Sometimes I go on about the anxiety I feel when I see a field of blue kits lined up at the front of the Tuesday ride, thinking about the pain and suffering they are going to inflict on the ride. Sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's not so bad, more often than not it's managable.
But that kind of pressure is nothing compared to the pressure I've begun feeling in trying to churn out these ride reports week after week. I find the anxiety attacks starting Sunday evening, lasting all day Monday, turning into full fledged panic by Tuesday. I wonder if Stephen King feels the same pressure trying to knock out 2-3 books a year? I suppose when you have his money and success there's little worry about much of anything.
Which leads me to wonder, is there any money to be made in writing up these ride reports? Maybe everyone could pass the basket around before the Tuesday night ride.
Maybe not.
Distance: 30.95
Ride time: 1:31:21
Average MPH: 20.3
As we lined up I had mixed emotions - no blue spin arts kits, but no A ride either - which meant it was going to be a combined A/B ride. Luciano, Big "Dustin Pedroia" on the black Super Six, blue Six13, red "Psycho" kit on the green Liquigas bike, a new woman on a yellow Pinerello (I love that bike and she can ride it too!), black Scott cr1, "Oulette" on the black Specialized - too many question marks.
And there were the usual cast of Tuesday nighters, Mark on his vintage steel Paramount, Big Dave, Natalie sporting a fresh new helmet, Daren and others.
Rode up to Prospect St, down past the shopping center/ Orchard Hills, left onto Mechanic St, about 1/4 mile down the road someone had a gap of about 30 feet and kept looking back, slowed down for the group, and then tried to accelarate when the group reached him - this always screws things up, rode around him and tried setting a steady pace down Mechanic and onto 70. I pulled for what seemed like forever, I kept going and going (there comes a time when you need to pull off so as not to slow the pace), just as I was about to flick off Luciano and the rest of the group pulled through on my right, I just stayed to the left and let the train pass until I caught last wheel and stuggled like hell to hang on. I was afraid I was about to get dropped for the first time this year - I didn't know wheather to spin it or mash it (I opted for the latter) and searched my brain for a song I could use to try and move back on to last wheel ("Black Betty" worked perfectly).
When I finally had enough gas to look up I couldn't believe it, there were several riders way off the front, Luciano, Blue Six13, Big Dustin Pedroia, Green Liquigas, I think the yellow Pinerello and a couple others were there too - a spectator stuck in the back, I watched as several riders in the main group decided to move up (although I still don't know what they were trying to accomplish because they weren't going after the lead group) they were riding dangerously close to the double yellow, maybe over it, on rt 70 that's never a good idea.
I finally recovered enough where I felt strong enough to move up to the front, and then off the front hoping to get a group on my wheel to try and work to bridge up to the group of 5, I guess I should've asked for help instead of hoping for it - no one went (saving themselves for COVAC I'm sure). So I was off the front with no help, left out to hang in the breeze, bridged up to a lone rider also stuck out in no mans land - asked him to work, no deal. So no help, no way to bridge the group of 5 who were working together, I rode alone listening to "Black Betty" as I watched the lead group pull away to the intersection of 117.
One thing that amazes me is watching Luciano ride his bike, seemingly without effort, on the one hand it makes me want to commit to raising my training up 10 notches in the off season, while on the other hand giving up riding altogether knowing I'll never be that good (it's got to be the Italian genetics). Him and "blue Six13" had it going on all night and even though they spent a fair amount of time hanging in the peleton, when they wanted to go they went, and even when they didn't go for townline sprints you knew they were just playing nice on the B ride.
From 70 we took the right onto 117 and then onto Langden, straight through towards Sterling Rd, that short little climb was when I realized how warm and humid it was, I was sucking air going up that short hill watching more riders pull away - we got to the end and a quick right onto Sterling Rd - signals got mixxed up and like a sheep I followed a few others who bore right down Sterling rd, while the main group went left onto Deershorn, I didn't have the bike handling skills to cut across the grass like several others did so I had to ride up to the left that cuts across to Deershorn, again hanging on the back when I caught back up.
Cut across 62 onto Chace Hill, I knew what was coming so I tried to move up while at the same time saving myself, but it didn't work, one by one I was passed by the stronger riders as we started the climb up the hill, the ride down the other side was fast as we made our way down to 110.
A right onto 110, the pace remained brisk, I don't know if I was finally warmed up or the ride eased up, but I didn't feel like throwing up as much as I did the previous 10 miles so that was enough to make me feel like sprinting to the W. Boylston town line - it was the most pathetic sprint ever, I might have cranked out enough power to maybe light a 45 watt lightbulb, I "won" but I don't think it counted for any sprinter points since it was uncontested.
We continued on all the way to the intersection of 12, turned right and then headed towards Sterling.
It was starting to get dark the pace was quick as it always is down 12, as we got close to Sterling Center Big Dustin Pedroia who was doing a lot of the work asked if he screwed up by pulling too hard - "Do you think I dropped them?"
Me - "Maybe"
Red Fuji Roubaix - "should we wait up?"
Me - "yeah, pull into the bank parking lot and we'll wait up"
No sooner in the bank parking lot -
Daren - "what, did you guys think you dropped us (chuckle)
Me - "I thought we had a 1/2 mile gap on you"
Luciano- "your team director on race radio had the wrong time gap, it was only 1/2 meter, not 1/2 mile"
The ride got cranked up again going down Rt 12 - everyone was working well, I cheated (if there is such a thing in bike racing) by finding shelter on the inside, completely out of the wind, perfect positioning, hardly any work for the first couple miles out of Sterling center.
I was 3rd wheel when I finally found my way back into the paceline, Litespeed in front, Elaine 2nd wheel and your's truly. Litespeed did his work, then Elaine tucked into the drops and started hammering it, HARD! She was really working it so much so I was finding it hard to hang on. My turn, I did a quick pull before bailing (because I had no idea which turn we were taking) - snuck back into the paceline but found it hard holding the wheel in front of me - after pulling back in I tried to hang on but couldn't, I bailed not knowing Daren had my wheel - he yelled at me for not holding the wheel in front and leaving a gap for him to bridge - I did what I could to get back in there and try to help Daren out, but I wasn't strong enough and couldn't do it so I spent the rest of the ride contemplating whether or not to sell the bike and take up another sport, maybe bowling, maybe croquet, I belive both to be noble sports, and as a bonus one can drink beer while competing, unlike cycling where you have to wait for the ride to end before imbibing.
Took the left onto N Row, everyone rode their own pace up to the end before turning right onto Pleasant. Made the last little climb up to Sholan Farms and then cruised downhill all the way to the shop.
When I got back to my car I realized I might have worked harder than I needed to - I noticed my front rim had been rubbing against the brake pad all night, even when I opened up the brake lever it was still rubbing, I was too tired to try and diagnose the problem. I'm sure Gene will help me out by selling me those Zipp 404s, even if a quick wheel truing might solve the problem.
Time to taper down the miles before Sunday's big event. The weather looks real good so I'm hoping we have a great turnout for COVAC, and better yet, the post ride imbibing! I think I feel a sick day coming on for next Monday.
Very nice ride report as usual. Did you have any luck passing the hat last night?
ReplyDeleteWe arrived in Marblehead and it was sunny and warm enough to fish in shorts and a t-shirt. Just a very light East wind which turned a little Southeast by 5pm and it clouded over a bit. At this point the temp dropped and I put on pants and three long sleeve tops. By 5:30 I pretty much had everything on including hat and gloves.
The wind swung over to the Southwest then pretty much died down so I started taking a few things off. By 6:30 the wind was nonexistent, we even had a guy go by in a racing scull. It’s not every day you get to see that on the open ocean.
At dusk a racing sail boat pulled in right in from of us and weighed anchor for the evening. That’s the pic
Attached.
Again, no fish were to be had. The water is still very warm which is what’s keeping the fish away from shore.