scattered thoughts after a saturday afternoon ride

While the argument over why we ride has been settled almost definitively by the author of Road Biking New Jersey, there are a few other reasons besides the one he points out. Some of my reasons include:

• I like to ride;
• I like the steampunk sensibility of road bikes, with cables, gears, and chains (you can keep your plastic frames and your electronic shifting; I'm not interested); 
• I like the people with whom I ride;
• I like the health benefits, physical (I haven't been above 180 in years, and I'm off blood pressure medication) and mental (even though it doesn't always work, riding helps to control my rampant anxiety).

So I was disappointed today when Tom called off a morning ride for rain (although it was a sensible call). My demons were coming out to play, though, and even though it was still dripping rain at noon or so, I decided to get the bike out, to reign in the demons, and in honor of Rules 5 and 9. I need to H.T.F.U., and as for riding in the weather, there's been a distinct lack of badassery coming from Plain Jim's quarter recently; it was time to try to even out the deficit.

Besides, the rain let up after a while.

I also wanted to try out a new route that I may offer for Sundays when I don't like the other offerings. It's a bit under 40 miles (plus my ten-or-so round trip from home), and I'm thinking of billing it as a recover ride for those who overdid it of a Saturday (is 37 miles, and 1100 feet of climb, too demanding for a recovery ride?). I'll email folks a few days in advance when I'm planning to do it; feel free to bring like-minded riders who would enjoy the 15mph-or-so pace I expect to do when I'm in company (today's ride page is here; don't let my 17.1 throw you - I save my fastest paces for when I ride alone; it's part of a promise I made to The Excellent Wife [TEW]).

The usual suspects (say, regulars in the Hill Slugs and the Insane Bike Posse) will get invites; if you'd like to get 'em, too, let me know when you see me.