Jan-30 -- Irregulars Ride

Guest write-up of Saturday's ride.

For those of you who missed it, this past weekend's Irregulars ride was one to brag about for years to come. As usual, Martin was "chomping at the bit" to get going from the PUE parking lot at the crack of official NOAA Atomic Clock sunrise of 7:19 AM. Plus, we didn't want to have to deal with those nasty Gyroscope riders, who were scheduled to be there as early as 11:00 AM.

Of course it was hard to determine the actual sunrise, because the sun did not make an appearance. The plunging temperatures and blowing sleet pretty much motivated everyone to get riding and stop standing around pumping up tires, watching the clock and wondering how late Harvey would be that day, and what equipment he would be missing. The pace was fast and furious as we plunged down Mt. Vernon Church road, reaching speeds of 20 FPH and Chill Factors of -20 F (what they call perfect 20/20 conditions). A few gears were slipped while our fingers slipped on the shifters and the tires slipped on the ice causing me to slip my pants.

Thinking he could trick us into taking the "long way 'round," Martin mixed up the route by faking a turn on Nipper Road where it intersected with Shooting Club Road, and then made a quick run on Old Creedmoor - Joe Peed cutover to Angus McShaughessey New Light Rock Mountain Bruce Jones Horseshoe Wayfarm Road NC Bike Route 18. At some time during this point we think we may have passed a County Line sprint unawares, but the posted sign was obscurred by a build-up of snow and freezing sleet.. It probably said, "Watch for Ice on Bridge." Hard to see. Too much Ice on Bridge.

Our crew performed admirably. I think Paul and Dave rode pretty much along with Paul and Dave and Paul, with Duke and Iva and Paul occasionally taking turns at the front with Tito and Dave and Paul. Not to be outdone, Martin brought Dave and Paul and Bob up along with the other Paul and the other Dave. Everyone was happy to see Karen, but it later turned out "she" was just a mirage in the snowstorm. With water bottles frozen solid, and a few idiots putting their wet fingers on Martin's frozen bike fork, we knew it was time to finish the exhilerating outing before anyone lost appendages.

Distance: 4.1 yards (27 yards total in 2010)
High Speed: 21 FPH, Average 6.2 (average 12.5 in 2010)
Altitude: 27,218 feet (perhaps an error on my Confuser, but the conditions seemed about right for that height).

Detailed blog posted at: http://www.u-outta-u-mind-cyclist.com/ . Check out the photo of someone answering the "call of nature" and getting lost in the white-out. Details are a bit smudged.

--IceMan