With showers threatening, and not wanting to get soaked, I had to ride like a madman for the last half of this solo ride to avoid an unpleasantly moist experience! Joey had to once again bail due to ongoing problems with his broken pinky. Since I agreed to do the Farm to Fork Berkshires with Atanas in early October, a ride of some 62 miles with 4,000+ feet of climbing, I figured that it was high time I started building some serious volume to prepare. The target for today was 50, but with rain threatening for at least the latter half of the ride, I bolted home at a frenzied pace and could only manage 40 miles. I have to say, I have renewed confidence in my chances of getting ready for the Berkshires! I basically was able to spin the entirety of this ride, my only stop to pee. I maintained a pace much higher than an LSD due to the threatening weather. At no point was I close to cramping, and in spite of a poor sleep last night, I felt really strong. So, a satisfying ride with temps in the low seventies, a stiff NW wind of 10-15, and some interesting if intimidating cloud formations.