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.
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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 Behold, the common rivet. Riding one is an expression of riding at maximum exertion to the point of almost giving up. It's also a throwback term to when bike seats had rivets and riding forward on the tongue, at least that's what a Google search told me. All I know is, the Thursday A group is just as often known as riding in the Rivet group because for most of us, we are pushed to and through the threshold of the rivet. But first..... ....we go to the beginning of yet another fantastic evening for a bike ride. Making his first appearance of the season was Kenda Paul, who will also be at the Saturday roving ride out of Newark. Kristy Nation was here too and deep in that truck, that plastic container with the red top, were dozens of oatmeal/chocolate cookies which were to be served post ride. And I freakin forgot all about them post ride and drove out without one! Idiot. Roy Burnham also made a first appearance and when asked, spoke briefly about COP and his resignation from the organization. Hmmmm, doesn't sound good but the good news is there are enough of us who will organize rides who can step in and provide at least a Saturday alternative throughout the year, if needed. Geesh, even Larry Pesyna came out for the first time. Was great to see so many first timers come out. Of course, a lot of old timers were there too and the ranks swelled with about 70 at the start. The parking lot seemed to have thinned out a bit from previous Thursdays yet on the ride out of town we passed 2-3 large groups of Pelotonia type cyclists so maybe they'll ride for a bit longer. On the right, Joe, new guy who spent himself later on 161. Dirty Dan hydrates for the ride as Ron Budzig listens to..... ...our ride leader Rick make a few comments and announcements prior to sending out 20-22 of us.... ....in the Rivet group. Quite a talented bunch. Sure, Jon Morgan, Shannon, Dave C, Chris G, etc.. were not there but the talent pool is so deep there is always Pete C, Luke, Jon H, Marty, Ken B, etc... to fill the void and keep the group humming. And boy did it hum. Jon H put in a dastardly pull prior to Beech that sent the cannon fodder scattered to the wind but the light allowed for regrouping. There, I begged Jon to not be "One of those guys", ya know, the ones who surge to the front early just to break up the group. Jon said he would be "Gracious" tonight which seemed like an odd reply. Did that mean he would smile while working me over, yeah probably. As soon as the light turned, two guys just sped away, kind of catching us by surprise. I kept my cool cause I have no alternative and slotted behind Joe, who put himself inside out to catch and he did! We rocketed out 161 with the pulls quick and frequent and soon I was in the #3 position...not good. While still having some gas in the tank, I calmly moved out of line, sorry, coasted back and managed to catch the tail. Unfortunately, I immediately saw the two in front of me would for sure not last long and sure enough, just then they both dropped and I was unable to cover the gap. Gus Cook was caught out too so we grouped up with Crazy George and Joe and soon Dirty Dan caught on and we had a nice group going up Watkins. Up ahead I could see others had been spewed out the back and at Weslyn Church, we added Jeremy and 2 others. Dang, no solo efforting tonight for me and I was glad about that. The group kept the pace high and we entered Granville at 23 and even at the top of that nasty Beechwood climb were over 22 for an average. There we added Paul Stock, Danny A and Ron Budzig, along with the Sada team who must have been out for a ride and slotted in with us. Eventually we came to the stop sign at Sadie Thomas/310 where Paul took advantage of a small gap in traffic to get across. Of course I can't help but scream, "Stop sign jumper" as the rest of us watched before I too jumped through a small gap and.... ....hooked up with Paul while Danny and others eventually got across and joined in. I became apprehensive about the right turn on Miller with the ensuing climb yet managed to hang on with Danny taking the KOM points. We lost a couple of guys there while the rest bunched together for the return, finishing with 43 miles and a 21.6 avg. Arriving at the parking lot.... ....remnants of the front group were still there with their 22.7 avg formed in a small circle. As a late arriver, I hung in the second tier, listening respectfully to my betters. Hey a good ride Saturday and more on that soon. Well here we go again, another Thursday route as we march toward season's end, whhhaaaaaaa! Let's make the best of it and you can see the above route and others here: http://www.thecyclingclub.org/club-rides/thursday-evening-ride/ Remember, print your own map and/or download the route. Michael looks on as George explains to John his most recent ride exploits. Twenty of us gathered for the ride as we waited for our ride leader Gus Cook to arrive but soon Peggy Cook pulled in to advise us Gus was in MO and we would have to fend for ourselves. Tym Tyler and the H&H guys arrived followed by some discussion about the appropriate speed for the ride. Apparently last Tuesday's average speed was over 22 so we agreed to keep it friendly and headed out led by.... ...who exited the roundabout too early, requiring that we cut through a parking lot to get back on route. That was pretty funny. We headed east, got into and out of Alexandria and paused at.... ...Battee to briefly regroup. George appears shocked that he was not the last to arrive and peers into the sun to see who could possibly have been behind him. George is channeling Dirty Dan and now also wearing all black. Just another pause image as we waited and finally gave up on one guy who did not appear, Greg. I later saw him on 161 headed back to New Albany as I was departing so he made it back ok. What the heck, we paused at Stone Quarry too as Jeff S, George and me brought up the rear. Once resumed, we made it back to the parking lot with a 20.2 avg and 38 miles. Good time and a good evening for a bike ride. As I was changing, someone alerted me to a family of..... ...rabbits frolicking next to my car. Must have a nest under the platform of the light. A flat, fast track for tonight's Canal Winchester ride. I'll probably be at the New Albany ride instead, not that anyone particularly cares, just throwing that out there. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9747977 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9747990 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9748007 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9748014 Shannon Kurek, infamous for shredding the peloton of the undeserving ones, finished first out of a field of 117 in WI this weekend at the USAT Sprint Triathlon National Championships, men's 45-49 age group. Shannon's time would have been good enough for a top 5 finish in a number of younger age groups. Now that I have provided this valuable coverage, maybe he will show some mercy in upcoming Thursday New Albany rides. Meanwhile, south and east of WI, Beth Hale participated in the Pittsburg Triathlon, finishing first in the sprint distance, women's 50-54 age group. Beth put in an almost 5 minute gap on the 2nd place finisher. Rick was there as usual but parental duties required that he limit his participation to signing us in and giving a pep talk prior to our departure. Dirty Dan dressed in black on a black bike, probably so he would not stand out when he pulled one of his nefarious tricks out on the road (more to come). Check out Andrew's attire for what was admittedly a cool night but leg warmers? Real men do not wear leg warmers in August, regardless of the temperature. Jeff S arrives earlier and earlier as he has found more and more stuff to buy at the farmer's market. Typical scene during the sign-in process with Axel, Farmer Mike, etc... Small turnout on this cloudy and cool day during which radar suggested rain was imminent but it always stayed just to our south. Above, Rick stands in the back of the van to address around 50-55 of us about the dangers on the road and each group's responsibilities. He also called out a couple of people who are guilty of dropping below their class (an A cyclist to the B group for example) and then riding at an A pace, destroying the B group, which is supposed to stay together. I give Rick a lot of credit for continuing to identify the problem and if a couple of guys contribute to the problem after Rick's many mentions of it, call them out. Team Sada attended and other than a band aid, John is fully healed from his crash of two weeks ago. Way in the back, Jon Hastings, who took over Shannon's role as the lead group killer during this evening's ride. Good number of cyclists in the A group, around 20-22, including Muscle Dude Jr. who just got back from 16 days in France which included climbing Alpe d'Huez the same day as the pro peloton. He had a great time. So, we head out of town into a pretty stiff breeze on one of the more moderately paced A group departures when Jon Hastings streamed from the pack and took off, followed by another followed by Dirty Dan who allowed a sizable gap to develop. Now, no doubt you all think Dan was gassed, his legs screaming, his lungs bursting but I know better, Dan was blocking the peloton just to be mischievous. That guy. Fortunately, the light at 310 intervened and we all came together. Jon was not finished putting me on the rivet. I survived the dual pulls of Pete C and Ken Buddell then Jon took over for awhile, dropped back a couple of spots and roared again to the front for yet another pull. This time a really vicious effort. I was spewing hydraulic fluid and the needle had broken the gauge when he finally came back and then I did something really dumb; I invited him to take a spot in front of me, thus guaranteeing I'd be done sooner rather than later. Some time later, glancing forward I saw the summit of 161 approach, identified by the cell tower on the left. I was so very happy knowing that the road flattened and then would go down hill and I began celebrating my arrival in Granville. Then Jon took over. Looking back at York Rd to see if I could regroup with someone (you don't really need me to explain what happened after Jon took over do you) I saw Dan and George behind, caught on with them and we soon arrived in Granville. Now the only game to play was don't get caught by the B+ group and we played the game well with Dan taking the majority of the pulls, George talking the majority of the time and me, shouting encouragement as I drafted. Up Jones Rd, left on Welsh Hills, and back into Granville where we found Mick but lost him in the confusion of the bridge replacement light. Arriving in Alexandria and departing it via Jersey Mill we had to stop three times while emergency vehicles overtook us. Soon the mystery was solved.... I think the young woman had just turned from 310 onto Jersey Mill and it's a real head scratcher but lost control within a couple hundred yards of 310. Rod Budzig, John Day, David Smith and a couple others had first arrived while the car's wheels were still spinning and called 911. Dang, those guys could have been wiped out if not for better timing. We grouped up and arrived back at the parking lot with 43 miles and a 19.8 avg. Meantime, the lead group finished with a 22.5 avg and were long gone when we arrived. Another magnificent jaunt through the countryside. If you begin with the A group and get dropped, drop back to the B+ group, dropped from that, you get collected by the B group. Those in the B group, don't be self absorbed and fail to pay attention to your fellow cyclists. There could be a whacko out there in a truck with malicious intent toward a lone cyclist. Regroup and stay together as you are the broom wagon. Details of the ride found here: http://www.thecyclingclub.org/club-rides/thursday-evening-ride/ As I eagerly await the details of Rick's route for tonight's ride, the above image was taken yesterday of a new fire from a lightning strike in the Catalina Mountains, not far from our place in Oro Valley. Pretty spectacular. They are again allowing nature to take its course unless the fire descends toward the city. Seems like a lot of rides originate from Sugar Grove or surrounding area and why not with all the challenging climbs, scenery, lonely roads and pain. Steve Hewitt had originally scheduled this ride earlier in the season but rain forced him to reschedule. For those not participating in Pelotonia, having the ride today provided a nice alternative. I was surprised at how many came out, about 34, including a few people never before seen, by me, or that I can remember. Left to right, Flyin Tuna, Eva and Andrew staring at something. Probably watching people go into and emerge from the Port-a-John. Dave C and Marty also came down and here led the group out of town. Dirty Dan, Man in Black, on the right but a puncture would put him off route early but he would catch back on eventually. Crossing #33, we head north on Sugar Grove toward today's first major climb, Pump Station Road. Much has been said about the condition of the pavement but the first half was not bad. Soon it began to deteriorate, including a hole into which you could bury a body with room to spare. Brushy Fork is a little better but still lots of broken pavement or gravel, then a brief ride on 33 before a right on Clear Creek and then the next big climb, Starner. Some were surprised when I stated the Pelotonia route used to include this road. No way would the organization have been able to attract anything close to 8000 cyclists if they had to climb this beast. The route continued putting us briefly on 180 but quickly arms extended from bikes indicating a upcoming left onto, ugh, Mt Olive. Learning this I could not help but scream, "Noooooooooo!!!" Up we went and slowly worked the route to arrive at Calico Ridge Road. It seemed as if we were on that road long enough to encircle the city of Logan multiple times but finally we..... ....arrived in Logan at the Speedway gas station at mile 35. Dan pulled in soon thereafter, we had our break in the shade and folks began standing around, ready to head out while the smart ones.... ...stood around, ready to head out while in the shade. The balance of the route was a mix of suffering and pain. This route just seemed to really take it out of me and I noted some others too were riding unusually slow but I am above pointing them out in print. There was an optional loop which would add 35 miles to our 53 mile route but I think only Steve O, Corvair and Brent J took advantage of that opportunity. I'm supporting Pelotonia (well, my wife gave generously) but am not riding in it and I bet there are a lot of others who are looking for any alternative and you are in luck. http://ridewithgps.com/trips/5108554 The route is only 53 miles but there are lots of ways to make it longer. NOTE THE RIDE START IS 8:30 from Berne Union High School in Sugar Grove. I understand many will be there ranging from Flyin Tuna to Marty Sedluk. Yes, that is a heck of a range and covers pretty much everyone who rides. With Ric Noland absent for a few Tuesday rides, he asked for volunteers to sub for him and ride with the B group, his normal role, so I jumped at the chance this one time to lord over my charges, abuse my authority, shepherd my flock, enjoy the thrill of absolute power etc.... Arriving, I found the Grand Poobah, dean of central Ohio cycling, holding court among the many. Todd claims he is coming to a New Albany Thursday ride but only when the route suits him and suitable appearance money paid. While Ohio participation at Mt Mama this past Saturday was down, one newcomer was Jenn, who unlike some of us, rode the entire 100 mile route and claims to have enjoyed it. She and three others shared a home rental for two nights, cooking meals and having a great time. Engineer Mitch explaining how he uses the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate short cuts. My kind of guy. Mark C had some explaining to do after he ditched Cindy for a younger woman during Saturday's ride. All his excuses ("I thought she was still with me", "It's the fog of war excuse", "If I rode that slow my bike would fall over from lack of inertia") sounded pretty lame to me. Brent Jenkins and Matt Ashmore share a laugh, probably at my expense. Steve Hewitt was unable to ride but handled the sign-in process. Dang, those Veloscience kits are everywhere. Wonder by how much I have to raise my game before I can qualify for one. A pretty good turnout, maybe 30-35ish but still the A group is not so many but a very good B+ group rolled out. I rolled out with a group of 11 B's and enjoyed the 38 mile route. The group stayed together until the B+ers rolled by on the way back and there some of our group jumped on the tail and rode in with them. Now some of you need to sacrifice one Tuesday and cover for Rick by leading the B group. As Ric explained, keep the group together, decide on when to pause to regroup, hold up the pace if people start falling back too much, that sort of thing. Contact Ric to volunteer. While participating in the Thursday New Albany ride, Brian White was struck from behind by a pickup truck. The story can be read here, along with an opportunity to donate to assist in Brian's recovery: http://www.gofundme.com/sprg5w9h Here are the routes for tonight's Canal Winchester ride Steve Hewitt will be there to lead the C group and I, yes little ole me, will be there to sign you in, repair a bike or two, offer encouragement and inspire as only I can: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9539325 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9539353 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9539369 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9539380 Yes, a beautiful day for a bike ride as about 290 cyclists descended on the tiny hamlet of Monterey, VA. With breakfast brought to my door at 7:00 and promising to hook up with The Donald and Flyin Tuna at 7:50, all I could do is grab the breakfast sandwich and head to the car for the 30 minute drive from Warm Springs. The place is surrounded by mountains and beyond those ridge after ridge of more mountains. You just know there are places up there never set foot by man or woman. The ride starts at the foot of a mountain so lots of people choose to start early so you are not caught in the descent with a mass of people. A few years ago on the descent a woman went left of center and was killed by an oncoming truck. Above, Greg Dubois, Lisa and The Donald, aka Mark. Mark, Flyin Tuna and me started at 7:50. The Ohio contingent was down this year but Rick Miller was there, Frank Seebode, the above 3, Tuna, Rick's friend Mike, Kirk, Jen...think that's about it. The first food stop is like at mile 17 and way too early. At the top of the first climb, about 2 miles with an average grade of 7.2%, Mark waited for Cindy while I kept going, thinking they'd catch me on the descent. Reaching the next climb, similar to the first, I got to talking with a guy from the UK and we worked together, added 2 others and had a nice working group as we arrived at the next food stop where I waited for Mark & Cindy. The 3rd climb is a beast and considered by many the hardest. Several spots over 12% and I was cross-eyed when I reached the top It was a day for firsts. After the ride, a black bear bounded from the brush and crossed the road as I drove home which was starling but not as shocking as seeing Cindy take a pull on the 4th climb. I had to take a pic of this. Ahhhhh, the summit. I had planned to do the 100 mile route as normal but I also wanted to get back to Ohio today and had been calculating the return time doing the 100 vs 70 route. I discovered my legs were not helpful with the decision making process so at the top, seeing the 70 option, I leapt for it!!!!! I arrived at the infamous rest stop #3 at mile 50 on the century route, 35 on my route. Rick Miller suddenly came riding in, scattering cyclists in his wake as he paused to fill bottles before heading back out. Rick wanted to break the 6 hour mark but found, like all of us, your time on the first half can not be duplicated on the 2nd. There are 5 significant climbs in the back half starting with Snowy Mountain, an almost 5 mile climb followed by another of similar distance. Rick finished the ride with a total time of 6:20 so very respectable. Leaving the food stop, I was relieved to find my route did not take me up Snowy, instead putting me on a long ride in a valley bordered by mountain ranges. Really a beautiful setting that I shared with a guy wearing a Virginia Tech jersey and whose 2nd favorite team is Penn State. We did not have much in common. Finished the ride with 5075' of elevation gain and on the road by 1:00pm and home by 7:00 in time to do yard work. During the drive out, I counted cyclists and saw Rick was 9th on the road. Large gaps between each of the preceding cyclists and everyone riding alone. Without the benefit of a group draft due to the small quantity and make-up of the route, it makes breaking 6 hours difficult. I continued to count and found Mark at cyclist 80 but he ditched Cindy for a younger woman. I pulled alongside Mark and gave him some grief for abandoning a friend. I found Cindy at cyclist #85 on the road. and also paused, shouting encouragement. Well, I have to be honest as integrity is my middle name so rather than shout, "You're lookin good", clearly not the case as she looked rather frazzled, I shouted, "You're not lookin good" a few times. I inquired if she had a bike light, if she wanted to cheat and have me drive her up the road a mile or 10, if I should call husband Rod and have him come and get her...ya know the usual uplifting comments for which I am famous. The day started with confirmation of what I suspected. It is the raccoons that are disturbing all the mulch I carefully laid down this spring as they dig for worms. Seems like worms love mulch as when I pull weeds they are plentiful. A .22 is within arm's reach but I leave the critters alone and put up with the inconvenience of restoring the damage they do. MapQuest shows me 3 different ways to reach Monterey, VA. I select the most zigzag route just to break up the boredom of the drive and it only adds a few minutes. Somewhere in WV, a road dead ends where it was supposed to continue. A stop at a market puts me back on track and soon..... .....am driving through the mountains. Above, #250 descends into a valley where tomorrow there will be a food stop in front of one of the white buildings before the road goes up and over the final climb, Monterey Mountain. Arriving at..... ....Warm Springs, which is 30 miles south of Monterey and 5 miles north of Hot Springs. I check in at the "Inn at Gristmill Square" where I kill some time exploring the wine cellar. This is a great place to stay with a really good restaurant. My only problem is breakfast is not available until 7:00am which causes me to depart for Monterey later than I would like for the start of the ride. Can't get a table until 8:00pm so what to do, what to do. Oh, start properly hydrating for the ride. Coming soon, the ride. ....it is about the women of the Thursday Evening Ride. At the behest of someone about 5 years ago, I began selecting one Thursday each season to celebrate the gals among us who bravely show up and mix it up with the guys. To start, sometimes referred to as "The Woman in Green" is actually Krista and a Granville native. Ken Buddell and unknown Pelotonian. The one, the only, Corvair. So named because she is as reliable as the car bearing that brand. Kim Owens, having a grand racing season. Another Kim, who I have not noticed at a previous Thursday ride. Rolled out with the B group and put it to us. Of course, meantime, the action in the parking lot continued but the crowd was down a little, probably less than 70. Heather and Heather's husband Rick. Another maybe new person who eyed me warily as a complete stranger coasted up and asked to take her image. Whew, glad that is over for yet another season and I regret missing getting a shot of 1-2 others. So.... ....the A group rolled out and then the B's and since I had signed up for the Mt Mama century ride, I cut off after a short while and finished with 17 miles. Well, time for a long drive on Friday followed by the big ride on Saturday. The pics are taken, selected and ready to be posted, soon. Here we are, more than half way through our glorious cycling season and there have been too many people who used to attend the Thursday ride but have not come out yet this season. For example: Grand Poobah/Todd Lee--Come on, you can't hide in Fairfield County forever. Get up here. Tym & Lisa Tyler--Maybe they have been out a couple of times but too infrequent. Nick Perhala--Oh wait, he moved to CA. Never mind. Billy Campbell--Oh wait, he moved too. Never mind. Rich Lewis--Buzzed our group once on his motorcycle but that's it. Kyle Wingler--Come on. Trail running while being chased by gnats, mosquitoes and flies can't be that much fun. Plus I see you riding your bike sometimes. Dave K/Alphabet--Usually saw him riding 161 but not this year. Kayla Starr--Yes, you fell off your bike the last time you attended but I think the A group has been accident free since then so it is safe to come back. Isaac--You told me you would attend a couple of the Thursday rides. Time is running out. Hendra P--Oh wait. Another who moved. Dang, we have lost some quality cyclists in the last couple of years. Craig Butler--What the heck happened to that guy? Used to just destroy the Tuesday and Thursday groups and then shifted to those 50 and 100 mile trail runs. Probably the pressure of meeting expectations keeps him away but we'd enjoy seeing him again even in the B group. Jamie Roberts--Lost 100 pounds and went from a weak C to a strong A cyclist and then quit during a Tuesday Canal ride. Runs and hikes now. I have no doubt left someone off the list, which is due to a faulty memory so nothing personal. Anyway, here is the link for additional ride info and remember, print the map and/or download the route to your Garmin. http://www.thecyclingclub.org/club-rides/thursday-evening-ride/ Oh, and if the turnout is good, tonight will be the annual "Women of the Thursday Night Ride" pic taking. If you don't want your image to appear in the blog, just tell me, "Get the f**K away you creeper." That will work. Dang, another hot & humid ride. As soon as each of us assembled our bikes, we immediately headed to the shady area. Above, Doug and Glen roll in. Traditional ride leader Gus Cook had not arrived by the usual start time so I nominated Doug McConaha as the replacement ride leader and off we went. As Jeff S noted, it's not like we have to argue about the route since this ride follows the same route each week. Other than the ride out 161, which gets kind of boring, it's a good route thereafter with a mix of hills and rollers. On our way out 161, we picked up the tardy Gus as well as John and Anthony Sada and with that we had 19 as we rolled into Alexandria. The pace was maybe a little higher than normal as we entered Alex at over 20mph. As usual, the strongest in the group didn't work us over too badly so any level B could probably hang in there or at least catch us on the regroup points, of which there are 2-3 along the route. The 2nd regroup point, after the Stone Quarry climbs, allows everyone to fill up on fluids. Jon Morgan doing just that as he looks back to study the carnage left in his wake. We, the carnage, catch back on and are allowed a moment to also tank up. The stops provided no relief though because it was then that the humidity, heat and sun really made their presence known. In fact, as the last of our group caught on, Crazy George, he urged us to get going as he was not going to pause. Numerous turns later, we rolled back into the parking lot with a 20.3 avg for 38 miles. A good group ride with something for everyone. Ric Noland, veteran ride leader and esteemed member of the cycling community, has once again taken time to create multiple routes for cyclists of multiple levels of fitness and weight. See links below for the A, AB, B & C routes. Same start location as usual Meijers off #33 in Canal Winchester. Whoa, check out sunset at 8:40, darkness is further encouraging on our fun. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9509809 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9509803 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9509798 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9509787 I believe this is the 10th version of Andrew Hall's Sugar Grove roving ride. Due to the difficulty of the route and the distance from Columbus, it's never had a huge turnout but I thought this year's turnout was kind of low, maybe 25-30? Those who did attend were in for the usual treat, including Old Chubb on the left and Steve O. Luke Russell came down in a car packed with the elites, Gus Cook, Dave C and Marty. Also there was Larry P, sporting an old Roll kit. After a couple of announcements, we headed out into a sunny morning. After a few miles, we hit the day's first big climb which strung everyone out. I was waiting for a couple of my favorites to appear when Larry P rolled by, an all-timer favorite who rides me mercilessly and so I jumped on his wheel. Soon, we formed up with Julie Wu, Michael, Kevin, Frank Seebode and hey, a good working group. After working through the 2 other kind of major climbs on the opening segment and before we reached #93.... ...we were passed by a whirlwind and sucked up in it's vortex as.... ....Luke Russell pulled alongside with a "Hi Mark" and quickly pulled past with Dave C, Marty, Gus and a couple others. Immediately Larry, Julie, Michael, Kevin and me jumped on and enjoyed a good draft all the way to New Straitesville at mile 26, where I bugged out with Larry, MIchael and Kevin as all others kept going, including Dustin, Brent and Steve who we overtook along the way. Not long did we wait before Mark C, Flyin Tuna, Jeff S and others arrived. Mark C emerged from the market with not one but 2 cans of Mountain Dew, a Gatorade and a Snickers hidden in his pocket. Actually, Mark has lost 12 pounds recently but does allow himself to binge eat during long rides. George rolled in too and after a break, our groups separated with Larry, George, Jeff and me headed for the 70 mile route while Flyin Tuna, above preparing to make a nonsensical point to me, headed out for the 96 mile option. Not much more can be said about the day as we endured the 18 mile grind on Marietta Road before dropping into Bremen and then on to Sugar Grove. Are you ready to jump into the fire again? Although it will not be nearly as hot nor nearly as humid as last Sunday's Roll ride, there is another hilly Hell ride on tap. See you there for an 8:00am start out of Sugar Grove at the Berne Union High School parking lot. Maps available at the start. Oh, a chill just went down my spine thinking about that climb on the triple nickel. The routes: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2634012 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2633847 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2633754 First, let's get the important stuff out of the way. I have been relieved of the burden of carrying and caring for Dan's Pump. Above, Dan is giddy to have his pump returned and I have the evidence to prove the transaction should Dirty make any claims otherwise. It was an evening for wild outfits as Pete H wears an interesting design and then there must have been a soccer field nearby as a participant came through..... .....looking for a ball that must have slipped by both the goalie and goal in an adjoining field. Nothing like sitting in traffic on I-270, looking at your rearview mirror and observe the driver behind staring at their phone just before they slam into your rear end, as happened to Jon Hastings. That stinks. They came early and often, including Mick on the left, Doug M with back to us and John on the right, helping someone with the map. Our 2nd consecutive good Thursday for a ride, a record for this season. Shannon, aka Group Killer made a rare appearance. Later, on 161, I survived two of his pulls. He must not be quite as strong this season cause otherwise, I'd be out the back of the pack. More of the heads of state rolled in; Pete, Marty and Travis. Our beloved ride leader, Rick Miller, makes a few announcements as the parking aisle is packed, cyclists jammed between cars and even.... ...stretching around both ends of the corner. It made counting difficult but at least 80 and maybe 90 in our group. Marty led out a large contingent of A's. I think I inspired others to join. They look at me and think, "Shazam, if that guy can hang with them then surely so too can I." I post the above only to prove I did make it out of the parking lot. It was a bit chaotic getting out of New Albany as we merged with a large group coming from a different exit. As such and I should add, completely unbeknownst to us, our group was split at the light at #62. That light is very short and some of us should have looked back to see if everyone got through. Rick, after having made arrangements for someone to sub for him as the B ride leader, was one of those stuck, along with Dirty Dan and his pump and others. But hey, life goes on and.... ....on we went. We rode two astride briefly and then it became one very long column of around 20 from the original group of , who knows, maybe as many as 30 in the A group. The pace was pretty intense as Group Killer put in a couple of good pulls that had me on the rivet. When we reached Alexandria, our average was 24.9mph. At the stop, a look of bewilderment crossed the faces of many as I turned left. My guess is most did not know the route, some saw me turn and figured I had just left the group to do a shortcut and now didn't know which way to go. Quite a gap was created and so I jumped on Doug's wheel and we kept going, making a right on Moots and almost reaching the summit before the gang caught us. We managed to catch the tail and hung on all the way to Granville, above rolling through the entrance. I know, you are probably thinking, "Dang, you rode that hard and even had time to take pics?" Ahh, no. As we approached the Thresher climb I just decided not to needlessly slay myself and was dropping out of the pack. Simultaneously to my decision to sit up, so too did this guy, whose name I forgot to ask. He admitted to having found the blog a few weeks ago and get this shocker, also volunteered that he enjoyed it. Now that is a first! The curse of the blog will cause him to disappear, like all the others. Recall that guy from about 4 weeks ago who also said he read the blog? He gone. Never seen him since. The mad dash out 161 had thinned the herd a little as we.... ...turned onto Thresher. I forgot to check my avg at the bottom of the hill but at the top it was still 23.6. I left the route, turning left onto Louden after emerging from the school property and pedaled to New Albany. There, I checked my phone and my wife had been trying to reach me. I didn't have to pick her up after all (see below). Meantime, Travis, Marty, Luke, etc... stayed on route and finished with a 22.75 avg. Dang, that is fast. Arrggghhhh, the Thresher climb. My wife is going to Chicago on a bus with some buds to run the BTN 10K event and I have to take her so I am limited to 2 hours on the bike tonight before heading home to pick her up. Wow, it appears at the foot of Thresher I will have to turn around, a nice coincidence. Here are the details and remember, print your map and/or download the route: http://www.thecyclingclub.org/club-rides/thursday-evening-ride/ It's true. It was not human error that cause the Thursday crash. A team of forensic film studiers watched the video of the crash on the big screen and in slo-mo. Careful observation determined the chain suddenly and without warning or prior written notice, dropped from the large into the small front ring. However, the forensic team, was only able to positively determine the cause of the crash, not how it was initiated. It is possible John inadvertently touched the shifter and if you have Di2, you know how sensitive the shifters can be. Likely though, according to the forensic specialists, John applied so much torque/power to the down stroke that the frame bent under stress and the chain popped off. Actually, I made that last part up cause it sounded good. Ric is still pushing the 50+ mile routes but for how much longer? We shall see but the A, Supe B, B & C routes: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9379018 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9379025 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9379048 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9379053 The sun seemed unusually intense so the early arrivals gather in the limited shade, including Tim in the foreground and Farmer Mike. Tym Tyler rolled in, just back from 20 days in France. He and Lisa have been to most of the more desirable cycling areas, up and down the west coast, AZ, Italy and France. They prefer France and perhaps a permanent move will take place at some point in the future. Doug McConaha in the Velescience kit talking to Ron about house rehabbing. Doug has an ambitious house project underway. Ron Budzig arrived along with Rick in red and added to the mix were Crazy George, Gus, Jap P, Benton, Axel, around 25 in total for the usual 38 mile route that included crossing an unfinished but passable bridge on Lobdell Road. We regroup at the end of Stone Quarry, all relieved to get that road out of the way. The John Sada crash was a topic of conversation among some of us and while there are some competing explanations, it seems almost certain it was not mechanical and apparently there is video evidence to support the latter conclusion. Just as hot a topic was the close call with a car that someone had during the Ridge Runner Saturday ride coming out of St Louisville at route #13. It may be my imagination but I think as the season progresses, we may lose a little focus, maybe take some things for granted, loss of concentration, something along those lines. Stay sharp out there! Once regrouped, we completed the journey back to New Albany. Arriving at about 8:30, the primary lot at the Rockmill Brewery was full so I was directed to a secondary lot where already there were a lot of cars. I think around 90 cyclists had indicated they would attend, probably 50-60 actually did so. I was more careful than usual to make sure all windows were up and the car locked since I still carry Dan's pump. Dan was a late scratch but in his daily check-in, I assured him I am keeping the pump scratch free and clean it every day. While I recognized many of the cyclists, including Kyle Z alongside Farmer Mike on the right, most I did not. There were a lot of people having a jersey that I thought said "Grill" on the front and even asked Jeff S if he knew where was this restaurant. He corrected me and said that is "Roll". Opps. A woman in the Team Roll kit, the very generous host of the event (que sheet, marked roads, water/food stop at Buena Vista and food after the event) made a few announcements as we.... ....watched with rapt attention. It was a very hot and humid day with thunderstorms forecast for mid afternoon. As I stood there and listened, it seemed as if you could feel the heat rise. David Smith, center, would later have to deal with complications from the combination of heat/humidity/hills but he made it around. We headed for the exit, including a guy on crutches on the right. Once on the road I did not want to look back and discover him gaining on me so kept my focus forward and soon, as if I have not suffered enough indignities out on the road.... .... a guy wearing swimming trunks passed Andrew Hall and me. We eventually caught and passed him though. Coming through Lancaster, I got in with a small group that included Kyle, David Smith and Corvair. As we prepared to turn left on Eckert, I went straight, having decided the night before I'd like to avoid the dreaded climb up Chickencoop. Arriving in Sugar Grove, it was like an oasis in the middle of the Sahara. Soon Isaac arrived, happy to have finished with the loop I skipped. Isacc soon shoved off, then I did too just as Marty Sedluk and a couple guys arrived. Reaching the climb on McGreary and soon thereafter Snortin Ridge, I kept my forward speed at 0.001 above that which would cause me to fall over. The sun baked the exposed climbs and reaching the Roll refuel stop at Buena Vista, it too.... ...baked under the sun but did have cold water, cold Cokes and snacks. Again, very generous and well placed too. The Roll rep was excited to see the bike a prominent member of our peloton rides. Out of the box, the bike weighs around 14 but with the improvements made, is 11.8 pounds. A real climbing machine. We did a nice loop of Buena Vista/Little Cola/Clapper Hollow rather than the usual Opossum Hollow/Jack Run loop. Above we ride along CH. I thought CH is longer but not as steep as Jack Run but rounding a curve, there was what looked like the "side of a building steep" wall. Just sapped me of energy and I thought about unclipping and pushing the bike, I kid you not. After a brief stop at the refuel station again, I enjoyed the coast down Middlefork and then suffered on the climb out of the valley. At some point during the sun baked climb, I decided I had had enough of the hills on this day and made a B-line for Amanda. It took awhile after making a bad turn or two and reaching Clearcreek Road, Marty and gang encouraged me to jump in as they neared Hopewell Church. Nope, nothing but evil and pain in that direction so turned east and reaching the gas station, sat on a bench for probably 30 minutes, with 3 different drinks. I exited Amanda via Sandhill and raced an approaching storm to the parking area, finishing with 72 miles. Later, after a weigh-in, I discovered I had lost 8 pounds of fluids during the ride. Days like this make me wonder why I stopped playing golf. I could be sitting in a cart with a beer, contemplating how to not shank my next shot. Saturday is the Ridge Runner Ramble and I think Marty is leading a group out at 8:00am. Below are the two main routes of 80 and 50 miles. You may want to avoid that long, very rough, stretch on Morse and just drop down to old 161 on the return. If you have not yet registered, there is a day of registration but it is $45-55 so kind of steep to ride a route many of us ride frequently. Then on Sunday is the ROLL ride out of Rockmill Brewery. It appears that is on everyone's list. Do a Facebook search for it to find the details. All are welcome and there is no cost. Note no food stops on the routes but you can go off route to find one or two. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9304685 http://ridewithgps.com/routes/9304253 |
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