When the Sun Shines

Saturday Giro warmup - summer already?

While the north and northwest part of the country shivers, or skis, in brutal cold weather we have been treated to some unseasonably warm weather around here. Most mornings have had temperatures in the 60s or 70s which is a bit warmer than usual, even for us. Highs have reached the 80s on occasion.

Thursday's levee ride, for example, offered temperatures in the 70s, albeit with the generally southerly crosswind that was a fixture all week. Locally, the azaleas are in full bloom and the live oaks are dropping last year's leaves like Cat 5s in a hillclimb. And yeah, those traffic cones you see in the photo are still designating the still-unfinished road work that was started in December of 2020 (sigh...). Anyway, the warmer temperatures do seem to have awakened a lot of riders who we haven't seen too much of over the past few months. Rouge Roubaix is scheduled for next Saturday and a number of local riders are preparing, at least mentally, for that. I haven't ridden Rouge in quite a few years now, and although I was a little bit tempted this year the combination of the additional gravel sectors and the high cost keeps me on the sidelines. Well over a third of the 90+ mile route is unpaved, which is probably about double what it was the last time I rode it, and although I'm quite sure I could finish it, I think I'd be neither competitive nor comfortable. Assuming I survived. Anyway, good luck to those who will be riding it. I suppose the wide rims and tubeless tires and disk brakes and all the other stuff will keep it from being quite as brutal as I imagine.

The Friendly Friday ride was a good one, with the temperature around 70° and a nice little group that didn't get going very fast until we were on the way back from the Armory. There was a nice sprint that took us up to 32 or 33 mph but overall it was reasonably "friendly."

Sunday

By Friday I could tell that the weather for out last Sunday ride of the NOBC Winter Ride Series would be pretty nice, so I mapped out a 77 mile route that included some of my favorites like S. Choctaw and Factory and Section and Fairhaven. With that in mind I went into Saturday's Giro Ride with the idea of being a bit conservative. 

Again, we started out with the temperature in the 70s and a good-sized group on hand even though a number of the usual suspects had apparently opted to do the earlier SaMoRi, which probably meant that it was faster than usual. Anyway, our group did have some horsepower at the front that kept the speed high all the way out to Venetian Isles. There was hardly any wind, though, so it was easy to stay in the wheels as long as you were attentive and didn't let a gap open. After the turnaround the pace remained conversational for quite a long time until a nice steady rotation developed at the front that kept things rolling along at 25-29 mph. Going around the infamous corner at Lake Forest and Bullard someone hit the equally infamous hole and flatted, affording those of us who waited a nice little break.

Sunday morning was just a bit cooler, but still well up into the 60s at sunrise. Driving across the Causeway the windshield was continuously being splattered by clouds of little knats that have been activated by the warm and humid weather. Over in Abita Springs we had a relatively large turnout of close to twenty that included Mike Lew and John Eagan along with Pat and Steve and the other regulars. I was a little bit afraid that the speeds would get out of hand, but I think everyone was happy to enjoy the summer-like temperature and enjoy a bit of the scenery, so most of the ride was solidly within Zone 2 with the stronger riders taking longer pulls. Other than one short section on La 60 where it felt like we were intruding on a lumber truck parade, traffic was light for the most part. Well, at least until that little stretch on Highway 21 that always makes me feel like I'm riding the shoulder on an Interstate Highway. It's always later in the day by the time we get there, and by then it seems like everybody it out in their cars rushing to who knows where as fast as they can. Anyway, it was a good ride and I felt properly drained by the time we rolled back into Abita Springs.

This morning it was again warm but with a brisk south or south southwest wind. I was out the door a little early, which is always the case when the temperature is warm and you don't have to think about what to wear. I could definitely still feel last weekend's rides on my legs, but it wasn't too bad. It was more just leg soreness from the distance and little climbs than actual fatigue, since neither of the weekend rides had been super hard. The group was maybe a little bit smaller than usual and since we were missing a couple of the instigators the pace remained conversational for most of it. There wasn't even any sort of real sprint at Marconi, although a couple of people did put in a little dig on the Wisner overpass.

Mardi Gras Week

"Mardi Gras Week" isn't really a thing. The Mardi Gras season, if there is such a thing, starts on 12th Night and ends at midnight on Fat Tuesday, and the only thing certain about the whole thing is that Mardi Gras will be on a Tuesday. Which Tuesday that might be depends on a number of things, including the phase of the moon ... literally. From a local cycling perspective, there isn't much impact on the early morning training rides except for those riders who actually ride in parades and/or have kids and ladders and stuff that they have to get to and from the daytime parades. Except of course on Tuesday when all bets are off. There is, however, a Mardi Gras morning Giro Ride anyway that will generally get people back home in time for Rex but not for Zulu or the morning downtown walking parades.

Thursday on the levee

So anyway, most of the regular morning rides were affected more by the weather than the parades. As usual for this time of year we were riding the temperature and wind roller-coaster. Wednesday's WeMoRi temperature was in the 60s which made for a nice fast ride, and then our Thursday levee ride was likewise fairly warm but featured a pretty good southeast wind which meant a lot of crosswind segments. Things, however, were changing.

Mother Nature had something to say about Friendly Friday this week.

I rode out to the Friendly Friday ride directly into a50°, 20 mph north wind and wasn't surprised to find only one other rider at the City Park Museum of Art. We headed out anyway, knowing full well that parts of Lakeshore Drive might be flooded as often happens when a strong north wind blows a lot of water over the seawall. We were struggling along at like 16 mph for much of this ride, and of course found LSD closed and flooded at Franklin Avenue where we turned back to the west. Then, between Marconi and Canal, the road was also flooded, so basically we did a shortened, slow ride. Fortunately, the forecast was calling for a gradual warming trend all the way through Tuesday that would top out in the mid-80s. One of my nieces came in from Madison on Friday night to get a little taste of Mardi Gras parades on Saturday.

Saturday Giro

Saturday's Giro Ride started out pretty cold. It was about 40° when I rolled out from home into a pretty significant northeast wind. That kept the speed pretty low on the way out and of course pretty fast on the way back but otherwise it was a normal Giro for this time of year. By the time I got home I was pretty significantly overdressed. After that and a quick shower we hopped on the streetcar for a ride down to Napoleon, where it always ends on parade days, and then walked down to the Columns to meet up with my sister and brother in law to watch a couple of back-to-back parades. Candy bailed early but we stayed until almost the end of the second parade before walking back to Napoleon to catch the streetcar back to Carrollton.

By Sunday things were finally warming up and the wind was finally dying down which made for a nice Sunday Giro. I had had a dentist appointment the prior Wednesday that involved cutting and drilling and stitching, and although I'd felt pretty good by Friday it seemed like it got more inflamed on Saturday. Fortunately I had a fair amount of penicillin handy from prior recent dental work, both mine and Candy's, so I started on that although I wasn't expecting much improvement until maybe Monday, which turned out to be the case. Candy and I again hopped on the streetcar and then walked down to Magazine Street to watch most of Tucks, which is one of my personal favorites, before walking all the way back home as streetcars seemed to be in somewhat short supply.

I was off from work on Monday, and looking at the forecast I could see that although the day would start off a bit on the chilly side, it would warm up a lot by mid-day, so I decided to sleep a little later and wait to ride until the sun was high in the sky, which turned out to be a bit after 11:00 am. By then the temperature was in the 70s but there was a pretty strong 10+ mph wind blowing out of, mostly, the west. Since this was supposed to be a recovery ride I was trying, with limited success, to keep my effort level fairly low. That meant staying well under 20 mph for most of the way out. After turning around at The Dip, I picked up nice tailwind that made it easy to cruise back downriver in some places at 24-25 mph but with a heart rate that rarely cracked 130 bpm. It was a nice ride on a sunny day. That evening we had neighbors over for dinner. My jaw was still feeling a bit inflamed but it wasn't bad enough to keep me from sleeping well Monday night.

Happy people on Mardi Gras

For Tuesday I decided to skip riding altogether. My jaw had calmed down by then, so I figured I was good to go for the usual Mardi Gras routine. By 8:00 am the truck floats that follow Rex were already lining up along S. Claiborne playing loud music and sometimes blocking the gradually increasing traffic. Our plan was to ride out to Napoleon to watch Rex, and then ride down Prytania to somewhere around Poydras where we would lock up the bikes (three U-locks, a big cable, and a small cable lock) and walk from there to the Quarter to take in the sights. Rex started at 10:30 and was right on time, rolling through smoothly. The crowd along Napoleon is very family oriented and relatively uncrowded, so it was quite nice to be able to actually see all of the bands and floats and everything. We then headed downtown at a nice easy speed and got to Canal Street well before the first of the Rex parade. By then it was pretty warm, probably close to 80°, with a clear sunny sky. Thing were just kind of getting started in the Quarter so it wasn't too jam-packed in most places along Royal and Bourbon. The warm weather meant there was a lot of skin on display, some good, some not so good, but everyone was having a good time. I took a bunch of photos as usual and I guess we were already heading back home by 2:30 or 3:00. As we crossed Canal Street we could see the Rex floats making the loop there near the end of their route. Riding back along Prytania we could see the seemingly endless string of truck floats making their way down St. Charles.

So it was back to the routine on Wednesday. I was still nice and warm so I went out to meet the WeMoRi in summer kit, surfing a strong south wind out to the lakefront. I'd left a few minutes earlier than usual so I turned east on Lakeshore Drive and found the group, turning around near Franklin to join it and being mindful of the direction of the not insignificant wind. When the group came around the corner onto Marconi we were surprised by someone with a couple of dogs who was right in the middle of the street. The group swarmed around them with only a mild case of panic on both sides and continued on. The south wind kept the speed down as we went south on Wisner but after coming over the top of the bridge the group got a little bit scattered. Then Jaden picked up the pace along City Park avenue with MJ and me in tow. MJ kept the hammer down and next thing I knew it was just the two of us as we picked up the tailwind on Marconi. MJ was drilling it all the way, with me hanging on for dear life. I took an occasional short pull but mostly he was pulling. I of course figured we would be swallowed up by the group soon enough, but when we went around the traffic circle at Elysian Fields we saw that the group had somehow been reduced to four or five, which I guess MJ took as encouragement that he could hold them off, which he proceeded to do. So that turned into a nice little effort for me, and I was glad I'd had an easy day on Tuesday.

A Few Good Rides

Last week was a mixed bag. My usual Tuesday levee ride got pre-empted by an 8 am meeting downtown, so riding-wise that was a lost day. Wednesday morning the temperature was well into the 60s with a pretty good east or maybe southeast wind. I rode out to the lakefront as usual and cruised down Lakeshore Drive glancing over my shoulder in search of the telltale cluster of WeMoRi headlights. Soon after turning onto Marconi Rob and Jaden flew past me so fast that I didn't even consider trying to latch on to them. The group came up on me as we made the turn onto Toussant and I easily tucked myself into the draft. They weren't going all that fast, maybe 24 mph, so my physiology soon recovered from my abrupt increase in effort and I gradually moved up a little closer to the front. I could see a flashing tail light way, way in the distance that must have been Jaden and Rob. I guess Rob headed home after City Park Blvd. as he often does, and so Jaden came back to the group on Marconi as half of the group ran the red light at Harrison right in front of a police car that didn't have its lights (any of them) on. Being New Orleans everyone just took that in stride and continued on. I think Jaden peeled off a little later to head home. There was a surge after the Elysian Fields traffic circle, a re-grouping, and then as usual a full-gas mile at 29-32 mph from the bridge to the "finish" at Marconi. It was fun.

The forecast for Thursday had been calling for rain, and indeed it had rained a lot overnight, but by morning the rain had ended, leaving the roads just a bit damp. It was enough to keep everyone but me from showing up at the levee, where the road was nearly dry. Once again I did a shortened ride out to the Dip and back, and as usual it was at an inadvisably low intensity level. Then on Friday, with the temperature at almost 60°F, we had a pretty big group for the Friendly Friday ride that turned out to be considerably more fast than friendly, thanks in no small part to a brisk north wind.

By Saturday morning the temperature was in the low-mid 50s with a not inconsequential north wind, and I guess that, combined with the first of the big Mardi Gras day parades, or perhaps the phase of the moon, resulted in a remarkably small group of about a dozen for the Giro Ride. That turned out to be a pretty nice Giro with a few short fast segments and, at least for me, a bit more intensity than normal because of the smaller group and resulting increased time in the wind.

For Sunday I'd planned a 77-mile route on the northshore, and considering that the morning temperature up there was going to be in the 40s, still with some north wind, I wasn't real sure how many would be showing up. The area around the Abita Springs gazebo where we usually park was barricaded off because they had postponed their Saturday parade until Sunday, so we were parked along the Tammany Trace rather than along the school fence. Surprisingly there were about a dozen on hand for this ride, including Jorge, Keith D, John E, Apryl, Charles, Evan, Chuck, Brandon, Doug, and Reggie T. The sky was clear, so thanks to the abundant sunshine I found myself somewhat over-dressed pretty quickly, but otherwise it was a great ride. The pace was a bit faster than the prior weekend's century, but never got out of hand. One or two turned back early but otherwise everyone stayed together until we turned onto Old Military where the combination of the accumulated miles and a couple of little surges took a couple of riders off the back. A few of us waited at the end of Old Military for those since you really don't want to be riding down Highway 21 alone at that time of the day, even on the shoulder. I neglected to take any photos, unfortunately. I just had my phone, and taking photos with a phone while wearing gloves is really a little difficult and risky despite the Cat Tongue gripper stuff I have stuck to the back. 

Monday's Mellow Monday ride had, for reasons I can't imagine, only Charles, Dan, and I. We made that one into a true mellow Monday ride. The only intensity I had was when I had to chase them down after arriving about a minute late. Tuesday's levee ride had a pretty typical turnout and with a southeast breeze we were rolling pretty well all the way out to Ormond. The return trip was a bit slower, of course, and the wind direction had us switching sides a couple of times as the bends in the river changed, but other than feeling a little harder than usual it was a good ride. Rouge Roubaix is looming in the near distance now, although the chances of me impulsively signing up for it are kind of low. With the additional gravel sections and high entry fee the risk of broken bones kind of outweighs the benefits for me. There will be over 100 for the fondo-style start, so the first twenty miles or so will probably be chaos as the stronger riders try to shed the weaker and sketchier ones quickly, and those in-between with strong legs but perhaps questionable skills push themselves too hard trying to stay with the front group. 

Ahundred

The Saturday Giro waiting for the Seabrook bridge

After three consecutive rainy Sunday mornings I was starting to lose hope that we'd be able to get in a long northshore ride as part of the annual winter ride series. The week had started out about like prior recent weeks, which is to say it was chilly, windy, and/or foggy, but the forecast was calling for the next cold front to come through on Thursday rather than on the weekend, which meant that Saturday and Sunday would be cool but sunny. Finally.

By Wednesday I was pretty sure we'd be able to go for a full century ride on Sunday. Whether I'd be doing that alone or with a group was still an open question, of course. The WeMoRi had a good-sized group on hand, and although the pace was brisk it wasn't hard enough to prevent me from putting my face into the wind a few times. Thursday, however, was a different story. It was cold, with a fairly thick fog when I arrived at the meeting spot on the levee, which was rather predictably deserted. I'd dressed with the expectation of being wet from the fog, so I figured I'd go ahead and ride alone out to the big dip and back. A mile or so after I started I found Howard who said, "Is this it?" as he turned around to join me. Then a little while later we picked up Mark M. Even with a light tailwind going out the pace remained pretty calm but even so we lost Howard somewhere around the parish line. As we approached out turnaround at The Dip I commented, "I think we'll have a bit of a headwind all the way back," which turned out to be the case. Our earlier 20-23 mph pace immediately dropped to 18-20, and after a while Mark remarked, "My legs feel like jelly." Around that time we picked up Howard again. Anyway, by the time I got back home I was quite wet, inside and out.

A Friendly Friday on the Lakefront

Friday morning was the coldest of the week and perhaps that was what kept the Friendly Friday ride so Friendly. Well, that and the fact that a lot of people were anticipating some hard or long weekend rides. Will was kept in check by his plan to drive over to Gainesville for the Swamp Classic races. Charles and I were by then committed to doing the Saturday Giro and then 100 miles on Sunday, so we were happy with the relatively sedate pace.

Saturday's Giro turned out to be fairly fast. We came down the overpass onto Hayne Blvd. into a stiff northeast wind that, thanks to the levee, felt more like a direct headwind. There were a few surges right away that disconnected a number of people from the back who mostly ended up taking the Bullard shortcut. As we rounded the turn at the end of Hayne we saw Geoff and a few other riders from the 6:45 SaMoRi off to the side fixing a flat, I guess. As I was to later learn, the SaMoRi had gotten off to a very delayed start when someone had a dead shifter battery and they tried unsuccessfully to find one at Matt's house. The ride down Chef featured a number of surges but in general stayed together, and thanks to the SaMoRi's late start we caught up with that group out a Venetian Isles which made for a much bigger group heading back. That was all going along nicely until we came over the casino overpass and, as always, it got really fast heading for the Seabrook bridge sprint. Up ahead, though, I could see a lot of brake lights and stopped cars on the bridge and knew the drawbridge was either about to open or had just closed. Of course it was the former and we all had to stop for a while until it came down again. Then the bridge tender walked out and with a big length of chain and had to do some kind of kludge that is apparently standard practice now in order to keep one of the metal grid spans from popping up. I assume something is broken and they're just using some kind of hack rather than actually repairing it for now. Afterward I ran into Dustin and a couple of the Tulane riders who were doing a little ride and some criterium practice in the UNO parking lot.

So Sunday's weather on the Northshore was looking pretty good. The wind was light, the sky would be sunny, and the temperature would be rising from the low 50s to the upper 60s during our planned ride from Abita Springs up to State Line and back. Apryl had driven over from Gulfport or Biloxi, Pat and Steve were there, Charles was there, Ray and Evan were there, so by the time we rolled out at 8:30 I think we had nine. Although a few turned back along the way, the ride was never super-fast, I guess because everyone knew the rolling hills would take their toll eventually. My vest went into my pocket within the first hour and I would have put my knee-warmers there as well if I'd had the space. The ride was a really nice kind of zone 2 paceline with everybody taking pretty long pulls and nobody attacking the climbs, so for the most part six of us stayed nicely together until the last fifteen miles or so, which is pretty normal. I had mapped out the ride on Plotaroute but had neglected to look closely at the detail, which turned out to be a bit of a problem. Either Poltaroute or I had selected some of the wrong roads here and there. I had picked the wrong turn to make the loop up at State Line, but fortunately I was familiar enough with our usual route that we just ignored that turn and continued to the correct one. There were a couple of other places where I think Plotaroute must have been in "bike ride" mode and routed us onto some essentially parallel smaller roads rather than the ones I'd intended. Regardless, we didn't get lost and all was well. Thanks to the moderate pace and perhaps my lower mileage prior week I was feeling pretty good and was kind of taking longer and longer pulls as we got closer to the end. We eventually lost Ray somewhere around Tung road, but he knew where he was and arrived back at Abita Springs just a few minutes after we did. When we got back I noticed that we were still just a little bit short of the 100 mile goal, so we rode down the Trace about a quarter of a mile and back to make up the difference. All-in-all it was a really pleasant ride, and IMHO perfect for this time of year. Other groups were up in St Francisville riding parts of the upcoming Rouge-Roubaix that I probably won't be doing myself now that there's even more "gravel" than in the old days. I am clearly not built for that kind of stuff.