I wasn't speeding

Wednesday nights lately have had me slightly occupied with the local bike rides hosted by the shop. They send one of their workers out with us, to take us around town. They sorta provide a rolling "auto shop" in the event of a break down or something. That and they know all of the local roads, routes, and rules. Pretty helpful.

Well last night was a completely new ride, with some of the same folks. We've been averaging 10-15 riders per ride and we've been covering between 12-20mi at a time. Pretty easy pace.

It started with the same basic few miles through the neighborhoods & parks before venturing into traffic and through office parks. Then we turned for the "real ride". It started with a long slow climb. The climb went for nearly 3mi of just steady upwards.

As we approached the top, we pulled aside, waited for everyone, and then realized we needed to head back to beat daylight. We made a turn and stopped again at the red light. Our group leader warned us that once we turn, we'll be going downhill at a rather fast pace. To watch for debris and lightly feather the brakes. Just a warning.

We turned. Everyone shifted and we were off, picking up speed. Serious speed. I looked at the speedometer and saw 44.8. I laughed when I saw the speed limit sign of 45. Almost. I never saw whether or not if I broke the limit, but I was close.
Now I've hit the 30-35mph range quite a bit. It's not that bad. Once you've been there it's fine. This is a first for the 45mph. That's fast. That's really fast when you realize that your tires are less than an inch wide and your brakes are less than 1/2 inch thick.

After the dowhill, it was merely a few more red lights to pass through, a little neighborhood ride, and we were back at the shop before dark. Nothing better.

I'm ready to sign up for it again!