40mi MS150 training ride

Got up on time and fiddled around getting ready. I roll out at 8:40am; needing to be at the Canal Visitor Center at 9am sharp. I take it easy warming up until I get on Rockside, and then I hit the jets and get serious about making the start time.

Fortunately it's pretty much all down hill from Parma to Valley View. I have no problems keeping it above 20mph for an average speed. The CX bike rolls down the road a lot better on Conti Gator Skins then on Ritchie Speedmax Pro CX tires (imagine that). I see Christine at the corner of Rockside and Rt21 with 2 bikes on her car - hmmm. Right after turning onto Canal, I pass 3-4 guys going the other way on the Sunday Spin ride (I think).

Rolling into the parking lot, I'm there in under 20 mins and have plenty of time since Murray had to go home for his helmet. I hadn't gotten time to send out the reminder email, so there were only 6 of us: Murray, Christine, Allan, Linda, Khantie(sp) and me.

The ride goes well. No mechanicals, although Murray and Christine had some shifting problems. The eatery we went to last year wasn't open either on the way out or back, so ended up going to Starbucks instead.

We ran across a young couple who were 2 weeks into a bike tour from Chicago to Upper Maine. They were well loaded and with the head wind had to work pretty hard. The guy had just graduated college and the gal was DEFINATELY hard core as she was pulling up until the last time we saw them.

We passed Shaker Cycles on the way back and I met Mitch who gave my Cannondale CX a not so nice critique. I didn't talk to him long enough to explain that the bike was full Ultegra before yesterday, since we had to get going.

On the way back we rode behind Steel Yard Commons. Really nice to have a bike path back there, and Jennings road was repaved almost all the way back to Harvard.

I had another Ernesto sighting on the tow path just north of the rail road bridge. By the time I decided to try turning around to catch him and chat for a bit, he was long gone. Or had it been only a dream???

Once back to the parking lot, I debate riding the towpath and checking out the 'scenery', but it's been a long ride and I decide to head home instead. There will be plenty of riding later this week.