May-1:
DntW's Hunt Club: Horseshoe-NC96-OldFranklinton-Evans-GMoore-OlivetCh-CharlieGrissom-EgyptMtn-Kittrell-CharlieGrissom-Wilton/GrayRockRd-CannadyMill-PhiloWhite-Conyers-NC56-NC96-Horseshoe; 41.8 miles, 2hrs, 40min, 15.6 mph avg pace.
1st Qt. tot: 20 rides; 755.3 m.; 47 hrs, 31 min; 15.9 mph.
Apr tot: 13 rides; 666.4 m.; 42 hrs, 58 min; 15.5 mph.
May tot: 1 ride, 41.8 m.; 2 hrs, 40 min; 45.6 mph.
YTD: 34 rides; 1463.5 m.; 93 hrs, 9 min; 15.7 mph.
Met DntW at his house just after 6:00 -- someone was a bit late -- it wasn't Dave. Dave drove us out to his hunt club's property on Horseshoe Rd. We started & finished from there. A LOT less traffic.
I managed to have my blinkie pop off while crossing the second creek on Egypt Mtn Rd. Found the batteries, the gasket, and the red reflective light covering on the bridge. Looked over the side of the bridge down at the creek below, expecting to see nothing. But there, just a few inches from the flowing stream, lay the body of the blinkie, waiting to be recovered. Dave's comment: "look's like you will get a full triathlon training session of running and swimming this morning."
Luckily there was a sort of path from the road down to the creek, crossed a bit of gravel, and a little mud, and picked up the body of the blinkie without need to resort to swim training. Good thing as I can't swim worth a lick. Also a good thing I ride in mtn bike type shoes with SPD pedals; otherwise the walk down to the creek and back up would have been a nuisance.
Egypt Mtn Rd was nice enough, but riding west to east, the hills were nothing to write home about. But maybe east to west may have been a bit more stimulating.
Good ride even though the SW-erly wind was a lot more than the gentle breeze that had been forecast. It cut our avg speed down a bit. Oh, well, we were out looking for some local hills to climb, some new roads to ride, and to have some fun. We went 3 for 3, and finished just before it started to rain.
Oh, one very important thing to note, esp. if Dave should ever happen to read this post. I beat him in a head-to-head from an even start sprint to the CL where Wilton Rd becomes Gray Rock Rd. At least he says I beat him. I thought it was a photo finish. But Dave is an honest guy, so I'll take his word for it. Woohoo !!
DntW responded via e-mail:
2 for 3, I take the Green!
So, I guess I should relate the entire story:
Dave has ridden his whole life, including twice across the country in college days, and also was at least a Cat 3 racer in his college days. He was a sprinter. It is a very unusual situation in which I can give him "a run for his money" on a CL sprint. I can't keep up with him on any noticeable climb, either; unless he is having a problem. That pretty much lays the groundwork.
First CL. I knew where it was. Dave did not. Road was going downhill, and since descending is about the only thing I do faster (gravity advantage), it was an opportunity. I was trying to casually position myself to start the sprint without Dave realizing it. I realized he had realized. I went to jump, but I invariably start a "jump" with my left leg since it is my right leg that has the tendon and muscle issues, and when it was the right time to jump, my left foot was at 6 o'clock -- not the best place to start a power stroke. I gave a half-hearted stroke and a big shoulder fake and let him take off. CL #1 to Dave.
Second CL. We had descended a steep bank down to cross a single-lane bridge, and then the road was popping back up to run flat for a quarter mile to the bridge across the Tar River. The CL was at the near end of the bridge. I was hoping Dave would think my moving ahead was simply a typical move for me to pop a small bump and then that I was taking a pull. I was also hoping that he might not see the little green sign for the CL. He saw it. When it was about right to jump for the CL, I looked to see where Dave was. He had moved from his usual following position of behind and slightly offset to my right to being off my left rear quarter. I knew the jig was up. I gave big fake shoulder move as if I was hitting the pedals hard. Dave sprinted past. CL #2 to Dave.
Third and last CL. We turned off one road onto another. I knew it was only about 200 yards to the CL. I moved up alongside Dave. However, Dave thought something was up because I was shifting a lot of gears. A lot more than I intended because during the turn I had downshifted two cogs instead of upshifting. So I had to get those two gears back, and then get to the desired cog. A slight downslope. Side-by-side. I was keeping the corner of my eye on Dave's face. I recognized the facial change that meant that he'd realized the CL was just ahead. We hit the pedals at about the same time. Maybe I was a split second quicker to jump. From less than 20 mph to well over 30 (or so Dave told me later) in seconds, still side-by-side. I decided I was going to make him work his butt off to take this last CL. And then, pedaling hard and I guess pulling on the hoods, I felt the front wheel come off the ground. Wow! But I kept hammering -- amazing what friendly competition can do. I think the front wheel came off the ground twice more. I kept HAMMERING. I thought it was a photo finish. But Dave said, no, I was clear by four to six inches. CL #3 to me.
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