Happy New Year

For whatever strange reason - watching the Rose Parade?, watching it snow? nursing a hangover? - I don't think I have ever done a ride on New Year's day. It is an iconic biking experience kind of like doing a century or cracking fifty mph on a downhill but up 'til now it has eluded me. So yesterday the new year dawned bright and clear and, because we did not party the night before, early as well. Even the Rose Parade, one of my annual excuses was postponed until today (never on Sundays). With the temperature heading up toward 55 - unseasonably warm for these parts - I suited up and headed out to the country. Susan's parting words were "be careful, there are still a lot of drunks out there" but I found just the opposite. Leaving the house about 10:30 I found the roads virtually deserted. In fact the first couple of vehicles I encountered were of the two-wheeled variety. There were cyclists out competing for road space with runners but almost no auto traffic. It was in fact a great ride. The sun was bright, there was a bit of a breeze but not enough to cause discomfort. Riding through Assunpink, a nearby nature reservation, the horsey set was out in force - maybe 15 to 20 riders and some in full red hunting gear scattered throughout the park and, of course, most called out a cheery Happy New Year as I rode by. Along one of the horse farms I stopped by white-fenced pasture and a couple of curious colts came over to see what this curious creature in bright yellow was all about. I assumed that the whinny was a seasonal greeting. And just down the same road I passed a small lake just as a huge flock - numbering easily in the hundreds - of snow geese came in for a landing. We see lots of Canada geese but snow geese are a rarity (at least to me) in this area. All in all a pretty good ride...44 miles at a respectable 16 mph (did I mention I also discovered a new road: Backbone Hill Road - just enough climb to keep me honest) and I was home in time to prepare for a dinner party with friends last night. I started off 2011 thinking I would go back to Ohio and complete the cross-country that was so rudely interruped a couple of years ago. The prospect of the Maine to Florida ride looked like the better deal and I am so glad I did it. Because of mechanical problems I had to ride three days on borrowed bikes, we all spent a lot more time perfecting our "riding in the rain" skills than ever we wished for, but the experience of riding the entire east coast, the reunion with old friends and meeting of new all made the ride the highlight of the year for me. I also started with my usual goal of completing 5,000 miles and I was just shy of that mark - 4930 to be exact - moving into our new house has put a severe crimp into my cycling routine. With the furniture in place, the pictures on the walls, and the boxes unpacked I do expect that 2012 will see me back on the roads. And to any who may be reading this I wish you the wind at your back and a year of long downhills.