Here’s a clue for you all (and no, it’s not “The Walrus was Paul”).
The Tuesday night B ride is not a training ride for all you racers or racer wannabees.
That’s the A ride.
(yes, I know I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone).
And things tend to work better in a group ride if the fast guys don’t spend all night at the front setting a pace that not everyone in the group can maintain (yes, I’ve been guilty of this as well). There’s something wrong with the pace when long time riders who are fit are getting dropped out of sight from the rest of the group because of the testosterone up front.
Again, A ride.
One more helpful hint to make things more efficient and less stoppage. Short pulls (< two minutes at the front), pull off to your left, let the group pass by, latch onto the back, rinse and repeat.
Again, short pulls, pull off to your left, let the group pass you by, latch onto the back, again and again and again.
If you get stuck behind someone's behind you don't particulary care for, physically or olfactory, then pull off, fall to the back again until you find the right ass for you. I know you all want to ride behind ME, but there's only one of me to go around, so you'll have to work it out amoung the pelaton who the lucky rider is. Maybe you can take turns each week, I don't care as long as it isn't Daren, he worries me with that pink saddle of his.
Anyway, the epiphany came to me last night (after almost 2 years of trying to make this ride as fast as possible), that’s it’s a group ride, not a race.
I don’t know why it took me so long to get it.
I suppose I'll start treating it like a group ride and help those in the back instead of going for the tuesday night hero status.
The stats I have from last nights ride (from another rider):
34.7 miles
102 minutes or thereabout.
20.1 average (felt faster)
Things started out bad and got worse.
I was on the front going up Prospect St. It’s usually Big Dave’s job to set the pace going up this street but he wasn't there so I was left to do his job and I had no clue what I was doing but I was apparently going too fast and drop one or two before the top of the hill.
Mea Culpa.
I think we pulled it back together when we got to the golf center, and again as we turned onto 70.
You all know Tattoo Dave, well we had Cat2 Greg (get it? Tattoo, Cat2? Clever, huh?) on last night’s ride giving us great entertainment as we were all struggling to keep our HR out of the red while he was cracking Cat 2 jokes for the 4 miles to Rt. 117. Unfortunately he’s non stop and my brain can only retain so much, I forgot most of what he said.
The one I did remember was “Surges in the pace are the price we pay for other’s mistakes”.
How apropos for last night’s ride.
Rode down 117 to Langden and then a left leading across 70.
I think we’re missing a rider or 2.
Regroup, head over towards the 6 corners, take a left on 110 and head out towards Bolton, staying right at the fork and heading up to the high school. I hate this route, it’s not terribly long, but it gets tough once we come up on the ball park and gets worse all the way to the top at 117.
When we reached 117 is where I realized things weren’t working well.
And I knew they weren’t going to get better as we headed towards Harvard.
And they didn’t.
Decision time, try and hang on with the fast guys, or fall off and help those who’ve fallen off.
I chose option B. Let the rest of the group continue their pseudo A ride.
Worked in the back as we climbed up into Harvard.
Mike slowed up and waited to join.
We rode to the intersection of Green and Harvard where the group was waiting.
Before riding off again.
Regrouped again in Harvard.
Before the group rode off again.
Regrouped at 110, turned and headed toward the rotary and then off to Devens.
This is what confused me most about last night.
We were together (at least I think we were). It was flat. I think we had a tail wind.
And we were going slow all the way into Devens before taking the left onto Patton Rd heading by the golf course.
Things got heated up a little bit going up one of the hills before regrouping and then heading towards Shirley.
Regrouped again in Shirley and then the entire group rode right and headed towards Keating.
Some attacks on the hill up to Keating, I think Billy Baggins took the sprint points on that one.
Cat2 Greg let it go, biding his time, and then somewhere around Powell he whispered in my ear “this is how it’s done”, the attack was launched and he was gone and I was left wiping Cat2 Greg’s spit off my ear.
Rode back to the shop.
The consensus in the parking lot was the ride sucked.
Maybe things will go better with more riders.
Hiatus
11 years ago
After visiting many weather radar sites late Tuesday afternoon I was getting blurred eyed? Too much data to process, so I called my friend Bruce in Nashua to get an on the spot field report. The radar I was looking at indicated it was raining up there but he reported it was just spitting rain. The roads were damp but not wet. Unfortunately he did not try and talk me out of attending the ride. After having this big argument with myself going back and forth I decided to go to the ride.
ReplyDeleteIt was 58F at the start with a stiff North to Northeast wind blowing. Not the nicest of weather. I hung out in the parking lot on the South side of Paul’s van to keep out of the wind. He was nice enough to keep it there until we lifted off. Out of the parking lot 16 brave souls ventured forth.
Up Prospect Street we go and someone ( first name John, last name Barry) is on the front putting it too it. My heart rate jumps from 70 to 143bpm and I’m already 50 yards’ off the back. Where’s Big Dave our usual pace maker when I need him?
Thankfully there was a little traffic at the stop sign by the driving range which held the group and I was able to tack on the back just after the entrance to the driving range. Even tucked in back I could feel the strong headwind. I made myself a promise not to stick my nose in the wind.