Despite the remnants of two hurricanes passing through our region, the day began with only cloudy skies and a promise of no rain from the meteorologists. A rather large group of 23 DOGS members assembled their bikes and themselves in the parking lot of the Stirling Pathmark. Today's ride was to encompass some 48 miles of Morris and Somerset counties including some challenging climbs, speedy downhills and long straight flats ideal for executing paceline skills. Following a brief pre-ride speech from Mark, the group headed out of the parking lot to take on the day.
The ride sheet, developed primarily utilizing mapping sofrtware on the computer, turned out to be as challenging as the ride. Some of the turns and road names were inaccurate. Due also to the length of the ride, couples stopped for a snack or took shortcuts of their own making. A couple extra revolutions of the tires were traveled by some for which we apologize. Other adventures included helping a single bike rider repair a flat, stopping to spend a moment with a beautiful red-tailed hawk, chasing down some single bike riders, and the satisfaction of completing a lengthy ride. Eventually, all teams gathered back at the parking lot Several teams remained, picking up sandwiches at the nearby Panera. We sat beneath the shade trees and chatted about whatever came to mind.