Here We Go Again

Friday morning's ride turned out to be a nice easy spin with Donald and Woody. I had been expecting to meet Christophe for the usual Friday ride with whoever showed up, but it didn't quite turn out that way. 6:40 am came and went and there was no sign of Christophe, so, thinking that perhaps he'd been delayed or gotten the meeting place wrong, we all headed down toward Audubon Park to look for him. Since Woody was riding Rouge-Roubaix on Sunday, he was planning an easy spin like me, so this worked out well. We never found Christophe, but still had a nice ride around the Park and then back down the levee. The weather was practically perfect. Later that morning I checked my email and found Christophe's message saying his bike (FedEx) had been delayed and wouldn't arrive until later that day.

So after a quiet day at work I met Christophe and friends down at Cooter's for a little while and made arrangements to meet this morning to ride out to the Giro.

Saturday's weather was picture-perfect. I rolled out at 6:30 am in shorts and a jersey and we headed off for the lakefront with a nice little tailwind. The plan was to meet the Giro, ride about halfway out, and then turn around and ride back at an easier pace. The Giro was just a little subdued today since so may of the regulars were planning on doing the Rouge, but we still got in a few miles of good intensity before turning off with Mark and Russell. When we got back to the parking lot the weather was so great that we stopped for a little coffee break before riding home. I guess we ended with around 45 miles or so.

Tomorrow I'll be up at 4:00 am, assuming I remember to set my clock ahead tonight, rushing around to load up the LAMBRA race clock and radios and stuff, along with my own bike and wheels, and pick up a few teammates. I'm hoping we will be on the road by 5 am, but I think we have a little flexibility there with a two-hour drive and 8 am start time. The weather for tomorrow is looking good -- really good. It might be just a bit chilly for the first hour, but basically it will be a nice spring day. Every time I meet someone else who's riding the Rouge, he asks, "So, are you ready for Rouge-Roubaix?" My answer, of course, is, "Of course not." There are just too many variables about this race to make predictions. Aside from the obvious ones, like my general level of racing fitness or lack thereof, there's the unknown consistency of the gravel and dirt, the heat, the fact that I probably won't have a feed, the distance, how my tires and bike will hold up, etc. I'll ride this one conservatively as usual, focused more on not getting dropped too early than on being a factor in the race.

Another racing season begins. Here we go again.....