Touch and Go

This week's ride was another great one! Six riders, sunshine, temperature into the seventies, and a good pace. My recording was that we cranked 15 miles at a 12.9 mph average. Mostly south and west, the route included several hills and we got to see a helicopter practicing "touch and go" take offs and landings. At one point our lead rider frightened a large Turkey Vulture into a take off from its evening feast. Different wings, but glorious flight from man and nature.

Another peleton of riders passed us going the opposite direction. It was a thrill to encounter so many bicyclists on the road. There is always so much to see on a bicycle ride. I am thankful for each opportunity.

Thanks to the riders from the community who joined us. Of our six riders, half were new or relatively new to the group. Everyone is welcome. We will continue to start at 5:30 pm each Tuesday until the group decides another time would be better.

Coins again

Tuesday night's ride was enriching. Found two pennies and a quarter! Only three riders made the profitable tour this evening. I suppose the cool temperatures and wind kept riders away. We managed 16 miles at an average speed of 11.3 mph. The ride was longer than our usual hour. Lots of blooming bushes and the smell of the blossoms was quite strong, at times. It was a pretty ride and I had fun finding coins again. Three stops to pick up my new found wealth put me behind the pace each time. The thrills were worth it.

Road blocked

May 5, 2009 was, at last, a fairly good weather day. The temperature was near 70 degrees F, the sun was shining, and the wind wasn't blowing ninty miles an hour. Four of us cycled for 13.9 miles at an average speed of 11.1 mph. The apparent slow speed hides the fact that we managed a few ascents and it takes a while to get thru stop signs and traffic. We discovered that Liberty Avenue is closed at the bottom of a hill. The road was dug up and it required us to ride back up the hill we had just excitedly descended.

There were riders who were new to our group and we welcomed them gratefully. It is always nice to have new points of view and different stories to listen to. Thanks for joining us and we hope you come back and bring others who enjoy bicycling.

Two Won

Yesterday evening was a gamble for the two riders who completed the route. We were betting either wet or dry. We felt a few drops, but not enough to get wet. With 11.6 miles and a 12.6 mph average we fit into the pattern of previous rides. The Redbud trees were beautiful and one rider commented that if he had named them they would be, "lavenderbuds", or "purplebuds". We both agreed they aren't red. The rain threat caused me to turn back soon enough that we didn't quite get one hour. It was a good ride, we didn't get wet, and two riders won the gamble with rain.

Wet won the first one

The first ride of this year was not. The sky was full of clouds, wind and cold rain. Our parking lot meeting place was as wet as the roads. You can see by the group photo at right that there were no riders in it. We wisely stayed where it was warm and not wet. Hope the weather is better next week.

Start 2009

First English Lutheran will start our bicycle rides on April 21, 2009, at 5:30p.m. We will meet in the church parking lot. All are welcome for about an hour of riding.

A few of us have been meeting each week for about a month now. It has been so cold and windy that it wasn't very attractive to ride in. We hope the weather will be good for the first ride. Look forward to seeing you there.

Maps: http://kent-pnqd.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

Adventure Cycling has a great bicycling site with lots of information available. The "How To Department" link is a good question answer place. http://adventurecycling.org

Warm Up for 2009

Two interested riders made an informal beginning to the 2009 season. The regular group has not started yet and we expect they will soon. This ride was into some strong spring winds. It made the return part of the ride more enjoyable. Our distance was 11.2 miles and the average speed was 12.7 mph. Saw a beautiful Redtail Hawk fly into a field just to our right. The opportunity to see such wonderful wild creatures is one of the reasons I like to ride. Looking forward to another good year.