Rose Pedal 45

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Between Sophie's ballet recital and Mother's day, I figured there'd be no outdoor shenanigans this weekend. But, in an act of unprovoked generosity, my wife graciously permitted a ride today, as long as I could be back by 2. It's been raining alllllll week, every day, twice a day. I did not want to ride dirt, as it would not, in fact, be dirt. Hiking anywhere interesting would take longer than I had, and again, the mud. My fallback in such situations is the road bike. And given that it's been raining alllllll week, every day, twice a day, I haven't touched it all week.

At 8:45 I rode out the front door, made a quick stop at Atlanta Bread and met Old School Trans-Georgia Players Travis and Russell at Reality Bikes. We were on our way, directly.

On the last Rose Pedal attempt, I got stranded and Kathryn had to effect a rescue. Today, I was taking no chances and brought a map, cue sheet, cell phone and credit card.

There are mean hills and a haul over Sawnee Mountian before you actually get to the loop, but the Rose Pedal itself is pure luxury. Quiet roads, rolling hills, ahhh. There are enough climbs to be interesting, but no murder.

I did see more turtles today than on all prior road rides combined. More even that I'd usually see in the woods in one season. Crossing Hwy 20, there was even a dead Alligator Snapping Turtle. I moved a small box turtle out of the middle of the road when the other guys stopped to pee. He was pissed, but his turtle brain did not comprehend the danger.

The official start of the loop is a school way out in Cherokee County, but the way we were going, it was the 2/3rds point. We must have passed a dozen riders going the other way as we got close to the school. I guess it's a popular route.

Anyway, we made it back around 12:45 and I made it home before 1. We all felt good and it was a really good ride. It was also nice to finish without needing a rescue. Yay, Rose Pedal.