If I Was Kidding I Would’ve Said You’re Witty And Handsome.

This one was Jared’s fault. On Friday the 5th, Jared joined me for breakfast at Scrambled and during our great visit he asked if I had any plans for MLK Jr’s Birthday. Jared and I both work for different universities and he knew I’d have the day off when others might have to work. At that time I didn’t have anything solid planned, but I told him I’d let him know if something came up. That was all it took to plant a little seed to organize something.

Planning today’s ride I knew I wanted it to be a big one. I also didn’t want to reuse the route from New Year’s Day either. I poked around and played with Garmin’s mapping feature before finally coming up with the route. I haven’t been out to Callville Bay in quite a while and a nice ride with long uninterrupted sections sounded like a good time. With the route done I posted it to the Adobo Velo Facebook Group as an event. I also sent a text to Joy asking if she would be joining for some pre-ride miles and of course she answered yes.

The ride over to Pebble Marketplace with Joy was great. As we were riding north along Via Inspirada/Raiders Way the sunrise was absolutely amazing. I kept looking over my shoulder to admire it. We stopped at the red light on Volunteer and I told Joy that if she was going to get a picture of the sunrise that now was the time. She started hustling for her phone and I told her to relax and take her time because we weren’t in any real hurry. Thankfully Joy got the picture she wanted, but we missed the light. I wasn’t too upset because it also gave me time to scoop up a couple dimes.

We pulled into Pebble Marketplace much much earlier than I’d planned on. The goal was to arrive 15 minutes early and it was closer to 30 minutes early. We decided to head over to Starbucks and hang out inside out of the cold while waiting for the rest of the group to show up. The Facebook RSVP list had a total of four riders, including myself. Then in addition we had three more. In total, Josh, Kevin, and Liam rode over from either Mountains Edge or Southern Highlands. Kant drove over (slacker). Joy and I rode from Inspirada and Anthem Highlands, respectively. Finally, we’d pick up Jared along the way near Cornerstone Park. With everyone on hand we set out.

Our first segment only got us to Railroad Pass before stopping. What can I say? I had a huge cup of coffee before leaving the house, it was cold outside, and it went right through me! Honestly though I wasn’t the only person who needed a quick bathroom break. We’d made some solid progress along the UPRR Trail. We weren’t crushing it by any means, but we certainly weren’t putzing around either. After our quick 10 minute bathroom break we set out for leg two.

I had originally envisioned legs one and two being just one leg. The original goal was to ride all the way to Hoover Dam Gas before any type of stop other than quick regroups. I actually felt really good climbing Georgia. I was fully expecting to get dumped by the pack of billy goats I was with, but it didn’t happen. We had a very brief stop at the Boulder City Library for a regroup before proceeding to historic downtown and out to Hoover Dam Gas. As usual the ride down the hill went blazingly fast and we were stopped again before we knew it. We enjoyed a nice 15 minute break before heading out for Callville Bay. Before we left though, I reminded everyone to stock up on any snacks and drinks they may need because I’d been told services at Callville Bay were limited. Last thing we needed was someone bonking.

We had a solid ride out to Callville Bay. Our group was able to stay together for the most part. We got separated, but I don’t think anyone was really out of eyeshot of one another. Once down at the bottom we confirmed that the store at the bottom was indeed closed which was a bummer. I was kinda looking forward to a Zinger with a view. I had to “settle” for stroopwafels and a picnic bench. Honestly though it was great. Our group all hung out and chatted while enjoying a well deserved rest. I seriously need to come and spend some time just enjoying the quiet surroundings.

After 20 minutes or so everyone was ready to roll out. I think a few of us wouldn’t mind a few more minutes, but it was hard to balance that with being cold. Joy and Josh got a head start and were well up the road by the time I got started. From here on back to Pebble Marketplace we had a solid ride. We broke up a little while climbing Sunrise Pass, but after a quick regroup at the Green Valley Grocery on the corner of Lake Mead and Los Feliz we pretty much stayed together.

Once we were back at Starbucks we hung out for an hour visiting and chatting before leaving. As mentioned earlier, Kant had driven over so he jumped in his car and rolled out. This left the rest of us to ride home. I’d mentioned to Joy that we’d ride with the Westsiders over to Las Vegas Blvd and Cactus where we’d continue south to head home while they went west. Along the way Kevin and I got separated from the rest of the group due to being dead tired and poorly timed red lights. As much as I love Pebble, the timing of the red lights is awful for cyclists. It didn’t take long for us to meet up with Joy at the corner of Cactus and LVB and to say our goodbyes.

As Joy and I climbed LVB I asked how she was doing and she admitted she was getting tired. I had to admit my legs were getting a little sleepy themselves. I asked if she was up for going all the way out to Speed Vegas to come in the back way home or if we should cut our losses and take Volunteer. It’s funny as we came up on a red light at St. Rose Joy was thinking about the choice and before the light turned she settled on taking the long way. Shortly after telling me that the light went green and we were able to roll straight through. Perhaps a sign from the Cycling Gods that she’d made the right choice?

Once again another great day for riding with a great group. I really had a great time hosting and it appeared that everyone had a good time. Sure we were cold at times, but we all agreed it could have been worse. Another big week in the books. With the start of the academic semester tomorrow things are going to get even crazier.

New bike fund: $38.77 (+$0.48)
0.36 new miles — From Wandrer.earth
423 vehicles @ 3.3 per mile, 1 per minute, Speeds: 36.0 mph (avg), 69.6 mph (max) — by MyBikeTraffic.com
Give your activities the names they deserve. — by Bandok.com
Partly cloudy-Cloudy, 36°F-54°F, Feels like 39°F-57°F, Humidity 53%-35%, Wind W 2mph-NE 2mph — by Klimat.app
— myWindsock Report —
Weather Impact: 5.4%
Headwind: 55% @ 0.4-8mph
Longest Headwind: 02h 38m 57s
Air Speed: 17.7mph
Temp: 36-55.1°F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
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