by jonathanbrody » Sat Apr 02, 2011 8:31 pm
Today’s ride could safely be called the Ride of Disintegration. There was about nine of us, (Clayton, Kevin, Jay, Eric or Chris (sorry to forget your name), Eme, Paul, me, Ivan and a Texan from Austin. We decided to head out on 66 due to a heavy west wind under the logic that it was better to climb and go slow vs. fight the wind on the flats. Like many of well intentioned theories this was one was also wrong as we both had to climb and fight the wind. Plus, 66 was busy and not clean, so all in all it sucked, so we decided after a handful of miles to bail and head into Westhampton to Chesterfield Hill Rd. This was not before losing Clayton (who turned off after a call (hope everything is ok, Clayton?) and the Texan who apparently was struggling with the way-to-fast-to-be-riding-this-early-in-the-ride-and-season-pace we were going – sorry Texan, please do not take offense of our Northeast lack of hospitality. Getting back to Chesterfield Hill Rd, which is where we lost Ivan who was all set with these fast-paced shenanigans. We headed up the hill where I decided to knock down the pace and to call my wife to arrange for my bailing from the ride and to meet her at a Sugar Shack in order to drown my poor performance sorrows in pancakes. The group actually gathered at the top of the hill and in Chesterfield, Eme headed down the hill on 143 and I went the other way. Paul, Kevin, Jay and Eric/ Chris went there way. So, as you can see the ride frayed apart after about twenty miles with lots of climbing; no idea of a speed average. Looking forward to a more cohesive and tempered ride next week.