 Routes for this evenings ride out of Canal Winchester. Sorely tempted to go since last week's ride was so entertaining but it left my ancient legs kind of weary for the Thursday ride. Maybe I should do the B+ ride and hang in the back like I do for every ride.... https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14097770 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14097776 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14097782 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14097791
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 A good turnout for the Sunday Granville ride from River Road Coffee Shop. Mike Rea there on the left with a variety of others, totaling around 24.  Steve Fields on the left, John Sada on the right, listen as John Martin makes a couple of points and then....  ...off we go on what is a relatively short route of 46 miles. New guy Nick on the right. The route includes....  ...a 6 mile bike path adventure to Newark but I am lucky and find myself chatting with Luke, one of the truly nice guys of the peloton. He greets every walker and cyclist we pass on our way to...  ....The Newark YMCA and then the streets of Newark before we hit infamous Blue Jay. Nothing breaks a group like the Blue Jay hills. After the first ascent, I am alone and after the second ascent, still alone but also surrounded by the sound of thousands of Cicadas (I prefer to use locusts) so I had entered the land of the locusts (LOL). I rise, I fall but constant is the buzzing. Eventually, the route turns left to climb....  ...Gratiot Road where I hear voices and find Farmer Mike, Gus, Peggy and one other approaching. As I did not ride Saturday (long story involving see-through bike shorts) I decided to head to.....  ....Zanesville where I stop at the market on route 40 at mile 40 prior to climbing Kopchek and then on to Ridge Road where I saw a farmer involved in the first cutting of hay, or is it hey? Onward I rode, stopping briefly at....  ...Flint Ridge Park where I saw many Cicadas and heard thousands more. Not too much farther than that I exited the land of the locusts and was glad. Lot of people at the KY ride, Horsey Hundred, some at the Mountains of Misery in VA but if you are staying local, here are the options starting with the best.  There is still time to have friends and family register to ride with you along side our healing heroes. They can register online until 8 PM Friday, and onsite on Saturday beginning at 6:45 AM. BE APART OF THE CYCLING CLUB TEAM http://r2r.convio.net/site/TR/Cycling/General/1239639812?pg=team&fr_id=1150&team_id=1293 Date & Location Saturday, May 28th Start/Finish: Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany GPS Address: 150 W. Main Street, New Albany, OH 43054 Parking There is plenty of parking around the Philip Heit Center in designated areas only. Please see the event home page or view this map for details of places you may and may not park. Event Schedule 6:45 AM - Rider check-in & day of registration begin 7:30 AM - Pre-ride ceremony begins 8:00 AM - Ride begins for all routes  COP has one of their roving rides, departing from Cyclist Connection in Canal Winchester at 8:00am, following an 84 mile route, the link for which is: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/5178899  Karen Rossi awaits the arrival of her tandem partner, Mark while talking to Andrew C. Weather radar, up until 4:00pm, looked bad and then the northern part of the front dissipated and wow, we would be good to go. Pretty strong winds out of the southwest and thick clouds were a constant but no precip.  Philippe in the center with Danny A and Kurt listening to Philippe describe how he won Sunday's45+ Masters race. In the background, Kyle also won the Cat 4 event with a solo breakaway, 11 miles from the finish. Really good story. As our ride leader Rick was absent, I made the decision to honor Philippe as the leader of the Rivet group. When doing so, I mentioned Philippe's accomplishment and he received a round of applause, actually, since we were standing, it was a standing ovation. After the fact, I wished I had brought up Kyle's win so he too could have had the applause.  Jackie signs in with Mick waiting his turn. I completely bungled the leader responsibilities, failing to name a B group leader (I tried but no one had knowledge of the route), people were mixed up about the A and B group, I did not print any map copies, etc... In the interest of group happiness, I hereby resign as temporary ride leader.  Someone who did not fail was Kristie, reaching into her trunk and bringing forth a container of super good cookies. A delight for those who saw and conquered the container.  New guy whose name I forgot, raced Sunday in Cat 5 and wants to become more involved with the racing scene. I pointed out several who would be happy to provide some guidance.  Jim Richardson on the right, has lost around 50 pounds so a heck of an accomplishment. Mark V on the left, who I hope got everything out of his system on Tuesday. No need to take tonight's ride leader to the wood shed.  More people rolled in, enjoying the happy parking lot scene prior to getting down to serious business.  And the crowd grew larger, around 60. Out went the Riveters with Ken B, Marty, Muscle Dude, Dave C, Jon Morgan, Joe I,Philippe, Danny A, Kyle, Luke, Travis, Dirty Dan...dang a really, really strong group. Those that finished at the front, a very select group, did so with a 24.2 avg and that group included Philippe.  Then the A group departed, 31 in all including Paul Djupe, Logan P, Gus Cook, Corey, Seaku, Peggy, Katherine, Kristian, Kurt S, Scott Billman, Ryan S, Mike M, Kristie, Jared, new guy from Macedonia, Mick, David Smith, dang, that under normal circumstances would also be considered a very strong group. The first part of the ride was uneventful, dropping a couple on the Watkins climb, dodging tractors on Blacks Road, crossing 37 and then we arrived at the Canyon climb. Interesting to see the transformation of the front of the group as an entirely new cast of characters came forward. Corey led us out and after riding with him Tuesday, I figured I could just suck his wheel to the top but he pealed off and then I pulled up a ramp, Gus took over, then Paul until at the top there were around 6-7 of us left. My legs were ok but not great but hey I was there and happy. I had promised prior to the start there would be a couple of regroups along the route but all the cooperation I could get was a short lived soft pedaling between mountain bottom and #13 on Hayes. After that it was full bore to Granview and then the force of that southwest wind began to have an impact as some dropage occurred until we arrived at Gale Road. A tractor pulling a large disc attachment was going south on Gale while we were stopped. Our front two thought we were to turn left rather than right so were waiting for the tractor to pass. The tractor then began a left turn. There is nothing like a disc implement approaching oneself that focuses the mind and I kind of shrieked "GO!!!!!" as the farmer rained F-bombs on us. Like Gus said, the guy is probably working 20 hour days and lacking patience. We were down to about 15 people and the ensuing York climbs and wind fighting shrank our number to 12 by the time we pulled into New Albany with 45 miles and a 21.2 average.  A good route from Rick. Wadkins Rise, Canyon Mountain, that long, painful slog out of the valley on Hayes Road, the ceremonial regroup 1 mile from my house so my impressionable young children can watch their dad ride through with the Riveters, the long slog on 161...what's not to like (just kidding about the regroup). The old legs are still quivering from Tuesday and I'll be riding several groups back. Route A/B 47 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13807687 Route C 33 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13985859  Any report with the title "Bizarro" in it must begin with an image of Todd Lee, aka Grand Poobah. Beside him is David Smith. On Saturday, in the rain, David was one of 4 who showed up for the bizarre start time of 7:20am at Clear Creek Metro Park south of Lancaster for the 50 mile COP ride. However, not only did Dave ride the loop once, he rode it a second time too. By contrast, check out that beautiful blue sky.  Our esteemed ride leader, Ric Noland, showed up and the sign in process began. Tonight's route, 51 miles (seen below) would be an interesting one. The distance and sunset was not so much the issue but we would be traveling through Thornport, Thornville, Baltimore, riding on a gravel road, crossing (twice) state routes #37, 188, 22, 99, 53, 999, 666...ok I exaggerate but plenty of stops and starts that incrementally slow the travel time. But, we did all make it in if not prior to sunset, at least before total darkness.  Like the swallows of Capistrano, Jon Morgan's appearance from his nesting place in Encinitas signals the arrival of, if not spring, an early summer. If you are in doubt, that is Jon, photo bombing an otherwise idyllic parking lot scene.  How about that? A guy in a Veloscience kit all the way down here. My pic taking received a lot of stares as the natives are not used to a creeper with a camera in their midst.  Corey in black and see, another guy staring at me. I can read his mind, "Who is that weirdo?"  Engineer Mitch on the right with white sleeves and there to his right, Jim in the orange jersey who would be embroiled in a post ride dispute. I counted the cyclists and then I forgot the count! It was either 40 or 50, I think 40. Ric announced that the A group should roll out so 12...  ...of us did on what was a different evening of fun. Steve O on the right, Paul Stock, Jon Morgan, David Adams, Andrew Syfert, Eric the Dispatch photographer, Brent Jenkins, Scott Young, Pete Ashmore, 1-2 others and me. Pretty solid group and as we departed, Todd Lee shouted to me, "You won't last 15 miles with those guys." Nice. There was little warm-up and a guy in a dark blue/black kit attacked like at mile 2, we regrouped, then someone else attacked, we regrouped then dude in blue/black attacked, 3 attacks from the pack in 4.5 miles and I must admit, I did ask incredulously, "What kind of group ride is this." when I should have shut up. If they want to attack and try to cover for 51 miles that is their group dynamic. A couple of guys dropped during that period so we were down to around 10 and then we settled in at one point, riding under 20mph when conversation broke out. I'm used to the Thursday ride where the only communication is grunts, hand signals or sounds of me squealing like a child whenever Luke takes a pull. It was entertaining as Jon told us about his childhood and how in Carroll County he was helping bale hey when a reporter from the Times Recorder arrived and a picture of Jon appeared the next day in the paper. Pretty cool. Eric was talking about some property he owned up there, we talked weather, cooking, reality tv and then I think Pete took over and we kept a fairly steady pace, stopping and starting at road crossings while our group was whittled down to 6 (as a matter of pride, I want to be on the record that I even took a 0.7 mile pull in there somewhere). The blue/black kit guy, must have exhausted himself with the attacks and had dropped back. At mile 20, our average speed now at 22, we turned left onto New Salem Road and....  ....Steve O flatted. I looked at the time, I looked at the sky, I looked at the flat fix process, I looked at the B+ group approaching, I was torn inside about what to do until the B group pulled alongside and I bolted. Then the unusual evening took a turn for the bizarre. After Steve remounted, he had another flat, eventually catching a ride from a friend. Then Jon's rear cassette basically blew up so he had to call his wife to make the long drive south (no taxi or Uber service down here folks). However, Jon keeps cash hidden as a last resort and was able to offer a guy money in exchange for a ride to Canal (concern for Jon's safety causes me not to make the amount or hiding place known to any predatory reader). Paul and the remaining A's missed the right turn, a portion of which is gravel and where a B cyclist flatted and extended their route. We moved through Thornville and on the hills coming out of there things flared a bit but we eventually regrouped with around 15 and motored on home....  ....arriving with for me what was 48 miles and a 20.3 average. There, a member of the Columbus Crew was dressing down Jim for riding too hard in the B+ group. It's true, Jim, Corey and maybe 1-2 others who were in the B+ group when I was riding with them probably should head out with the A group. However, it did not sound like the speed (which was down wind and slightly down hill) by itself is a disqualifying B+ event. The group was large at the time and there is the B group that one can fall back to. It's tricky, that invisible line between what is an A and a B+ effort.  And here we go, a route of over 50 miles from Ric Noland for tonight's Canal Winchester ride. Below are links to the A, Supe B, B and C routes. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13935104 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13935113 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13935123 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13935129  Let's begin with a subtle introduction to something for which some of us have waited longer then others.......  .......a milestone after this long, relatively mild but still cold winter...drumroll please......  ....the forecast high for Tuesday. For the love of......get out there and ride, in Canal at the COP ride, in New Albany at The Cycling Club ride or elsewhere but ride your bike!  The men and women who populate the Thursday New Albany ride, their skill honed to a razor's edge by competing against me no doubt, did very well Sunday at the Lake Hope state championship. We start with Kyle Zander who won the 4/5 event and now likely, moving on to Cat 3 while Danny A came in 4th, Mike Cauley came in 7th and Pete Ashmore at 9th. Another winner was none other than the French Climbing Machine, Philippe, who won the Masters 45+ race and in the 55+ Masters, Pete Czerwinski came in 2nd, a bit of a surprise since he pretty much wins every event. In that same race, Doug McConaha came in 7th. Many of us anxiously awaited news of Lori Nedescu who was racing in the women's Cat 1/2/3 and a favorite to win the event but alas, that little walk through the Grand Canyon turned out not to be ideal preparation and she had to pull out. In men's Cat 3, Travis I. came in 5th, Sergey came in 11th and Ken Buddell was at 18th. Knowing Ken, he probably pulled the entire race and then ran out of gas at the end. In the women's 3/4, Kim O and Denice finished 3rd and 4th. Now, it has been said that the safest place to be is between a camera and Luke Russell since he isn't one who will rush to have his pic taken but....  ....friend of the blog, LR, racing I think in his first event as a Cat 2, finished 3rd in the 1/2/3 race. That's Luke in the Paradise Garage kit. Impressive and is catting up to Cat 1 in his future?  1. Three options that I can pass along. The first starts at 9:00am from Carroll, OH at the parking lot of Carroll High School off #33. 67 miles, pace will be B-B+ (known as Cindy Speed) with competition on the hills. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13884490 2. COP has their weekly Sunday ride out of Cyclist Connection at 8:00am, following the below 66 mile route with a 50 mile shortcut option on a map you can pick up at the bike shop: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/7600064 3. John Martin is leading a ride out of River Road Coffee House on River Road in Granville at noon. Usually a few members of the COOT tri group are there along with others but with the Lake Hope race and tri event in Portsmouth, turnout may be sketchy. 23.5 mile Granville to Millersport https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33730314.7 mile return to Granville from Millersport https://ridewithgps.com/routes/2334113 66.6 mile Granville to Millersport to Pleasantville and return to Millersport and Granville https://ridewithgps.com/routes/10058063 The blogger is undecided. 8:00am is too cold and too far to drive that early, that noon start is appealing but the route is flat and some people with whom I enjoy riding won't be there, Steve's ride is the right start time for the weather but I'd like to know something about the route. What to do, what to do.... Raining at 9:00am and appears it will continue so the ride has been cancelled. The good news is another option for a Sunday ride has popped up and I'll have more on that later today.  Assuming the weather is not too bad, Benton B will be in front of the New Albany Starbucks/Veloscience Bike Shop at 10:00 am, Saturday. Benton is made from sturdy stuff so he will be there unless it is really bad but I will try to update this in the morning if the ride is cancelled. B to B+ pace. Few regroups as needed. See link below for route. https://www.strava.com/activities/569824470 As for Sunday, there is the COP Canal Winchester ride from in front of Cyclist Connection bike shop at 8:00am and John Martin is leading a ride at noon from the business next to River Road Coffee Shop in Granville. Flatish route though. I'll have more on this tomorrow.  Two people, prior to tonight's ride, asked how Lori did on her experience through the Grand Canyon and I realized I had not posted what is a very, very entertaining story. You owe it to yourself to read it and you can by clicking through to her Cadence Kitchen site: http://www.thecadencekitchen.com/blog/2016/5/14/1xipnx2bae6qjyrgu9y56ys33hhdg6 I'll have the full report from tonight's fun ride tomorrow, to add to what I already posted below.  Andrew C, Lori N and Tim, early arrivers for a beautiful evening of cycling, sun, light NE winds and mild temperature. Lori enjoyed carrying a backpack through the GC so much that she still carries it. Some people commented that 161 was closed due to an accident investigation at 270 so that probably delayed a few, perhaps including....  ...Rick who pulled in at about 10 minutes prior to start time but note all the empty spaces so there were still many cars/cyclists yet to come.  Jeremy, French Climbing Machine and Doug McConaha. Several of the Riveters (not pictured here) would choose not to ride with their group but to fall back with the A group and "take it easy". Ha, ha, that's a good one. With a race coming on Sunday, it made sense.  When Kristie B, the king of the kitchen, arrived in her car, my heart and stomach skipped a beat as I wondered what desserts she had brought with her but time did not allow me to find out. Probably missed out on something delicious but bad for my waist..  Rick has become very efficient with the set up and so even though a tad late to arrive, he was good to go by 6:00pm and gave us our marching orders. Way in the back, in florescent lime, is George who is now working so not spending as much time on the exercise bike.  The group, I counted exactly 60, listens carefully and then we are released. I decided to head out with the Riveters, probably as far as Beech and the end of the warm-up and then fall back with my A buds.  We gone. I forgot to count but probably 20.... Luke, Marty, Philippe, Doug, Lori, Nick, Jon H, Patrick, Dave Chesrown, etc... but who I thought was in the group and who also had been in the parking lot, Travis, Danny A, Kyle Z, Ken Buddell, Sergey, were not there. I did not notice it as all I can do is keep my head down and peak up once in awhile to see who is setting such a godawful pace. Oh, get this. A new guy, or new from my perspective, Matt turned to me at the Beech Road light and told me I was a marked man. Dave C had told Matt as long as he did not drop before me then he would be ok. Ha, ha, that really hits the funny bone. That Dave.......  The light NE wind probably worked in my favor as I was able to take 1-2 millisecond pulls and then retreat to draft and hang on. We hit the 310 turn with around a 22.3 avg and pulled into Alexandria at 23.5. Half the group got through but my half had to wait for quite awhile. Above we look for our opening. We rolled through Alexandria and made the left on Mounts. I shivered with dread as I looked up and there was Mr. Cat 2, Luke in front, headed to the base of the climb. Of course, I'd have felt about the same no matter who in this group was up there but Luke, he don't mess around. I was ok though, kind of drifting back within the group but when Doug came by I grabbed his wheel and we reached the right turn on Lobdell where.....I got dropped. Dang, they corner like Riveters too. Unlucky mile 13. Once I lost the draft, I was done. Oh well, hook up with the A group and their gentile A pace and all would be good. I don't know what happened to that front half Rivet group. I watched Strava Flyby and couldn't see either.  Toward the top of Chatham Road, I heard cyclists behind and perfect, the A's had caught me, except, what are all these Riveters doing here. Maybe they were that front half and had gotten off route and were just passing through. Nope, the aforementioned Rivet names from the parking lot had dropped back and hopped in with the A group. Actually, they conformed for the most part to the spirit of the A's and hung in the group rather then going to the front and hammering us into submission...for the most part. This was a good group, Ryan, Frank Seebode was out benefiting from obvious weight loss, Logan P, Christian, Pete Ashmore, Scott Billman, Jeremy, Andrew C and the soft pedaling Riveters. Finished with 45 miles and a 21.5 avg.  The aftermath, with the sun lowering on the horizon. Good luck to those who are racing Sunday. Should be perfect conditions. Since the B group is riding the A route this year, I wondered where they were and drove the route backward to find out.  On Mink I found them so not too far to go. I've heard, let's see, how should I put this....the group was tightly controlled, maybe erring too much toward slowing the group to keep stragglers within. Impossible to find the right balance. Probably many thought the stops/soft pedaling was perfect. The group did make it before dark so it worked out ok.  One of the classics from the archive of the Thursday library. Remember, no maps at the start so print your own or download the route to your device, See you there on an unusual warm and sunny Thursday!!!! Route A/B 45 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13807523 Route C 32 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13822330  Radar, interpreted by most people, indicated a drenching but during the day I noticed while radar was ominous, little of the precip was hitting the ground so I headed to New Albany where there was Michael, George, Nick and Logan Pelfrey, back there in green, along with......  ..... in another group, new guy, Belgium Ben Martin, Aaron C and Jonathon, a visitor from San Fran and who lives at the base of one of the great climbs in the area. We waited until after 6:00pm but neither Gus or Peggy showed up and I wondered if that meant they were looking at radar and decided not to come. We headed east with Nick pulling practically all the way to Alexandria and keeping it at a moderate pace, arriving with a 21.6 avg.  Nick led the way up the climb out of Alexandria with me trailing and Logan on my wheel to Hardscrabble where we regrouped. Above, the group heads up Battee and eventually make it to the infamous Stone Quarry rollers where....  ....Nick pulled for the duration with me clinging desperately to his wheel and Logan seeming to ride comfortably behind me. After the regroup, we headed to Caswell and on that climb we were again spaced 1,2,3 and at the top, I told Logan for variety, on the next climb he'd take the #2 position and I would take #3. We resumed the route at a moderate pace and finished with a 20.6 avg, skewed a bit down from the soft pedaling while regrouping. After we arrived in the parking lot, only then did the rain begin to pick up, thankfully.  The Tuesday Canal Winchester route is the same as last week's route so scroll down to find. The Cycling Club also has a group ride, departing from behind Starbucks/Veloscience bike shop in New Albany and follows the route above. Moderate pace until we hit the climbs then it is all out with a couple of regroup points. A, b & C cyclists welcome to join.  I find too often, I lament (whine) about the cold, clouds, wind, precip, etc... that plague us for 8 months of the year. Therefore, I am not going to describe the conditions of today other than to say each word I previously used, applies. I guess 35-40 came out for today's Roll bike shop ride. Ric Noland (Cyclist Connection) designed today's route so we had the opportunity to refuel and warm up in a variety of places if we chose the option.  About 5 minutes prior to the start, Kevin discovered his rear rim was cracked so Ric, in the background, using a rim provided by the Roll folks, changed it out and had Kevin rolling in minutes. What a great guy.  I think the Roll group hopes newbies come too but conditions like today guarantee only the strong and me because of journalistic obligation, show up. Here we are given final news and notes and....  ...we go! Note Kenda Paul in the background, not quite ready to go.  We proceeded on a rolling route and arrived in Lancaster at around mile 14. The pace had been moderate as evidenced by a guy in Khacki shorts and t-shirt was still there along with Brent Goetz, riding a mountain bike. Shoot, the fact that I was riding in a group at this point with Luke Russell spoke volumes about the pace. We exited Lancaster via the Stringtown Road climb where I got popped at mile 0.0000001 but then they waited at the bottom! How bout that. Things got strung out on Rainbow Road and I found myself riding with someone when we made a right on Election House. I was blasted by a westerly and had to lean my bike at a 45 degree angle to maintain uprightedness. We turned left on Havensport Road and geesh, that head wind!!! As we approached Plum, with that nice climb I decided to take advantage of that nice climb and left the route. Entering Carroll, now what to do, well, I'll head south and see where I end up and how bout that, my route inexplicably ended up at the start, Rockmill Brewery on Lithoplis Road. Nothing to do now but put the bike away, disappointed I inconceivably had turned the 60 mile route into a 30 mile route. Oh well.  Here is a good option for Sunday, 9:00am from Rockmill Brewery, 5705 Lithopolis Rd NW, Lancaster, Ohio 43130. The gps route is:  ...John Martin is leading a ride out of Granville at noon from the property south of River Road Coffee House, Barton Investments. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13663197  Ron Budzik and Gus Cook. Ron was in Tucson a couple weeks ago and rode Mount Lemmon. Had a great time out there and plans to go back. Both were members of the new A group, which used to be the B+ group but realistically, considering the pace, it is an A group. That other group, which used to be the A group, if you don't have a motor in your frame, are not a rapidly rising Cat 4, a Cat 3, 2, 1, did not winter in CA, or a representative of a gene pool comprised of past European pros, you've got no chance riding with the newly minted "Rivet" group. Them guys are good!  Luke Russell's aversion to having his picture taken requires me to be sneaky about choosing my spots. On the heels of Luke's Cat 3 win of last week, he is now a newly minted Cat 2. As of 5:45pm, he had not yet heard from Lori, slogging her way in and out and in and out of the Grand Canyon but that is expected. As of this post (10:30pm), she has been at it for 15 hours so probably another hour. I am excited to read her report. If I can't be there hiking I like to live vicariously through those who are.  The parking lot scene, fun as usual with Meredith cracking up with Peggy and Kim.  There they are, Riveters, Luke, Pete C, Travis, Danny and Nick. The turnout was low tonight, only 45 with 17 rolling out with the Rivet group, around 20 with the A's.  Right to left, Scott B, Christian and a new guy with a thick, southern accent. Alabama maybe?  They come, they gather, awaiting ride leader Rick's words. Rick chastised the former B+, now A group, for last week's group dismemberment out on #161. Yes, the jackrabbit starts from the stops contributed but probably the strong north wind had more to do with the crack-up. By comparison, tonight's group was congenial even hospitable.  Once the Riveters exited the parking lot, the A group did too with Gus, Ron, George, Peggy, Jered, Mick, Scott B, Meredith, Peter from Germany, Deniece, Aaron C, Christian, John & Anthony (guys, quit riding left of the centerline), Ryan S, etc... The pace was easy out to Beech then slowly ramped up but I doubt anyone was dropped, arriving in Granville with a 21.6 avg, there was a spirited climb out of Granville on Welsh Hills Road where Gus nipped Christian and me and then on to...  .....Jones Road where again, Gus got the better of Christian and a trailing me. Then we, get this....regrouped at the bottom. Here our average was 21.1 and after gathering most of our group, we headed west into a softening southwest wind. Shortly after passing Wadkins Road on Morse....  ....Scott had a flat but with the help of Mick, the delay was not too bad but long enough that....  ...the B group caught and passed us led by David Smith and Rick Miller. Once regrouped, we caught the B group, intermixed for awhile and then passed through, finishing with a 20.9 avg. Up ahead, the Riveters, at least those that finished with the front group, finished with a 23.5 avg. Ugh, weekend forecast not looking good.  The routes for this evening's ride east into and out of Granville with the Jones Road climb...ugh. Maybe the storms will hold off so we can get this in. Route A/B 43 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13676702 Route C 33 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13676738  Lori Nedescu will be in the Grand Canyon this Thursday, hiking/running from the South Rim to the Colorado River, a descent of 4850', then hiking to the North Rim, an ascent of 5850', then turning around and retracing the route down, probably pausing at the oasis of Phantom Ranch before heading back up to the South Rim. This is known as R2R2R and is a distance of 45 miles so roughly two marathons. Two marathons is a heck of an accomplishment but two marathons doesn't begin to cover what she will encounter. Your average 2 marathons do not require an elevation gain of 10,700'. Then there is the temperature difference. The midday high at the bottom will be 100 degrees, 25-30 degrees warmer than at the rim. Depending on when she hits the rim and bottom, each will experience a range of temperature of around 60 degrees. And then there is the fatigue factor, loss of focus, in spots narrow trails with exposure, switchbacks that if you fail to make the switch..... Did I mention there is an entire book written about deaths in the Grand Canyon? Alright, I'm being overly dramatic and she'll be fine. You should check out her blog in anticipation of her post event report and what she has had to say to date: http://www.thecadencekitchen.com/blog/2016/5/10/r2r2r-part-1  The views will be awesome and hope she can look up now and then to enjoy, during daylight cause she'll also be traveling in the dark with head lamp too.  Here are the A, B+, B and C routes for this evening's Canal Winchester ride, 6:00pm start. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13610022 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13610037 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13610056 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13610064  Sunday was a beautiful day to ride from New Albany to Utica and back with a showdown on the Reynolds road hill. Goeric was the clear winner of the KOM points but behind him....  ....Ken Buddell nipped Luke R and then came a....  ....smiling Marty with Lori in the background and behind her several others. Thanks to Dave C for providing these action pics!  The ride time of 9:00am, posted here and elsewhere, was changed to 8:30am late Friday, creating a quandary for me, start with the group at 8:30 or hang around until 9:00 just in case someone shows? I thought the problem was solved when Corvair called to say she was running late and George showed up thinking the start was 9:00. By the time everyone got organized, it was 8:45 and I figured even those thinking 9:00 was the start would have appeared by now so off we go. About 4 miles out, Larry P called so George and I headed back to the parking lot while David Smith, Corvair and Cindy proceeded. Our two groups eventually met in Hanover and so north we headed toward Bladensburg. Approaching the big climb on Reform Road, I hung back to take advantage of the opportunity to capture the above, Cindy riding past George who had made claims about thrashing Cindy on the climbs. George, never short on hyperbole, said Cindy had to be the strongest female climber in the area. Several hundred names flashed through my mind of possible contenders but whatever.  The oddly named Hofacker Hill road sign, beneath which Larry posed. We made it to B-burg at about mile 44, briefly stopped to refuel, checked radar and headed farther north and then west. The sky darkened and rain appeared imminent as we went south on Martinsburg Road. Coasting toward St. Louisville, the rain hit but within minutes it ended and we were dry for the remainder of the 80 mile route. Fun day.  There is an A/B paced ride departing from in front of the New Albany Starbucks at 9:00am, led by none other than Luke Russell. The link to the route is: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13564980 I may or may not be there depending on availability of a pole saw I need to cut a few trees from around my house.  Kyle Z makes his first appearance, talking with Farmer Mike while Brandon Phillips takes a day off from the Reds to ride his bike.  Our leader, Rick, arrives with his three children who recognize many of us for our visits to Rick's shop in Utica. Family duties prevented Rick from leading a ride for new riders but that comes next week.  At last, George brings his cracked frame so Rick can get the replacement process going. He'll be a climbing machine in a few weeks. In the background in lime, Andrew said COP has about 1100 people preregistered for this weekend's TOSRV and Rick has two vans traveling to Portsmouth to pick up cyclists for the drive back to CMH.  We're all just hanging out waiting for Rick to begin his announcements.  Scott Billman, with helmet off, would lead a very strong B group out of the parking lot. Arm warmers were plentiful on this evening of strong, northerly winds and a start temperature of only 60 degrees but at least the sun was out so that made a positive difference.  Forty-six of us showed up. Again, because the parking lot is large, it always seems like the quantity is lower but once we gather, it's a different story.  David Smith in the foreground contemplating while Rick tells us the Rivet group must ride together to Beech and then release the ponies. He encourages really strong B cyclists to roll out with the Riveters and then when they drop out, they can regroup with the B's so.....  ...naturally some really strong riders don't roll out with the Riveters but instead hang back with the B group. My fate is easy to predict but with that wind slicing through the Riveters, I may not even make it to Beech so I hang back and roll out with the B group which included Scott, Sokha, Jeremy, Mick, Gus & Peggy Cook, John & Anthony Sada, etc... The pace was high and shortly after crossing Beech, our group was down to 5. I rode alongside Jeremy and suggested we ease up cause it was too early to drop so many but after regrouping, we soon were down to a low number again. So much was dependent on where one was in the group relative to the wind. We crossed 310 and at Watkins Road, one of the H&H guys hammered and I got popped while going down hill. Unfortunately when he pulled off the front he was unable to catch the tail of the monster he had created. Arriving at the York Road turn, I caught Jeremy, Mick, H&H and we hit it pretty good and were catching up with the group as we entered Granville (22.4 avg) but then instead of turning left on Beechwood, they went straight and milled around town for awhile while we stayed on route. I got the Beechwood KOM points and while heading out Louden into a strong wind, we eased up to allow MIck to rejoin. Sokha and also joined us so now we were at 5. Riding west on Connor we got spread out again and while Sokha and I waited, that lost group of B's came through so we hopped on board, eventually arriving in Alexandria. I figured I'd get popped on Jug but the terrain was now working in my favor as the sprinter types struggled and I was never in the red..hooray. We arrived back at the parking lot where I had a 20.4 avg and 38 miles. Most of the Riveters were long gone. Luke tried to spin a tale of watching Ken Buddell lead a breakaway but in fact it was Luke and Travis who had attacked on Beechwood and had stayed out for awhile before a wrong turn caused them to be caught. The Rivet pace was 23+ so in that wind, that was really strong, as usual.  A perfect route for the expected wind, cold, clouds and perhaps (as of this writing) rain. You won't find weather weenies like me riding but probably I should be there to document the strong who arrive. Below are links to the routes. Route A/B 41 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13529489 Route C 25 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13248380  TOSRV is this weekend but some are looking for an alternative so Cindy, aka Flyin Tuna, is leading a group riding out of Heath High School at 9:00am on Saturday, doing 82 or 93 miles. Note the first refueling spot is at mile 45 where there is a gas station and market. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13519972 82 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13519274 93 miles There is also a group (Lori Nedscu & friends) riding out of Lake Hope State Park at 10:00am, also on Saturday. For me, that's a 1:20 hour drive so I'm probably going to ride out of Heath. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13489899  I could have predicted this outcome. While riding in the Saturday group, Luke Russell appeared to have his game face on. The look of a guy who was completely focused on the next day's race. And so, check out the above pic of Luke, winner of the Cat 3 race in a deep field of 45 in Spring Valley, which attracted a lot of Cincy cyclists. Knowing Luke, he will be mortified that I posted this image but I could not resist. Others who did well were Sokha Bun (rides both Tuesday and Thursday New Albany rides), Mike Cauley (5th in Cat 5), Matt & Pete Ashmore (the former crashing but finishing 17th in Cat 5), Scott Billman (1st in Masters 55-59/Cat 5), Doug McConaha, Scott Young, Philippe, Lori Nedescu (3rd in Cat 2), Tavis (4th in Cat 3), Ken Buddell, etc... All results can be seen here and check out the TOSRV offer below: http://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?permit=2016-463&bypass=1 For those who want to do Saturday only of TOSRV this weekend, here is a good offer from Rick Miller. I've talked to people who have participated in this from prior years and it is a good deal and a good time. You can contact Rick at [email protected] Schedule 1.) Meet downtown Columbus, 7AM 2.) I will be in Circleville (Ted Lewis Park) 3.) I will be at Waverly Highschool 4.) Then I will be in Portsmouth at bank just west of the park. 901 Chillicothe St Portsmouth, OH 45662 Would like to be leaving Portsmouth around 3:30-4pm. Cost $75 Includes support at the stops I am at. Access to your gear for clothing options Typically have some barley/hop filled beverages at the end. Transportation back to Columbus |
