Monday night was when we went out to ride around the perimeter of our fair city, in celebration of the coming of Summer.
Let’s do the details first. Present for this one were, in no particular order, Bob and Judy, Teresa, Anastasia, Amanda, Amy, Chris, Dan, and your faithful correspondent.
We went 39.1 miles, in 2:57. We were stopped (intersections and a couple of quick organizational stops) for a total of 8 minutes 26 seconds.
Rolling Average Speed: 14.0 mph
Overall Average Speed: 13.25 mph
Weather is always a factor in this climate. Monday night was no exception. We had outstanding weather. It was warm as we left “The Fred”, but as the sun sank it quickly cooled to a delightfully pleasant evening.
We all lit our taillights at ride time, to save trouble later. It was still daylight, with a sinking sun, as we pushed off. We were treated to a spectacular sunset as we advanced into the evening. The big red sinking sun over the lake on the way into Senoia was not to be missed. There were amazing skyscapes as the waning day backlit the few large cloud formations.
Amy vs. the Wildlife: We did encounter a few deer, and had to deal with one absolutely enormous and stubbornly pesky horsefly. The fly seemed determined to take Amy off the bike, and drag her home to feed the family.
General tone: What can I say? There was a lot of laughter, a lot of joking and some occasional hilarity. At the same time, group riding discipline was good, and safety issues were generally well observed. (Read, nobody scared me at any time during the trip.) This was a fun group to be out with, and I enjoyed it tremendously.
Highlights: Minix Road, two miles of sand and no pavement. “Where did the road go?” The Tyrone Police out doing what they do best, stopping speeders on GA-74. A big fat moon rising over us. Evening star Venus tracking us along the way. Distant lightening, flashing in the night sky. Absolutely ripping down the last long descent inside Peachtree City. Friends laughing. The quiet of our town as we returned. Ending the ride, tired and happy.
Can we do it again? I was gratified to hear that question. I would say a qualified yes. I’m not really up for leading a regular, weekly (or even monthly) summer night ride, but I see no reason why we could not have another one. Let’s see. Why not keep the Celtic theme going? How does a “Mid-Summer’s Eve Ride Sound? Monday night, 2 August. We’d do a similar format, but with a totally different route, and possibly a different start/finish venue. Who’s in?
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