Warren led us on a invigorating late December ride from the Blackbird Cafe in Groton to Amherst, NH. Crew consisted of Warren, Brian, Lisa, Russ, and John P. I was expecting a 30 miler and instead we did 44. The Big Kids (Russ, Warren, Brian) went out very fast for me (20-22 mph pace line). I more or less kept up, but started to have muscle spasms in my thighs at about 25 miles, which was not a good sign. Fell way behind, but everyone waited periodically. Had to soft-pedal the hills on the way back in. This is just a lesson in how fast the form goes off at the end of the season if you don't ride for many weeks at a time. Dragged my sorry butt back to the Blackbird, where I had a very nice post-ride gab-fest with Lisa and Brian. The macchiato and the pumpkin walnut muffin helped start the recovery.