 And here we are at another new bike moment. This time Cindy, aka "Flyin Tuna", pulls a new Project One bike from the trunk. Some are already calling it the "Tuna Boat" but she is way too fast for that title to stick.  Observers "oooohh" and "awwwe" at the new machine, Erik, Farmer Mike, Jeff & Steve.  Rudy on the right, gathers with 30-31 of us on a beautiful Saturday morning.  Thus the journey begins, out 161 and then.....  ....Smith's Mill then a right on Jug....big mistake by me when creating the route. Some of Jug has had sections repaved but toward Mink Road, geesh a disaster as first on and then almost simultaneously, a 2nd flat occurred. Sorry about that!  This is what a CO2 cartridge looks like after Cindy malfunctioned the attachment and all the gas escaped into the atmosphere rather than into the tube. Now it was down to the manual pump and questionable arm strength but I managed to get more than 20psi pressure into the tube and she was good to go, as was Jon & Shari Hastings who were also flat fixing just ahead of us. We pooled both groups and then Jon, Shari, Andrew C, Farmer Mike Cindy & me got back on route. It did not take long for Jon to rip my legs off and I had to spit the bit. Andrew & Cindy took pity on me and held back so the three of us worked together all the way too....  .....Utica. Actually, we caught some of the group just before the Reynolds climb but most were already snacking, including.....  ....Marty, showing off the proper chomping action with a sandwich.  Luke R arrived at the ride without his cycling shoes but it just did not matter. He rode with what appeared to be no difficulty in running shoes. Note the stylish combo of socks and shoes.  We exited Utica and passed the famous chocolate wheel, hard at work. We hit the St Joseph climb where near the top, I could barely turn the crank arm, then later the Chatham Road climb and eventually....  ....arrived in Granville. So far, the pace had been a reasonable B pace with hard effort on the hills but once we got onto old 161, the guy in running shoes went to the front and rode alongside Marty. As we approached the light on 310, I willed it to turn red so I could gather my breath, wits and little remaining strength. I set all kinds of PR on every Strava segment between Alexandria and New Albany, including being 9th out of 1562 cyclists on one segment....ain't drafting grand!?!?! Finished with 68 miles and an 18.7 avg. Lot of fun with a great group of people.
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 I was late to the party but prizes had not yet been granted for the Alpe d' Denison Hill Climb Challenge. The first person I saw was.....  ....Doug McConaha preparing to cross the line after storming the climb. I began walking down the hill and here came.....  ....Scott Billman putting in a tremendous effort!  I walked toward the start line and there.....  ....Andres, Paul Stock, Aaron C and .....  ....well Doub again and Scott the UPS driver and.....  ....like a scene out of the movie "Breaking Away", Doug had an issue with his shoe coming out of the pedal so he lashed his shoe to the pedal. Wow, exciting stuff at tonight's event. Way too exciting for me and with that New Albany ride in the morning, I retired from the field....  Gus Cook is leading a group from in front of Starbucks, New Albany at 8:00am on a 70 mile route, conversational B pace with a few regroups, hit the hills hard if you want. We'll pause in Utica for refueling and maybe Granville too, depending on what you want to do. Or, you can zip through the route without stopping too. At least one new bike will be unveiled at the start of the ride I hear. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/23609868 Also on tap is the annual Pedal with Pete ride out of Hilliard. More on that ride can be found here: http://pedal-with-pete.org/events/columbus-ohio/   While most of you know me to be a beacon of hope, a fountain of optimism and one who radiates good cheer; even I must admit things look grim for this evening's ride. What the heck is it with Thursday and thunderstorms? Well, below are the routes and who knows, maybe a window will open and we can ride. 6:00pm, Heit Center, New Albany, as usual. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19449128 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19449174 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19449217  The happy couple; Andres and Tanya. Just back from a fabulous, 2 week honeymoon in Europe, they await the arrival of a writer who will interview them for a Pelotonia themed article. From here, I begin my circuitous route of the parking lot, looking for story lines of my own such as....  ....ear rings. Yes, the camera shy Kristie, famous for her baking skills, 5 oven kitchen and Facebook selfies, held still long enough for me to focus on the distinctive ear ring. Now, I plunge into.....  .....the lone shady spot. Here, Erik is still talking about the Garrett County Gran Fondo. You know an event has made an impression on someone when they are still talking about it 4 weeks after the fact. It's probably therapeutic for him but for me, I have placed that box of pain in a compartment deep inside my brain, never to be reopened.  Good group of 30, practically all compatible in fitness for this group ride. Quite a few new people too. We head out old 161, left on 310, right on....you know, the usual route into Alexandria then the Mounts hill climb, a right on a freshly chip n sealed Lobdell where we carefully navigated that and the turn at the bottom onto a normal paved Battee. The savages were released for the long climb and then.....  ....at Louden we regrouped. Dirty Dan middle left. Dan was up at 3:00am, flew to DC, gave a presentation at a senior citizen center on the benefits of ED pills, back on the plane and on the bike for our ride. What a day. Now, look closely....see the red helmet on the over side of the road? That's Kristie, laying in poison ivy in search of a unique view of the group.  We got onto Stone Quarry, then Concord then a left on Castle. Somewhere along that road, people began shouting about gravel and pointing. Am I the only one who, when a road hazard is pointed, ride right into it? A new guy behind me swerved right and entered a ditch. I think he stayed upright but we called a halt to the group so he could rejoin. Above we are pausing but only briefly as we regather and make it to....  ....the end of Beaver where we wait for a flat to be fixed. New guy "Tip" above riding an old Colnogo. I asked if he is ever called, "Old School." He's been riding the antique to figure out if he would stick with cycling. I think he will. Meantime....  ....for unknown reasons, Erik has removed his helmet to fix the flat. Michael being a nice guy and holding the bike upright. Erik is able to pump enough air into the current tube to get him back on the bike and then the big payoff.....  ....from the trunk of Kristie's car, warm cookies. Finished with 37 miles and a 19.7 average.  Well my cycling friends, I regret I have no images of Sunday's ride. You see, it was raining and by the look of the sky to the west, dark and ominous that it was, I didn't think I'd last very long. However, I know you to be starved for information so here is a brief description of what happened. Ten of us rolled out, including Mike Wrey, Keith who lives around the corner from me and the rest were tri types on, for the most part, uncomfortable looking time trial machines. This was a relatively flat route so makes sense I guess or maybe that is their only bike. Anyway, by the time we reached Dry Creek Road, we were down to 3, Mike, Keith and me and remained that way. From watching weather radar, I knew conditions would improve as we moved north and so they did. We exited the light rain around mile 10. We three worked together well but at mile 25ish, we entered a bike path...ugh. As bike paths go, it was a nice one but lots of debris from the recent storms. We passed a monument indicating this was the highest point on this path. None of us had seen this feature before. We entered Mt Vernon and stopped at a gas station. While entertaining each other with gossip and stuff I just make up about some of you when you are not around to defend yourself, a guy in a van began driving away from a gas pump. A loud sound like... "thawk" was heard as the nozzle did not remove itself from the van but the hose that enters the pump broke free. This is the 2nd time I have witnessed this and always I wonder, "How the heck do you drive away from a gas pump with the nozzle still settled in the car's opening?" An embarrassed driver got out, picked up the hose and reattached it to the pump. This did not look safe so I entered the station, told an attendant about the incident and they took the pump out of service. Then we talked about me not having my camera and how possibly I missed the opportunity to take an image of a massive gas explosion. Anyway, we got back on the bikes and modified the route a bit, heading to Martinsburg. At mile 50, it began raining hard. Nothing like a good soaking to make you wish you'd stayed off the bike. Actually, with the humidity being so high, there wasn't much difference, wet is wet. We went west on Bell Church and after awhile, the rain diminished a little and we stopped in St Louisville for a snack just as the rain had stopped. checking radar, it appeared we could linger a few minutes and still make it to Granville without additional rain. And so we did, finishing with 73 miles, 2700' of climbing and a 17.5mph average. Well, tonight I'll be in New Albany, tormenting those who show up. Distance: 99.3 mi Elevation: + 3812 / - 3812 ft Estimated Time: 07:40:10https://ridewithgps.com/routes/23243796 You can easily cut the ride short at mile 41 and continue down Range Line to Homer and back to Granville for a total of 61. At mile 70 you can cut off 12 miles by heading down to Hanover and the bike trail back to Newark. Leaves from River Road Coffee at 8:00 AM Park in the lot/driveway east of River Road Coffee. ALL PACES. Faster groups will drop riders.  Listed in no particular order, we first have a ride from the usual place in New Albany, 8:00am, following this route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/21093389 Conversational B pace with a few regroups. This is a Gus Cook organized effort so should be a good mix of Riveters. A's and B's. I plan to attend this ride cause my journalistic obligation requires me to. Then, Mark Clingan is hosting a 100 mile ride from: Logan Conference Center,30682 Chieftain Dr, Hocking, Ohio 43138. 8:30am but I do not have a gps file but will be plenty hilly. Tomorrow is also the 10th Annual Ride4Autism from Cyclist Connection in Canal Winchester, 9:00am with available distances of 10, 35 and 70 miles. Again, I don't have a route for you to inspect.
 Jon, Shannon & Sandy. Shannon parks at the parking lot off Beech Road and rides in for a warm-up session. Rumor is on the way out with the Riveters, he drills it, then drifts to the back of the group, then exhausted turns in to the parking lot and heads for home. Just parking lot gossip that I feel is my duty to pass along.  The French Climbing Machine attends to the nutritional requirement of being a climbing machine. Undecided if he will defend his title at the Denison climb event next Friday evening.  A visitor from Philly on the right. She is a retired Cat 2 but seemed to ride like an unretired Cat 2 if you ask me. She was still going strong when I bugged out of the group....yeah, I know, no big surprise as everyone was still going strong.  How about that? The appearance of another BH bike similar to my own and then I saw a 3rd. That is a record.  Pretty good turnout considering, once again, the forecast was not great. Actually, the reality on the ground was not great either. I was sweating just lifting my bike out of the trunk.  Marty, Patrick and Jon M part of a large contingent of Riveters. I had positioned myself at the lower end of the parking lot so that I could merge with the Rivet group unseen. Had I been at the top end and paraded in front of my many peeps, I would have subjected myself to a cacophony of derisive comments.  Todd, Terry & Eleanor.  We await word that we can leave and....  ....so we do, along with the A group. Mixing the groups should always be avoided but we got things sorted on the road. In case you wonder, the Rivet group goes fast, really fast. I was out of breath and sweating a bunch during the warm-up! We got on to Smiths Mill Road where Marty was riding comfortably along side me but I was not getting 100% of the draft so I had to excuse myself and drift back, fully behind someone. Too many turns subjected me to too much of the accordion effect. Turn and sprint, repeat... left on Beech, right on Miller, left on Clover Valley...how much longer could I do this....right on Green Chapel, right on Duncan Plains, left on Caswell...we were a long string, Tym Tyler was drifting back and I invited him to merge in front. Big Mistake! He did exactly what I would have done, settle right of the cyclist in front while in the gutter. I was....  ....dropped. My average at the time was 24.6mph and a mere 11 miles. I.....  .....stopped at the lonely intersection of Caswell and #37, waiting for.....  ...the A group. They don't ride a bunch slower then the Rivets and my legs were not well. I made a right at Northridge, picked up a visitor from TN who wanted to cut it short too and pulled him in, finishing with a 20.2 avg and 34 miles. The Riveters finished with a 23.5 avg and the A group with a 21 avg. Pretty good! I am rooting around for Saturday ride options so stay tuned.  Yes, another Thursday, another marvelous day of weather although it appears a storm will come and go before the start of this evening's ride. A word or two on a subject about which I have more than passing familiarity; getting dropped. There have been plenty of reports about a few crazies, also known as motorists, harassing cyclists and I believe it to be safer to ride in a group rather than be a lonely pilgrim. There is no shame in dropping back to a group behind you. For example, if you drop from the Rivet group, you will find the A group is populated by a bunch of Riveters. You'll be welcome and comfortable as the 4-5 legit A cyclists are pummeled over the course of the same route that the Rivet group follows. If you drop from the A group...ok...I lied, there is shame with dropping into "That" crowd, the B group. Those people will welcome you but question your manhood and make funny clucking sounds like chickens. Please note they follow a slightly shorter route so know how the B route deviates from the Rivet/A route. Dropping from the B group to the C group is entirely different. The C group has class, so I am told, so you will be welcome without the name calling. Very hot and humid this afternoon and the weather service has issued a warning for the conditions. Tonight's Routes:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19779755 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19779892 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19779934  In this report, we will address a couple things I am embarrassed to admit I have never figured out how to master. One is the change from civilian clothing to cycling clothing while covering oneself with a blanket, towel or old beat up curtain. I am convinced, if I tried this maneuver, the cover would drop and all would be exposed.  Good turnout for this evening's ride of 43 miles to the east end of Granville and back, including.....  ...a new guy there in the middle from Holland. As we were talking about the TDF, he kindly corrected our pronunciations of various mountains. I asked if he was wearing wooden cycling shoes. Ha, ha, ha my humor is sooooo original.  Then we shoved off. Above, dirty Dan appears to already be "all over his machine." A bad sign for so early in the route at mile 0.00001. I'm sure he was able to recover later.  OK, here is the other thing I have failed to master....riding without both hands on handle bars. I mean, come on, how difficult can it be but while I will try this alone with plenty of room on either side of me, in a group??? No freakin way. Kristie is very comfortable doing this.  We reached Alexandria with a 22mph average so not too hard a pace but here, I had other goals so I went straight as all others went right. Good, compatible group of cyclists and you should check out the ride next week!  The COP's Ridge Runner Ramble is one option with more info here: http://www.outdoor-pursuits.org/event-2525493  I believe this is the long option for the RR ride should you want to check out the route prior to signing up: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/22465460 I believe the Kendas will be there, Larry & Lisa, etc....  Then there is the Tour de Cause which starts in Lancaster, the long route following the above with more info found: http://www.tourdecause.org/  Some of us are doing the above, starting at 8:00am from Heath High School following this route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/23113795 All are welcome to join.  5:30pm, a call from my son that his basement is flooded. I will admit, the thought ran through my mind, "How much worse would it be if I stayed to do the ride and then went to his house?" No, I am not ashamed to admit this passing thought but then I decided I should go. I pressed a reluctant Andrew into the awesome responsibility of ride leader. As soon as someone else appeared who was willing to assume the role, Andrew readily gave it up. Hindsight being what it is.....  ....I'm glad I departed. Aaron C took the above image while the group waited in a barn for a storm to pass. I hear around 20 people actually started the ride.  I headed toward Pataskala. Watkins Road, York Road and others were closed but then.....  .....Outville Road was open. I made it to my son's house and the basement was not bad at all. Oh well. Saturday ride options coming.....  As of this typing at 9:30pm on Wednesday, storms are forecast to roll through around 2:00pm on Thursday and we should be ok for kick off at 6:00pm. Of course, things could change so stay tuned... Below the routes. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19222885 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19222950 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19222970  I regret that I allowed myself to be influenced by a massive blob on weather radar just to our west at 3:30pm. Not wanting to miss yet another evening ride, I struck out, on my own, for 40 miles. Imagine my surprise, no shock, to come home and see all that precip had just disappeared and that both the Canal and New Albany rides had occurred, rain free. Let this be a lesson, about what I do not know but it is a lesson for me.  What a fun bunch of people. Gathered for an event called the "Duncan Run Patch Ride", a new event for most of us. While this happy group gathered, there was another group, a different group, a group known far and wide as.......  ....yeah, those guys, the "Riveters". Shown, L to R, are Kyle, Luke, Ben, Danny, Ken and Travis. Others were circulating in the parking area, including Jon Morgan, Marty, Pete C, etc... The guys invited me to drop in when they departed.  And so, we exit. Getting out on the road, I looked back and ominously.....  ....the storm was gathering, preparing to blow by like the previous evening hurricane. As they began to pass.....I jumped on board as did others, including Meredith, Larry, Lisa, Angie, Peggy, Gus, etc...  I drafted for 24 miles, during which I had an interesting conversation with a member of the group who has investment expertise. His firm my frown on giving free advice so let's just call him "Jon" so as to protect his identity. I've spent my adult life following a "buy high, sell low" approach and while I did not understand everything that "Jon" told me, it appeared he too endorses said investment approach. He even suggested "Amazon" was a raging buy at $1000 a share. Wow! Most people have to pay for this advice but not me! Then I talked to Ken Buddell who is participating in a 10 race series comprised of road races, crits and some 3rd category, in Chicago this week. Wow. Let's see, what else did I learn from this bunch...oh Lori N is in Taiwan on an all expenses paid trip to blog for a cycling organization....Luke is nearing the end of his quest for a PHD......Marty is headed to Europe for fun with his daughter and bike... After the 24 miles of fun, I dropped back so I could join my brothers and sistas who failed to make the leap with the Riveters. I had a good time riding with them too and after 78 miles of mostly flat riding (how does one get into and out of Utica without Reynolds Road?), we arrived back at the parking lot, me with a 20.2 average to hear....  ....good music and eat.....  .....good food. Good time, again, on the bike.  Quite a few people are doing this ride tomorrow: http://www.harlemtwp.com/2016-duncan-run-bike-ride.htm  I think, but am not certain, this is the long route to give you an idea of the distance and elevation change: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14920100 If I learn of other Saturday options I will update here.  Pay no attention to the forecast. Only focus on being in New Albany, wheels up at 6:00pm. Now, in the event of an actual thunderstorm, officials on the ground will make the appropriate call but you know the weather radar blobs will likely dissipate so come on out and ride. IMPORTANT: The map shows routes going counterclockwise but we will go clockwise, which is what the gps files show. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19699702 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19699804 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19699842  The Westerville Bike Club has a group ride each Monday morning and so a few of us decided to invade their turf and ride with them.  Cindy and Dirty Dan on the left. Dirty dropped his Garmin, breaking it so acquired one of the Wahoo devices, which seem to be showing up on bikes every where. The woman on the right volunteered at a Mohican train run event and passed out some free gels she picked up after the event...thanks!  Jeff S and Farmer Mike came too. Good to see Mike in a group ride again. At 9:00am, we....  ....were off with the Kendas, resplendent in red and Peggy Cook too. At mile 30, the group arrived in.....  ....Granville where the street fair was sleeping but that would soon change.  Odd to see a no parking sign on a bike rack. Most of us entered the Village Coffee shop and exited with a bagel or similar item but not Kenda Paul who.....  ....patiently waited for a street vendor to open so he could score a slice of pizza. Wish I had thought to do that. We lingered a looooong time. So much so that.....  ....Kenda Janet had time to shop for a new dress. She and Paul will be in Cleveland this weekend for a high school class reunion. My experience with these events, at least recently, is she'll be one of the few fit and skinny types among a sea of unfit fattys so wear something that rubs it in even more!  What a lucky guy. Farmer Mike and his concubines pose for a pic. Thanks to Peggy for sending me the image.  At last it is time to go so Larry shows the way but the group is split as some people still were not ready. We head west....  ....past lawn shares and blankets, prepositioned for the next day's 4th of July parade. From Gus Cook for a Tuesday ride having a distance of 38 miles: The "Standard Route" Tuesday Ride will leave Heit Parking Lot at 8am instead of the usual 6pm. This will get the group back in time for 10:30 New Albany Parade and total chaos in and around the center of town. Git er done early and you'll feel great all day! Relaxed, celebratory, patriotic pace and possible faster/slower split of peloton depending on showing. Put your colors on and ride proud! See you Americans tomorrow morning!  Sounds like quite a few people will participate in the Westerville bike club's 9:00am start. Note the start is from the library and not from Starbucks. Meet on the southeast side of the New Albany Library, 200 Market Street, which is off Johnstown Road (US-62) just south of Granville Road (old 161) in New Albany. Arrive early to get signed in and things. We will ride to Granville, grab a latte' and a bagel or breakfast at one of Granville's finest, discuss what it all means and then pedal back. C and B paces. Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/21593552 |