The Saturday morning group ride got a little shot in the arm yesterday as a few dudes showed up with Cat 3 and Cat 2 licenses. Up until this week, things have been pretty 'early season tame' as temps have been cold and it's been windy. I showed up ready to ride, motivated.....but quickly realized that I'd be putting in a hard effort just to stay in the main group. After a 30 minute warm-up and a pee break, the pace quickly went up despite a headwind and I hung on doing my fair share of the work until the 'steps'. Big Steve, Ellsie, they know the steps. Three hills that seem like nothing much when you're riding solo, but at that group pace they hurt me in a big way. I fell off the back and was the last one up about a minute back. "How about a side of humble pie with your morning coffee, sir. Thank you, I'd love a slice". My tweaked hand had nothing to do with it. I was in a pack of guys who are more fit than me - no rhetoric or excuses there.
On the way back, I rode with a teammate and we just pacelined with a tailwind. The only victory I had all day was riding him off my wheel on my last pull and putting a good 50 yard gap on him.....we coasted into town and I was greeted with that post-effort wheezing, cough that only a good workout gives. 45 miles, 24mph average pace, and a wheezing cough.
Villanova made it to the Final 4, so my pipe dreams of winning a couple of basketball pools are still alive. The payoff will pretty much be all or nothing. If 'Nova wins, I win...if they lose, I get squat.
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