The Weekend Rides

Saturday morning and I was up to join with the ride out of New Albany but the lemon of a car that my wife gave me did not start.  As I sat there, looking at all the other cars in our driveway I was sorely tempted to take one but not knowing their schedule, I decided not to commandeer one of the cars and instead went back to bed.  Turns out it is the distributor that needs replaced.  Anyway, Sunday morning arrived and I coasted down to Granville to hook up with 30+ others for the John Martin ride to Zanesville and back.  There was a super strong group of Garth Prosser, Pete C, Marty, Scott the UPS driver, Steve Fields and Luke Russell.  Then there was a middling group of John Sada, visiting guy from Delaware, Gus Cook, then a low level middling group of Jeff S, Peggy and me, then a lower, lower group of others then a super low level group who rode a short route and maybe some subset of them but one thing about Blue Jay, it spreads you out.

We headed out, a swarm of cyclists descending on the roads of Licking County, alert to the threats of low lives who have nothing better to do than give us the finger or blow exhaust at us.  Upon reaching the foot of Blue Jay, Marty, recovering from an effort at the Peckerhead tour/race out of Mansfield....attacked!  Luke jumped to Marty's wheel but it did not appear anyone else could catch on at least initially and I think Marty won the KOM points on the first climb.  Meantime, many of us slogged up the first, second, third, etc... climbs and when reaching the final climb, I saw John Sada ahead of me and nipped the unsuspecting at the top before descending to #668.  There, I hooked up with Gus and Jeff and we more or less rode together to the market in Zanesville.  Actually, Gus had got away from me and then gone off route before recovering, just as we were leaving the market.

A good group of Lon Hermann, Kathleen, Jeff S, Peggy Cook, Suzzane and Crazy George departed the Zanesville market and rode together to Fling Ridge where we hooked up with Rick Miller.  The water and shade was enjoyed by all and we lingered for awhile....

....lingered some more and then shoved off, heading west on Flint Ridge, working our way to Granville where I abandoned the group just before Granville to return home with 87 miles and 6600' of climbing.  Above, Kathleen fills here water bottle and is preparing for the Garrett County Gran Fondo with Peggy and many others from central Ohio.  good luck.  I wish I could join you but alas, I have to go somewhere else.  More on that, much more on that, later.