Tuesday Canal & Unconditional Surrender

The Tuesday COP Canal Winchester ride.  It's point of differentiation from other local group rides are the hills so we try to always have lots of hills on the routes but sometimes work in a flat route just to be different. The ride attracts climbers who come and go over time as they age or become fat but one of those still in his prime and fresh off multiple trips to train in sunny CA is Jon Morgan.

Jon is the "Morgan" in "Shore Morgan Wealth Strategies", a New Albany based company.  I asked him who are his favorite all time investment advisors, expecting him to say John Bogle, Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, etc... but no, he said "Charles Ponzi".  I gave him a quizzical look and he explained, "Anyone can invest to mimic the S&P 500 but that guy was a genius to come up with the scheme that made his name famous."  OK, I just made that last part up, Jon didn't say that but thought it was kind of funny. Jon is a good guy and always has a smile on his face.  Note the north background of the parking lot behind Shades Restaurant has undergone a profound change.  The white building is gone.  I also thought what the bulldozer did to the building is analagous to what Jon does to most of us on our bikes.

Tonight's ride leader, Andrew Clayton on the right, bows before Dan Resatar.  Dan rode Saturday, Sunday and Monday and swore his legs were fried and he was going to ride at an easy "B" pace. I immediately liked that idea as I too had ridden those three days, finishing with hill repeats of Thresher and Thornwood late yesterday.  Plus, I wanted to be fresh for Thursday's weekly, "Get My Butt Blown Out the Back of the Pack" ride.

From left to right, Mark C, Andrew, one of the Ashmore brothers and Ryan Roe.  Pastor Mark had also ridden three days in a row and said he would ride at a B pace, maybe a C pace.  Beware Pastors making false promises.

Hey, Hendra drove down from campus to check out the Canal scene.  Mark C on the right, hmmmm is that the early onset of man boobs forming? I'm doing Mark a favor.  With the verbal jabs thrown at him last night and what I write here, it will motivate him to get back in shape and lose the tractor tire around the waist. 

Steve Oxley in the background in white jersey on his bike.  The Lion of Canal is slowly recovering from the flu or cold virus but you can still tell by the sound of his voice there are lingering effects.  He too dropped in with the B group as he is not quite regained his normal fitness level.

Hendra, I think I heard, was riding for the 6th straight day of at least 50 miles at a race pace.  He was with the lead A group to the very end, which included Jon, Rich Lewis, Euro Patrick and Paul Stock.  They finished with a 21.9mph average, down a little because they did not know the route/turns.

Keith in the middle with the Hincapie shorts.  Not only did he hang with a fast paced B group but at the end, he was driving the pace, at age 69.  Very, very impressive.  A good guy to have in the peloton.  If I was asked to evaluate, I'd say, on a road bike, he is stronger then Farmer Mike, which I bring up only as a point of reference. Kills it on the hills too.

Good turnout of around 41, including Steve Hewittt leading out a C group.  I think that group had 5 members and needs more of you to come out.  Unlike the other groups, they ride at a real C pace and tend to stay together.  I have been remiss in not promoting this opportunity.

A small but very strong A group formed of Jon, Rich L, Euro Patrick, Paul Stock, Hendra, Kevin....a total of 9.  A small A group and it appeared some of the guys that usually roll out with the A group dropped back with the B group.  Once the A group departed, 26 B's rolled out and as I earlier said, I was looking forward to a relatively easy ride, probably with a subgroup of Mark, Dan and others who would drop back because remember, their legs were fried and they wanted to recover, yeah, right. Early, the pace was pretty quick and I looked ahead and there was Dan R pushing the pace in front.  I asked Mark C, "Guess who's out front?" He guessed correctly and we began referring to Dan as "Dirty Dan". 

The route took us over to the Slough climb and only then did Dan slide back.  I noted the pace was not very high and since I was in the back of the pack, thought it'd be fun to see if I could make it to the top first.  Almost made it but Mike Murphey and either Pete or Matt Ashmore nipped me at the top.  Oh well.  We regrouped and Dan returned to the front.  It was a good route and the pack stayed together for the most part, including Kevin H aka Pepe LaPew, Ryan R, Jeff S, Steve O, a guy we picked up from the A group, Mark C, Eric the Dispatch photographer, Corvair, Keith, Mike M, Mitch O, etc...

Somewhere out there, Pete or Matt Ashmore asked me if I missed not having the Rossi tandem to draft.  That's funny.  We rolled south on Rockmill and hung a left on Duncan, a road that we rarely visit but it's a good road having a variety of turns and upon exiting it made a right on Westfall and a left on Shaw, then left on Crumley and a right on Mt Zion and someone said, "This must mean we don't have to do Royalton", which has a nasty climb.  We then made a left on Royalton, hit the first climb, then the second, plunged into a steep descent and climbed out of the valley to the Rockmill intersection.  Our numbers had thinned but we paused a bit to regroup because afteral, this is the B group.  Throughout though, the Ashmore brothers showed amazing fitness and it is a wonder why they are not pounding the Morgan's, Lewis', etc... of the world.  Fine fellows both and I am lucky to know them.

We rolled on and reclaimed the parking lot with a 20mph average and 38 miles.  Dan pulled at least 60% of the time and occassionally, I would ride up alongside and ask how the fried legs were doing.  We also had almost exactly 2000' of climbing.