Monday Night Ramble

I had heard stories, or rather legends, from rides past.  Torrential downpours.  Flat tires.  Riders flying over their bars.  Flat tires.  The lone rider of the apocalypse who showed up on a Zagster rental bikes and promptly scorched the course.  Flat tires.  Single track through moonlit fields of thigh high hay with nothing more than a five inch path between the stalks.  Flat tires.  But this time, my schedule was free to join the NHBC Monday Night Ramble (MNR).  The invite to the ride an often sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek email sets the tone for the ride, namely, it’s going to be fun so long as you are ready and willing to roll with the punches.

We met the group outside of Marjolaine’s in Westville for a 7:00 departure, lights fully charged, and other than me, with tires pumped to spec.  100 yards in and I stopped to pump up my rear tire and hoped it wasn’t a sign of things to come.  Then we were off.  The route started with a familiar climb up Fountain Ave, only this time went left at the top on a road I had never laid rubber on.  Another left and a right brought us to our first dead end sign, anticipation filled the air, and smiles filled our faces.

We rode around the Race Brook Tract in Orange, wound our way beneath some power lines, and slowly made our way to West Rock, where we burned our lumens to light up the night.  You know the ride is going well when a wreck, a flat tire, and endless up hills don’t diminish the bliss of the experience.

We’ll work on our night photography skills.

For those who haven’t joined in before, I’d encourage you to do what I did, re-arrange your schedule and make it happen, the fun is contagious and glorious.  Hope to see you there.