There were two rides going out of Etra today, Al's C+ ride and a C ride. One of the riders on the C ride has a problem with his front shifter, which would not shift down from the big ring. Eventually, through magic and dumb luck, it went to the middle ring of his triple, and I warned him to lave it be; he'd be able to do the ride from his middle ring (I rode for years on that ring, except on the hilliest rides, when I had a triple), and there was no guarantee he'd be able to get the shifter onto the middle ring again if he moved it. I saw him later at the end, so, whether or not he had heeded my advice, he DID get back.
Now, Al P insists that he has no problems with his C+ ride breaking up into a fast and a slow group; he expects the faster folks to go off the front and meet up at the stop, and then again at the end.
This is so contrary to some other group rides I go on, that I asked him four or five times if he really meant it. It appears he really does.
So of the fourteen of us that reported for his C+ ride today, seven of us (yours truly included) took the first half, up to the stop, at a mid-B pace. The others got to the Minit Stop shortly after we got there; we were apparently not that far ahead of them.
Above: I am not generally a fan of plastic bikes... but that candy-apple red is niiiice.
On the way back, sensibility prevailed, and I let the mostly-younger and faster group go without me; I came back at a more conversational pace with Al P and his gang.
I'm finally gettin' some Team Social Security rides in. Retirement is beginning to feel like it might work for me.
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