits in just fine, don't you?

Since we had a newbie among us, Tom re-instituted the Ritual of the Holy Kickstand; as the kickstand holds up your bike when it's stopped, the Holy Kickstand will hold up your bike when it's going... unless you do some dumb stuff.

We took off on a route with almost all of the climb in the first half, heading up towards Sergeantville and then to Franklin (no, not that Franklin... No, not that one, either; there are four towns named Franklin in NJ) and Pittstown. We separated into fast and slow groups, but we mostly took turns being in each group.

The Psoriasis Foundation ride was today, and pretty much every other biker was out... and when we got to Frenchtown, most of 'em were converging on the Bridge Tavern with us.

So we took up an easily-defended position near the bridge.

After the break, we mostly just bombed straight down 29 towards Lambertville, until we turned off onto Kingwood-Stockton and Lower Creek to avoid the narrow shoulders in Stockton. Along 29, we had a tailwind (I can tell, because I'm not that fast, especially this early in the season).

Ride page here.

Tomorrow, as noted above, to celebrate Mother's Day with the in-laws, and to call my own mother (a relationship that can best be described as fraught, especially after her recent troubles and move into assisted living. This ride was a pleasant escape from some of those responsibilities.