Feb 24 - grumble

The grumble is for today, not yesterday. I'll get to that ...

I finally joined the Mosquito Lagoon Bicycle Club for a ride yesterday. Harris and Ted were planning on going, talking about it at dinner, so I semi-committed. After flip-flopping a bit in the morning, I caved ... got dressed and met them in the driveway at 7:50 a.m. The ride starts at the Utilities Commission, a mile away.

Their Wednesday and Friday rides follow a 30 mile circuit west on Turnbull Bay, back south and then north on Riverside right by our house. The group of seven rode at speeds varying between 19 and 26 but predominately 20-21. Being a short ride, I wasn't really pressed too hard. In addition to the three of us there were two other guys and two ladies. None of us were youngsters but Harris hit the top of the scale since he just turned 70. I'm hoping that I'll be in as good shape at 70 and still riding strong !

We picked up a Canadian rider with a big maple leaf and "Ancaster" on his jersey. I showed off my maple leaf and told him that I was born in Brantford, small world. He's 67, as it came out later, and is spending two months in NSB, his fourth such winter. He and a fellow rider joined us for a while; they'd ridden with the group before.

The MLBC has no membership list, no dues, no newsletters, simply a Facebook page. The weekday rides can be as few as a couple of people and upwards of 50 on the weekends. Today, Saturday, is their breakfast ride ... a 17 mph ride to a place south of here, breakfast and then ride back. Sunday is the longer & faster ride.

It was fun, albeit not quite my style. However, having done a fair amount of pace line riding in the last month with the brevets, I could put up with it. My upcoming brevets, however, at 400 & 600 kms, are a different thing altogether.

I'll get out with them again when the time seems right. Perhaps I'll get Jerry out too.

When I got home it seemed too early to stop. Although I had planned on calling that a day and going out today, instead I had a half PB&J and headed out again, doing another 20 miles.

The rest of the day was spent hanging around the house, doing a few odd things but mostly researching the X5 rear suspension. I've come to the conclusion that it's the rear subframe bushings that would need replacing if I want to get rid of the knock sound going over bumps at slow speed but have also concluded from my reading, that it's simply addressing an annoyance factor, nothing to do with handling or safety. Those bushings simply provide for some play and noise dampening between the car body and the actual suspension. There are four of them, big 3"x4" rubber pieces.

We ate early, spinach salad and chicken, and headed to see the Moscow Ballet company play Sleeping Beauty at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach. Wanting to avoid any Speedweek traffic, I crossed to beachside at Port Orange and north on Peninsula. That worked out well, traffic was light.

The ballet was very good. It wasn't world-class, but then we're used to Toronto and New York where we did get world-class. The auditorium wasn't full, but it was busier than Sandy had ever seen it before. It was my first time there, other than using the parking lot during last year's Bike Week when Sandy and I went to the area with Megan.

This morning ... I'm coming down with a cold. Perhaps it's simply power of suggestion, since the high today will be 62. The strong SW wind has been replaced with a north wind, thus the abrupt switch from temps in the 80's to 60's. Next we get a little rain, according to the forecast, and it warms up again. We're planning on having nice weather when Jerry is here ... and when Sara and Jeffrey are here :).

Today, it's time to mow the lawn. It's been a month since its last mowing; it does grow slowly at this time of year. Gene did his a couple of days ago and it's hard to tell the difference between the two.

Onward ...