Easier at the Back

The wind had shifted.  I stood there in the dim morning light staring into a dresser drawer full of riding clothes.  What to wear?  The temperature was 60F and it looked a little overcast. It was a big change from the cold temperatures earlier in the week. I finally settled on a thin jersey underneath my regular one, plus arm-warmers. but skipped on the knee-warmers.  If I ended up doing the long Giro Ride out to Slidell, I'd be plenty warm enough.  Too warm, most likely.



Riverboat passing on the Friday ride.

I arrived at Starbucks a bit later than usual.  My internal debate over what to wear had cost me at least five minutes.

The ride started out a little faster than normal and then when we hit Hayne Blvd. it just stayed up in the 25 mph neighborhood, averaging 25.2 mph for the next 16 miles.  There was a little slowdown as the riders doing the long ride crossed the Chef bridge, but the pace soon picked up where it had left off.  I was mostly staying out of the battle, drafting fairly easily behind the main rotation.  We were nearing the Rigolettes when the rider ahead of me inexplicably dropped his chain.  I slowed and gave him a push so he could try and get it back onto the chainring without stopping, but no luck. The guy on the lefty Cannondale mountain bike stopped with him as I sprinted back up to the tail end of the group.  We later learned that Scott's front derailleur had broken somehow and he had called his wife for extraction.

By the time we left after the stop at the gas station in Slidell I was starting to feel chilled, so it was good that the pace soon picked up. My plan was to do more work on the way back, which I did, although I would periodically sit out a couple of dances to control the overall effort level a bit.  After all, it's December, and although it's easier at the back, it isn't that much easier.  Anyway, I felt pretty good under the circumstances and arrived back at the house tired but definitely not completely wasted.  94 miles seemed quite adequate when I got back home where the contractor and company were busily building a new back staircase.

I think I'll just do another Giro Ride tomorrow.  The Wife needs the car for shopping, so as long as I get a hall pass on the shopping trip, I'm happy with that.