Tapering Off

The Pensacola Classic is this weekend. Now in its second year, I'm expecting they will have a pretty big turnout, especially since it is part of both the LAMBRA and Florida points series'.  It's also the end of the LAMBRA road season, unless you count one possibility that may or may not happen in December in New Orleans.  For the last few weeks I've sensed the racing season starting to taper off a bit as it always does this time of year.  It's kind of hard to detect the change, actually.  The fast parts of the training rides are still just as fast, but things start up just a little bit more slowly and the fastest stretches are just that little bit shorter.  I'm thinking about track and cyclocross and century rides and trying to remember what articles of winter riding gear need to be replaced before it gets cold.  Fortunately we have a few months around here before the real chill sets in.  And then there's November.  I just finished making a week's worth of travel arrangements, including the USAC Local Associations Summit in Colorado Springs, followed immediately by a research administration conference in Washington D.C.  Neither involved much in the way of recreation or, for that matter, exercise. So yesterday was the last of Kenny's bandit Lakefront time trials  (there's a video!). There was a good turnout and some fast times, so although the official road season may be tapering off, it's clear that not all of the riders are.

This morning's levee ride was surprisingly well-attended.  It's quite dark now at 6 am as I ride out to meet the ride, and the riders are starting to show up a little later than usual, but that's OK because we really don't want a 25-rider paceline blasting down the levee in the dark.  By the time things start to ramp up, usually somewhere out past the Huey P. Long bridge, there's a lot more light. I was feeling a little sluggish today, so it was a struggle to stay with the pace, which just seemed to get faster and faster.  Out near The Dip a number of people backed off and turned back, but there was still a good-sized group that did the whole ride.  That kept the pace fairly high and we spent a lot of time, both coming and going, in the 27-30 mph range.  I think there were three or four times when I pulled off after a short pull, only to have Howard come storming past on his TT bike three mph faster. Anyway, although I was trying to take it just a little bit easy, considering the fact that last weekend took a lot out of me and this next weekend is coming up fast, I'm not sure I succeeded.  My goal for the Pensacola race is just to hold my own and have fun.  Down the road are things like the Six Gap Century later in the month, and then the local Tour de Jefferson ride, followed by our Track Championships at the end of October.  Just today I got an email from the Dahlonega folks announcing a criterium the evening before the Six Gap ride.  Tempting.