Saturday Ride

So, not exactly excited about driving over an hour for a 60 mile ride, I opted instead for John Gorilla's "socially paced" ride out of Granville, a mere 5 miles from my humble abode. But get this as an amazing coincidence, our route was going to take us down Clear Creek Road and up Starner so I got down there anyway.  

The heaviest of hitters participate in John Morgan's 7:30am ride out of New Albany but joining John G. and I was his charming wife Adele (pronounced "A Dell"), Kim Sada and Peggy (Gus' wife).  The opening 30 miles to Lancaster was mostly flat to rolling and I used this, once I learned Adele was an investment advisor for Dennison University, to make her an offer I did not think she could refuse.  Over the last several months, I have raided the neighbor's couch cushions for change and accumulated around $100.  I told her I was giving her the opportunity to manage this small fortune and turn it into something really big.  Shockingly, she declined, something about a conflict of interest.  Although disappointed, I guess I understand and will read up on shorting oil futures instead.  

John seemed like the kind of guy who would want to pull for the entire 101 mile route so I was not going to get in his way.  Therefore, I also spent time in the back of our peloton chatting with Peggy and discovered she'll be in western Maryland next week participating in something called the "Diabolic Double" a 125 mile route with.....are you ready for it.....15,000' of climbing. That sounds very painful.   The humidity was so high, by the time we reached Lancaster (via Stringtown Road of course) my gloves were soaked and I had trouble holding on to the handlebar.  We made a brief stop there before heading out of Lancaster, missing a turn, riding across a hay field but eventually reaching Bovine and later Christmas Rock.  Having not ridden anything longer than 52 miles for a couple of weeks, I began to doubt I had it in me to do 101 so as we approached Starner, I bugged out and stayed on Clear Creek and on out to #33 where I turned south, crossed #33 at CR 10 and taking the back way into Sugar Grove, where I briefly waited for the others to arrive.   As we departed SG and headed out Savage Road, rain could be seen just to our west but it appeared we may miss it by continuing north.  Alas, we did not and somewhere south of Lancaster it poured.  Soon we were soaked but strangely, it did not feel any different from the period of no rain but high humidity.  What can be said of the next 30 miles but periods of dry interrupted by rain.  I broke from the group at Blacks Road and Canyon and ended up with 91 miles and 4000' of climbing.