 Kind of a small turnout for what to me is the hardest ride conducted under the auspices of COP, the Roving Ride to Bremen. There is probably no climb of greater distance than 1/4 mile but it is a constant up and down and after 80+ miles of it, you have had enough. Well, likely you had enough long before that but what is the alternative but to stay on the route and finish the damn thing.  Some of Team Roll showed up including Larry P, Lisa A, Mike Rea, Amy and then Paul Stock, Jeff S, Mark C, Kevin H. Corvair, Mitch the Engineer, the Rossi tandem, around 20 cyclists. We shoved off into beautiful sun, light wind, light humidity a perfect dam for a ride. Meanwhile, south of us there was another group ride and Jon Morgan has fallen again but he is ok, other than some road rash. Luke Russell also went down, landing in a ditch but he too was ok and riding with us Sunday but more on that later. As our ride progressed, if we went more than a 1/2 mile without climbing I wondered if we had got off the route. Eventually, after the wall on Pen Road, Flagdale and Marietta Road, we descended to.....  Somerset where a couple of motorcyclists tried to pick up Corvair. Had circumstances been different and they had propositioned me, I think I would have accepted just to get off this ride. Actually, I was taking it as easy as the route allowed, riding with whoever was at the back, happy to be burning some calories and admiring some great scenery. We later hit the gas station in Bremen and headed a little farther south to add Pumpkin Vine before plodding back north. Around mile 60, Paul Stock jumped from the pack on a short climb, I followed and then rode him like a pony throughout the entire ascent of Ridenour Road to 188, then in to Thornville then south to 13. What a trooper is that Paul that he didn't seem to mind me drafting for the duration. We (he) had put in such a gap on the group that we kept going, him to follow the route that put him back on Fairmont Road for the return, me on an alternative route that was a little flatter. I finished with 84 miles and 6000'+ of climbing. Well, on to Sunday for another 80 mile ride, this time at a more spirited pace that broke my legs. Flyin Tuna steps up to lead a COP ride out of Heath, Ohio as part of her "Granite Saddle" tours. So called because by the time you finish this up and down and up and down route your bike saddle will feel as if it is made of granite. I'm not sure if The Cycling Club is having a Saturday morning ride as have not received notice of the ride so, it looks like "The Cindy" is the place to be for an 8:00am start. Start location is Heath High School, 300 Licking View Dr. Heath OH 43056. Below are links to the 80, 70 and 50 mile routes.
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2948006 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2948140 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3150952
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