Children, Tractor, Cattle Crossing

Read the sign!

Clifton and I went for a chilly 42 miles this past Sunday. We met up around 10:30 at his house in Washington, VT. My son and his girls hung out with Clifton's wife while we headed out for a ride. We had a pre-ride cup of coffee from his new coffee maker. It supposedly always brews at exactly 207 degrees F for perfect coffee. It was really good.

We drove 2 miles to Washington as his road is treacherous and brutal, especially covered in wet leaves. When we got ready to leave he did a quick seat adjustment and broke his seat clamp bolt. Luckily it happened before we left. I broke one a few years back and had to ride miles with a very low seat that moved side to side as I pedaled.

Back at his house we had another coffee, some more BS and found a replacement bolt. Then back to town and we were off. It was a beautiful ride with some repaved sections. Lots of nice gradual climbs and rolling flats. The ride also fit nicely into my training plan for this year which is to ride through the afternoon since that is when I struggle on long rides.

Fall Classic

The start

end of a climb

end of same climb, ride organizer extraordinaire Mike

fuel stop

requisite bakery stop around the corner from the control

the only thing better than a covered bridge is a covered bridge with bikes

lovely river view

this is a great road at the end of a climb

top of the largest climb

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also top of the largest climb-nice folks from Boston, one of whom just got a new job at Seven Cycles

nice field

giant sap line held up by birch poles

Our Fall Classic ride started at 7am in Burlington and followed a beautiful climby route on back roads and a bit of pavement. The light was amazing. A soft, never quite sunny kind of diffused light. It was one of those rides that was so nice that it didn't matter that we were rained on for an hour or so. The pictures tell a lot of the story. There was much riding and snacking with many great folks.

I felt good and am starting to enjoy climbing again now that it is my 3rd year road riding after a decade or so of no road biking.

I rode with a central Vermont friend of mine. I told him it was 60 miles with 4 coffee shops, confusing this ride with the cafe cruise. As we sat at the Village Cup in Richmond he seemed genuinely, if slightly irritated by this situation. As Mike pointed out, I keep confusing the two rides. He struggled a bit but was glad he pulled through it. Plus, he generated one of the greatest brevet quotes I have heard yet. It goes something like this...(talking to his wife on my phone) "...I'm doing great. My left eyelid is not currently hurting. Everything else hurts. I am pretty sure when I start riding again something will happen and my left eyelid will start hurting too. But it is going great. I feel good." (he is very funny and self deprecating at times).

Anyway, another awesome VT brevet.