Apr-22: Shoofly Don't Bother Iva

Seven years ago, we did a ride to celebrate Iva's 63rd birthday.
Four did a 66-miler -- a modified Range Road Rover, if I recall correctly.
Two did an 80-miler -- a modified Allensville - Denny's Store, if I recall correctly.
Four did a 100-miler -- the Mayo Lake 100.
(RWGPS maps for each of the above-mentioned routes on the "IR Routes" page.)

Hmmn.  April 17, 2010.
One week after I had done my first ever rando ride -- the Raleigh Region 200k brevet.
One week before I would do my first ever 300k.
On the day I did that 300, April 24th, Ricochet Robert did his first ride as an adult, 

Much has changed since then.

• The aforementioned 80-miler has been morphed into a 138-km RUSA perm-pop. 
• I've ridden nearly 50-thousand RUSA kms. 
• Robert has ridden just over 45-thousand RUSA kms and completed PBP in 2015. 
• Iva joined RUSA and rides 2 to 4 pops a year with me -- either as training or just to ride with me. 
• I met BobB / NCBob (though technically, I probably met Bob on April 10, 2010) and Bob has ridden in excess of 60-thousand RUSA kms and also ridden x-continent with PacTour.  
• Harvey, aka Snapper, aka Cheeta', recently joined RUSA. 
• The Mallet has ridden at least two or three brevets and/or brevet-pops as a non-member. 
• And the aforementioned 80-miler -- I morphed that into a 138-km RUSA perm-pop.  It is my favorite perm route, though it only ranks 3rd or 4th on my list of most ridden perm routes. 
• And the Irregulars have become VERY irregular indeed, doing only two to four rides a year instead of riding most every Saturday. 

The central theme of the 2010 ride was to get Iva a county line sprint.
Every rider except Iva was in on the conspiracy to accomplish that.
It was the only way -- a previous attempt where only three had been in the conspiracy had failed.

The central theme(s) of this 2017 ride was very simple:  ride, and enjoy it, and celebrate Iva's 70th.
That we did accomplish on a favorite Irregulars route -- the "Shoofly Don't Bother Me."
"We" = IvaHawk, Snapper, Ricochet, NCBob, Mallet, me.

On Antioch Rd, homeward bound, just south of Oxford.  L to R -- Ricochet, Mallet, Snapper, me, IvaHawk.  [Photo by NCBob.]

IvaHawk, sandbagging on Antioch Rd.  I note that he was sandbagging because, for the first time that I can recall, on the finishing run on New Light Rd, he came around me and left me in the dust.  He'll be leading when next he and I do a perm-pop together.  [Photo by NCBob.]

Post-ride festivities in the PUE parking lot.  L to R -- Snapper, Mallet, Ricochet, IvaHawk.  I'm either off-camera or hadn't finished.  [Photo by NCBob.]