Bike Burlington New Year's Day ride

[david]

I'm not a BB member, but I'm taking the liberty to mention the Bike Burlington New Year's Day club ride. Meets at noon 2006-01-01 in the parking lot at Mazzio's Pizza, 616 S Roosevelt Ave (Hwy 61) -- located on the east side of the highway on a frontage road, north of West Ave but south of Division St. Oh yes, this is in Burlington, Iowa, home of the fabled Snake Alley Criterium!!!

Each participant must provide a helmet and must wear it during the group ride. Guests are welcome, I know since I'm one of them. This will be my third NYD ride with BB.

Riders tend to form three groups for varying abilities. Afterwards riders eat at Mazzio's and BB members will get free pizza and beer. The rest of us are are welcome to stay and eat but our food is on our own.

Any BB members frequent the boards?

[david]

And it was a blast! Temperatures were not blasty, though: a pleasant 38ºF climbing to mid-40's as we rode. The wind wasn't too bad, but noticeable out of the east around 10 mph.

The group went three ways: little dogs (kid's ride): ~5 mi; BIG DOGS (and confused puzzled little me on a fixie . . . ?!??): ~20mph sustained plus hills, total ~30 mi and yes three of them dropped me on the sprints but otherwise I managed to make the front five (note to gpickle: may I borrow your BRAG for a moment?); and finally the "commuter special" (come one come all, the group I thought ??? I was with until the first sprint): ~15 mi.

Then pizza and beer. Somehow the group assimilated me and I got free food after all. I sat across the table from my former physics professor from Southeastern Community College, that was enjoyable. Ate more slices of pizza than I can recall eating in one sitting ever before in my life.

After returning from the ride my brother James showed up that evening and he took me to Geode Lake where I chopped a hole in the ice and plunged in a couple times. YEAH!!! Polar Bear Club! He was there to rescue me if necessary and to drive and to DOCUMENT it on film. Hope the photos turn out. Thank you JAMES!

Had fun and fellowship. Worked my legs silly, darn silly going down hills (and feel it tonight), and topped off the day with a celebratory New Year's Day plunge. Ahhh, sweet.