A Wee Dram For Charity 7/24

18 lively people, 5 choice scotches, 1 well-versed culinary guide, and a delicious 5-course meal, all to raise money for a worthy cause--what's not to love?

Our first of two Paired Scotch Dinners took place last Tuesday and was a resounding success. Not only did we raise over $900 for the National MS Society, we all had a great time doing it. Two Fools' devoted manager, Russell, was the perfect host for the evening: wearing an authentic kilt, he guided us through each course and scotch pairing, and visited each table to answer questions and impart his knowledge and love of scotch. He described how hard it can be to pair scotch to food, that some combinations are magical and others make the scotch taste like gasoline. For one of this year's new pairings, he and his staff vetted 9 different combinations before coming up with a winner!

Several Penultimates were there to experience the event, many for the first time, and we had a few return guests that loved the event so much last year that they had to do it again!

One of this year's new courses, vanilla ice cream drizzled in scotch and Kahlua, was a huge hit. Who knew scotch made for a tasty dessert? Those of you that have tickets for August's event, you're in for a treat! Everyone else will have to wait for next year to experience this awesome event. In the meantime, Two Fools is dreaming up ways to shake up the menu for next year. Haggis and fried Mars bars anyone?

Saturday Ride 7/28: East Mountain Mosey

[Editors note: It was a good ride this weekend, except we had a rider get lost and head back to the start.  They made it home just fine, but was bummed they missed out on the beautiful ride!  I am still recovering from my cold of the last week, so was the last rider to every stop and as a consequence missed a lot of the goings-on.  So a big thanks to Eric for the ride report below, supplemented by some notes.]

"Your route is like a roller coaster baby baby, I wanna ride!"  (Apologies to the Ohio Players).

This week's long ride was the South 14 + rollers route (details here), a roller coaster ride if there ever was one.  The ride starts with a long 23 mile up hill climb.  Then we bounce up and down for a few miles before ending with a long 19 mile descend back into ABQ.  Overall a 65 mile ride.

We had a big group for this one, with David, Jeff, TJ, Jeff, Greg, Geoff, John, Calvin, John, Amber, Diane, Matt, Laura and Eric.  About 4 of the group started from the O'Neill's rally point.  Meanwhile the East siders rode down Tramway to rally at Smith's.  Once the group was gathered there, we headed East out of town on Old Route 66 to rally at the Tijeras ranger station for a bathroom break.

Still smiling!

After departing the ranger station we began the 11 mile, 1600 ft. climb up South NM 14.  As climbs in NM go, this one was popular with everyone for the good road surface, ample shoulder, low traffic, and good scenery.  The next rally point was a country store just south of the turn through the Oak Flats park area.  The country store was the last chance for water for many miles.  It also the last chance for a bathroom, although the porta-potty there was no place for arachnophobes.  The spider webs inside made it look like Shelob's lair.  

Starting up the hill on South 14

The one miscue of the day came from a rider that turned directly through Oak Flats rather than stopping at the country store and got lost.  Difficulties getting in touch afterwards highlighted a need for everyone's contact information (and better cell phone service in the East Mountains).  If you have not already, please send David your cell phone information and carry your phone with you on the rides!

The clydesdale contingent

The ride through Oak Flats and the subsequent connection to northbound NM 217 began the roller coaster portion of the ride.  Managing momentum and timely shifting were the order of the day.  Near the intersection of NM 217 and Route 66, part of the group that needed to return to ABQ early headed east on 66.  The rest of the group (about 9 of us) continued north on 217 and turned west on Frost Rd. to head for the Shell station at the triangle in Cedar Crest.  A zippy downhill run south on NM 14 followed by a return to ABQ west on Route 66 wrapped up the ride.  Those that rallied at the Smiths then began their uphill on Tramway toward home, while the O'Neills riders continued on their ride west.  All told a 65 mile jaunt in 5 hours, returning just after 12.  Go Domo!

The need for naps outweighed the need for lunch, so everyone broke off to rest for part of the afternoon, and some later gathered at Tractor brewery (another Penultimates sponsor!) to enjoy some of their tasty craft beer.

Next week, the Sandia Crest ride!

Some people always get grease on their legs. The faces have been hidden to protect their innocence.

Rider Bio: Bryan

Who you are: Bryan

Why you ride: It’s much more fun than running… and way better than working.

Who do you ride for:  Myself (if you ask my wife).  Jokes aside, I personally do not know anyone with MS, but I am happy to go out and raise money, and suffer in the saddle, for people less fortunate than me.

What you ride (bike bio): Trek Madone 5.2, Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL (never intended to be Trek guy, but I got some great deals)

Longest ride to date:

Distance: Rode 115 miles in the 2010 Viva Bike Las Vegas Century+.  Used a rental bike and this was my very first time on a roadie.  So, why not ride a century??  It was cool though, we were the first “civilians” across the new Hoover Dam bridge.

Time:   Rode ~12 hours straight on the White Rim loop in Canyonlands Natl park.  It was about 100 miles on jeep roads.  For me this equated to a superb 75 mile ride, followed by a completely miserable 25 mile ride.  Here I am after a full day in the saddle.  I’ve never been happier to get off my bike.

Your post ride routine:  Feed my face and take a nap.

Rider Bio: Andrew

Who you are: A daddy of (soon to be) two.  Plus the co-captain

Why you ride: So I can raise money and wear women's underwear AT THE SAME TIME.

Who do you ride for:  Our Team and Family.

What you ride (bike bio): Blacked out Surly Long Haul Trucker.  It's legit.

Longest ride to date:  90 miles - still a century virgin.  Seriously.

One interesting rider fact about you: My car of 17 years was destroyed by a 16 year old reaching in his backseat for a delicious scone.

Best cycling memory: BikeMS 2010:  Drifting a group of seven back down from Puye Cliffs, around 45+mph, and being Scrymge'd:  passed by a downhill David Scrymgeour.  Epic.

Best memory of a previous MS ride: Riding the whole 150 miles with my wife!

Your pre ride routine: 1C oatmeal, 1C soy milk, 1t cinnamon, 2T honey, and a handful of dried cherries and crushed walnuts.

Hula hooping his way through the MS150!

Rider Bio: Calvin

Who you are: Calvin

Why/Who for: For all my friends and family who suffer from neurologic and autoimmune diseases.

Years riding with the Penultimates and the MS150: This will be my second.

Riding Style (Climber/Sprinter/Rouleur/etc): Poseur

Your favorite recovery meal/beverage: Chocolate milk!

Best cycling memory: Day biking around Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken, Switzerland with my wife. Rented some bikes, visited Staubach and Trummelbach Fall in Lauterbrunnen, had lunch in the countryside, then (mostly) downhilling it to Interlaken. Followed by: spotting a lost cat (long story), gelato, and cruising around town. No wonder Europe is the birthplace of cycling.

Most painful cycling experience: Cycling 65 miles of the 2011 MS150 Day 1 with road rash and a severely sprained wrist...then having to abandon my teammates and my supporters on Day 2. N00b Lesson #1: obey the two cardinal rules of group riding -- don't overlap wheels and pay attention. Goal for 2012 MS150: Finish.

Finishing Day 1 of 2011 NM Bike MS after a nasty crash at mile 25.  The full extent of the damage is revealed the next day

Sunday's Ride 7/22: Quick loop around the city

Three of us met up in the early morning light at our rally point in Nob Hill.  I missed yesterday's adventure due to a cold, and Ali - who usually leads the long ride - was still a little under the weather.  So John M, Buddy, and myself decided on a quick ~36 mile loop around the city (details here).

We enjoyed the cool morning and headed out in good spirits - south past the airport before turning west along Rio Bravo, before catching the Bosque trail looping south and then back north.  After a quick stop and refuel at Tingley Beach (under the baleful gaze of a very grumpy goose), we headed back north.  

Apparently, not too many people like cycling early on Sundays as we only passed two lone cyclists until we got just north zoo, but then things really got busy - hordes of runners and other cyclists. There were also a lot of balloons in the air this morning, we saw a group of about 7, each one in turn drifting below the tree line then go shooting skyward.  We finished up by heading east again at Paseo and then south on the diversion channel trail.  We made a quick ride of it, finishing up by about 8:30, keeping an average pace of about 15 mph the whole way.  Great way to get out and enjoy the morning!

Saturday's Ride 7/21: Jemez Dam (Thwarted)

[Editor's Note: A big thank you to Eric for chronicling the adventure, and for Val sending on pictures!  Looks like it was an adventure - with a new record of 16 riders participating.  Eric's write up below.]

66 miles. Jemez Dam. A flat ride without much drama. That was the plan. 

The cycling gods had other ideas. 

Diane, TJ, Andrew, Gary C, Val, Justin, Erica and Kenneth, Calvin, Craig, Greg, Eric & Laura all saddled up for the ride. We relapsed into counting problems when we kept coming up one short from the group expected in David's email. That was solved when we realized Val had been listed twice. With no Val clone in sight, we chalked it up to a typo and went on our way.

Cruisin' thorough Nob Hill

The main peloton departed from Nob Hill and rode the diversion channel to Paseo del Norte, where it rendezvoused with Calvin, Greg and Craig, who had ridden directly from their homes on the East side of ABQ. We rode north out of town and made for Bernalillo along NM 313. Justin took the lead to guide us through Bernalillo to the Jemez Dam. We were passing the Santa Ana Star Casino when disaster struck.

Ride faster, they are going to catch you!

The group's formation broke down at a stop sign. Calvin and Greg collided and entangled amidst the chaos. Calvin soft-landed without injury to him or his bike. Greg went down harder, with scrapes on his elbow and a damaged right brake/shift lever. Their teammates sprung into action. Val produced a first-aid kit instantaneously and tended to Greg's elbow. At the same time Calvin, Andrew and Laura set to work on Greg's bike. They got the rear brake working again, but shifting was limited to one or two gears. Greg essentially rode a single-speed for the rest of the ride, and he did an impressive job of it.

When the crash response was complete was continued towards Jemez Dam. On the road leading to the dam we passed one of the more interesting cyclists we've seen lately. What set him apart wasn't the vintage bike helmet or the loud radio, but the huge cigar in his mouth. While we debated the merits of cycling with stogies, Erica proposed that she ride the MS150 with a cigar of her own, and ask fellow riders for a light as she passed them. Her proposal was eagerly accepted. Erica, you're committed now!

Penultimate emergency response

The second surprise of the day came from the gate that closed of the road to Jemez Dam. It was clear we could go no farther without going over/under/around the gate. The team was considering these options until Diane relate a story of a friend who'd been arrested for a similar maneuver. 

That left us to find a new route. TJ came through big here. He improvised a route back to ABQ along NM 528, with a diversion along Idalia Rd and then Iris Rd. to add some hill work to make up for miles lost by the Jemez Dam closure. The route then turned southeast along NM 448 for a scenic stretch through Corrales, followed by a link-up with Alameda and the Bosque trail. 

Mmmmm, breakfast!

Calvin, Craig, and Greg (still riding his crippled bike) turned East to head home once we reached the Bosque trail. The rest of the group continued south to Nob Hill, where a delicious brunch at Serafin's Chili Hut awaited (including their new offering, Billy's Chilies Beer!). The route by GPS is here.

Rider Bio: John M.

Who you are: John M.

Years riding the MS150: This is my second year, both with the Penultimates.

Why you ride:
A) For social exercise/fun; it's way more pleasant than riding alone.
B) To keep my own chronic (non-MS) health problems under control; taking up biking made a huge difference for several serious health issues, besides getting me in generally good shape.
C) To give me a goal that keeps me motivated; kind of like I ride the SF Century to give me a goal that helps me keep riding during the spring winds.
D) To benefit the fight against MS! What can be better than using something you enjoy to benefit a worthy cause?


What you ride (bike bio): Felt Z100, my first decent road bike. Until last month, I was riding my Kona Dr. Dew Deluxe (my regular commuting bike - a steel frame hybrid with full fenders, pannier rack, etc.) for distance rides, but it was more work than fun for the long stuff, so I am excited to put some miles on my new ride.

Longest ride to date: 104 mi (SF Century)

One interesting rider fact about you: I don't speak it with a foreign accent, but English is my second language; though I am way out of practice with my first. Bonus fact: Within a month of being born, I had spent time in three different countries.

Best cycling memory: First twenty miles of the second day of the MS150 last year (Nambé-Chimayó-Santa Cruz). I was still recovering from some overnight tummy troubles, but the scenery and general setting made me forget!

Rider Bios: Eric & Laura

Who you are: Eric and Laura

Why you ride: We like to go fast, and cycling gives us a way to do it together.

Who do you ride for: Aunt Liz, Doc and our teammates who live with MS.

What you ride (bike bio): Matching his and hers Jamis Xenith Comp road bikes. They're zippy little racers with more carbon than a piece of burnt toast.

Longest ride to date: Single day: Day of the Tread Century 2011; Multi-day: 7-day tandem bicycle trip from Vienna to Prague, 280 miles

One interesting rider fact about you: Laura is physically incapable of riding her bike without getting chain grease on her calf.

Best cycling memory: Riding through the Czech Republic together on a tandem bicycle. It's a wonderful way to see a country.

Best memory of a previous MS ride: The descent from Truchas on Day 2 of the 2011 MS Ride. It felt like a reentry from low Earth orbit, except with logging trucks that pull out in front of you. Eric says it also felt like bee stings (because he got stung by a bee).

Your post ride routine: Eric: Beer, munchies, nap. Laura: nap, nap, nap 


Your favorite recovery meal/beverage: Laura: Chocolate milk. Eric: I like tacos. A good pale ale, too.

In Truches after the grueling climb to the top

Saturdays Ride: 7/14 - It's not the distance, it's the elevation gain

Saturday morning - no sleep in for you!  We gathered in the cool pre-dawn darkness at our Nob Hill rally point and headed out for a 53 mile loop around the city.  Details on the route are here.  The main thing about this ride, is that it has a long, long hill on it.  We basically reversed the route from last week and instead of a fun 8 mile downhill, we had a grueling 8 mile uphill slog.  But remember, cycling is fun - right?

Cruising north on the Bosque

We started off the ride with 12 10 11 12 riders (a new Penultimate record although counts kept changing as we went - some how basic counting eludes us) as we wound our way through the neighborhoods and south past the airport. The best part of today's ride was that most of us were sporting our very visible and nice looking team jerseys! Go Domo!

At the Alameda open space about 1/2 way

We biked north on an eerily empty Bosque trail keeping a respectable 16 mph pace until we were most of the way to the top, when hordes of runners and bikers suddenly appeared.  While it is nice to have the trail to ourselves, always great to bike by so many happy and friendly people out enjoying the morning.

At the bottom, just starting up the hill.

At this point we started the slow climb going East on Tramway.  It is a long slow slog of 8 miles up to the base of the tram.  The other bad thing is through quirks in geography, you can see the entire length of road the whole way, which makes your crawl up the side seem very slow (at least for me - others on the team went up like rabbits).  The kicker?  At the end of this, you take a left and do the short spur up to the base of the tram.  It is steep with segments of about 11% grade.  One of our new riders split off here, so 10 9 11 riders made it to the top for a little rest and refilling of the water bottles.

Victorious climbers celebrate in their achievement.

From here we headed south along Tramway slowly loosing all the elevation we just gained. Another rider split off, which left 9 8 10 of us left.  At this point of the ride the main motivator was FOOD - so we snaked through the neighborhoods heading west toward breakfast.  As usual we ended our ride at our wonderful jersey sponsor Serafin's Chile Hut in Nob Hill where we met up with some family of riders to enjoy a well earned breakfast!  Not bad for a Saturday morning - 53 miles with a ride time of just under 4 hours. (More GPS details here - thanks Diane and Val for the info!)

Calories don't count if you eat shortly after your ride - right?

Rider Bio: Val

Who you are: Val S.

Why you ride: Because I was blessed with a second chance - so I can!  Not to mention, I love riding.

Who do you ride for: Friends with MS, all those affected by MS, and for my health

What you ride (bike bio): I am the happy owner/rider of a red and white Trek Pilot.

Longest ride to date: Single day: 105 miles.  Multi-day: MS150 last year

Years Riding any MS150: This will be year #2 here in NM

One interesting rider fact about you: I rode my first century ride in Tahoe three years ago, just eight months after falling off my roof and only breaking four vertebrae in my lower back.

Best cycling memory: Actually crossing the finish line of a single day century or multiday MS150 event.

Best MS150 Memory:  All of the fantastic tremendous support!! - And seeing Andrew doing the hulu-a-hoop in women's panties at each rest stop last year.  Both are priceless!!

Your favorite recovery meal/beverage: Chocolate milk - low fat of course!

On last years ride to Santa Fe

Paired Scotch Dinner

Join us for a fundraiser of a gourmet dinner paired with Scotch hosted by Two Fools. Two dates:

• Tuesday July 24th at 6 pm 
• Tuesday August 14th at 6 pm 

Two options for the meal:
 $100 Tasting Ticket - for the full tasting dinner
 $60 Foodie Ticket - for the dinner but no scotch!

Tickets are very limited so contact us now to reserve yours. (All tickets must be purchased before the dinner so don't delay!) This fundraiser helps us raise money for the National MS Society as we ride in the 2012 Pedal Los Pueblos Bike MS150.

The details:

Course One

Liffey Chips

Our Famous beer battered fish cut into bite size pieces and served with a Mandarian Asian sauce

 Served with Glenkinchie 12 yr on the rocks with a lemon twist (Lowlands)

Course Two

Scotch Eggs

Two hard boiled eggs wrapped in housemade sausage and bread crumbs, cooked to a golden brown and served with pub mustard.      

Served with Singleton 12 yr (Speyside)

Course Three

Galway Bay Salmon Plate

House cured Gravlox salmon served with a cucumber and caper relish, blue cheese spread, lettuce and house made Irish soda bread.        

Served with Talisker 10 yr (Isle of Skye)

Course Four

Guinness Beef Boxty

House made potato pancakes filled with slow simmered Guinness beef stew

Served with Dalwhinnie Distillers Editon 1991 (Speyside) 

Course Five

Scotch Ice Cream

Vanilla bean ice cream topped 
 with Auchentoshan Triple Wood  (lowland) & coffee liquor

Yum!  Hope you can join us so get your tickets today! In case you are wondering, a portion of your ticket price is tax deductible.  Fantastic!  For tickets email us at penultimatesbike_at_gmail.com!  (substitute @ for _at_ and you got it).

Rider Bio: Buddy

Who you are:  John L.

Your nickname: Buddy

Why you ride:   Enjoy the companionship and love to bike ride

Who do you ride for: My sister, who was recently diagnosed with MS

What you ride (bike bio): Kona Drew urban warrior cross bike

Longest ride to date: My wife and I have done several 2 week bike vacations (when we were younger), with about 100 miles per day maximum.

One interesting rider fact about you:  I love Datsun Roadsters, have a 1968 1600 that is a blast to drive and gets lots of attention

Best cycling memory: I have many, but there was an epic ride up the coast of Maine from Castine to Bar Harbor in October that was spectacular.

Best memory of a previous MS ride: When I lived in New York my wife and I did a MS 150 from Albany to Poughkeepsie and back.  It was a beautiful ride on back roads down the gorgeous Hudson Valley.

Your favorite recovery meal/beverage: Vanilla Milk Shakes are good, but I won’t say no to enchiladas.

That is a funny looking bike

Jerseys are here!

I think these turned out great! Our youngest Penultimate was happy to model them for us - hopefully yours will fit a little better. Looking forward to cruising around Albuquerque sporting these beauties.  Jerseys can be picked up at the team pizza party on 7/13 or by special arrangement. 

Our very active model.

Saturday's Ride 7/7: Back in the Saddle!

At long last the first ride of the 2012 training season has arrived!  A total of 10 riders showed up nice and early to our Nob Hill rally point - a new record for the Penultimates!  Both old faces (John M, Jeff, Eric, Andrew, Val, Greg, David) and new (Adam, Gary, TJ).  Today's ride was a 37 mile loop around the city with a little hill work thrown in (details here).  It was a truly gorgeous morning - slightly overcast from last nights rains and still a little cool. 

About a quarter of the way in - still all smiles

We first headed due east across the city to hook up with Tramway for the slow uphill climb heading north.  Then - surprise! - we then took a right and headed on the steep road up to the base of the tram - a steep one mile stretch of road with average grade of 3.2%.  That will teach everyone to look at the route before we head out!  

Making it look easy.

This spur is where the true riders (Jeff, Greg) are separated from the poseurs (me).  But, we all made it to the top though and enjoyed some nourishing Fig Newman's (who kindly sent us a case of deliciousness at the beginning of our season) and enjoyed the view of the city and the Rio Grande Valley.

Enjoying a little break after the climb.

Next up was the fun part - the long 8 mile decent into the valley!  Dropping down the spur onto Tramway and then whizzing down the long road cruising along at 25-30 mph.  Our rally point was at the Alameda trail head where we took another quick break before heading briefly down the Bosque trail before picking up the North Diversion Channel trail. We headed south enjoying the newly finished road underpasses along the trail.

About 3/4 of the way in - still smiles from the long downhill.

We ended the ride with our usual post-ride breakfast stop at our fantastic jersey sponsors - Serafin's Chile Hut.  No pictures exist from this location, as we were all too busy eating delicious food, drinking coffee, and discussing how awesome our team is.  Looking forward to the rest of the season if all our rides are as fun as this one.  Total distance 38.7 with a total ride time of ~2:40.  Go Domo!

Rider Bio: Ali

Who you are: Ali S.

Why you ride: Because I can, and because I realize how lucky am I to be able to say that.  

Who do you ride for: David S. aka Captain Snookums and for everyone else who has to live with shadow of MS hanging over them.

What you ride (bike bio): Bianchi Axis - that's right, the seafoam green and blue one

Years participating in MS150: Four. While I have been a part of the last 3 MS150, and a founding member of the Penultimates, I've only ridden in one.  Really looking forward to being a full-time member of the team this year!

One interesting rider fact about you: Road biking was a compromise between certain death mountain biking (for me) and epic hatred of running (David).  Ultimate goal to do some serious touring - Oregon Coast here we come (in 10 years)!

Your post ride routine: coconut water, big breakfast, family nap time.

Post-ride high.  Immediately preceding post-ride nap. 

Rider Bio: Blythe C.

Who you are: Blythe C.

Who do you ride for: Friends and family with MS. And all those affected.

What you ride (bike bio): A white and blue Specialized. It's pretty.

Longest ride to date: Bike MS 2011

One interesting rider fact about you: I bought my first road bike in spring 2011. I trained that summer for the Bike MS short ride, but decided at the last minute to go for the long!

How epic fig newtons are in general: I used to hate fig newtons as a kid; I always went for the apple ones. But as a rider, I have to say that I would not make it without those tasty, energy-boosting treats!

Best memory of a previous MS ride: On the second day of Bike MS 2011, there was this excruciating climb up to Truches. I felt like it would never end, but then at the top we had 'cycletinis' and everyone gave us so much praise for making it. The way back down had incredible scenery and was the longest, fastest downhill I've experienced. It was just a great feeling knowing I made it and having that beautiful downhill as a reward.

Your favorite recovery meal/beverage: Coconut water & Domo Cupcakes :)

Game face

Rider Bio: Geoff

Who: Geoff B.

Why/who for: For friends and family suffering from autoimmune diseases

History: This will be my 2nd MS150

Longest ride: single day = first day of MS150; multi-day = Durango to Moab on a mountain bike

Best cycling memory: no one specific instance, but the familiar combination of a slight burn in your legs, a bit of a breeze in your face, and a smile to match the satisfaction of traveling under your own power.

Steed: I ride a LeMond of unknown pedigree and questionable maintenance for which I (over)paid a whopping $150 at the bike swap a few years back. It likes to shift about as much as I do...

Least favorite parts of road biking: spandex! ... and acknowledging that the leading risk of injury is no longer a cactus-and-boulder-riddled mistake of your own but someone else behind the wheel of their car

Message to potential new MS150 riders: Get off the fence and sign up! I was intimidated last year by both the ride (I'd not ridden more than 20 miles on the road before my single training ride with the team last year) and the fundraising, but both turned out to be much less of a challenge than I expected and even--gasp--fun!

Recovery drink of choice: any good IPA

Notice the lack of spandex

Weekend Fun Rides: 6/30 and 7/1

For the last weekend of our preseason fun rides, we decided to do two days of rides.  This was mainly to accomodate a mid morning bike class set up by our teammate at the Kickstand bike shop.  So we had an early 6 am ride on Saturday and a 7 am ride on Sunday.  We did a simple out and back from Nob Hill up to the Balloon Fiesta Park, an easy 21 mile ride. (details here).

The only picture from the weekends ride

On Saturday morning we had 8 riders join us for the ride, including two new riders. We cruised for the first half of the ride heading north along the diversion channel path, enjoying the brand new underpasses.  We then split forces, with a group of 5 speeding back to the ride start to get back in time for the bike class.  The rest of us took a leisurely ride back to the start, completing the 20 mile loop at 8:30 am.  Sundays ride had 5 riders heading out to enjoy the fine morning at 7 am.  They made pretty good pace, and were back to the ride start at 9 am. 

Looking forward to next weekend start of the season!