This was a very good ride, great route/scenery/support/weather, etc! Got to the start around 8am because all 3 of us had to register. Got that done, bikes ready to go, talked with a couple of people from BF and some of the local people that Andy knew. Met one of his friends, Robin, who ended up riding with us for the majority of the ride.
All 4 of us started off before the actual ride started....we saw cyclists heading out and Mr.-I-Haven't-Ridden-In-A-Month said maybe we should head on out too.
Anyways, we do go ahead and leave shortly before the 9am start. I was feeling really good on this new bike. Turns out later to be feeling not so good. 
The route covered one of my favorites up there, Burningtown, which has some nice rollers, nothing too terribly hard. Too bad for me...I was setting a blistering pace for the first 25-30mi...that dang bike just wouldn't slow down! I don't know how fast we were going or what pace I was setting because I didn't have a computer on the bike. Need to fix that....
We reached the first rest stop, which was well stocked, and met our friend Barry. How'd he get there before us since we left before the official start??? We've yet to figure that one out. I did miss a couple of turns, but we always turned around very shortly and no one came through or passed us on the way to the rest stop.
Gotta say, this bike handles great! There's one section of Burningtown, that I've totally missed the curve and had to go up a driveway or crash. It's been the driveway the last couple of times on the route...but, yesterday - I made the turn. Just awesome!!
Anyways, we leave with Barry and the pace is still hot. I do ok until we get closer into Franklin....hit some hills, I get dropped and I just can't catch back up. Used my legs all up in that first 30mi or so. I never did catch up to them until the 2nd rest stop at the top of our first "real" climb - Skeena. That climb wasn't really all that bad, even with out of gas/cramping legs.
At the top, I refilled the bottles and ate a pb & banana sandwich, back on the bike for the awesomely fast descent down the other side of Skeena. Coming up next was a climb that was "almost" as hard as the Allison Watts climb. Damn, the road just turned up, probably in the range of 15%, but no garmin, so I don't really know. I managed to make it up that climb, then there was another one shortly after that. Up that one too. Then, it was just rolling terrain back to town.
I missed another turn....I turned in town when I should've gone straight...added maybe 2miles to the ride. Finally made it back, where we had some lunch and then I headed back to the house for a shower and nap while Andy went to his daughter's gymnastic thing.
Very good ride....not sure on the ride stats...~65mi/4hr & change?/~5000' climbing.
Pics from teh ride:
Andy
Andy & Neal
me (the serious, blistering pace setting face on.
)
Andy, Robin, Neal
the Silly One
and, i would be remiss if i didn't include the calves that i enjoy looking (when i can keep up with Mr. I-H-R-I-A-M.
Barry and the others
Barry
on the Skeena climb
this was the hardest climb on the ride...it doesn't look like it in this pic, but this was the only one i could get before starting the climb. no way to take a pic and climb at the same time....the grade went UP.
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