Summer Rain

Things looked good for the Saturday Giro, and after taking the dogs for a very quick walk I hopped on the bike and rushed out to meet the group.  One of the great things about summer is that I almost never need the bike lights.  By 6 am there is plenty of light, and although it was a bit on the humid side I had a nice quiet ride out to Starbucks.  Along the way I noticed a somewhat unusual ENE wind and knew we would have some fast stretches on the return trip.  By the time I'd settled down with my morning coffee riders started appearing from all directions and it was looking to be a big fast summer Giro.  My own legs were feeling a little worse for the wear after a faster than usual solo Friday ride, but I took some comfort in the promise of a big group with lots of available wheels.  I knew there would be a headwind along Hayne Blvd. which would make it even easier to hang in the draft regardless of how hard the guys on the front wanted to go.  With no races on the LAMBRA calendar this weekend, there was always the chance that the Giro would be turned into an ad hoc one.

As I'd expected, a number of riders started pushing the pace up at the front once the group hit Hayne Blvd, stringing everyone out into a long paceline, but the big difference between the front and the sheltered back kept things mostly together as the speed remained comfortably in the 25-28 mph range, ramping up closer to 30 after the turn to the south on Paris Road. The Chef Highway stretch was similar with a few surges up around 30 mph, but mostly in the 25-26 mph range.  I ventured into the front paceline a few times along this stretch, but knowing that the return trip would be even faster kept me from staying there very long.

As often happens, the group puttered along for a while after the turnaround.  I wanted to do a little more work at that point, so I rolled off the front in slow pursuit of another rider as the rest of the pack discussed whatever they discuss when they're going slow.  I caught up with him around Highway 11, and as I went past I commented, "They'll be going 32 mph when they catch us."  Looking back I could see the group strung out into long line, which I knew meant that the hammer had been dropped.  We traded pace for a little while until, as expected, the group came streaming by with a 5 mph advantage.  I tucked in around mid-pack.  For the next three miles, leading up to the Goodyear Sign sprint, the average speed was 31.6 mph.  A mile before the sprint I was already in the 53x13, and had to drop down to the 12 half a mile later.  At one point I looked down at my cassette to see if it had really gone to the 12 because I was starting to spin out.  No such luck, though.  That was all there was.  The sprint of course started way too early and I topped out at only 36 mph or so.  Each time the route turned west the pace would gradually rise into the low to mid-30s.  It was fun.  I sprinted up the Casino bridge at 28 mph in the 14 and the Seabrook bridge was similar.  By then I could see some black clouds over the city and wondered if I'd make it home dry.  No such luck, though.  The sky opened up as we rode through City Park and I arrived home completely soaked.  At least it washed away all the sweat!

So this morning I got dressed for the Sunday Giro, walked the dogs (hope nobody saw me walking dogs while wearing my team kit), and went down to the basement to put on my shoes and ride out to the Starbucks.  That's when I heard it pouring down rain.  WTF?  It was maybe 6:10 am.  I figured I'd wait until 6:30 before making the call.  Kenny texted me to see if I was riding.  Well, at 6:30 it was still raining which is why I'm posting this on my blog at 8 am.  Maybe I'll go out for a little spin on the wet roads on the rain bike.....