A good day

Finally - a sunny warm day. George and I spent it in the Mahone Bay Area with the cyclists who might want to ride the Cabot Trail later this summer. For the first time I divided the group along gender lines. George took the men on a 55 km ride which went along the shore and in a big loop inland back to Mahone Bay.  Christine and I accompanied the women on a locally organized women's ride and then led them on a portion of the same loop as the men. Both groups ended up doing the same distance.

I wasn't sure about the idea of having two groups. In other years it wouldn't have worked at all. This year we have a number of compatible men who enjoy a fairly fast paced ride. In the women's group we were joined by someone who rode the Cabot Trail with us in 2012. She hadn't been on her bike in eighteen months. Her original plan was to do just the first easy 17 km but she decided (with very little input from me) to ride the entire distance. She wasn't fast but she was pretty darn perfect. I was so pleased to see her excellent skills in bike handling, shifting, effort management and manners and safety on the road. I rode sweep behind her and we had a fantastic conversation for the entire distance.

I am proud to have created a structure which allows so many people of varying skills and interests to come together to share some time on the road and in the sun. Did I mention that already? It was sunny, sunny, sunny!!!