Between weather and other commitments, this is the first ride I've led for the Princeton Free Wheelers in a month (and I won't be able to lead at the fall picnic next weekend). I'm not able to do a full blog post, but I got some pictures, so enjoy:
We went to that good Italian Bakery in Raritan.
I'll have some more news soon, but enjoy this for now.
I'm sitting home in the rain today looking at stupid internet, and this came up in my feed:
I do some of 'em, and have no interest in others. But while we can't guarantee any future, it's a reminder that we can maximize our chances of outcomes we like better, by making choices now.
One of the things I agree with is the "experiences over equipment" thing. If you've seen my Yellow Maserati, the titanium bike, you won't be surprised at that.
One of the things I'm not ready to do is the indoor trainer. I'll stick to the floor exercises, the weights, and the rower.
As for goals... what do you think?
The mechanical shifters
the brake levers
the exposed cables
of my out-of-fashion bicycle
hold a poem
that, with all my vocabulary
all my reading
all my experience
I do not have the materials
or power
to write.
TEW, and her team, Scott and Joann, departing to do the 27-mile ride.
The Excellent Wife (TEW) points out that I love big gatherings of bikes and cyclists, and because of that, I don't know why I don't do more of these big charity rides. She and her team did a 27-mile route; I did a 40-plus mile route with a few Free Wheelers; other Free Wheelers did the 60-plus mile metric century (not for me, thanks; I'm theoretically leading another ride tomorrow).
My pace was nothing to brag about (see the ride page, and keep in mind that RideWithGPS is generous when assigning average speed), but I love seeing all the folks, and all the bikes, and riding with people I don't normally and might never see again.
We saw a number of club members.
And a huge number of other riders.
And BIKES! Oh, my stars and garters, so many bikes. So many kinds of bikes.
(That's our bikes, on the back of the Ramblin' Wrench Prius, when we went to park.)
There's no reason I can't do a ride like this on my own, and, I frequently do with the club, but it's just not the same as a supported ride. They provide stops:
And food:
And you could even get a beer.
A few of us made a team to do the ride.
My thanks to the volunteers.
I try to make a point of thanking the volunteers, and I wish it were a more common practice among the cyclists on these supported rides. Admittedly, we've usually paid for the privilege, but we're out there riding and generally having fun. These folks are donating their time (for a cause they believe in, usually, but they're almost certainly not getting paid) to support us, and they're almost always doing it with cheer on their face, and encouragement in their voices. I'm grateful for their presence, and I think we all should be, and should let them know about it.
Rant off, I guess.
I wasn't gonna do this one, and TEW talked me into it. I'm glad she did.
