Saturday Ride--"Son of a......" Report

A foggy drive to the start of the KCBC ride in Gambier.  Weird drive as it seemed an inordinate quantity of deer were standing beside the road as I drove past and that causes me to grip the steering wheel a bit harder then I got caught behind a cement truck going up a steep hill and that took forever but despite that, I made it on time.

We gather, actually, too many of us gather.  Don't know what drew in so many strangers which normally is ok but some of them were unusually squirrely and had some of us on edge. Perhaps they saw a large group and wanted to draft which, I totally get that.  Above, Cindy, Eva and Corvair, with Sam in black on the right, wait.

We were a little late getting out but eventually did so and were off and riding.

What a relief when later, the fog burned off and the sun shone on our group of mostly happy pedalers. Tym Tyler on the left with Theresa on the right, Dirty Dan and Andrew in front of them.  OK, it's part of the ride so therefore should be part of the report; the incidents.  Marty pulled for I think all of the first 50 miles so if you happened to be drafting behind him, you were fortunate.  Meantime, many of us took our turns to his right and when our match was extinguished, off to the back we would go. Marty kept a nice even and for him, modest pace. The group numbered around 30-35 cyclists.  A couple of guys would drift on the climbs and then on the run-out from the descent, would pass the group on the left, left of the center line.  I guess they wanted to start toward the front in anticipation of the next climb but it was unsafe for them and us.  Rick Miller barked at them after the 2nd incident.  Then, a guy jumped road kill rather than signaling to those behind the presence of the dead animal.  That is stupid and endangers those following. Let's see...what else...some people can not maintain their place in the right or left line, preferring to camp out in the middle.  Or, at times, we had 3 people riding alongside rather than as a double pace line.  Then there is the guy who makes sudden moves out of line, with no warning or to check if there is clearance, just moving cause he is oblivious to those around him.  Following this Saturday and then also some incidents on the Thursday New Albany ride (yeah, one guy was at both rides and so duplicated the thoughtless moves), we have to do a better job educating and talking individually to the problem cyclists.  Anyway....

...we arrived at the lunch stop at around mile 54.  Larry P on the left, Gus Cook on the right. I was doing well until the Tunnel Hill climb at around mile 35.  There, about half way up I just popped off the group and Marty, Gus, Larry P, Cindy and about 4 others kept going.  Maybe diet, maybe I suck, maybe too many leg presses but it was strange to feel fine and then bang...nothing.  Cindy B and Andrew C took pity on me and dropped back.  After the top, Dirty Dan came from behind but passed to the left of the white line in the opposite lane, obviously not wanting to help his buddy, that Dan. We hooked up with Tym, who recently was in the hospital and probably should not have been out, and rode into Coshocton and then on to the above lunch stop.  My legs felt like they had already ridden 100 and I still had 46 to go. UGGGGHHHHH. Each time I arrived at the base of a climb I'd look up and think, "Son of a......"  I think I had that thought 20 times that day. I made it and toward the end of the ride, began to feel much better so maybe the food helped?  100 miles, 6000' of climbing. 

 Good friend of the blog, Ken Buddell, was a victim, of a hit and run today.  He has some video showing him in a roundabout when a vehicle came from the right and struck him.  The above is the best shot of the license plate.  You amateur or professional detectives get to work and try to figure out the plate number.        

The best ride option, sure to be ridden by anyone who is anyone, is the KCBC out of Gambier.  There is a group of us shoving off at 8:00am for routes of 100, 75 and 60 miles.  Some will start long and finish shorter, others will start short and finish short.  I will be in there somewhere.  Among the noteworthies rolling to the start line are me (of course), the Rossi tandem, Luke Russell and can the other member of the Power Couple be far behind, Larry Van Gogh, the Cook couple, Flyin Tuna, Dirty Dan, me (did I say that already?), Corvair, Ryan R, Eva, the Kendas, A Clayton, etc...  An email from COP confirms the below routes.  This is a full service event so multiple food stops and if you register yet today, only $20: http://www.outdoor-pursuits.org/
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/110626
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/15855211
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/3489932