Downtown Holland invaded by spandex-clad wierdos

39 miles between Holland and Saugatuck. No vicious bees invaded my jersey this time.

Gaaahhhd, but big group rides are fun! Between the Macatawa Cycling Club and the Rapid Wheelmen from Grand Rapids, we had 75+ riders pulling away from Velo City Cycles in downtown Holland. We rode en masse down 8th street, which was clearly a novelty for the locals; more than a few people were taking pictures. Once clear of downtown traffic, the faster folks took off on a paceline, and the rest of us sort of started grouping up by expected pace. I ended up with a 17 mph average for the ride, which included going over the Oval Beach hill and some slow stretches - at other times, we were puttering along on the high side of 25, and I was loving every minute of it. I don't think I've ever spent so much time on my 53 tooth chainring. Being able to pay attention to other people (either carrying on a conversation or staying in a slipstream) seems to suppress any effort-related discomfort I might otherwise have felt.

I wanna do that again, for a longer ride!