What a beautiful day for a ride! Miller, Jimmy, Scott, Roy, and I didn't waste this one... sure hope you didn't either.
To begin, this was the first century for Roy and Miller, and the first of the year for Jimmy. For that reason, Scott and I discussed the course and opted for the easier options. This was wise on the face of it, and wiser by the end when the results would be known. The wind was low at the start, but by noon time it was strong from the south. For this reason our course took us deep south as quickly as possible.
From the start Miller and Scott looked strong on the climbs. I wasn't having any of the early push. I took my time in the climbs. It's a long day, and it was going to get warm. There was plenty of time to push later if we felt up to it. For this reason I spent most of the first half at the back end of the ride.
We wound our way through Mitchell, Orleans, and Pumpkin Center by the usual routes, then hooked over to Livonia. From there we jumped on Allen's new segment and trekked north to Campbellsburg. With around 55 miles in we stopped for lunch. Everyone was still looking good by then. The only problem was Scott had overdressed a bit and was still wearing the jacket from the morning. No problem - except it was already over 70 degrees and climbing.
A word on the food at the Campbellsburg gas station - I love it. Lord help me, I love it so. And it never tastes better than when you are just off a 3-hour bike ride.
To get our miles, we were forced to go again into the teeth of the strong south winds. This was an unpopular decision, voiced mostly by Roy, but I'm sure it was a common sentiment. Since it was at least in part my decision, I took the long pull south to get us back to Livonia. This was when it became clear the ride was wearing some down. I wasn't pushing, but the farther we went on, the more the group struggled to stay together. It might be a long second half.
Back to 337, and it was easy. OH! So easy! Once we topped the hill above the county line and dropped onto the time trial course, it was a coast to go 26-27 mph. I mean, I wasn't pushing down on the pedals at all, it was just fast. The group broke up, so I slowed it down. 23 mph was nothing. I bet my heart rate wasn't over 110 the whole time we were on 337. Jimmy wound up pulling when I dropped to the back, and he was coasting at a similar speed. For me, this might have been the easiest part of the trip.
After passing Huck's, it became clear one more push south was needed to make the ride complete. I pulled this one too, albeit at a more subdued pace. After that, we turned west, then north for good. The rest of the ride promised to be an easy coast northward.
The thing about long rides is you are never sure how they will turn out until the end. One little mistake early will cost you big in the end, and the end can come suddenly. Scott was clearly beginning to show serious signs of dehydration, from his demeanor right down to his salt-stained shorts. That jacket was literally killing him.
Despite all this, we found ourselves back on Dixie Highway 'ere long, turning out onto the highway for the final piece of ugly on the day. No one wanted to lead the climb, so I did... we had a strong tail wind, how bad could it be? Miller and I topped first (and let me say, he looked fresh as a daisy the whole ride). Looking back, we could see Scott and Jimmy a bit back. Roy was not in sight. At all. Clearly something bad had happened.
The road was littered with trash, so the odds were it was a flat. Still you never know. I bit the bullet and said I would drop down the cut to find out. Miller followed. Sure enough, there Roy was, on the opposite side of the bridge, changing a front tire. By the time we got turned at Burton he was ready to get back on, and we all then climbed back up the hill.
Jimmy and I were going to run after the ride, but this delay was enough to put Jimmy off. Probably for the best though... that would have been quite a load for him at this point. I was not deterred, and did indeed go home, shoe up, and ran 3 miles. It was my fastest pace of the week, I might add.
So to sum up, I will use the words of Jimmy during the day's ride... "It's a beautiful day... I'm only sorry more of my friends aren't here to share it with me."
To begin, this was the first century for Roy and Miller, and the first of the year for Jimmy. For that reason, Scott and I discussed the course and opted for the easier options. This was wise on the face of it, and wiser by the end when the results would be known. The wind was low at the start, but by noon time it was strong from the south. For this reason our course took us deep south as quickly as possible.
From the start Miller and Scott looked strong on the climbs. I wasn't having any of the early push. I took my time in the climbs. It's a long day, and it was going to get warm. There was plenty of time to push later if we felt up to it. For this reason I spent most of the first half at the back end of the ride.
We wound our way through Mitchell, Orleans, and Pumpkin Center by the usual routes, then hooked over to Livonia. From there we jumped on Allen's new segment and trekked north to Campbellsburg. With around 55 miles in we stopped for lunch. Everyone was still looking good by then. The only problem was Scott had overdressed a bit and was still wearing the jacket from the morning. No problem - except it was already over 70 degrees and climbing.
A word on the food at the Campbellsburg gas station - I love it. Lord help me, I love it so. And it never tastes better than when you are just off a 3-hour bike ride.
To get our miles, we were forced to go again into the teeth of the strong south winds. This was an unpopular decision, voiced mostly by Roy, but I'm sure it was a common sentiment. Since it was at least in part my decision, I took the long pull south to get us back to Livonia. This was when it became clear the ride was wearing some down. I wasn't pushing, but the farther we went on, the more the group struggled to stay together. It might be a long second half.
Back to 337, and it was easy. OH! So easy! Once we topped the hill above the county line and dropped onto the time trial course, it was a coast to go 26-27 mph. I mean, I wasn't pushing down on the pedals at all, it was just fast. The group broke up, so I slowed it down. 23 mph was nothing. I bet my heart rate wasn't over 110 the whole time we were on 337. Jimmy wound up pulling when I dropped to the back, and he was coasting at a similar speed. For me, this might have been the easiest part of the trip.
After passing Huck's, it became clear one more push south was needed to make the ride complete. I pulled this one too, albeit at a more subdued pace. After that, we turned west, then north for good. The rest of the ride promised to be an easy coast northward.
The thing about long rides is you are never sure how they will turn out until the end. One little mistake early will cost you big in the end, and the end can come suddenly. Scott was clearly beginning to show serious signs of dehydration, from his demeanor right down to his salt-stained shorts. That jacket was literally killing him.
Despite all this, we found ourselves back on Dixie Highway 'ere long, turning out onto the highway for the final piece of ugly on the day. No one wanted to lead the climb, so I did... we had a strong tail wind, how bad could it be? Miller and I topped first (and let me say, he looked fresh as a daisy the whole ride). Looking back, we could see Scott and Jimmy a bit back. Roy was not in sight. At all. Clearly something bad had happened.
The road was littered with trash, so the odds were it was a flat. Still you never know. I bit the bullet and said I would drop down the cut to find out. Miller followed. Sure enough, there Roy was, on the opposite side of the bridge, changing a front tire. By the time we got turned at Burton he was ready to get back on, and we all then climbed back up the hill.
Jimmy and I were going to run after the ride, but this delay was enough to put Jimmy off. Probably for the best though... that would have been quite a load for him at this point. I was not deterred, and did indeed go home, shoe up, and ran 3 miles. It was my fastest pace of the week, I might add.
So to sum up, I will use the words of Jimmy during the day's ride... "It's a beautiful day... I'm only sorry more of my friends aren't here to share it with me."
Wish I could have been there!
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