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Psimet2001 09-29-07 07:26 PM

Psimet Invitational Ride Reports
 
Place your ride reports here. I need to recover before I write my novel. I so totally didn't put sunscreen on and I am roasted.

I'll update this post, but I wanted to save my spot. ;)

Teaser:
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3484/dsc03066fy2.jpg

recursive 09-29-07 08:39 PM

Who is that devilishly sexy beast?!? I can't wait for the full report to find out!

CyLowe97 09-29-07 09:04 PM

Per recursive's comment in the other thread, the pace was at times "zesty."

Gotta love that strong 'breeze' out of the south all day. Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide....

aham23: You made the correct decision. Today would have destroyed your marathon for sure. If not the wind, then the greyhound race out to Genoa and back would have done it. You would not have been able to resist. Zesty, indeed.

Report and pics tomorrow.

aham23 09-30-07 05:55 AM


Originally Posted by CyLowe97 (Post 5360659)
Per recursive's comment in the other thread, the pace was at times "zesty."

Gotta love that strong 'breeze' out of the south all day. Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide....

aham23: You made the correct decision. Today would have destroyed your marathon for sure. If not the wind, then the greyhound race out to Genoa and back would have done it. You would not have been able to resist. Zesty, indeed.

Report and pics tomorrow.

you know me well. i do love a zesty effort every now and then! i look forward to the classic write up and picture posts. later.

CyLowe97 09-30-07 01:45 PM

Some early morning pics from Loop One. The wind was already steady out of the south at 8 am. Quite sunny and folks were shedding arm and knee warmers even before the end of the loop.

nvr getting the toe warmers just right.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7125.jpg

dave342 checking the cue sheets for a place to attack
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7124.jpg

nietsmas
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7127.jpg

vjacks checking the pressure
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7122.jpg

shider is a blur even when warming up
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7128.jpg

Uh oh. Kenal0 has a flat! CyLowe on the change. How do these levers work, again?
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7130.jpg

Back on the road after the tube change, but this lead to a four of us cutting off about 6 miles of the first loop to catch up to the jackrabbits.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7132.jpg

CyLowe97 09-30-07 01:54 PM

Loop Two out to Genoa and back. I had a blast on this loop hanging with the speed demons. No pictures while actually riding because I was too busy trying to keep on the wheels. Fast with the wind is fun!

Line up to the left
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7152.jpg

Line up to the right
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7151.jpg

Chilling at the halfway stop
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7158.jpg

shider
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7157.jpg

CyLowe97
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7159.jpg

Psimet2001 (Yeah, he got my memo about wearing the same top. Good call!)
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7155.jpg

dave342 having a gel
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7154.jpg

ColorChange (right? Did I get that right?)
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7156.jpg

CyLowe97 09-30-07 02:12 PM

Loop Three. This one was tough. Heading straight south into the teeth of the now heavy afternoon south wind. The saving grace was turning back north on McGough Road, which had been freshly paved since last year’s ride. New pavement + tailwind = Wow!

All in all, a great day of riding. Big thanks to Psimet for putting the ride together.

The Dairyland contingent plotting and scheming on how to drop the pesky locals once and for all
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7167.jpg

mrs. shider came out for the last loop on her new Giant
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7165.jpg

Ahh, so that’s the secret formula for going fast…. Aerosol imitation spray cheese food product!
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/DSCN7153.jpg

The Usual Suspects – Left to Right: JT1, Mrs. JT1, Mrs. shider, shider, Psimet’s boss, ColorChange, Psimet2001, recursive, CyLowe97, voldemort, dave342
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...7/loop3all.jpg

Rhodester 09-30-07 05:54 PM

How was the ride everyone? What is the deal with that hammer?

John Wilke 09-30-07 06:37 PM

GREAT PICS ! Looks like it was a blast.

I vow to attend next year. http://www.freedomcrowsnest.org/foru...iles/thumb.gif

Psimet2001 09-30-07 07:19 PM

I decided to start a new post for my report.

It was a cold morning. I planned to be at the start about 45 minutes ahead of schedule just because I had a feeling people were going to show early and I have a tendency to forget to bring critical items on the actual ride when I am in a rush.

I was not the first to arrive. That honor goes to ColorChange. As I started to get ready a lot of people began to show up. The parking lot was filled with a cacophony of pressure escaping pump heads, and pre-ride posturing: "It's so cold. I'm slow when it's cold." "I haven't been on my bike in weeks." :rolleyes:

In quick order all of the regulars showed. A lot of new faces were joining the crowd as well.

L to R: iab, CyLowe97, VJacks, Voldemort, Dave342, Kenal0 - Sporting the 7-Eleven...when I wasn't *slaps forehead*
http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/8311/rep1ag2.jpg

I too achieved a shot of shider where everything else was out of focus. (nietsmas in the background)
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/4339/rep2ax1.jpg

To prove my point here's another. This guy is just too fast. ;)
http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/3329/rep3tf5.jpg

Some more shots of the guys at the start:

nvr - the imperial storm trooper that he is
http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/8465/rep4op1.jpg

iab - Our local vintage expert. :D
http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/388/rep5vy2.jpg

CyLowe-"no cameras please"-97. Nice wind vest. ;)
http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/6853/rep6ve6.jpg

Psimet2001 09-30-07 07:30 PM

ColorChange - ...wait a minute...are those zipps? No one said anything about zipps....*gulp*
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/628/rep7if7.jpg

Dave342 - Probably one of the coolest riders anyone could ever ride with (or drink a beer with for that matter). Take notes...

...and yes he's trying to make sense out of the crappy map I handed him. ;)
http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/8571/rep8kl1.jpg

Finally after Recursive showed and got set we were ready to roll. The first success of the day was getting everyone to line up for a picture. I felt a domino moment coming, but alas it was not to be.
Thanks again to Mrs. JT1 for snapping the shot.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/103/rep9fr2.jpg
L to R: JT1, iab, kenal0, ColorChange, shider, VJacks, voldemort, nvr, CyLowe97, Recursive, Dave342, nietsmas, and yours truely - Psimet2001

timmyquest 09-30-07 07:43 PM

*smacks self*

Psimet2001 09-30-07 07:58 PM

At last it was time to head out. I figured I would jump to the front partly because I felt obligate because I organized the thing, but mostly because I knew this was going to be my only chance to ride at the front all day.

I rolled out around 16-17 over to the first turn, then slowly we built up into the 20's. A little faster and I knew I was probably losing some people off the back. I pulled off to check up and that was as good as firing a starter's pistol.

I knew Recursive and shider were up front. I was able to see that CyLowe was in the back, and I had remembered he said he was going to sweep the first loop, so I figured this was going to be my only chance to hang with the front.

We had just come around a turn and the front accelerated like an NHRA dragster (top fuel). I was in no man's land with voldemort and iab. We half cobbled together a line - or so I thought - and put our heads down to drive. Somewhere in my mind I head popcorn popping. I looked back and no one was on my wheel. *damn*

So there I was...20-30 feet off of the rear of the lead group. They were chatting and generally having a good time. I was burning matches and selling my soul....and I wasn't going forward or back. It was hell. Street lights dimmed and my computer display cracked as I sucked every available watt of current from a 3 state region in my attempts to bridge that gap.

Finally I could feel the protection of the pack. It was as though I had lost 40 lbs instantly. Once tucked within the confines of the groups I felt happy and accepted. I would have followed the group off a cliff at that point if needed.

I love the first loop/ It has probably the most "scenic" travel out of all of the loops. It has this "sunrise glinting off of tractor reflected in the dew on the corn" kind of feel to it. Around the time I was beginning to appreciate that I received a call from CyLowe. He told me that kenal0 had a flat and they were WAY behind tha main group. He said he would lead them up to Marengo (rest stop) via a short cut to meet back up with everyone.

Psimet2001 09-30-07 08:11 PM

Around this point the route pitches "up" enough to put some hurt on you if you are already hurting. I was in that category. Unfortunately this was where we were approaching the "KOR" or King of the Rollers competition point #1. I was able to yell up to the main group loud enough to get them to wait at the next stop sign to receive the critical info:

"On this next road there is a small roller. After that there is a short downhill then a bigger roller. The bigger one is the king of the rollers point. Whomever is in front pay attention to who is first over because I have a feeling I won't be able to tell. I'll keep an eye on who's last. :D"

I expected some cheese legs to win this without a doubt and I was not to be disappointed. Recursive took the "climb" with shider clawing at his wheel in second.

I took "Queen of the Rollers" honors for the first loop. Actually I thnk iab gets it becuase he is the last one to actually finish the entire loop, but I would prefer to give it to CyLowe97 before iab because CyLowe skipped that whole section.

I was looking forwar to the nice downhill into Marengo to the rest stop when I realized that these greyhounds probably didn't realize that the rest stop was coming up. I would like to say that I tried to catch up to them to tell them the news, but I really didn't. Sadly I watched them turn away from the stop and on towards the rest of the route.

I was able to shout loud enough for JT1 to hear. He joined me at the rest stop where I began to wait for CyLowe's group. About this time I realized I had shider's cell phone # so I decided to give him a ring:

"Yeah?"
"You guys missed the stop."
"I was thinking we might have."
"Do you want to turn around and come back, or have us meet you back in Hampshire?"
"We'll turn around."

Click. - new voicemail -

CyLowe97:"Due to your crappy maps I got us lost. We're not making it to Marengo. See you back in Hampshire." :eek:

*frantic dialing*
"Shider, stop where you are and we'll meet up with you."

Psimet2001 09-30-07 08:27 PM

After re-joining the front group on the South side of Marengo we began the trek back to Hampshire.

About halfway back we met up with CyLowe's group. I ended up off the back at some point just limping back in with JT1 and kenal0. Apart from the flat kenal was on his game. Too bad he missed most of the route as I knew he was heading back home.

Back at the rest stop it dawned on me that there were still 2 riders out on the course. :eek: There goes the no drop ride. iab and voldemort ended up in no man's land between the front group and the cutters. I felt horrible.

They both showed, and I made my apologies. They both mentioned that it was alright. They wanted nothing more than to spend a day figting a nice headwind solo. :eek:

A few more joined the ride as we started to gear up for the second loop:
JT1 - trying to convince everyone to eat some peanut butter triscuits. We could tell that they made you grow extra legs out of your stomach though. Recursive putting out the oatmeal pie mojo:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/126/repz10am8.jpg

Somewhere along the line a can of cheese-whiz came into the picture. Like all good Wisconsinites recursive could not resist it's calling.
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3313/repz11yz7.jpg

At this point it was time to present my first award for the day. I was wondering if anyone was going to win it, but Kenal0 came through for me. As the first rider to get a flat he received the "flattie" award (new tube).
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/739/repz12dw1.jpg

Psimet2001 09-30-07 08:47 PM

Loop 2 saw the departure of iab, VJacks, Kenal0, and nvr. We picked up wirelss and ceiph.

L to R: Voldemort, neitsmas, wireless, shider, me, CyLowe97, Dave342, ColorChange, Ceiph, recursive, JT1, iab, Kenal0
http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/3794/repz13zw2.jpg

This loop started out a tad bit slower, but there was starting to be a wicked crosswind from the South. I knew I needed to do a better job of sweeping the route so I shot back to the back quickly to keep an eye on things.

Pretty wuickly the usual suspects began to float away. I was starting to see Ceiph was hurting a bit so I started to keep an eye on him. Recursive floated back as well to give ceiph a wheel to draft off of. He held back as long as he could, but eventually ahd to break free to still have a chance of making it back into the lead group.

I jumped in front and tried to help put as much as I could. He eventually let me know that he had had enough. We stopped at the next turn to go over some options. He settled on heading back. Turns out he has only been riding for a month. :eek:. "At least i came out and tried."

...for that he receives my "balls of steel" award, and a big thumbs up. I'll see you at the next ride:

http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/8...20steeldx6.jpg

iab 09-30-07 08:51 PM


Originally Posted by Psimet2001 (Post 5364854)
Actually I thnk iab gets it becuase he is the last one to actually finish the entire loop, but I would prefer to give it to CyLowe97 before iab because CyLowe skipped that whole section.

I'll take the honor, thank you very much.:rolleyes:
"No drop" ride, again :rolleyes:

:D

As always I think I can keep with the A group but that never lasts for long. I was dropped but as Psimet was saying, it really was a very nice morning for a ride and it allowed me to be late for a 10:00 I didn't want to attend so all was good. Voldemort was waiting for me at a corner and we plotted along with the map (you would think it would be improved after a year;)). I dropped my chain and lost my granny gear and all I had left was a 47/19 (53/21 for those with modern gearing). Now you young guys may say so what but it wore on me and I will confirm Voldemort beat me over the rollers.

We made it to the rest stop with no one in site. I was glad to hear the group behind was only lost and did not wreck. As soon as we turned south out of Marango I knew my legs felt the toll and I told Voldemort to go on ahead. By yourself, the southerly wind was difficult but again, an excellent day for a ride. I limped in and I need to thank Recursive again for the water, it hit the spot. I also would like to thank Psimet for organizing the ride.

I like the group shot, I'm easy to spot being the only one with brake cables coming out of the top of the levers.

Oh, in addition to queen of the rollers, I want oldest combined age; me-41, the bike-50, total-91.

Psimet2001 09-30-07 08:55 PM

I had no chance of catching back up with the main group, or even the middle group so I did the next best thing...I cheated.

I found a shortcut on the map and set out to make up some time. I ended up turning the wrong way and found myself with only 1 option left....dirt/gravel road for 2 miles...:eek:

I did what any self-respecting roadie would do, I gritted my teeth and pretended it was spring and this was Belgium.
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2268/repz15ei0.jpg
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2239/repz16vb2.jpg

I know this doesn't look that hot, but it's the most I could do on gravel one-handed while focusing the camera. :D Oh and my mileage usually reads about 5 miles low around 50 in. Damn frame flex....
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3862/repz17zo7.jpg

Psimet2001 09-30-07 09:08 PM

I made it to the end of the gravel road in time to see two cyclists go by. At first I assumed they were with us, but quickly reaized they were not. I was kind of iffy about being able to catch the main group and didn't know if I was in front or behind so I approached the riders and asked if they had seen anyone else.

They said no. I started to pass them to try to make up some time if I could when I heard, "How was the RAIN ride?" I looked and realized it was Castor, Shider's friend he brought to the RAIN ride this year. We got to talking about shider and the ride in general. About that time the group caught up to our position as we rolled into Genoa.

At the stop I realized that I had once again left riders out on the road - :eek: - JT1, wireless, and voldemort.

CyLowe (I wish this was a beer) 97 and Color (if we keep waiting I'm going to stiffen up) Change waiting at the 2nd stop in Genoa.
http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/9744/repz18mn2.jpg

Group "A" telling stories about all of the wussy they dropped dialing it to 400W:
http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/8462/repz19ta9.jpg

I let the "A" guys know where the king of the rollers was for the second loop, and we all set off. This loop's return is a very gentle steady climb from the rest stop all the way back to the cars and with the wind out of the South it can be a killer.

JT1, Wireless, voldemort, and I limped back. We didn't leave anyone behind, but we barely were able to keep moving.

Psimet2001 09-30-07 09:35 PM

We lost a few after the 2nd loop as well. Heading out for the third was the following:
L to R: JT1, Mrs. JT1, Mrs. Shider, Shider, my boss :D, ColorChange, Me, Recursive, CyLowe97, Voldemort, Dave342
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/3198/repz20gp0.jpg

This route started off much slower. It was at least a good 3-4 miles before people started dropping off of the back. With my boss (and relative through marriage) there needless to say I was preoccupied with making sure he didn't fall off the back. Around this time I was riding with him, Mrs. Shider and Mrs. JT1.

We rounded a corner that JT1 was waiting at. He said he was going to wait for the Mrs. I didn't think much of it until we made the next turn. I couldn't see either of them anywhere.

I rode for another 100 feet or so thinking about what to do. Finally I dropped back to wait for them. A few minutes rolled by. I rode back on the route to get a look to see if I could spot them. No luck.

I waited a few more minutes and then started riding slowly back along the route. I was kicking mysef for not getting their phone number earlier. I was starting to hope that they hadn't had a mechanical.

By the time I got to the top of Tower road I knew they weren't coming and probably were heading back to the car. :(

I felt pretty bad. Even worse was now I was dead alone in the middle of the hardest section of the ride....straight into the wind. I tried to hook up with Voldemort who called to make sure I hadn't taken another shortcut, but he joined up with some others who passed by. I suffered alone. It sucked. I could just see them on the horizon for a good 5-8 miles. I just couldn't reel them in.

I finally caught my boss when we turned North on McGough. Beautiful pavement, and a tailwind. Nirvana.

We got to talking about work, life, biker gangs (he was surprised to learn he was on a ride with one), etc. and before I knew it we were at the last stop. From there it was a nice easy ride back into the forest reserve for the finale.

I had awards to give out so here they are:

http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/6097/repz24ng0.jpg

Wheelsucker - Straw taped to a tube - goes to CyLowe97:
http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/968/repz21yn0.jpg

Chaty Cathy - roll of tape with tube - went to Dave342 by default (it was meant for JT1 ;), but he had left, and Dave was in the can when we decided)
http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/862/repz22xq5.jpg

Hammer Time - Hammer with tube - Obvious choice. Undisputed king of the rollers on all three legs Recursive.
http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/9739/repz23ju5.jpg

Psimet2001 09-30-07 09:48 PM

Now....many thanks to my wife who put up with all this internet crap, and time away on the bike. Not to mention the amazing pluthera of cookies she manufactured, packaged, and labeled...

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/3357/repz25gh8.jpg

Thanks to CyLowe, iab, and Voldemort for being the perpetual home team helping out with whatever they could.

Thank you Recursive and Dave342 for risking travel South of the Cheese Curtain without a valid visa. It meant a lot that you guys showed.

Kenal0, sorry I didn't sport the 7-Eleven jersey as well. Maybe next ride.

Thank you to everyone who came out. I consider this year a success. I love putting this thing on and I am looking forward to next year. I am also looking forward to other area invitationals.

Final Tally:
KOR Overall: Recursive
KOR Loop1: Recursive
KOR Loop2: Recursive
KOR Loop3: Recursive

QOR (Queen of Rollers) Overall: Psimet2001
QOR Loop1: iab
QOR Loop2: Psimet2001
QOR Loop3: Psimet2001

Flattie: Kenal0
Balls of Steel: Ceiph
Chaty Cathy: Dave342
Wheelsucker: CyLowe97
Hammer Time: Recursive

Finally thanks to ColorChange for providing one of the most refreshing after ride recovery beverages I have had in a long time.

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/7513/repz26kw1.jpg

....now...where's that jersey info so I can put the thread out.....

aham23 10-01-07 05:13 AM

classic picture post write once again. nice job.

can i get one of those cookies mailed to me? i do love cookies.

later.

nietsmas 10-01-07 05:39 AM

excellent write up psimet.

here's my quick recap...

loop 1 was great, except that colorchange and i missed a couple turns and ended up riding an extra couple miles on rt 20. up until the last few miles, i'm pretty sure my edge was reporting our average speed at around 21mph.

loop 2 was a different story. i'm riding with the lead group while we are coasting along nicely at 22-25mph. all of a sudden i start "bonking" and realizing that loop 1 was about 2 hours and i had only gone through one water bottle. i think i mentally was trying to conserve water since i had only brought 3 water bottles with me. huge mistake.

i end up losing the group even though dave342 tried to pull me back in a couple times. and of course i had no clue where i was and i end up at a BP in downtown genoa, so the clerk gives me an easy to remember route back to the forest preserve. well i end up getting stuck at a train crossing due to a freight train that passed (probably about 10-15 minutes) and i dropped a chain as well.

and the headwind. it was a killer, mentally. pushing as hard as i can doing 14 mph is a huge mental block. i found myself cursing at the wind only to have it blow harder in my direction. i eventually saw psimet and i could finally breath a sigh of relief.

besides the loop 2 debacle, it was great to meet everyone and ride with some new faces. i definitely look forward to next year's rides.

btw, just a small suggestion to psiment for next year's invitational: it would be nice to put your cell phone number on the map or maybe gather a list of everyone's number before the ride in case anyone gets lost or has an emergency. just my .02 cents.

*edit* here's my edge data, fwiw:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/e...kValue=4073729

CyLowe97 10-01-07 09:11 AM


Originally Posted by botto (Post 5367291)
so was this essentially 3 rides, but one after the other (as in loop 1, loop 2, and loop 3)?

correct.

Choice of distances and times to start. Very clever, that Pizmit.

Late risers could have made it to the second or third loops. Apparently timmyquest slept in until 4 pm and didn't make it, even after half of the Chicagoland area offered him shoes to wear. Then again, he's in college. I remember thinking anything before 1 pm in the afternoon was uncivilized, too.

recursive 10-01-07 09:26 AM

Pre-ride: I woke up at what seemed like the middle of the night in order to venture to far away lands. And bike. Along the way, I had to take an unanticipated extended pit stop. Unfortunately, this cost me a bunch of time and almost made me late. On the plus side, when I did resume, I was about 4 pounds lighter, which would prove to be a tremendous advantage on the harrowing climbs of Illinois. I eventually showed up a scant few minutes before roll-out. I scrambled to get my processed cheese snacks ready for the ride. After lining up for the obligatory photo, we commenced

Loop 1: I set the tone for the day early by immediately dropping my water bottle in front of everyone else the first time I touched it. Everyone deftly avoided my debris, while I circled back to pick it up. I sucked down a pasteurized cheese snack, put my head down, and motored back up to the group. I saw 33mph. If I could maintain that for an hour, I'd have a shot at a world record. I'll work on that. Anyway, for the rest of the ride, I would be very careful with my bottles. Then my Forerunner 305 died. No GPS data is the price I pay for not charging the batteries. This meant that I'd be riding without having any numbers on an LCD screen to look at. I wasn't sure if I'd survive.

After a time, Psimet informed us that there would be a sprint, two rollers up the road. I'm always up for a bit of the good old fashioned ultra-soul crushing. As the "hill" approached, I got into my favorite position in the catbird seat. The sound of sneaky shifting could be heard. Then it was time to go. I unleashed a furious aerosol cheese-powered sprint and raised my hands in victory. To the Illionois people: Sorry about destroying the pavement in your state with my gratuitously excessive power. Things to improve: keep weight back, snappier jump.

Apparently we missed a rest stop. I wouldn't know. I don't look at maps, you see. We stopped in a bank parking lot and I practiced my trackstand. We rode back to the park and zero interesting things happened.

Loop 2: There were a lot of straight roads and crosswinds. I was at the back after taking my pull. I noticed that Ceiph was starting to get gapped. Being a helpful guy, I offered him a pull back up to some of the other riders. He made a good effort. I would later find out that he's only been riding a month! Good show, good show. Eventually, I left him in the dust (it wasn't a drop, psimet was still there!) and moved back up to where the action has happening lest I miss my opportunity to crush souls. The wind was really starting to get annoying. Once again, there was a sprint, which is actually really the only reason I ever get out of bed. I had dave342 for leadout. We handily crushed the souls of all that opposed us, despite the fact that I was in the middle chain ring. (yes, a triple) I was starting to find out the cheese byproducts do not make a good energy food. I was wishing for some other food. I managed to make it back to the park without bonking, at which time I ate about 1000 calories worth of cookies. Yum.

Loop 3: Even more wind. My lack of long rididing this season was beginning to make itself evident. I think many others were hurting as well. The 20mph headwinds weren't doing anyone any favors either. For what seemed like ever, we were riding in headwinds and crosswinds. I knew at some point, we would be repaid with a tail wind, but it was taking forever. There was another sprint, and I was not feeling confident this time. Everyone else was hurting too though. I gave it a lukewarm accleration, and completed my Wisconsin-themed sweep of the sprints. Later than sooner, we finally got our tailwind. I didn't have my gps data, but I would estimate that we were cruising at about 75mph with the brakes on thanks to the hurricane force gale. We got to our final rest stop. I sat down and didn't want to get up. Eventually the whole group came back together. I grudgingly got up and limped home.

Lessons learned:
  • I'm awesome. Of course, I already knew this, but it's very important to remember, so I put it on top of the list. Also, it is here for the benefit of those who somehow did not know.
  • My $10 planet bike saddle is not cutting it on these long rides. I need another Toupe.
  • Kraft(tm) Easy Cheese is not energy food. It consists mostly of fat. And partly of protein. That's no good.
  • I need to charge the batteries in my electronics before I expect them to work.


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