No pressure riding - fall at its best

It is easy to get caught up in the racing season and focus solely on being in peak condition for that moment when the selection is made.  You spend so much time with your head down, staring at your stem, that you forget to take in your surroundings.  That is why the fall is the best time to be on your bike, and why Downeast Racing was seen criss crossing the White Mountains of New Hampshire in prime leaf peeping season.  

With no specific training on the docket, the boys set off on a 130 mile cruise taking in the sights from the top of the Kanc, up through Franconia Notch on the FNBP, a slight detour through Littleton to address a mechanical issue (huge thanks to Littleton Bike and Fitness for saving Dan's bacon), up and over Jefferson on an epic section of dirt road, raced the setting sun down Pinkham, over Bear and finished off with a spirited ride down to Conway.  

The foliage was in prime form, as was Hank who flew up the climbs.  The nice women who runs a roadside hotdog stand near Jefferson, NH re-opened for Dan who needed a beef frank to power the last 60 miles and the only thing we absolutely had to do on the ride was beat the setting sun.  It was a pretty epic day on the bike, the kind of thing that is tough to do anytime other than the fall.

Big thanks to Hank, Dan and Zev for thinking 130+ miles and 10,000 feet of climbing was a good idea.  With any luck, there will be another weekend like this before the end of the year!  

If you ever get stranded in Littleton, look up Dan's new best friends at Littleton Bike and Fitness.  They fixed up a busted rear wheel and got us back on the road in no time.  Cheers guys!