Because the ride started at Allegan High School at 8 a.m., about 111 miles southwest of Okemos, we got up early. Cindy got us mostly packed up during the day on Friday, so all we had to do Saturday morning was eat a quick breakfast, make some coffee for the road, load up the bikes, and leave. We were on the road by 5:45 a.m. Not bad, I thought. Quinn really needed the coffee.
Sponsored by the Allegan Lion's Club, this ride included a marked routed, monitored crossings of busy intersections, and a few rest stops with water and some snacks. There were three routes to choose from, a 25k, a 50k, and 100k. We did the 50k.
As with last weekend's ride, this route was a tour of some of Michigan's hillier, wooded terrain; this time in the Kalamazoo River drainage. It was really nice. The roads were wide and smooth with limited traffic - most of them, anyway. However the route was not laid with much consideration for bathroom stops. Unlike the big club rides we've done before, there were not port-a-potties at the rest stops, and the rest stops weren't located near parks or convenience stores. Aside from the first stop at mile 12, there was nowhere to pee but in someone's yard or field. And the second "rest stop" amounted to a guy pulled off to the side of the road with the trunk of his car open offering water to the riders. Despite having a lesser budget than the bigger rides, it was enjoyable, and the assistance at the major road crossings was much appreciated.
We didn't really get started riding until about 8:30 a.m., and it was a bit chilly with moderate west wind. I wore just a short-sleeved jersey - and shorts, of course. Abbey, however, was dressed for a chilly ride this time. On top, she wore a snug-fit long-sleeved t-shirt, a long-sleeved athletic shirt, a fleece jacket, and a nylon shell. On the bottom, she had her bike shorts, tights, and yoga pants. She was comfortably warm.
Early in the ride we rode around Allegan Lake. Abbey photographed some other riders crossing the dam. They were some of the few riders on mountain bikes.
Here's a shot of Abbey and Cindy sailing along with a favorable wind.
I'd like to get a camera mount for my front fork. Maybe even a video camera. Remember shows like the Dukes of Hazzard when they would mount the camera right behind the front wheel during a car chase?
No ice cream shops on this ride. No playgrounds either. Here we took a little off-to-the-side-of-the-road water and snack break. I think we need more frequent stops than all-adult cycling teams. More frequent in terms of distance, anyway, since it takes us so long to get from here to there.
Our route had initially taken us west of the city of Allegan on the south side of Lake Allegan, we had turned north to loop around the lake, and then come back east with wind, eventually ending up south and east of the city. As the day warmed and the clouds burned away, the westerly wind increased. Somewhere between miles 25 and 30, we were heading back towards Allegan, now to our west, and we were really struggling into the wind. Speeds were dropping into single digit miles-per-hour. Bugs and dust were getting in our eyes, and we were getting tired. We hadn't had play time off the bikes since there hadn't been any good place to stop, so the kids were showing real signs of wear. By mile 30, Abbey started getting desperate for a pee break. We had to climb a big, long hill, and the wind just kept blowing. Perhaps this was sort of the climax of the ride. Quinn had bugs in his eyes. It seemed we were nearing the breaking point. Quinn began to cry. Not sure quite what to do, we stopped again for a roadside break once we reached the crest of the hill. We finished our snacks, made some jokes, tried to be silly, and Quinn settled down. Maybe he just needed more coffee.
After the last stop, the ride was mostly downhill and fast as we returned to Allegan. We all cheered up quickly as we rode downhill, no longer directly into the wind, and the fields and pastures became neighborhoods and yards.
Until Quinn lost his shoe. We still haven't figured out how it happened. Sometimes, just for fun, Quinn likes to try to stop our pedals. I'm not quite sure how he does it, and he's not strong enough to completely stop my legs. But since our cranksets are directly linked by our timing chains, if he tries to stop the pedals, I can feel it. It's just his way of having some fun, tormenting his dad. Anyway, we were traveling along just fine when suddenly he yelled and began to cry. He yelled, "My shoe, my shoe, my shoe...!!" Sure enough, I looked back and there was no shoe on his right foot. Cindy and Abbey saw his shoe fly off and stopped to pick it up. If it had been his left shoe, I would assume that somehow it had been caught in the chain and pulled off of his foot. But it was his right shoe, which cannot get anywhere near a chain. And his shoes don't have laces. He must somehow have pulled backward on his foot and lost his shoe. He had a big grease spot on his sock, but I think the grease spot must have gotten there after we stopped and his foot reached further down, below his pedals, to the drive chain on the right side. He was pretty shaken up, and had trouble getting his crying to stop. He was very tired. But eventually he pulled together and we finished up the final mile of the ride.
We finished the ride at 12:30. We traveled 36 miles in 4 hours. Our actual riding pace was almost 12 mph, but including stops, only nine. However, our day had just begun. We stopped at Wendy's for am oily, high-calorie lunch and drove back towards Lansing. Before going home, we dropped Abbey and Cindy off at Birchfield Park for an all-day Brownie event. Abbey was about an hour late, but it lasted until 10 p.m. Quinn and I went to home to unload the bikes and gear, and then find some fresh algae and micro-organisms to feed Abbey's tadpoles. Then we cleaned up, ate a quick dinner, and went to Mrs. Black's for a piano recital. Mrs. Black, Abbey's piano teacher, had invited us over for an evening of music and desserts. I mistook it for something informal. My mistake, apparently. It was very nice, semi-formal (semi- because Quinn and I were there) and we were treated to three pieces written for two pianos (Mrs Black has two full-size grands in here living room), and one solo by Mrs. Black's long-time friend and pianist. Several local musicians as well as Mrs. Black's family and friend were there. It was wonderful. I wish Cindy and Abbey could have been there. Mrs. Black and her friend are outstanding pianists.
By the time Cindy and Abbey got home at 10 p.m., we were all beat. Well, Quinn was actually asleep by 9:45. It was a long Saturday.
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