25th BBQ Bass Ride

Last Saturday was Robert's and my 25th BBQ Bass Ride.  Who knew that a fun ride we did in 1998 would become an annual tradition?  It started small: about 4 of us rode a loop to Hillsboro for Tillman's BBQ (long gone) for a total of maybe 18 miles.  We thought that was pretty epic.

The mileage and number of friends have grown over the years.  We've had close to 30 riders in some years, and routes have been as long as 75 miles.  Last Saturday there were 16 of us, and we rode about 60 miles.

The ride started from Jordan Engineering.  I went uptown early to pick up some fried pies from Laverne Howard at the farmers market on the Monticello square.

Apple, peach, and sweet potato fried pies!

Laverne makes the best fried pies!  They have been a wonderful addition to the BBQ Bass Ride in recent years.

Robert set up the lobby at Jordan Engineering to receive our friends.  This year we had swag to celebrate the 25th BBQ Bass Ride!

Everyone signed in so I would know how many deluxe plates to order from Fresh Air BBQ.

I called in and payed for the order before we rode.  Garrison was our excellent SAG driver this year.  He picked up the BBQ for us as well as provided ride support.

Robert had mapped a great route.  As we rode on Pitts Chapel Road, I was having an in-depth conversation with Brian Rogers, our new teammate from England.  I just discovered that he's a big Rush fan, too.  We talked about Neil Peart's literary references in their lyrics, Brian getting to see Rush in his hometown in England, and the excellent Rush documentary, Beyond the Lighted Stage.

I was feeling so good, grateful for my community of cycling friends.  It was a warm, sunny June morning - my favorite time of year.  The western end of Pitts Chapel Road is kind of swoopy with beautiful woods on either side.  The sky was blue, and everything was the vibrant green of late spring.  Queen Anne's lace was blooming along the road.  For a few moments, I was fully present and happy.  It was the best part of the whole day.

Just a few miles farther, it was time for our party stop.  Robert had found a great location, a secluded spot behind the Newborn community center, next to a cemetery.

"I want you to bury me right over here."

I ducked behind this building for a nature break before I saw the door.

It must be at least a two-seater.  Maybe all 16 of us riders could have fit in here at once.

Garrison pulled up with the party supplies a few minutes after we arrived.  When Robert and I originally started the ride, it was just the BBQ Ride.  However, after a few years it became the BBQ Bass Ride when we added Bass beer.  We wanted decent beer for our ride, and we were into Bass back then.  For a few years we had only Bass, but eventually we started offering a variety of beers (including a Foster's oilcan for Bill).  We still like to get at least a six-pack of Bass each year.  Ironically, I couldn't find any Bass for our 25th BBQ Bass ride, but we had some acceptable substitutes.

The BBQ Bass Ride is the only time I have a mid-ride adult beverage.  My second favorite part of last Saturday was when I got back on my bicycle after the party stop.  The beer made me feel really good, and I loved everybody soooo much!

Amazingly, the group stayed together for the whole ride.  We rolled back into the Jordan Engineering parking lot, changed clothes, and sat under the two tents Robert had set up for us to enjoy BBQ and fried pies.

I truly love this annual get together with friends from various parts of my cycling world.  I'm grateful for each person who could join us.

Our BBQ Bass shirt from 2003