Group ride, yay!
It’s been many weeks, and it felt really good. Group rides are such a rush. The camaraderie, the smooth workings of a group as a single unit. Well, a single unit, more or less. ‘Til we get split up at the first big hill.
It was a great turnout for this time of year–about a dozen. Many of the usual suspects turned up. John, Kyle, Craig, and Bob (who joined us a couple miles in–he thought it started a half-hour later). Joe Martin lead this 30 mile ride.
The easier pace allowed more conversation than normal. I learned a couple things. One, that our intrepid UPS delivery man, Craig, had a gun pulled on him on his route this week. He was in the truck and the culprit was crossing the street in front of him. He said he was in a better position and that his weapon would have been his gas pedal. Four years from retiring with pension and he’s practically counting the days ’til he can do Daddy Daycare and ride every day.
Kyle picked up another Fiat for $50. Doesn’t run, but doesn’t matter. He’s already stripped it down to the frame and is enjoying parting it back together with care and precision. He runs the Keeler Dealership’s repair shop so he’s pretty handy with stuff like that. I warned him I may be taking advantage of his tools and skills in the next couple of weeks for a brake job on my Toyota. I wonder if a nice couples’ dinner out is enough for bartering?
Brian admitted to slacking off on the bike (as have I) in the last few weeks. No post-work daylight and low ambition being the greatest reasons. He also mentioned an ultra-endurance cyclist who won RAAM and some other events. This guy wrote a couple pages on why he does it and I’m looking forward to getting a copy from Brian. I’m thinking it was Tinker Juarez, but am not sure.
I felt better than I expected. Perceived exertion was a lot less than the average heart rate indicates. I’d always rather have that ratio than the opposite one. When I’m sick the perceived is greater than actual–and to complete the equation, it equals frustration. A day later just one muscle aches. The tibialis anterior, I think. Yeah, the name doesn’t mean much to me either. Anyway it’s the muscle on the outside of your shin between ankle and knee. Mostly the left one, not so much the right. I can’t imagine how it got sore unless I worked the few climbs a little harder than usual or pushed a little harder on the flat and fast sections. Still it’s not a muscle that I ever noticed get sore before.
Speaking of flat and fast. There’s a stretch, actually two, on this course that gets covered frequently in our group rides that is just that. Fast. A little bit of descent helps make ‘em that way. If you don’t pay attention and stay up front, it’s easy to get dropped in the flurry of activity. I’ve been dropped here two or three times in the past. The first time, I had eased up momentarily after the briefest of climbs when I noticed the riders ahead of me start to make a gap. That gap never closed until the stop sign at the end of the stretch. These two stretches are a way for us to get a taste of what the pros must experience. Short bursts of speed (I got to about 31.5) with cruising speeds of 28 between. It only lasts for a couple of miles, but it’s quite a treat. Western Ave to Sacandaga Road.
There was a rider that I seemed to draft behind frequently today. Not really by choice, more by chance. And I never felt comfortable behind him, partially because I didn’t know his skill level and partly because he seemed a tad erratic. You gotta keep your line. Don’t make sudden movements. These are mantras of riding the pace line. I was forced to slow suddenly because he did and felt bad for whoever was behind me.
Technical difficulties of the non-bike-type abounded. The crapcam crapped out on me. The tiny LCD numeric display is nearly gone and I don’t know if it takes photos anymore. (edit- Turns out the pre-ride pic actually came out–the one at the top of this post.) My GPS batteries ran out about a quarter mile from the finish. That’s why the tiny gap in the Google map on the lower right.
Statistics
Altitude gained: 1050′
Uphill distance: 6.54 miles
Effort index (from TopoFusion): 25.8 (which is a scant 11% of the ADK540 to put it in perspective!)
Avg/Max HR: 166/199
Perceived effort: not nearly as bad as those numbers reflect
December 18th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
I know that strech of Western well, Bob and Craig beat me with my own legs one day last summer there. Yesterday I got a little of it back, by pipping Brian Bob and Michelle at the itersection of Goode & Lake Hill.