For my second ride [June 3] I am leading a group of close to 20 on a grizzly ride from/to San Jose/Los Altos Hills. We have attracted two new perspective members, one being "Bob." Bob is a visiting professor [from Perdue University] teaching first year engineering at San Jose State. He's here for another 7 months and doesn't know too many people. But he wants to join a bike club; meet some friendly people; hence, ACTC.
At about 15 miles into the ride we're on Foothill crossing under Highway just coming up on Los Altos. The road is torn up in anticipation of repaving, and it's rough on our bikes [and butts]. All of a sudden I hear from behind "keys!" By the time I've realized what has happened and made it to the Los Altos turn off, I look down and see from my ride map holder I've lost MY keys; you know, the ones to your car with electronic everything including locks.
Someone on the ride says she saw someone's keys pop out and fall on the road just after the freeway off ramp. So I go back to the indicated area looking for my keys. I look, and look, and look but find nothing. Several others on the ride come back to help out. We all look, and look and look but find nothing.
The rest of the group is getting anxious waiting for its leader, so I return to the fold resigned to face a key problem when the ride is over. About 5 miles later we come down from the hills on our way to Main Street for lunch when in front of us appears "Bob." How did you get in front of us I ask Bob? He says, "I went after keys" as he pulls my missing keys out of his pack.
It is then Bob explains that he saw someone's keys fall to the ground ahead of him and thought they might belong to someone on our ride. So he stopped to pick them up. When he looked up the group was gone, so he rode on not being familiar with where he was. Bob sees a group several blocks ahead and thinks he has to "catch up." About a mile later he realizes he has caught up to someone else's group! Now what?
Ah, the route sheet. Fortunately I had EVERY turn noted. So Bob goes looking for a landmark he can recognize from my route sheet. First stop is Tom's Coffee Shop. "Do you know where any of these streets are" Bob asks the waitress as lets her look at the route sheet? "I'm a lost sheep on a bike ride" he laments. The waitress replies no, but suggests he go around the corner to the bike shop.
So Bob walks out the door heading towards the bike shop only to see it's called Bicycle Outfitters which appears on my route sheet. Now Bob figures all he has to do is work backwards following my route sheet, which he does. And low and behold, he catches up to the group as we're coming down Magdalena!
Well, unbelievably I got my keys back; Bob got a free lunch at the ride leader's expense; and ACTC got a new member! What a country; what a bike club; what a memorable ride for Bob and I; and you see, we didn't even need keys!