Jun-28:
PUE: to BJP, to marina w/ Dalton's tourists, some BaptistRd + DocN-LeesvilleRd-CarpPond to Hickory Grove w/ Lynn, to BJP, to PUE; 52.8 m.; est 2167 ft climbed ---> effort = 74; 3hrs, 11min; 16.6 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: 14 rides, 803.1 m.; 50 hrs, 39 min; 15.8 mph.
Jun tot: 15 rides, 615.6 m.; 39 hrs, 2 min; 15.8 mph.
YTD: 62 rides; 2840.6 m.; 180 hrs, 11 min; 15.8 mph.
When I went to prep my bike, I discovered that my blinkie was missing. Saaad. 3 months I had that blinkie & this is the second blinkie I have lost in the last eight months because it "popped" off. Rats.
I rode the roads I rode yesterday, paying particular attention in BJP near the speed bump I had to negotiate yesterday. No blinkie. Saaad.
The Tourists were just about to start their ride, so I joined them. The Tourists were a reasonable lot today. Only one of them I wouldn't want to ride with -- all the rest were predictable and rode a straight line.
Anyway, I saw Lynn leaving the "marina" area just as the Tourists got there. During the ride back up Baptist, I saw Lynn torching back down Baptist -- obviously looking for low-traffic miles to complete her second "ride easy" 100-miler of the weekend. When the Tourists got to Neal School, I turned back to look for Lynn, figuring a few miles chasing her would be worth a lot more training-wise than continuing with the Tourists.
I found Lynn a couple miles down Baptist. She was about 80 miles into her ride; I was at about mile 32 of mine. I was avging about 15.3 mph at that point.
Lynn led the first mile and more up Baptist, but was tired and flagging after taking a drink from her water bottle, so I came around and took the lead. That's right, I came around and pulled "Superwoman", the rest of the way up Baptist.
I asked where next. Over to do Doc Nichols, then Carpenter Pond to Hickory Grove and then home.
I told her I didn't figure I could keep up with her on Doc Nichols. But she was tired, I was not nearly as tired. She was supposedly on an "easy" ride, I was giving it almost all I had. And I been mountain riding recently. I kept up with Lynn. More than that, I took the lead near the top of Doc Nichols and then pulled her along on Leesville Rd, and then on Carpenter Pond to Harrington Grove Rd. I refused to give in on the little bump-up on Carpenter Pond to Harrington Grove Rd.
Lynn turned onto Harrington Grove. I continued straight. Glad that I no longer was needing to pull "Superwoman". After those approx 11 miles with Lynn, my avg pace had reached 16.3 mph. I figure I avg'd around 18.5 mph while with Lynn. That includes the 1.9 miles UP Doc Nichols.
Although I needed to back off just a little -- I rode up the bump on Carpenter Pond up to Kemp Rd at 13.5 mph -- I kept on going strong, which is, after all, how I usually ride that section. I rode all the way over to BJP instead of stopping at PUE just to get some free water at the park faucette. Spoke with Dalton for a few minutes. Then rode back to PUE.
Amazing how the legs start to tighten up in just a few minutes. I had to work them loose again when I restarted the ride. But I was riding well by the time I cleared the park / crossed Six Forks Rd.
Very happy I hung with "Superwoman" and then kept the pace. Of course, riding 18+ mph for 20 miles is nothing compared to riding that pace (or near it) on a solo, recovery 100-miler the day after having done a 100-miler. Lynn did have help on Saturday; about 50 miles worth of help (if I recall correctly).
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Hey, 20 miles at Lynn's pace made this ride #12 on the list of my "20 fastest rides of the year." (So far; I'm willing to bet there will be more, faster rides to come.)
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I finally pried some information out of Lynn. On her Saturday Century, her friend Blay rode with her for about 50 miles, and two of Blay's friends joined them for about 35 miles. Lynn said the last two were really riding faster than she wanted to ride / was supposed to ride, but she just tucked in and sucked wheels -- after all, she was riding 100 miles, and they were all going much shorter. Her average pace for Saturday ended up being a bit over 19 mph. Quote: "No wonder I was tired."
Sunday, except for the little bit I rode with her, she did solo. I broke a rule and sneaked a peak at her confuser: 16.6 mph avg for the Sunday Century.
Both days, she started at about 5:45 and was finished before noon. That is possible for Sunday, because even though her ride time was a minute or two or three over six hours, her stoppage time was almost nil. She "re-watered" at BJP once and the "marina" at the bottom of Baptist Rd once. Fill up and go stops; no standing around.
It seems pretty sad that the best I can average for 53 miles is what Lynn averaged for 100 miles for the second day, after having avg'd much faster than that the previous day.
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