WOW!!!! Today I set a new record! To the lake and back with an avg of 25 mph! Let me tell you no-riding folks. That’s MOVING!
I left the house this morning with the mindset that I was going to step up the miles in prep for the 80 mile Octagenta ride coming up next month. So, off I went hoping to run into a few of the other riders on the way to the park, but thinking I was running late. Needless to say, I was pushing pretty hard, and figured I’d end up burning myself out before I even started the ride. Turns out, that I wasn’t late after all, so I had a few minutes to rest up before the ride began. (None of the guys I normally ride with were there today.)
We started out at a pretty good clip, and I somehow managed to get stuck up front again. That’s ok, I was thinking I’d find a good place to retreat and see how long I could hang on. Turned out not to be that bad though. I did get stuck doing a pull at the worst possible place (up the hill by the dam), but I was determined that I wasn’t going to let them get away from me this time. Shocker, no racers sprinted past me at this point. So I held on for another half mile or so, then decided that I’d pulled long enough. Moving to the side, about 15 people passed by me and I realized that I was at the back already. Wow, we had already fractured the group. I moved in behind the last rider and sucked up to his wheel.
Before too long, there were several people coming back from the front and falling in behind me. We were cruising along at a pretty good pace. Ok, here it comes, the barn where everyone starts to sprint. I hear several people call out that the coast is clear to cross the street, so I glance back and make my way over to the other side of the street. Make the turn, and stand up and sprint hard! YES! I’m good. Still in the pack. Repeating the process in the town of Lonestar, I figured: I might just make it after all. Sure enough, several people even mentioned that I was riding stronger than normal.
About a mile out from the lake, the Velotek race team were all positioned up front, so they tried to crack the pack. Up to 32-34 mph! Here comes the first hill into the lake, and I’m sitting about fifth in line. Now, as many of you know, I’m NOT a hill climber. Hitting this stupid thing at 34 mph, I’m pretty worn out. But, I stood up and hit it with everything I had left. Pretty much got passed by 90% of the riders that were left at that point. Hey, you can’t win them all! I managed to keep on the tail end of the group all the way around to the camp grounds though.
A small rest, and a pack of much needed energy gu, and I’m ready to roll again. A few of the riders started clipping into their bikes, so I too made the move. We moseyed around the lake watching the slower riders pulling in.
Next thing I knew, we’re heading back down that first hill with the whole group of fasties on our tails. OK, this is where it all becomes a blur. 27+ the entire way back. There were times when we were single file, times when we were yo-yoing, and times when it was just an all out, stand up, sprint. I actually hit 37 mph at one point (with no hills). It was a crazy ride.
Coming back into town, I rode with the president of the club and one of the other board members. Both said they couldn’t believe how much I’ve improved in the last few weeks. Woo Hoo! They asked if I was going to Panara, so I figured I’d swing in. (Had me a power breakfast sandwich -YUM!). Then the three of us hooked up to ride back to their houses. Dropping them off, I decided that I wasn’t done. So, I took off north of town and headed towards Perry.
The ride get’s pretty boring from here (it’s just me pedaling so…), so I’m just going to write that I rode out a ways, then turned back towards Lawrence. All in all, I finished 58 miles. Would have tried to push out the last two to make 60, but I was pretty much beat up by that time.
Till next time! Livestrong!