I was wrong. I would have sworn last week was my last Tuesday ride. Who would have thought I could manage another one? Give credit to the girls; they did their jobs, getting themselves out on time (actually, a bit early).
We wound up with nine riders (okay, ten if you count DfO). Dan, John T., Miller, Jimmy, Mike, Troy, Allen, Greg, and I pulled out of the parking lot right on time - a first in pacelinedom. The winds were from the northwest at 5-10 mph, which was quite noticeable on our way out. It would definitely impact the ride back negatively!
Greg was visiting, this being the last week before he moves into college. He and Mike have hooked into Strava, a website and app where you can create segments of courses that others can ride and rank themselves on. Mike had created a Strava course on, you guessed it, our 10-mile time trial course. Greg wanted the high score.
We didn't talk much about the plan on the way out as everyone was involved in small group conversations here and there. I was turning it over in my mind though, especially as I watched Greg warm up. He was itching to go for a good time, of that I was certain.
Would we break into two groups or stay in one? If we stayed in one, Greg had no real shot at the record. We had to go two. Our group was comprised of Miller, John T., Greg, and me. What happened to Jimmy, you ask? He wimped out. He "volunteered" to take Galloway's place in the other group. Cop out!
John T. kicked it off with a strong opening surge. He took us to 27 mph, held it 25-27 for a couple of minutes, then tapped. That wasn't bad at all considering the headwind we faced.
Greg was next. He too pulled it into the 27 mph range, but held a bit better average for a bit longer than John T. We were off to a pretty good start!
Miller was next. He took over going into Bromer, where the wind pretty much hits you square in the face. On top of that, he had the first climb. It was a tougher section tonight due to conditions, so his speed wasn't as high as the others. He topped the hill, then struggled a little to bring the speed up to his starting speed. To be fair, this section just above the first hill is harder than it looks under the best of circumstances, which these weren't.
Miller tapped, then I was given the lead in the stair-step down. Up to 27, slowly, then it dropped into the 25-26 area. Any little rise dropped me down under 25, but I tried to bring it right back above 25 the second the terrain leveled. This I was able to do over and over, so I stayed on. Miller had the first hill; my mind was made up to get Lost River.
I topped Lost River at a measly 16-high, but as soon as we went over the top, we dropped right down and took it to 25+. At this point, I tapped.
John T. was on again, this time not as strong. The wind was beginning to take its toll. He held it through the rollers, giving over to Greg as we prepared to climb the last hill.
This turned out to be a fatal mistake for John T. Greg was F-R-E-S-H! He blasted uphill into the wind at 25-26 mph, topping at nearly 24 mph. John T. Was G-O-N-E. I was snapped off the back, having failed to anticipate how well the speed would be held and being caught in too high a gear. By the time I shifted down, Miller and Greg broke away. What was first 5 yards became 50 in a heartbeat.
Now my work was cut out for me. I judged I could catch them. It was going to be tough, because time was running out. We were right at a mile to go, and the break hill is one-half mile from the end. Half a mile to cover the 50 yards. And Greg on the front, pouring on the coals.
Close it I did. I got to them 100 yards from the break, and gathered myself. I felt I could stay on the wheel of anyone trying to take off IF I could anticipate the move properly. Greg had the lead, Miller followed, and I was on the end. The setup was perfect for me.
What to do? My best bet was to let Greg do the work. That would leave me Miller. Miller is faster, I'm stronger. I would have to time my jump to be far enough out to prevent Miller's speed from being decisive. So, with a little over a quarter left, I jumped.
I slid by Greg smoothly, not decisively. I was trying to posture strength I didn't really possess. I was also amazed Miller didn't pound past me right away. This might actually work!
Then it happened. Greg made a comeback. He overtook me, grunting with every pedal stroke. I knew I couldn't stay with him. I figured Miller would be right on his wheel, but amazingly, he wasn't. And that's how we finished - Greg, IronBill, and Miller. John T. came in about 30 seconds later.
It was a good ride. Our group had ridden pretty darn well together as a team, only losing John T. at the end. We averaged 24.8 mph, not our best, but hey, season is over for all of us, we had a headwind, it's how it goes. It felt like a good effort to me, anyway. Heck, I overheard Greg say his heart rate went over 200 - at least if I couldn't win, I made him work for it. ;)
Great meal afterwards at Wendy's. Wouldn't you know it? They finally get their act together as our season ends. For two weeks in a row service has been stellar. Sure, they ran out of Berry Salad after Jimmy ordered (leaving poor Dan in the lurch), but aside from that we couldn't ask for anything more. It was a fun night that ended all too soon.
We wound up with nine riders (okay, ten if you count DfO). Dan, John T., Miller, Jimmy, Mike, Troy, Allen, Greg, and I pulled out of the parking lot right on time - a first in pacelinedom. The winds were from the northwest at 5-10 mph, which was quite noticeable on our way out. It would definitely impact the ride back negatively!
Greg was visiting, this being the last week before he moves into college. He and Mike have hooked into Strava, a website and app where you can create segments of courses that others can ride and rank themselves on. Mike had created a Strava course on, you guessed it, our 10-mile time trial course. Greg wanted the high score.
We didn't talk much about the plan on the way out as everyone was involved in small group conversations here and there. I was turning it over in my mind though, especially as I watched Greg warm up. He was itching to go for a good time, of that I was certain.
Would we break into two groups or stay in one? If we stayed in one, Greg had no real shot at the record. We had to go two. Our group was comprised of Miller, John T., Greg, and me. What happened to Jimmy, you ask? He wimped out. He "volunteered" to take Galloway's place in the other group. Cop out!
John T. kicked it off with a strong opening surge. He took us to 27 mph, held it 25-27 for a couple of minutes, then tapped. That wasn't bad at all considering the headwind we faced.
Greg was next. He too pulled it into the 27 mph range, but held a bit better average for a bit longer than John T. We were off to a pretty good start!
Miller was next. He took over going into Bromer, where the wind pretty much hits you square in the face. On top of that, he had the first climb. It was a tougher section tonight due to conditions, so his speed wasn't as high as the others. He topped the hill, then struggled a little to bring the speed up to his starting speed. To be fair, this section just above the first hill is harder than it looks under the best of circumstances, which these weren't.
Miller tapped, then I was given the lead in the stair-step down. Up to 27, slowly, then it dropped into the 25-26 area. Any little rise dropped me down under 25, but I tried to bring it right back above 25 the second the terrain leveled. This I was able to do over and over, so I stayed on. Miller had the first hill; my mind was made up to get Lost River.
I topped Lost River at a measly 16-high, but as soon as we went over the top, we dropped right down and took it to 25+. At this point, I tapped.
John T. was on again, this time not as strong. The wind was beginning to take its toll. He held it through the rollers, giving over to Greg as we prepared to climb the last hill.
This turned out to be a fatal mistake for John T. Greg was F-R-E-S-H! He blasted uphill into the wind at 25-26 mph, topping at nearly 24 mph. John T. Was G-O-N-E. I was snapped off the back, having failed to anticipate how well the speed would be held and being caught in too high a gear. By the time I shifted down, Miller and Greg broke away. What was first 5 yards became 50 in a heartbeat.
Now my work was cut out for me. I judged I could catch them. It was going to be tough, because time was running out. We were right at a mile to go, and the break hill is one-half mile from the end. Half a mile to cover the 50 yards. And Greg on the front, pouring on the coals.
Close it I did. I got to them 100 yards from the break, and gathered myself. I felt I could stay on the wheel of anyone trying to take off IF I could anticipate the move properly. Greg had the lead, Miller followed, and I was on the end. The setup was perfect for me.
What to do? My best bet was to let Greg do the work. That would leave me Miller. Miller is faster, I'm stronger. I would have to time my jump to be far enough out to prevent Miller's speed from being decisive. So, with a little over a quarter left, I jumped.
I slid by Greg smoothly, not decisively. I was trying to posture strength I didn't really possess. I was also amazed Miller didn't pound past me right away. This might actually work!
Then it happened. Greg made a comeback. He overtook me, grunting with every pedal stroke. I knew I couldn't stay with him. I figured Miller would be right on his wheel, but amazingly, he wasn't. And that's how we finished - Greg, IronBill, and Miller. John T. came in about 30 seconds later.
It was a good ride. Our group had ridden pretty darn well together as a team, only losing John T. at the end. We averaged 24.8 mph, not our best, but hey, season is over for all of us, we had a headwind, it's how it goes. It felt like a good effort to me, anyway. Heck, I overheard Greg say his heart rate went over 200 - at least if I couldn't win, I made him work for it. ;)
Great meal afterwards at Wendy's. Wouldn't you know it? They finally get their act together as our season ends. For two weeks in a row service has been stellar. Sure, they ran out of Berry Salad after Jimmy ordered (leaving poor Dan in the lurch), but aside from that we couldn't ask for anything more. It was a fun night that ended all too soon.
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