Leader: Walt Roscello
Members: Mario Salazar, Theresa Rowell, Diane Harris, Linda Bankerd, Liam Healy, Lou Dall'Orso
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46624096
Down through Morganza a different way, then reverse along Dr. Johnson Road and a fairly typical route through Avenue and back to Chaptico, then the neighborhoods west of Mechanicsville Rd on the way back.
Weather: 65-70 with overcast varying between thin and darker. Winds were light which was a nice change from the last three weeks.
AMS: 14.8
Mechanicals/Mishaps: Theresa dropped a chain on a short uphill, then within 1/2 mile got a flat. With all of us there we used two pumps, a CO2 cartridge, and then got to try Mario's new battery-powered pump. It was a deep cut but I gave her a boot and she had no further trouble.
Wildlife: A typical selection of small animals: a turtle, some squirrels, a snake, plus a possible hawk overhead on the way through the fields
Report: We pretty much stayed together for the first 25 miles. We started on a still-wet Three Notch Trail and then went down "the rest of" Kavanaugh and on the hidden path to ride through the neighborhood. Shortly after that is when Theresa got her flat. After taking care of that we continued along Chaptico Road and Dr Johnson in the reverse of the usual way. It was nice to find that the hill on Dr Johnson is uniform and not that bad going this way. We made the run down to 7th District park as usual and then on to Paul Ellis Landing, where we stopped to admire the water and boathouses. It was an interesting contrast from Colton's Point last week where the view over the water is much longer.
After that stop Mario took off ahead to get back earlier. Lou also got separated when he went all the way down to Bushwood Wharf. We made it to the strawberry festival as the 30 mi group was preparing to leave - I could have timed the start better. Four of us had a snack while Linda and Lou left to continue riding. Our group left at a slightly more relaxed pace after eating and were happy to quickly turn in to Country Lakes after seeing the traffic on Mechanicsville Road. We had a nice route through the neighborhood which removes most of the hills and traffic from Mechanicsville Road, which we returned to and rode into Mechanicsville and then back to the school.
It was a lovely day for a ride and, even with the flat, everything went smoothly and the group worked well together.
