This past Saturday I had the occasion to ride my age again at One Helluva Ride sponsored by the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (touring society? They have those?) It is one of the most popular and well organized events I have attended. I went last year with a group who came in from around the country after getting to know one another on the Bike Forums. We had a good time last year so those of us who live in the area got together to do it again.
Five of us met at the start but parted ways very quickly since we all ride at different speeds and I was taking one of the longer routes.
The ride draws an unusual range of bikes from a whole lot of vintage roadies,a couple of Rivendells,
a few fully enclosed recumbents and a slew of spandex hamsters.
The six routes range from 15-100 miles and include well timed and staffed rest stops,
great food and even entertainment in the form of a country band, folk singers and a jazz combo
at various locations. It's no wonder it has begun to raise a crowd.
The weather could not have been better. Temperatures were in the low 70's when we started about 8, and were just reaching the mid 80's by the time we finished between 1 and 2.
I finished the metric century with about 41/2 hours in the saddle which is fast enough for me and slow enough to enjoy some jovial conversations enroute.
But the real reward is at the end of this one, along with the live jazz,
they serve up an unlimited supply of absolutely ice-cold watermelon to finish off the day.
Oh yeah! That is what recovery is all about.
No comments:
Post a Comment