Before the usual silliness begins, let us pause at this grainy image and celebrate Tim Faigley on the right, todays monstrous ride leader. A COP Roving Ride is one that is described as just kind of show up, you get a map and good luck to you. However, most of the roving rides (likely with the notable exception of next week's led by Flyin Tuna) have had great maps on 11x14 paper, que sheets, gps file availability and even, like Saturday's, a route that has been painstakingly marked. And that route, 7 notable and painful climbs through beautiful countryside that even included a pass by what must be the only vineyard in Vinton County? It was a good mix of fix and nearly fit, with Jon M coming down with Marty, Garth P and a couple of new guys, along with Randy Brown. No Steve O or Dustin, which is kind of unusual but someone said Steve had a date with someone off of Craig's List and Dustin has a passion for garage sales so he was probably tramping around in an old van looking for deals. And of course, Younger Phenom, Nick, forever now known as Euro-trash, headed to Wales next week with his newly arrived passport. Just think, some day he'll be standing atop the TDF podium and we can say we knew him. So, so many issues does this guy have that I can't begin to list them. Someone got him turned around and he managed to make it out of the parking lot and probably even finished the route but who knows, we were all gone and probably eating dinner by then. Good turnout for a ride so far from the center of the cycling universe, Columbus. I heard many people drove 1+ hour to arrive at 8:00am but it was worth it. I'd guess around 35-40 people at the start and so we shoved off. I rolled out with Kenda Janet and got filled in on her family vacation in the wilds of KY. This location seemed counterintuitive for the queen of the jetsetters but then she explained that because she spends soooo much time in Chicago, New York, London, Rome, etc.. that a week in the Kentucky woods was welcome. John Day took off and then Randy so I checked in behind him and we reached the top of the first climb on Pleasant Valley Road with that nasty false summit 3/4 of the way up and a comfortable gap on all the others but soon, they began overtaking us, dragging both desirable and undesirables into our midst. After another climb and then getting on to #664, Marty & company came by and many of us tagged along until the gas station on the corner of 664 and 56. We paused long enough for one of our members to use the restroom and then off we went again, right on to a very difficult climb on Chapel Ridge Road. That one is a brute. We continued on the route where in the distance a lone cyclist appeared. The conversation went something like this: "Is that Nick?" "No, that's impossible." "It sure looks like Nick." "Wow, this is worthy of a picture." Turning a corner, we came to a hill... "Ah oh, that is not in our favor, we might not catch him." Nick stopped by the side of the road and Mitch stated: "Hey that is Nick. We shall mock him." However, he appeared a little wobbly so we did not mock, instead encouraging him to get back on the seat and ride with us. We climbed up Airport Road, having not yet stopped to refuel but it did not appear there would be anything at the airport so we kept going, eventually reaching the market at around mile 50. I think the Thursday effort was having an effect on me because my legs felt like they did at the top of Monterey Mountain at the end of Mountain Mama, yuck. Probably Marty & Co. had already plundered the store's shelves because there wasn't much there. When Poobah walked out with what last week was a ham & cheese sandwich but had evolved into a ham salad sandwich, the bottom of the barrel had been scraped.
We got back onto the route, riding through Zaleski Park and onward until we reached Logan and finished with 74 miles, 5600' of climbing and the end of a great day of cycling. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3084704
10 Comments
Really?
8/16/2013 10:21:11 am
See... blogging dementia is a possibility, but I'd hope this is just an example of hitting the return buton when searching for the happy face instead...
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Not Da boss
8/18/2013 04:30:32 am
As the grizzled veteran, Mitchell, sneers down at Boy Euro Trash as if to say ...... boy, someday you young whippersnappers will learn that it takes years, I mean years, for you to learn how to pace your efforts like me.... Slow (er ..... Moderately fast..) Wins the race......).
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Kickstand
8/18/2013 06:19:10 am
He was giving him some advise on weeds that grow in Vinton County. "See that weed there on your left, young grasshopper? We call that Cannabis, and that one over there will make you itch, so don't relieve yourself by that one."
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Cindy
8/19/2013 09:49:07 am
What happened to the picture of the good looking Wilson (beagle dog in parking lot named Wilson)? As for my bad map making; at least I showed up for our co-lead Blue Jay ride; what was it you did for that ride?
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Defender
8/20/2013 02:55:17 am
For everything that Mark does for us, I would think you would show a little more kindness toward him. What do you do for the cycling community, other then attack this great icon in the cycling community?
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Cindy's Defender
8/20/2013 12:21:31 pm
I believe Cindy B once offered Mark W the use of her shower when he he lost power from Hurricane Ike. That seems like the ultimate kindness and a great potential benefit to the cycling community.
I brake for Garage Sales
8/19/2013 12:34:04 pm
Purchased 2 Blatz Beer lights (circa1975) and a Landshark (boogie board on wheels) for the kids. Not a very good day.
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Corvair
8/19/2013 10:53:01 pm
You could have made out better at my grandpa's garage sale. Squirrel tails, etc...:)
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Nicks dad
8/20/2013 07:44:52 am
I just like to say thank you for looking out for Nick on Saturday.
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Cindy
8/21/2013 03:55:17 am
Corvair, it's nice to know that someone else can take bad pic's. I've done my share, it's your turn now.
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