Tuesday Canal Report

I don't know these other people but the woman in grey/white is Amy, a reporter with the Columbus Dispatch.  OK....

....Amy and photographer were here collecting information about Mark and Karen Rossi and I think by coincidence it was also the official debut of the new tandem.  Checking in at 19 pounds, it is 25% lighter then the old tandem and note the belt drive rather than a chain.  Tension of the belt is checked by sound given off by the vibration of the belt at different points.  Tonight was the shake-down cruise with the B group but I hear Thursday it is a full on assault on the Thursday A group. Now, back to.....

....Amy.  I'm not sure if Mark is happier to be out with his new bike or to be standing in such close proximity to Amy.  Check out that grin.  OK, seriously, the Dispatch is doing a piece on tandems participating in Pelotonia with the Rossi tandem part of the story.  The article is supposed to be out Monday.

Corvair was leading tonight's ride but she was a little late so as soon as she arrived, there was a mad dash to sign in.  Pretty good turn-out, around 35 for a flatish route to the east with maybe too many stop signs.

Mark C on the right, fresh off a century ride and ready for Mountain Mama.  He plans to win the event this year.  No more hanging back with Flyin Tuna.  On the left, Dirty Dan, undecided if he will go to VA because work is cutting into his riding time and he is out of shape.  Hey, who isn't this season?  I'm hundreds of miles off my typical pace and fat too.  On the other hand, Ricky G has ridden 4 century rides in the last 5 days and is ready.  Sounds like the central Ohio participants are Ricky G and Rex, Steve O, Mark C, Flyin Tuna, Dan, Dustin, Rick Miller, John Day, Ted M, Kevin Swabb (still recuperating from a bad accident and likely not doing the full route), Greg Dubois, Mark Waites, Joe G, Marty is on the fence, Jimmy and Corvair may be without rides and doing Pedal with Pete instead. 

Even in the parking lot, Grand Poobah prepositioned himself close to the tandem's wheel.  The A group rolled out with 15, pretty good for a Tuesday group and appeared that there were a couple of new guys.  Tonight's route, flat and lots of stops would keep each group together for the most part.  Don't worry, we'll be back to the hills next week.

The A group rolled out and those that finished with the lead group, had a 22.3 avg...or was it 23.2, anyway pretty fast considering the quantity of stops.  The B group had Jeff S, Mark C, Kevin H, Matt A, picked up Claude along the way, the Rossi tandem of course, Poobah, Corvair and plenty of others.  As we rolled out Basil Western, the Dispatch folks rolled along side us and snapped a few pics.  Poobah of course, unless they crop him out of the image, will be in all the images in the paper.  You'd have thought it was a triple bike so close was he to the tandem throughout the image taking. 

We eventually rolled into Pleasantville. This is where Steve O met his future wife when last year, as we rolled to a stop, a woman with plenty of body fat and few teeth, rolled off the sidewalk on a bike with no brakes, until she impacted Steve.  It was obvious to us all that it was love at first sight.  Speaking of Steve, he is conflicted, his new BMC, a 2014 model, will likely not be available until October.  Meantime, there are 2013 models available as soon as tomorrow, so he could ride one in VA, rather than take the toe clip hybrid.  What to do, what to do.

We got on to Lake Road, then a right on Carroll-Eastern and had a good run in to Carroll.  Things were a little chaotic out on the road as multiple people surged to the front to take advantage of the descent in to Carroll.  I stayed on the old veteran's wheel, Poobah, who was on the tandem, staying out of the way.  We exited Carroll and approached the short but steep climb where suddenly and without warning, I saw my chance.  For the first time in 30+ miles, Poobah had left the tandem!!!!!  I dove for the wheel and rode up the climb, knowing it did not matter how far everyone got ahead, the tandem would catch on the descent.  Sure enough, as we crested the climb, it was like following the Flying Wallendas on the back of a torpedo.  We shot down the hill, blew through the stop sign and began overtaking those in front.  First one, then another, then....the Rossi tandem had run out of gas.  I urged them both to pull me through but they were tanked.  So, the group rolled in to Canal, largely together, with a 21mph avg and 42 miles. 

Sorry I'm late getting this out and I do not have a link to a gps file but here is tonight's route, led by none other than Corvair.