What a difference a day makes

This Ride: 21.5 miles
Month: 98.4 miles
2011: 558.5 miles
Cumulative Total: 6,678.2 miles

Ten degrees warmer today for the 5:45 ride. Nice. (Tomorrow’s forecast, should be 23 degrees colder.)

Once again, 5 riders met up at the Rusty Bridge for a ride in a balmy 39°F.  I dropped a layer and chose lighter gloves.  I was still warm. The roads were wet although the rain had stopped.  Dan and I were pariahs, since neither of us saw fit to attach our fenders this morning.  I never rode behind Dan, but did catch a lot of water from tires of those who had fenders.

The mood of the group was spirited, but the pace was pretty comfortable.  We chose the route we ride the most, all the way to the south end of the trail.  This is the first we’ve ridden this full route in quite some time.  We hit only one spot with ice on the trail, causing at least 3 of us to nearly crash, because the ice was hidden under dirt and leaf debris.  Some parts of the southern end of the trail have branches that extend over the pavement, so we still needed to remain vigilant.  Early in the ride I saw an owl glide over our path.  It was a nice morning to be out.

The earlier and earlier light is a treat too.  By the time we were crossing Robinson Road on the way back, we had no more need for our lights (other than to be seen).  Just as we approached Truck House Road, while Clint was riding over a section of road destroyed by heavy equipment, he punctured a tire which immediately went flat.  He changed the tire with mud all around.  It is a good thing he had latex gloves.  The tire had a large enough hole in the sidewall to require a boot.

Lori is starting to be very familiar with the routines.   When I arrived home some 10-15 minutes later than usual, she asked, “Who flatted?”