Week One — 25 miler, 10 mph

I realized the bike and the bodies were not in shape.

So on Friday night before the first ride,  you realize that the New Years resolution to get you and the the old bikes in shape never panned out.

It still looks like winter!

There are 16 inches of snow out there and even though the temperature will be in the 60’s the phone keeps ringing — not only are we going to ride, but it may very well be the best weather we’ll have until May.

We’ve been leading these rides for twenty something years and the only sure bet about Long Island weather in the spring is that the forecast will be wrong and there will probably be a headwind in every direction!  We always wonder what the group will be like.  It’s never the same, but almost always turns out to be fun?

We made it out of the parking lot and across the street without any flats.

It ends up that more than 25 people signed up for the rides,  but a bunch can’t make the first week.   Still,  it is a good crowd and the ride is much easier to lead if there are less than 20 riders.  We’re still using the Ronkonkoma Train station as the start because the beginner riders need rest stops with bathrooms at predictable distances.  We didn’t have time to scout out new routes that were relatively flat, had the bathroom and lunch stops at the right distances and didn’t have much traffic.  B riders don’t have the same needs and fears as new riders, that’s why these rides are different.

Tell your friends you rode 25 miles in the snow.

It’s an interesting group this year, no clunker bikes.  There are only two hybrids and most have clipless pedals or toe clips on the first week!  In 23 years there have been four or five people that did all of the training and the 100 on a hybrid.  They just end up slowing the whole ride down for the first four weeks or so until they finally give up.  You need a road bike to ride these distances at these speeds and it looks like we finally got that message across.

We usually have a flat tire during week one before we get out of the parking lot.  Surprise, we got across the street with no mishaps — this is not the usual beginners group!

"Rocket" flew up the first hill, some others had a bit more trouble.

We got to Railroad Ave — 1.6 miles into it with snow on the grass.  Usually two or three riders quit by this point but everyone is still with us — still no flats! THIS IS THE ONLY TIME IN 23 YEARS WE EVER DID A MILE AND A HALF ON THE FIRST RIDE WITH NO MISHAPS!

Lincoln Avenue, the first hill and probably a good photo opp! Wow no flats and no walkers!  It”s a different kind of ride for sure.

Beginner training rides and bagels always seem like a good match.

Lunch at Bagel Lovers in Medford.  No flats yet!  We love stopping here.  They love cyclists, the bagels are great, and the bathrooms are clean.  I could never understand the shop owners that don’t want us.  We always call ahead and 25 hungry cyclists can turn it into a good sales day as long as we don’t wreck the bathroom!

Unreal — it 1:30 and we’re pulling back into the parking lot with all of the riders, no flats and everyone is going to come back for week two.