Friendly Friday – Short Day

This Ride: 25.9 miles
Kona Distance: 3,252.8 miles
Month to date: 76.1 miles
2010 Total: 3,719.3 miles
Pace to 5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (255 miles ahead of goal pace)

Although some of my lung congestion is easing, this morning the hills and quick pace sapped me hard.  But I’m ahead of myself.

Ten riders met at the Rusty Bridge, and we picked up 3 more at the Ranger Station as we rode under cloudy skies and warm temperatures.  We are on the fringes of the cloud cover from Hurricane Earl.  We felt maybe a dozen raindrops the whole morning, even though the radar showed rain.  There was no wind.  The decision was made early in the ride to avoid Old Country Road.  It has been ground down for repaving, and not only is is hard on the bikes, but in the dark, it is also hard to negotiate.  We rode B&A Blvd, and had a pretty fast pace going.  I’ve not ridden this route in this direction, and now I know why it is so fast going the other way.  We were climbing, and climbing fast, and soon I was in my anaerobic zone and had to fall off the back of the peloton.  I see now, that we were averaging about 18 mph through that stretch.  I’ll be glad when I’m fully recovered from blood donation and this nasty lung congestion.

We had 11 go into Annapolis, and 9 stay for breakfast.  A lot of good conversation and our obligatory phone call to a missing rider as we sat outside eating is really the highlight of the week.  Within 25 minutes were were on our way again, back to Severna Park and eventually home.  I didn’t extend the miles this week, as Lori and I have plans for the afternoon and I need to get ready.

Sorry Mike, couldn’t ride with you to work today.

Next ride: The Labor Day Sweet Sue’s Ride.  There will be at least 6 of us riding from Severna Park to the start at the Davidsonville Park & Ride.  I don’t have any idea about how many will join us in Davidsonville.  The ride takes us through pretty “south county” with farms, and rolling hills eventually arriving at North Beach/Chesapeake Beach, MD and then returning home.  That will be a 90-100 mile ride for those of us who do that.  We will have some riders who have never done that distance before, and it will be fun to encourage them along the way.