Good ride yesterday. Rode with the group out to Dynamite road in Scottsdale. Rob Verhaaren flatted immediately but it held thereafter. Rob's wife Bridget was the only female in the group and rode very well.
After snaking our way through Scottsdale and riding down 9-mile to Rio Verde we made our way to Beeline and the market for refills. I took off from the store prior to the others because I was going to ride UP the Beeline to the Saguaro lake turnoff and expected to be the only idiot to do so. I was surprised to find out later that most of the group did the same. It was getting really hot and most people don't tolerate it very well. We all met up at the turn-off and chatted for a while.
I saw one cyclist go over the cattle guard, hit a gap in the grate and flat. I stopped to help and it wasn't pretty. He was riding tubulars on carbon-fiber wheels..nice wheels, the rear of which was now cracked because of the impact. He had no spare and was done way out there. The sad thing was he said he had already sold this bike and the new owner was to pick it up that afternoon. We flagged a pickup to take him to the lake and hopefully he found a ride home. I'd say that was about a $600 mishap.
Later, Kevin Kellis pulled over at the Salt river bridge to get in and cool off. I was surprised by this, most cyclists are good people but most get into a "pack mentality" and don't usually think "outside the box" like that. It was refreshing to see. I do this stuff like that frequently but most people don't see it because I usually ride alone. So I joined Kevin for a dip and we rode back together. It felt great!
So there's my Saturday ride in a nutshell, may you find peace in your heart.
