Longest Ride since the Ironman

Yesterday I got in a 70.99 mile ( 113.5k) ride my longest since a little race I did way back in March. I managed to average 17.4mph not blazing but I'll take it, and all of this was in spite of a 30 min. rain delay. I started on my usual route and the skies were clear blue in Middlebury and Woodbury, I noticed some clouds in the distance but figured what the hell, it's not supposed to rain today. Things went well for the first 12 miles, but as I ascended into Washington the skies got darker and darker. Finally when I turned onto 109 the skies opened, ok I thought it's raining tough shit...then as I got into Washington Depot, thunder started and where there's thunder there's lightning I saw a Volunteer fireman lazily walking into the fire house across the road I decided that might be a good place to wait out the storm.. So I crossed and asked if I could wait it out. After getting the Ok I spent about a half hour watching the skies and a Group of Washington's bravest prep their newest apparatus for a parade/carnival/beerfest in Winsted. If you want to miss a rant on an obscure 70's TV show please scroll past the section in italics.

If any one here is a 70's child or happended to be channel surfing and saw it on TV Land I think I found the offspring of Squad 51 from the TV show "Emergency"

Daddy?

Baby?

Alright so maybe Washington's Rescue 1 doesn't exactly look like Squad 51 , for starters it looks like it's a early 90's model Ford where as Squad 51 was a 70's Dodge, but maybe it was the result of a fling with 80's Ford Ambulance. Irregardless, when I saw the guys loading the heavy equipment into this sucker that's what came to mind. Yes, I know my mind is a scary place.....

Alright back to the cycling. After about a half an hour and a couple of lightning strikes the sky began to clear and the rain lightened up so I remounted and continued to the lake. After a near death experience on Flirtation road, god I hate that blind stop sign, I did 3 loops around Lake Waramaug. I had 3 water bottles with me so fluids weren't a problem, and I figured some flat land work would up my average speed and allow me to work my aero position,it's a good loop to refuel on, as there is very little traffic, and no gear mashing climbs. After the "easy" part it was back to reality As I got up Flirtation Rd. and across 202 I realized I had to pee, ( I don't "let if fly" on training rides in which I don't have a clean pair of undershorts waiting in the car.) shit the little dinner is closed, the Fire Department is in Winsted , the hardware store will probably make me buy something.... I then remembered about Marty's Cafe in the Center of town, it was a little out of the way, but they had to have a bathroom. So I made it to Marty's did my thing and got back on the road. ( also the prices look fairly reasonable, Claire if you're coming up for a "freeze your beans 50 miler" I found a coffee shop that's closer than the Litchfield Dunkin Donuts.) Needless to say the rest of the ride went pretty smoothly, climb, climb, descend, climb into Morris, cuss out farmers who built this town on top of a hill....descend into Bethlehem, Woodbury, do the back portion of the Griskus tri loop like always. I looked at my watch as I got back on to Route 64 I had wanted to get an 80 miler in but once I saw it was about 6:45PM I decided I didn't want to do my quick run in the dark. So I called it quits after roughly 71 miles in the saddle. After a quick shoe change and putting the Stomper in the back of my car, I did the Griskus Tri run loop for a nice 3.5 mile (5.6k) run. It was hardly on world record pace, but I got it done in about 29 min. So that was Saturday,.

Today I have just a long run on tap. I get paid this week and despite everything I need a new pair of Trainers so I'm biting the bullet and investing in a set, I figure I'll buy another set in December because I'll definitely put the miles on them. Well that's all from my neck of the woods.

R.D.