 The sky looked somewhat ominous, radar looked really ominous yet we rode and stayed dry. More to come, including a big Saturday ride and route.  In a move that will likely get me booted from the club and sent to Siberia for retraining, I offer tomorrow's New Albany routes:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19045957 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19046034 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19046060
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 Monday, during a short, 21 mile ride, I found a TV sitting in the middle of the road. Don't see that every day.  Pedaling around the parking lot at BrewDogs in Canal Winchester, Tuesday, I heard a loud bang. Someone's tire had exploded.  Very humid evening with a high around 90 degrees. So few people I recognize now when I visit.  Dustin rolled in and it was good to see him for the first time, long time. Doing a lot of running and with his cardio engine, can climb on a bike and ride with almost anyone.  Former Italian Stallion, Kevin Hollingshead. Lots of work, travel, unhealthy eating and now he is barely a Polish Pony. Later, he would punish the B group.  As is usually the case, the A group was really small, pretty good sized B+ and B groups and then a good turnout of C cyclists. Ric Noland of Cyclist Connection has done a good job turning newbies onto this group ride.  I wanted an easier pace so rolled out with the normal B group. During the warm-up, Kevin and 2 others put in a massive gap on our group. They waited for us later so that was good. Never seen such a large gap created in the first mile. It was good getting caught up with Jackie, Susie, Mark V, etc... as the pace kept my breathing low! Finished with 37 miles.
 At Georgetown University in Georgetown, KY, a few thousand of us gather on Friday to gather our credentials and visit the expo, prior to participating in the next morning's Horsey Hundred. This visit is my second and I find it to be a good, early season century with 6000'+/- of climbing. As the day winds down, things begin to.....  ....wind up at the Mark & Karen Rossi tent. Above, Larry and Lisa approach with a cooler. There was plenty of liquid refreshment for us and others who just happened by. Probably for next year, we should include water as the lack of it made us turn too frequently to the beer and wine as the only alternatives.  Saturday morning arrives and so too do all the cyclists. Ohio was the most represented state, as of Friday. Could have been enough walk-up traffic to push KY to #1. Frank and Lisa above joined many from central Ohio. There is not a mass start so people begin filtering out whenever they want.  The Rossi's, Larry P, Lisa A, Mitch, Flyin Tuna and later, Mike Wrey represent our core group. Strangely, Larry brought a banana even though the multiple food stops are well stocked and present every 20 miles or so. The scenery is fantastic as we.....  ....pass many horse farms and well manicured estates.  We paused at the 2nd food stop and refueled. Larry made a point, many times, that we needed to stay hydrated on this hot and humid day. Later, many cyclists were observed off their bikes, sitting and resting. Probably they could have used a dose of Larry's wisdom.  I think at mile 50, Mike joined our group. Some took the 83 mile route so we were down to 4, Larry, FT, Mike and me.  At mile 75, the theme dressed volunteers provide all that we could want, including pickle juice and chicken broth.  Once leaving the aforementioned food stop, a castle is seen in the distance. Throughout the ride, police presence is plentiful as they controlled traffic to make our way much easier then it otherwise could be.  The highlight of the route though is at mile 91 where ice cream floats are served. A popular spot and even though only 9 miles remains, few pass this without stopping for the treat. Finished with a 17.8 average for the 100 miles. Unfortunately, I had to get back so drove the 3 hours back to Ohio while others dined and then rode Sunday morning, doing 50 or 70 miles.
 Check out the sky as 30 of us head north on tonight's flat and fast route. Maybe the various departments could start repaving or pot hole filling projects soon? More to come.
 My day began with a fun ride out of Granville, to Bladensburg with Mark Rossi, Jeff S and Flyin Tuna. Exactly 70 miles as we arrived back in G-ville. So, why not attend the Tuesday New Albany ride and bring the day's total to 100? Well, the weather radar indicated one reason why not but it remained dry for our entire ride. Above, Peggy C and a many year old bike that is about to be replaced. Funds have been scraped together and a new bike will be on order soon.  The weather forecast kept our number down to 15 so with so few participants, I began to get desperate for material that you crave. So, I took an image of Doug McConaha's shoe, kind of stylish. Doug and French Climbing Machine are headed to VA to ride "Mountains of Misery" this weekend.  Wow!!! One liter water bottles! Now that is attention worthy.  The Phenom shows off a fashionable pair of sun glasses.  Sokha claims the Phenom is high maintenance as he had to reopen his car and take out a pump so Phenom's tires could be brought back to appropriate pressure.  We head out with some new people, including Ryan, not shown but a recent new member. Needing only 30 miles to make the 100 day total, I hung in there until Alexandria and then peeled off, heading north and west to avoid nasty looking clouds to the south. My route brought me to.....  ....Caswell Road where the bridge is almost finished and you can get across but walk only as a 5" curb exists at the ends of this section. I finished with 32 miles and while driving east.....  ....the gang was coming in. Apparently they too remained dry while our brothers and sisters to the south, in Canal Winchester, did not. Been a tough weather spring so far. Big ride this Saturday, the Honor Ride. Check it out. I and a few others are headed to KY for the Horsey Hundred.
 Doug McConaha arrives for today's ride and with him, the French Climbing Machine. Philippe chose to correct my spelling for the title of this post so now that his comment is part of the record, I have to leave the poor spelling or else his comment would not make sense.  The Gus & Peggy show arrived too as we prepare to shove off in what turned out to be a dry ride. Surprising given the forecast.  Dang it! At mile 2 some of us are already off the back, including Gus' friend Norman from WV. We managed to jump back on the train.  Couple of new people, Max and Billy were part of the group and always good to have new people come out for the rides. We arrived in Martinsburg where.....  ....Doug parked his bike in front of the only bench. Group ridicule quickly solved the problem so now I had a place to sit too.  Max and Billy patiently wait. This being mile 30, we soon headed south where those intending to ride the 68 mile route turned right on Bell Church while Steve Nelson, Jeff S and me stayed straight and eventually finished with 56 miles and 3100' of climbing.
 Jared discovers, after pulling his bike from the car, his rear tire is flat. Hate when that happens. Jared is doing a 300k event this weekend.  Wow! Sokha's new bike. He has another set of wheels that have yellow accents to match the frame. The HH guys did well in a series of races in IN last week.  Deniece making a rare appearance. Work and commuting to/from work, prevents her from appearing more often.  A rainy forecast cut into the turnout and only 5 Riveters came out. When I asked the Rivet group to depart, they informed all they were riding with the A group. Ken, Paul, Pete and Ron got a chuckle out of our reaction. Many disbelieved they would ride like A's but in fact they did. I headed out with the A group, looking for a story for the blog.  The pace was moderate and we arrive in Alexandria with a 20.6 average. Then things got toasty as we made a left on Hardscrabble and that long climb but we paused at the top to regroup. Don't think everyone made it on but it was a legit regroup. Then off to Northridge and a right, ugh, for the Stone Quarry event. I hung in to the last climb and then......  ....emerged from the pack to attack!!!! Actually, by the time I reached the front of the group with Pete and Paul leading, I was almost out of gas but I kept going while giving Pete a long stare. No doubt reminded everyone of the above image. I had a good gap for 5 seconds....ok, maybe 2 before Pete and all others swept around me. I went from first to last in an instant. We made a right on Louden and then Dry Creek where.....  ....I was not feeling all that fine at Burg Street so I went right while the others stayed straight. After the Hardscrabble and Stone Quarry climbs, my average had gone up to 20.9. I stopped at the bottom of Beechwood, in Granville to catch the B group. I waited and....  ....waited. After 20 minutes I began to despair. Just then.....  ....Shannon K came by on a solo ride and I got caught up with him. Then the A group came through and I jumped on with them. Soon, we caught the B group and all yelled, "On your left!" so proper etiquette was performed and I was witness to it. At the top of the climb on Moots, I bugged out and jumped in with the B group. After crossing 310 on old 161.....  ....in front of the construction site, Kim his a clod of dirt or other debris, going down. Kristian and Kristie also went down. Kristie is ok. Kristian had a deep cut in his ankle and subsequently was stitched. I think Kim's injuries are mostly scrapes but with no broken bones. Probably 15 of us lingered with most helpless to do anything but watch. Calls were made, a driver stopped and gave us a First Aid kit then Kristie suggested a get a group together and 8 of us headed to New Albany. Finished with 42 miles and a 20.5 average.
 I passed on an opportunity to ride Tuesday morning. So many forecasts of rain had missed so I thought it would be dry for the evening, New Albany ride. I also thought an earlier storm may have taken energy out of what I saw on weather radar and the storms would dissipate. Alas, it rained hard as I look to the west and the view to....  .....the east is somewhat encouraging but of course, that is where the storms are going, not from where they come. More opportunities in the coming days and I hear of a good ride for Saturday.
 What good fortune! I pull into a parking spot, Kristie does too, next to mine. She hops out of her car, opens the trunk and.....I am the proud recipient of one of 18 loaves of bread. Let me tell ya, it is bakery quality good and won't last long around my house.  Kirby on the left, Mike Weber, Don and Chris I, all happy to be out here on a beautiful Saturday morning and...wait.....what's this......  ....Geoff from Veloscience pulls in too! Buzz C on the left.  Don gathers us together to describe what he expects from us. Some refer to him as a great leader but I know him as the "Great Leader" because while he may not be separated at birth from......  ....Kim Jung=un, clearly they share some DNA, so similar in the facial features and leadership ability. Kim Don-un, our ride leader for today.  We head east with a tail wind. Turning left on Hardscrabble Road, Marty and Ron set a pace that few of us could match, thus violating one of Don's rules of the road. On Battee Road, I admonished them, sternly, They claim they were simply riding easy and chatting the entire time. Isn't that always the excuse? At mile 36 we entered.....  ....Centerburg and paused to refuel. All 21 of us had hung together, for the most part, thus far and enjoyed the break.  Kristie pointed out she was wearing unicorn socks so of course, that, coupled with the ruby slippers, requires an image. Kristie was the only woman on the ride and wished others had joined. We fought a combination of head wind and cross wind on the return but it was worth it because....  ....at the end, we had bread and cookies to share. Finished with 63 miles and a 19.1 average.
 There ya go! The appropriate reaction when you see me with camera.  I announced that 15% of purchases at Rusty Bucket would go to the Honor Ride and then Jay P modeled a Honor's Ride jersey which someone claimed was a "club" fit rather than a "race" fit.  Steve Hewitt is here to lead out a C/D group but I think only one other came out for the group. We need to do better to recruit the newbie cyclist.  And off we go to the east, headed toward Granville. I rolled out with the A group and after being on the rivet throughout the Stone Quarry rollers......  ....waited at the bottom with this group's KOM, Paul Stock and then decided at this point, mile 20.....  ....to wait for my many buddies in the B group. Here they come in a long string of cyclists.  We got split up due to a flat tire but a good group of Katherine, Kristian, John, Ric, Flyin Tuna, Kevin, etc... headed back, into the sun to finish with 42 miles and for me, a 19.9 average. The Riveters finished the 48 mile route with an average of 23.5.
 Wow, good turnout for Tuesday's New Albany ride, 30 of us. I know, you are thinking, "Only 30?" but all 30 are in one large group of B/B+ paced cyclists. It was great! I never had to take a pull!!! I know, you are thinking, "If there had only been two who showed up you still would not have taken a pull." Yeah, you got me there.  Ric preparing to join the group and telling me he took a buy-out offer and officially retires in one month. Great, yet another person who now will ride every day and kick my ass. OK, yes, he already kicks my ass but now it will be worse.  The famous shady spot was filling rapidly as we sought protection from a warm sun. Larry P holding up a tree.  Then Marty rolls in on the rarely seen "White Knight" bike. I kidded him by saying no one has ridden a chariot like that since the days of Ben-Hur. Marty arrived back from a winter in various exotic locales last week. He claims he watched my arrival and then knew it was ok to return.  Time is drawing near to shove off as Kristie takes a selfie. Hey! Wait a sec. Why is Peggy not on her bike?  Alas, she locked her keys in her car. Oh no! Gus kept his distance, not wanting to be drawn into something that would prevent both from riding but Chris I. was there to assist with finding someone who could gain access to the car. All Peggy could do now was watch and wait. Later, she would join us for the return.  We roll out with the eyes......  ....of New Albany upon us. Kind of cool to be part of a large group that garners the attention of the restaurant goers who give us a thumbs up.  Out we go as I take an image of the tunnel that exists within our group. What a fabulous evening made special because of the sun, temperature, lack of wind and of course many of my favorite cyclists. Fun time. After Sunday's 83 mile effort, I hoped this would be a true B/B+ pace and so it was. Milt on the left, Larry P on the right.  We arrived at the left turn to 310 when someone just had to go. Got the 4" out of the shorts, took care of business and returned to the peloton, all before the light change. Way to go.  Screaming down Battee Road, we almost ran into the back end of a farm implement but managed to slow down. The fields were filled with tractors plowing or planting. What a nice evening to ride or plow. After the 37 mile ride at a 20.1 average we returned to the parking lot and descended upon Kristie's trunk for fabulous cookies and.....  ....Mitchell rolled in from a solo effort, collecting booty from having won the Cat 5 State Championship on Sunday at Lake Hope. Way to go and now you graduate to the Rivet class on Thursdays. That is it for now my many fans!
 I did not stress myself too much during Saturday's ride so I would be ready for a Sunday ride beginning at Alley Park, south of Lancaster. The route was to be 88 miles and 5000'+ of climbing. Arriving at the start, the ride leader announced the route would be 60 miles and of course different from what I had on my Garmin. This will shock you but I was determined to go long. Lot of new roads so at mile 14, I departed the group of Brent J, Andrew H, Bob S, Ryan, Dirty Dan and Sam. Then....  ....(sorry for the out of focus image)....the group had a flat tire and my route crossed theirs and we regrouped in Logan. There, Dan too decided to go long so with my partner towing me around the route, we ended up in.....  ....Laurelville. Along the way, encountered several new or seldom ridden roads, for me such as Mirgon, Mann, Nixon, a gravel road named Purcell, Ellis, Union, etc... Some big climbs in there along with Wagner Road and the climb to Thompson Ridge (nasty, that one). After the stop at Subway, we continued to.....  ....follow the route. We got onto Bailor Road and say a sign stating it was a dead end. Impossible except, sure enough, it ended at a farm's entry. Dan whipped out his phone and plotted a return to Middlefork Road and back on the route. Once on it, I checked mileage and realized a direct route to Alley Park would give us 80+ miles so we climbed Buean Vista Rad, Revenge and returned to the park with 83 miles and 5100' of climbing. Now a momentous event....  ....a child needed air pumped into his tire and with only a slight hesitation, Dan helped the kid out. I had an epiphany. This guy is no longer deserving of the "Dirty" moniker so hence forth, he shall be "Decent Dan."
 Speculation swirled during the off season that Kenda Janet would abandon the traditional Kenda kit in favor of something more swanky, befitting her elite status but no, the Kenda tradition lives on.  A week ago, I posted an image of a woman's leg that had a mass removed for the purpose of eliminating melanoma. It worked and the leg did not belong to a woman in AZ as some surmised but to Janet. She is building her stamina and today's route of 67 miles would be a challenge.  Tym Tyler was here too and started with us.  Also here was Jeff S, Fred H and many others who were departing at various times. OK, I know, the MOC ride is flat and boring but a couple of years ago, Andrew Clayton created a new route and while it too is flat, it is at least much better.  We headed out and soon Miek Wray and his band of Team Sociale came by and we rode with them for awhile. Some of us tired of the pace so we regrouped and with a river on the left, heading north we saw....  ....a large bald eagle's nest in the trees and an attendant eagle just above. I know, can't see it but trust me, it is in there. Very neat. We reached Marion, the northern most point for our journey and stopped at.....  ....a Subway! Soon after we arrived, a group from Westerville Bicycle Club showed up, including Ted Miesky. It was good catching up with him. We got back on our bikes and rolled into Waldo where.....  ....there were dozens of bikers, including the above rig with an interesting companion.  One of these is a cyclist, the other is a biker. You decide.  I love places like this but it was too crowded and too late to stop in but a unique bar/restaurant that has become an icon in the region. It is known for it's fried baloney but inside I could see the pies too are a draw.  After briefly pausing inside, we went back out and Janet realized she needed to refill a water bottle. Somehow, she struck up a conversation with a biker and got a bottle of water from him. We continued south and finished with 66 miles and get this....800' of climbing. Fun time with good people.
 Saturday brings us a flat, flat ride out of Delaware, the COP Mid Ohio Century. Kenda Janet is leading a group which will shove off at 8:30am doing the 65 mile route. I plan to be there. Really hilly ride on Sunday so this B pace with pleasant people is a must for me. The 65 and 100 mile routes are: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27413290 and https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27413286  Also, Gus and Peggy Cook have organized this route with a 8:30am start from behind Veloscience in New Albany.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26554603  Closing a loop, Steve Hewitt, who had been knocked over by a car while kneeling with his bike on Tuesday, was happy to report that his bike is good and so too is he.  Members of Team Audi, the bad boys of the peloton. Just kidding guys. They have embraced the concept of group riding etiquette.  Lot of pairs of white legs at tonight's parking lot. Why is that? Ha, ha, I am such a kidder. Light turnout on what was a windy but beautiful evening. Probably 40ish cyclists.  A tradition like no other, scoping out the contents of Kristie's trunk. Oh yeah, lots of good tasting treats in there. By the way, that is a nice looking cycling kit.  Mike Weber wolfing down a double, Fig Newton. I object to this. Fig Newtons are to be savored, not gulped.  A new face and an able replacement for Luke Russell. LR will be missed. A great guy who moved to MN with Lori Nedescu. The Power Couple have moved on. Ben is from LA so just must refer to him as the Rajin Cajun. He'll be here for a year+ as his girlfriend completes her PHD.  The Riveters head out as we watch and then the A group departs. Later, the Riveters would finish with a 22.8 avg. Having ridden hard, for me, on Tuesday with the Canal A group, I was not overly optimistic about my chances.  We head out, Gus, Mike Weber, Will Paskett, Brandon H, Larry P, Sam S, Paul Stock, Dirty Dan, Joe T,....around 12-14 total. I was ok to mile 25 with an average of 21.4 but began to doubt I would still be ok after the Beechwood Bluff climb so made a left on Morse. Having forgotten the B group made a late switch to the route, I waited for them and then thought, "You idiot. They are not coming this way!" Alas, I soloed in for the next 12 miles, still finishing with a 20mph average. Entering the parking lot I was relieved to find.....  ....Kristie had opened the treasure trunk. Kyle on the left, Ben center and Kim Don-un on the right. Recently, someone used hyperbole to describe Don's ride leader qualities, referring to him as a great leader. Hah, I can't allow that to slide so now there are two Great Leaders, Kim Jung-un and Kim Don-un. Dang, the cookies were amazing.
 This Sunday is the Lake Hope Road Race, a classic event. Click the below link for details and get out there and compete.
https://legacy.usacycling.org/myusac/index.php?pagename=registration&eventid=911&year=2018  Starting and ending a ride from in front of a brewery...genius! Although, getting out of Canal Winchester from the west side to the open roads to the east and south is not ideal. Good turnout for this evenings.....  ....breezy ride. Winds from the southwest would aid us going out and had diminished somewhat for the return as the route went east/west mostly.  Lot of Kenda logos around here. Brent, in full Kenda regalia. Brent began with the A group but having already put in a hard mountain bike ride in the morning, ran out of steam and dropped back. Later, we found him laying in a ditch, resting. We fed him and sent him on a direct way back to the parking lot. He is really good at popping wheelies in the parking lot.  Yet another Kendaista on the right. Kenda Janet and Paul would have felt at home in this parking lot. We were sent out, I choosing to test my luck with the A group. Managed to hang in there to the very end, finishing with a 20mph average for the 43 mile route. Brent Jenkins was in there too, Joe Hall who I remember from years ago but other than that, mostly strangers. Good group of guys and it was a real group ride where we sat up a couple of times to reform.  Then things got weird (other than me finishing with the A group of course). I heard some unusual post ride noise and walking toward the sound, found a black Camaro had backed into a kneeling Steve Hewitt. He was thrown into his van, along with the bike but is ok.
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