Today was a bit crazy, felt dead. Probably eating a bit of food too close to the ride.
We has a bit of a shake up in the attendees. Good showing by Brown, couple other folks, Myles, Brier, the Fox showed up too. A couple guys I didn't get their names of, one of them made it to the end.
No Kellogg or Eddy G, two of the strongest guys out there last week. Kellogg was equally instrumental at driving the pace in the beginning and shared pulls with me. So smooth. No Kellogg. No Derdowski (another very smooth strong rider), no Syl either (climbs pretty damn well for a Mt biker). Ed pushed the pace at the end and won all but the Rocky Hill sprint that I did.
Brier and a few others went for the town line that we pretty clearly (and I reiterated) isn't part of the sprint, so when they exhausted themselves I just kept the tempo and dragged the non-sprinters through, got a bit hairy with the left on pine, a passat was barreling down to the stop and we were hitting it with speed, slightly under cutting it, he was able to stop and we all adjusted, a squeaker. A little close for comfort. But we're not playing with horseshoes or handgrenades. I think I set the pace for a second, pulled off and we rolled through a bit, just a few guys in rotation though.
A handful of us knew where the sprint lines were, but not everyone. Thom even pulled through but not for long... Pine is the big separator it seems. If you can hang through that you're pretty much set.
But man it is not an easy sprint. Might be the toughest because it is steady 2-4% grade for a while, fast enough that the draft helps but my HR was in the 170s sitting on a wheel. Jacked 10 beats higher than last week - it felt weird. Could be the heat, could be the blood hanging out in the stomach or loaded with food stuff instead of oxygen, I dunno. It hurt.
YP hit the gas as we got to the farm in sight of the Salisbury sign (the sprint line) and I tried to go with him, I was barely able to match his pace, no bringing him back but we crossed 1-2. Brier was just sitting back, i guess he already went on a ride, but then he did sprint for the first non-sprint townline. Fox was right up there and Myles just made the selection and we rolled through and did tempo. Fox hit it and then Kenda shorts guy unloaded a dumptruck full of watts on Homestead heading to Rocky Hill.
And then we turned up a bit. It isn't a difficult approach, a few rollers here and there but it climbs up, and then there is a long drag around a corner to the sprint line at the top (second telephone pole before dropping back down).
Seemed much easier tonight. Eddy pulled like a fiend last week and Andrew was in there mixing it up with his nutter fitness and crazy watts/kg. And of course Kellogg knows how to go up hill. This time though YP and one of the other brown kids whose name i can't seem to remember was up there. We got to the sweeper to the right and we're weren't going too slowly, YP wasn't glass cranking it. I knew Fox was right in there and Brier would be waiting for the pounce and so I dropped three gears and grabbed the drops and stood up and unloaded. Gapped and won the line and looked back and well shit, no one went with me? Or no one could go? or the fact that if they had it still would have been futile because I WAS ON FIYA! I unloaded everything, the lead up felt pretty easy so that didn't suck. But man, i was sucking wind WICKED hard after that. Wow. It hurt too. But that's a good thing. Right?
So rather than driving the pace this time and leading everyone around. I tail gunned. Hung in the draft.
And then everyone went straight instead of staying to the right on River. The ride goes along River then turns up Hillside.
Everyone but me. I shouted left as they hit the intersection and good for them the all slowed and made a safe u-turn.
But
it gave me a gap. Instant breakaway. Big tall dude, I'm climbing better than I have but that doesn't change the fact that i'm 185-190 pounds. I'm not small, nor really skinny (below the waist that is). Hillside is tough.
A few steep pitches, some rollers and a good kicker at the end.
I wasn't fully recovered but, damn it, if this was a day I had a chance to win the Hillside sprint to the white mailbox, well I'd better take advantage of it. I've got six guys hell bent on catching me working together, they all pretty much climb better than I do, or as well as I do and they know I'm up the road. Lets go racing baby.
Tempo. Ride the edge of insanity. which actually was slower than I should have been going but I knew what was coming up and I wanted to save it and I could only just make out the head of the snake.
And I buried myself on the first ramp, oh it hurt, lungs exploding, and I carried as much speed as I could through the middle section while trying to get a touch of recovery for the final pitch. I could see Fox, YP and Brier, I think that group. I'm not sure what they were doing but they weren't fucking around. They were closing.
This was going to be close. I hit the bottom of the last wall, and Brier was coming fast. He's on his fancy aero Ridley with 1400 mm deep rims (okay probably only 60, but shit i'm on 32spoke open pro rims on a fucking CROSS BIKE).
Quick glance and he's about to make contact, I've got 30 yards to go, and I fucking unload with everything. Shocked him and I took the sprint.
Of course my arms were now tingling and buzzing, my legs were rubber and if I wasn't sitting on the bike I would have collapsed and been unable to move for a few minutes. But shit, I fucking took it. Sure, sure, I got lucky.
But, Luck is a funny thing. It presents opportunities, but if you are unable to cash in on them, they don't matter. I was able to cash in on them. I paid for it. And worked my ass off. If I'd been with the group all together, the chances of me hitting that line first were pretty slim.
We re-grouped but not stopped re-grouped, all the rides who made the selection at Pine were all together pretty quickly and we headed up for the left turn and the run back to the city.
Rolling along a solid tempo was set, it wasn't easy but it worked us all.
The left turn onto 152 is always dicier than is comfortable, and Brier had already declared that he didn't like that sprint line and wouldn't be contesting it. Fine. Don't. We all jumped across the road, and I took up and set the pace. With less than a 1k to go, maybe it was 500, maybe 800, maybe a full 1000, i dunno, but YP went, Fox latched and I hooked on to the train in third wheel. Was there someone on my wheel? I dunno, I didn't look.
YP drilled it, int he drops power and speed, he was emptying the tank, Fox came around and the same thing, he was going for the win.
No sir. Sorry, I've got this and I jump, and just edge him out. CX gearing FTW. Three out of Four.
We casually roll back through EP, Fox peels off, the EP officer holds up traffic and waves us through around the detour area (he did that last time too). And we rolled back home. Mellow like.
Cooked.
and wow did that hurt. Short, painful and I think Mark would still have kicked my ass if he was around. Esp on Hillside. ed did a good job last week with the ass kicking, he should be though he's only 6 points shy of his Cat 1 upgrade. I'd hope he can kick ass.
Hit the office, grabbed the trailer, headed home.
Snapped a few pictures on the way, what a gorgeous day.
Got home, cranked out a most delicious burrito/taco night, so good. Seriously one of the best. Now feet up, finishing this up, ready for some sleep now.
Belly full, worked over legs, and a few words unloaded about the ride.
now for a few pictures:
I should proof read it - make sure I didn't miss anything, but meh, it is what it is. I'm cracked.
heddwch
G
1 comment:
most fun I have had reading a ride report in weeks...
rock on.
respect
vanderbacon, Fat, m
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