Saturday's Ride

"Doing a big ride this weekend, Lynne?"

Nah, just 60 miles.

Fitz and I thought we'd do the Velo ride, which was in the southern part of our range, including the Laurel Store, Laurel Road, McCormick Hill Rd, (foreboding music) Vandeschuere Rd, Scholls, Clark Hill, Tile Flat, then north back to the start.

It being SUCH a nice day, I elected to ride the Lemond, which has been parked all winter. I had to give the new wheels a test ride, at the very least. First, I had to fill up the very flat tires :-)

I rode to the start, collecting Jason on the way. The weather was perfect. I turned my jacket into a vest, and I was ready to go. I ended up leading the "mid" 17's. Everyone is a 17 :-) There are the fast 17's, the mid 17's (true 17s) and the tepid 17's. It was mostly administrative - I'm still a little fuzzy on the southern routes, until we get out of Hillsboro. Fortunately, Traci, and several others knew that stretch pretty well.

We pulled over at Rood Bridge Park, so we wouldn't embarrass the fast 17's by catching up to them. During the stop, of course, the slow 17's went by, so we intermingled all the way to the Laurel Store. Perfect sunny day. The fields are all green, the animals are out, the scenery is wonderful.

Off from the store, then onto McCormick Hill Rd and then Vandescheure, with its monster rollers and the site of my unfortunate bike crash a year ago. I think I've found the spot. There is a truly evil pothole, which was probably filled with water. The ditch I landed in looks much less impressive looking down on it, than looking up from it :-)

We turned onto 210, and passed Smith's Berrybarn (I have picked so many quarts of raspberries there), Scholls and Petrich's Store, which used to be a shack in the middle of nowhere, then right at the T, and left, heading up Clark Hill. A quick downhill, and another long stretch of open countryside, before heading north through Hillsboro back to the start. I had just caught up with the group after making sure the folks who took the wrong turn came back, when another rider pulled over - he lost a crankarm (!) After getting reassurance that he had someone coming to pick him up (you can't fix that with a ziptie), we headed onward.

I had food on my mind, and after arriving at Longbottom's, settled on the Dutch pancake. Yum. And several cups of coffee.

Then, after thanking Fitz for his offer of a ride home, proceeded to ride home, to get in that last 10 miles. Perhaps a bit less quickly, with a tummy full of pancake.