Prior to retirement, I was looking forward to riding regularly with "the old guys", "Team Social Security", the group of mostly-retired folks (not all of 'em guys, by any means) who ride together during the week. Weather and circumstances have conspired against this, but today I got the chance to roll along on Ed L's 30-miler out of Etra Park.
Of the ten on the ride, I knew eight reasonably well; I met the two who are new to me. As is common with the weekday group, I spent time chatting. When I spoke about the difficulty I'd had in the earliest days of my retirement, some mentioned either similar experiences or reasonable theories, so I feel a bit less foolish (and ungrateful) complaining about my idleness.
We spoke about that e-bike accident on Route 1. Some thought the person might have been suicidal or crazy; others just thought she was thoughtless. I think she just didn't know what to do with this new, in- between technology.
For a small group, we got separated quickly and more than once. The folks on the ride didn't think much of it, apparently; the folks in the back were known to have asthma and some other respiratory issue, and we made a point of waiting for 'em before (or just after) turns.
We stopped at Roy's.
Two notes about Roy's: first - why do we stop there? They hate us, they do nothing except complain about us, they lie about the damage we cause, they object to our using the plumbing. Why can't we find other places to go? How about Charleston Coffee? How about Stonebridge Bagels? I know there are few places that are actually happy to see us, but do we have to patronize a business that so obviously wishes we would not?
Second, there was a sign on the door that they will be closed on Mondays. Some of the All-Paces rides are on Monday holidays (Labor Day comes to mind). Ride leaders might have an excuse to pick different routes for those rides, that are not so dependent on Roy's for the stop, as they're likely to be closed.
After the stop, we stopped at the trail crossing to visit a porta-potty, and after that, Ernie and I got to talking about cadence; Ernie said that he's tried a higher cadence, but complains it wears out his legs. I pointed out that he's got a lot of riding years together, and what he's been doing appears to be working. (I think higher cadence is partly natural tendency, but I think it can be learned as well, at least to some extent.) (I also think my opinion on training, nutrition, and similar bike-y topics is next door to useless. I'm pretty good with a wrench, but I'm not a coach, nor a dietitian.)
And once again, as last time, I had a minor bonk near the end. I'm not eating enough prior to the ride. I need to ride more frequently to figure out what's gonna work.*
See what you can do to ease up on the extreme weather, so I can make that happen, OK? Let me know what you get.
*Didn't I say something about not being a dietitian?
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