Great posts JJ and PG!
Got up early to squeeze in a ride before work on Sunday. It was a lovely 65 F at 7am with blue skies and a light breeze. A customer invited me to join him on a ride through North Scottsdale, up towards Pinnacle Peak, and an area called DC Ranch. It was a social ride, not a fast pace. We chatted and got to know each other better. Greg had several surgeries related to a successful fight with cancer. Before that, he was a very strong rider. He was still a strong rider regardless of his weight gain, and being 53 years young! I rode my trusty Bianchi, he had a modern Trek Madone with 11 speed Campy Super Record everything! It was light as heck, as I've worked on it numerous times.
We rode northward through some of the most expensive real estate in the Valley. There were beautiful views of the mountains... McDowell Mountain and Pinnacle Peak. I was hurting from the slight ascent through the area, but the views were worth the hurt.
Lots of cyclists were out riding this morning.
Sorry, no pics for this ride. Forgot my camera and no time to snap a few on my phone.
We refilled out bottles at the turn-around point, stopped to down energy bars, and we headed back on a more direct route to get me back in time for work. Had to shave 30 minutes off our ride time to the turn around point. Greg pulled the whole way due to a slight headwind. 23 mph average!
Along the way, we ran into a local racer Greg had met, and it was now 3 of us. I drafted best I could to their rear wheels. We went into Paradise Valley, through another popular ride route. Pace was fast, and with a few miles left, I was glad to slow down, legs were tired. The guys gave me credit for keeping pace with a 25 lb CroMoly 6 speed freewheeled bike.
We made it back in 1 hour. Total of 36 miles. What a nice way to start a Sunday morning before work!