OK, so I’m officially over the hill. “Picking up speed” though, as they say, since I took up cycling last fall.

the plan was to do 40 miles for my 40th birthday…not a huge undertaking, though I am still on the hefty side and haven’t done more than 50 miles yet. It was also a chance to try out my new-to-me road bike. I’m hoping to clear a metric century this month and prep for the MassBike imperial century in August as well as the Seacoast Century in September.

I had never been to Martha’s Vineyard despite living here off and on for a dozen years, so given the great things I had heard about its scenery and bike paths I thought I’d give it a shot.

Then I read the weather report. One of my two buddies backed out last night, but the other two of us made it to MV today despite the weather. in fact, I’m thrilled we went, because the rain scared off all the cyclists and we had the bike paths pretty much to ourselves!

it was raining a bit when we left home at 7:30, and by the time we got to Cape Cod it was buckets/thunder/lightning. I could barely see where I was driving and felt like an idiot with two bikes on the back of my car. we almost turned around and came home but plunged ahead. the Bike Bus driver asked us “what possessed you to bring your bikes today?”

then, miraculously, the clouds parted when we got on the ferry, and it was perfect thereafter: warm enough for short sleeves, but not so hot/sunny that you sweat profusely and need a Camelbak.

we got in 31m on the island (and finished off “40 for my 40th” back on the cape). we didn’t have time to do the extra 20 miles to see the cliffs, but we did manage to take in South Beach – pic below – and of course Beach/Seaview Dr from Edgartown to Oak Bluffs.

craziest part was that the only other cyclist on the ferry home had the exact same bike I did (’07 Roubaix), just a different paint scheme. coincidences, coincidences…