Sunday morning RIDE - later start time, new start location, same awesome banter.

My email's still behaving kinda funkily, so I did't get this one directly from the source but instead ripped it off from craigslist:

THE BEAUTY OF COMMUNITY

Last Saturday morning I brewed up my cup of joe and settled at the computer to check my email. In my inbox was a note from our old friend Rawdax.

“Hahaha, nice new style on your craigslist ad. No way to email you?
Good thing I already have your email address!! Hahahahah!! Your
ride SUCKS!”

I was mystified. I had posted our ride announcement on Craigs List (three times – it was flagged twice) in the usual format and had, as always, included the CL blind email address for response. After briefly considering this mysterious missive, I moved on to CL to see what treasures the previous 24 hours had deposited there.

Craigs was short on treasure that morning, but I quickly discovered the cause of Rawdax’s cryptic communication. There was our ride announcement (sans commentary), posted under the heading “Sunday morning ride”. Seems that someone had cut and pasted the text from another web site. So, Rawdax, I guess this community thing can go both ways. There must be some other people out there who disagree with your disagreement.

Last week’s ride was a quick loop to the northeast, and it turned out to be well-timed. We caught a bit of drizzle, but had plenty of time to finish the ride and the post-ride socializing before the serious rains cut loose.

Our new launch time of 10:20 overlaps with the efforts of the folks at Posse East to get that venerable venue ready to open for business. Consequently, I’d like to suggest that we convene instead at Clown Dog, which is just at the opposite end of the same strip center. We won’t be in anyone’s way there, and we’ll be able to have a conversation without yelling over the racket of a pressure washer. As a bonus, we’ll be out of splatter range of the nameless effluent from the pressure washer (use your imagination). No route determined yet. Suggestions are encouraged.

Hey, somebody buy my Guru! This is a really sweet ride. Price is $900. Drop me a line if you’re interested. If you’d like to join us on Sunday, I can bring it for a test ride.

Those of you who have ridden with us before know how we roll. For those who haven’t, please read the blah-blah below. It’s important. Really.

• Some of us are down with the fixed gear deal, but mostly we’re just about riding. Bring whatcha got and ride with us.

• Every cyclist is responsible for his or her own safety and well-being. We assume that everyone is familiar with basic rules of cycling safety and has enough hours in the saddle to feel comfortable with his or her ride. Use of helmets is optional (but highly recommended). Use of headphones, earbuds, Blue Tooth headsets or any other form of electronic distraction is discouraged. (It’s a SOCIAL ride, dammit!) All traffic laws and rules of right-of-way will be observed. Here’s the deal:

SAFETY FIRST!!!!!

If someone gets killed, it ruins the ride for everybody.

• This ride is 25-30 miles long through mostly urban and suburban areas. We do a convenience
store stop at about the halfway point for anyone who needs snacks or drinks.

• There is no SAG support on this ride. Bring a spare tube and something that will inflate it.

• The purpose of this ride is for everyone to have a good time and (we hope) to become better cyclists. We ride at a social pace, and all skill levels are welcome. This is a 25-30 mile ride over typical Central Texas terrain. If this is consistent with your riding experience, or is perhaps slightly more challenging than what you’re accustomed to, you should have no problem going the distance.

Rawdax, you say our ride sucks. We say it doesn’t. Ordinarily, I’d be willing to chalk that up to an honest difference of opinion, but there’s one very important difference in these two opinions. We do our ride every week. You’ve never done our ride. Your opinion is therefore purely speculative and totally unqualified (and, I suspect, more than just a bit emotionally tainted). There’s only one way to fix that, Rawdax. Come on out and ride with us. I’m totally serious. The announcement says that everyone is welcome on our ride. Now THAT’S a fact.

It’s time to ride.

Thanks for the info Harry. If you want to get in on this ride cruise to Clown Dog around 10ish this Sunday morning and do your thing.