All the elements necessary for a great bike ride were united in Manchester for last Saturday's Wake up the Earth Ride. We had great weather, a great group of people (14 at the start), and some remarkably clean, smooth roads for this stage of the season.
Even the solitary flat tire on the ride was dealt with in a united fashion, with convenient roadside assistance, many helping hands, and perhaps some divine intervention.
There were some hills (for which the ride leader took some good-natured ribbing). But there were also some options over less strenuous terrain. The greater challenge proved to be some local farmers using the early spring weather to get a jump on the growing season by hitting their fields with their manure spreaders. Fortunately this didn't coincide with the long hills. It was bad enough riding by on the flats, eyes watering and throats gagging. One wonders if those poor guys dragging those spreaders around all day get any oxygen breaks. Wake up the Earth indeed!
Next week's ride will be Saturday, May Day, May 1st in Wayne. Frank has a great route planned for us, with more scenic roads, fewer hills, and hopefully less manure. See you there!
