Activity: road cycling
Location: Black Hill Park, MD > Jefferson, MD
Distance: 62.7 miles (hilly)
Duration: 3:24
Weather: sunny and windy, 68 degrees
Avg HR: 166 (max 186)
Type: aerobic

PPTC “Black Hills Picnic Ride.” A fun ride that drew almost 200 riders to the Maryland exurbs. The wind was fierce at times, but the temperature was perfect. I rode with the A group for the first while, then broke off from them when they turned toward MarLu ridge. S’ok – there were plenty of hills on this ride: long ones, short ones, steep ones, mild ones. Some were in the shade, some were in full sun (and full wind). There was a headwind for at least 60 percent of the ride. Even with the hills, I averaged 18.5 miles per hour, riding mostly solo with two tiny rest breaks (one for a bathroom break, one for a granola bar and to doff my long-sleeve jersey). It meant that I passed a friend twice during the ride, and that I finished well ahead of others doing the cued route I followed. A wonderful picnic followed, where everybody got to enjoy food and beverages with live bluegrass music in the background.