Right Off the Back

A red sky at morning today as we finished the WeMoRi

I was running late from the start. A quick check of the temperature had me reaching for the long tights and thermal base layer and I hustled to make up for those extra five minutes I'd taken before rolling out of bed. I grabbed the keys, camera, HRM, and phone on the way down to the basement, then burned more time pulling on shoe-covers and winter gloves. By the time I fired up the Garmin and checked the time it was already after 5:45 a.m. It's kind of amazing how close we cut things in the mornings once we have an established routine. Five or six extra minutes can completely upset the apple cart.

Me, Hunter, and Rich at Tour le Fleur, '03

It was cold outside, but at least the wind had finally died down to something more normal. Still, I knew I wouldn't be able to make up enough time on my way to the lakefront to meet the WeMoRi group out on Lakeshore Drive. I was just approaching City Park when I heard my 6:00 a.m. alarm. The group usually rounds the turn from Lakeshore Drive to Marconi around 6:10. When I got to Robt. E. Lee I turned left, riding down to the last street before Marconi, looking for the telltale gaggle of headlights from the group. I cut across the neutral ground, glancing back every few seconds until I saw them coming, and waited to hear them coming up from behind. I didn't look back again, and when I heard the sound of tires I sped up, merging into an opening just four or five riders from the front. It was farther up than I wanted to be, but you've got to take what you can get. We were already to the turn onto Wisner, and by then the sudden increase in effort was starting to take its toll. Up ahead I saw Jaden stand up and attack, so I eased out of the line to avoid creating a big gap for those behind me. My plan, as it usually is in these situations, was to drop to the back of the group where there would be more of a draft until my metabolism caught up with my legs. Charles came past me and latched onto the wheel I'd been on.  Then nothing.  I looked back.  WTF???  I'd dropped right off the back of the group, and I use the term loosely in this case. I was shocked to discover that this morning's group was super small, no doubt due to the temperature in the upper 30s and all those smart trainers people must have gotten for Christmas. I stood up and took a good look behind me, and could see a couple of headlights, but they weren't going anywhere near the speed of the group I'd dropped off of, so when I got to Harrison I cut across the park to Marconi and turned left to look for the group and get back into it. Once again, I turned around when I saw headlights. This time just Jaden came flying past me. I looked back again and saw what was left of the group about 15 second back, so I finally got back in with them for the last bit of the ride. Jaden was already in another zip code by then. After rounding the fountain traffic circle on Lakeshore Drive and coming over the bridge Norman went to the front and basically pulled us all the way to Canal Blvd. with me hanging onto his antique time trial wheel until Brian and a couple of others finally jumped for the Shelter #1 sprint.

After the usual cool-down on Lakeshore Drive I headed over to Starbucks for my WeMoRi cup of coffee. By the time I left there about fifteen minutes later I was already getting pretty chilled from the sweat that had accumulated under my vest, which made the ride back home feel really cold.