Never Say Never

The opportunity to ride on Tuesday nights has come to an end - or so we keep saying...
Just a few folks were able to get out again this Tues., Sept 21, as we needed to start by 5:30pm. Excellent night with warm temps., a beautiful sunset and a full harvest moon in the sky on our return. I rode most of the ride with Del, my former right-hand man leading for the long group; so it was nice to do this again. We had a new rider join us for a second time. Her name is Carol and she handled the 20 mile route quite smoothly, so another female for the long group?

Rejuvenation

After weeks of not getting out for a group ride, I finally got what I needed - a really nice long ride with friends. Sunday, September 19th started out wet and cloudy, but the forecast was not calling for additional rain, so Gary, Steve, Brian and myself rode from Black Creek Park to Leroy and back for a 38 mile ride. The sun even came out for the last ten miles, making this ride absolutely perfect. This was only the second time we have done this route, so I am still enjoying the new roads and the more familiar, favorites, such as Oatka Trail and Stewart. We also have found a gem of a restaurant in Leroy; The D & R Depot, an old train depot that has been nicely restored and serves very good breakfast fair with REAL maple syrup - yum!

It really was incredibly good to get in this ride; the difference in my mood and energy was remarkable. September has been busy for many reasons and the weather played a role here too, with plenty of rain and much cooler temps. I also have taken a job with the Pittsford Community Library this month, which I am happy about, but it is one more thing to incorporate into the week, along with my UB classes and school starting for my kids. Many more miscellaneous items too. Most of the time I am able to maintain a good balance in my life, but September, December, May and June are always challenging!

A Century, At Last

I did not have a good excuse and was overdue to ride another century, so with Michele as my accomplice, we completed a 100 mile ride on Sunday, Aug.29th. This was Michele's first century and I was glad she did it with me; hopefully a memorable occasion for her. It was only my second century, as I only want to do it if the weather is ideal and if I can get a good night's sleep. All the stars lined up this time and it was a very good experience. We shared a large portion of this ride with Dan, an enthusiastic, cheerful guy, who is an old friend of Gary's. This ride was scheduled to start at Island Cottage and Edgemere Dr. in Greece at 7:30am. Michele and I rode from her house in Irondequoit to the start location, to get in extra miles, where we met up with Gary, Dan and Rosemary. The ride took us out to Brown's Berry Patch, near Lyndonville, on very quiet open roads. Gary and Rosemary rode together at a nice pace and were not far behind us when we stopped for lunch. We did have slightly different routes and our group missed a few turns, stopped for water and restrooms, dealt with a long gravel road and had to patch up my scraped knee after I took a spill on the gravel, so when you add that up, I guess we did loose some time. But, that is to be expected on such a long ride, especially with many unfamiliar roads.

At Brown's Berry Patch, we had a nice lunch on a picnic table under a big shade tree, where Rosemary announced that this was her last long ride and that she was giving up the bike! If you know Rosemary, this is so hard to believe, as she is the most ardent cyclist I know. But she is turning 80 this year and thinks that it is time to give it up. I'm sure she is making a wise decision, but still... Fortunately, she likes spinning at the gym and will continue riding indoors. We will miss her presence on our longer rides; hopefully we will stay in touch.

The ride back went smoothly, for the most part. It was hot, but not muggy and I think we had a little breeze behind us pushing us along. I had a few leg cramps that forced me off the bike temporarily. I also felt a bit ill at mile 96 and had to stop for a while, before we finally hit the big one zero zero. No complaints from Dan or Michele. I did hear from Gary that they made it back without any problems. They rode 77 miles in all. Nice accomplishment to end the summer!