hill slugs use party manners

Laura OLPH posted a ride for today, and it turned out we were to have not just one, but two riders new to the Hill Slugs: Madhu A, above (who's been on a couple of my Sunday rides), and Sarah G, daughter of regular Slug Peter G.

This was an occasion of some discussion among the Hill Slugs. We rarely get new riders; we even more rarely get new women riders. And their ages added together don't add up to the Hill Slug average age.We were all on our best behavior, in hopes that they would enjoy the experience enough to come back. The Hill Slugs and Tom H's Insane Bike Posse have a problem with retention. As for my own rides, there's a reason I call my riders the Usual Suspects.

We gathered at the Marshall Road side of Woodfield Park in Hillsborough.

Above, Tom's got a mask with his own face printed. We're on the fringes of the Uncanny Valley. (If you want to print your own, he sent me these instructions.)

Sarah G's in shadow on he left above.

Laura's route went up to Oldwick to the General Store, leaving out some of the worst hills.

And, of course, there's a local ride rule that, if you're that close to Solberg Airport, you have to stop in.

And on to Oldwick...

...where the store was closed for maintenance. We stopped in their back yard anyway.

Robert had a problem with getting discarded chewing gum into his cleat; he complained that it smelled of Juicy Fruit, and resolved to change his cleats. Perhaps it was time to do so.

We went on to find an open store in Whitehouse... and we found Tom Yantz, from whom I got the idea to paraffin my chains (and put pipe cleaners on my hubs), riding with some Morris Area Freewheelers.

I caught up with him for a while, and then almost didn't catch up with my group when I had to take my cleatcovers off before mounting up.

We got back in good order, though. Ride page.

Now. Sarah G works on the Left Coast, but is here for a few months. We hope she is not so put off by the idea of riding with her father's friends, but might come out with us again if circumstances allow. As for Madhu, she made noises like she would like to come out again.

I hope they do.