Next stop, New England
Serenity before the mayhem of Savage CX
Sardines in a Can
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1987 Just Called
Road Bikes & Limerock Roads
Another Long Road Ride
Picture a hot and humid Sunday morning, in Gainesville, Florida. Seventy eight miles were planned, from the agreed meeting place, but more if you rode to the start. That’s what I did. Weather forecast called for showers around 1pm, which is pretty typical in Florida for this time of year.
Note to self: prepare for the ride by wearing not your best kit, not your best shoes, and riding not your best bike, aka the “rain bike”, “frog bike”, etc. If you’ve only got one bike, well, that’s a bugger. The route was carefully chosen; I have a nice library of rides I have prepared over the years, and rotate them in and out on any given weekend day.
Is it “next right” or “right”?
This is the conundrum our grupetto faced during today’s 86 mile training ride. “Next right”, or “right”? First world problems abound here.
Setting the Scene
Imagine a two by two group of riders, 12 in all, chugging along on serene Florida back roads. The bloke leading the ride, yours truly, was calling out the turns to whomever was on the front. A few of the riders were ignoring me, as they had swiped a copy of my awesome course file, and loaded onto their little Garmin 705’s and 800’s. The purple line can rule your life. Lemmings.
![20140809_090630](https://cdn-0.gravelcyclist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/20140809_090630-300x168.jpg)
![Map](https://cdn-0.gravelcyclist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Map-150x150.jpg)
The group was heading South along a paved road (at left). Yours truly, a row or two from the front, calls out “next right”, not once, not twice, but thrice, each time increasing in volume.
National Bike Challenge 2014
For the past three years, the League of American Bicyclists have held the above-mentioned challenge. Rather than explain it, allow me to quote directly from the challenge website.
“The National Bike Challenge is a nationwide event uniting thousands of current bicyclists — and encouraging countless new riders. In its simplest form it is a logging center for users to record miles ridden and be part of the national community of bicyclists. It is a free and easy way to challenge yourself, colleagues and the greater community to ride more. Users compete on a local, state and national level. The Challenge aims to unite 50,000 riders to pedal 30 million miles from May 1, 2014 until September 30, 2014. Now in its third year, the Challenge is a successful partnership between the League of American Bicyclists and Kimberly-Clark’s Scott Natural Brand.”