LOCALadk Magazine

50 Spring 2016 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk vironmental impacts, self- paced riding, and opportunities for photography. We bonded quickly and found ourselves riding together and hanging out many times during the remainder of the week. Ken, Natalie and I were riding together when we witnessed the biggest race of the entire week. Event riders on a tandem bike tried to pass an Amish buggy driven by three young boys. Every time the tandem tried to pass, the buggy sped up. After two miles (and a lot of galloping) the tandem finally passed the buggy with a burst of speed on a downhill. A mile later we saw the lathered horse pull the buggy into a picture-perfect farmyard. I joked that it was the Amish equivalent of bringing your parents' car home with an empty tank. Camping in the Camden village green was a little cramped, but the night's' entertainment more than made up for it. There was a rousing performance by the Camden Continentals Fife and Drum Corps. I stood very close, and it felt like the beat of each drum was physically washing over me. I could have rid- den another 30 miles after listening to them. The main band that night was Driftwood. It's one of my favorite bands, and as the last set was winding down so was I. Day four took the riders along the picturesque 75 miles from Camden to Old Forge. I was very lucky to share the road with Holly Williams who, at seventy, was doing the route on a hy- brid bike. Holly was one of the first riders on route each morn- ing and among the last in. She said she was enjoying every challenging mile at her own pace. We covered a few miles, and I was impressed with how well she rode the bike nick- named "The Sherman Tank" by her friends. Despite a very challenging medical condition and not as much training as she would have liked, Holly was a bright spot on every day's ride. Her motto "bicyclists are always very nice" proved itself true every day. Lunch was at the Boonville Airport. I was greeted with a big hug from my mother-in-law, Heleene Brewer. At this stop, Placid Planet's mechanics came to my rescue, as my shifting mechanism needed adjust- ments after that morning's climb up a 21% grade hill. Expe- rienced, professional mechan- ics from Placid Planet set up repair stands at event sites and lunch break areas. A few minor adjustments, some chain lube and I was back in the saddle. In the second half of day four, I found myself riding with some goats. No not those goats, G.O.A.T. S.! Laura Simmons, Mark Einsweiler, and Timothy Schoolmaster were riding with the Get Out And Tour Some- where cycling club of Galena, Illinois. The GOATS were one of about a dozen organized cycling groups represented in Cycle Adirondacks. None of the GOATS had ever been to the Adiron- dacks before; signing up and coming to the area was based purely on cycling media coverage about this inaugural event. Their colorful and comical jerseys made them stand out during every day's riding, and I camped near them for several nights. The four of us rode at about the same pace. Enjoying the con- versation, riding as a group or in pairs, we pedaled along the Moose River and up Route 28. Crossing the railroad tracks in Thendara, Mark and I grabbed beverages at Van Auken's Inne. We settled into chairs on the huge porch and waved and joked as other riders passed by. It was great to hear how much he was enjoying his first trip to the Adirondacks and learning about the area through the WCS educational opportunities. Natalie, Ken and other riders joined us. I was having such a good time I didn't want the day's ride to end. As one large group, we hit the TOBIE trail, cruising the last miles to the

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