Southeast - Charlotte NC area riders

Hey, polara426sh, baybuh! Can you make it to Gastonia by 6pm? Join us for the Monday evening ride? Or are you working? <curious Vega look>

VV ,,, you going to make it to south Gaston County tonight?

I'm planning on joining for the Monday evening ride. :eek: Can I tie my bungee cord to you? <curious and hopeful Vega look>

I'll post a ride report tomorrow about my ride with polara426sh. That first two miles of the course is ROUGH. I mean ROUGH, baybuh! Downhill, and you can't crank hard -- the road is so rough, you have to stand up out of the saddle on the pedals, and move your weight back a bit to keep control of the bike! Think MTB'ing! :eek: More on this later.... :o


OK. Let me see what's going on here. My inlaws just got back in.
It seems like every time I can get out something keeps me here. Maybe this time I can wiggle through it all and get there. More later.

Rough, huh? Should I pick my bike up, hoist it over my shoulder, and run with it like cyclecross?

VV, I'm working from 12-10, so I won't be doing much riding today other that to work and back:(

VV ,,, you going to make it to south Gaston County tonight?
That's the plan. How fast did you say the Monday pack rides? <apprehensive Vega look>

sub, you will need to run it like cyclocross. Yes. I cannot imagine what that will feel like on a lightweight CF bike, but on steel, it was brutal! I'll write a little more about the adventure later.

Call me crazy guys, but I have registered for the 4/17 TT in Orange County! :eek: *thunk*

polara426sh, too bad you can't join us. Maybe some other evening when you're off....

VV - are you going to have a new bike before the SEBF ride?

Yepper! :)

Yepper! :)

And? What's it gonna be?

Did the patriot's trail RR loop??

We need a ride report! Unfortunately it's supposed to rain all next weekend also; so it'll be a tough course and tough weather... ::cough:: crash fest ::cough::

Did the patriot's trail RR loop??

We need a ride report! Unfortunately it's supposed to rain all next weekend also; so it'll be a tough course and tough weather... ::cough:: crash fest ::cough::
Oh, my! I hope the clean up the detritus before we ride! :eek: You start at 10:30am or 10:40am? I start at 10:40am.

Rain?! WTF?! :mad:

It was bad enough riding in icy cold sustained headwinds! :eek:

*thunk*

Have no clue as to who is riding tonight, my guess is 18 but not sure. Probably some faster than that too. You know where this school is located south of Gtonia?

No. :o

Are you ridin' there tonight?

It's looking up for me tonight! Finally.

Let's see the hands of all of you who are going and maybe how I can spot you.
I'll be wearing my blue and yellow-orange Giordana Clif gear. I'll be riding a blue C'dale.

BTW aluminum is going to be sucky on this Raock Hill race.

*raising hand*

See my avatar, and picture an electric sea-sick blue PI windjacket. :rolleyes:

And I'll be the only one ridin' in straps on my sweet lugged-steel navy-blue beater. ;)

This is the 25-mile ride tonight, right?

20-25 miler from Forestview. Has anyone here been on this one? I'd like to know if the group always stays together, splits, waits, etc.

If I can muster up some strength ... head stuffed up and been popping meds. Hopefully better by then and can show up. Sub - no idea what I will wear, Fuji Team Pro (White/Black/Blue) on back of a Silver Dodge Charger.

Sub - depends on the group that shows. Usually no waiting, but that is okay with me. I will play rolling bike sag. Route well marked, btw, new "B" route.

Then I'm cool with being dropped, which I shall surely "B." Heh.

Hope you feel better, warrenl. Didn't know you were sickie. :o Don't come ride unless you really feel up to it. If you have a fever, definitely don't ride. But riding did help loosen up my sinuses when I was sick....

Dang. I guess I'd better go buy some leg warmers.... Wonder if they make them in extra skinny?

Have done the Monday GCC ride a few times. Usually a recovery ride, 17 mph or so. Sometimes a few go off the front, but not really fast. Sub, you are correct - 25 mile loop from Forestview HS.
I have my bike, shoes, helmet, and clothes, so no excuses - I will be there, but I don't have to like the cold! If the sun were shining it would be lots better!
I will be riding a USPS Trek; think I have my orange jersey. See you there.

I'm going to try and be there arounf 5:30 or so. I'd like to roll around a bit to warm my legs up.

Call me crazy guys, but I have registered for the 4/17 TT in Orange County! :eek: *thunk*

Hey girl!

I don't think I'll be ready for that one next Tuesday! If I'm free, I could come out and cheer you on and see what this time trialing stuff is like.

I did find myself a 5mi section of road to ride & turn around to practice on that's fairly level tho...gonna go do it again this evening.

K

Heh. I'll try to get there early, sub. :rolleyes:

Dark '93 Honda Accord SE.

Hey girl!

I don't think I'll be ready for that one next Tuesday! If I'm free, I could come out and cheer you on and see what this time trialing stuff is like.

I did find myself a 5mi section of road to ride & turn around to practice on that's fairly level tho...gonna go do it again this evening.

K
That'd be cool! You'll probably have more than one good laugh watchin' me drive my heavy tank around the track! :p You should really look into doing this series. It's only eight miles, so if you get used to going all out on it, you'll be in good shape for Charlotte's 10-miler. I think you'll be kickin' butt by the end of the season, most likely mine! :eek: :D

Oh, crap. I'm a gonna freeze this evening. My local LBS has put winter clothing in storage already! :mad:

So, I'll be wearing my old COTTON sweat pants over my PI shorts. :rolleyes:

Hopefully, we shall cast winter weather into the farthest pits of hell in the next day or so. :mad:

That'd be cool! You'll probably have more than one good laugh watchin' me drive my heavy tank around the track! :p You should really look into doing this series. It's only eight miles, so if you get used to going all out on it, you'll be in good shape for Charlotte's 10-miler. I think you'll be kickin' butt by the end of the season, most likely mine! :eek: :D

Yea, I'm seriously considering just going ahead and registering for the one Tuesday and doing this series since it's right in my "backdoor". I'll still come down and do the one in Charlotte tho.

Yeah, wolfpack, you should register for it. Gotta support this inaugural year so they'll do it next year! :) I've asked for a 6:30 time slot so I'll have some time to watch other riders before heading home. I figure it'll take me about 2h45min, so I'll hopefully be home no later than around 11pm-ish.

Hey, sub, warrenl, ridinfool! I enjoyed that little bit of road I rode! Sorry I got there so late, and sorry I missed ridin' with you. I hope to come out again next Monday evening. That is, if I can get my leg over the tt after Sunday's race. :rolleyes: I still don't know why I hate me. :cry:

Good meetin' you, sub and ridinfool! :) And nice seeing you again, warrenl! :)I likes me my BF ridin' friends. :beer:

Same here Vega, hate that 85 had its normal backlog. Nice meeting Sub and ridinfool, too.
:beer:
Just wish it was not so dang cold...

Yeah, wolfpack, you should register for it. Gotta support this inaugural year so they'll do it next year! :) I've asked for a 6:30 time slot so I'll have some time to watch other riders before heading home. I figure it'll take me about 2h45min, so I'll hopefully be home no later than around 11pm-ish.


well, i did my 5mi out & back tonight...34:30 for 10mi...17.4mph on slightly rolling terrain. maybe i'll be able to do at least that...

when you registered, you registered for your age group and then a selected time?

Yep. I could have registered as a Cat 4, but until I'm a Cat 3 <snort, snicker>, I have the option of registering by age category, and that's my preference.


warrenl, did you have some chicken soup when you got home? You were lookin' a bit draggy and chilled just before leaving. Hope you feel better soon. :o BTW, that was worse than normal backlog. Traffic was literally stopped due to the 5-car pile-up. Probably be on the news at 11pm. <turnin' on TV>

sub! Dangit! Now I gotta go and make some succotash, and a nice pan of cornbread. :D

Nice meeting you all.

I had a good time riding with the GCC crew. A bit less talkative than my normal Shelby group, but nice and a good easy pace.

I gots me a big bowl o' soup last night. But didn't have the cornbread. Since Easter I put on 2 whole pounds. I know I'm a big tub of goo - sorry. ;) And I hate eating a lot of carbs after 7pm.

I hope my wife lets me ride again on some other Mondays. It was fun.

I liked the little bit of that ride I did. I would love to ride the whole route, and really want to get back out there again, this time EARLY. :rolleyes:

wolfpack! I checked, and you haven't registered for your backyard TT yet! :mad: Hop to it, girlfriend! <serious Vega look>

wolfpack! I checked, and you haven't registered for your backyard TT yet! :mad: Hop to it, girlfriend! <serious Vega look>

well, girl, i just registered! haha...i got my name info wrong! first name is "last", last is "first" :rolleyes:

oh well, i've done it. i'll be driving a white mazda 626 w/roof rack and you know the bike :D

Lil’ ride report. Well, not too lil'

I finally had a chance to ride with the fast group last night. It’s been a while and I really didn’t know if I had improved enough to hold on or not when the pace picked up – which it does without warning sometimes.

The first bit of the ride was calm as we pedaled out of town. There were 7 or 8 of us at first but a couple guys dropped off to go back in early. We each took our turns at the front and at first it really didn’t seem like the pace was going to get all crazy like. Well eventually it did. Thanks to me *giggle*. I’d get to the front and ramp it up a bit then the next guy would do the same and eventually everyone was trying their hand at dropping the others. Man, it felt good. Until. Until I was again at front pulling the group in the upper 20s through some winding road. I was feeling randy and thought I could handle the load and move to the back and rest with a smile. Uh, no. As soon as my pull was over, this young collegiate racer boy took off up this hill (a hill I had no idea was ahead of us; a hill that looked more like a wall of pavement that reached the heavens.) like a gazelle. He stood up and danced on his pedals flying up the hill without an issue. Two others went with him. I blew up with an incredible force that ripped through the portals of space.

There I was seated on the bike, spinning, grimacing, panting, burning. With each turn of the crank, waves of pain – coupled with disappointment – ran through my body. What a dumb move I made trying to prove my manly manliness. I could see the three others getting smaller and smaller. Wait. Hold the phone. My breathing started to regulate. My legs were coming back around. Soon I was closing the gap. Then, as if God Himself charged them, two dogs ran after the leaders. They had to slow considerably to not run into them. And just like that, I was back on their wheels. Within a couple miles a came around and felt fresh again.

Then it happened. Ahead of me, up a slight incline, I saw a “Stop Ahead” sign. No one looked like they were going to take it. I geared to the larger ring as quietly as I could and waited, listening and watching for any sudden move. BLAM! I shot around the group violently and with authority. It hurt. It hurt bad. I could tell that my legs weren’t all there. As I looked to my right I could see that 120 pound kid stand up and accept the challenge. Father God no. Yes. I could see the sign ahead about 20 meters and he was closing on my wheel. 10 meters he was still there. 5 meters … he fell off. I crossed the imaginary line first. Well, that put some of the wind back into my sails. Later on in the ride one of my good friends made the comment that I couldn’t even blowup right. As soon as they think I’m done, I replenish.

The rest of the ride back in was relatively tame. We had a few short efforts: One when the kid went off the front to chase down someone and two of us went after him. Other than that we took turns laughing at each other and rode in peacefully.

fin

Good luck today, sub! You, too, Thomspins! :beer:

Good luck today, sub! You, too, Thomspins! :beer:


Wish me luck tomorrow. :) I'm just doing the road race on the 15th.
Are you going to be there?

No. 'Fraid not. Hurt my right knee on yesterday's ride. Had a short 10- to 12-mile ride today, and felt better, but not sure I can stand a 45-miler in the wind and rain at this point. And I am definitely going to the Orange County TT Tuesday night.

I hate it. Really wanted to do this ride. But I'm going to Charleston next Sunday. First crit! :eek:

First crit....on the NEW bike, vega????

Yep. :)

Took a short ride at the LBS, but really did the maiden voyage with a BF friend on a nice nine-mile ride with some nice long grades, and one 10% grade. I let him try it out before the ride, and he quickly fell in love. :) I practiced clippin' in and out while standing, then rode back and forth on fairly flat road, clippin' in and out while riding. Quickly got used to it, no falls (yet), and only reached for my downtube twice to shift before I got used to the new shifters. I climbed like I was flyin', descended like a speed demon. Felt I could have ridden forever, but my friend had just had a grueling ride up a mountain the day before, so we called it a day. I don't yet have a computer mounted on this bike, so I kept up with my friend on a massive downhill, and our max speed was clocked at 43.8mph! :eek:

Yeah, that's my personal best! :D So far. ;)

And the bike was sooooo sweet the whole ride, even on that downhill. :)

I can't wait 'til the Orange County TT in Durham on Tuesday evening! Why don't you come, too, CM? wolfpack is doing it. Her first evah. And only my second. Only eight miles, girlfriend! :)



Hey, Thomspins! How'd ya do? And you, too, sub! Put yer race reports right here! :)

Got another 8th place. Geeze maybe they should reserve that for me every race I enter.

I was kicking some serious butt: bridging gaps, kicking it up hills easy, staying up front.
Then 1 mile from the finish, I'm holding onto top 5 even holding second a couple times while two attempts at breakaways took place. I was feeling frisky. Then the 1km sign showed up, the group took off and I went with them, until .... somewhere between that and the 200m sign I got a huge cramp in the back of my left leg. I slammed my rear back on the bike and a bunch went around me. So, I suck again.

Sounds like you are enjoying the new wheels, Vega. cool! did you ever fess up to what you got? I've not been on BF much lately, just popping in, so if you've bought-and-told, I missed it. Have a great time in Durham...did you say Tuesday night? as in a "work night"? don't think I could make that, bummer.

Sub, you know, if you're not first, you're last. But 8th aint bad!:D Seriously, congrats on the race. every one just makes you stronger and teaches you more about the whole racing strategy. keep your chin up and your pedals clipped.

Hey, sub, baybuh! That's great! :beer:

You're hanging in the top ten, and that's not a bad place to be as a Cat 5. I'd be lucky to have finished better than dead last in the women's open, even against other Cat 4's. My knee twinges just thinking about some of those hills on that route. I'm scheduled for a fitting on Monday afternoon. Maybe I'll be done in time to make it out (early this time :rolleyes:) to the Monday evening ride. I need a long, but easy-paced rice before I race Tuesday evening.

CM, you haven't missed anything. Just keepin' it under wraps 'til I can sneak up on wolfpack and see her face. :) Hope you'll consider coming to CLT for the May 2 TT. You'd probably do quite well. I saw you hangin' in that paceline at HMS. You are not a snail. ;)

dunno, vega....racing? I'm too timid and scared and weak to do anything crazy like that! or, maybe you can convince me after I get MY new bike....muahahhaa!

dunno, vega....racing? I'm too timid and scared and weak to do anything crazy like that! or, maybe you can convince me after I get MY new bike....muahahhaa!
Awesome! But you have such a sweet Cannondale. Any thoughts on what you're gettin'? Or are you gonna hold your cards close as payback?

43 mph? O.K. I want that. Where do I get mine? :D Congrats, V! :)
Might be a little higher next time. I actually slowed a bit on the long, curving downgrade leading up to the drop of the hill since I really don't yet know this road that well. My friend was suddenly beside me, and we just started crankin' together, he a little in front, but gap pretty constant. Next time, I'm not slowin', and will have my own computer on board. :)

dunno, vega....racing? I'm too timid and scared and weak to do anything crazy like that! or, maybe you can convince me after I get MY new bike....muahahhaa!

those were/are my thoughts exactly...now, i'm signed up for 2 TT's and thinking about a race or two towards the end of May first of June....

those were/are my thoughts exactly...now, i'm signed up for 2 TT's and thinking about a race or two towards the end of May first of June....
Heh. Charleston (http://www.lowcountryvwracing.com/images/2007%20Race/2007_LCVW_Race_Weekend_Flyer.pdf) will be beautiful on April 22. *cough,cough* Very noob friendly with wide sweeping corners. :)

You gals will need to start a team and get jerseys made for the races.

Heh. Charleston (http://www.lowcountryvwracing.com/images/2007%20Race/2007_LCVW_Race_Weekend_Flyer.pdf) will be beautiful on April 22. *cough,cough* Very noob friendly with wide sweeping corners. :)

good grief :eek: could you twist my arm just a little more, how 'bout it???

guess i could see if the hubby & kid would like to go to charleston for the weekend...crits...that's really racin' ain't it?? well, you've got the rest of today to twist my arm so i have time to break this on them....

Awesome! But you have such a sweet Cannondale. Any thoughts on what you're gettin'? Or are you gonna hold your cards close as payback?
dunno know yet. I DO know that I want as much carbon as I can afford and compact cranks. Just want something that will take me long distances and get me up the hills a bit easier. After that, it isn't about the bike (gotta work on the pistons). The options are many at this point. I'm going to check out the Giant and Felt bikes at my LBS and then have my brother take me shopping when I'm in Cali.

I'll be too thrilled to play it all coy and silly like *some* people I know :rolleyes: ....the whole world will know when I get my new bike!

those were/are my thoughts exactly...now, i'm signed up for 2 TT's and thinking about a race or two towards the end of May first of June....
I figure it is one of those things that is a bit scary to get into, but once you have been bit, then watch out!