RdR2015 full saga: part 2 (of ?)

Okay, back at it, tiny window of opportunity.

So we roll out. I covered the flat? Right? A couple groups rolled through, including the Firefly Adventure Team ladies once Sandy and I were done gramming the situation we rolled out. Ready to really get the ride started.

We passed the FAT as they re-grouped after a bit of a bridge or technical section or something (brain a wee fuzzy) but how do you not make note of passing them?

We wound up at the trail exit, Alex riding around on the road almost getting hit by car zooming through. Meanwhile the brain trust with all the computers are trying to figure out if they say turn left or right (left). And by that time the FAT have emerged from the single track and we head out together. I had a delightful opportunity to talk with the charming Cindy for a bit as we rolled on. We wound up a bit in the middle, my Orange crushers pushing the pace and her Black cats chilling at a slower pace, So i excused my self and jumped up to latch into a freindly draft and she drifted back with her team.

The roads were familiar and I think Cutler was next, and I was expecting to go in the way we did one year, in the first thing, not go to the second way (thinking left at the lot, not right) but the guys rode all the way to the light and then on the path, i guess someone was actually following the cues on the Garmins.

And we hit Cutler. Teams everywhere. Not sure how much we looped back or how lost others were. We rode through the Hup crew at the peak in one spot. We had to regroup shortly after that with a slipped axle or two on one of the disc brake bikes. and then we rumbled and rolled on. It was fun. Other than the roots. Those weren't fun. Some of the rocks not so much. But it was good. We did a pump track loop as the Flannel wearing single speeders lead by Camelstache with tunes blasting by ROBERT HALE and then tagged on to the back of their group a bit. They took off as they knew the trails but weren't stricktly following the route and we had not clue and only could follow. I think we got off course following them a bit but wound up leaving at the right place.

The flannel crew was up ahead and we made the effort to join in a bit. Myette surprised me, wasn't expecting him to be one of the flannel crew, Uri was in that pack as well. So, yeah, A+ rockstar amazing group to join up with.

From this point it gets a bit mixed up in my head. We wound up merging with so many other teams along the way, Sparky Jamie and Tyler with Josie, were sort of on the notable next level.  But i think maybe we spent the most time with the Hupsters. At least one of the Hup teams.  The Baker crew, with Roger, Derek, Michele, Ed....and...  I dunno It was hard to tell Oh CHURCH (I gotta be forgetting someone else). It was a blast.

So much fun. It was relaxing in that we could just follow Baker's lead. As we hit single track the groups all split up, made sandwiches, rode around.

Getting lost, following one team, seeing another. We lost the camelstache team in the intestinal track of trails that just made me want to get off the bike and walk the few feet to the next section.

Then we saw the PVB crew with CF on the MTBs. Who else? EVERYONE ELSE!

At that point we were taking a wrong turn here or there, and then wound up meeting the Baker crew and THAT's when we jumped in and started riding with them. Turned out I'd lost my early 90s vintage/heirloom Pearl Izumi black vest. But at the start Chip pinned the pair of Hup buttons on it, so it had a homing beacon and they saw the buttons and Wade stuffed it in his backpack. Derek tried to sell it back to me, but I didn't want to lose it again and Wade hung on to it.  Still has it because despite saying I needed to get it a few times from him after the ride, somehow we left or he left before I managed to get it. I want the buttons more than the vest but yeah, I wouldn't mind having my vest back.

So we hook up. I think we wound up back with the Flannel boys, picked up a pile more teams and we just kept swelling with riders, seeing friends. C Todd actually picked up and joined us mid-ride to roll around. he bailed as we dove into the next section of woods (the ones I think before the poney hendge?)

Cruising through the big group gets there - takes a few photos, the sky is awesome and I try to document it, I wound up inadvertently catching Alex taking an epic selfie (see the instagram or the first brief post).

Then James asked if i could take a team shot, so i did. Alex is posting and the rest of our guys ride off. I figure we'll catch up. No big deal.

I finish capturing the shot for James and Alex and I head out.

Remember? Here we are, the only two members of the team w/o GPS device (we both have phones but neither of our phones have the map loaded, nor a way to have it tell us where to go). We get to the first 'turn' and the team isn't anywhere in sight. Uh oh. Shit.

The Blue Hills crew rolls up as we're like 'oops' and I think they kind of sensed we were a bit wanting to get back to the group, so tempo went up on the road and we were cranking it.

A few turns later I caught sight of someone, and felt confident enough that I could bridge before a turn and made an effort. Alex jumped with me and we tagged back on. It was a big of an effort and it almost blew up Alex but we got back to our group.

David was getting close to bonky town. I think that was before the corner drug store stop. I think. But doesn't really matter.

The RdR is like a series of short stories that you could read as a novel or pull out in any order. Other than the beginning and the end, the stories all just could but cut or pasted in any order.

I guess the drug store was next. This was just before the abandoned train station. People were out of water (I had only had one sip). We ate a bit, the GeWillies weren't as firm as they have been in the past, I must have messed something up or didn't cook them long enough or? I dunno. I followed the recipe pretty much on the money. I think maybe not long enough baking time. I was super preoccupied/stressed/tired making them.  But they were fuel. And David needed fuel. We all did. We all ate. And some people bought gallons of water. Teams rolled up and then through, joined in and were still there when we rolled out.

Providence Orange crush headed out with the Hupsters and on to the waiting abandoned train station, with bootleg beer stashed in the trash cans and under the porch. Lots of beer. Camelstache Matt had secured a sponsorship/donation from Moats and there were cases of tall boys hidden. A few teams were there having a beer.

I had one, then a second. Probably would have gone for a third but the teams had already left...  I would have grabbed pocket beers but damnit pockets were full. Grumble. I almost dumped out the water for the beer but I didn't. I knew there was that keg of Dales waiting for us at the Tavern.

But man. I wanted another one. David was dragging. He was really slowing down a bit but he was still going, wee bit of a balance of heckle/support/encoruagement/cajoling kept him going. gave me time to think that if I had worn the orange jumpsuit on the ride i could have had six tall boy pocket beers instead of zero pocket beers. All good though. I wasn't really needing one or wanting one that much and we still had a ways to go.

But riding with everyone was just soooooo sooooo soooo awesome. So much single track. so many good people...

Groups started to fracture and separate. Wrong turns, hoofing it, detours. But sooo much good riding

Maybe I can wrap it up in one more installment...

...too be continued....

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