106 windy miles

We had a good solid group yesterday, although I wish Tobi was there. Let's see, up front there's Mark McCormack, and Kevin Hines, then Big Bad Brad Sheehan and J. Lo, then the legendary JJJJJJooooonnny Bold (As my six year old likes to announce to no one in particular) and Sam Morse, then that empty spot is me, and finally Todd Paoletti, who just moved out here from S.F..

We did 106 miles in 5 hours - into a headwind for just about the entire time. The first 3 hours were gentlemanly enough, the usual hey how are ya's, bike talk, bullshit, etc. This is really what I enjoy about these rides. I've made some great friends over the past couple of years of riding, and it's always these long winter rides which inevitably end in suffering that forge strong friendships.

At 3 hours we stopped at a tiny convenience store that was stuffed to the gills with booze,sandwiches, and strange things in jars. The one thing I couldn't find was a Red Bull. The owner was a talkative guy who pegged Mark M as soon as he saw him. After heckling Mark while ringing him up, he shouted "Fucking Cheap" over and over in his Borat accent while the rest of us stood there with our jaws on the floor.

I let the guy keep my change just because I appreciated his honesty.

Then came the "Convenience Store Sprint". Here's how it goes. You finish your Snickers, or Little Debbie, slam down the Red Bull or Mountain Dew, jump on your bike and sprint as hard as you can for as long as you can. I always make sure I have a good view from the back so that I can tell who won. Also, so I don't throw up. These guys are nuts. Although it is a good way to get warm again after standing in the freezing cold while your clothes turn from sweaty to just plain wet.

After the sprint, we regrouped and mostly kept the momentum up for the rest of the ride home. When Mark and Brad were on the front, it almost felt like a crit - fast into and out of the corners, and in the drops on the flats.

By now, though, the troops were starting to feel the effects of the battle, and there were signs of shrapnel wounds, so to speak.

After watching Jonny Bold try to amputate poor Todd's legs for a couple of hours, Mark sent me up to ride with Jon and I thought I'd return the favor. I was having a pretty easy time of it as Jon had softened himself up and I was simply jumping on the remnants of what he had left after 4 hours in the saddle. Sam took over for Jon and scolded me for beating up on him. That was kind of like telling David that he shouldn't have been picking on Goliath.

By the time we got to within striking distance of home, the group had blown apart several times, and that hollow eyed look we all get sooner or later was starting to take over. We made it home in 5 hours, 5 minutes of ride time, and 106 miles. 202 avg. watts, 3803 kj's, for you real bike geeks reading this.

Now that's my idea of a nice way to spend a Sunday.