34 Percent!

OK, at the risk of tempting fate, I have to say it. The weather around here has been fantastic. I think the humidity was down to 34% today. At that level, sweat actually evaporates, what little there might actually be when the temperature is in the 60s.

So Sunday morning I picked up Zack and headed over to Puccino's to meet Mignon for the drive over to the northshore. There was a brisk north wind blowing, the temperature was in the low 60s, and the sky was blue. This was going to be a nice ride. Although we hadn't a clue how many people might show, I was pleased to find ten riders ready to roll out for the traditional 65 mile winter training route. I'd been expecting a rather relaxed ride, but I had a feeling that the great weather might tend to push up the pace a bit. It felt downright cold when we headed out, and I was glad I'd brought the arm-warmers and chest protector thing. I was pretty comfortable all day, and don't think I drank more than a single bottle of water, if that.

The first twenty-five miles or so were pretty much straight into the wind, and when I noticed how much time Zack was spending on the front I wondered if he might be letting the excitement get the better of him. As a student living in the dorm at Tulane, getting out for a ride in the country like this must have been a real treat. At one point I rode up alongside him and told him to be careful not to overcook himself because there was a long hilly section on the back side of the course that is always fast. I knew it probably wouldn't work, of course. I was having a hard time controlling the enthusiasm myself. When the weather is beautiful and you're just ten miles into a ride on smooth country roads, it's nearly impossible to resist sprinting to the top of every little climb.

Ed N. was riding a fixed gear, so that meant two things: He would probably be riding pretty hard on the climbs, and would probably spin out if it got fast on a tailwind section. We rolled out pretty smoothly for the first sections, but as I'd expected, the group was going just a little bit faster than normal. It felt good, though, so I just went with it. Daniel was there trying out his new Ti frame, along with Jack B. and Jay and Steve and Mignon, so there was certainly no shortage of horsepower, even after Jorge turned back home around Enon.

Once we came around the top of the course and started getting more of a tailwind the pace picked up. I think everyone made it up that first long climb on Hwy. 439 together, but those two steep climbs that usually split the group were still to come. Naturally, both of those were kind of attacked, and the group split coming over the last one. Now, the official training ride rule here is that if you're going to go hard up that climb, you have to keep going all the way to the turn at Sie Jenkins Road, so of course we did. The others weren't very far behind, and after a short stop for wardrobe adjustments, we continued on. Things stayed together on the long rolling road from Plainview back to Lee Road, but I knew it would get fast again once we got that tailwind. I think it all stayed together all the way to Enon, and we rolled out from there for the last significant climb, which is the long gradual one up to the firetower. This is another place where the pack often splits. If your legs are getting tired, any pressure on this climb will often do them in. Again, though, the rule is that if you are going to push it up the climb, you had better keep the pressure on for the next few miles to the turn onto Tung Road. Of course, the group split, we hammered to Tung Road, regrouped, and picked up the pace one last time for the last four of five mile stretch back to the cars. It was a good fun training ride with awesome weather - well worth the extra couple of hours of drive time.

This morning it was actually chilly. I opened the door and immediately turned around and put on a second jersey and arm-warmers. I was planning on an easy solo ride on the levee, so I didn't want to risk getting cold. I spun easily at about 15 mph, turning around early, and then stopping at Zotz for a cup of coffee to steel myself for the start of the work week.