Of the weather on a particularly gruesome day, someone once said:
"Only maddogs and Englishmen are outside on days like this."
Well, on the BBC training ride this past Thursday night, there
were no dogs outside chasing us and nary an Englishmen was to be
found. And who could've blamed either canine or Limey? The
weather was miserable. It was the topic of conversation
throughout and the factor most pressing from within. Cold. Windy.
Rainy. A club made up of lesser individuals would have called it
quits for the day and waited for better Michigan weather (which,
around here, could be until mid-July).
But how about the Berrien Bicycle Club? What are these people
made of? Would you believe a record number of 12 people came out
to ride?! Who was this hearty dozen? President Scott Thayer,
Anne, Richie Forrester, Doug Fattick, Ron Johnson, Mark Samuel,
Todd Jarnes, Randy Mack, Eric States, Shannon (didn't catch the
last name), Jason Lange, and me, your humble correspondent.
Yeah, the weather outside was frightful. But misery loves
company, particularly on a bike.
Not too many interesting things happened along the way. In light
of the weather, we slowed the pace down to a "civil" level. This
kept up for much of the way and a great sense of unity-against-
climate prevailed. At the Hinchman Bend, Richie and Jason picked
things up a little bit and the pack was seperated somewhat.
Scott and Anne get the "It Ain't Heavy, It's My Tandem" Award.
The impressive Cannondale equipment they were riding was only
slightly less heavy than the Titanic. They made a heroic ride on
this mountain bike tandem, but the hills were a little hard. In
the end, they opted for a sensible Garr Road-detour toward home,
warm hearth and (we hope) hot chocolate.
Jason and Richie led the pack in and everyone else was not
terribly far behind. Particularly impressive was first-timer
Shannon. She really made a strong statement and it was nice to
have some women out on our ride.
A pretty neat endurance feat was pulled off by Mark Samuel. He
fell back to do some pulling for Scott and Anne on H.M.S.
Titanic. Then, from miles behind the lead groups, the kid made a
gutsy effort to catch up. It worked: he almost caught a surprised
Doug Fattick on the last turn before the ad building parking lot.
Peloton-pundit are saying that Mark's the rising star to watch
this year. I don't doubt it.
Great to have Eric States out again. It keeps getting easier the
more times you come out.
Our numbers are swelling, BBC members. When we have a full
contigent and some better weather in the coming week, we could
have as many as 15. Let's all get out there! It's too much fun to
miss.
Until Tuesday, I remain,
Jack Stenger
BBC Chief Propagandist