Keating's VT Ride

During the first weekend of October, our good friend Dan Keating invited many of us that ride together out of Brielle Cyclery, in Brielle, N.J., up to his wonderful home in Ludlow, VT. I have been riding with many people in this group for about the past 8 summers, since we have been fortunate enough to have a summer home nearby. Technically, this means that my family are not "Bennies", but certainly for some, that would be up for debate? My wife and I have developed my great friendships with this group of riders, and we had a wonderful weekend in VT. Unfortunately, like much of August & September in the Northeast, what looked to be a nice weather forecast early in the week, turned into a cold, rainy Saturday & Sunday in VT. With some urging from myself, and 1-2 others, we were able to get most everyone out of the nice house & warm fire on Saturday for what turned out to be a nice & challenging 50 mile ride. As usual, although I had my iphone with me, I was too lazy to take it out of my pocket, which I really regret not taking any pictures of some of the devastating scences of destruction that we witnessed in a few places from Irene. I am talking about serious road erosion, or in fact, significant stretches of roads that just disappeared. It is one thing to watch stuff like this on the news, it is another to see it in person, even 5 weeks later. Most importantly, this was a fun weekend, with good friends, sharing good times around a common bond, cycling.

A picture of the gang with our New Jersey's purchased for us by our gracious hosts Dan & Diane, from LBS, Mountain Cycology in Ludlow, VT.