I woke up for today’s ride a bit grumpy and leery - I didn’t sleep well, and for some reason was worried about the ride. Bad dream maybe. I needn’t have worried. 12 riders showed up for the trip out to Red Rambler, and they were a ride leader’s dream. Speeds were appropriate for the group, transitions were good. The group was essentially on autopilot. The only thing I had to worry about was calling the correct direction to turn. (Those who know me learn to follow the hands not the mouth - I frequently call the wrong direction!). 

We breezed out to Red Rambler arriving around 9:45. The only incident was that somehow a bird managed to poop on my leg and bike, but missed my arm and helmet. Eww! There was no line at Red Rambler, so the service was exceptionally quick, the baked goods and coffee were great. We sat outside and enjoyed the weather while we ate. Rick and Hubert preferred to enjoy the good ole’ American classics next door at McDonald’s. We picked them up as we left and went back with a nice tailwind to help push us along. Even though the return trip was five miles longer, we covered the distance in the same time as it took us to get out to Wauseon. The last few miles the group was getting bit anxious - we were at 17.9 avg, and we all wanted to make it to 18.0. We skipped the trail and took Monclova Rd to Keener Park to keep the pace up and made it our18 mph! Our fastest ride of the season, yet no one felt exhausted. It was a great ride.

This was Andrea Raftery’s longest unsupported ride to date and she did fantastic. She came out for her first ride on her hybrid about two months ago, bought a road bike and has become a regular on our rides. She has no problems keeping up with our pace. When I asked her if she was a runner before, she said no, she was a couch potato. She’s shown fantastic progress for such a short time. Way to go Andrea!