Holiday Weekend Rides Recap

Here is the latest posting from the Left Lane. He's actually getting quite good at writing these blogifications. Perhaps a more permanent position is in his future?! Uh, the Literary Left Lane. (Triple L) Here's Left Lane:

Can’t wait to get the Vortex back to writing these blogs. Guest blogging every now and then is OK but being the regular blogger is a lot of work. Especially when you have been on three group rides in 3 days. All the miles and all the different riders are like a maze in my Yuengling addled brain.!!

Thanksgiving Ride: I think this is the first time I’ve been on the annual Turkey Day parade lap of the Figure 8. This ride is basically designed to make us guilt free later in the day as we wolf down turkey, taters, green bean casserole and pies & more pies and……. Well you get it. Plus the group was lured out expecting the return of the Crushed Foxinator. Alas, when we queued up for the start no Foxinator but as I rode up I realized the Old English country gentlemen looking fellow on a Grocery Bike was none other than the Vortex coming buy to greet the peloton. Bob looked like he is doing much better and informed us that The Fox when getting on his bike to rejoin the peloton discovered the carbon frame on his Trek was cracked from the Pickens Calamity. So I guess we will have to wait a while to get the Fox back as he explores alternative bike solutions. We also saw some faces that we had not seen in a while with Rusty “The Mayor “ Rood and Sheila making appearances for the first time in quite a while.

Anyway , as advertised we did the figure 8 at a nice parade pace pretty much devoid of antics. But as usual once we got to the Langley Maygarden loop the hammer went down. Retro Dave took the Turkey Day Braggin Rites but more importantly we all went home and ate heartily and with impunity from the Fat Gods…..Like I say when people ask me why I ride so much…I say so I can eat so much(and of course the Yeugling thing as well)!! You know what people my age have to eat like if they don’t get out and put in the miles running, biking etc…..Eat Like a Bird….Not for me!!

Friday ..The 3 Amigos Loop: One of the group favorites. Only one problem, I wasn’t sure what the actual loop consisted of. Good thing Johnny Bugno showed up. He had received a text from The Bad Mayo that he was not riding and asking if he knew the loop. Johnny looked it up on his mapped rides and sure enough he had it and he became the de facto leader of the ride (we only made a couple of wrong turns along the way). We had 7 riders with Bugno, Roc Doc, Happy, Nestor, The Left Lane, Retro Dave, and returning for the first time in months Semper Sy Earl Page.

We had a great ride with Happy getting out and slamming down a couple of pulls early on and muttering something about how he was feeling guilty about all the food he ate Thanksgiving. I guess the parade lap Thursday was not enough for the Hapinator to assay the overeating guilt trip. Nestordamus hammered out some strong pulls as well as we headed out to Blue Angel Parkway where Bugno took over and led us to our break at Lillian.

We had a great ride heading out to Gulf Beach Highway and heading for the Fried Twinkie sprint. Alas, with the Vortex & Crusher missing and the peloton easing off as we headed back into the wind we actually noodled over the Navy Point/Twinkie section of the ride. As honorary captain of the ride Bugno led us over the NP Bridge taking the uncontested Fried Twinkie prize.

Nestor & Retro Dave pretty much put it to the rest of us heading over the Barrancas Bridge and Bugno Happy & Left Lane (The Three Amigos The Left Lane intoned) took the Garden Street route as we headed to the finish (Richey’s Package). Great ride of appx 50 miles and Bugno, The Left Lane, Roc Doc, & Semper Sy kicked back for a cool beverage of the Yeungling kind and told tall tales and talked about tomorrow’s ride…the Innerarity Loop.

Saturday… The Innerarity Loop: Ok, another day , another 50miles. Just what the Left Lane needed to meet his Thanksgiving week goal of 200 miles. With my morning rides and getting off Wednesday early this fifty miler would get me to 200. We had a good turnout on a fairly windy morning. Attending were, Retro Dave, Happy, Roc Doc, The Left Lane(this group participating in all three F&S sanctioned events for the week), The Danaimal, Bad Mayonaisse, Sheila, Woody & Carol Ann, Clark, and Suburu WRX 7 Destry.

We started from Fish & Wildlife and we joked about our last start from here where everyone chased Harlan on our misadventure on the Lillian Loop. Well, we had a much more organized start this time and unlike the last time, caught every light going through town.

The Danimal showed up on his new (for him) used Cervelo P3 DuraAce TT Bike. If it is true, as they say, he who has the most toys wins…The Danimal is the hands down winner!!. When I asked if he was getting serious about Time Trialing he said no that he was just getting tired of chasing some of the 20 somethings out on the Beach Road rides when they went into Aero Mode on their TT bikes!! The Danimal admitting that he is human after all??!! Anyway, Dana and the Left Lane put down the hammer early on the Jackson street leg trading pulls as we headed toward Lillian and giving the Cervelos a work out.

We took a short break at Lillian & Bauer and headed toward Gulf Beach Highway. Good hard riding out toward Gulf Beach Highway with several riders taking turns at the front …some separations and regroupings. As we turned onto GB highway the wind was mostly in our face again. Dana & Harlan separated out front with Left Lane falling off about halfway to the Dub Blum Bridge. As the Left Lane fought the wind in No Man’s Land , Destry and Sheila came rolling buy and gave me a pull the rest of the way to a the Tom Thumb at Sorrento. The Peloton regrouped and we headed once again toward Navy Point and the Fried Twinkie Bridge.

Dana, Harlan, Destry and Left Lane separated out front. We headed through the Navy Point section over somewhat torn up roads and over the Bridge and out to Navy Boulevard where we waited for the rest of the Peloton to catch up. As we waited, my phone rang and it was The Bad Mayo saying there was a wreck of the second group just before the Navy Point Bridge and that Sheila likely had a broken wrist. Well Dana, Harlan and I headed back and as we arrived Sheila was definitely in pain and had a bloody finger but luckily her wrist was moving now and likely not broken. She had gotten tangled up with Retro Dave at the turn toward the bridge and went down pretty hard. Sheila called her daughter to come out and get her and Retro whose bike was damaged and not rideable. Luckily though Retro was not injured. It was a shame to see Sheila go down so soon after returning to the peloton and who was having such a good ride. Hopefully she is not seriously hurt and will return soon.

After being assured Sheila & Retro had a ride coming, the Peloton headed off toward home. Dana and Harlan separated from the group on Country Club Road with Left Lane just behind. I could not catch up though so I took the short cut out to Barancas for the trip over the Bridge. I headed down Garden St to avoid the blustery wind on Bayfront and pulled into Ritchey’s with a second 50 mile ride in two days completed.

I waited for the rest of the group to show up to join me for the after ride refreshments. Finally, Dana showed up (he had waited up at Bayfront & Palafox for a while) and we kicked back for a few cold ones on the side of Ritchey’s. We looked out for the rest of the group to go by but did not see them. Hope they made it home OK. And hope Sheila’s injuries are not serious.

Another great ride and 200 miles this week for the Left Lane!!! Had to do the miles with all the chocolate, pecan & pumpkin pies that are around my house on Thanksgiving week!!

Till next weekend,

The Left Lane

Our best wishes and prayers are with Sheila as she recovers from the fender bender with Retro. Hopefully nothing more than a cut finger...I hope, I hope, I hope! I sent her an email to get an update but haven't heard anything back as of this writing. If you hear anything from her, please leave a comment here on this Blogazoidal or email me so we can let everyone know her condition.

Thanks again to the Left Lane for helping with these many blogifications in my absence from the peloton. You really need the actual fodder of being in the group to be able to write a posting. I mean, nobody would want this Blogazoidal to be full of fictional happenings. (However, a wee bit of literary license on a rare occasion never hurt anyone, right? Of course not. Just gives the writings a savory flavor.)

Maybe by Christmas I'll...

See you out on the road, (not on the Grocery Bike though),
Bob