April 18, 2005

• Sunday, April 17th and it's time for another Sunday ride.  The
  choices were between Estes Park with Gale or do the PineWood
  Ride.  Well due to time constraints we decided to do the Pinewood
  Ride and suffer soon than later.   

  It was a good turn out with Jerry, Dave, Ilka, Ramon (Met on the road),
  Peter (Met on Road), Shannon, Chris and Ron. Kent couldn't make it but
  we will see him next time. would have been real interesting to see how
  he did on the Hill climb.  Anyway as I stated KOM tiltle would be
  decided today just by the Pinewood TT.  I figured that it was
  better to state this cause if your gonna go test your self then why
  waste energy before the big climb?  So with that understanding we
  are off.  Oh,  Bob suggested that I reiterated the policy on
  waiting on climbs which I did, which is basically wait on all of the
  real(tm) climbs and I suggested that the "Strong Men" go back down and
  pick up the weaker riders

  So we are off down the usuall Horsetooth route with the group looking
  like a  club with the majority of the group sporting the BC
  jerseys.   
  Someday we will have to get a nice group photo for the scrap
  book...  At the end of Horsetooth we make a "potty" break and
  adjust some clothing.  It was getting really warm out and I could
  have done without the arm and legwarmers which I stuffed in my Trek
  Hydration Pack.   Bob was in the Potty for a long time since
  he had on Bib Shorts and they are a pain if one needs to take care of
  business quickly.   While we were waiting, Dave and I each
  told an "Old Bull and Young Bull" joke.  I was trying to make a
  point about where you want to use your energy. Hopefully the savy took
  the point.

  So off to the 1st hogback and the group is pretty much together. 
  We picked up Peter somewhere along the way and it was off to the
  climb.  I could see that most of the group was togehter as they
  were taking it a bit easier due to the TT today.  They were going
  a  bit harder than I would have gone and I choose the hangout with
  Shannon and conserve a bit, besides my legs just felt OK, not good, not
  bad just OK.   Ilka who had stated how tired she was was
  keeping a good pace withte crew, so one has to ask, "Well what do you
  mean by tired?"  I think we may have to give her a nick name, I am
  thinking "2 Speed", since she seems to have only 2, Fast and Faster.  
  but I digress.   We make a quick regroup and are off to the
  next faux challenge.  Oh, I have no clue who got to the summit 1st.

  Ron is keeping a good tempo towards the next hogback and I am happy
  that I will not be at the front on this one with so many engines at the
  ready.  At the next challenge I am again taking it pretty easy. I
  went a bit harder than last time, but I want to try and gradually
  recruit some more fast twitch muscle.   I think the boyz are
  finding it hard not to challenge for these summits but they are mostly
  toghether at the summint.

  Now on to the descent and the final Hogback warmup of the day. I am
  taking it easy once again.  I see Peter going hard at the top and
  Ron just let him go. Ahh a wise move as Peter is only going to
  Masonville.   At the summit there are a ton of riders
  waiting.  I turns out it was Audrey and Crew making a jaunt from
  Loveland.  We chat with them for a while and I got to meet
  Audrey's husband again.  Dam, he looks fit!  Wish I looked
  like that!  Anyway after a bit of banter, we are off again.

  Ah the descent is good! and we are flying,  Geoff I think was out
  in front and Shannon and I were chasing.  Good speed good
  fun.  On the descent we are grouped again, but some where in the
  melee we lost Ilka!  Chris takes a monster pull and we are flying
  towards Masonville. We pick up a guy on a single speed, no helmet and
  he is flying.....  On that last little Rise, before Masonville,
  Bob sorta attacks or at least goes hard and most of the group follow
  suit.  I want no part of this so early and keep my tempo cause I
  aint wasting any glycogen just yet. (Read.. Old Bull here).

  We get more organized as we head from Edens Valley.  We picked up
  a rider, Paul Simon, I think as we amble on.  It is here we look
  for Ilka, but we assumed that since she said her legs were tired that
  perhaps she retired for the day.  So out through Edens Valley and
  life is good.

  Finally we cross 34 and we are on to the challenge.  The little
  road on the way to the challenge is a long slow 1- 2% grade or
  so.  The group slows a bit more than normal to save for the
  challenge.  I can see that some want to keep a higher tempo but
  they are calmed by the wisdom of the group.

  We stop at the TimeTrial Start, get some food drop some weight and
  prepare.  Everyone comes to the startline and sets their timers
  and  we are off.  I am setting the tempo and watching my HR
  climb.  My legs were a bit stiff from the brief stop,. but this
  was no time to listen to any of that.  My pace isn't blistering
  and I can hear most of the group behind me.

  After a minute or so,  Chris, Ron, Bob come by me and they are
  setting a good tempo.  As they come by, I can feel some draft from
  them so I make sure to keep out of it while pacing them.  At this
  point they are too strong and I watch as they get a 50 yard gap on me
  or so.  I am surprised that they are all together.  Someone
  is taking it easy and someone is probably going too hard.

  In a bit I see their group begin to splinter and I am happy to be close
  enough for a front row seat.  To my surprize,  Chris is the
  man and begins to walk away from Ron and Bob.  Bob  is
  hanging onto Ron's wheel.   This goes on for a while and then
  Ron is able to get a gap on Bob!.   Dave and I were wagering
  earlyier and our $$ was on Bob to take this one!.. Anyway, I find that
  I am gaining ground on Bob!.  I check my HR monitor and see that I
  am under my LT so it's all good.

  After a bit  I am able to reel in Bob and I go by him.  My
  sites are on Ron as he is not too far up the road, probably 25 seconds
  or so, but on a hill the distance isn't that great.  I keep
  pushing and I know that if I had fresher legs I could go harder as I am
  about 3 bpm below LT.  I can see Ron slowly but surely going away
  from me but I press on.  When the grade steepens my legs complain
  and I expect Bob to be on me at any moment.  I check my 6 and he
  is not in sight! good,  Out of sight out of mind. 

  Now I got a glimps Chris for a bit and Ron chasing.  Damn those
  guys are fast. Now I am praying for this to end before I loose my 3rd
  place standing.  I find my legs will still turn the pedals OK.
  With no chance of catching Ron or being caught I hold a steady tempo to
  the end.  Yes I got a suprizing 3rd on that one.   I
  need to check my HR thing for the time (21:58), but Chris did it it something
  like 20:XX  and Ron was a 21:31!, Jerry was 27:10  (If you guys send me your
  times I will edit this, I added, Ron's and mine).

  Now we wait for everyone.  Bob is next followed by Dave and Ramon
  etc.   To our surprize, Ilka shows up!  turns out she
  stopped on the liite rise before the climb and we were waiting about 50
  yards from her, but she couldn's see us!   Anyway, P Simon,
  turned back in the middle of this one.   Oh well, maybe next time.

  Now onto the descent. Dave is leading and is flying. crossing into the
  oncoming lanes at times (Where visible). but curiously not taking the
  outside/inside lines on some of the right handers, but to no avail, he
  was flying.

  Now onto the Cater Lake climb.  Ron takes a flyer on this one and
  the rest of us just settle in.  Near the faux summint, Ilka just
  attacks!!!   I let her go and then decide to go get
  her.  I go by and look at her and see that she doesn't have enough
  to go with me if I pressed the point so, seen no challenge her, just
  drop back to take it easier.  Maybe, I am going to easy here
  today, but we will see by the end of the year if I loose too much
  ground to the "Big Men". but I digress. 

  We regroup and get some water and I give the "rule of Engagement for
  the sprint". Full stop at the stop sign and then go....  
  While we are waiting I chat with one of the members of Team Swift from
  Boulder, seems they are doing a nice loop today. ....   So
  with fresh water etc. we are off.  I think this is when Dave
  finally tookf his tights!

  So Shannon decides to attack early, "I honor of Kent".  Ron goes
  with him.  I can see that Shanonn and Ron broke the rules of
  engagement.   I any case I make the full stop, foot down etc.
  and I must chase Chris who is chasing,  Ron and Shannon and after
  a good effort we are a group of 4.  We are all taking long pulls.
  Chris takes the pull up that little grade and I take over, with well
  rested Ron and Shannon on the wheel.  When I pull off, Ron attacks
  and I have nothing to answer with. Chris is spent too!.  Well, I
  knew that  these were bad tactics and I was more or less looking
  for a workout, since If I did a short pull I think I could have given
  Ron a run for his $$.  Next time,  I think we should play it
  differently and see what happens.

  Once regrouped,  Bob and Company complain  that the rules
  were broken and they were right!  So in all fairness, next time
  there wil  be no engagement til everyone stops!, "The rules here
  at top gun exist for your safety, they are not flexible not am I" -
  Viper(TopGun).  In any case I am looking for more folks in the
  Melee next time.

  Now onto the flats and Ron is keeping a realy civil pace. I guess too
  civil as Ilka jumps off the front!  In any case she is not a GC
  contenter and there is no reason to spool up the FLT Drive (That's
  faster than light, for you non- Battlestar fans). We just let her sit
  out there.

  Ron suggests we make this little lefthander on the way to the
  hogbacks!   It's a nice grade and Ron is setting a brisk
  pace, followed by Chris and myself.  I look back after a bit and
  see that the group has been fractured! Ok, we sit up a bit and
  chill.  At this point Geoff and Ramon have fried!

  We make it to 34 where Ramon and Geoff are gonna ride together and take
  it easy.  I am assured that they will be OK so I rejoin the
  group.  We get a bit strung out on the climb near the dam through
  Eden's valley.  This is the last time on this ride that we wil be
  a group.
  Ilka and Jerry are up the road.  Ron and Bob are a bit back and
  chasing Dave and I are chasing Ron and Bob, and Chris and Shannon are
  behind us.

  I decide to let Dave go and chill with  Chris and Shannon. 
  While cresting that grade a bit before Masonvile Shanonn overlapped my
  rear wheel and went down!!  He was
  OK but his leg was scraped and his helmet was cracked.  I got to
  use my 1st aid kit.  Ramon and Geoff were there too and after all
  was good we departed.  I hung back with Ramon and Geoff to make
  sure they were OK.   Geoff was hurting so we stopped in
  Masonville.  Ramon went to get the Car for Geoff as he had
  bonked.  He wasn't able to eat much and with the heat and effort
  it too it's toll.   Ramon, arrivered shortly they were
  off.  I took off at a liesurely pace and headed for home.

  In any case a good time was had by most.  I got email from Ron,
  who was waiting at the park (Thanks Ron). Dave had to get back and
  grade papers.  Shannon is OK and his wife is still gonna let him
  ride with us.  Geoff got home OK. 

  Here is a note from Dave,
  
  
  
  Sorry for bugging out on you guys rather than waiting at Horsetooth,
  but I was antsy to get home. It turns out I got a bit sunburned, so it
  was good to get out of the sun too (forgot to put on sunscreen this
  morning -- it's been so long since I needed any, what with all the
  clothes we've been wearing). I hope there weren't any problems.
  
  

  
  
  Anyway, depending on which map you believe, the hand-drawn one or the
  one generated from the GPS, the topo software says we climbed 6000 or
  5600 feet today. That's not as much as the trip to Estes (7000 from a
  map generated partly by GPS and partly by hand since the GPS cut out on
  me a couple of times).

  Here is a Note from Ron
  

  Good ride today though it sounds like things got interesting
  in Masonville.  Dave had papers to grade so he had to get back.  I
  waited at the top of Horsetooth so I got to see the results of Shannon’s crash.  It sounds like he was sore
  but otherwise OK.  I also talked to Ramon, he told me Geoff had bonked
  badly in Masonville and that you were waiting there with him, so he was headed
  to pick up a car and take Geoff home.  I think Jerry was hurting towards
  the end but he was just going to take it easy and head home.  He was very
  slow up Horsetooth but still moving.  As they say “what doesn’t
  kill us makes us stronger,” we should all be animals by summer.

  Anyway, the group got pretty fragmented towards the end. 
  As always it was a good ride, thanks for setting it up…

  Ron

   Here is note from Shannon

  Just thought that I would send you an email and let you know
  that all is well...  mostly anyway!    I just have some road rash... 
  enough to make my wife take pity on me.  She also said I am not allowed
  to ride with you guys any more....  Just Kidding!  She wouldn't say
  anything of the sort.  Turns out that after looking at my helmet some
  more that it took a pretty good shot.  I am on the way to REI to pick
  up a new one.  Besides the cracks I saw on the road, I found a couple
  more severe cracks.  I would have replaced it without seeing these
  cracks, but seeing the bigger cracks just makes me glad that I had the
  brain bucket on!  I heard that Jeff bonked pretty bad.  I hope the dude
  is ok.  It was a tough ride today, I think the addition of Pinewood and
  the heat put it over the top.  My crash was due to loss of focus from
  being tired, I should have been more attentive, but these things
  happen.  Look forward to the ride next week.

   

  Shannon

  Here is a note from Geoff,
  
  
  
  Steve, I just wanted to say thanks for hanging back with me at
  Masonville, you didn't have to, but the company was great. I guess from
  not feeling well all week that I just could not eat enough and it
  caught up with me. Still I had a great ride. Thanks again!         Geoff

  Here is a note from Jerry
  

  
  
  
  Here are few photos of the Pinewood ride.    There  is also a PDF file
  containing the route. 
  
  
  I did 27min 10sec on the Pinewood time trial...    I did not see you
  coming back at Masonville.  Needless to say, I was so tired...  it took
  me 2X the time to ride back home from Masonville.  
  

  
  
  
  Great day! 

  • 9:52 am
  • 2 Comments