Holiday Weekend

So far it's been OK. I was able to lace 95% of aham's wheel. It's official....I HATE paired spoke drillings. Oh...did I mention I have like 3 or 4 more sets coming through a group buy direct from Taiwan. :(

Went on the Village Pedaler ride yesterday. Typically this has been a group ride for any and all. A fun kind of ride where there is a no-drop rule. Back last year CyLowe, Voldemort, and I were among the fastest on the ride. While it was fun to be in that position on a ride it doesn't do much for your fitness. More of a fun ride.

Non of us have been making it much this year probably for those reasons, but I knew they have changed the ride a bit (A and B groups) and the routes...not to mention the strongest guy there has been showing at races this year and I was looking forward to shooting the crap with him.

Showed up and the fast guy (I'll call him Pointer :) ) was there. One of the other regulars - shop employee - was out with a broken collarbone - low speed crash while dusting his wheel with his glove. He's very embarassed I was assured. Karrie was there along with Dan, another regular and 2 newbs (blondie and 'stasch).

We decided early on to take a new route that only Dan really knew. We were on roads I have been riding more frequently so I wasn't totally lost. Pretty soon it was apparant that we needed to split into A and B, but we didn't. We just kept riding hard and waiting at each turn. It was like intervals. It was also kind of fun because it gave us time to shoot the crap while waiting.

We rode up Campton Hills Rd - the opposite way I went on the Bicycle Heaven ride on Tuesday. That's a killer series of hills/rollers all together. Pointer and I peeled everyone off on that one while I mentioned to him that I don't like hills....about 1000 times. I am climbing very well compared to my normal self. Still not good, but much better for sure.

There were a ton of groups out there. Most of these groups were Tri groups - that means they are groups made up of 4 or 5 50-80 yr old men in dayglow kit riding tri bars and about 30-40 women of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. Usually 4-5 in the super-model late 20's to mid 40's range. This is where I decided on Pointer's name.

Before I knew it I was leading the combinations of groups all alone. There was a lot of giggling coming from the group behind. I turned and Pointer was chatting it up with a few of them. Ahh...to be young and single. You know you're old and marriged when all you can think of saying is, "so this will run into Ramm or Middleton rd up here right? Is it North or South of McDonald rd.?"

What I really needed was a little "Tim-Tim" directional advise. "Nah, you just have to stay on this until Jefferson then turn right for a little jog over on to the Henderson farm where there's this little kicker of a grade that doesn't look like much but will knock the wind out of you. Also...little known fact but there is a great microbrew based out of the Henderson's barn. Phish played there in 96 as a part of the ____ tour. etc...."

One of the dayglow wrinkle squad thought he'd show these young dumb roadies a lesson (really a kind of pissing match over 'his' women I think) and turned up the pace on the front. We responded. He pushed harder...we responded. Slowly we began this process of shifting, getting lower in position, all nice and easy like. All I could hear was the sound of popcorn popping behind us (people getting shelled off the back). Wrinkly popped and then Pointer and I finally got in the drops and laid it on. It was just us. We just kep climbing in speed. Finally there was a "stop ahead" sign off in the distance. It was on. Out of the saddle. I dropped him, he came back and dropped me...I came back and was about to pass him again when we both sat up for the stop.

Hella-fun. Heard wrinklly telling one of his women "I thought it was one of us older guys when I turned and looked and saw those young guys. That was it." One of our guys came up to us after that and said, " hey I fell off when you guys crossed 30 mph - and that was before the sprint!" All I could do was smile. (BTW - my freeking Garmin 305 is now plauged with the shut off on every bump glitch. SO I fly blind now).

Well....Pointer let the scenery get to him and I really thought I knew where we were....net result=we ended up really far off from where we wanted to go. We broke off from the group. I could have sworn I heard velcro tearing apart when Pointer came along. We cobbled together what we thought would get us back. We ended up near the school on the regular Pedaler route and just followed the normal route backwards.

Finally caught the back end of the rest of the group (who had turned earlier) within a few miles of the shop. Stasch was well out of his element and it was showing. We were waiting pretty heavily for him in the beginning and this route ended up being longer than anyone was expecting. Newbs were out of water...and so was I. I hung back with him to bring him into the shop. I was literally free-wheeling the whole way. It was painfully slow, but I tried to pass the time with some conversation to take his mind off of everything.

At the end I felt like I had a good ride, but nothing real taxing. Turned out to be about 40 miles at around an 18 pace. Not bad considering the hills and the chatting. :) All I could think was...My batterys needed this.

Last night was a baseball game. Little P loved it. Ate everything in the place. I have a sugar hangover. Today is a "hang around the house day"

Exhibit A:That was taken a few minutes ago.

Finally got on anti-biotics for the hell that I have been enduring. 3 or 4 weeks in. Dairyland Dare, Team Time Trial, Tour of Oakbrook, various group rides, etc all under the siege of snot. Final phase has been a WICKED sinus infection. Had to do something. Hopefully this will kill it all off and not flat my performance for Fall Fling like some anti-biotics will. Z-Pack baby.

I think we'll hit the trail with the trailer today. I can be a "dad" and still get some riding in. He loves it. Really. I just asked if he wanted to go on a bike ride with his helmet in the trailer...he said....with head bobbing..."uh...YEAH!" "Are you sure?" I said...."Uh ....YEAH!" :D

BTW - aham is getting some good natured ribbing over on Bikeforums...check it out...http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=460040

later.