Ride leader: Steve Palincsar
Members: Loretta Troen, Bill Lowe, Sheila Harron
Guests: Ned Phillips, Katie MacFarlane
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13016995 Very similar to the 58 mile route with a couple of exceptions: instead of going up Westwood we stayed on Bald Eagle School to the T with Baden Westwood, and after the Croom Rollers instead of going south on Aquasco Rd we crossed Aquasco and stayed on Croom until it became Covington, rejoining the 58 at the Five Points in Malcolm.
Weather: Chilly feeling, breezy, alternating all day long between patches of clear sky and bright sun, light gray clouds and cloudy bright conditions, and heavy dark clouds that looked like rain was just moments away. Temperatures started in the low 50s and supposedly got as high as the mid 60s, although it never felt warm. Morning forecasts warned of a possible noon shower or rain, but that never transpired; we did get some sprinkles on the downhill on Floral Park, but by the time we turned on Thrift it was sunny and warm. The rain did come on the drive home, for perhaps 10 minutes.
Mishaps and mechanicals: No mishaps to our group. You can't say the same for the ambulance crew that lost control on the downhill S bend on Surratts and crashed in the woods, causing the police and fire department to close the road. Some groups detoured around, but the mixed group of 58 mile A and B riders and our 53 mile CC's persuaded the police to let us walk down the hill past the accident scene. I found the road quite slippery, although others seemed to have better traction and walked faster; by the time Loretta and I got all the way down and started to ride, the rest of the 53 mi CCs were gone, never to be seen again.
We experienced a near mishap on Horsehead: a truck went through a flooded section on a curve at speed and left the pavement, splashing up a huge wave. As we came closer, the truck lost control, the rear end fishtailing in both directions. It started to become one of those time dilation moments for me where everything slows down and I see the projected lines of direction -- a bit like those POV shots in Terminator -- heading straight for me, but eventually the driver regained control. Interestingly, neither he nor the two cars following slowed down.
AMS: 12.1
