I usually lead rides on Sundays, but I could not get it together to list anything for today. Partly it was having the All-Paces ride to lead on July 4; partly it was not having a route in mind (the favorite stop on one of my routes has closed on Sundays; another is longer than I think I'm able to go this year, although some of my ability seems to be returning). Partly it's depression and anxiety, generally. As some others of us are, I'm having a hard time.
Whatever. Al P and Joe M were leading a ride this morning out of Byron Johnson Park in Allentown. When I first looked at it, it had five registrants; by the time I actually signed up, there were fifteen... and when I looked this morning, it was capped at sixteen; Al probably looked at the registrations and decided enough is enough... so I got in just in time. (But there were fourteen when we departed.)
Four or five of 'em disappeared off the front fairly early on. The rest of us got spread out, and I fed my caretaking (and probably paternalistic) desires by rolling in the back and making sure we were all keeping up, kinda.
Personal note of hope: I used to be good at ascending long, not-too-steep hills. Some of that ability came back today. I have had too inconsistent abilities lately to say that it's back for good... but on this day, this septuagenarian was riding OK. Even towards the end of the ride.
We stopped at that Charleston Coffee and the associated bagel shop.
Al's decided on a more sensible way to make that left turn onto Pinehurst than trying to come out of the driveway across traffic; instead, he takes the left out of the other driveway onto Lakehurst, rolls up to the traffic light, and turns left onto Pinehurst from there. I'm planning to adopt that plan in the future.
And back to the park. You can see the ride page here.
Most were faster than I, although I had more strength today than I showed, hanging out in the back. It was a good ride, on a not-too-hot day.
On some days, doing a ride, with people you like, is the right thing to do to resist the evil and the crazy.