Yesterday Gwynn and I rode the Team MSFITS Ice Cream Ride metric. Before the start, I was pleased to see Gyro Derek (Paddy) Bateson. I also had a nice conversation with Alan Johnson and heard about his recent, randonneuring adventures. Come to think of it, "randonneuring adventures" may be redundant.
It's been several years since I've ridden from RTP over towards Jordan lake. Many new roads have been built in and around RTP, however some of my old favorites were hauntingly familiar. Prior to the ride I wasn't able to find a route map or queue sheet, so during the ride my thoughts ranged from: "I've never been on this road before" to: "I remember being *dropped* right about here on a 'Governor's Inn' ride back in the '90s". After talking to some of the other participants, I got the idea that most of them frequently rode the Ice Cream Ride route, which might explain why the cue sheet wasn't posted on the ride's web page. The metric route starts with a nearly criterium style tour of RTP, before heading out into the countryside on the northeast side of Jordan Lake. There are 30 "cues" in the first 20 miles, so we were very pleased that the ride volunteers and Durham County Sheriff's department did a great job of making sure that we could safely negotiate all of those intersections. The only time I remember being aware of any automobile traffic is when we stopped for a red light at NC55 about 20m into the ride, which is where I heard another rider exclaim: "Well - another ride just got faster!" Maybe so. The crowd at the start was about what you'd expect for an MS fund raiser, with the typical mix of abilities that makes cycling such a wonderful activity. Gwynn and I were able to quickly escape the crowd and join the lead pack, which started to dwindle in numbers during the parade through RTP. By the time we crossed NC55, there were about 15-20 in the group that held a steady pace until we all stopped around mile 40 for more fluids at a nicely staffed and stocked break stop. On Farrington Road I was pleased by the number of other cyclists, including a couple of very long pacelines, that had chosen to enjoy their Saturday morning riding a bike. Shortly after that, we turned onto Horton's Pond Road and my Saturday started to become less enjoyable. So at around mile 47, the group became a little smaller as Gwynn and I, along with another rider, decided that an extended cool-down was in order. At that time, we were averaging 21.7mph. The last 10% of the route includes more hills than the first 90% which, I know from experience, the route planner found amusing. We finished with 63.9m @19.99mph, although I'm sure that if Gwynn weren't there as my conscience, the entry in my cycling log would be exactly 20mph. -- You received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected]
