Today we ride for tomorrow we die...

or go back to work...whatever is less permanent...

I went out for a tune up ride with Josie from Hartford to Granville Mass. and back again. About 56 miles. Most of the ride is pretty uneventful. There are a lot of stops and traffic lights as you make your way out of Hartford ( along with a lot of switch backs I was having Providence 70.3 night mares at this point.) You pass through West Hartford, shoot past Uconn Law School and then it's out on to roads you only know by Route Numbers Route 183 through Bloomfield, then 189 you stay on it on what looks like a limited access high way with exits and merge lanes, it reminded me of the drive out of Auckland back in March where there were bike lanes along Route 1 and warnings to cyclists to mind cars merging on and off the high way. Then you're out in Bumpkin Country....as noted by the crushed beer cans of Busch Light and Pabst Blue Ribbon in the shoulder. As we rode out I noticed that while the rode looked flat I was really having to push to stay above 16mph. We approached the State Border and hit a couple of rollers, then as soon as we passed in to Massachusetts we got the biggest and longest whiff of Cow Dung. As we passed by a fairly large dairy farm. As Josie put it "Massachusetts stinks!*" We rode through the rollers to a little farm stand and then turned around to head back. As we flew back into Bumpkinville....I mean Granby, CT the reason we struggled so long to get out there became clear...we had been going gradually up hill the whole time and now were reaping the benefits of the descent. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful but all in all Josie looks ready for Redman this weekend.

So that was it for me, I better go before the Barista makes me buy something.

R.D.

*this reference refers to The Western, MA town of Granville and one particular stretch of road passing said dairy farm and not the whole Commonwealth...granted I would glady use this phrase in reference to one Major League Baseball team located on Yawkey Way in Boston. GO YANKEES!!!!