The RMR was one of the rides that I did last year and I had been looking forward to the this year's edition.
And, as the weather forecast got better and better as the day drew close, it seemed like it was destined to be a great ride. And it was.
Last year, the lovely wife was registered but too busy with teaching responsibilities to participate. This year, her schedule was open, and Jason Fitzgerald and Megan Rand were repeats from last year, with Dan Boschen and Liz Sweetman hitting the gravel roads for the first time. It was a good group, but I was running a bit late so I literally had time to take two pre-ride pics and then we got the start command, and neither was a group pic!
I like taking pics at these events, and typically wear a GoPro too. I had actually gone in several complete circles, from saying I would just ride and NOT bring a camera, to saying I'd just bring the GoPro, to just bring the DSLR, then back to bringing nothing, to back to bringing everything. In the end, I brought the DSLR with hopes of getting rider pics along the way.
The ride had three loop options, 20M, 40M and 60M (a.k.a. 100K) all with an optional 10M addition at the end. I did the 40, and the rest did the 20, although a wrong turn brought that up to 30...
After getting pics at the first hill, I hopped back on my bike and... essentially rode by myself for almost the whole rest of the ride.
I tried to get up a head to get more pics, but kept moving until I could find a good spot, and next thing I knew, the loops had split and I didn't get a chance to have get many more pics. Oh well. It's good practice to carry the giant camera bag, and it makes me stronger!
Anyway, the route was fun with some challenging hills (Bible Hill road for example), and the riders I did get the chance to talk to along the way were great to chat with.
The aid stations had what was needed to keep you going, and the end-of-ride lunch was a great spread... Jean said that the salads were amazing!
I'm pretty sure fun was had by all, despite the seething anger felt by some at being led down the wrong road... but I won't name any names...
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