The Year Of The Cock Ride managed to combine pain and pleasure in the best way possible. Our C-paced ride ended up being a D-pace, which at my age is a hard thing to do. Neville from England, a mere whippersnapper, likes to go fast and he showed it. We were climbing at a 10+ mph pace and the flats were 20+ mph. When we had a headwind, Roger showed us what his e-bike could do: at one point we were doing 24 mph as he dragged us along literally in his wake. Don’t ask me about the downhills because David and Neville bombed down them and disappeared in the distance leaving Roger and me in the dust. Despite the literally breathtaking pace we managed to have lots of delightful conversation but mostly when we had regrouped. The day was forecast to be hot but it never materialized: it wasn’t even 80 degrees in Yountville! The negative of the day was the robust traffic on Highway 121 and 128, boaters heading to Lake Berryessa. We also took in an amazing Porsche rally on Sage Canyon Road—there must have been 50+ cars that passed us (at least they know how to drive).
The highlight of the day was lunch at Addendum. Yes, the buttermilk fried chicken lives up to its reputation: cooked perfectly (i.e. not dry!) with a breading that was crumbly, flavorful, and ample. The side dishes were an uninteresting macaroni salad and a really delicious slaw. Yum! For some reason that I did not fathom neither David nor Neville had chicken, opting instead for pork. Hmm, Year of the Pig perhaps? I think next time I’m going to order a small bucket of chicken; after all it was only eight flat miles back to the car. Lunch at the outside picnic tables at Addendum under the trees was most pleasant! Either a short nap in the shade or a stroll down the street for an espresso would have topped off the afternoon.
The postprandial ride section took in the new bike path, the Vine Trail, which parallels Solano Avenue and Highway 29. It’s excellently executed and worth doing. We also got to race the Wine Train (it doesn’t go very fast). We ended with post-ride refreshments at Starbucks and more juvenile conversation on the patio.
The Chain Letter 