NVP ride. Great turnout, with about 18 people at the start, including 3 I had never seen before; all turned out to be strong riders. Very nice weather for the ride, started in the 60s and ended in the low 80's. Nice 28 mile warmup before the hills. Rolled nicely through Acton, Carlisle, and South Chelmsford. The group got split due to Forrest having a flat, but the strongest group of 8 stayed together. Rode hard on Oak Hill, hitting maximum HR for this year, finishing near the front group of Scott, Timo, and Bill. Also joined by a journalist from Cambridge, Ken Shulman (did NPR Only A Game piece on Native American skateboarders); he is a very strong rider. Stopped in Harvard Center. Decided to add a loop down to Fruitlands to the ride for some extra hills and a nice view out to Wachusett, which didn't disappoint. The Big Kids pulled a fast pace line on Still River all the way to the start of the climb up Wilder. Ken and I were the first two at the top of Old Bay, which was gratifying. Legs were tired after that, as Long Hill off 117 was not stellar. Hung on through the rest of the ride, but could stay on the pace line. Tough ride, but good conditions, and nice people to ride with. Nice to see Forrest back from his amazing cross-country drive/hike/bike adventures. Great day. Time for a nap.