Members: Alan Kurzweil, Walt Roscello, Sarah Clement
Guests: none
Ride leader: Debby Bowman
Route: 33 miles, 970 feet of climbing, https://ridewithgps.com/routes/11513612
Average speed: just under 14 mph
Weather: Warm sun, 72 degrees, SW winds 10-15 mph
Mishaps and mechanicals: Ride leader underestimated Beltway traffic
Farm animal roll call: We passed a horse that wanted to race us, but just as he started to run he remembered there was a fence keeping him in.
There's an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine tells Jerry about getting stuck in traffic on the Van Wyck Expressway while driving to JFK airport; Jerry nods knowingly, saying, "Nobody beats the Van Wyck." Well nobody beats the Inner Loop in Montgomery County either, but a certain ride leader thought she could do it on Saturday morning. Surely if I start the ride in White Plains at 11:00 I'll have time to run a quick errand in Rockville at 9 am, I thought. Ha ha ha, no. And stop calling me Shirley.
When I arrived at the IHRT terminus at 10:59, Alan and Walt were ready to go. Thank you Alan and Walt for your patience and understanding!! As I was hurrying to get ready to go I looked up and saw Sarah, who had also been delayed in getting to White Plains. At least we didn't need extra time for layering on warm clothes, as the weather was positively springlike.
Once we were on the road, things were uneventful. The route was the same one that I had led on New Year's Day, and was a modified reversal of the route Steve had devised for the Jim and Jane bench dedication a year ago. We began by crossing 301 at the stop light and taking Demarr Rd and St Charles Pkwy to Radio Station and Charles St. Due to the flat terrain I had expected a fast pace, but a steady headwind kept us in check. After taming the Beast of Bel Alton we crossed back over 301 to Chapel Hill (the easy way) and a stop at St Ignatius, where we said hello to the Pope and took a moment to enjoy the view. After the break we continued down Chapel Hill to Causeway, Port Tobacco Rd and Rose Hill (the hard way), then took Bumpy Oak to the IHRT back to White Plains. While riding the trail we passed one inline skater who was probably part of the race that Mia's group had seen.
Walt had ridden from home so he left the trail early to head back and get changed for the volunteers dinner. Once back at the parking lot, Alan and I admired Sarah's new car and we all agreed that we hoped to be able to continue riding into the winter months. Then Sarah headed for home while Alan and I drove up the road to Mexico. We had timed the ride perfectly, with enough time to get changed for dinner and get to the restaurant just as the thickening clouds announced the arrival of the cold front and its winter winds.
Thanks very much to Sarah, Walt and Alan for joining me for another great bike ride!
