He's Back

Saturday's hot Sufferfest (See Glossary) showed us more than just who wasn't drinking enough. No, the heat brought out another side to the peloton. It showed us who has been doing double secret workouts. ( The little known training method that was made famous by the '70s frathouse movie with the cult like following.) Yes, the heat brought out the best in some of us and it caused others to literally throw down the bike and exclaim, "No mas!" It was a tough day in the saddle. The heat combined with the seemingly relentless hills made for a whole lot of suffering.

There was, however, one who seemed to be on top of his game. He was loving the hills, if not the heat. Yes, the little climber we all love to hate...or is it hate to love. The master of ride banter or, more commonly known as the masterbanter. The man himself, Coolio. Back from the knee surgery of last Fall, (not actually his last fall, I meant last Autumn when he crashed at Fort Pickens). He's back from his crash this Spring. He's back from his donut induced coma. In a word: He's back.

He really appears to be back at his old antics. Riding with the fast group up the hills in Blackwater, his little shoulders rocking back and forth. Making his usual sarcastic comments to those less fortunate than his 140 pound self. Like the one he made to one of the big Clydesdale boys on the first climb in Blackwater, "Hills make Clydesdales suffer like dog!" Ah yes, it's good to have the little man back in top condition...mouth and all. I'm sure I say for all of us, welcome back, you've been missed! Now, don't do anything stupid, we'd like to have you around for the rest of the season.

Saturday's 55 miler was indeed a Sufferfest. I pretty much rode the entire ride with David "2 Wheels" Mayo, John "Gianni Bugno" Duke and for the second half David Carroll joined us. Great ride, I love the route. At one point 2 Wheels asked if there was any portion of the route more than 100 yards that wasn't either up or down. Yeah, some flats would have been nice. But we got that Sunday evening. The heat took it out of most. I drank 8 water bottles...and 2 more on the way home. Several of our group rode, however, many were missing. I think when it's really hot, we should probably do a shorter ride on Saturday mornings. All in favor?

Sunday evening was an absolute joy. The temps were just about perfect. A beautiful sunset on the way out to Fort Pickens. (Will the rangers ever get their story right on how many cyclists can actually get in on one card?) Circle K and a new guy named Conner slowly gapped the field. With about 2 miles left before the Brick Wall, Dana "The Animal" Foster started cranking it up. We couldn't tell how fast we were going because it was too dark to read our speedometers. The legs were saying about 25mph or so. With about 1/2 mile to go, we decided it wasn't going to happen, Circle K and Conner had held off the charging peloton. Just then, the little man who's good in the hills, (but only fair in the flats) went around us trying to chase down the breakaway. We finished about 100yards back. Circle K had pulled off a Left Lane! Congrats to them both!

The trip back was uneventful. The whole idea was to ride under the light of the full moon. However, the clouds weren't cooperating and we didn't see the moon until the drive home. Oh well, maybe next time...which will be in late July.

Well, if you missed those exciting rides, don't fret, here's some more:

Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6pm at Firestone and Summit. About 20 miles at a moderate pace.

Wednesday evening at 5:30pm at Firestone and Summit. About 25 miles at a moderate to very fast pace.

Saturday morning at 7am at Fish and Wildlife Center. About a 40 miler around Navy Point and back. Moderate pace.

Sunday afternoon at 3pm at Firestone and Summit. A recovery ride around town. About 30 miles at a moderate pace.

Monday (Holiday) at 7am at Firestone and Summit. 45 miles at a moderate pace. New loop...you're going to love it!

See you out on the road,
Bob