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A Ride To Remember - Cycle


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Carencro, LA
United States
Alzheimer's Association
59F / 15C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 15m 16s
Overall Rank = n/a/n/a
Age Group = n/a
Age Group Rank = 0/n/a
Pre-race routine:

Woke up, ate oatmeal, drank coffee, got dressed and packed, rode bike 9.2 miles to start.
Event warmup:

Register, BS with other riders, visit facilities.
Bike
  • 3h 15m 16s
  • 63.56 miles
  • 19.53 mile/hr
Comments:

Not a race, per se, but a metric century f/b/o the Alzheimer's Association. Didn't know there was a full century, or I might have been tempted to ride it. As it was, I rode from the house and back again, 9+ miles each way.

Thought this would be really small, but they had a decent crowd. About 40 riders started in the front group, full and metric participants rode the first 30 miles together. After a relatively slow couple of miles, we settled into a paceline at about 20-22, sometimes gusting to 24-25 mph. At 30 or so, the full centurions turned off, reducing our paceline to 17, but we continued at about 20-22mph.

We reached about 40 miles without finding a SAG stop, by then EVERYONE had to pee, so we jointly decided to improvise a stop at a convenience store and the surrounding vegetation. Stopped as a group, restarted as a group, then two miles down the road we found the official SAG stop.Couldn't bypass and make the volunteers feel bad, so we stopped and munched down some more, filled out bottles and camelbacks then took off again.

At about 50 miles, a couple of young studs tried a breakaway, so my friends took off after them. I was slow getting going, so I had to ride at 25-26mph in the drops for about two miles, solo, until I caught them and was able to draft again. These guys had picked up the pace, so now we were going 24-25mph in a mini paceline of 5.

Continued like that for another six miles or so, then the guy in front of me clipped my buddy Leroy's back wheel with his front wheel (front wheel always loses). The guy lost control, hit the gravel shoulder at 25mph, but still had the presence of mind to fall into the ditch rather than the road. If he had hit the road going that fast, he'd have lost some major epidermis and would still be picking out gravel. As it was, by the time we slowed, turned, and went back to check on him, he was dusting himself off and getting back on the bike. He was OK, the Serotta was OK, and he finished the ride with us.

By the time we got going again, the "pack" had caught us, but we still finished at a decent pace.
What would you do differently?:

Not ride 220 miles the week before, get there with fresh legs and do the full century.
Post race
Warm down:

Ate hot dogs, BSed some more, then rode home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Tired, 50-yo legs.

Not having faster wheels in front of me to suck on.

Event comments:

Good cause, but for $30 and no T-shirt there should be at least two SAG stops and decent food at the end. Event was saved by the good group of riders and the great weather.




Last updated: 2005-04-17 12:00 AM
Biking
03:15:16 | 63.56 miles | 19.53 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/n/a
Overall: 0/n/a
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Loop around roads at start, then head out to St. Martinville, returning through Breaux Bridge, then Lafayette, more dallying on the roads north of the start, then finish.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 2

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2005-04-17 6:06 PM

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Resident Curmudgeon
25290
50005000500050005000100100252525
The Road Back
Gold member
Subject: A Ride To Remember


2005-04-18 6:55 AM
in reply to: #143712

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Master
2233
200010010025
Mechanicsburg, PA
Subject: RE: A Ride To Remember
Good job Bear! Man, I hope that in another 15 years my 50 year old, tired legs are that fast

-Frank
2005-04-18 7:56 AM
in reply to: #143712

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Expert
1013
1000
White House, TN
Subject: RE: A Ride To Remember
Bear, I believe you are living proof of the old saw that says:

"Youth and speed are no match for age and treachery."

Keep those yung'uns in place!
2005-04-18 1:32 PM
in reply to: #143712

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Veteran
213
100100
Los Angeles, CA
Subject: RE: A Ride To Remember
Nice ride Bear. Good job avoiding the collision directly in front of you.

Mike
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