The weather reports were all over the place, and it all depended on which one you were watching. As it turned out, it was okay for tandeming. However, as Larry Isherwood said, "Somebody threw a switch and it became summer!"--the three H's--"hazy, hot and humid" as well as the usual late afternoon thunderstorms were predicted. Yep, it's Summer all right.

Claire modified the Bucolic Diversity route a bit, (just to keep us honest and paying attention to the cue sheets for those of us who have done this ride on a couple of occasions). We gathered, talked and finally made it out on the main road. However, Team Lanterne Rouge was not to have an auspicious start--barely out of the parking lot--instant flat tire that held up everyone for a while. (Thank you Mark Cook and Rob Geisler for your assistance.) Then, less than five miles later, another flat! This time, we replaced both the tire and the tube. (Thank you Larry for the work on the flat and Dave Snope for the spare tube.) This fix held for the rest of the ride.

If you've never been on a Team Double Occupancy ride, all we can say is, there are only a very few spots where it is flat. Generally, you are either going up or down. This course has two nasty climbs--the first, is short and steep and the second, longer and even more steep! Everyone made these climbs well, even Team Lanterne Rouge (that's us)! It was reported that Mark Cook was heard "singing" while climbing, which didn't please Cheryl as she huffed and puffed up these hills.

The views on this ride are really majestic--Victorian style homes in some of the downtown areas, (where there were yard sales all over the place), to beautiful views of the valleys between the hills. Due to the haze, the visibility wasn't as good as previous years, but still, it was a beautiful ride.

Did we mention that it was hot? Just before the rest stop, we were climbing a grade that wasn't too steep and we (Team Lanterne Rouge) were slogging along. I (George) asked Linda if something was wrong? No, she was pedaling as hard as she could --then my brain kicked in--"Hey, stupid--it's the first really hot ride this season and your body isn't used to it!" Thanks to the burst of common sense, we just decided to pedal as best we could and didn't worry about keeping up with the faster folks. Good decision.

The post ride gathering was great. Claire "raised the bar," again, as was noted by Marji--lots of fresh fruit, great iced tea, lots of cold water and some really decadent sweets. They even had a bunt cake for Team Lanterne Rouge's anniversary. (Twenty-eight years of marriage--and the last eight of them on a tandem, their 20th wedding anniversary gift to each other.) Thanks ever so much for the recognition.

Around 2:30 PM, it started to rain lightly. We headed home to beat the storm that was on its way to Dover. Actually, we had time to clean up the tandem and do some minor adjustments before the rain started to fall more heavily.

All in all, it was a great day for the DOGS. We can only hope that Walt and Claire broke the cycle of wet Saturdays. Hope to see you all next Saturday for the reprise of Mark & Cheryl's ride through the Somerset Hills (not quite as steep as the ones we rode today). If you missed it the first time, don't miss it this time.