Ronderful Rocky Roving Ride

At the start, Mitch and Peggy (back right) responding to someone asking if there was a workaround Rocky & Tar Hollow climbs.  Also note Flying Tuna, having just thrust her bike into the picture.  She is the all-time camera hog.  Bring the camera up to the eyes to snap a picture and she races to get in it.  Also note Mitch the Engineer recently stopped wearing jerseys with a front pocket, in which he would have his pens and caliper at the ready. He's a bit on the eccentric side but a great guy otherwise.

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Nice turnout today for a great route.  I like routes like this that, rather than constant up and downs like Cindy's inferior Blue Jay ride, have beautiful valley riding punctuated by a few long and steep climbs with long, rolling riding along ridges.  The roads were good and just plain good people with whom to hang too.  Probably had 38-40 at the start. 

Following my personal dictate that I never depart for a ride in an hour beginning with the number 6, it made arriving on time a challenge but I got to Circleville about 3 minutes until 8:00am and managed to start with the crowd. It appeared the group split into two and in our group was Super Dave, Pastor Mark, Randy D, Tuna, Jeff S, Todd Lee, Franz, Mark V, Mitch, Steve O, two Echelon team guys from the Thursday NA ride, and a few others.  The pace was moderate and so eventually, Steve and the 2 Echelon guys picked up the pace but no one seemed interested in bridging the gap, other than Todd and then for only a little while.  We arrived at the bottom of Tar Hollow pretty much still as a group and of course got all spread out during the ascent but towards the bottom were together again and rolled into the rest stop

We arrived at a seldom visited market in the middle of nowhere on 327 and the women was a bit overwhelmed, as shown.  Having just come out of Tar Hollow, we were ravenous and soon cleaned the store out of energy drinks.  Rick Holt had to settle for a Hooters energy drink.  Later, I noted he seemed mezmerized by the can and so I looked and it was a well endowed woman on the can's cover causing his in-depth study.  Later he complained of cramping and Mitch suggested it was because the blood had rushed to the wrong part of his body while he was drinking the Hooters. That Mitch is funny.

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Todd Lee seated on the left and from what I hear, turning 60 later this year...amazing. Franz on the right and getting stronger and of course Flyin Tuna, having just leaped into the center of the picture. All in front of the market, contemplating a return up to the top of Tar Hollow via Clark Hollow Road.

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We left the market and quickly turned onto Clark Hollow Road for another ascent to the top of Tar Hollow.  Gosh, that was fun but then another long ride along flat to rolling roads until we made a left onto the strangely named, Thornton Sprung Road.  Whoa, a 20%+ ramp greeted us and Todd and I had a pitched battle to the top.  Eventually we overtook Beth Hale and Frank Stinehart, behind whom we drafted for a little while since Frank is wide enough to allow two guys to draft side-by-side. More nice roads before turning onto the infamous Rocky Road, home to the most difficult climb, probably in the state of Ohio.  Long and steep and really steep and long.  Later I noted to Mitch that several road markings had been crossed out and changed.  I thought he said Peggy had gone out to mark the roads and then he went behind her, fixing all her mistakes.  I could be wrong about my interpretation but I thought that's what he said. We stopped briefly in Kingston before covering the final 12 miles back to Circleville for a total trip of 70 miles with 3500' of climbing.  Great route and ride.