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
Please tell me we're not going to ride this hard all summer! I'm going to have to do some double secret training or I'm screwed.
ReplyDeleteAh, come on Gianni, it wasn't that bad, was it? Just the bridge with that headwind.However, I will say there was some serious horsepower in that peloton Saturday!
ReplyDeleteLet's see how things go on the Lillian Loop this week. If I remember right, you won the sprint last time we headed that way! (And, last week at The Hammock) Hmmm...maybe I should be the one gearing up with some double secret workouts!
I'll be out of town next Sat. So.....
ReplyDelete