The thermometer showed 28°F when I left the house this morning to lead today's club ride. I don't generally go out if it's coder than that, and, since I know it was going to be cold, I chose a shorter, 30-mile loop, and didn't plan a rest stop.
And, as the photo attests, people actually thought this was a good enough idea that they showed up.
Partly because of the cold, I think, it wasn't a chatty ride I (I know a number of you faster folks are shaking your heads and saying, "If you're able to talk, you're not riding hard enough", but you guys would be miserable on my rides for more reasons that just that). Still, we were friendly, and mostly well-matched.
We rolled down to Kingston, then back up to Rocky Hill on the other side of the river... and then up to Millstone and back. I started to bonk on the last bit: I'd underestimated the demands of this shorter ride on this cold day. On a 40-ish mile ride with a stop, I'm generally having some sugar and empty calories at about mile 25 or so. So having no stop for 30 miles, on this cold day, meant I should have caloried up... but I didn't think of that, until my misery made it clear that I'd made the mistake. (On the way home, I stopped at the bagel place, and put in the calories I should have done a couple hours before.)
Tuesday night, I start teaching my "Basic Bicycle Maintenance" class at the Princeton Adult School; we chatted a bit about that on the ride, and about my upcoming move to Monroe. My intention is to lead some rides from near there, and others from this Claremont School in Franklin Township location, as some people really like this start. But I doubt I'll hit my goal of 40 leads this year.
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