This Saturday we are scheduled to do one of our favorite routes, the Twisted Lillian Loop. However, upon checking the weather forecast about a half dozen times over the last 24 hours, looks like we need to change direction. The forecast calls for an increasingly stiff breeze out of the eastsoutheast as the morning progresses. This would in fact, cause us to endure quite a harsh headwind on the way back from Lillian. Therefore, after much discussion, we have decided to do a route that we missed a few weeks ago because of the wind out of the northwest...yes, cycling fans, we are doing the group fave, Soundside Loop!
The start time, location and pace will be the same, just the route and mileage changes. The Soundside route is about 45 miles. If you start in Gulf Breeze at the south end of 3 Mile Bridge, it's less than 40 miles. Plus, we will enjoy a lovely Tailwind Express all the way home. Come on somebody, you got to love that! If you select the Gulf Breeze start location, please be ready to roll at 7:20am.
And speaking of wind...that was one windy WERAD last Wednesday evening. I checked the weather report and it was blowing 25mph out of the south at start time. It was fantastic as we headed north and even around the airport and the Crit Loop. But, once we started back, it stood you right up.
The pace was civil despite the breezy conditions. There were a few strong surges on Fairchild and Burgess, but nothing to, uh...write home about. Once back on Langley for the final pass, The Count takes on the responsiblity of showing us all how to execute a proper Suicide Pull. Which he did in excellent form. As he led the group around the right hander which is Spanish Trail, he gave up the ghost and the Elder Half of the Prenti (EHOP) took charge. I think the wind had taken it's due out of Prentiss as he soon relinquished control to The Vortex who pulled up the hill into that nasty headwind and onto Maygarden itself.
No sooner had the struggling riders made the turn, then Twin Six launches an absolutely vicious attack that left all except Hurt Locker gasping for some turbo charged air into the carburetors. The 2 banditos soon had accumulated a lead of 200 meters through the S curves as the rest of the peloton was gassed from doing pulls into that gale. The developing chase group started to pick up momentum as they reached the S curves with The Kat and Vortex making a serious effort to bring the 2 amigos back in the fold.
With 1 kilometer to go The Kat could help no more and was jettisoned off the wheel of the suffering Vortex, who was determined to spoil the party for the 2 celebrators, now less than 100 meters in front of him. With 500 meters to go, Twin Six and Hurt Locker had agreed to a drag race for tonight's windy WERAD prize. At 200 meters they were side by side, (mano-o-mano) unawares of the fast closing Vortex who was suffering like a unicyclist in a headwind.
At 100 meters the drag race began with Twin Six quickly getting the jump on what appeared to be a spent Hurt Locker. The Vortex, was still hopeful of the podium as he charged after the 2 who just started to wind it up. With 50 meters left, it was all over...Twin Six crossed first, with Hurt Locker getting the silver and the crowd favorite Vortex coming in third looking more like a volcano than a bike rider. Absolutely fantastic ride...even with less than perfect conditions! Congrats to Dave "Twin Six" Murphy!
Big Pull Bull (BPB) Award goes out to Count Fishbone for his monster pull on Langley. The Count's award actually has gold gilding as his monster pull was of the suicide pull variety...a much more respected pull than the generic BPB. Congrats to Istvan "Count Fishbone" Peperancz. He also accomplished the very rare double combining his Suicide Pull with the infamous Istvan Eschelon! Amazing!
Great ride with more to come this weekend! Don't miss out on one minute of the peloton antics. Come on out tomorrow for the Soundside Loop. Word on the street has it that a few of the group may even continue on Around the Sound...Tailwind Express on the beach road. Oh yeah baby, it's the only way to fly!!!
See you out on the road,
Bob
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Too Much Horsepower?!
What a fantastic weekend that was for riding! Great groups both days, (Friday and Saturday as we did not officially ride on Sunday), with the beautiful weather and two routes that are definitely on the list of group favorites. I think for those that rode both rides, the miles total was right at 100.
Friday we left Firestone and Summit at 8am with the usual bunch of characters on the Bad Mayonnaise Madness Ride, (BMMR) which was upon the UWF/Scenic Hills Loop. The peloton started out with an unusual civil pace towards Ellyson with a unique route into UWF itself. For the most part the Clydesdale boys directed traffic at the front with an occasional lead from one or both of the handcycle animals. As we moved onto the grounds of the Argonaut university, Retro Dave and Doug "Hammerman" Gehman moved to the front followed by Gianni, Crusher and Vortex.
Much posturing for position was observed until The Wall. (The steepest and longest hill on UWF. It curves to the right on your way up and continually gets steeper in gradient as you ascend) Retroman and Crusher, who each wanted the King of the Wall, (KOW) jersey as their prize, launched separate yet equally vicious attacks. This left the rest of the peloton gasping for what little air there is available at that rarefied altitude. Retro won the KOW jersey although the jersey actually fits a Clydesdale better.
The two amigos crested the hill with Gianni and the Vortex about 50 meters back. It was a Hammerfest around to the water tower with the Vortex able to hold off a charging Retroman to win the coveted Hill of Watertower, (HOW) jersey. It is a slick blue jersey with a big watertower on it. Retro will receive his KOW in a nice brown color resembling a wall...both are proud wearers of the jerseys. Vortex received his HOW now, (the) brown KOW, Retro picks up this week.
Back to live action: the shredded peloton regrouped at the water tower before heading into Scenic Hills proper. We made our way through the golf course without getting hit by a single ball this time. Up Ten Mile Road Hill and to a much deserved rest stop.
We headed out via Guidy Lane, across Nine Mile and onto Johnson for the trip back. The pace was once again very civil with no one looking to sprint at the end. However, Carol Ann Chandler once again was awarded the Shebeast Award for her antics within the peloton. Congrats to Carol Ann! Great ride!
Saturday saw the Firestone and Summit peloton bright and early on the way Around the Bay. Great group with a lot of horsepower to pull the bunch along. Huge monster pulls, (some in the mid 20s) by such renowns as Circle K, The Animal, Big Motor, Crusher, The Count, Lawman, Retro and Vortex just to name a few. The crux of this route every time we ride it is always the dreaded Garcon Point Bridge. The headwind is absolutely brutal and it is so exposed. I believe the bridge itself is about 4 miles long. However, the approach and the disembark are long and exposed as well, making for a sure to be Sufferfest each time we ride it. Saturday was no exception.
The pace had slowed to a manageable 16 to 17mph with each taking about a 30 second pull. The Hump was particularly difficult with some of the paceline starting to crack. In fact, I believe just about everybody was suffering like dogs. Once over The Hump, we received a brief downhill lull before the hard work began again in earnest. We made it to the Gulf Breeze rest stop before 10am...amazing!
From there, it was a wonderful Tailwind Express all the way home! Even the usually annoying Three Mile Bridge was a joy. The boys were feeling frisky with Lawman, Retro and Circle K taking a flyer just before The Hump. I didn't witness it, but heard later that Lawman took the final sprint! Congrats to David "Lawman" Carroll! The boy is starting to get a reputation!
Good fun and great ride! We averaged 18mph for the 63 miles. Come on somebody!
More on the way this week. Come on out Tuesday and Wednesday as well as Saturday for the group fave Twisted Lillian Loop! Check out all the details on the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Blogification. And, as always, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Friday we left Firestone and Summit at 8am with the usual bunch of characters on the Bad Mayonnaise Madness Ride, (BMMR) which was upon the UWF/Scenic Hills Loop. The peloton started out with an unusual civil pace towards Ellyson with a unique route into UWF itself. For the most part the Clydesdale boys directed traffic at the front with an occasional lead from one or both of the handcycle animals. As we moved onto the grounds of the Argonaut university, Retro Dave and Doug "Hammerman" Gehman moved to the front followed by Gianni, Crusher and Vortex.
Much posturing for position was observed until The Wall. (The steepest and longest hill on UWF. It curves to the right on your way up and continually gets steeper in gradient as you ascend) Retroman and Crusher, who each wanted the King of the Wall, (KOW) jersey as their prize, launched separate yet equally vicious attacks. This left the rest of the peloton gasping for what little air there is available at that rarefied altitude. Retro won the KOW jersey although the jersey actually fits a Clydesdale better.
The two amigos crested the hill with Gianni and the Vortex about 50 meters back. It was a Hammerfest around to the water tower with the Vortex able to hold off a charging Retroman to win the coveted Hill of Watertower, (HOW) jersey. It is a slick blue jersey with a big watertower on it. Retro will receive his KOW in a nice brown color resembling a wall...both are proud wearers of the jerseys. Vortex received his HOW now, (the) brown KOW, Retro picks up this week.
Back to live action: the shredded peloton regrouped at the water tower before heading into Scenic Hills proper. We made our way through the golf course without getting hit by a single ball this time. Up Ten Mile Road Hill and to a much deserved rest stop.
We headed out via Guidy Lane, across Nine Mile and onto Johnson for the trip back. The pace was once again very civil with no one looking to sprint at the end. However, Carol Ann Chandler once again was awarded the Shebeast Award for her antics within the peloton. Congrats to Carol Ann! Great ride!
Saturday saw the Firestone and Summit peloton bright and early on the way Around the Bay. Great group with a lot of horsepower to pull the bunch along. Huge monster pulls, (some in the mid 20s) by such renowns as Circle K, The Animal, Big Motor, Crusher, The Count, Lawman, Retro and Vortex just to name a few. The crux of this route every time we ride it is always the dreaded Garcon Point Bridge. The headwind is absolutely brutal and it is so exposed. I believe the bridge itself is about 4 miles long. However, the approach and the disembark are long and exposed as well, making for a sure to be Sufferfest each time we ride it. Saturday was no exception.
The pace had slowed to a manageable 16 to 17mph with each taking about a 30 second pull. The Hump was particularly difficult with some of the paceline starting to crack. In fact, I believe just about everybody was suffering like dogs. Once over The Hump, we received a brief downhill lull before the hard work began again in earnest. We made it to the Gulf Breeze rest stop before 10am...amazing!
From there, it was a wonderful Tailwind Express all the way home! Even the usually annoying Three Mile Bridge was a joy. The boys were feeling frisky with Lawman, Retro and Circle K taking a flyer just before The Hump. I didn't witness it, but heard later that Lawman took the final sprint! Congrats to David "Lawman" Carroll! The boy is starting to get a reputation!
Good fun and great ride! We averaged 18mph for the 63 miles. Come on somebody!
More on the way this week. Come on out Tuesday and Wednesday as well as Saturday for the group fave Twisted Lillian Loop! Check out all the details on the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Blogification. And, as always, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Left Lane's WERAD Commentary
Because of a most unusual call of nature, (I know, TMI), I have asked our own Left Lane for his unique perspective of the WERAD from the, uh...Left Lane. Here 'tis:
BIZZARO Wednesday Night Ride: The group had a much better turnout for the Wednesday ride but several of the usual suspects and some of the Hammerheads were missing. In attendance were Bob (if only briefly...something about a nature call), Fox, Keith (The Big Motor), Lawman Dave Carrol, Retro Dave Henderson, Rusty (The Mayor), Carol Ann & Woody, Sandy, and a few others and the Left Lane.
With many of the missing hammerheads and others like Chung, Murphy, Hurt Locker, Bugno, Mayo it just did not seem like one of our regular Wednesday rides... More like a BIZARRO Wednesday ride. The start was kind of strange as well as we were forming up at the start this guy in a huge SUV stopped and suggested we line up out on Firestone because we had almost caused him to get hit in his jumbo SUV the last couple of times he had turned on Hallmark as we prepared for our ride. We made some comments to him with me The Left Lane suggesting he get a bigger SUV (if such a thing exists... maybe a HUMMMER???) so as he was better protected. Luckily for him he took off before the Mayor realized what was going on.
We finally got started and it was a very sedate (for a Wednesday) Ride with the whole group staying together for the most part even through the Crit Course. Probably because Bob, who usually leads the group through the Crit Course at a slammerfest pace, had abandoned and Fox led the group at a much more reasonable rate of speed. We regrouped and headed through the neighborhood past Gull Point and around ½ way through Retro Dave blew a tire. Although the retro man did a good job of changing the tire quickly, I was pessimistic that he would make it much further on the next tube...you see not only are Dave's Jersey's retro but as I watched him change the tube I could see the threads exposed all the way around the tire!!! Guess Dave is getting his tires from a yard sale as well as his jerseys!!! Anyway as we completed the long straight before we cross Creighton it sounded like a gun went off just ahead. As Fox and I came around the corner there was Dave, once again disabled. Sounded like it was catastrophic tire failure as well so we asked if he had a Cell and when he said yes we headed on.
At this point it was just a few of us in the lead group Fox, Lawman, Wes, Keith, and the Left Lane with the rest of the group helping the retro man get his machine back together and he eventually finished.
We proceeded up Langley with the pace kicking up as usual and the five of us stayed together well into the Maygarden dash. After doing pulls the Left Lane and Wes Cracked off the back near the S turn and Big Motor went to the front with Fox and the Lawman snapping at his wheel. I was not around at the finish but word is that the Lawman nipped the Foxinator at the Line.
Great ride as usual even if a little BIZARRO!!!
Hope to see everyone on the road again soon.
Left Lane
I was able to make it back to the finish line, (from the C of N), just in time to see Lawman, Big Motor and Crusher round the final curve. I don't usually get to watch the final sprint, so this was a real treat! As you know, (I just love this kind of stuff.)
As they came into view, Crusher jumped out of the saddle as he came around the Big Motor. With 100 meters to go, Lawman, still seated, comes along side Crusher as the two sprint for the line with heads down and snorting like horses in the final stretch! (I didn't realize we made so much noise in those sprints?!) With 50 meters to the line, Lawman gets the edge and crosses ahead of the big Clydesdale boy with Big Motor taking third. Great fun and real exciting to watch! Perhaps, we should sell tickets...or not!
Good fun indeed! Don't fret yourself if you missed it, (I did too...from the saddle anyway), we have plenty more just on the horizon. Like, tomorrow and Saturday. Check the Rides Calendar for all the details. And I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
BIZZARO Wednesday Night Ride: The group had a much better turnout for the Wednesday ride but several of the usual suspects and some of the Hammerheads were missing. In attendance were Bob (if only briefly...something about a nature call), Fox, Keith (The Big Motor), Lawman Dave Carrol, Retro Dave Henderson, Rusty (The Mayor), Carol Ann & Woody, Sandy, and a few others and the Left Lane.
With many of the missing hammerheads and others like Chung, Murphy, Hurt Locker, Bugno, Mayo it just did not seem like one of our regular Wednesday rides... More like a BIZARRO Wednesday ride. The start was kind of strange as well as we were forming up at the start this guy in a huge SUV stopped and suggested we line up out on Firestone because we had almost caused him to get hit in his jumbo SUV the last couple of times he had turned on Hallmark as we prepared for our ride. We made some comments to him with me The Left Lane suggesting he get a bigger SUV (if such a thing exists... maybe a HUMMMER???) so as he was better protected. Luckily for him he took off before the Mayor realized what was going on.
We finally got started and it was a very sedate (for a Wednesday) Ride with the whole group staying together for the most part even through the Crit Course. Probably because Bob, who usually leads the group through the Crit Course at a slammerfest pace, had abandoned and Fox led the group at a much more reasonable rate of speed. We regrouped and headed through the neighborhood past Gull Point and around ½ way through Retro Dave blew a tire. Although the retro man did a good job of changing the tire quickly, I was pessimistic that he would make it much further on the next tube...you see not only are Dave's Jersey's retro but as I watched him change the tube I could see the threads exposed all the way around the tire!!! Guess Dave is getting his tires from a yard sale as well as his jerseys!!! Anyway as we completed the long straight before we cross Creighton it sounded like a gun went off just ahead. As Fox and I came around the corner there was Dave, once again disabled. Sounded like it was catastrophic tire failure as well so we asked if he had a Cell and when he said yes we headed on.
At this point it was just a few of us in the lead group Fox, Lawman, Wes, Keith, and the Left Lane with the rest of the group helping the retro man get his machine back together and he eventually finished.
We proceeded up Langley with the pace kicking up as usual and the five of us stayed together well into the Maygarden dash. After doing pulls the Left Lane and Wes Cracked off the back near the S turn and Big Motor went to the front with Fox and the Lawman snapping at his wheel. I was not around at the finish but word is that the Lawman nipped the Foxinator at the Line.
Great ride as usual even if a little BIZARRO!!!
Hope to see everyone on the road again soon.
Left Lane
I was able to make it back to the finish line, (from the C of N), just in time to see Lawman, Big Motor and Crusher round the final curve. I don't usually get to watch the final sprint, so this was a real treat! As you know, (I just love this kind of stuff.)
As they came into view, Crusher jumped out of the saddle as he came around the Big Motor. With 100 meters to go, Lawman, still seated, comes along side Crusher as the two sprint for the line with heads down and snorting like horses in the final stretch! (I didn't realize we made so much noise in those sprints?!) With 50 meters to the line, Lawman gets the edge and crosses ahead of the big Clydesdale boy with Big Motor taking third. Great fun and real exciting to watch! Perhaps, we should sell tickets...or not!
Good fun indeed! Don't fret yourself if you missed it, (I did too...from the saddle anyway), we have plenty more just on the horizon. Like, tomorrow and Saturday. Check the Rides Calendar for all the details. And I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Impromptu Ride Tomorrow!
I received a call from that Bad Mayonnaise requesting a ride tomorrow morning as several of our folks have the day off in celebration of Good Friday. Therefore, I have posted on our Rides Calendar one of our group's favorite routes, the UWF/Scenic Hills Loop for tomorrow at 8am leaving from Firestone and Summit.
The pace will be easy to moderate as we have scheduled the big Around the Bay ride for Saturday. However, if the forecast is for a strong wind out of the south, we may opt for a different loop in deference to those who don't care for the headwind on Garcon Point Bridge. We'll check the forecast then.
I hope to see as many of you as can make tomorrow's ride as the weather looks almost perfect for a ride. Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
The pace will be easy to moderate as we have scheduled the big Around the Bay ride for Saturday. However, if the forecast is for a strong wind out of the south, we may opt for a different loop in deference to those who don't care for the headwind on Garcon Point Bridge. We'll check the forecast then.
I hope to see as many of you as can make tomorrow's ride as the weather looks almost perfect for a ride. Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wonderful Windy Weekend Widing
I was out riding early Friday morning, just kind of thinking, praying and pondering as I was cruising down the road. Have you ever done that? I know you have. Almost everybody who enjoys riding loves the time spent on the machine alone with their thoughts. There is something very therapeutic about the quiet and the physical exercise combined that calms the soul. I thought I hadn't been out very long when I looked down at the little computer mounted on my handlebar and noticed that I already had logged 31 miles. I was a bit shocked but accounted it to my mind thinking on things other than the amount of miles I was accumulating. However, I decided to head for home as I didn't need many miles the day before a long ride. As I pulled into the garage, I glanced down to see I had a total of 41 miles. About twice as many as I wanted, but no big deal I thought.
Well...little did I know, (remember), that a good friend of mine, Chad Edgar, who has been wanting to ride for a long time, would call and and say he was available for a ride that very evening. So, off we went on a "short" ride Friday evening in the 20mph wind. We did 18 miles and it was a blast riding with El Chaddo. However, now the legs were a bit more weary than I had wanted the day before a long ride.
Saturday's ride was an absolute delight. We had a great group as we started out under sunny skies for Innerarity Point. However, there was a nasty wind that according to the weather forecast, was going to get nastier. The wind was out of the west, therefore we decided on a route to the west, i.e. Innerarity. Several riders should be awarded the "Big Pull Bull" (BPB) Award for their monster pulls into that increasing headwind. I think we all had a real sense of urgency knowing the wind was forecast to increase hour by hour...and it did! BPBs go out to; David "Lawman" Carroll, Harland "Happy" Williams, Dana "The Animal" Foster, Istvan "Count Fishbone" Peperancz, Chip "Circle K" Wilson and Tim "Crusher" Fox as well as a few others who took shorter pulls into that blower.
Once having arrived onto Innerarity, we made the left hander for the first time instead of going right at the end of the road. (Nobody knows why we went this way, it just seemed like the right...uh, or left choice at the time.) Back on the Point road itself and through the gate The Animal dropped the hammer! With that Tailwind Express nobody had time to ask for tickets...you were either on board or you were off the back! Come on somebody! We broached 30mph a couple times, but never dropped below 27mph. "Who let the dogs out!" (Man, I love this kind of stuff.) You know, the only thing better than going ballistic is going ballistic with a tailwind. Oh yeah baby!
I don't know how long it took us to get out to Innerarity, but I know it had to be less than half the time to get back. Great ride with a great group! I had 60 miles just as I pulled into the garage...and the legs hardly noticed it. I think I'm in love?! (Uh...with the tailwind that is...lest The Animal get any ideas.)
Now we come to Sunday. The Full Moon Ride was maybe the best yet. I think if we had started maybe 20 minutes earlier it would have been perfect. We had one of the smallest groups, around 10 to 12 riders. It was cooler than expected and there was a pretty good breeze, (headwind) on the way out to Fort Pickens. (No fee at the gate!) However, we stayed together almost the entire ride averaging around 15mph on the way west and 17mph on the way back to Casino Beach. Fantastic ride under absolutely clear skies with a beautiful full moon over the Gulf to light the way...literally! All told, 36 easy cruising miles. This is, without question, one of the highlights of every month...even if it is a bit breezy.
Wonderful windy weekend widing! (Uh, I mean riding. Sorry my Elmer Fudd accent took over there for a second. Must have been the 145 miles in the wind you wascally wabbit!)
More this week as well. (Hopefully, not as windy.) Tomorrow night we have an easy paced ride and Wednesday is the ever popular WERAD! (Wednesday Evening Rendevous Avec Douleur) Check out the Rides Calendar for all the details. And, as always, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Well...little did I know, (remember), that a good friend of mine, Chad Edgar, who has been wanting to ride for a long time, would call and and say he was available for a ride that very evening. So, off we went on a "short" ride Friday evening in the 20mph wind. We did 18 miles and it was a blast riding with El Chaddo. However, now the legs were a bit more weary than I had wanted the day before a long ride.
Saturday's ride was an absolute delight. We had a great group as we started out under sunny skies for Innerarity Point. However, there was a nasty wind that according to the weather forecast, was going to get nastier. The wind was out of the west, therefore we decided on a route to the west, i.e. Innerarity. Several riders should be awarded the "Big Pull Bull" (BPB) Award for their monster pulls into that increasing headwind. I think we all had a real sense of urgency knowing the wind was forecast to increase hour by hour...and it did! BPBs go out to; David "Lawman" Carroll, Harland "Happy" Williams, Dana "The Animal" Foster, Istvan "Count Fishbone" Peperancz, Chip "Circle K" Wilson and Tim "Crusher" Fox as well as a few others who took shorter pulls into that blower.
Once having arrived onto Innerarity, we made the left hander for the first time instead of going right at the end of the road. (Nobody knows why we went this way, it just seemed like the right...uh, or left choice at the time.) Back on the Point road itself and through the gate The Animal dropped the hammer! With that Tailwind Express nobody had time to ask for tickets...you were either on board or you were off the back! Come on somebody! We broached 30mph a couple times, but never dropped below 27mph. "Who let the dogs out!" (Man, I love this kind of stuff.) You know, the only thing better than going ballistic is going ballistic with a tailwind. Oh yeah baby!
I don't know how long it took us to get out to Innerarity, but I know it had to be less than half the time to get back. Great ride with a great group! I had 60 miles just as I pulled into the garage...and the legs hardly noticed it. I think I'm in love?! (Uh...with the tailwind that is...lest The Animal get any ideas.)
Now we come to Sunday. The Full Moon Ride was maybe the best yet. I think if we had started maybe 20 minutes earlier it would have been perfect. We had one of the smallest groups, around 10 to 12 riders. It was cooler than expected and there was a pretty good breeze, (headwind) on the way out to Fort Pickens. (No fee at the gate!) However, we stayed together almost the entire ride averaging around 15mph on the way west and 17mph on the way back to Casino Beach. Fantastic ride under absolutely clear skies with a beautiful full moon over the Gulf to light the way...literally! All told, 36 easy cruising miles. This is, without question, one of the highlights of every month...even if it is a bit breezy.
Wonderful windy weekend widing! (Uh, I mean riding. Sorry my Elmer Fudd accent took over there for a second. Must have been the 145 miles in the wind you wascally wabbit!)
More this week as well. (Hopefully, not as windy.) Tomorrow night we have an easy paced ride and Wednesday is the ever popular WERAD! (Wednesday Evening Rendevous Avec Douleur) Check out the Rides Calendar for all the details. And, as always, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Thursday, April 14, 2011
A Weekend for Riding!
This weekend looks to be one for the record books. Perfect weather forecast for a couple of fantastic rides scheduled. We have changed the destination of Saturday's ride because of the forecast for a prevailing west wind. If we did our previously scheduled Around the Sound loop, we would have an absolute Sufferfest on the beach road back from Navarre...we're talking 17 to 18mph headwind! Ouch!
However, with our new destination of Innerarity Point, we will have a bit of a slog on the way out, but an unbelievable Tailwind Express on the way back! We won't even notice a breeze in our face until we are cruising above 18mph. Come on somebody! We haven't been to Innerarity for several weeks and there is new asphalt all the way there! Yeppers, they have placed new pave' even on the shoulders for a great bike lane. I think I'm in love!
Also, as requested by some Bad Mayonnaise, we will offer a shorter loop for those needing to be home a bit earlier. We will all stay together, (moderate pace), until the back door of NAS. Then the shorter route will turn left onto NAS itself, while the longer route will continue to Innerarity. (Please remember to bring your Photo ID if you are going on NAS.) The longer group will not be going on NAS.
Miles? Shorter group will do just under 40 miles, while the longer group will be around 55 to 60 miles. Short group will have one rest stop and the longer will have two. Should be good fun either way, so come on out on Saturday...at 7am at Fish and Wildlife.
Now, for the other ride this weekend; The Full Moon Ride. The weather forecast looks just about perfect for our monthly ride to Fort Pickens and back. And guess what? They are waiving the entrance fees this weekend!!! Come on somebody! So, according to the newspaper, we do not have to pay $3 per rider for this weekend's Full Moon Ride. Great planning, right? (Uh...sorry to say, I had nothing to do with it.) Regardless, come on out! We're meeting at 7pm at Casino Beach parking lot. Sunset on the way out, moonlight on the way back!
As you can see, this looks to be a fantastic weekend for riding! Great rides scheduled with a great group of characters and sure to be plenty of peloton antics to keep everybody amused and entertained. But, don't take my word for it, come on out and see for yourself!
Check out the Rides Calendar for all the details...it's located at the bottom of this Blogamathingy.
PS: On the WERAD this week, that dadgum Vortex took the sprint again. His Green Jersey point total is almost unassailable. The Red Jersey for the Big Pull Bull goes to the younger half of the Prenti (YHOP). The elder half of the Prenti, (EHOP) expressed in the post ride interview how proud he was of YHOP and his new jersey! It was nice seeing the 2 HOPs hugging as they rode down the road together. Nothing like happy HOPs.
Congrats to all!
See you out on the road,
Bob
However, with our new destination of Innerarity Point, we will have a bit of a slog on the way out, but an unbelievable Tailwind Express on the way back! We won't even notice a breeze in our face until we are cruising above 18mph. Come on somebody! We haven't been to Innerarity for several weeks and there is new asphalt all the way there! Yeppers, they have placed new pave' even on the shoulders for a great bike lane. I think I'm in love!
Also, as requested by some Bad Mayonnaise, we will offer a shorter loop for those needing to be home a bit earlier. We will all stay together, (moderate pace), until the back door of NAS. Then the shorter route will turn left onto NAS itself, while the longer route will continue to Innerarity. (Please remember to bring your Photo ID if you are going on NAS.) The longer group will not be going on NAS.
Miles? Shorter group will do just under 40 miles, while the longer group will be around 55 to 60 miles. Short group will have one rest stop and the longer will have two. Should be good fun either way, so come on out on Saturday...at 7am at Fish and Wildlife.
Now, for the other ride this weekend; The Full Moon Ride. The weather forecast looks just about perfect for our monthly ride to Fort Pickens and back. And guess what? They are waiving the entrance fees this weekend!!! Come on somebody! So, according to the newspaper, we do not have to pay $3 per rider for this weekend's Full Moon Ride. Great planning, right? (Uh...sorry to say, I had nothing to do with it.) Regardless, come on out! We're meeting at 7pm at Casino Beach parking lot. Sunset on the way out, moonlight on the way back!
As you can see, this looks to be a fantastic weekend for riding! Great rides scheduled with a great group of characters and sure to be plenty of peloton antics to keep everybody amused and entertained. But, don't take my word for it, come on out and see for yourself!
Check out the Rides Calendar for all the details...it's located at the bottom of this Blogamathingy.
PS: On the WERAD this week, that dadgum Vortex took the sprint again. His Green Jersey point total is almost unassailable. The Red Jersey for the Big Pull Bull goes to the younger half of the Prenti (YHOP). The elder half of the Prenti, (EHOP) expressed in the post ride interview how proud he was of YHOP and his new jersey! It was nice seeing the 2 HOPs hugging as they rode down the road together. Nothing like happy HOPs.
Congrats to all!
See you out on the road,
Bob
Monday, April 11, 2011
Crusher's First Color Commentary (CFCC)
Here is a bit of color commentary from this past Saturday's Twisted Hammock ride. Our own Tim "Crusher" Fox penned the following report:
Fantastic ride.....good cast of characters in attendance ~ 8 to 10 riders. Our very own Coolio rejoined the peloton - good to have him back! Headed out to the Hammock with Count Fishbone & Coolio pushing the pace somewhat, but very smooth, easy ride. Unfortunately, we lost Rusty & Woody before we headed down into the Hammock. They needed to turn back to take care of some stuff (need an investigation on exactly what "stuff" needed to be taking care of). Once we sent those boys home safely, the peloton headed down the 3 mile (almost all) downhill ride on the Hammock. It was a feisty trip.....we averaged 25mph - 28mph with monster pulls by Happy Harlan, Earl, Retro Dave, Chip and Tim. Johnny B. and Retro Dave battled it out for the Hammock Sprint Title points....Johnny claimed the points for the second time in a row - he's the King of the Hammock! That win by Johnny was despite the fact he self-reported being out until 1am the night before watching Justin Bieber re-runs at the Rave (he gets in free because of his frequent viewer miles). In addition, our climb out of the Hammock, has to be one of the fastest that I have been a part of....we chomped out a 21-22mph pace getting out of there trying to catch Coolio and Harlan. They both were climbing like goats for sure. Needless to say, the first and only rest stop was much deserved and needed!
Great ride back home with the group slowing the pace down (you can thank me later) and getting ready for the mad-sprint down Langley/Maygarden. Interesting enough, both Happy Harlan and Bad Mayo took a page out of Left Lane's playbook by trying to bolt off the front of the pack down Langley (Happy) and taking a shortcut (Mayo). Good effort, but peloton was having none of that. Retro Dave surged down Langley as well but was reeled in quickly...at that point, he threw up the white flag of surrender indicating he was done for the day (don't believe that - see below). We bolted down Maygarden all together....except our newest member of the peloton Ironman-in-training Steve, (needs a nickname) who decided to go alone riding beside the peloton line of riders. Uhhh...not wise. Happy Harlan did a massive pull up Maygarden.....Johnny took over with just a short distance to go and the peloton fighting for position. However, this sprint belonged to the Crusher, he applied the gas pedal on the last curve and caught the group (Retro Dave, Harlan, Chip, Steve, Earl, etc) a bit by surprise. No one was able to give chase and he scooped up the Maygarden Sprint Title points. This was a really great Saturday ride....pace was as advertised (54 miles - 16.2mph). No flats, wrecks, near misses nor other weird stuff that we normally encounter on the Hammock ride. (A first for sure!)
Thanks to everyone who rode....
Thank you for the report Crusher. And speaking of nicknames and acronyms, check out the new Directory of Nicknames and Acronyms, (Note: it's a work in progress) at the bottom of this Blogification! We created this glossary at the request of David "Bad Mayonnaise" Mayo who expressed he was having trouble remembering who was who as well as the meaning of some of the acronyms. That's some Bad Mayonnaise!
Also, don't forget this week's WERAD, (speaking of acronyms), and this Sunday is the next Full Moon Ride out at the beach! Get all the details on the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this......well, you know where it is.
See you out on the road,
Bob
Fantastic ride.....good cast of characters in attendance ~ 8 to 10 riders. Our very own Coolio rejoined the peloton - good to have him back! Headed out to the Hammock with Count Fishbone & Coolio pushing the pace somewhat, but very smooth, easy ride. Unfortunately, we lost Rusty & Woody before we headed down into the Hammock. They needed to turn back to take care of some stuff (need an investigation on exactly what "stuff" needed to be taking care of). Once we sent those boys home safely, the peloton headed down the 3 mile (almost all) downhill ride on the Hammock. It was a feisty trip.....we averaged 25mph - 28mph with monster pulls by Happy Harlan, Earl, Retro Dave, Chip and Tim. Johnny B. and Retro Dave battled it out for the Hammock Sprint Title points....Johnny claimed the points for the second time in a row - he's the King of the Hammock! That win by Johnny was despite the fact he self-reported being out until 1am the night before watching Justin Bieber re-runs at the Rave (he gets in free because of his frequent viewer miles). In addition, our climb out of the Hammock, has to be one of the fastest that I have been a part of....we chomped out a 21-22mph pace getting out of there trying to catch Coolio and Harlan. They both were climbing like goats for sure. Needless to say, the first and only rest stop was much deserved and needed!
Great ride back home with the group slowing the pace down (you can thank me later) and getting ready for the mad-sprint down Langley/Maygarden. Interesting enough, both Happy Harlan and Bad Mayo took a page out of Left Lane's playbook by trying to bolt off the front of the pack down Langley (Happy) and taking a shortcut (Mayo). Good effort, but peloton was having none of that. Retro Dave surged down Langley as well but was reeled in quickly...at that point, he threw up the white flag of surrender indicating he was done for the day (don't believe that - see below). We bolted down Maygarden all together....except our newest member of the peloton Ironman-in-training Steve, (needs a nickname) who decided to go alone riding beside the peloton line of riders. Uhhh...not wise. Happy Harlan did a massive pull up Maygarden.....Johnny took over with just a short distance to go and the peloton fighting for position. However, this sprint belonged to the Crusher, he applied the gas pedal on the last curve and caught the group (Retro Dave, Harlan, Chip, Steve, Earl, etc) a bit by surprise. No one was able to give chase and he scooped up the Maygarden Sprint Title points. This was a really great Saturday ride....pace was as advertised (54 miles - 16.2mph). No flats, wrecks, near misses nor other weird stuff that we normally encounter on the Hammock ride. (A first for sure!)
Thanks to everyone who rode....
Thank you for the report Crusher. And speaking of nicknames and acronyms, check out the new Directory of Nicknames and Acronyms, (Note: it's a work in progress) at the bottom of this Blogification! We created this glossary at the request of David "Bad Mayonnaise" Mayo who expressed he was having trouble remembering who was who as well as the meaning of some of the acronyms. That's some Bad Mayonnaise!
Also, don't forget this week's WERAD, (speaking of acronyms), and this Sunday is the next Full Moon Ride out at the beach! Get all the details on the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this......well, you know where it is.
See you out on the road,
Bob
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday Evening Rendevous Avec Douleur (WERAD)
That was a fantastic ride last night. Just about perfect weather with a great group made up of the usual suspects along with a few new names to make it interesting. The weekly WERAD sure lived up to it's name once again. It was more fun than a hot tub full of Bad Mayonnaise! Come on somebody!
We had a delayed start because we waited for a certain unnamed rider, (who goes through bottom brackets like Left Lane through brewskis.) However, once we got started the pace was surprisingly civil. We rolled around the airport and onto the Crit Loop which saw the big Clydesdale boy Crusher leading the group through the curves. As we headed up to Spanish again, EHOP, (Elder Half of Prenti) surged ahead for the Crit Loop win. Fishbone was a close second...however, I don't think anyone was really sprinting.
Back on the standard course which is the Super 8 Loop the pace dropped back down to a manageable level...until we hit Fairchild. There were several surges with EHOP, Big Motor, Fishbone and Jared "The Miss-sile" Moore taking up the charge. We cruised around to Burgess then, "who let the dogs out?" Several attacks were launched with Retroman and Hurt Locker doing most of the damage. Everybody regrouped at the Triangle. However, the final pass down Langley loomed just ahead...and the bunch seemed a bit twitchy.
Off we go down Langley with the pace elevating as the boys were posturing for position. The Retroman and Miss-sile launch a vicious attack with the young Jedi Wes in obvious agreement. By the time they reached the right hander onto Spanish, they had a gap of 150 meters on the developing chase group, which were packing some serious horsepower. Keith "Big Motor" Irwin did all of the work until we hit Maygarden. The gap was about 200 meters or so and the alarm bells were ringing in the main group. Vortex took a pull from about 2.2k to go up through the S curve, trying to cut the lead in half. Then, at 1.5k the Hurt Locker himself cranked it up with a train of riders on his wheel. He reeled in the 3 bandits with just under a kilometer to go. It was all back together with several licking their chops. (I just love this kind of stuff!)
With 800 meters to go Crusher took over with an impressive surge that gapped all but Retro, Vortex and himself as they crossed 400m to go. Vortex threw down an acceleration to test the waters with Retro responding. The jettisoned Crusher had done his work for the day. Retroman chased down Vortex with 100 meters left in this WERAD. Just as he caught him, Vortex stomped on it again crossing the line just ahead of The Retroman who took second with third going to the valiant Crusher.
Big Pull Bull (BPB) award goes to Big Motor and Hurt Locker who both worked hard at bringing it all back together with their big pulls. This new weekly award of the Red Jersey competition has been long awaited by the fans of the big pull bulls. ESPN's Dick Vittale when asked about the new award honoring these unsung heroes, exclaimed, "It's about time, they're BPBers baby!"
That was a fun WERAD...and congrats to the new wearers of the Red Jersey, Big Motor and Hurt Locker!!! If you missed it, don't worry yourself, we're riding again the day after tomorrow at 7am at Firestone and Summit. We're doing the group fav Twisted Hammock Loop. I'm sure there will be many more peloton antics to amuse and entertain the fans as well as the riders themselves.
Remember, "He who can laugh at himself, will continually be amused!"
See you out on the road,
Bob
We had a delayed start because we waited for a certain unnamed rider, (who goes through bottom brackets like Left Lane through brewskis.) However, once we got started the pace was surprisingly civil. We rolled around the airport and onto the Crit Loop which saw the big Clydesdale boy Crusher leading the group through the curves. As we headed up to Spanish again, EHOP, (Elder Half of Prenti) surged ahead for the Crit Loop win. Fishbone was a close second...however, I don't think anyone was really sprinting.
Back on the standard course which is the Super 8 Loop the pace dropped back down to a manageable level...until we hit Fairchild. There were several surges with EHOP, Big Motor, Fishbone and Jared "The Miss-sile" Moore taking up the charge. We cruised around to Burgess then, "who let the dogs out?" Several attacks were launched with Retroman and Hurt Locker doing most of the damage. Everybody regrouped at the Triangle. However, the final pass down Langley loomed just ahead...and the bunch seemed a bit twitchy.
Off we go down Langley with the pace elevating as the boys were posturing for position. The Retroman and Miss-sile launch a vicious attack with the young Jedi Wes in obvious agreement. By the time they reached the right hander onto Spanish, they had a gap of 150 meters on the developing chase group, which were packing some serious horsepower. Keith "Big Motor" Irwin did all of the work until we hit Maygarden. The gap was about 200 meters or so and the alarm bells were ringing in the main group. Vortex took a pull from about 2.2k to go up through the S curve, trying to cut the lead in half. Then, at 1.5k the Hurt Locker himself cranked it up with a train of riders on his wheel. He reeled in the 3 bandits with just under a kilometer to go. It was all back together with several licking their chops. (I just love this kind of stuff!)
With 800 meters to go Crusher took over with an impressive surge that gapped all but Retro, Vortex and himself as they crossed 400m to go. Vortex threw down an acceleration to test the waters with Retro responding. The jettisoned Crusher had done his work for the day. Retroman chased down Vortex with 100 meters left in this WERAD. Just as he caught him, Vortex stomped on it again crossing the line just ahead of The Retroman who took second with third going to the valiant Crusher.
Big Pull Bull (BPB) award goes to Big Motor and Hurt Locker who both worked hard at bringing it all back together with their big pulls. This new weekly award of the Red Jersey competition has been long awaited by the fans of the big pull bulls. ESPN's Dick Vittale when asked about the new award honoring these unsung heroes, exclaimed, "It's about time, they're BPBers baby!"
That was a fun WERAD...and congrats to the new wearers of the Red Jersey, Big Motor and Hurt Locker!!! If you missed it, don't worry yourself, we're riding again the day after tomorrow at 7am at Firestone and Summit. We're doing the group fav Twisted Hammock Loop. I'm sure there will be many more peloton antics to amuse and entertain the fans as well as the riders themselves.
Remember, "He who can laugh at himself, will continually be amused!"
See you out on the road,
Bob
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tour de Cure Recap: Left Lane in the Right Lane!
That was the most fantastic Tour de Cure this rider has ever participated in, with one exception...Left Lane down in the right lane! Man, that was awful. Dana and I were on the nose about 2-300 meters back from Left Lane and Gianni when we saw the launched Left Lane. (LLL or Triple L...hmmm, maybe the beginning of a new nickname) There he lay, motionless in the right lane on Hwy 98. I quickly yelled for everyone to get over into the right lane so the Cagers, (uh...that's a new nickname for motorists. I figure that's what makes most of them hate us...they're riding down the road in a cage...and we're not!) wouldn't run the helpless Left Lane over. In fact, it must have worked, because they moved over into the, uh...left lane away from the (our) Left Lane and actually stopped! The Lord is good! Can I get an Amen?!
Several riders in our group jumped off the machines and immediately starting attending to Left Lane while Crusher and myself got the Cagers moving again...we kept them in the left lane as they passed Left Lane who was lying in the right lane. We even got them to move into the left turn lane even further away from Left Lane, (Did I make that clear? Confused?), who was now sitting up thanks to the care and attention given by several of our own including Trish "The Kat" Kuhnell. The Sheriff arrived shortly followed by the EMTs. I love those guys!
The good news is that Left Lane has nothing broken...a minor miracle considering how he launched himself. Mark "Subway" Calvert expressed it would have been a perfect score of "10" if it were not for the landing, explaining that Left Lane didn't "peg the landing" which is essential for the perfect score. Apparently, the evidence of his road rash showed he slid a few feet and thus did not "peg" the landing.
We all wish you a speedy recovery Left Lane! Sorry you missed the rest of the Hammerfest that was the Tour de Cure 2011...we averaged over 20mph for the 100k!!!
The following is the Left Lane version of the story...written by his own hands:
Well, after feeling grateful a month or so ago that my only bike wreck after riding around 20,000 miles over the past few year was falling down the steps of my porch with my bike and injuring some ribs, the bike gods got back at me Saturday in the Tour De Cure ride. Actually, although I got busted up pretty good it could of been a lot worse. And although I do not generally believe in fate, maybe my wreck as I trailed Johnny (Bugno) Dukes with no one else behind kept a larger wreck with the peloton from happening. Johnny and I had cracked off the main peloton we were riding with and taking the shorter route straight down 98 as the peloton was doing the ins and outs through the neighborhoods off the highway. We figured we would get down to the rest stop before the Navarre Bridge at about the same time as the peloton at our slower pace where we would rejoin for the ride home down the beach ride.
Several riders in our group jumped off the machines and immediately starting attending to Left Lane while Crusher and myself got the Cagers moving again...we kept them in the left lane as they passed Left Lane who was lying in the right lane. We even got them to move into the left turn lane even further away from Left Lane, (Did I make that clear? Confused?), who was now sitting up thanks to the care and attention given by several of our own including Trish "The Kat" Kuhnell. The Sheriff arrived shortly followed by the EMTs. I love those guys!
The good news is that Left Lane has nothing broken...a minor miracle considering how he launched himself. Mark "Subway" Calvert expressed it would have been a perfect score of "10" if it were not for the landing, explaining that Left Lane didn't "peg the landing" which is essential for the perfect score. Apparently, the evidence of his road rash showed he slid a few feet and thus did not "peg" the landing.
We all wish you a speedy recovery Left Lane! Sorry you missed the rest of the Hammerfest that was the Tour de Cure 2011...we averaged over 20mph for the 100k!!!
The following is the Left Lane version of the story...written by his own hands:
Well, after feeling grateful a month or so ago that my only bike wreck after riding around 20,000 miles over the past few year was falling down the steps of my porch with my bike and injuring some ribs, the bike gods got back at me Saturday in the Tour De Cure ride. Actually, although I got busted up pretty good it could of been a lot worse. And although I do not generally believe in fate, maybe my wreck as I trailed Johnny (Bugno) Dukes with no one else behind kept a larger wreck with the peloton from happening. Johnny and I had cracked off the main peloton we were riding with and taking the shorter route straight down 98 as the peloton was doing the ins and outs through the neighborhoods off the highway. We figured we would get down to the rest stop before the Navarre Bridge at about the same time as the peloton at our slower pace where we would rejoin for the ride home down the beach ride.
I believe we were only a couple of miles from Navarre cruising at around 20mph when Johnny noticed a problem with the road surface and warned me but it was too late as I looked down and had ended up to the right of the freshly paved road surface with the bike path not being repaved. As I looked down it did not seem like a problem, the fresh road surface had the new white line painted just to the edge and at first glance down, my bifocaled old self did not see the approximately 2 inch elevation gap in the two surfaces. Whereas I was probably less than 6 inches to the right of the ridge it was all over as soon as I made the slightest turn to the left. As soon as I did this, I realized the ridge was there and it was all over....I think I did a 2 and 1/2 gainer with a twist or something like that (sure would like to see this one on video!!!). I drove my left shoulder into the pavement ending up on my back and although I did not black out I knew I was pretty badly hurt. Here is where I feel very lucky. Ending up in the middle of the right lane of 98, if any traffic would have been there I would have been toast. Just as I fell, the Peloton came up from behind and circled around me to block any oncoming traffic. The EMTs arrived shortly and loaded me up and carted me off to Gulf Breeze hospital. These guys cut off my new jersey with a pair of scissors...jersey has a full length zipper...whats up with that?? Maybe they will let me deduct it from the ambulance bill!!!
Injury report: Hard to believe but no broken bones. The clavicle bone is somewhat separated from where it connects to the chest bone under the neck but the X-rays and Cat Scan said no breaks. All around the shoulder front and back is bruised and very painful and I have a little bit of road rash on the back shoulder and on my hand but that is about it. Doc put on a canvas type X brace to pull my shoulders back to help the healing process and scheduled me to see an orthopedist this coming week. Amazingly my bike looks pretty good except for the left brake handle has been knocked over to the center of the handle bars. Oh yeah, the Gulf Breeze Hospital was great. If they are ever hauling you off and they ask where you want to go, pick GB Hospital.
Thanks to all of you who looked after me on the road and who came by to visit in the hospital.
Kind of funny, as Subway Mark (The Big Hoagie) and I road out together to ride that morning, I kept asking him why we do this stuff to ourselves (ride at breakneck speeds in large groups inviting serious injury) and coming to the conclusion that "We're Crazy!!"
Hope to see you guys back on the road soon.
Crazy Left Lane and the Scourge of the Langley Maygarden Loop
Richard
We hope to see you soon as well Left Lane! Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
We hope to see you soon as well Left Lane! Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Friday, April 1, 2011
Left Lane's Bribe Worked!
Unbestinkinglievable!
I just checked the weather forecast and it has been updated to a fantastic Tailwind Express for the beach road tomorrow morning. I guess Left Lane's bribe he sent to the local forecaster must have worked. I'm not sure I believe it just yet however. We'll see in the morning. That 17 miles from Navarre to Pensacola Beach can be a desert road. A nice tailwind always helps. Good thinking Left Lane!
Looking forward to the 100k with you guys! Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
I just checked the weather forecast and it has been updated to a fantastic Tailwind Express for the beach road tomorrow morning. I guess Left Lane's bribe he sent to the local forecaster must have worked. I'm not sure I believe it just yet however. We'll see in the morning. That 17 miles from Navarre to Pensacola Beach can be a desert road. A nice tailwind always helps. Good thinking Left Lane!
Looking forward to the 100k with you guys! Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Could be a Sufferfest
Well, Tour de Cure riders, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?
While you are deciding, I'll let you know how the latest edition of the Wednesday evening Hammerfest turned out. We had a good group, mostly the usual characters with a couple of new faces. We headed out under just about perfect skies with a breeze out of the northwest. The first time down Langley the pace was civil...for Langley, that is...I think mid 20s. We turned onto Spanish Trail and Scott "Hurt Locker" Burt took over the pace making from the Vortex who had led the group from the start.
Once onto the Crit Loop the pace increased substantially as the boys love this section to be taken at speed. It really is a fun little 2 miles or so, with lots of curves and turns to keep your attention. Back onto Spanish the pace eased a bit until we crossed 9th Avenue. We charged west on Fairchild with an attack launched by the Hurt Locker and several others following including Big Motor, Left Lane and Lawman. The entire peloton regrouped at the Creighton Crossing.
The loop through the park was civil and then once again the pedals were turned in anger as the bunch hammered down Burgess. (Using my best Phil Liggett accent here) Now comes Langley. This final pass of Langley on the Figure 8 Loop is always a hoot. As always, there are several attacks that are almost always brought back together on Spanish. This night was no different. As we turned onto Maygarden the group was all together and it was evident that the boys were ready for some rompin and stompin.
With about 2k to go, Mark "Marcus Arelius" Calvert had the bit between the teeth and was pulling the bunch along. At 1.4k to go, the Vortex, who must have had a burr in his saddle, took a flyer. It caught several of the group off guard as he had a pretty good gap with 1k to go. However, there were 3 amigos who cried out, "No mas!" and took up the task of bridging the gap. With 500 meters to go, there were four together at the front; Lawman, Hurt Locker, Big Motor and Vortex.
At 300 to go, the missile is launched, that is the Hurt Locker. Lawman and Big Motor gave chase as the Vortex decided on chips and salsa with a pina colada. Lawman had just 100 meters or so to reel in the frisky Hurt Locker, but lost by less than a bike length. (I just love this kind of stuff!) So, the weekly bragging rights go to Scott "Hurt Locker" Burt, (who refused the post ride drug test), with David "Lawman" Carroll a very close second and third goes to Keith "Big Motor" Irwin. Vortex was a distant fourth looking for the guacamole dip. Great fun! Great ride! And congrats to the Hurt Locker for his first ever F&S Hammerfest win!!!
So, have you decided yet? I mean, do you want the good news or the bad news first?
I'm waiting...
Still waiting...
Alright, you took too long, I'll just choose for you. Tomorrow is the Tour de Cure! Once nicknamed the Tour de Flats. Hopefully not this year. A wonderful ride with lots of our fellow cyclists throughout the entire Pensacola area and beyond. I am really looking forward to it. How about you? I hope to see all of you there!
Now for the good news...oops, I mean the no so good news...the weather forecast calls for beautiful skies with no chance of rain. Nice temperatures, perfect for riding! Come on somebody! Come on everybody!!!
"Then what's the bad news?", you're asking. Well...it's the wind. Looks like we will have a pretty strong headwind on the beach road coming back. Right out of the southwest. Could be a Sufferfest.
Choose your paceline wisely young Jedi...
See you out on the road,
Bob
While you are deciding, I'll let you know how the latest edition of the Wednesday evening Hammerfest turned out. We had a good group, mostly the usual characters with a couple of new faces. We headed out under just about perfect skies with a breeze out of the northwest. The first time down Langley the pace was civil...for Langley, that is...I think mid 20s. We turned onto Spanish Trail and Scott "Hurt Locker" Burt took over the pace making from the Vortex who had led the group from the start.
Once onto the Crit Loop the pace increased substantially as the boys love this section to be taken at speed. It really is a fun little 2 miles or so, with lots of curves and turns to keep your attention. Back onto Spanish the pace eased a bit until we crossed 9th Avenue. We charged west on Fairchild with an attack launched by the Hurt Locker and several others following including Big Motor, Left Lane and Lawman. The entire peloton regrouped at the Creighton Crossing.
The loop through the park was civil and then once again the pedals were turned in anger as the bunch hammered down Burgess. (Using my best Phil Liggett accent here) Now comes Langley. This final pass of Langley on the Figure 8 Loop is always a hoot. As always, there are several attacks that are almost always brought back together on Spanish. This night was no different. As we turned onto Maygarden the group was all together and it was evident that the boys were ready for some rompin and stompin.
With about 2k to go, Mark "Marcus Arelius" Calvert had the bit between the teeth and was pulling the bunch along. At 1.4k to go, the Vortex, who must have had a burr in his saddle, took a flyer. It caught several of the group off guard as he had a pretty good gap with 1k to go. However, there were 3 amigos who cried out, "No mas!" and took up the task of bridging the gap. With 500 meters to go, there were four together at the front; Lawman, Hurt Locker, Big Motor and Vortex.
At 300 to go, the missile is launched, that is the Hurt Locker. Lawman and Big Motor gave chase as the Vortex decided on chips and salsa with a pina colada. Lawman had just 100 meters or so to reel in the frisky Hurt Locker, but lost by less than a bike length. (I just love this kind of stuff!) So, the weekly bragging rights go to Scott "Hurt Locker" Burt, (who refused the post ride drug test), with David "Lawman" Carroll a very close second and third goes to Keith "Big Motor" Irwin. Vortex was a distant fourth looking for the guacamole dip. Great fun! Great ride! And congrats to the Hurt Locker for his first ever F&S Hammerfest win!!!
So, have you decided yet? I mean, do you want the good news or the bad news first?
I'm waiting...
Still waiting...
Alright, you took too long, I'll just choose for you. Tomorrow is the Tour de Cure! Once nicknamed the Tour de Flats. Hopefully not this year. A wonderful ride with lots of our fellow cyclists throughout the entire Pensacola area and beyond. I am really looking forward to it. How about you? I hope to see all of you there!
Now for the good news...oops, I mean the no so good news...the weather forecast calls for beautiful skies with no chance of rain. Nice temperatures, perfect for riding! Come on somebody! Come on everybody!!!
"Then what's the bad news?", you're asking. Well...it's the wind. Looks like we will have a pretty strong headwind on the beach road coming back. Right out of the southwest. Could be a Sufferfest.
Choose your paceline wisely young Jedi...
See you out on the road,
Bob
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