At 7:45 the rain started.
At 8:00 the Bon Ton Roulet (2008) started. 499 bicyclists hit the road from Auburn, NY to Courtland, NY. And what a group of bikes it was! In addition to hundreds of 'regular' bikes there were several recumbents, lots of tandems, I think I even saw a recumbent tandem! Brandwise there were Lemonds, Fujis, Scotts, Lightspeeds, Treks, Specialized, Cannondales and lots of others - hardly two of the same brand. Some as old as a week (that's me!) and some nice bikes with down tube shifters (could have been me).
The people also came in all shapes, sizes, speeds and characters. From 3 to 82 years old, from sprinters to "what the heck we have all day" types. People from the area, and riders from just about every state in the country.
I soon learned however, that riding with a large group means there are some things we all had to share - skill, teamwork and communication. "Car up", "Car back", "on your left", "You okay?" all day long. Lots of conversation too. Since every bike was required to display a 'license plate' stating our name and hometown there was also lots of talk about towns, especially Mystic. Everyone has been to Mystic.
The folks on the sides of the road were pretty nice also. Curious about us too. "Where are you from?", "How many of you are there?", "Where are you going?", "Where?!"
The highlight of today's ride, apart from the riding and the excellent company, was an unexpected stop at Frog Pond Farm http://www.ferroart.com/. A gallery featuring sculptures made from recycled steel.
After another downpour we arrived at the fields of SUNY Courtland. After riding through two good storms, and setting up the tent in a thunderstorm, stringi
ng a clothes line from the bikes to the fence and hanging up the gloves to dry, it's now time to kick back, and listen to the Travis Rocco Band. Good night!
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