"Spirited Tuesday Ride"

Two days ago a ride was sent out over the NRVBA listserv about a "spirited Tuesday ride" at about an 18 mile an hour pace. Since the NRVBA is not the VT cycling club, I decided maybe it would be more enjoyable than Wednesday Worlds and I went to meet up with who ever might show up at the Blacksburg Rec Center. The route is below with the Regroup points as 1, 2, and 3.

For the first two legs there were 5 of us. Nothing major to say, I kept up for a while and then someone would try to ride off, 3 would go and 2 (myself and another rider) would try but inevitably fail at keeping up. 

For the Mt. Tabor leg I ended at the regroup point 4 of 5 and my legs were already feeling it. We regrouped and started the Catabwa leg. 5 miles into it another acceleration happened and I finished 5 of 5 for that leg. We regrouped again and now was the final climb. A 2.5ish mile long trek up Cedar Run after about 4.5 on Lusters Gate. I had low expectations of staying with the group, but I gave it my all. 

For this leg there was only 4 of us and at about half a mile into it the group split and I was somehow in the first group with a guy I figured would eventually ride away. But as it happened I rode by him on the climb and finished at the top in first. Not too far ahead of the others but far enough it felt good.

I'll call it the first of many wins to come this "season".

On a side note I'm pretty sure two of the guys I was riding with were over 50, one was over 40 and the guy who did 2/3's of the ride with us was over 30. So I was definitely the youngest of the group and those guys burned me on the first two legs...I need to get into better form.

Wednesday Worlds. Week 2.

This was the week to stay with the group for a good amount of the time. But that didn't happen.

As normal the ride started from Bollo's and this week was the Mount Tabor Loop (the map of the ride is at the bottom). We did our group ride out to about mile 4 on the map and that is when we split up. Now, this time the ride to the start was at an easier pace than last week and once the B group started it was at a pace I could keep up with. I actually made it to the front of the pace line for a hot second.

So we were cruising along in our pace line. I'm new to this, but it seemed like a pretty sloppy pace line. We were running a line along edge the of the road that seemed to be doing the pace setting and there was a second line to the left that seemed people would just ride into whenever they felt like it. Instead of using that line to rotate to the back once they had their pull at the front. But who knows. Now I ended up at the back after my pull and got back into the pace line and we went down this little hill around mile 8 that had a little turn to the left. This is were I was dropped.

I don't know if I wasn't paying attention or what but the guy right in front of me braked a little fast (I say this because the person he was behind started to pull away and obviously was not braking as hard) and I went to his left to try and avoid hitting his wheel. I did this rather fast and lost my balance a little and rocked almost hitting a rider beside me. Luckily, by his skill or mine (I'll assume it was his) he avoided me and I hit the pavement. There was a guy behind me too but he avoided also and I was the only one down, which I am glad about because I did not want to be that guy that nobody knows but starts taking riders out because it's his second time out.

So I hit the ground, basically like someone pushed me over with my feet in the pedals. A few tiny cuts on my elbow and a scrape on my knee and all is well. The group rides off and I get up and walk to the side and inspect myself. All is good and I wait for a minute and watch the 3 A's pass. One of them asks if I'm alright (which was surprising to me for some reason) I said I am and they ride by.

I hop back on the bike, deciding I came knowing I would probably end up riding solo (this was just sooner then I had hoped) but so be it. I ended up seeing two riders coming at me that got dropped and turned around or just couldn't stay out for the length of the ride and I caught up to one guy who turned early to get to Catabwa.

So I get to Catabwa turning off Sandy Ridge to head back to town after an hour of riding over 17 ish miles. I decide I want to push it a little and try to do the next 10 miles in under 30 minutes (I did it in 29 minutes and some seconds).

I start off and the rain starts. Not a lot in the beginning but a few consistent drops. Stays that way for about 5 miles and then the steady rain starts and it stays that way until I get home about 30 minutes later. And I don't know if you know this but riding downhill at 30 mph rain starts to sting a little.

I stopped at the church right before the Harding climb to have a drink and rest for a minute and a guy was loading his bike onto his car in the parking lot. He asked if I wanted a ride to the top (at this point I was so soaked that it looked and felt like I had jumped in a pool with my bike) but I declined and finished out strong with a 17 mph average and did the 32 miles in 1 hour and 51 minutes.

So in the end I road solo across the line, in dead last, but at least I finished.