My sometimes riding buddy Ric has heeded the pending breakup of agreeable weather here on the shores of Lake Ontario and fled to Florida, where he will wait out the winter months. On beautiful days like today, I'm the one who's gloating, but come January, the "wish you were here" postcards will arrive and gloat will turn to growl.

I first met Ric a few years ago. I'm terrible with names, but I always remember bikes, so Ric was "the guy on the brown Nishiki" to me for a couple of years. Then one fine Spring day, he turned up on a red Specialized and I didn't recognize him! But with the help of mnemonic devices, I now know he's Ric regardless of what bike he's riding.

Ric is also known to me as "Mr. Red Blood Cell". That's because he's a biochemist who is intimately familiar with machines that analyze human blood. Most of our rides this July were spent discussing the Tour de France. I learned things about blood, EPO and haematocrit that fascinated me. It fleshed out the Tour in a way I never thought possible, so to speak.

We have some incredible riding here. Lightly traveled roads, agreeable terrain and friendly drivers. How can you not want to ride on roads with names like "Sweets Corners" or "Cream Ridge"? I rode some of our routes today and took a few photos so Ric won't forget us. Well, it's not just for Ric. It's for me, too. Come January, I imagine these photos might be a source of comfort and a reason to get through winter.

Tailwinds,
Georgena
talktous@terrybicycles.com
www.terrybicycles.com