Okay, I'm with the "fast" group that split off from the Saturday group ride. We've been going along at a nice pace or around 20mph when I inform the others of the 10 million points awarded for the winner of the sprint to rest stop.

I knew they were game because as we got closer, the gears got higher. The lead rider was in his 52-12 and churning away. He didn't really know how far the stop was up ahead and had to pull off the front.

That left just one rider in front of me and she was a doozie. Cat 3 racer or something; she upped the cadence and I was hanging on for dear life. I had one rider behind me and knew he was just biding his time; he was the strongest of the group.

She started to falter so I dialed it up to 401 watts and gave it all I had. I was actually amazed I had the oomph to go around her; we were going ~30mph.

Alas, it was too soon to make the jump and the ease at which the rider behind me zoomed around meant I had no chance. I was redlining it as long as I could but I shut it down and pretty much coasted the rest of the way in.

I recovered at the rest stop (Jim's Gas Station on Nebo Rd. in New Hope) but when the fast guys were ready to roll, I let them go without me.

Well, the ladies I was riding with had no intentions of loafing along. We were moving at a nice pace but when someone would rotate off the front, "Ms. Frisky" would up the pace and it was Katy bar the door. After a few of these episodes, I could no longer accelerate to make the jump. I slagged off and fell back.

Good thing, too. I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up. I thought I'd eaten well enough but I was having a bad day. I had to shorten up my ride and limp home with my tail between my legs.

Anyone else go too hard too soon and have to cut a ride short?

I've gone too hard to early quite a few times... but never had to end a ride early. A couple times I've dropped of the back, regained my composure, and then just rode solo until I caught up again (if the group hit a red light or something). A couple weeks ago we had a near-crash in the front of the "fast group" and I had just gotten off a pull. I couldn't recover from the surge of wind off the front from the line breaking up and ended up riding about 4 miles solo @ 25mph. Wouldn't have caught them if it wasn't for the rest area/checkpoint.

pace making with 52-12?? No wonder he faded out.

I've lost sprints in every possible way and then some. But that reminds me of a ride when 3 or 4 of us watched each other for too long and the sprint was won by the only guy on a slick tire MTB who creeped in from behind - we never thought he would contest the sprint. But he was so exhausted afterwards that he barely could hang on at the back for the remaining 40 km. We dropped him repeatedly, but waited for him every time.

I hate that. People like that ruin what could be a nice paceline that would allow everybody to go faster. If they feel like working harder, they could just pull longer, but no...they have to pull faster when they get to the front. It's particularly bad for they guy who just finished his/her pull and is drifting back to the end of the line.