Unchained Giro

I had a feeling it would be a fast one. The warmer weather and approaching racing season had been stirring the pot for a few days now, and it was almost inevitable that it would all come together on the weekend's local group ride.

The group was already big when I merged into it on Lakeshore Drive, and by the time we started up the Seabrook bridge I guess it numbered about 50. Some new levee and road work had required the Giro to take a little detour on its way to the bridge, one that will probably be necessary for the next couple of months, at least. It is really amazing that the full length of Lakeshore Drive has never been open since Katrina, and now we have this new work being done near Elysian Fields Avenue that will probably mess things up even more.

Up at the top of the Seabrook bridge there's a metal grate that is notoriously slippery when wet, and today it was quite damp. Most riders dismounted to walk across it while the others pedaled gingerly across. I was feeling pretty good and was looking forward to a good workout. It didn't take long to get one, either.

Soon after we came down onto Hayne Blvd. the morning Amtrak train passed us up on the levee. They see our group every Saturday morning and I've now got them trained so they blow their whistle for us even if I don't signal them. I think that's kind of neat. Anyway, pretty soon the speed jumped up suddenly and basically never went back down. The whole way down Hayne I never got anywhere near the front. I remember asking someone, "just who's driving this train?" The riders were kind of out of control today. As we made the turn onto Paris I saw Woody and Rob up on the front. Anyway, the speed stayed up there in the high 20s all the way to Chef Highway. That's when the trouble started. Well, at least for me. There were a few cars coming from the left when we hit the intersection and the front half of the group blew right through. I was about in the middle and had to stop because it was clear that the pickup barrelling toward us wasn't going to. When I did, everyone behind me turned left onto the shoulder of the oncoming traffic lane and kept going, against traffic, eventually crossing back over to the other side of the median. I, however, was kind of stuck and by the time I got across the road the group was already pretty far down the road. I made an effort to close, but I was riding right into a headwind and it was quickly clear that I wasn't going to catch.

So I had a long slog into the wind at 20 mph until I could meet up with the group at the turnaround. Well, at least the ones who didn't go all the way out to Fort Pike. Not to worry, though. We had some good fast sections on the way back, and after sprinting up the overpass and the Seabrook bridge, I rode home feeling pretty satisfied.

Now I'm looking forward to the northshore ride tomorrow morning and hoping that the weather forecast is on target.