Today was as good as yesterday was bad. Even with gray skies, low light, temps in the upper forties, and a somewhat icy southwesterly wind of 10-15, this ride was very satisfying. In spite of still feeling a bit weak, Stuart and I were nonetheless able to work well together. I pulled all the way south to Margaretville while Stuart did his share leading all the way back to the car. It should come as no surprise why I’ve lacked the legs on these last two rides. This is the only time for the entire season that l have had a partner to ride with up here, and a very capable, strong rider at that. With Joey having been absent for the entirety of the season, and with Blaze often a consideration, my Roxbury excursions have been somewhat short and characterized by a mostly leisurely pace. The Bayside ones are invariably interrupted by the inevitable traffic lights and stop signs. Getting an uninterrupted, long session of continuous spinning has been a virtual impossibility on the Island. Upstate, riding at the tempo of the past few days, has been a rarity up until now. No wonder it has been a bit of a struggle. The icing on the cake for the day was Pat’s get-together for Sue Pastor’s sixty-fifth birthday. The company was very satisfying, I felt comfortable, and really connected with Linda’s husband, Jim, bull-shitting about cigars and fishing. A great day all around!