Rain Drops Keep Fallin at Canal

Been there done that time again.  Forecast looks bad, Weatherwoman Peggy thrusts a big screen phone under everyone's nose to back up her assertion that doom is headed our way. The color screen shows green blobs with yellow interior and red centers making a beeline for Canal Winchester.  Weather outlook does look grim.  I teeter on jumping back in my car but the usual combination of appeals to my pride and manhood, by those intending to ride, causes me to succumb to peer pressure.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I had earlier anticipated a rainout so had gone trail running over a rather hilly course and, while Craig can run 8 miles and show up later in the day to ride at the front and punish everyone, my fatigue threshold is much lower.  I showed up intending to ride with the fun bunch.  At the last minute, I jumped out with the A's, regretting it immediately.  We headed out Waterloo to Slough and then Alspach.  I had taken up the last spot in the peloton in anticipation of a quick drop.  Someone 3 riders ahead allowed a gap to develop and I had no interest in attempting a bridge.  Jeff, Mitch, Ryan and I formed up and pressed forward into a stiff southeast wind, grey sky and sprinkles. Soon the precip accelerated, puddles formed and fishtail sprang from the tires.  Gosh, this was fun.  I took a pull, drifted to the back, began drinking road grime, rode up beside Ryan and said see ya later.  I was going to turn around but the southern sky was brightening so I kept going.  Soon I heard a noise behind me and turned to watch The Boss and GK pulling the A group at a high speed and they passed me like a Ferrari passing an Edsel.  They had taken the first of 2 wrong turns that very temporarily had put them behind us.

AT mile 12, the sun broke through and the sky was virtually clear other than for some thin, high clouds.  The temperature and humidity had dropped too, but not the wind.  As I rode into Amanda, I observed what a glorious late afternoon it had become.  Ryan was waiting there and soon Mitch, Pugilist Mark, Rick Holt and Mark V arrived.  I was going to take a shortcut but was persuaded to shoulder on with the gang.  While the first half of the route into Amanda was flat with a few rollers, the second half was BRUTAL and I think, maybe, the gang got tired of hearing me shreek, "Not another hill!" every time we turned a corner.  It was as if someone had tried to create the hilliest return route possible and in fact, that is exactly what the devious Ryan had planned.  Out Hamburg, onto Delmont and then up that steep climb.  Rick Holt, having just completed Assault on Mt. Mitchell was riding unusually (maybe shockingly) strong. From Delmont we passed the flatter Westfall to go left on hilly Crumley, then Mt Zion and finally over to the mountainous ascents on Pickerington where I thought I saw some winter snow lingering at the top of the pass.

Finally rolled into Canal with 43 miles and a paltry 18.2 average, compared to the two youknowwhos who finished with 22.1 average.  Retro George too was there, holding court with vivid descriptions of his exploits. One of my favorite words is circumlocution, which describes someone who requires many words to explain something that could or should be explained in few words (yes, just like these overly long ride reports).  Without thinking, I blurted out, "So, when did you get dropped?" and cringed, realizing I had just set off the Mount Vezuvious of circumlocutory talk.  In a very nice way, I quickly asked George to accept the challenge of responding in 12 words or less and to his credit, he did.  Mitch noted that George's screw-top water bottle was nearly full.  I volunteered to bring him a normal water bottle with a spout that he could have for future rides but he said he prefers the screw-top version???  He said when he uses a normal water bottle he forgets to wash them after use and so prefers the screw-top version so he can just throw them away.  George is one-of-a-kind and adds a lot of character and enjoyment to our rides.  He also revealed that after riding so strong at Saturday's roving ride without problem, he went for a ride on Sunday and had a heart episode, the duration of which was 4 hours with a heart beat at 170bpm. Based on what George has told me, while alarming, his condition is not dire, but he does need to have a procedure sooner rather than later. 

I found the below image from an earlier New Albany ride.  That's Dennis in the Savage Hill jersey, Super Dave to his left and Jeff S and his monster calves to the far left. This is before the ride, which explains why Dennis is still with the group.