It started out damned cold at around 30 degrees (-1C) Luckily the last few days have been dry so there weren't any worries about ice on the roads.

When I got to the coffee stop they don't let people in the store anymore and you have to order through a window, so I bought what looked like a croissant but turned out to be a chocolate croissant. Well better than the power bars they normally sell. The main group entered a half hour behind us having started at 9:00 rather than 8:30 and having an extra hill to climb (not long but 10%). We all finished in the same time and we let them leave and get a good head start. We followed at our own pace since racing each other appears to be the trait of that group, despite it causing heart attacks in 5 members, three of which have been advised not to ride anymore. One of those still rides and does the same thing. Let them go.

I find that the hardest climbs are the easiest for me to do since I just plunk it down into the 28 and crawl up the 10%er. There are two spots in the ride that have this sort of climb and riding like this makes these climbs easy.

I am anxious to get back my Super Record rear derailleur after having the titanium stop replaced. I will install the mid length arm and install a 32 on the cogset. I only use the 28 unless I am on my last legs and that doesn't seem to happen anymore. But that's sure to change if this is a wet year.

Then I will just have to train back. Of course there's always the chance that we will have nicely spaced rain days so that you can ride in between. It was like that all through the 70's.

The club still put on the Best of the Bay double century but I don't know how they manned it. The people who were not riding the hard rides started making rules like starting times and having to have sag wagons on them and that upset the people who were actually riding these rides who preferred to start early and didn't need sags.

So although they have the hardest ride on the calendar, they don't have many really good riders.