Saturday morning was sunny but cool. After registering we headed out for a 71 mile ride that first led us down city streets past many of the well-preserved antebellum homes that Madison is famous for. General Sherman during his 1865 March-to-the-Sea was convinced by local residents to not burn the town town and although he did destroy a few businesses and surrounding plantations, he left most of the homes intact.
I had to re-learn a lesson about riding out too quickly. It wasn't long before I pulled ahead of the girls, only to be passed a few miles down the road. Then the only way to keep up the pace was to draft them, but even then they pulled ahead a few times and had to slow down for me. I believe this is called "survival of the fittest", the girls are the fittest and I'm just trying to survive. Tracy was by far the strongest cyclist. She just put the chain on the highest front gear and muscles her way past most riders.
This was a relatively easy ride on back roads over gently rolling terrain with only a few steep rises to worry about. Numerous rest stops gave us ample opportunity to stretch, have a snack, and a brief rest. After a total time under seven hours and a riding time of just over five hours we arrived back at our hotel. The next mission was to again have a great meal on the town square, this time at the Chop House.
We retired to the motel and soundly slept until about 6:30 AM, in time to prepare for Sunday's ride, which was to be a 56-miler. Under cloudy skies with a threat of rain we rode out of the BRAG site. There seemed less riders on Sunday but perhaps some of them chose shorter routes. We were met by a few sprinkles but some picturesque scenery and stopped at one circa-1813 still working farm with a huge plantation house. Our next pleasant encounter was at the O'reo Farm where the proprietors set up an impromptu rest stop to serve free beer and Oreo cookies. The farm is so named for the Belgium breed of cows they raise that resemble Oreo cookies. The cattle have a wide white stripe down the side of the bodies and a dark front and rear. More photos of the ride are at: http://newtspix.shutterfly.com/bikerides
The weather became more threatening by the time we reached the rest stop in Rutledge, a quaint and very small village along the railroad tracks. We decided to take about 10 miles off our route by omitting the loop through Hard Labor State Park, which we had already ridden on Saturday. Instead we headed straight east along the tracks for a fast paced ten-mile ride back to Madison where we went our separate ways. Over the two days we rode 117 miles at a 14+ mph, a moderate pace that gave us all ample time to chat and enjoy the views.
It was great to see Tracy again and who knows if we'll get another opportunity to ride with her before she graduates and heads to California.
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