I regret the late notice but in the past week, someone put out a ride option for September 26th & 27th. It was not to compete with the COP's Columbus Fall Challenge just to offer a ride that had slightly fewer hills and at a low cost. All are welcome to participate. An email was distributed with invites and encouraging others, whose emails were not known, to be contacted along with anyone else who may want to participate. So far, 10 are committed to riding with another 5-10 likely to join. Here are the route gps links: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10413999 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10387673 Here is the email that went out with the details you need should you want to attend one or both days, from Mark Clingan, aka, The Donald. Mark needs to know by tomorrow (Saturday) if you plan to attend. You can email Mark at: glorynazarene@gmail.com I am putting together a 2 day tour from Logan to Chillicothe and back. Approximately 100 miles each day. It will be a hilly course but not as hard as CFC. The goal is great scenery and nice roads; not necessarily the hardest hills. With that said, there will be plenty of nice climbs along the way. So, if you want to participate here are the basics you need to know: SAG support and luggage transport provided by Wellston Church of the Nazarene. I would like to cover gas, food, and hotel accommodations for our volunteers so we are asking for a donation from riders. Suggested donation $15.00. SAG will meet us at various checkpoints along the way. Ride departs from the Logan Conference Center at 8 AM, Saturday, September 26. Be early enough to load your luggage and gear. Please pack lightly. You are responsible for your own overnight accommodations and food. Karen Rossi will be supplying some snacks. We will be coming into Chillicothe on Marietta Rd and it looks like Quality Inn is the closest hotel. There are accommodations available in Logan as well if you don't feel like getting up real early. There will be no arrow markings. I will be sending a cue sheet out to all participants. I'll be riding at a moderate pace and try to keep the group together. I would like to know who's riding with us by this coming Saturday (Sept 19). I'll be gone Monday thru Thursday next week on a backpacking trip and would like to make sure our SAG volunteers know how many riders we have before I go. This ride is not limited to those on the email list. It is open to others who may want to participate. However we are somewhat limited in luggage transport space. Participation will be on a first come first serve basis. This ride will have great scenery! You will not be disappointed with the route! (If you are...sorry for your luck!) One more thing....we're not trying to pull people away from CFC. This is just a low cost option. Do CFC if you want a harder ride and full support. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Thursday, I heard that CFC has switched from a full service 2 day tour to a no service 2 day tour, meaning you are responsible for getting your stuff to the over night location. However, for $10, you can't beat the cost. You can go to their site, http://outdoor-pursuits.org/event-1902881 for more information.
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Another low turnout kind of evening but the NBB (New Bike Boy) was there. John noted George certainly seemed to be coasting faster as George spent the entirety of his time prior to the ride, cruising the parking lot, never coming to a full stop. Note the bike also has a Powertap and we wondered if he knew that added a pound to the bike's weight but still, the net gain from his steel bike must be huge. David Smith looks on as Pete Ashmore wonders if brother Matt is coming and.... ....soon, Matt too arrives and signs in with Gus and Axel. The 40-45 were spread all over the parking lot so I was unable to get a decent group shot. The A group especially was small, maybe 10ish but I busy putting away the sign-in sheets and missed the count. Knowing all but a few would roll out with the fast B group, I suggested we leave as one and so..... ....we did, all 29 of us. Above left to right is Jay, Pete, Ron, Farmer Mike and Corvair. I did the math, 30 miles divided by 29 cyclists = possibly no drafting as I drift deeper into the unfit category. In fairness, I'd be doing that calculation in June too. We rolled way out 161 at a very comfortable speed but things became a bit chaotic. First, Greg drifted back through the middle of the pack rather than pulling to the side, which prompted a wave of, "Hey", "What the..." and "What?" calls. Then we over took a cast-off from the A group and rather than join in from either side, he too hung in the middle of the road and drifted through our midsection prompting more, "Hey", "What the..." and "What?" calls. Then we over took a strung out group of 5 cyclists who had been waiting for someone to fix a flat. You never know when one of them will suddenly turn left to see how things are progressing behind so as we approached each, several of us made loud sounds. Then the A cast-off went to the front and the pace caused the group to reform into a long line. Thinking it would be best not to splitter the group at our farthest point from the parking lot, I pulled alongside and asked him to throttle it back just a bit. We reached the York turn and I went to the back of the pack, my rightful place. Of course, being at the back just as we arrived at the York Road hills is a bad idea but with the assistance of the Scottish Kilt dude, Mark Rossi, John Sada, Michael and others, we managed to catch the front just as they turned right on 310 and we stayed together to the end, even over taking New Bike Boy and finishing with a 21.8 avg. Meantime, up ahead, the A group whittled down some more, then got off route shortening the ride to 28 miles but finished with a 24mph avg. At the parking lot, someone mentioned they check the blog a couple of times a day (I should protect the name least he be subject to ridicule) and Luke Russell, the funny bone that he is said, "I haven't checked the blog in 2 years cause it's been that long since anything interesting was posted there." Post ride, while the A group survivors (usual suspects of Ken Buddell, Marty, Luke, etc...) talk about KOM points, sign sprint wins, blazing a 30 mile route under an hour, etc... the little people above, left to right, John, Rick, Michael, John Sada and Axel, have no such accomplishments so we talk about Saturday ride options and other mundane stuff. More on ride options later today. Crazy George on the left, Michael on the right. George had a spot of bad luck when he placed his Garmin computer in his cycling shoe to make sure he did not forget it the evening prior to a ride this week. Next day, puts his foot in the shoe and steps on the computer, breaking it. I hate when that happens. The saga continues with his new bike. The pedal issue has been resolved but now he is dialing in the seat height and that is taking time. Also sounds like he is riding every day so I think he is attempting to bring himself to peak form prior to unleashing the climbing machine on us. Michael marveled at the average speed of last week's Thursday ride, 25.1, and wondered how close it was to a pro's time had they too been out. Good question and couldn't guess but a long way I suspect. The sky was blue, the temp was good, the wind was nil and only 12 showed up for this evenings New Albany ride, including Deniece, introducing us to her new bike. Also there were Jon Morgan, Greg, etc... The traditional 38 mile route was probably going to be too far, given the available daylight so Axel and Gus put their heads together and came up with an alternative, 33 miles that left out the Stone Quarry rollers, too, too bad. So, upon reaching Hardscrabble, rather than turning right and a quick left as usual, we turned left and upon reaching Northridge, crossed onto Concorde and got back on the route. Cruising on Duncan Plains, I checked the time and it was 7:10 but the sun sat very low in the sky and I wondered if we could cover the remaining 13 miles prior to the 7:40 sunset..... ....no actually but we were close and arrived with 33 miles and a 20.3 avg. I went out of the draft to take the picture and lost the tail but didn't matter since I was so close to the end. We had kept the group together with a couple of regroups and soft pedals since we wouldn't want to leave someone out there in the dark. The year is not yet over but to date, Ken Buddell put together a strong candidate for "Ride of the Year" with yesterday's 144 mile effort having an average speed of 20.5. The route included the Dry Run century with the fellas and then tacked on some solo miles. Dang. I did not ride, put off by Saturday's rain and lack of interest on Sunday. Did hit the trails at the BioReserve in Granville and dug out root balls from bushes I cut. That was kind of tiring, along with mowing, picking up walnuts the usual stuff. Also thinking about..... ....a backpack adventure in October. A few years ago I scouted the Nankoweap trail and reaching this point, thought "No friggin way." and turned around. The park rangers have improved this point and I have become more accustomed to exposure and the reward at the end of 14 miles is.... ...the granaries where the Anasazi stored food until their exodus from the Grand Canyon in the 1200's. It is a very remote, 28 mile round trip hike with 40 lb pack so no day at the beach. As of June, all my backpack stuff is out there, I'll be out there in a couple of weeks. It would make for an epic blog posting. One of the elite Rivet group members sent me the above to prove that yes, they did finish above 25mph as an average. I think that the fastest time ever for a Thursday ride. Probably the main ride is the COP Covered Bridge out of Cyclist Connection in Canal Winchester at 8:00am. COP has a weird policy on "pay for" rides about not releasing gps files unless you preregister because there might be 1-2 of you who will show up and ride without paying your $5 or $10 (set aside the fact that with a marked route, you 1-2 miscreants could do it anyway). I think the below is the century route but acknowledge a tweek could have been made. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3288818 The Cycling Club has a group ride from behind Veloscience in New Albany at 8:00am. I heard 15-20 come out for it but there is no route, you show up and ride for around 50 miles. It's easy to spot a person who is wearing something his children made for him. Great evening for a bike ride with no wind, low humidity and a temp in the upper 70's. Despite the welcoming conditions, attendance was way down, about 48 cyclists. A new guy was there and marveled at the number but then we told him how large the group is in mid summer. Also not there was Dirty Dan. Someone asked about him and I said Dan was unable to make it because he was throwing his dog in a pond. Seriously, that's what he told me earlier in the day. Sparse parking lot but the dude who wears the Scottish kilt was there, changing. Even the cool clique was small in number. I managed to shout out dire warnings about not signing up and I think most did including.... .....Dave Chesrown, waiting for Axel. Marty took out the Rivet group and then the strong B group headed out but only 4 remained to make up a normal B group so we hustled out to catch.... ...the strong B group who were, as usual, hung up at the left turn. There were now 25+ of us as we navigated the roundabout and then got hung up at the light past the gas station. That may be the fastest light in the western hemisphere so only half the group got through, creating a nice split. But our back group sped forward and the front group was not riding hard and so we all regrouped and headed out.... ....161 with John leading the way. This was my first time riding with the strong B's and the intensity difference with the Rivet group is striking. We arrived at the turn at York with a 22.6 avg, where I pulled out to wait for anyone who had dropped back and to form a slower B group. Three guys came through and said they were going to catch the front group. I was skeptical they could achieve but after waiting a few seconds and seeing no one, I decided to catch the three and did on the Moots climb. We cruised into Granville and made the left turn onto Raccoon Valley. We were making up some ground but then at the Hardscrabble turn, they went straight so I was now chasing alone. Climbing out of the valley on Lobdell, I was about to catch a straggler when ahead I could see most of the group waiting at Mounts Road! Now there's the Rick Miller inspired humanitarian group gesture. I was so happy to be back in the group. We got through Alexandria and turned onto Jersey Mill, headed for 310. Reaching 310, I suggested we regroup as there had been some squirrely decisions by a couple of guys who took advantage of oncoming traffic at two turns to cause gaps. It's ok to be completely self absorbed and oblivious but geesh. After the ride, someone suggested next week, yet again, to encourage those in the front to not attack after pulling in front of cars or at turns when traffic is present. Anyway, we pulled into the parking lot with a 21.3 avg and 33 miles. Way ahead, the lead elements of the Rivet group, Luke, Travis, Jon, Marty, etc.. finished with a 23.3 avg. I was told by someone that their average was 25 but could not find confirmation of that on Strava. Well, another weekend coming up and I'll see what I can find and post it soon. Rick is not able to make it tonight and asked me to cover for him. Please note that while I do not possess Rick's mechanical skills, I still am able to offer some services: 1. Apply Sunscreen to hard to reach spots. 2. Fix a flat but can't guarantee it will stay fixed. 3. Apply chamois butter if absolutely necessary. 4. Rewrap handlebar tape but probably will unravel mid ride. So, the routes are understandably getting shorter as the season draws to a close yet it is still a good route and a fast one. Print your own map or download to your gps device. See below for route links.: 33 Mile A-Pace http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10307869 33 Mile B-Pace http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10307869 22 Mile C-Pace http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10308081 It's been about a month since Brian White was struck from behind by what is likely a Ford F150 pickup truck so I thought it would be a good time to check in on him. Brian is in good spirits, off the pain meds and working part time. He is going through rehab on an arm and both legs. He gets tired when standing and stiff when sitting but progress is being made and he is certain he will be back on a road bike early '16. Meantime, he has a mountain bike set on a trainer and riding that while shopping for a new road bike which is likely to be a Ti frame. The list of injuries from the crash was long, ranging from 5 broken ribs to an 8" x 2" gash in his leg from where the pedal impacted. A nurse at the hospital gave him the nickname "eggplant" because of his bruised appearance. The only bad news is it is unlikely the driver of the truck will be caught, without a break in the case such as a drunken confession in the vicinity of others. With over 400, F150 trucks within a reasonable radius of the incident, it's too many for the issuance of search warrants. Brian and his wife have a healthy attitude and feel blessed that Brian survived what was likely an impact at 55mph. On a related note, Mitch Tallan is up and walking I believe unassisted so that too is good news.
Luke Russell has put out this ride for Monday, starting at 7:30am from the New Albany Starbucks. I think it is a moderate paced ride and a good recovery option for those who ride Saturday and/or Sunday. As for Saturday.... ...I know I was sorely missed in Logan but late Friday, Larry P inquired about a closer alternative and that was all I needed to hear. So, Larry and Eva aka, Black Widow, headed out of Granville (a 10 minute drive from my house so....) on a 68 mile route that my Garmin had pegged at 4200' of climbing. We made such good progress that Eva decided, upon entering Bladensburg, we should dine at the diner and so we did. It was very active in the village as there was a car show and plenty of horse and buggies riding around. Later, exiting St. Louisville, Larry announced he was stopping at the ball fields (porta potty) and I was left alone with the Black Widow. I kept the chain on the big chain ring just in case I needed to sprint but came through the experience ok. I regret getting this out so late but below is what some of us are doing, rather than make the drive to Logan. Start at 8:00am in Granville's Wildwood Park which is the park we have passed many times on the south side as we enter Granville via Moots Run or Raccoon Valley Road. See you there if you get up late and can't make the Logan ride or if you want to shorten your riding day and avoid the long drive south. A great route with two distance options, 72 and 96 miles. Roll out at 8:00am. Zoom on the route to see where the ride starts or search: Logan Conference Center (30682 Chieftain Drive, Logan, OH). Scenic route includes riding through Zaleski State Park. Long drive though and am interested in an alternative but likely this is where I will be. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9984629 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5534749 Mick preparing for the ride. This may be a wild assumption on my part but I'm going to guess red is his favorite color. The clues are subtle but red car, red helmet, red bike and red kit. His nickname, given by others, was once "Satan" due to the presence of red but he didn't like that so I don't use it People who buy a new bike are always happy people and the latest example in the middle as Farmer Mike and Bobby Goetz look on. The low rumble of thunder was heard in the half hour leading up to our ride but radar indicated it was to stay to our west but no doubt the threat of rain kept the turnout low. Paul Stock, maybe inspired by Group Killer, brought out his time trial machine. Actually, Paul's road bike is in the shop but he promised not to take a pull while in the aero position. I forgot to count the parking lot but I'd say no more than 50 were present. On the other hand, the rivet group was well represented including Lori, Luke and Marty. Check out Lori at the Whole Foods at Easton. Especially appealing is Friday Wine Night at which $5 gets you 5 tastings. Not sure if Lori is both the Cooking Coach and Sommelier. Earlier in the day, I offered to take Rick's place leading out the B group if he wanted to go out with the A group. Yes, I am that kind of good guy. So, Rick headed out with the riveters, I divvied up the B group and headed out with the regular B's, of which there were about 14 (yes, I again forgot to count). Things got off to a rocky start as we were split at the short light at #62. AT first I did not realize it because looking back, I thought maybe that was the C group waiting at the light and I had forgotten to make the count. Then someone confirmed it was part of the B so I preached patience with the group and we eased up, waited at the Beech light, soft pedaled for a bit and then it became apparent the 3-4 behind were not making much of an effort to catch back on. With sunset sure to be early with the abundance of clouds, we decided to go so we could complete the route. Uneventful to be sure but lightning to the southwest caused us to go straight on Weslyn Church, rather than turning left at Wadkins. At 310, we turned right and then left at Morse and eventually got back on route at Mink, racing showers and lightning to our south. Encouraged by a bright orange sun straight ahead (red sky at night sailor delight type thing) we, including Rick, Greg, Kim, John, etc... finished dry with 35 miles and a 19.3 avg. Checking around for ride opportunities for Saturday. The big one is out of Logan and I'll have more on that in a few. Important: The C route found on the link below is not correct. Rick is in the process of fixing it but the A/B route is correct. Print your own map or down load the route. See you there and coming soon to these pages, an interview with Brian White, the cyclist who was struck by a car and lived to tell about it. The A/B route is: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10187002 http://www.thecyclingclub.org/club-rides/thursday-evening-ride/ I was not much motivated to attend a ride Tuesday. Probably a combination of end of season/muggy/hot malaise. Then at the last minute I considered, what if Crazy George brought out his new bike and I was not there to report? A lot of others were in the same mental state as only 12 of us came out and then George coasted in on the relic, rather than a new bike. I began questioning him and now suspect I am the victim of fraud. I, a naïve waif who believes whatever is told to him, took the bait, hook, line and sinker. Now George says he is going to lose 20 pounds before he brings out the new bike. Yeah, right... We headed out and a combination of things, lack of motivation, pace a little too fast for a Tuesday, doubt about getting around the route prior to dark, convinced me to turn around at Beech Rd, finishing with only 14 miles. But hey, I got home in time to split more wood. The cycling community is saddened to learn that Kenda Janet fell from her bike on Friday and now has a broken collarbone. But, cycling life must go on and so we gathered to head out on a beautiful morning on a 67 mile journey during which I learned of shocking and I mean shocking news (see below). There were twelve of us including Ryan in white, Jake in red, Porter in an OSU kit, Larry P, Eva, George, Flyin Tuna, Blair, Stefano, Chad and Gary. We maintained a moderate pace until faced with a "Bridge Out" sign on Dry Creek Rd. Arghhh, I had forgotten about that impediment but after some discussion we decided to check it out and relieved to discover it is now crossable with a solid surface. You have to dismount but easy to cross. We hit Chatham Road pretty hard and there waited to regroup. No sign of the crazy dude and don't know if he survived the injuries from being struck a couple of weeks ago. At mile 30, we cruised into..... ....St Louisville and paused but not for long. A little after the break George announced he is taking delivery of a NEW bike next week. A Giant, carbon fiber and geared to be a climbing machine. George downplays the impact the bike will have on his climbing prowess but I suspect he thinks it will help a great deal. I had to ask how much was the bike but he could not answer. I asked if he planned to steal it and told him I will ride with just about anyone but draw the line at a criminal. He assures me he is buying it. Dang, He is going to kick my ass on the Stone Quarry rollers. Ryan asked about the location of a restroom and Eva leaped at the opportunity to lead him to the ball fields where a Port-a-John is located. I've seen this scene play out before as the Black Widow lures an unsuspecting fella to a remote location and then only she returns. We decided to head to the ball fields and regroup and then.... ....others too took the opportunity to also take a quick break while Chad, Ryan and the rest patiently waited the few minutes. All in all, little lingering and we got back into the route which included..... ....the rustic Berger Hollow Road on our may to Martinsburg Road and the beginning of the turn back to the west which included the climb over Welsh Hills Road where we were glad to discover the nastiest parts of the pavement have been patched. Not expertly but at least now there are only a couple of small holes to avoid. Arriving...... ....in Granville, we thought about stopping to grab a snack but about half the group wanted to keep going and the half that wanted to stay didn't want to miss the drafting possibilities so we left intact. A few people began to wear down and rather than leave them alone, some of us scaled back the pace and kept almost all of the rear enders together. Above, George makes the rounds prior to heading home. The Black Widow ponders whether to offer George a ride but too many witnesses. I rested a bit when I got home and then trudged to the wood pile to begin splitting where I saw some movement and.... ....saw a Grater snake snag a frog. I did not think it possible the snake could swallow the frog but it kept moving up the leg and then the grog began emitting little squeeks. I was torn cause the snake needs to eat but those "eek". "eek" noises got to me so I grabbed the snake's tail and using a stick, pried the jaws and the frog got away. I carried the snake across the road where it can resume its search. While I encourage participation at the Frank, there are some of us who would rather not suffer to that extent and are riding out of New Albany, in front of Starbucks, at 8:00am. Will be a good group, moderately paced ride and you can view the route here: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7695716 I was walking Stella through the woods and noticed a lot of leaves have begun to fall. Soon, I won't be able to identify the dead ash trees from those still living. Since the temps were cool and I need to wear long pants for one of my favorite activities, I decided to skip a Tuesday ride and.... .....break out the chain saw and get after it. While I am not such a skilled cyclist, I have acquired the skill to bring down trees to avoid damage to live trees. Then the real fun begins, stacking the wood and.... ...splitting it manually. I know, I should rent a log splitter but that would take the fun out of it. A little each day and it adds up. Probably have 3 cords split so far. Well, I will be at the Thursday New Albany ride to do my duty and some of us are planning a ride leader get together at the Rusty Bucket post ride either this Thursday or one of the remaining Thursdays. I'm even thinking of buying the first round. The night started like many before it, our beloved ride leader, Rick, fixing someone's bike. If you enjoy this perk, I have good news for you below. It appears Poobah is arguing about who is next in line for a free bike overhaul. Prior to tonight's ride, the octogenarians or is it the segeterarians, I get the terms and spelling mixed up but those in the parking lot over 60 gathered for a group image, Crazy George, Farmer Mike & Grand Poobah. Todd was making his first appearance of the season and I think he had a good time so if the route is agreeable, I bet he returns. Jon Hastings. Last Saturday he was in Leadville, CO competing in a 100 mile trail run. Different route from what the mountain bikers follow. The trail runners go up climbs that are 20-30%, accumulating well over 10,000' of climbing. While the uphill sections were hard, it was the downhill sections that caused the most pain. Approximately 700 started, about 300 finished. Jon finished 59th, besting the 25 hour mark and is now the proud owner of the prize of a giant belt buckle. Everyone mostly pays attention as Rick begins his announcements. Attendance is slipping as only around 60 came out for tonight's ride, which was sure to be a fast one as we followed a very flat route. Earlier, I sent my super domestique, George, out early so he was already up the road as the A group.... ....was led out by Chris G and Marty and 18 followers. From the start, the pace was fast, despite the interruptions of intersections and stop signs. At mile 6ish, we stopped at the #605 crossing and between chest heaves, I spotted a 24.7 avg on my Garmin, yikes. At mile 9, we absorbed George into the group. All along, sensing, knowing, I was not long for this group, I had hung at the back getting worked over by the accordion effect so at mile 11ish, I popped off along with my domestique. I slipped behind him, preparing for 20+ miles of "I can't believe you are still with me" jabs when he reveals that he rode hard on Tuesday and Wednesday and his legs were dead!!!!! Any other freakin Thursday he's be riding tonight's flat route like a pro. So, I took a ceremonial pull with the instructions to rest and get ready to take over in a few yards. During another pull, George tells me he has not eaten all day and is weak. Oh for the love of..... Fearing the Super B's were closing, I began taking more and longer pulls. How unfair, I probably pulled half of the distance, maybe more. My average plummeted of course but we pulled into the parking lot with a 21.3 average. Meantime, up ahead, the lead group, including Lori N, finished with a 24.6 avg. After the ride, while George talked and John listened, some of us headed to..... ....the Rusty Bucket to celebrate Rick's sacrifice of creating interesting routes, keeping our bikes running, no one was killed this year due to his safety instructions, spending time away from family, etc.... Once we got him liquored up, we signed him to a contract extension and he will be back next year! How about that? I even bought him a glass of water, how about that! Thirteen hung around for the event, including Ken Budzig, Peggy and Gus, Marty, Luke, the H&H guys, Pete C, Dave C, etc... Much talk about "The Frank" as Marty has rounded up a group to roll out at 7:30am. I hear Engineer Mitch and Rex are starting at 7:00am. Comments about the ride range from, "I like it" to "I think it is too contrived, has no flow, too many stop signs at hill bottoms, too much emphasis on elevation gain and not enough about creating an enjoyable route." I've been contacted by a few people who want an alternative so will do some digging and post what I can, soon. The Grand Poobah of Ohio cycling, Todd Lee, will make his first and only appearance of the season at tonight's New Albany ride. A pro's pro, a man's man, a ladies' man why he even dresses in a full cycling kit to ride around the block and pick up a dozen doughnuts. A route for the sprinters or the Group Killer or the Jon Hastings or anyone who can ride fast on flats. Remember to print a map or down load the file to your gps devise. More here: http://www.thecyclingclub.org/club-rides/thursday-evening-ride/ The big news is Rick, our beloved ride leader, will stick around briefly after the ride to make an appearance at Rusty Bucket (like one minute walking distance from the parking lot where we start and finish). There, we will raise a glass to toast his selfless contribution to our season. There too, I may dip into my pocketbook, sweep away the moths and buy the first round. That alone should attract multitudes. Barbara on the right. Strong cyclist but probably should not have chosen the time trial machine for today's route. Flyin Tuna with maps but her decision to deny Kenda Paul a copy (only 1 per family please) had unforeseen consequences later. Actually, given Paul's directional issues, it was easy to foresee. Twenty-one of us gathered at what used to be called the "Sunrise Center" but a better name would be the "Sunset Center" due to the lack of any vibrancy. I remember coming here when it was very active with lots of retail options. Yes, I was born in Zanesville and having achieved some fame, billboards were erected stating it was my home town. Not on the main roads, not even on the secondary roads but on the tertiary roads, gravel mostly, they can be found. For awhile, it appeared only the schleps would be in the group but then Ken Buddell, Dave Chesrown and Marty S rolled in. Good guys all and always welcome. That building used to house the Sunrise Cinema. Long ago, I played golf with a group of guys who loved to play for money. Like cycling, I was kind of marginal although I got my handicap down to a 2 and was regularly shooting around par but the other guys were equivalent to Ken, Dave, Marty if they played golf like they cycle. I kept my bets low but watched others bet big, including the manager of the cinema, C Nasser. Nasser claimed to be a cousin or something from the Nasser that ruled Egypt. Anyway, the losses accumulated and one night, R Means, to whom money was owed and also who had a prison record and wore shirts while playing that said, "U Call we Haul" was waiting in the broom closet for the cinema to close. Nasser survived and most of us assumed the robbery was arranged. Eventually, Means was back in prison and Nasser left the state. Back to cycling, we..... ....departed and immediately things got screwy as Crazy George missed the right turn onto Pleasant Grove at, get this, mile 0.50, heading east on Route 40. Eventually he got turned around and rode an abbreviated route. I think he said Flyin Tuna denied him a map too. At about mile 8, Marty, Dave, Ken, Brent Jenkins, Barbara and Gary had gotten away. Not that they were riding hard, they were not but a gap had been created. We hit a long, 300' climb on Clay Pike and the climbers in my group allowed me to get away and at the top, had Steve O alongside but I did not jump behind him to draft as he pulled away and joined the front group. I kept a steady pace and stayed between the front and back group all the way to International Drive where I stopped to wait for the others. Regrouped, we cruised into Cumberland and were treated to an interesting set of signs. Along the way, we had also picked up Barbara. One of my goals today was to try to figure out how these folks turn a 5-6 hour ride into an 8 hour ride.... ...ok, it's starting to make some sense. Two cans of Dew, Gatorade, sandwich....and this is just snack time. Mark had a couple of good lines. When I asked which way to exit the village so I could get going, he said, "Go that way and when you read the sign that says Welcome to WV, you'll almost be there." When I told Cindy I didn't want to spend 8 hours out here she said, "Your wife pays me to keep you out here as long as possible." So funny. Eventually, we headed out but.... .....a flat. Flyin Tuna was giving advise so I could see this evolving into a record breaking flat tire replacement so I decided to keep going, along with some of the others. Now the group was split and very spread out. Kenda Paul was farthest up the road and when he reached the top of that nasty climb on 83, he saw a sign pointing left for McConnelsville and stayed on 83. Big mistake. When I reached the climb, I passed Barbara pushing her bike. She indicated she was not feeling well but heck neither do I when I am climbing. We turned right onto 78 and.... ...reached Big Muskie Bucket where I had my picture taken. So too but much earlier did.... ....Dave Chesrown. I stayed at the Bucket with Gary, Eva, Janet and Barbara but then saw Mark C, Cindy, etc.. arriving. Spotting a soda machine, I figured this signaled a long break for at least Mark so I..... ...took one last look at the Bucket and kept going, arriving in McConnelsville and then quickly crossing the river into Malta where I stopped at a gas station. I flagged Gary so he joined me then got a call from Janet and told her where we were and soon she, Corvair and Kevin arrived. Janet began receiving texts from Paul and he had taken 83 all the way to #60 and was now 10 miles south of Malta. While sympathetic to his plight, we convinced Janet to join us on the ride north so if needed, she could access her vehicle and drive to rescue Paul. Eventually, Paul finished on his own with 101 miles. Kevin told us he had passed Barbara and now she was throwing up, having eaten something in Cumberland that did not agree. While at the gas station, I called Flyin T to find out where was the last of our group. She picked up right away which is never a good sign on a bike ride. In addition to hurling, Barbara now had a mechanical. A local man driving a golf cart came by and took her to his house. Someone said his name was "Leatherneck" but not certain that is accurate. Barbara left her two water bottles at the driveway to signal her presence at the house. Cindy and Mark stopped and with the help of Leatherneck (who actually was a very nice man) the bike became operational but only in the small chainring. Up ahead, Ken, Marty and Dave finished in a total time of about 5 hours. Steve and Brent something more. Our group something morer except I got ahead on those brutal climbs on Millers Lane and missed turning right on Pleasant Grove Rd, continuing on Clay Pike. When I reached an abyss, I should have stopped but I rocketed down something like Savage Rd and eked my way up the other side, kind of like a Revenge Rd type climb. Then things did not look at all familiar and looking at the map, discovered my mistake so I turned around and went down "Revenge" and up freakin "Savage", finally finishing with 86 miles and 5500' of climbing. Arriving at the parking lot, Janet was on her way out to pick up Barbara in Duncan Falls. Mark C and Flyin T finished around 5:00pm and yep, another 8 hour day. In all seriousness, a shout out to Cindy for what I think is the 4th consecutive ride, providing assistance to a cyclist in need. She is a modern day Florence Nightingale. For unknown reason, the Thursday report fell below the Tuesday report so scroll down to see if you are in one of the images cause I know you would not put out the effort just to read the report. There is a good route Saturday, starting at 9:00am from the Sunrise Center just east of Zanesville. To get there take 70 east, exit at the Adamsville Rd exit, bear right at the stop and then an almost immediate right onto Route 40. You'll pass a bowling alley on the left and Sunrise Center is on the right with ample parking. The gps file is: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9891727 Things were pretty quiet at the parking lot and then George arrived, indicating the start of the pre-ride entertainment phase. This evening he talked about Saturday's ride out of Heath, all the hills, how badly he beat everyone on the hills, wondered how I could keep up with him, etc.. There is a very good ride this Saturday, starting in Zanesville (more later) that includes a brief stop at the Big Muskie Bucket. I made sure George knew about this option as it too will have hills and plenty of them. There was quite a bit of talk about last Thursday's New Albany B group and how rather than separate into a B and B+ group in the parking lot, it was done so on the road. Knowing this, the B+ types attempted to stay in the front of the group but some were in the back when the split was made. All seemed in favor of making up the groups in the parking lot rather than on the road. Our ride leader, Gus, arrived along with Peggy and our group of 22 headed out but rather than exiting via the roundabout... ...we tried the more direct route and unfortunately got clogged up at the stop sign. Just no good way to get out as either faces a traffic hurdle. We took the usual good route into Alexandria at a modest pace, exited via Mounts, hit a few climbs and as usual..... ....paused at Battee to look westward and see who had yet to make the regroup point. Once regathered, we eventually got on to the Stone Quarry rollers where I like to ride alongside George and pip him at the final summit. Dude is getting stronger and the season, with about 6 weeks to go, should end just barely before I tumble behind him in our SQ race. We make a final regroup at the end of Stone Quarry, prior to shoving off and returning at a faster pace to the parking lot where I had 37 miles and a 20.2 avg. Above, left to right, Jeremy in red, Pete, Axel with John in white/black kit. John thought my report of Saturday was a bit tough and yes, the problem with the format of a blog, without the tone of voice, leaves it open to interpretation but all that I write is with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Nevertheless, contact was made through Flyin Tuna's representatives and her and my reps are discussing terms of a vaguely worded apology. The evening got off to a bad start. Flyin Tuna showed up and proceeded to seed doubt about the accuracy of my Saturday report, casting aspersions toward me, some of which were unfounded. Steve Hewitt, C ride leader. walks away, disgusted with what he heard. This season can not wind down fast enough for me. People have short memories. My integrity will be restored by next season. Lori Nedescu back after a whirlwind tour of Colorado, Italy, Puerto Rico and on the verge of joining the new Whole Foods at Easton as the cooking coach. That sounds like an interesting line of work. I don't know how someone in that position avoids becoming fat. I'd be at 400lbs and headed north. Rich Lewis made a rare appearance, chatting with Danny, Marty and Dave. Good turnout, over 60 but I lost valuable image taking time trying to convince people to sign the sheets. Mike gathered a large B group and while splitting them into two groups..... ....Marty led out the Rivet group. I had talked Dirty Dan into joining, explaining that both Jon Hasting and Shannon, two notorious guys who enjoy pummeling us, were absent. Not that there aren't plenty of others capable of doing the same of course. A large group of 25ish head out. No sooner had we escaped the village when the group went single file. No warm-up tonight, just hammer city from the start. I cast a glance forward and this time it was Luke and Marty turning the screws. Those two, then two others than a looooong line. Then crossing Kitzmiller things were ratcheted up a notch before we reached the Beech Road light. I looked forward, who could be doing this and it was..... ....dang, Group Killer was here. He must have been keeping a low profile in the parking lot. Wait a sec...is that a time trial bike with aero bars???? He didn't drop into the aero bars while pulling did he? That would be a group ride, unwritten, rules violation. Plus it sucks to draft behind. Surely not? The group sped out 161, already shorn of a few people when we turned left on Mink and as we approached Beaver, I had not yet had to brake for the turn when I looked forward and caught a glimpse of Shannon, already through the turn and riding hard. I had a sinking feeling.....later, I hooked up with Philippe and I think he said his name is Alfonso as we rode through Alexandria. Philippe headed back from here while I continued on the route with Alfonso. My average was around 24 which makes sense with the tail wind and some down hill. It began to drop precipitously. I was fighting a bout of discouragement. It sucks to get dropped so early, causes you to question every ounce of ice cream consumed in the last month. I combatted the anguish by....trimming the route. A right on Corner (rather than stay on Hardscrabble) and staying straight on Louden (rather than turn through the school) brought me to Raccoon Valley Road where I turned left, entering and exiting Granville and in Alexandria, was overtaken by a very small group of Luke, Marty and 2 others. I couldn't imagine what had happened to Travis, Pete C and others who should have been there but later learned a flat had slowed some and a touching of wheels some others with these four all who had escaped the carnage. It was then, while Luke pulled out of line, that I noticed he was riding a cross bike with, yikes, with matching wheels/tires. I was again dropped on the climb towards the Beech light and then later overtaken by a large group of Jon Morgan, Lori, Travis, around 15 and drafted them for the entirety of the ride back to the parking lot.... ...where the group gathered to share experiences. As my experience was not so good, I had nothing to share. I finished with a 19.9 avg while the front four were at 22. Twenty-freakin two with that head wind and the climbs and one of them on a cross bike???? Got a good route coming in a few for Saturday. But wait! Not going up the Thornwood climb but going down it. Bet not many of you have climbed the back side, medieval that one. If you make it to the top, you ride the brakes all the way down to the stop sign. The good news is Jon Hastings is involved in a modest run around the Leadville, CO area so won't be there to punish. Who will take up the reins? Oh, Rick will not be there so little ole me will be there to sign you in, pass on an inspirational message and Mike will be there to break up the B group in the parking lot rather than on the road. See you in less than 24 hours. Get a good night's sleep and be ready. Remember, print your own maps: http://www.thecyclingclub.org/club-rides/thursday-evening-ride/ Dave Chesrown demonstrates the proper form for handling a cramp after a long ride. Crawl to the curb..... ....sit on curb and stretch affected leg. There should be a Youtube instructional video made out of this. Meantime, there is this unusually painful ride coming up on the 29th, The Frank. Click here for more information:https://bike-ohio.wildapricot.org/TheFrank I am thinking about attending just one time due once again to journalistic obligation. The Tuesday Canal route with more info found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/53811046325/ And of course there is also the New Albany ride put on by The Cycling Club that departs from behind Veloscience at 6:00pm. The Queens of today's peloton gather prior to the ride, Kenda Janet, Corvair and Flyin Tuna. It was time for FT to go it alone as a ride leader, after being my unloyal lieutenant for many years at the Blue Jay ride. I arrived with a great deal of trepidation because I did not think her ready but we would see. Hard route and remote location tamps down the turnout as about 35 arrived on a wonderful morning for a bike ride, way east in Heath, OH. Even "The Donald" was here, sporting his Fruit Loops jersey. The Don certainly loves attention. A new guy from France has begun attending the rides, in the "I Shares" kit. I told a couple of people he rode with Floyd Landis and they believed me. Rather than start the ride at 8:00am, Tuna started her announcements about then and once the droning finished, we rolled out at about 8:10 but not for long cause our parking lot had no facilities so we rode about 1/2 a mile to.... ....a baseball complex where people lined up. I am not one to criticize so let's just say I found this a curious way to start a ride. Anyway, we shoved off a 2nd official start at about 8:30. As I always look at the bright side, it allowed for socializing. But then, some of our group got off track and we rolled into.... ....Somerset at about mile 35 where many studied the maps and began thinking about shortcutting...it's a hard route with upping and downing all the time. Being a positive kind of guy, I chose to think of all the coasting such a route provides. More people arrive as rumors swirled that Flyin Tuna had put out two gps files, one for the people with whom she wanted to ride and one for everyone else. Must have been a mix-up since I was in the former rather than latter group. Those who had down loaded the wrong route began to stumble in famished and short of fluids as.... ....Flyin T spent most of the time bent over trying to avoid being noticed. We were at the gas station for so long, Kenda Paul stated that, "Rigor mortis has begun to set in." Quite a large group, Ryan, Matt, Dean, etc... headed out on the 55 mile return but by doing so..... ....they missed easily the best view on the route, Zion Road on the way to Bremen. Unfortunately, also on the route was that really nasty climb on Pen. Arriving in Bremen, some stopped at the Subway, overwhelming the lone worker while the balance of us hit the new gas station and sat and ate in the interior. Good food, good seats. We regathered and were headed out when someone realized Flyin T was not around so.... ....we gathered in the shade and called her. She was still out on Marietta Rd, helping Corvair fix a flat. Such a selfless person that FT. The above gang decided to wait for her while those of us going out on the 72 mile option moved on. We got strung out a bit before regrouping at a market in Thornville. Studying the map, I noticed FT had us returning via Honda Hills and Fairmont. That is just cruel so I convinced the Kendaistas, Frank S and Bruce to join me on a somewhat flatter return to the west of the little Alps. We finished with 71 miles and 5200' of climbing. I discovered the group on the 84 mile loop did finish but around 4:00pm. Dang, 8 hours to cover 84 miles. Reminds me of my days riding in the Licking County club rides as a beginning cyclist. Look at that ride profile! You will never ride a route that has more elevation gain with hardly no long climbs. You are either going up or going down but I must stop my description before I talk myself out of participating. This is Flyin Tuna's ride so you should come out for that reason alone. 8:00am start from Heath High School in Heath, Ohio! http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9142814 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9142555 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3150952 |
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