Ride Report and a Look Beyond

Sunday a doughty little group of us met in Gay, GA and departed fro points both south and up. Not your typical group road ride, this. Present were Doug Gibbs, Cindy Whitley, Chris Muntzel, Ryan Summers, Matt Rinenback, and your truly. It should be noted that Doug, Chris, and Matt rode to the ride. Doug came from Luthersville, and Chris and Matt from Peachtree City. That meant that each of these folks did about 45 miles extra, riding to and from the 40+ mile ride. Way cool!

I should add, this was a really good group. Folks worked together. The mood was generally happy. And even more to the point, everyone stayed focused, and we made much better time than I anticipated.

The weather was near ideal, the hills were hilly, and the climb up the Pine Mountain “Wall” was challenging and exhilarating. What more need be said?

Now let us look ahead a little bit. I’ve only heard from one potential rider about rooming choices for the Cheaha Two Day Tour. That’s fine, but if any of you are thinking of doing this, and would like to share room expenses, please contact me, and I can connect you with other like minded individuals. I don’t want to get into making reservations, or assigning folks. But, if you want me to help you all connect, now is the time.

While on the subject of future plans… Let’s take a moment to talk about October and the Waynesville, NC Adventure. This one is going to take some planning. We need to recruit some drivers. I have a truck to offer. It can carry three bikes and four people, along with their gear. I need a driver. Perhaps one of you prospective riders has a significant other who would consent to drive? If so, I need to know it. I already have one other cyclist committed to riding with me. Driver needed. Any takers? (Hint: If you provide the driver, you get your gear hauled for free, and don’t pay gas for the trip up or back.)

Let’s Dream for a little bit. What about the more distant future? You know, if you like this touring stuff, there’s a lot of it that can be done. Let’s toss a couple of ideas around. France? Hawaii? England? Ireland? Australia or New Zealand? The Pacific Coast? The Blue Ridge Parkway? A trek down the keys to Key West? A big loop around the Shenandoa Valley? California wine country? How about the Sierra Nevadas, Lake Tahoe, Carson City, then down to Reno? The sky is the limit. What’s your dream?

Tomorrow: Pacing on a tour.