Labor Day & Tuesday Canal Ride

Good turnout for the Monday Labor Day ride out of Granville with John Martin's group, comprised of COTT members and others, including Marty, Dave C, Steve Fields, Team Sada, Sean Gilligan, Lori, Tym & Lisa Tyler, Peggy Cook, Meredith, Lon Herrman, Corvair...18-19 total.  We were headed to Bladensburg with roughly half the group starting via the bike path and half taking a hilly, non bike path route, all meeting at the Gulf station in Hanover, before heading north.

Soon after leaving the bike path behind, I was surprised that Peggy, Kim and a couple others had taken the bike path.  I also felt guilty that I had urged Corvair to join the hilly route bunch because the hilly route bunch was comprised of nothing but beasts.  I told her I'd hang with her to make sure she got to Hanover.  We motored out Welsh Hills Road, then Price and as we prepared to turn right where the old Health Department building is (or at the end of the 900 acre old Kraner farm), I looked back and saw Corvair a ways back and motioned with my arm that we were turning.  I left the group at the next turn and waited and waited and no Corvair.  I think she stayed straight on Price, ended up motoring around Newark before getting on a bike path and eventually finished with 50 miles and after 3 straight days of riding, probably what she needed anyway.  I eventually rolled through Hanover after both groups had merged and departed but caught the COTT group out on #79, left them on a mile gravel section where some of the COTTs had issues with the gravel and soloed in via Jug Run Road. 

We shoved off from Bladensburg, rode together until the climb across #586 where the group evolved into a very long line of cyclists.  Coasting down the other side on Rainrock Road, I passed on an inviting drafting opportunity created when Marty had hung back and was bringing through some stragglers. The road was freshly chip-n-sealed with loose gravel but more importantly, two straight days of hilly rides was beginning to take its toll.  Anyway, finished with 68 miles and 4000"+ of climbing.

Now on to my 3rd straight day of riding, I arrived for the Tuesday Canal ride and the cool temps brought out the long sleeve jerseys and arm warmers.

In total, we had fewer then 30 cyclists and the A group, geesh, what you see there is it, 3 guys with Rex on the left hanging back with the B's.  Ricky G greeted me in the parking lot with a serious look on his face and approaching me said (see story below for context), "I have one word for you."...."Mooo".  That's what I like, guys with a sense of humor.  Now I know I can pick on him a lot more often.  Turns out, Ricky has lost around 75 pounds in total and upon reaching his goal weight, will have lost almost 100.

The mystery of what is going into the lot next to our parking lot behind Shades Restaurant has been solved.  A good B group departed the parking lot on a 33 mile route heading east.  John Day experienced "happy legs" on the way out so we were deprived a warm-up but that culled the herd a little and then we settled in for a nice ride in to Baltimore.  I had ridden as hard as I wanted for as long as I wanted so I bugged out at in B-more at mile 13 and had an easy ride back to Canal, finishing with 25 miles.  Legs feel good today and am ready for the Civil War Century ride this Saturday.  Should be a very enjoyable ride that includes several miles through Gettysburg National Military Park, Antietam battlefield and others.  7000' of climbing (ugh) with a 7 mile climb out of the gate (ugh).  Sounds like Beth Hale, Flyin Tuna and Dirty Dan are making the drive too.