There were at least 30 riders for the first levee ride of the year, thanks largely to the civilized 9 a.m. starting time. It was difficult to drag myself out there this morning, though. My sore throat continues to progress and I was up and down all night, but I just couldn't miss the New Year's Day ride, especially since the temperature this morning was around 60F. We were treated to a brisk tailwind all the way out, and with that many riders, you can probably guess what happened. The group split about half-way out, and by the time we got to the turnaround, there were only a dozen of us in the front group and we were going 29-30 mph. I had been doing my best not to do too much work, though, since I don't want this sore throat to end up as pneumonia, and it wasn't really all that hard to sit in the paceline, taking very short pulls, and retreating to the luxury of the back.
As nice as the outbound trip was, the return trip a bit of a mess. The road had been wet much of the way due to an early-morning rain shower, and in addition to a serious headwind, the group had at least five flats on the way back. The last one was mine. It was one of those slow leaks. I had noticed it was a little soft at the turnaround, but was thinking I could probably make it home before it bottomed out. No such luck, though. My regular rear training wheel is out of comission right now. It was feeling loose yesterday and when I checked it out I found that the plastic bearing retainer had cracked, so basically it was impossible to keep the bearings in adjustment. I don't know why Campagnolo would use plastic for such a thing, especially since the Record and Chorus models both use aluminum retainers. Anyway, I'll have to order a replacement, so in the meantime I'm riding my Rolf Sestriere that I usually reserve for racing only.
Back at home with a runny nose and sore throat, I'm looking forward to a day filled with pseudofed and chicken soup. Everything feels achy and the pseudoephedrine makes my hands and feet feel cold. I hope I'm better in time for tomorrow's training ride on the Northshore.
4 comments:
Hey, Happy New Year to you, too. :)
Ack; I hope that you get better soon from being sick. :) Good way to start out te year; not surprising to hear of cyclist going for a ride even on this of all mornings. ;) I recommend some tea with with honey and lemon; very good for the throat.
Well, the 30 mph didn't last all that long and the return trip into the wind was more like 19-20!
E:
Thanks. Wish I could say I was feeling better, but it's been pretty much the same all day.
-rjl
You're welcome. :) I'm sowwy that you're still sick; soup, tea and rest! :)
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