Another beautiful winter weekend full of riding! I'm telling you, we don't know how fortunate we are for these warm, sunny days of January. In fact, I was talking with Happy on yesterday's Twisted Figure 8/Reverse Johnson/Manzeirre Loop, (TF8RJML), about riding through winters in northwest Ohio. I mean talk about cold. My riding buddy Rob "El Robbobank" Francis and myself would ride out of town into the country to a loop aptly named, "The Pits". We would suffer through as many 5 kilometer laps until we just absolutely had to get home to thaw out every appendage on our bodies. Cold?! Oh yeah, it was cold!
No such pain and suffering in northwest Florida though...other than that which we inflict upon ourselves. Like Saturday for example, we headed out under sunny skies with a temperature in the mid 50s to mid 60s. The pace was very civil, other than an occasional flyer from the likes of Danamal, Retro or Coolio. We cruised across 3 Mile Bridge and looped through Gulf Breeze, where we picked up a few more riders. A very large peloton who seemed to be more concerned with the state of the political scenery than putting the hammer down. I think we had just about all of the regulars with the notable absence of Gianni Bugno, Bad Mayonnaise and Crusher, (who had some excuse about dropping a chain on his brand new Trek Madone). It was great seeing Lawman, Big Motor, EHOP and so many others that to name them all would take up more time than Romper Room. (Whoa, where did that come from?!)
We crossed the Bob Sikes Bridge and onto the beach itself where the days proceedings began in earnest. As we made it through the Park gate, we regrouped with yet some more riders. Meri Asmar and her peeps as well as Craig "Valkyrie" Van Valkenberg. With this huge peloton we headed for Fort Pickens and the infamous Brick Wall Sprint.
The headwind appeared to keep the Big Dogs at bay as everyone was scrambling for a Clydesdale draft. (I think I just figured out why the are called Draft Horses). As we passed the old Coast Guard house, Retro takes one of his patented flyers gaining a quick 100 meters on the bunch, thus starting the Brick Wall antics. A young Jedi (named unknown) jumped out there as well. These two bandits shared the workload and amassed a lead of about 200 meters as the chasers passed the general store. This is where it all started to deteriorate for the two escapees.
The posse was hungry for a win and all bets were off! "Let the big dogs eat!" One after another took a ferocious pull into the teeth of the wind cutting the lead to less than 150 meters with 1/2 kilometer to go. Another young Jedi, Bryan "Juan Pelota" Paul put in a valiant effort that would have made Luke Skywalker proud. As he gave up the ghost, only The Vortex and Danamal were still standing. The Vortex, (who vowed earlier not to sprint, stating, "I choose, not to sprint!"), stomped on his unbroken pedals trying to pull the Danamal up to spoil the party for the two would be winners.
With a mere 200 meters to go, the two chasers were less than 50 meters behind the two leaders. However, the big Clydesdale boy, who admittedly is not quite back to his pre-crash form having gained more than a few pounds during his recovery, turned his last pedal in anger. Pulling over, he waved the Danamal onward, barking, "Go get 'em!" With the bit between his teeth, Danamal charged hard with head down and eyes blurred. Retro, who must have sensed the catch was imminent, jumped out of the saddle heading for the line which is the Brick Wall itself! (I just love this kind of stuff!) He blows by his young compadre with 50 meters to go. Danamal was now just a mere 10 meters back and closing. The fans were going wild!
As they approached the line, it was going to be close! At this point, only the Danamal himself knew if he had left enough in the tank to overtake Retro at the line. It was, in fact, going to be ever so close! With his last vapor of fuel, Danamal lunged for the line, just missing the top spot on the podium by a few short meters. Retro had planned his escape to perfection, winning the Brick Wall Sprint and bragging rights for the week. The young Jedi, who wasn't quite sure what was going on, finished a very close third. (Who was that guy?) The Vortex and Nestordamus cruised across the line together leading the other spent chasers. Congrats to Retro for a savvy Brick Wall win!
We all regrouped at the docks and after much banter, decided to head back under the white flag. With the tailwind, the pace was higher than normal (what's normal?) however, not the sufferfest most enjoyed (endured) on the way out. We made our usual stop at the Tom Thumb to fill the bottles and tell stories. The ride for home was very civil with all pretty much together. Even the 3 Mile Bridge crossing saw a pace around 20mph. Great ride on a great day! Truly an enjoyable winter ride!
If you missed the festivities, I know you're bummin'. However, don't fret yourself, we'll do it all again this coming weekend! In fact, the cast of unusual characters, (COUCs. Pronounced: kooks) is heading out to the group fave UWF/Screaming Hills Loop! If you like hills, this route is for you. If not, come on out anyway and ride with the Clydesdales at the back. (The big boys have more fun anyway!)
See you out on the road,
Bob
No comments:
Post a Comment