What a fantastic weekend of riding! Great groups, great weather and of course, plenty of peloton antics to go around for all. I think I logged over 150 miles during the course of the 3 day weekend. Saturday we cruised through the group fave Back Door Loop. This loop left Fish and Wildlife at 7am with both the shorter route and longer route groups in tow. We kind of headed in a northwest direction on quiet streets before turning south for the Back Door itself.
We had our typical pre-rest stop sprint with the usual ones at the front whipping the pace into a frenzy. First, "Slim Jim" Britnell cranked it up, then Chris "TT" Johnson took over with about 500 meters left. Then, charging from both sides were Crusher and the Vortex, who crossed the line just about together.
After filling the bottles and telling stories, (mainly about the Bad Mayonnaise and his wheelset...don't ask!) we headed directly to this ride's namesake...the Back Door of NAS. Upon entering the base, Rusty "The Mayor" Rood went to the front and starts pressing the pace. This was met by no small amount of astonishment by the peloton as he usually sits in the back escorting the Bad Mayonnaise. However, with a bit of questioning, it was discovered that The Mayor had actually filled his bottle at the rest stop with some high octane frappacinio mixture that evidently was giving him the boost to the front of the line. (Note to self: when feeling a bonk coming on, check out one of those frappacinio thingys)
Well, before we knew it, a few of the boys were dropping like flies at the back, so we stopped for a regrouping. After a few minutes of nobody showing, Left Lane gets on his phone and discovers that the others had actually headed for the front gate...which we did as well, pronto. (Uh, that's Spanish for those of you less fortunate than my bilingual self. Means: Quickly or promptly.) We all were back together and headed for the Barrancas Bridge. Left Lane pulls his typical Left Lane move and goes for the Top of Bridge Award (TOBA) with about 2 miles to the top...go figure.
The rest of the peloton pretty much stayed together until the base of the climb itself. That's when Crusher, Circle K, Happy and the Vortex charged up the hill in pursuit of the maverick just 100 meters ahead. Although this foursome had the horsepower, Left Lane held them off to win the TOBA by less than 20 meters. His antics had finally paid off! Congrats to Richard "Left Lane" Lopiccolo for his first ever official TOBA! (Not to be confused with a Toga, which he loves to wear at parties!)
The group pretty much cruised back to the start location through downtown. Great ride! All told about 45 moderately paced miles.
Sunday saw a small group of the Mayos, Gehmans, Woodrow and Vortex puttzn around Pensacola at a very easy pace. Great easy spin ride of about 25 miles. We even stopped at the end of Palafox for some stories and some cold Gatorade. Good fun!
Yesterday started out as a ride with great potential. The weather was just about perfect and there was plenty of horsepower in the peloton to pull the bunch along at a good pace. However, what started out good, became a Sufferfest for some. Apparently, there was a bit of confusion on my part as to the distance. Therefore, it was advertised as a 55 to 60 miler. However for most, it turned out to be a 70 to 75 miler in the hot sun. Who measured that thing?
Now, I can't control the weather, but I should have checked the mileage more closely. My sincere apologies to those of you who suffered like dogs. I will be more thorough in the future. Other than the suffering over the last several miles in the heat of the late morning, it was a great ride on a new route. Thanks to Chip "Circle K" Wilson!
The group pretty much stayed together the entire loop. The final few miles a few dropped off by choice and some continued onward. As one rider was overheard, "This horse is headed for the stable!" The beleaguered group, as they made their way back to the finish line, were pondering the thought of a sprint. Could it be, after 70 some miles, that some crazy nincompoop would put the hammer down?! If so, who? The tired group began to look at each other with suspicion as they climbed up Hilltop Road knowing just around the corner would tell the story.
The weary few, (Semper Cy, Danimal, TMC, Lawman, Crusher, Circle K and Vortex), that turned left on Langley, saw Lawman crank it up into the low 20s all the way to Spanish. (Could he be the nincompoop?) After the right hander the Vortex took hold of the reins and pulled this motley crew of only 4 now up to Maygarden. He turned onto Maygarden and tugged on the group into the mid to upper 20s. He takes them all the way to about 900 meters to go. (Surely this is the nincompoop!) From here Crusher pulls up to the 500 meters to go sign at which point the 2 nincompoops, (Vortex and Lawman) combined attack on either side of him. Within a second or two, they both look at each other as if to say, "Oh, so you're the nincompoop!" and immediately turn off the gas. The last of these four exhausted amigos, Circle K, starts to go to the front, but with 400 meters left in this endless Sufferfest, the Lawman pulls off the textbook move and launches his final vicious attack! He looked like a scolded cat charging towards the finish line. He was all over the machine!
Immediately Circle K and Vortex look at each other as if to say, "Well, you going to chase him?" Within seconds, the Vortex stomps on it as if he were the dog chasing the scolded cat. He made up about half of the distance with Circle K in tow. With 200 meters to go Circle K takes the lead from the weakening Vortex. That rascally Lawman was just a few meters ahead now. (I just love this kind of stuff!) However, the two drained amigos with less than 100 meters to go, could see that the Lawman had pulled off the move of the day. He crossed the line first just a couple seconds ahead of Circle K and Vortex. Not far back was the battle weary Crusher.
Congrats to Dave "Lawman" Carroll for his first ever Nincompoop Sprint win!!! Just kidding Lawman, great ride and a great move there at the end! Mark Cavendish would be proud. Big Green Jersey points and bragging rights for the week! Man, what a ride. My legs are still trying to recover.
Speaking of recovery...tonight at 6pm at Firestone and Summit we will have a special "recovery ride" for anyone interested in an easy spin the day after such a hard effort. The pace will not exceed 15 to 16mph. (At least, my pace won't!) We will probably just spin around a few streets in northeast Pensacola...no more than 15 to 20 miles. Hope to see you there!
And, don't forget WERAD tomorrow night! Meet at 5:30pm at Firestone and Summit!!!
See you out on the road,
Bob
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
WERAD Report and Some Housekeeping
This past WERAD was fairly tame. A moderate size group left Firestone and Summit under mostly sunny skies for our weekly romp around the streets of northeast Pensacola. The peloton consisted of the usual cast of unusual characters as well as a few normal ones. (I'll leave it to you as to who is who!) The first trip down Langley was in the low 20s with Crusher (Uh, Foxinator, Winn Dixie, Grocery, Fumigator...take your pick, too many nicknames for me) doing all of the work at the front.
We got the green at Spanish so the pace continued with Left Lane then Vortex keeping in the low 20s. Once onto the Crit Loop, the Vortex spiced things up a bit with the Big Motor himself cranking it into the mid 20s. Once back on the Trail called Spanish, the pace eased a bit until we caught up to the Bad Mayonnaise and his escorts, Retro and The Mayor. With the group all together again, several took moderate pulls all the way around to the Burgess Jam Lane. At this point, Retroman put the hammer down to stretch the peloton out. Once back on Langley and all together at the stoplights, (have we ever gotten a green here?) Bad Mayonnaise lobbies for a civil pace until the summit at Pensacourt.
Well, the light finally turns that color that means romp and stomp and that is exactly what Mark "Too Much Color" Brill (TMC) proceeded to do. Before you know it, we're past the Pensacourt and the real race begins. TMC takes us to Spanish and is immediately jettisoned as Big Motor puts in an aggressive tug all the way to the S Curves on Maygarden. At this point Crusher, uh...crushes it around the corner to the long straight with 1k to go. The Vortex takes an albeit sissy pull and moves over for Retro who does about the same. This puts Lawman in the lead with a mere 500 to 600 meters to go. (I just love this kind of stuff!)
He expresses his consternation but decides to crank it up to the line with the Vortex and Retro in tow. At 200 meters from the line, Lawman jumps out of the saddle and charges for the line with head down and eyes blurred. Vortex and Retro have a great advantage here because they have been sucking wheel for the last several hundred meters. In fact, at the post ride interview, (The Kiss and Cry Area) the two suckers were observed wiping a black powdery substance from their faces.
Back to live action; The Lawman was cranking up into the mid 30s when, with 100 meters to go, Retroman jumps on it to his right. These two amigos went at it right down to the line with Retro edging out the win. Lawman took a well deserved second after leading out the other two. Where was the third amigo? Well, the Vortex was seen sipping a Pina Colada mixture from his water bottle as he crossed the line in what was an apparent lackadaisical effort at best. A real disappointment to the fans who had lined up for hours to see the reported Champion. (Where are those medals anyway? Anybody actually seen them?)
Regardless, congrats to Dave "Retro" Henderson for his WERAD win...and Green Jersey bragging rights! Also, for their monster pulls, Big Pull Bull awards (Red Jerseys) to Mark "TMC" Brill and Keith "Big Motor" Irwin.
Great ride and good fun!
And speaking of good fun; as you may or may not have guessed, these write ups, (color commentaries) are at best, tongue in cheek. It is generally understood that the Blogazoidal writers take a bit of literary license as well as a good deal of mud in our own proverbial faces. It is all in good fun and should be taken in the spirit of good humor. Nobody who rides in the Firestone and Summit peloton is exempt. Especially, if you do something grand or something stupid. In fact, that's where most of our nicknames originate. And, to be sure, it is one of the things that make our group fun, if not unique. Remember, you may be the topic of comic relief this week, but next week you may be the hero...or vice versa. It's all in good fun. However, if you are a bit sensitive, please let us know and we will be happy to exclude you and your antics from any future commentaries. And that was a housekeeping memo.
Great rides planned this weekend!
Saturday we're headed through the Back Door Loop! Please bring a photo ID so you can come onboard NAS. Pace will be moderate as both the shorter and longer groups will stay together for this 40 to 45 miler. See you at 7am at Fish and Wildlife.
Sunday will be the Easy paced ride of Pensacola Puttzn. This 25 miler is a perfect recovery ride or if you would like to bring new riders out for some group dynamics. Ride starts at 3pm at Firestone and Summit.
Monday (Memorial Day) has our peloton doing a brand new loop put together by our very own Chip "Circle K" Wilson! This 55 to 60 mile loop through upper Santa Rosa County has been dubbed "The Pacemaker" and has it all. Hills, flats and 2 rest stops to fill the bottles and tell stories. Chip, our Ride Captain for the day expressed, "Remind the crew, any attempted mutiny by "so-called" first mates will be put down by force. Conspiring mutineers will walk the plank!" Sounds like a great ride Chip! See everyone at 7am Monday morning at Firestone and Summit. And, as always, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
We got the green at Spanish so the pace continued with Left Lane then Vortex keeping in the low 20s. Once onto the Crit Loop, the Vortex spiced things up a bit with the Big Motor himself cranking it into the mid 20s. Once back on the Trail called Spanish, the pace eased a bit until we caught up to the Bad Mayonnaise and his escorts, Retro and The Mayor. With the group all together again, several took moderate pulls all the way around to the Burgess Jam Lane. At this point, Retroman put the hammer down to stretch the peloton out. Once back on Langley and all together at the stoplights, (have we ever gotten a green here?) Bad Mayonnaise lobbies for a civil pace until the summit at Pensacourt.
Well, the light finally turns that color that means romp and stomp and that is exactly what Mark "Too Much Color" Brill (TMC) proceeded to do. Before you know it, we're past the Pensacourt and the real race begins. TMC takes us to Spanish and is immediately jettisoned as Big Motor puts in an aggressive tug all the way to the S Curves on Maygarden. At this point Crusher, uh...crushes it around the corner to the long straight with 1k to go. The Vortex takes an albeit sissy pull and moves over for Retro who does about the same. This puts Lawman in the lead with a mere 500 to 600 meters to go. (I just love this kind of stuff!)
He expresses his consternation but decides to crank it up to the line with the Vortex and Retro in tow. At 200 meters from the line, Lawman jumps out of the saddle and charges for the line with head down and eyes blurred. Vortex and Retro have a great advantage here because they have been sucking wheel for the last several hundred meters. In fact, at the post ride interview, (The Kiss and Cry Area) the two suckers were observed wiping a black powdery substance from their faces.
Back to live action; The Lawman was cranking up into the mid 30s when, with 100 meters to go, Retroman jumps on it to his right. These two amigos went at it right down to the line with Retro edging out the win. Lawman took a well deserved second after leading out the other two. Where was the third amigo? Well, the Vortex was seen sipping a Pina Colada mixture from his water bottle as he crossed the line in what was an apparent lackadaisical effort at best. A real disappointment to the fans who had lined up for hours to see the reported Champion. (Where are those medals anyway? Anybody actually seen them?)
Regardless, congrats to Dave "Retro" Henderson for his WERAD win...and Green Jersey bragging rights! Also, for their monster pulls, Big Pull Bull awards (Red Jerseys) to Mark "TMC" Brill and Keith "Big Motor" Irwin.
Great ride and good fun!
And speaking of good fun; as you may or may not have guessed, these write ups, (color commentaries) are at best, tongue in cheek. It is generally understood that the Blogazoidal writers take a bit of literary license as well as a good deal of mud in our own proverbial faces. It is all in good fun and should be taken in the spirit of good humor. Nobody who rides in the Firestone and Summit peloton is exempt. Especially, if you do something grand or something stupid. In fact, that's where most of our nicknames originate. And, to be sure, it is one of the things that make our group fun, if not unique. Remember, you may be the topic of comic relief this week, but next week you may be the hero...or vice versa. It's all in good fun. However, if you are a bit sensitive, please let us know and we will be happy to exclude you and your antics from any future commentaries. And that was a housekeeping memo.
Great rides planned this weekend!
Saturday we're headed through the Back Door Loop! Please bring a photo ID so you can come onboard NAS. Pace will be moderate as both the shorter and longer groups will stay together for this 40 to 45 miler. See you at 7am at Fish and Wildlife.
Sunday will be the Easy paced ride of Pensacola Puttzn. This 25 miler is a perfect recovery ride or if you would like to bring new riders out for some group dynamics. Ride starts at 3pm at Firestone and Summit.
Monday (Memorial Day) has our peloton doing a brand new loop put together by our very own Chip "Circle K" Wilson! This 55 to 60 mile loop through upper Santa Rosa County has been dubbed "The Pacemaker" and has it all. Hills, flats and 2 rest stops to fill the bottles and tell stories. Chip, our Ride Captain for the day expressed, "Remind the crew, any attempted mutiny by "so-called" first mates will be put down by force. Conspiring mutineers will walk the plank!" Sounds like a great ride Chip! See everyone at 7am Monday morning at Firestone and Summit. And, as always, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Left Lane Does It Again!
Well, I'm back in the saddle again...
Yep, back from my tour around the country. I flew out to Phoenix, drove to the Grand Canyon. Then on to Sedona, (there's a sign on their main street stating, "Home of the Crystal Vortex". No kidding! Must be a distant cousin of the Vortex or something?!), back to Phoenix. Flew to Atlanta, drove to Greenville, SC and then on to Columbus, GA and finally back to Pensacola. Man, I'm tired just writing all that. All told, 9 days and some 4,200+ miles. Average speed was 380+/-mph...but who's counting?! Great trip, but apparently not as good as last Saturday's romp to Lillian...according to the Left Lane who was kind enough to send me his color commentary of the day's events. Here 'tis:
We had a really good turnout for the Saturday Ride this past weekend. We had 15 to 20 riders in all with 8 riders going the full route and the rest taking the shorter route. Seems like the 2 route structure for our Saturday rides is paying off in higher attendance so that those who do not want to suffer through the Hammerfests can ride at a more reasonable pace.
Also, check out the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Blogification for all the details on upcoming rides...like this Saturday! Come on somebody! Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Yep, back from my tour around the country. I flew out to Phoenix, drove to the Grand Canyon. Then on to Sedona, (there's a sign on their main street stating, "Home of the Crystal Vortex". No kidding! Must be a distant cousin of the Vortex or something?!), back to Phoenix. Flew to Atlanta, drove to Greenville, SC and then on to Columbus, GA and finally back to Pensacola. Man, I'm tired just writing all that. All told, 9 days and some 4,200+ miles. Average speed was 380+/-mph...but who's counting?! Great trip, but apparently not as good as last Saturday's romp to Lillian...according to the Left Lane who was kind enough to send me his color commentary of the day's events. Here 'tis:
We had a really good turnout for the Saturday Ride this past weekend. We had 15 to 20 riders in all with 8 riders going the full route and the rest taking the shorter route. Seems like the 2 route structure for our Saturday rides is paying off in higher attendance so that those who do not want to suffer through the Hammerfests can ride at a more reasonable pace.
Going the full ride were Circle K, The Prentii (2 Prentises), Happy Harlan, Retro Dave, Tim The Foxinator (interesting, when I did the spellcheck one suggestion to replace Foxinator was Fumigator…a new nickname??) Fox, Seattle Brian, and me, The Left Lane. Choosing the shorter route and heading back at the turn from Lillian to the Perdido Bridge, were David The Bad Mayonnaise Mayo, David Lawman Carroll, Rusty The Mayor Rood, Keith The Big Motor Irwin, Chuck & “Big Meal” Sandy( who had to quit the Wednesday ride last week due to too much dinner!!), and Woody & Carol Ann. I know we had a few more riders but can’t remember everyone. Of note, as we queued up at the start Fox’s profile made him appear as if he had DunLapped over the back with an overlarge jersey stretching downward from the weight of the vast stores he had packed for the ride!! As Fox always says, “You got to feed the Machine.”
The entire group stayed together as we noodled through town and then headed for Jackson Street. Pace kicked up as usual on Jackson once we crossed New Warrington Road and then on Lillian highway as we skirted Perdido bay. Pace was reasonable however, with The Prentii doing most of the work, one of whom showed up on a “Flaming Pink” bike. I will let you guess which one!! As we neared the Bridge with the traditional Unannounced Sprint (UAS) to the break at the store in Alabama younger Prentis was out front doing a reasonable 22-23 mph when flashing by came CircleK, Retro Dave, Fox and then Harlan, setting a blistering pace up the Bridge. Prentis kicked it in and chased them back down, however Circle K took the UAS trophy.
After our break at the store we did the traditional loop through the countryside savoring the aroma of Fresh Cowpies (is that the Alabama State Flower??). This section included much hammerfesting with the group staying together until the hilly section as we headed back to the bridge where Seattle Brian & Left Lane cracked off the back when Retro went to the front and put down a short but fast pull (not sure what the point of that was??). Brian and I did a two man chase and kept the peloton within reasonable range and we rejoined the group which waited for us at the pull off area before the bridge. I was pretty worn out by this time so I slammed it past the waiting group up the Bridge so that I could get a breather on the downhill. Of course the Prenti on the Pink bike just had to chase me down and pass me as I reached the top. Maybe one day I will get to the top of a climb first….Notttttt!!! Prentis then slowed a little going down and I slammed the big gear and passed him momentarily. Prentis hates it when the 56 year old fat guy with bad knees passes him though and he put it back down and passed me again. I grabbed his wheel for a while but had to drop off and rejoin the peloton as we headed to the next break at Bauer Road.
It was a very hot humid day so we decided to take 98 home rather than going down Bauer to Gulf Beach Highway. Oh well, no Fried Twinkie Sprint today!! The ride down 98 was pretty much a hammerfest with young Prentii doing most of the work again. Seems like we got stopped at every light along the way. Prenti burned it out at every restart up to 25mph or so and the stopping and going was starting to take a toll on the older legs in the peloton (mine) so I had to start timing the lights to get a jump to keep from getting dropped on the restarts!! We all stayed together until the viaduct on Garden Street when the climbers once again dropped Seattle Brian and me but the lights and some Somewhat Sketchy Road Manners let us get back up as we headed through town and to what is my finish point at 14th and Gregory (can you say Liquor Store!). Actually, I was too worn out to have my usual after ride beers plus my usual drinking buddies, Johnny Bugno and The Big Hoagie took the day off!! So I crept up the 14th Avenue Hill home as the rest of the group headed back to the Firestone & Summit area.
Great Ride of around 55 miles for me at an average speed of just over 17mph (including noodles).
Uh...not sure what "noodles" means, (isn't that on the menu at the Road Kill Cafe? Or was that Poodles with Noodles?), regardless, thanks for the report Left Lane!
Don't forget, (as if you could) tonight's WERAD! The word on the street is to expect one of our biggest groups to date. As always, we will have the two group format, with one group doing the slightly longer route. (Crit Loop) The shorter route will be the group fave Super 8 Loop. Both groups will come back together just in time for things to get cranked up along Langley, Spanish and Maygarden. Who will walk, (ride) away with the weekly bragging rights? The Red Big Bull Pull Jersey and the Green Sprint Jersey are both up for grabs this evening! (I just love this kind of stuff!)
Also, check out the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Blogification for all the details on upcoming rides...like this Saturday! Come on somebody! Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Friday, May 20, 2011
Left Lane's WERAD Report
Left Lane sent in the following report regarding this week's WERAD. Sorry I missed it! Looking forward to mixing it up a bit next week though...come on somebody!
Here's his report:
Tomorrow morning we're doing the Twisted 3 Amigos Loop. There will be an abbreviated version for those that don't want or need 50 to 55 miles. However, the entire peloton will stay together at a moderate pace until Dog Track Road, at which point the shorter route goes straight on Dog Track and the longer route turns right on Hwy 98 to left on Bauer Road and back on Gulf Beach Hwy. Shorter route is about 40 miles. Each group after the split will decide on a pace that is appropriate for the individual group.
Weather forecast looks good and there's plenty of horsepower in the peloton to pull down the road...come on somebody!
See you out on the road,
Bob
Here's his report:
The usual suspects attending included Lawman Dave Carroll, Johnny Bugno, the Hand Guys..Josh & Dave, Chuck & Sandy, The Left Lane and a couple young jedi’s, Wes and Mark. A small group compared to our regular Wednesday Ride. Josh showed up on another brand new machine and of course he was already whinning about this that or the other thing!!!! David “Bad Mayonaise” Mayo was on an old set of wheels/tires and with all the mechanicals he has had lately, I questioned whether he would finish the ride (he made it about 3/4ths of the way through the Crit Course section before he had terminal wheel failure and had to call Beverly to come and rescue him). We need to convince David to get a good pair of wheels and Ultra Gator Skins so he can avoid theses mechanicals. Of course Dave has other priorities can..you say New Boat!!! When’s the Bike Club Fishing Trip???
We headed out to do the usual Super 8 with the Lawman doing the early pull and then Johnny Bugno taking us up the first part of Langley and then Left Lane taking over at Pensacourt. This first trip down Langley was at around 25mph and the group was mostly together as we headed up Spanish Trail. When we got to the Crit, Johnny took the lead and said to me that he would probably get us lost, so I went to the front and promptly proceeded to lead the group into a Cul de Sac!!! We all regrouped and continued on through the rest of the course with of course Mayo flatting per above and Sandy had disappeared as well. I asked Chuck where she went and he said something to the effect that they had had a huge dinner before coming out on the ride and that she decided to head home!!
We continued on with the usual hamerfests on the long straights with Johnny Bugno doing most of the work. Johnny also started us up Langley the second time with Wes going to the front around PensaCourt where he started putting down a quick pace in the upper 20’s. As we turned onto Maygarden, the group was all together with the Lawman taking the early pull and then Johnny Bugno and then Mark taking over as we headed toward the finish. Around 400 yards from the line The Lawman jumped as usual with Wes trying to get his wheel and The Left Lane pursuing as well. Lawman laid it down hard and took the win with Wes around 10 yards back and Left Lane a distant 3rd with the rest being, well, “the rest”.
Fun ride for all and hope to see everyone on the Saturday morning ride.
That is some Bad Mayonnaise...somebody get the boy some new tires for his birthday!
Tomorrow morning we're doing the Twisted 3 Amigos Loop. There will be an abbreviated version for those that don't want or need 50 to 55 miles. However, the entire peloton will stay together at a moderate pace until Dog Track Road, at which point the shorter route goes straight on Dog Track and the longer route turns right on Hwy 98 to left on Bauer Road and back on Gulf Beach Hwy. Shorter route is about 40 miles. Each group after the split will decide on a pace that is appropriate for the individual group.
Weather forecast looks good and there's plenty of horsepower in the peloton to pull down the road...come on somebody!
See you out on the road,
Bob
Friday, May 13, 2011
WERAD Color Commentary
Wednesday Evening's Rendevous Avec Douleur (WERAD) sounds like, from all reports to have been yet another romp on the streets on Pensacola. I asked one of the boys, who I knew would be there in my absence, if he would write the color commentary...he obliged:
With Bob (The Vortex) out of town (at the Old Guys on Bikes Games in Mississippi) and several of the regulars missing, the Wednesday ride attendance was down somewhat from the large crowds we have been having on a typical Wednesday. However we still had a pretty good cast of characters. In attendance were Fox, Count Fishbone, The Hand Guys (David & Josh),Old Older Prenti, Retro Dave, The Chunginator, Mark 2 (don’t know his last name, but not the Big Hoagie), Yours truly, The Left Lane and maybe a couple of others (can’t remember 2 days after the ride!!).
Tomorrow we are headed for Innerarity Point, (longer route 50 miles) and Back Door Loop (shorter route 35 miles). The entire peloton will stay together at a moderate pace until the shorter route guys turn left at NAS! (If you are going on board NAS please assure you have you're photo ID with you or you will be riding with the longer route guys!) Then each group will decide on a pace that is agreeable to all within their own groups. (Longer route guys usually crank it up a bit, i.e. 20mph+ while the shorter route guys will most likely keep to a more moderate pace). Regardless, two great routes are scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7am at Fish and Wildlife. Come on somebody!
Don't forget next Tuesday, May 17th at 7:30pm at Casino Beach Parking Lot is the all time group fave Full Moon Ride! This 20 miler down to Fort Pickens usually sees the peloton at an easy to moderate pace on the way out to the Fort, then the group splits up into several smaller groups at differing speeds for the trip back. Come on out for the most unusual fun you have ever had (legally) on a bike! Please bring your lights and $3 for entrance fee into the Park.
As always, check the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Blogulation for all the details regarding these rides as well as any ride in the future.
By the way, Firestone and Summit took 5 Gold Medals at the recent Mississippi Senior Olympics! Congrats to everyone for all the help and hard work!!! Come on out tomorrow morning to hear all the race stories! (Oh yeah baby...I just love this kind of stuff!!!)
See you out on the road,
Bob
With Bob (The Vortex) out of town (at the Old Guys on Bikes Games in Mississippi) and several of the regulars missing, the Wednesday ride attendance was down somewhat from the large crowds we have been having on a typical Wednesday. However we still had a pretty good cast of characters. In attendance were Fox, Count Fishbone, The Hand Guys (David & Josh),
Ride was the typical Super 8 with the Crit Course thrown in. We did the usual slammerfest down Langley the first trip and most of the group was together as we entered the Crit Course. Fox took the lead and pushed a pretty hard pace for the first ½ of the course. He pulled off the lead as we reentered the neighborhood from Scenic and Left Lane took the lead for the second ½ of the course. It was definitely more fun being at the front on the Crit going through the curves in the neighborhood and not having to worry about a wheel in front of you as well as behind you.
We did our usual fast treks down the long straights as we headed toward the Langley Maygarden Loop with the group all together. Once again David, The Bad Mayonaisse Mayo, ran the red light at 9th avenue and Langley (as the women driving by cheered him on!!) trying to get a jump to the top of the hill at Pensacourt. He was reeled in quickly as usual by the group as the pace kicked up into the upper 20s with The Count leading the way toward Spanish Trail. Left Lane went to the front on Spanish for a pull but the Count would have none of that and went back to the front leading the group to Maygarden.
As we turned onto Maygarden, the pulls alternated between Prenti, Fox and then the Count again as we went through the S curve after the Air Terminal. We were riding into the wind so the pace was more sedate than usual at around 22 mph. The group was tightly packed and even Josh on his blue machine was ready to contest the finish. With around 400 yards to go, The Left Lane, being boxed in on the right figured he would do the lead out and broke to the front on the right and kicked the pace up into the upper 20’s. Of course this fooled no one as the entire group grabbed his wheel and he kept this up until he ran out of gas around 150 yards from the finish. As he pulled off the lead the group blew by with Retro Dave and Fox in the lead chugging toward the finish line. It was a photo finish with both agreeing that the Retro Man barely nipped the Foxinator, as the fans went wild with delight at yet another photo finish on the Super 8 Course! Congrats to Retro Dave for the win! Big Pull Bull Award (BPB) goes out to Prenti, Count and Left Lane who all put in monster pulls!
Thanks Left Lane!
Tomorrow we are headed for Innerarity Point, (longer route 50 miles) and Back Door Loop (shorter route 35 miles). The entire peloton will stay together at a moderate pace until the shorter route guys turn left at NAS! (If you are going on board NAS please assure you have you're photo ID with you or you will be riding with the longer route guys!) Then each group will decide on a pace that is agreeable to all within their own groups. (Longer route guys usually crank it up a bit, i.e. 20mph+ while the shorter route guys will most likely keep to a more moderate pace). Regardless, two great routes are scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7am at Fish and Wildlife. Come on somebody!
Don't forget next Tuesday, May 17th at 7:30pm at Casino Beach Parking Lot is the all time group fave Full Moon Ride! This 20 miler down to Fort Pickens usually sees the peloton at an easy to moderate pace on the way out to the Fort, then the group splits up into several smaller groups at differing speeds for the trip back. Come on out for the most unusual fun you have ever had (legally) on a bike! Please bring your lights and $3 for entrance fee into the Park.
As always, check the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Blogulation for all the details regarding these rides as well as any ride in the future.
By the way, Firestone and Summit took 5 Gold Medals at the recent Mississippi Senior Olympics! Congrats to everyone for all the help and hard work!!! Come on out tomorrow morning to hear all the race stories! (Oh yeah baby...I just love this kind of stuff!!!)
See you out on the road,
Bob
Monday, May 9, 2011
Maybe The Perfect Ride...
When thinking upon the ride All the Way Around the Bay this past Saturday, I am at a loss for words to express the experience. There was very little peloton antics, other than the strange little white capsules we witnessed Danimal popping at all the rest stops. Actually, he expressed that they are some kind of "endurance" pills...I think he called them Endurance Performance Optimizers (EPO) or something like that. Yeah, heard that one before. Others have gotten is some severe trouble for that, but NO not Danimal. Nope, he gets a pass. (I'm not bitter)
There were some monsters pulls however, by several in the bunch including Danimal, (no guess as to how), Circle K, The Count, Happy and Lawman just to name a few. But other than that, there is really nothing to report. Coolio graced us with his smiling face. It was great having him in the peloton. But some of the usual characters that make up so much of the fodder for this Blogification were absent. Folks like Crusher, Left Lane and that Bad Mayonaisse as well as several other stooges. However...
It was just about the perfect ride. Great group and the weather could not have been better. I think we had a slight breeze all day along with a bit of a Tailwind Express for the final section. We rode just under 80 miles at a average just under 20mph! Not bad for a bunch of old dudes.
By the way, no sprint at the end. We were thinking it though. However, just as things were winding up, as we had caught Lawman, ( we were at 33mph), Circle K had a blow out that hit the Vortex in the chest. Amazing nobody went down. But all backed off the sprint. Wise move from a sage group. Great ride to everyone who rode!
Don't forget tomorrow evening's ride at 6pm and of course the WERAD on Wednesday at 5:30pm. Both start at Firestone and Summit. Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
There were some monsters pulls however, by several in the bunch including Danimal, (no guess as to how), Circle K, The Count, Happy and Lawman just to name a few. But other than that, there is really nothing to report. Coolio graced us with his smiling face. It was great having him in the peloton. But some of the usual characters that make up so much of the fodder for this Blogification were absent. Folks like Crusher, Left Lane and that Bad Mayonaisse as well as several other stooges. However...
It was just about the perfect ride. Great group and the weather could not have been better. I think we had a slight breeze all day along with a bit of a Tailwind Express for the final section. We rode just under 80 miles at a average just under 20mph! Not bad for a bunch of old dudes.
By the way, no sprint at the end. We were thinking it though. However, just as things were winding up, as we had caught Lawman, ( we were at 33mph), Circle K had a blow out that hit the Vortex in the chest. Amazing nobody went down. But all backed off the sprint. Wise move from a sage group. Great ride to everyone who rode!
Don't forget tomorrow evening's ride at 6pm and of course the WERAD on Wednesday at 5:30pm. Both start at Firestone and Summit. Until then, I'll...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Friday, May 6, 2011
A Couple of Ride Reminders for Tomorrow's Ride
The weather forecast for tomorrow's All the Way Around the Bay ride looks fantastic. The wind, which seems to be the big issue lately regarding our longer rides, will be slight as compared to the blustery blowing we have been experiencing lately. The hourly forecast for our ride shows a breeze that should be behind us after the first two hours. Wouldn't that be nice to have a Tailwind Express all the way from Navarre?! The breeze will be out of the northeast at start time, but moves around to the east then southeast then southsoutheast by 11am. The temperatures are 65 degrees when we head out and topping out around 80 degrees as we should be finishing up.
This reminds me to post a couple of notes to everyone who will be on the longer route tomorrow;
1. Please remember to be taking on fluids often. Please do not wait until a rest stop to fill up the tank. This advice would also include food. Please keep your tanks topped off or you will undoubtedly have problems along the way. And once you start to crack, it is very difficult to fuel back up on the fly. "Little and often!"
2. Please check your machine to assure that it is in top working order. You know, cables, brakes, shifting, chain and of course, those tires. Flats are difficult to avoid even with brand new tires, but if you're riding ones that are about shot, please replace before tomorrow's ride. The whole peloton will thank you!
See you all at 7am at Firestone and Summit! Please be prompt as we have a long morning in the saddle, (70 to 75 miles) and would like to stay on schedule. We have 3 planned stops to fill the bottles and tell stories. However, we will keep the length of each to as short as possible so we can stay on schedule. (about 10 min. each) This should put us home around 11am or so. (this note for for Dana)
This will most likely be the last of our "long" rides until the Fall as the weather just get's too hot in June, July and August. We'll continue to do 40s, 50s and maybe even an occasional 60 miler, however nothing this long until next September or October depending on temperatures. Therefore, if you want to ride with a group on a long ride, this may be your last chance this Spring. "I'm just saying."
By the way, we have a special rider showing up tomorrow. I can't reveal his identity, but he is very...uh, famous, or should I say infamous?! Do the letters CCC mean anything to you?
See you out on the road,
Bob
This reminds me to post a couple of notes to everyone who will be on the longer route tomorrow;
1. Please remember to be taking on fluids often. Please do not wait until a rest stop to fill up the tank. This advice would also include food. Please keep your tanks topped off or you will undoubtedly have problems along the way. And once you start to crack, it is very difficult to fuel back up on the fly. "Little and often!"
2. Please check your machine to assure that it is in top working order. You know, cables, brakes, shifting, chain and of course, those tires. Flats are difficult to avoid even with brand new tires, but if you're riding ones that are about shot, please replace before tomorrow's ride. The whole peloton will thank you!
See you all at 7am at Firestone and Summit! Please be prompt as we have a long morning in the saddle, (70 to 75 miles) and would like to stay on schedule. We have 3 planned stops to fill the bottles and tell stories. However, we will keep the length of each to as short as possible so we can stay on schedule. (about 10 min. each) This should put us home around 11am or so. (this note for for Dana)
This will most likely be the last of our "long" rides until the Fall as the weather just get's too hot in June, July and August. We'll continue to do 40s, 50s and maybe even an occasional 60 miler, however nothing this long until next September or October depending on temperatures. Therefore, if you want to ride with a group on a long ride, this may be your last chance this Spring. "I'm just saying."
By the way, we have a special rider showing up tomorrow. I can't reveal his identity, but he is very...uh, famous, or should I say infamous?! Do the letters CCC mean anything to you?
See you out on the road,
Bob
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Ride Commentaries and Housekeeping
Left Lane sent me some colorful commentary regarding Saturday's fantastic Around the Sound Ride. However, before we get to that and a bit of commentary from last night's Hammerfest we call WERAD, we need to do a little housekeeping.
In light of the previous post and in an effort to be folks of our word, (try to actually do what we say...that would be refreshing, wouldn't it?!), we are making a ride schedule change for this Saturday's ride. The All the Way Around the Bay is just too long for many in our peloton, (70 to 75 miles), however many folks want to do a long ride this Saturday. Therefore, we are offering a shorter route, (35 miles) for those who may want to ride less miles. Woody Chandler has offered to be the Ride Captain for this shorter option. We will all start together at 7am at Firestone and Summit and the shorter route group will turn off at UWF as the longer route group will continue northeast across the Causeway and All the Way Around the Bay.
See you Saturday morning for what looks to be a fantastic All the Way Around the Bay ride!
Now, here is your ride commentaries. Left Lane wrote:
I'm is bouncing back. I rode 4 solo rides last week with a couple of trips out Scenic Highway and the figure 8 a couple of times as well. I rejoined the peloton Saturday for the Around the Sound ride. My hope was to be able to finish the ride, unlike a couple of weeks ago when I turned back early on the trip out to Innerarity when the pace into the wind kicked up too high for me to hold on.
We had a great turnout of around 15 or so riders with most of the usual suspects in attendance… Bob, Fox, Circle K, Keith, Dana, Lawman, Harlan, Earl, Roger, Seattle Brian, the hand guys, Mayo & Josh, me (Left Lane) and possibly a couple of others.
First half of the ride was into the wind and I struggled a little to maintain the fairly quick pace but kept up until the break around 7 miles from Navarre on 98. Harlan won an uncontested sprint to the break. I was around 5th wheel or so with Harlan behind me chomping at the bit asking “Is there going to be a sprint?” I told Harlan that “if you go, I guarantee someone will chase” all the time knowing I was not going to chase. So Harlan goes and we all yelled at him to throw it down because the peloton was coming; but we just sat there and let him take the win as we conserved our energy.
When we started back up for Navarre Beach, everyone except Fox and the hand guys decided to go all the way to Navarre and then home on the beach road. Pace really kicked up on the way to Navarre and the group stayed together except for Roger & Brian dropping off early and Left Lane cracking off the back around ¾ of a mile from the bridge…almost held on. Kind of sucked because as I turned South over the bridge the wind was directly in my face and I had to do the stretch down to the break on Navarre Beach solo. Drained what little energy I had left to push the Big Gear in the paceline.
Everyone regrouped at the Circle K on Navarre Beach before we headed back to P Beach on the Beach road. The wind on the way back was around 45 degrees out of the Southeast so it was going to be a fast run back to P Beach. Peloton almost immediately slammed it with Bob, Keith and Circle K breaking away at around 25mph and Lawman Dave chasing after the gap was around 200 yards. Dana, Harlan, Earl & I were in the next group at a more reasonable clip of around 22-23. I was only able to maintain the pace for around the first 4 miles and cracked and had to ride solo all the way to P Beach and settled into around a 19mph pace.
From what I heard later, Bob & Circle K dropped lawman Dave who spent too much catching them early on and even dropped Keith on the way to P Beach. Dana and Harlan were next with Earl cracking off then me then Seattle Brian who had not ridden with us in several months.
I was done with pace-lining so I left a little early from the Circle K and made it to almost the top of Sikes Bridge before Bob, (The Vortex), led the group screaming by me on the last 200 yards or so up the hill. By the time I got to the top I was 100 yards behind at least and even slamming it down the hill could not catch the group. I got close though at around 40 yards back and when the traffic jammed up between Publix and the last traffic light I drafted on a big pick up truck which sucked me back up to the group and I went blasting by them (A Left Lane like move) even though I knew any break was going to be short-lived.
I stayed out front until around a mile on the bridge running at around 23-24 with a nice tail wind when that damn Vortex led the group blowing by me at around 30mph or so. I think the rule should be that anyone who loses over 30 lbs should have to strap a rock on his back weighing at least half that much until their legs shrink down to catch up with the rest of the body!!! By the time I got to the top of the hump the leaders of the Peloton were around a mile ahead. Bob said they were still hitting 27mph as they crested the hump and were over 40mph on the downhill heading home!!!
Great ride, and although I can’t really ride with the big boys of the peloton lately, I finished my first long Saturday ride since my pavement dive so it was a victory of sorts.
Thanks for the report Left Lane! Great ride!
And speaking of great rides, last night's WERAD was a blast! We had a good group of around 15 or so as we headed out on yet another windy evening. Man, it's been a windy Spring. The group stayed together doing a moderate pace until the first pass down Langley. We dropped David Mayo and discovered that he actually had a flat tire...that is some Bad Mayonaisse brother! His sweet wife Beverly came to pick him up and they headed home.
The Crit Loop was taken at speed as we hammered through all 12 corners and curves. (I just love this kind of stuff!) Once back on the standard Figure 8 the pace was civil with everyone enjoying one another's company. The trip down Fairchild was a bit frisky with Left Lane trying out his new found return to fitness, as well as Count Fishbone taking a strong pull. As we headed onto the Burgess Park loop we were met with a wonderful surprise...
Chuck and Sandy Norton with their daughter Chris jumped out of the bushes on their bikes and rode along with us. It was so good to see them! It has been awhile since they have been able to ride with us. They latched on the back of the peloton as we headed down Burgess with Keith "Big Motor" Irwin cranking it up at the front.
Once onto the final pass of Langley, The Vortex pulled up to Pensacourt and relinquished to an anxious Dana "The Animal" Foster, who was dubbed "Danimal" this evening as his new nickname. Danimal did his version of a suicide pull all the way down Langley and around Spanish onto Maygarden when Big Motor put in an acceleration that left all but the strongest calling to the engine room for more power. He pulled all the way to about 1k to go when Retro put in a vicious attack. Lawman jumped on his wheel with Vortex giving chase. These 3 amigos were together until 500 meters left...that's when Big Motor showed up pulling the Calvary.
There were two surges by those hoping to get a gap but to no avail. Then Lawman, at 200 meters to go, jumps on it hard with Vortex, then Retro on his wheel. Big Motor and his Calvary blew the trumpet that sounded the retreat. Lawman was stomping on it at 33mph. However, with 100 meters left, around him goes that pesky Vortex, who topped out at nearly 40mph for the victory! (must be the tailwind!) Lawman crossed the line in second with Retro taking third.
Big Pull Bull (BPB) awards go out to Danimal Foster and Keith "Big Motor" Irwin for their monster pulls at high speeds. Danimal's BPB was of the gold giled sort as he produced the rare Suicide BPB.
What a great ride with a very exciting finish! We probably won't have anything like that on this Saturday's ride...but you never know. Don't miss a single minute of the cycling action. Come on out for a fun ride with an unusual group of characters full of peloton antics. Laughing and riding...what could be better medicine?!
See you out on the road,
Bob
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Saturday Rides Clarifications
A few of us were having lunch the other day. We were discussing, among other things, the level of fitness of the current Firestone and Summit peloton. We all recognized that the group emerged from the winter chill into the warmth of Spring with the speed of a cheetah as compared to the lumbering of the rhino of last Fall. For whatever reason, the peloton is so much stronger this year than it was just 6 months ago. Generally speaking, there's just too much horsepower for it's own good. On any given Saturday ride, you could observe the paceline at 20-22mph moving along comfortably. Then the lead rider moves over and the next rider pulls through at 23mph, then the next at 24mph...it usually maxes out at 26 to 28mph, if there's no tailwind. I say, "if" because if there's a Tailwind Express all bets are off.
We have expressed before in this Blogazoidal and perhaps in the mass emails sent out, that there are two major factors that contribute to the demise of a cycling group. I have seen this time and again as I have been a member of several clubs and one racing team throughout my 35+ years in cycling. The two factors, and it hasn't yet appeared as one is more prevalent than the other, are Speed (pace) and Ego(s). Every occasion that I have observed a club explode or implode was due to one or both of these issues.
Speed is a delicate issue. If you hold the stronger riders back, they won't feel challenged and therefore will most likely leave for a stronger group where they can improve. However, if you continue to let the animals hammer away to the exhaustion of the rest of the peloton, the slower riders will began to get discouraged and leave as well. This is an age old problem that has been dealt with in many ways throughout the years. Some solutions have worked and some fail.
Ego or pride on the other hand is much more difficult to resolve. Speed is an external problem, on the outside so to speak, where as pride is on the inside, in the heart. I have never seen the ego issue resolved without one or another leaving the group and joining another group where it seems, after some time, the issue appears again. I have even seen groups completely split apart because of somebody's ego. Pride is very difficult to deal with because we all are infected with it. Who's to say who is right?! The group must have a standard or guidelines outside of the rule of ego to express what is acceptable behavior within a given setting. Thus, as an example, we have speed limits along our highways.
Now here is the rub, in fact, here is the very issue that we are dealing with today in our group: Who sets the standard, the rule, the guidelines that express what is acceptable behavior for a given setting?
Are we a democracy or are we controlled by just the strongest among us? As we mused upon this the other day at lunch, it was generally agreed that we are a group where everyone should have a voice in the decisions made for the group as a whole. We are not controlled by one or two or even half a dozen of us that are stronger than the rest, (this year), and therefore make the others to suffer for our egos. We should be ruled by a standard or guidelines. And, we concurred that those standards should reflect what the majority of us would find acceptable.
Firestone and Summit Cycling Group is a middle of the paceline peloton. In other words, for the most part, we enjoy Saturday morning rides that are 35 to 55 miles long at a moderate pace, (17 to 20mph, please see Pace Chart). However, on occasion we offer rides that are longer for those who would enjoy that type of challenge. For those who enjoy faster rides, we already offer the Wednesday evening WERAD, which has no speed limit.
We all understand that you can't be all things to all people. F&S would not appeal to those who could not keep up with a minimum 17mph pace and those who want to hammer down the road at sustained speeds of 23+ would probably find our group frustrating. However, for those who on Saturday mornings enjoy a moderate length ride at a moderate speed with a bunch of characters, that is what F&S is all about.
Now, I say all that to say, we will continue to schedule rides of moderate length on Saturday morning's with occasional shorter and longer routes. We will also offer, as we did last Saturday a longer option on a shorter route, therefore giving those who want more miles the option to ride more.
Also, in terms of speed, the group will appoint a Ride Captain before each ride who will police the speed of the ride for the entire group. What the Ride Captain says is what the group agrees to do as we travel along the road. For example, if someone is getting dropped at 20mph, then the RC will express to those at the front to back it down to 18mph or perhaps soft pedal until the struggling rider latches back onto the peloton. Or, if the group is strong and no one is in difficulty, the RC may check with all riders for a faster pace to be implemented. Regardless, the RC will watch over the group as a whole for that particular ride and make real time decisions to it's overall benefit. The group appoints the RC and therefore agrees to abide by the RC's decisions on the ride. (The RC will also keep the egos in check...unless of course the RC has an ego at which point there will be a mutiny and a new RC appointed.) Any questions? Comments?
It is our sincere hope that this will help clarify the expectations for Saturday morning rides as we move into the Summer riding season with our much stronger F&S peloton. It has already been an amazing transformation from last year that brings to light new adjustments needing tweaking within our group. (I just love this kind of stuff! Don't you? It shows we're growing.) I wonder what the next issue will be?! Hey, wait a minute...where's that jersey I ordered?
See you out on the road,
Bob
We have expressed before in this Blogazoidal and perhaps in the mass emails sent out, that there are two major factors that contribute to the demise of a cycling group. I have seen this time and again as I have been a member of several clubs and one racing team throughout my 35+ years in cycling. The two factors, and it hasn't yet appeared as one is more prevalent than the other, are Speed (pace) and Ego(s). Every occasion that I have observed a club explode or implode was due to one or both of these issues.
Speed is a delicate issue. If you hold the stronger riders back, they won't feel challenged and therefore will most likely leave for a stronger group where they can improve. However, if you continue to let the animals hammer away to the exhaustion of the rest of the peloton, the slower riders will began to get discouraged and leave as well. This is an age old problem that has been dealt with in many ways throughout the years. Some solutions have worked and some fail.
Ego or pride on the other hand is much more difficult to resolve. Speed is an external problem, on the outside so to speak, where as pride is on the inside, in the heart. I have never seen the ego issue resolved without one or another leaving the group and joining another group where it seems, after some time, the issue appears again. I have even seen groups completely split apart because of somebody's ego. Pride is very difficult to deal with because we all are infected with it. Who's to say who is right?! The group must have a standard or guidelines outside of the rule of ego to express what is acceptable behavior within a given setting. Thus, as an example, we have speed limits along our highways.
Now here is the rub, in fact, here is the very issue that we are dealing with today in our group: Who sets the standard, the rule, the guidelines that express what is acceptable behavior for a given setting?
Are we a democracy or are we controlled by just the strongest among us? As we mused upon this the other day at lunch, it was generally agreed that we are a group where everyone should have a voice in the decisions made for the group as a whole. We are not controlled by one or two or even half a dozen of us that are stronger than the rest, (this year), and therefore make the others to suffer for our egos. We should be ruled by a standard or guidelines. And, we concurred that those standards should reflect what the majority of us would find acceptable.
Firestone and Summit Cycling Group is a middle of the paceline peloton. In other words, for the most part, we enjoy Saturday morning rides that are 35 to 55 miles long at a moderate pace, (17 to 20mph, please see Pace Chart). However, on occasion we offer rides that are longer for those who would enjoy that type of challenge. For those who enjoy faster rides, we already offer the Wednesday evening WERAD, which has no speed limit.
We all understand that you can't be all things to all people. F&S would not appeal to those who could not keep up with a minimum 17mph pace and those who want to hammer down the road at sustained speeds of 23+ would probably find our group frustrating. However, for those who on Saturday mornings enjoy a moderate length ride at a moderate speed with a bunch of characters, that is what F&S is all about.
Now, I say all that to say, we will continue to schedule rides of moderate length on Saturday morning's with occasional shorter and longer routes. We will also offer, as we did last Saturday a longer option on a shorter route, therefore giving those who want more miles the option to ride more.
Also, in terms of speed, the group will appoint a Ride Captain before each ride who will police the speed of the ride for the entire group. What the Ride Captain says is what the group agrees to do as we travel along the road. For example, if someone is getting dropped at 20mph, then the RC will express to those at the front to back it down to 18mph or perhaps soft pedal until the struggling rider latches back onto the peloton. Or, if the group is strong and no one is in difficulty, the RC may check with all riders for a faster pace to be implemented. Regardless, the RC will watch over the group as a whole for that particular ride and make real time decisions to it's overall benefit. The group appoints the RC and therefore agrees to abide by the RC's decisions on the ride. (The RC will also keep the egos in check...unless of course the RC has an ego at which point there will be a mutiny and a new RC appointed.) Any questions? Comments?
It is our sincere hope that this will help clarify the expectations for Saturday morning rides as we move into the Summer riding season with our much stronger F&S peloton. It has already been an amazing transformation from last year that brings to light new adjustments needing tweaking within our group. (I just love this kind of stuff! Don't you? It shows we're growing.) I wonder what the next issue will be?! Hey, wait a minute...where's that jersey I ordered?
See you out on the road,
Bob
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