This past weekend we did two rides, both of them rather short.  The first one was on Saturday October 8 and the second one on Sunday October 9, 2005.  Even though these were short rides I was glad to get out each day and pedal around for a few miles.  I split up the two stories below by day. 

Saturday October 8, 2005
Saturday Pete, Steve and I rode together.  Diane and I went out to dinner with Pete and Elaine Friday night and then we went back to their house to play cards.  When we play cards it is always the boys against the girls.  While Pete and I were resoundingly winning at cards we decided to ride around 10:30 am the next morning.  My son Max had a soccer game at 9:00 am and I figured I could be home ready to ride around 10:30 am.  The plan was Pete would contact Steve to see if he wanted to ride and then they would ride over and meet me at my house around 10:30.   

I got home from the soccer game just a few minutes after 10:30 am.  Pete wasn’t there yet, so I figured he was running a couple minutes late which is no big deal, it gave me a little more time to get myself ready.  At 10:45 I was ready to go and started to wonder about Pete.  There was no hurry so I just waited a few more minutes out in my driveway before I finally called Pete’s cell phone just a couple minutes before 11:00 am.  No answer on Pete’s cell.  I thought about just starting out to meet Pete on his way to my house, but I wasn’t sure which way he would take.  I was also starting to wonder if he had forgotten all together, which is not like Pete.  I was just getting ready to go inside and try calling Pete again on his house phone when my cell phone started ringing.  It was Pete calling back.  He had gotten up too early and gone back to bed to rest for a couple minutes and he fell back asleep.  He was just now waking back up and obviously not ready to go.  We agreed to change our plans and I would ride over to Pete’s giving him time to get ready. 

It only takes me about 12 minutes to ride to Pete’s house and this was enough time for him to get ready because by the time I got there he was out in the garage pulling out his bike.   

It was one of the coolest mornings we have had this fall.  The temperature was right around 50, maybe even slightly under, but it felt colder with the wind blowing.  Since my body hasn’t adjusted to the cool weather yet I overdressed for this ride.  I had on a thin short sleeve wicking shirt as my base layer on top.  I was wearing a pair of nylon wind pants with a mesh lining.  I think this might be the first time since the end of winter that I didn’t ride in shorts.  I was also wearing a long sleeve thin wicking shirt as my second layer.  For my third layer on top I had a cotton long sleeve turtle neck shirt.  Finally, for the outer layer I had a pullover wind shirt.  I also broke out my thin hood that I wear under my helmet on really cold days.  I probably didn’t need the hood, but I got so cold sitting out at the soccer field watching Max play that when it came time to go for the ride I wanted to be sure not to get cold.  I was also wearing a medium pair of winter gloves for my hands.  Keeping your feet and hands warm is the key to staying comfortable when riding in cold weather. 

When I got to Pete’s he took one look at me and asked, how cold is it out there.  I told him I was probably over dressed, but he did at least bring a warmer jacket than he was planning based on my appearance.  I was glad to hear that Steve was coming and we were picking him up next.  Apparently Steve hurt a leg recently playing hockey with the group he and Pete play with each week.  Steve tried it out and it didn’t hurt while pedaling so he decided to join us.  Steve looked like me, he was well prepared for the cool weather, including a nice pair of mittens for his hands.  I think Pete later regretted not bringing gloves on this ride. 

From Steve’s house we headed over to the trail and took it south into downtown Rochester.  On the way down the trail we hadn’t gone very far and we came across the two mounted police officers we occasionally see out on the trail.  I wasn’t close enough to hear what Pete said to them as he slowed down and rode next to them for a few seconds.  What ever it was it must have been funny because even the female officer who usually never laughs at Pete’s comments was smiling.  The male office was yelling some smart comments back to Pete as he typically does after Pete initiates the conversation.  We also saw a lot of people walking along the trail heading north.  Way more people than normal and a majority of them were wearing brightly colored name tags.  Steve finally asked a group where they were coming from and a lady responded Oakland Steiner.  We still weren’t sure why they were walking, but now we knew the group was from Oakland Steiner which is an Auburn Hills elementary school located on the south west corner of Livernois and Auburn roads.    

We didn’t ride far and we were all hungry so we stopped at Penn Station for lunch.  Steve couldn’t remember if he had ever eaten at Penn Station until he got a lemon aid for his drink, he remember the lemon aid dispenser of all things.  As usual our lunches were fantastic, you just can’t beat Penn Station.  

Before lunch I was starting to get too warm, which I knew would happen, so I took off my turtle neck and put it in my burrito basket.  I also did not wear the hood for the ride home.  Steve, Pete and I had a good time with a nice casual ride back toward home.  I split off to head to Adams High School to watch the JV soccer games which had just started a few minutes earlier at 1;00 pm.  Bob’s son Mark plays for the JV team and I met Bob and Kathy in the stands to watch the game.  Jonathan rode his bike up to the game and he rode home with me once the game was over. 

Following are the statistics from this ride; 12.3 miles, 26.0 max speed, 10.0 average speed and 1 hour and 13 minutes on bikes.    

Sunday October 9, 2005
Sunday it was just me and Pete.  Pete was going with our friend Gary to the Lions football game, so Pete wanted to be home early to head over to Gary’s house.  We did an early morning breakfast ride.  I met Pete over at his house at 7:45 am.  We knew right up front this was going to be another short ride, but still nice to be outside.  This ride was so short it actually would not have counted as an official bike club ride if we had any first time riders, but we didn’t so it didn’t matter. 

We went to the Greek Island and we each ordered the breakfast special with diet coke to drink.  We were the first customers as they were just unlocking the doors as we pulled up.  We are actually becoming regulars at this place.  They bring us our diet coke without even ordering.  The food was good and after we sat around talking and drinking a second glass of pop it was time to head out.  Pete and I do a lot future ride planning over breakfast.  We are seriously considering doing another century before the end of the year, we are planning for the day before Thanksgiving.   

It was another cool morning, similar to the day before.  The sun was trying to break through which would have warmed up the air.  It was actually a beautiful day for a bike ride.  To stay on schedule we headed straight back home.  As we were riding home I actually followed behind Pete as he rode through a circle driveway.  One of Pete’s trademarks is riding through circle driveways, this was a first for me. 

This ride was just too short and direct, so I just don’t have anything more to report, just a nice short early morning ride.  Following are the statistics from this ride; 9.2 miles, 20.5 max speed, 10.9 average speed and  50 minutes on bikes.   
David Lindquist