i warned 'em

 

My description of this ride included the following:

Look: this one's not for everybody. Part of the route on the way there is milled (due to flooding, not for construction; that part's ALWAYS gonna be milled), and the route back includes a long strip of Main St in Somerville and Bound Brook.

But I've gotten multiple requests to do this route again, and if these guys (yeah, of course they're all guys) want it that bad, then I'll schedule it.

The stop is at the Italian Bakery and Espresso Bar in Raritan, and it IS that good that it's worth the bad route. (Or at least it is to some of these riders...)

Like, that oughta be enough warning, right? So not only was the ride filled, but three people initially scheduled to do something else rode along for a while.

I refuse to be held responsible.

It was a great day, though; not as cool as I was afraid it would be, and the wind wasn't much of a detriment on the ride (and was an asset for much of the way back). Two riders made suggestions about alterations to the route on the way to the stop, which I'll almost certainly incorporate (I've already got a suggestion solicitation email out to one of the riders).

The stop really is that good, though.

More about that woman on the left below.

When I ordered my crumb cake, the woman in the photo above put it on a plate. When I asked for just a bit of wax paper, with an eye-roll she not only insisted on the plate, but went outside, and pulled out another table and a chair... and then continued to get a chair for each new rider who appeared, with the appropriate amount of sass. It was fun.

And back. The route back is along Main Street in Somerville and Bound Brook, and no rider is going to think of it as a good time... but soon enough we were turning over the Queens Bridge into South Bound Brook (after waiting for what may have  been some dignitary's funeral, with many motorcycles, some riders of which were in business suits). Then we took advantage of a tailwind to go the length of Elizabeth Street, to Amwell, and back to the start.

Often (nearly always, in the good weather), there's a woman doing graceful and athletic steps on roller blades when we get back to the start. Laura OLPH had mentioned this to Matt F, but she was nowhere to be seen today. Matt, I assure you: she's usually there, and I'm sorry that her appearance was not in place to make up for that drudgery on Main Street in Somerville today.

Ride page.