The Pedaling Yentas, Gabbing Our Way Around the Scenic Loop

You might think bicycling is about leg power, but the power of gab is even a more high-octane fuel to pedal up those steep grades on the 13-mile Red Rock Scenic Loop. Thank God I bike with a bunch of yentas who are truly gifted gabbers besides being wonderful co-bicyclers.

It all played out on this morning bicycle ride, when I joined four bicyclists for a un-hammer-like ride from the local Dunkin Donuts at Nevada Road 159 and Desert Foothills Road.

Let's take a pedal backwards and see how we assembled our motley bicycle crew.

Last year, I met Scott Sofferman, a New Yorker like myself who just turned 60 recently and teaches veterinary medicine at a Vegas-area college. We met on the scenic loop about a year ago and we chatted our way up the scenic loop from the 3,600-foot elevation at the entrance to the 4,771 feet at the loop's apex.

We became quick bicycle buds and today Scott unveiled his gorgeous new Bianchi, equipped, of course, with the Century X bicycle seat. The dude racked up his 777th scenic loop ride this morning -- what a way to celebrate his new carbon metal horse.

Here's Scott with his new ISM Century X saddle.

Then there's my old standby, fellow Review-Journal journalist Kevin Cannon, a gifted photographer who bikes with me all over the Las Vegas area. He biked about ten miles from his house to our starting point this morning, and he offers a lot of comic relief.

Next up is Anthony Rossi, another New Yorker bicyclist I met on the scenic loop just like Scott when the both of us were all alone around 10:30 a.m. about a month ago after most of the other cyclists were off the road on this steamy and hot August late morning.

Anthony has owned Broadway Pizzeria on Rancho near the Charleston Blvd. corner for the past 18 years. He's pizzeria royalty in the Las Vegas area, serving up delicious slices for everyone from celebrities to even the folks at the RJ.

And today we had a special guest -- George Faulkner, a labor lawyer from Cleveland who represents locomotive engineer and who was in town on business. He rented a Giant road bicycle from Broken Spokes in the Dunkin shopping center and joined the four of us for a yenta-like gabfest as we pedaled four miles to the scenic loop entrance, looped the circuit and flew back down the hill to Dunkin.'

We took a few moments for a break at the loop's overlook, meeting up with a couple, including a friendly fella nice enough to snap this photo.

The weather was exquisite. It was in the 60s and super dry when we took off and the ride back to town was fantastic.