50 F, sunny and windy. The word went out about this 20 mile ride from Ft. Phoenix in Fairhaven to Ned’s Point Lighthouse in Mattapoisett, MA. Two of us showed. One of us brought along a GoPro.

When: Wednesday February 24, 2021

Where: Meet at Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven

Time: 9:15 for a 9:30 wheels up.

The weather looks good (40 F), for a winter bike ride.

Join us for a 17 mile casual trip on the Phoenix, Mattapoisett bike paths, and quiet back roads as we ride to Ned’s Point Light. We will detour onto Depot St. in Mattapoisett to check the progress of the bike crossing of Eel Pond and the elevated bikeway.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35243667

6 inches of snow on Thursday. Shoveled. 4 inches on Friday. Shoveled it. 8 inches of snow last night. Shoveled it. Then I took the dogs for a run on the MUP.

The storm was predicted to hit after noontime. I was contemplating getting my Bike Bit Challenge ride started around 10AM. A few things happened that stalled my start till around 11:30 AM.

It was pretty groovy at the beginning, riding in a very light snow. Over the course of 35-45 minutes it go more intense. I was close to the halfway minimum of 12.5 miles by then but still had some video techniques I needed to incorporate into today’s production. That required a lot of stopping to get those shots. Everything worked out and for the most part, it was a great ride. “The most part” definitely leaves room for the part that was not the most. The video will do the explaining. Enjoy.

P.S. I did get the mileage done and even during the uncomfortable moments, I had a glowing smile. In the infamous word of Bruce Willis. “YKAMF.”

Since bike riding is on hold for who knows how long due to the weather, this is a good time to highlight some past rides.

The mayor of Providence R.I. sponsors “Ride With The Mayor” night ride. The last was in 2019 with the theme of celebrating new American citizens and the kids at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Many of the businesses who were withing sight of the hospital joined the 250 bikers shining their lights, by blinking the signs and office lights. The kids were thrilled.

Lyft bikes donated 100 bikes with 10 hours of free time each in support of the event. All the bike were used.

It’s cold. It’s windy and the bike path is to icy to ride. The path is the only way into town by bike. Busy US Rt. 6 is the other option. Reminiscing of better days.

One of my Starchaser friends called for a 6 AM ride in the neighboring city of Fall River, MA. I agreed, set my alarm for 5 AM and got to the meeting point just before six. By fifteen after, I was thinking I missed them. Unbeknownst to me, the ride got cancelled at 4:30 AM. No big deal. It was only a 5 or 6 mile very casual spin on the Ququechan Bike path in the city.

When I got back home, I decided, because it was so nice out, to get a Bike Bit challenge ride done. There was a massive game on TV today and I had plenty of time to ride before kick off. I’m a fan of Manchester City and the not so much Liverpool. There are few things that please me more than seeing Liverpool get beat. Man City crushing them is one of those pleasurable experiences for me.

The game was in progress while I was editing the video below. Whenever a goal was scored, I scooted to the TV room to get a video of the highlights. I included them in the original YouTube video only to have it not only blocked for a copyright claim, but blocked world wide. It’s been redone without the game highlights. I did include a running score of the game while I was editing the production.