Great night for a ride. Good temperatures and loads of riders - maybe 10 to 15 - but I never got a good head count. In attendance, NiteRider Studboy, Werdy, Redline, Kahuna, Flying Bats, Simple, Patrick Dancing Queen Drueke, Mike V, McKenzie the Wattage Cottage and more.
The roads started out hard and fast and Werdy and I, rocking low geared SSs, were tagging off the back for awhile - until the roads got a little deeper. Bats and Simple were also SSing it, but had more gear, which was good, until as I said, the roads got deeeper, and deeper.
We went for the big loop to the north, traveling east down 7, to Ashely Judd north. Everything was rolling pretty good until we got near 10 mile (on Ashley) when we suddenly discovered that Patrick and Kahuna were MIA.
I headed back to search for the Lost Boys while the rest of the group continued North. It was a few miles until I discovered the two at the side of the road staring with their headlamps, at a rear wheel laying at their feet. When I showed up their first comment was, "well at least the coyotes have stopped howling." Yeah they were screwed in the middle of nowhere.
It seems the Patrick's rear wheel had decided to become a true "free-wheel" and refused to lock up in either direction. This, I guess, is the anit-fixed gear configuration since the free-wheel just spins in both directions. We still don't know if the wheel's ratchets were just frozen, or if the hub is just jammed with sequins from Patrick V-Day race outfit.
Before I arrived the two Lost Boys also frightened a woman driver that they tried to hail down. They said she gave them a horrified look, and then fled as fast as her SUV would carry her. My guess is this what they looked like to her:
We weighed our options for getting home. I had cell-phone (neither one of the Lost Boys did - hey guys always take your phone - the only time I have ever need it on one of these rides was the one time I didn't take it) so Patrick was able to call his wife who, not as horrified as the woman in the SUV was at all keen on rolling out to get him. But just at that moment our hero for the night - Matt Wood arrived. He gave us a strap to try to tow Patrick back, but also went to check on getting a pick-up truck to take the wounded bike and rider back to Townsend. The towing didn't work, but the truck, with Matt at the wheel made. Matt and Patrick made it back in record time, while Kahuna and I rode back to base for a nice ride with just one time out when a muddy rut sucked Kahuna into the ditch and he did his own 360 OTB McTwist & Shout into a nice fluffy snowbank. That Gold medal snowboard dude would have been proud.
Matt joined us for a few beers (thanks Patrick!) back at the HC and so ended the night with a bunch of Bastards and friends having a few cold ones at the bar.
Great ride, great adventure - and once again we lucked out. Maybe we should call ourselves the Lucky Crazy Bastards. Naw, that would be too much and just asking for trouble.
Have a good weekend riding, and see you Bastards Tuesday.
