Riding with Grace Velo

It's February...

It's February, and the bike isn't even set up on the trainer. I'm not really even thinking of riding when in my inbox arrives an email (from the Grace Velo Bike Club list) about a ride on Saturday at 1:00PM. The weather is supposed to be sunny and north of 40° F. I check the calender. It falls right in a sweet spot where I have nothing scheduled. So I go for it.

A Good Showing

I bike to the center of Franklin where I meet up with about 11 riders. It supposedly is going to be a "Conversational Pace" ride. Some of these guys are retired and ride all winter. Some of them race.

I hang on more or less for the first 10 miles. Andy, with the gray steel bike and 70's era shifters breaks off the ride 2 the Sheldonville Post Office. A few miles down Burnt Swamp road another riders turns around at the RI border (Near Adam's Farm).

I simply try to keep the riders ahead of me in my sights.

Shortcut

Another rider (I am terrible with names) drifts back and we take a short cut. The group is going to "Hammer it" through the "Farm Section". I am familiar with this as it is part of the PHAT Tuesday Training rides I take part in. The other rider hasn't been on a bike since may due to ligament surgery. I am just out of shape.

We reconnect with the other riders and make our way along 120 where I get dropped again. We regroup at the rest stop and I get dropped by the reservoir. I know my way home so I don't mind. Plus, I knew I was still behind the group from the tell tale tire marks exiting the occasional puddle on the side of the road. It felt kind of cool that I was able to "track" them like Locke on Lost :-)

Some of the rides waited at the end of Burnt Swamp Rd (the route came back on this road). I get dropped again on Summer St. Beck at the park there were 2 riders still there. that was nice of them ;-)

Hey, at least I finished :-)

Ride Stats

It was a 30 miles ride (including the ride to and from the start from my house, and the shortcut).

• Distance: 30.03 miles
• Moving Time: 2:13:59
• Moving Average: 13.4 MPH

The Map

For a change of pace I am embedding a Trimble Outdoor Map. Motionbased has essentially been turned off, Garmin connect (it's replacement) is lacking, and I am a bit tired of MapMyRide.