I'm not that good, or rather, I'm not that evil. I couldn't have planned it any better though, and as it turned out, for some it was as cruel as last week.
For a group of guys that believed the riding season was ending, we sure have turned them out. 11 regulars showed tonight, and later we added a helmetless DfO. On top of that, the weather to the east and west was threatening - we saw copious lightning and heard the thunder 10 miles away to the east. Nobody even blinked. The ride was on.
Up until we hit 337, things were pretty much normal. The group lazily made its way south, while the anxious rabbit or two off the front stretching it out a bit. However, once they reached 337, they paused to let the rest of us catch up.
I was riding off the back talking to whoever was on the end at any particular time. I was trying not to get caught up in anything this week. Last week I intended to ride easily and wound up laying down a hard track. Still, once on 337 riding for a bit, I saw that thin line half a mile away and receding. I couldn't allow that.
I caught them after a few minutes, then moved to the front. Scott was there, steadily pulling the train. I didn't know how long he'd been up there, but I moved ahead of him to take a turn (shades of DfO!). I realized I was being pushy, but hey, they'd been up there for a while. And, when I went by Scott, I asked if he was pulling. His answer was a decidedly indifferent, "I guess?".
So I got on the front just in time to pull the eastern hill out of Lost River Valley. Of course Scott, being a better climber, immediately rode by. I apologized, and promised to do better over the top. I was a man of my word. I took it to 21, 22, 23... and held in this range for a while. I figured they had been doing no better than this, and I wasn't trying to break them up. It wasn't long before it was 22, 23, 24... I wasn't pushing, I was keeping the same pressure on my legs.
I could see the shadow of the rider behind me, always there, always just off my shoulder. I figured it to be James or Miller, and when we pulled off 337 to the tree, it was indeed Miller. That made sense. James would probably gone around me at some point. I guess I had been waiting for it a bit.
We broke into two groups - 12 is too many people for one line. Galloway, the Burri, Rand, and Scott were the lead group. We followed a bit after. Our group was Me, John T., Greg, Miller, James, and DfO. Troy was going to chase us in a solo TT.
I took the first pull, and as I promised upon leaving, I wasn't going to blast it. I wanted to hold pretty much in the 26's, which I mostly did. I hit the low 25's in some small hiccups, definitely an indication my legs are still tired from my race, but was pulling well. My plan was to tap in Bromer. Shortly before that point I could hear someone behind say, "Pull off!". I couldn't tell if it was a statement or a question, so I tapped. No sense getting stingy.
John T. was next. I rotated back, DfO pulling off to let me in. John T. had a pull almost identical to mine, just a bit shorter, then he rotated back. Then the fun started. Greg shot it up a mile an hour to the 27s. As we stair stepped down away from Bromer, speeds actually occasionally approached 30 mph, but generally were in the 27-28 range. He pulled a good time, then it was Miller's turn.
I don't know how he does it, but Miller always gets the same piece - the northern section just west of Pumpkin Center turn. He was quick too, every bit as fast as Greg. He tapped, then it was James.
This was the moment I'd been waiting for. I hadn't gone full-out in my first pull because I figured both Greg and James would lay it on us. Greg was pushing 29 mph heading into the Lost River hill, and of course it only went up from there. He scooted quickly across the valley floor commanding a 29-30 mph drive that tapped just before the bridge. It was a great pull, and now it was time for me to take the hill.
I wasn't great. My legs are tired, and the hills really show it. I hopped out of the saddle to make the best of it, and briefly dropped in the 17s before topping. Once over the top, my VO2 took over, and soon we were back up to 28 mph in the rollers. I figured this was my last pull, and now I wouldn't be afraid to do what I could. I might get dropped, I might not, but it was time to do it.
I considered tapping after the rollers, but I felt fine, we were moving well, and I figured why not take the last hill. No one wanted it, I was sure, since it would take whoever did it out of the sprint at the end. I wasn't the best sprinter in the group and had no desire to contest it, so I might as well be the one.
We almost held the 20 mph over the top. I think I saw 19.9 or so at the top, disappointing, but it was still a good effort. I laid over the bars, picked up a bit of speed, then tapped.
John T. was on again, and he lead the charge to the break line. As we hit the line, I called to James, who was just ahead of me, that it was now every man for himself, a sprint for the finish. He'd never done this with us before, but he immediately responded as I knew he would - burst of speed. Greg responded, as did Miller, and I tried weakly to minimize the damage. I was at 32 mph and losing ground fast. Miller was dropped. It was now up to Greg and James to sort it out. It was back-and-forth, but ultimately James got it.
It was a fun ride. True, I wound up being more a domestique than contender tonight, but that's fine. I got a great workout out and back, and it was fun being part of that group. James commented on how well the line performed, how well we communicated and did our jobs. I'd agree with that. It was a smooth line tonight, as good as we've ever done it. We all wondered if it would be a record breaker. It certainly had to be close.
Very close as it turned out. By a thin three (3!) seconds I held on to KOM. For the second week in a row, only mere seconds separated first and second on a KOM. It was more luck on my part than plan - I certainly was trying to ride hard. But it's got to hurt. Take heart! I've no doubt there's a whole list of riders in this group who'll soon be shredding that particular time.
Great fun, guys!
I'll part with the tip of the day:
"If you happen upon a group of riders in a pace line, don't try to join on by inserting in the middle of the line."
Just sayin'.
For a group of guys that believed the riding season was ending, we sure have turned them out. 11 regulars showed tonight, and later we added a helmetless DfO. On top of that, the weather to the east and west was threatening - we saw copious lightning and heard the thunder 10 miles away to the east. Nobody even blinked. The ride was on.
Up until we hit 337, things were pretty much normal. The group lazily made its way south, while the anxious rabbit or two off the front stretching it out a bit. However, once they reached 337, they paused to let the rest of us catch up.
I was riding off the back talking to whoever was on the end at any particular time. I was trying not to get caught up in anything this week. Last week I intended to ride easily and wound up laying down a hard track. Still, once on 337 riding for a bit, I saw that thin line half a mile away and receding. I couldn't allow that.
I caught them after a few minutes, then moved to the front. Scott was there, steadily pulling the train. I didn't know how long he'd been up there, but I moved ahead of him to take a turn (shades of DfO!). I realized I was being pushy, but hey, they'd been up there for a while. And, when I went by Scott, I asked if he was pulling. His answer was a decidedly indifferent, "I guess?".
So I got on the front just in time to pull the eastern hill out of Lost River Valley. Of course Scott, being a better climber, immediately rode by. I apologized, and promised to do better over the top. I was a man of my word. I took it to 21, 22, 23... and held in this range for a while. I figured they had been doing no better than this, and I wasn't trying to break them up. It wasn't long before it was 22, 23, 24... I wasn't pushing, I was keeping the same pressure on my legs.
I could see the shadow of the rider behind me, always there, always just off my shoulder. I figured it to be James or Miller, and when we pulled off 337 to the tree, it was indeed Miller. That made sense. James would probably gone around me at some point. I guess I had been waiting for it a bit.
We broke into two groups - 12 is too many people for one line. Galloway, the Burri, Rand, and Scott were the lead group. We followed a bit after. Our group was Me, John T., Greg, Miller, James, and DfO. Troy was going to chase us in a solo TT.
I took the first pull, and as I promised upon leaving, I wasn't going to blast it. I wanted to hold pretty much in the 26's, which I mostly did. I hit the low 25's in some small hiccups, definitely an indication my legs are still tired from my race, but was pulling well. My plan was to tap in Bromer. Shortly before that point I could hear someone behind say, "Pull off!". I couldn't tell if it was a statement or a question, so I tapped. No sense getting stingy.
John T. was next. I rotated back, DfO pulling off to let me in. John T. had a pull almost identical to mine, just a bit shorter, then he rotated back. Then the fun started. Greg shot it up a mile an hour to the 27s. As we stair stepped down away from Bromer, speeds actually occasionally approached 30 mph, but generally were in the 27-28 range. He pulled a good time, then it was Miller's turn.
I don't know how he does it, but Miller always gets the same piece - the northern section just west of Pumpkin Center turn. He was quick too, every bit as fast as Greg. He tapped, then it was James.
This was the moment I'd been waiting for. I hadn't gone full-out in my first pull because I figured both Greg and James would lay it on us. Greg was pushing 29 mph heading into the Lost River hill, and of course it only went up from there. He scooted quickly across the valley floor commanding a 29-30 mph drive that tapped just before the bridge. It was a great pull, and now it was time for me to take the hill.
I wasn't great. My legs are tired, and the hills really show it. I hopped out of the saddle to make the best of it, and briefly dropped in the 17s before topping. Once over the top, my VO2 took over, and soon we were back up to 28 mph in the rollers. I figured this was my last pull, and now I wouldn't be afraid to do what I could. I might get dropped, I might not, but it was time to do it.
I considered tapping after the rollers, but I felt fine, we were moving well, and I figured why not take the last hill. No one wanted it, I was sure, since it would take whoever did it out of the sprint at the end. I wasn't the best sprinter in the group and had no desire to contest it, so I might as well be the one.
We almost held the 20 mph over the top. I think I saw 19.9 or so at the top, disappointing, but it was still a good effort. I laid over the bars, picked up a bit of speed, then tapped.
John T. was on again, and he lead the charge to the break line. As we hit the line, I called to James, who was just ahead of me, that it was now every man for himself, a sprint for the finish. He'd never done this with us before, but he immediately responded as I knew he would - burst of speed. Greg responded, as did Miller, and I tried weakly to minimize the damage. I was at 32 mph and losing ground fast. Miller was dropped. It was now up to Greg and James to sort it out. It was back-and-forth, but ultimately James got it.
It was a fun ride. True, I wound up being more a domestique than contender tonight, but that's fine. I got a great workout out and back, and it was fun being part of that group. James commented on how well the line performed, how well we communicated and did our jobs. I'd agree with that. It was a smooth line tonight, as good as we've ever done it. We all wondered if it would be a record breaker. It certainly had to be close.
Very close as it turned out. By a thin three (3!) seconds I held on to KOM. For the second week in a row, only mere seconds separated first and second on a KOM. It was more luck on my part than plan - I certainly was trying to ride hard. But it's got to hurt. Take heart! I've no doubt there's a whole list of riders in this group who'll soon be shredding that particular time.
Great fun, guys!
I'll part with the tip of the day:
"If you happen upon a group of riders in a pace line, don't try to join on by inserting in the middle of the line."
Just sayin'.
No comments:
Post a Comment