A very interesting tale. Given how often it rains in the East in the summer, I'm sure a lot of rides don't go as planned. Yours could have been much worse, as it reads as though you got in a good, competitive ride. You probably surprised some of those other guys with your performance.
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"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." Louis L'Amour
There are two types of road bikers: bikers who are faster than me, and me. Bruce Cameron - Denver Post