67 at 67

Since I never quite got in cycling shape this year - read this as to say I rode no centuries - my goal was a bit more modest: Ride my age. Soon the summer got away from me. I rode a few metric centuries (62 miles) but didn't have the foresight to tack on a few more miles to meet my goal. I looked at the calendar and realized there were only a few more chances to ride before the weather got uncomfortably cold. The Jittery Joe sponsored ride out of the Terrapin Brewery in Athens, GA would fit the bill.

Naomi, the kind soul that she is, volunteered to ride with me. Susan, because of her still healing knee operation, sat this one out but accompanied us to Athens and took some pictures. Now believe me when I say that without Naomi I never would undertaken this ride. To start with there was frost on the shingles when I first went outside. Not good, however we loaded the bikes for the hour drive to Athens. The brewery parking lot was filling up quickly with many warmly dressed riders, including us.

Dressed for the start

Since we arrived early Naomi and I decided to hit the road at 9:30 instead of the 10 o'clock start time . It was still in the 40's but riding beat standing around in the cold. This meant the first two rest stops were still closed when we cruised past but we had plenty of water and snacks in our pouches.

After an hour or two it warmed up nicely and we shed some layers of clothes. The day turned out beautiful for biking. Sunny and warm, not hot, and perhaps hitting the upper 60's. The course had just enough gentle hills, with a couple of surprises thrown in, to keep us warm but sweat free. After a little over four hours of riding we were only a few miles from the brewery and the end of the race. But this was a metric century which meant I had a few more miles to ride to reach my goal of 67-miles. By this time we were both ready to finish and get off the bikes but we were along a nice, flat stretch paralleling some railroad tracks. As much as it hurt we grimaced, doubled back, clicked off a few more miles, and faced a stiff breeze back to the finish. I figured it pretty close since my odometer read 67.5 miles.

Finishing. Naomi sure looks happy!

Enjoying a Terrapin at the finish. Thanks Naomi!

By the time we finished it was sunny, warm and a gorgeous fall day. We sat around for a while and watched the crowd that gathered at the brewery for the after ride party. I even took a few sips of the tasty locally brewed Terrapin beer as a treat. It was a great ending to a great day. Naomi, I can not thank you enough J!