Penance Ride Report:

A good ride, but…  Frankly, I’m waaay out of shape!

It was a cool morning, with a slight mist at ride time.  The day went pretty much as the reliable forecast had called it.  It was cloudy at first, with wet roads, but no discernable precipitation.  As the day went on, the clouds parted and then departed.

Before I go any further, some recognition is due.  Present for this thing were Bob, Gary, Doug, Rick, Chris, and I.  I think the early morning rain may have scared some folks off.

Personally, I could put forth any number of excuses, but the simple fact remains, I was just not in it for the whole ride.  By the time we got down to Greenville, I knew this.  So I turned and took the “shorter option.”  Chris was kind enough to turn with me.  Gary, Doug, Rick, and Bob kept on going south.

The day turned sunny, but it stopped warming about the time the sun came out.  In fact, it felt like it got colder.  And the wind came up.  By the time I was approaching Harrelson, on the return leg, it was seriously gusty.

Rick and Gary did the whole route, in their usual strong style.  Bob should be commended.  He made it down to the town of Pine Mountain, and just sort of ran out of gas.  So he went ahead and climbed the mountain, descended into Warm Springs, and did most of the return trip, for a total of 77 miles, before making the decision to “live to ride another day.”

Doug had a bit of an adventure too.  He lost contact with Rick and Gary, but managed to finish the route.  That’s a testament to stick-to-it-ivness.

Sometimes you eat the bear.  Sometimes the bear eats you.  Sometimes you both go hungry.  This ride is always a challenge and an adventure.  I’d say, on this New Year’s day, the bear mostly ended up hungry.

Good job all!  Happy New Year, and good cycling to all!