Going the Distance

To ride, or not to ride? That was our dilemma.

The county does not want households mixing, even outdoors. Given that my chief ride buddy and I have continued to be abundantly cautious, our decision was: Ride!

We stay more than six feet apart when we're not moving, and we're naturally farther apart when we roll. Riding solo is riskier (in other ways). As a pair, we keep each other in sight.

At the same time, this is not the moment to have an incident on some remote backroad. Without the inspiration of our club's group rides, our outings have tended to be shorter. We were both feeling the need to stretch our legs on a longer ride.

With the chill in the air, I suggested a flat, familiar route to Mountain View. This was the sort of day for an exposed (sunny) route. I expected the trails to be deserted ... and, I was wrong about that. Even at the marshy end of the Stevens Creek Trail, we turned tail when a small family congregated nearby. Too. Many. People.

I'd underestimated the distance and opted for a more direct return at the end. We managed to drag ourselves over 45 miles with 1,020 feet of climbing, and we were both feeling it by the end.