Saturday, June 1, 2013

It's Always Colder in Gloucester

Regrouping in Beverly Farms
What a glorious day for a ride! Despite grumbling from Ethan over the group's early 6:30 a.m. start, it was nice to get out of Salem before the heat kicked in. We had a dozen riders rolling out this morning, with Lisa back in the fold, setting a quick pace early on. I hopped on Lisa and Jeff's tail and we flew up to Beverly Farms for the first regrouping point. As other riders caught up, two packs were clearly formed -- with one group intent on Gloucester and the other preferring a slower pace through Magnolia. (And Ethan heading back.) No tension felt -- it was just a clear understanding of who was going were, and how fast.

The Gloucester Riders
Lisa and Jeff took turns at the lead through Magnolia as six of us ventured on to Gloucester, hopping off 127 to take a few back roads where we could. We had a solid ride and it felt so good to be back with some of the gang again. (We've all been riding -- but not together.) As we dropped down into Gloucester, we were hit with a giant blast of cold ocean air that gave me goosebumps. Loved it. After a great breakfast at The Morning Glory, Jeff headed out to Essex to work off the muffin he ate, while the rest of us returned to Salem. P. Giddy decided he'd had enough of the chicks setting the pace, and dropped back for a while. We regrouped a few times but then didn't see him after the Beverly bridge. (Wimp, P. Giddy, but we love you.) The girls really rocked it.

It was a warm one today -- 88 degrees when we returned to Salem -- and Arlene and I logged in 42 miles from our Beach Bluff neighborhood. Summer's back, baby!