Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
Day 2 (or is it 3? I've already lost count) of RTR's RTR program. Yesterday neighbor G joined me so there are no photographs since all our rides are "pedal and chat". She was on her Vado (more power and torque available at less assist), so had the leg up on me and my LaFree (less power and torque even with top assist). I had to pedal more and push more for me to maintain a side-by-side ride with her on the deep, soft, heavy-going gravel roads, so I'll just consider my greater efforts a win-win towards the RTR goal.
She outright refused to even consider taking the route that included the fun creek crossing (bummer), so we left our tire tracks on the more "civilized" gravel roads. The VDOT crews had been out spreading fresh gravel on some of the more vulnerable roads plagued with rapidly expanding potholes that were approaching the realm of "big enough to swallow a pickup truck whole" dimensions. The new gravel had yet to compact with any hope of us being able to ride over it without major effort, so at times we were relegated to a narrow muddy-but-hard strip on the edge of the road between the fresh gravel and the rushing river of meltwater off the side. Intense concentration was needed to chart a safe course while cycling at a good clip, but we managed, and still had plenty of breath to continue an endless conversation the entire 22 miles which (in case I failed to mention before) is G's physical limit. A million years ago she was quite the cyclist, logging thousands of miles with day and week long cycling group tours all around the US. Since her accident a few years ago when her horse zigged one way while she zigged the other, thus wrapping herself around a tree during a gallop, her body's cycling endurance has been irreparably left behind on the operating table.
We discussed at length the hesitant but hopeful 2021 calendar of upcoming charity bike rides now announcing their registrations open. I am already signing up for the spring rides (pandemic permitted), but I do the half century and metric century divisions. She, unfortunately, can only ride the quarter century division, but she's still quite excited at the prospect of enjoying the fun of group rides again, especially as we can pace together for the first part of the rides before her division loops back and mine goes on. It will be nice having a friend along to enjoy the beginnings of the rides before I head off onto the second part and my solo adventure. Hubby will be there at the parking area relaxing and reading his Kindle while I'm off cycling, and be available to help G put her bike back on her car rack when she returns. Another win-win.
Lots of plans for a better 2021 than the lockdown of 2020, lots of charity bike rides shaking off the dust of a shuttered year and breathing the more hopeful air of returning donations via their annual bike rides coming alive again, lots of opportunity for us to see new places with less fear (thank you Pfizer vaccine), and lots of stories and photos to share as the RTR starts seeing RTR progress.
I wanna get a pocket drone like @PowerflyLee formerly known as CheetahLee . My son has a drone but it's a commercial one almost as big as my bike and just as expensive. I need a cheapie toy to play with while I ride. Time to cruise down the endless digial river and intriguing product estuaries of Amazon to see if I can find a pocket drone while it rains outside...after I give this last leftover box of cookies to the dogs. RTR is getting serious now.
She outright refused to even consider taking the route that included the fun creek crossing (bummer), so we left our tire tracks on the more "civilized" gravel roads. The VDOT crews had been out spreading fresh gravel on some of the more vulnerable roads plagued with rapidly expanding potholes that were approaching the realm of "big enough to swallow a pickup truck whole" dimensions. The new gravel had yet to compact with any hope of us being able to ride over it without major effort, so at times we were relegated to a narrow muddy-but-hard strip on the edge of the road between the fresh gravel and the rushing river of meltwater off the side. Intense concentration was needed to chart a safe course while cycling at a good clip, but we managed, and still had plenty of breath to continue an endless conversation the entire 22 miles which (in case I failed to mention before) is G's physical limit. A million years ago she was quite the cyclist, logging thousands of miles with day and week long cycling group tours all around the US. Since her accident a few years ago when her horse zigged one way while she zigged the other, thus wrapping herself around a tree during a gallop, her body's cycling endurance has been irreparably left behind on the operating table.
We discussed at length the hesitant but hopeful 2021 calendar of upcoming charity bike rides now announcing their registrations open. I am already signing up for the spring rides (pandemic permitted), but I do the half century and metric century divisions. She, unfortunately, can only ride the quarter century division, but she's still quite excited at the prospect of enjoying the fun of group rides again, especially as we can pace together for the first part of the rides before her division loops back and mine goes on. It will be nice having a friend along to enjoy the beginnings of the rides before I head off onto the second part and my solo adventure. Hubby will be there at the parking area relaxing and reading his Kindle while I'm off cycling, and be available to help G put her bike back on her car rack when she returns. Another win-win.
Lots of plans for a better 2021 than the lockdown of 2020, lots of charity bike rides shaking off the dust of a shuttered year and breathing the more hopeful air of returning donations via their annual bike rides coming alive again, lots of opportunity for us to see new places with less fear (thank you Pfizer vaccine), and lots of stories and photos to share as the RTR starts seeing RTR progress.
I wanna get a pocket drone like @PowerflyLee formerly known as CheetahLee . My son has a drone but it's a commercial one almost as big as my bike and just as expensive. I need a cheapie toy to play with while I ride. Time to cruise down the endless digial river and intriguing product estuaries of Amazon to see if I can find a pocket drone while it rains outside...after I give this last leftover box of cookies to the dogs. RTR is getting serious now.
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Key word being ‘in’ not ‘on’. Kudos to you for gutting it out! 
I was initially distracted by the piece of cake. 
) are what I want, I might consider taking on some contract work again. I know what it entails and it would whet my appetite for a while. They sought me out - I wasn't looking for work and had in fact told some friends the other day that I was done. Going back to work does entail some algebra though... I think the equation is N+1 or something like that. 
