The Plan: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1955500 Amy and Cecilia wanted to go long (34) My Plan: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1955564 Rich knew of the hills and thought short would be better The actual result was longer than Amy and Cecilia asked for, but as flat as Rich could ask for. Turns out Amy had a bent derailleur hanger in the rear from a number if falls earlier in her career. So when she tried to shift into the big cog (easiest gear) in the rear, the derailleur ground against the cog and either jammed the chain or threw it off the cogs altogether. But we didn't know what was going on at the time and took the short split so Amy could get the bike to her shop to get its first overhaul. We got into Lexington relatively flatly after Cecilia spoke (under her breath) in Italian to an oncoming motorist, but Rich could read the Italian body language - and it wasn't polite. Anyway when we got into Lexington with 10 miles ridden, they both asked "can we get more miles?" And it occurred to me that the bike path to Bedford and Concord would give us the miles and the towns, without the hills. Even better, at the end of the bike path is the Bikeway Source shop and they often have mechanics on duty. So we took the bike in to see if they could determine what was wrong with the shifting. (Amy's shop is closed Sundays) We were hoping a simple turn or two on the derailleur cable might tighten things up. Some level of panic set in when he eventually took the derailleur off the bike (we had been hoping for a 5 minute adjustment for 5$) - but didn't panic and in 15 minutes total, the bike was working like new. He showed us the bent hanger and how it interfered with the shifting - and then how things were clean when the hanger was straightened. So off we sailed to a trip down Monument St and gracious living and Minuteman Park and back to Lexington. By this time some hunger had set in and Cecilia relaxed her gourmet standards and bought us lunch at Dunkin Donuts, just off the bike path. Time was running short, so we took Mass Ave back to the start and left the return trip thru Somerville for another time. Pacelining along Mass Ave was pretty speedy and safe and we got back to the start with 40 miles, a fixed bike, some pretty scenery, and in time for Amy to have some daytime playtime with her Corgy at home. All in all, a great day. Thanks Eric for getting us out. Thanks Francie for capturing some memories.