The weather forecast for tonight's Full Moon Ride is just about perfect! It may be the first time this year that we will actually have the bright moonlight to guide us back to Chicken Bone Beach. There will also be a breeze out of the west southwest which is absolutely perfect for the tailwind express on the way back. Not that you will want to rush back, with the clear skies, full moon and gentle Gulf breeze...perfect conditions for a gorgeous bike ride! Come on out to the beach tonight! Details are on the Ride Calendar at the bottom of this blog.
Please remember to bring $3.00 to get in the gate at Fort Pickens National Park.
Check out the Ride Calendar for other great group rides this week and coming weekend!
Speaking of great rides, The Lillian Loop was a really fun ride this past Saturday. The pace was a bit frisky, but the group stayed together with absolutely no flats or mechanicals! We didn't even have an Armadillo Incident, (thankfully!) We made the first rest stop in about an hour and everyone filled the bottles and talked of Tim "Supermarket" Fox's sprint win on the bridge into Lillian. He attacked with half a mile to go into a headwind. Several tried to catch the big Clydesdale boy, but he had the bit between the teeth.
A few of us got dropped in the hills just before we exited Alabama. We reassembled on the bridge and rode to the second and last rest stop. There was some debate as to whether we should take Bauer Road back, thus adding another 7 to 8 miles on our total. The general consensus was to stay on the shorter route...55 miles was long enough for this warm August morning. (I think some had visions of the absolute sufferfest down the beach road a number of weeks ago. That day, we started out with a 45 mile intention and ended up with 70 miles in the hot sun...there was carnage strewn for miles!)
Once back in the saddle, the pace was again spritely...meaning mid 20s, all the way to Navy Blvd. We then jogged south to Star Lake and the secret passage through the Country Club and east to the ominous Barrancas Bridge. Several of the climbers were feeling a bit twitchy as we started up the lower slope. Then, out of nowhere, as though he had just polished off a heaping bowl of his favorite morning steriods cereal, Tim "Boheemoth" Fox puts the hammer down! He tweaked that carbon Trek of his all the way to the sign at the top. Winning the second and only other sprint of the day.
Well, the sudden acceleration had left a number of us at the back sucking air. In fact, I was last over the top and therefore pretty much assured of not latching back on to the peloton which had all regrouped within a half a mile or so. After getting two red lights, I decided it wasn't worth the effort and should just cruise the last few miles with these overworked pistons.
Just then, I noticed a big fuel truck stopped at the traffic light about 300 yards ahead. Hmmm...maybe, I thought, just maybe... Just then the light turned green and I jumped on it to see, if just maybe, I could catch his draft! (Uh, kids don't try this at home.) If I could, he would unwillingly pull me back up to the pack. The timing was absolutely perfect. I was just about maxed out just as I caught his huge draft which literally pulled me towards his rear bumper. I was way over on the right side barely behind, yet still in the sweet spot. "You big hunk of over loaded fuel truck you! Oooh yeah baby!!!"
You should have seen the faces of the group as I blew by them at 35mph! "Ha! Take that you scum sucking pigs!" John "Gianni Bugno" Duke, Richard "Left Lane" Lopiccolo and I think maybe Sheila Sheila all gave chase but to no avail. All in all, I'd say it was a great ride!!!
You know, when you think about it, our group rides really are good fun. Don't miss out on the next flurry of peloton antics. Come on out tonight or real soon and enjoy some good clean fun with a peloton full of characters!
See you out on the road,
Bob
No comments:
Post a Comment