While I did not start in the B group, report had it that it went hard and fast right from the get go. With Jeremy Tucker and Chris Ott pushing the pace, the result was that the B group was catching the A group. My guess is that this was true along County Rd. 8 but, once the A group turned onto 38, not so much.

Ok, so B group catches up to Richard and I just before Warsaw. Nice to be back in familiar territory. Personally, I think B group was down right civil by the time we started riding with them. The hill out of Warsaw along South Rd, saw the group stomping up at a good pace but, not killing it. With one and a half laps to go, the B group was keeping it together and generally keeping the pace high and with out any theatrics. Everyone was doing their fair share of work but with some high lights. Step up Jeremy Tucker again. A number of times Jeremy came to the pointy end and strung things out. Not for too long mind you. I had a sense he was testing his legs but, with other good riders around like Richard Daly, Mark Robinson, Jeff Minicola, Scott Patterson, John Marett, Tanya MacNeil and others, any break that got away from the group was soon reeled in. Noticeably absent from the group at this point was Jamie Elcombe. Where are you Jamie? Rumour had it that Jamie was a bit under the weather but, I also think that he might have had a date with a hoppy ale waiting for him at home. We missed you buddy. Next time, fill up your second water bottle with the stuff and you should be good to go.

Second lap was a bit more of the same. A couple of strong riders moving to the front and pushing the pace up the hill out of Warsaw. Was that you again Jeremy? Alex was on fire last night as well. Caught again on County Rd. 4 and the pace picks up with good pulls and stringing it out here and there. I was in my own little misery corner that night so I have to say that I was grateful to be hiding in the pack and generally just trying to stay with the group. It is honestly, hard to see much from back there. That being said, I got a chance to ride with some other riders like Chris Fleming and Jeff Minicola. Hi guys. Has anybody ever noticed the gearing the Jeff uses while he is riding. This hard man rides in his 52×12 most of the night. How do you do it man? While my legs are spinning, he grinds through in his massive gear and cranks out the power when he needs it. Is it any wonder that Jeff can time trial like a demon and crush it during sprints? Strange I never noticed his gearing choice before. I suppose it’s because he is usually 20 feet ahead of me during any sprint. Interesting.

Where was I? Oh yeah, heading back to Douro along County Rd. 8. A bit of a head wind but, not bad. Winds had died down as the evening progressed. It really was a beautiful night for a ride. Things went to hell as we charged up Broccoli Hill. Here we passed Doug Hinan who threw out some advice to me or anybody listening I suppose but, my head was buried and I didn’t hear it. Thanks anyway Doug. Lucky for me, Mike Weir and Tanya MacNeil were still feeling strong and I was able to catch their wheels instead of getting dropped like a bag of hammers. We almost caught up to the main group but, by that time, the sprint was in it’s final stage. A group of three pulled out ahead of the bunch. In first place, Alex Groenke, in second Mark Robinson and third, out of the wood work, was Dean Mcgregor. Good job guys. Me, I did my best to get to the Fiddle sign with some style and generally made an ass of myself sprinting for the finish with John Marett. We laughed as we crossed the finish together. Great ride, good times. See you all next week.

Jon

Guaranteed.

“You guys realize it’s snowing out right”

We laughed that one off.

Coffee’d up, snack’d up and we head out the door. After about 18 seconds our ride of three was hit with cold wind driven rain. We laughed a bit, bounced around the idea of turning around, but pressed on.

“It will only get better”

It did. For a few minutes. We changed our route – keep it close to home – but still hard, character building. The weather turned once again to snow and wind propelled hail the stung my cheeks and forced me to keep my head down as I hid from the gusts (sorry fellas). As we crested a short hill the wind intensified to a new level of horrible.

It is at this point where this story can take a turn. This could be the point in which, when faced with nasty weather, low temperatures, and weakening morale, that we clicked down a couple of gears, rose out of the saddle and pressed on. Continued to ride, driving forward when weaker men would of stopped, tails between their legs. It could be that at this point we made huge gains in fitness, mental fortitude, that we were on the path to “epic”.

Instead we turned around and went home.

We drank coffee and ate sandwiches. And let me tell you that was one hell of a good sandwich.

Maybe next time we will have a better tale to tell, but sometimes you need to concede defeat in the face of stupidity.

Next time.

Scott Wood and I roll out first and only after the four corners does an echelon ensue. Strong group out tonight. The usual suspects, Mark Robinson, Richard Daly, Richard Higham, Tanya MacNeil, Rob Campbell, John Marett and Scott Patterson. But, we also have Frank Ferrari, Chris Ott and Jeff Minicola on this ride as well to speed things up and add some spice.

First lap sees the group working together well. Good, fast lap with a reasonable charge up the hill coming out of Warsaw. We may have dropped a few folks but, it’s hard to tell as our group is so large. Second lap is where things start to ramp up. Another fast echelon comes together on 38, heading towards Warsaw. Fewer people pulling at the front as some riders struggle to just hang on. A small break gets away as we descend into Warsaw. Looks like Frank Ferrari, Chris Ott and Mini. Uh oh. This is serious. We are still pretty far away from the finish and we have a strong group to chase with and yet.. looks like its time to turn it up to 11 I tell myself. At first the break dangles and doesn’t seem to be moving away too fast. However, they were obviously working together efficiently as a strong effort was made by myself, Richard Daly and Mark Robinson to catch them. We didn’t. Oddly, this is the exact move that we had been talking about earlier in the week but, it was supposed to be the three of us in the break and not the three ahead of us. By the time we turned right onto County Line 4, the 3 man group had pulled a bit further ahead. Mark, Richard and I were caught by the bunch and only after a bit of jostling and confusion, we started to work together again, trying to catch the break. Pulling through hard were David Feick, Tanya, Mark, Richard Daly and Richard Higham, Javier Bravo, Scott Patterson again, as well as John Hunter. Many of the names mentioned earlier doing their best to reel in the break. Damn, this isn’t working! They are getting further ahead. Big right turn onto County Rd. 8 and the trio has already started to crest the next hill out of Cottesloe.

Honestly, kudos to the break. The chase group was big. Big enough I thought to catch the break. I turned myself inside out, like many others, trying to close the gap but, also trying to make sure the chase group stayed together. Strength in numbers. There was no way I was going to catch them on my own, so the decision to not try and bridge was for my own self preservation. We seemed to be rocketing towards Broccoli hill and still the trio were ahead of us and not losing ground. More hard, fast pulls at the front. Almost spent, I lose a bit of ground going up Broccoli having just taken a few pulls at the front just before we pointed up hill. Thanks to Wendy Jones and David Feick, I managed to grind up Broccoli without losing too much distance from the chase group now just slightly ahead of me. Good pacing by Dave and Wendy up Broccoli. What a mess. I am sure that by the time we are on the downside of Broccoli, the breakaway has almost crossed the finish line. Amazing. Great effort by the breakaway and excellent work by the chase group. While we were not successful in catching the break, the ride itself was fast and more than satisfying. The ride home with Richard Higham and Rhys Penalagan, I have to ask Rhys more than once to slow down. My legs hurt and I don’t want to push the pedals anymore. Must have been a good ride. See you all next week.

Jon

First and foremost, what came to my attention last night, aside from the large turn out, was the number of new faces that have started turning up for the B group ride. Awesome. Some faces I recognized, others I did not. People like Thomas Miller, Chris Herton, and others that I have yet to get to know. I will. It’s great to see new faces which brings an element of unpredictability that can spice things up or at the very, very least provide more shelter from the wind. Nothing wrong with that either.

That being said, there were more than a few familiar faces out last night. Right from the get go, I will say that we had a very strong group of riders out. Among them, some B+ riders that have been mixing it up in the A group but, decided to hang back with the B group and crank it up a notch. Excellent riders like Kathy Eggenberger, Rhys Penalagan, Chris Ott, Kris Lew, Mike Tripp, the always energetic Chris Jones. A couple of young riders that should be mentioned in this post especially are Patrick Daly and our winner from last night, Bailey Simpson. These two junior riders are getting stronger every year. With youth and enthusiasm on their side, these riders are making an impact on Thursday nights.

The roll out to our hilly route was nothing short of wonderful. It was, as mentioned earlier, a beautiful night for a ride. The pack rolls out two abreast and those at the front seemingly happy to take long pulls into a mild head wind. Thanks for that by the way. By the time the first set of hills show their ugly face, I hadn’t even taken a pull at the front yet. Sweet. Did I mention it was a big group? Naturally, the inevitable begins to happen. Some of the stronger riders find themselves at the front and push the pace. Finding yourself somewhere at the back is no place to be. The surge at the front catches those at the back off guard forcing them to accelerate and not get dropped. At one point, the usual suspects, you know who you are, decided to make and early break. It was a strong group and luckily, not all the strong riders were part of it. A chase ensues and the strong breakaway gets caught but, only after some good efforts. If there had been a longer delay in response to the break, my suspicion is that they might have stayed away. It was a good group and they were all working together. In the group was Rhys, Chris Jones, Kathy Eggenberger, Chris Herton and Greg Elmhirst.

The bunch, now together, makes the turn onto County Rd. 10. Rhys and Chris Herton launched a two man break. A long, down hill section saw the group riding fast and hard and the pace remained relatively high even along the flats. The trouble of course starts when we point up hill. This is hilly night after all and the speed seems to continue relentlessly up the hill. The group reeled in Rhys. I find myself breathing harder than normal and generally feeling like a bag of crap. This is going to be a tough night, I say to myself. I probably wasn’t the only one feeling this way. A sketchy turn onto Meadowview points us downhill but, clearly within sight of the wall looming ahead of us. This hill that we have to go up 3 times. Demoralizing and soul crushing depending on how your legs and lungs were treating you. As we push to the towards the wall, the strong move to the front and this is where I notice my rear tire giving me some grief. Feels a bit squishy. Is this why I have been struggling all night? Probably not; but, an excellent reason to pull the plug. As the group approaches the right turn onto Orange Corners, I continue straight on Meadowview. My night is over and I feel crushed but, also a feeling of relief mingled with disappointment that I wasn’t able to finish with the group.

Luckily, our man Rhys continues to roll through and it is from here that he will continue relaying the rest of the ride.

At this point the young guns (Simpson and Daley) attacked and went off the front with Chris Herten and were looking strong until Chris missed the turn onto Orange Corners and blew the break away. We regrouped on Orange Corners and rode as a unit over the two punchy climbs. I coasted to the front and people seemed to be happy to leave me hang out there. I think Richard Daley may have taken some pleasure in leaving me out there, but seeing as I did it to him last week there were no hard feelings, just chuckling. Things stayed pretty civil until we got back on Meadowview when Chris Jones attacked and brought Alex Greonke and a couple others with him over the top. They strung it out and put the hurt in some legs, which is probably why there was such a palpable lull when it came together… the perfect spot to ATTACK! I got away solo and I suspect the group was content to let me dangle, around the corner onto Orange Corners and Hayes line I managed to stay away, and then I saw the gap diminish and they caught me at the worst spot for me, the bottom of “Kickintheheadburg” Hill. Bailey launched his attack up and over the hill and had Mike Tripp with him. There was a chase group with Chris Jones, the Ott’er, Kris Lew, Groenke and Rob Campbell pounding after them down 10. I managed to clamber onto the back of the group but the young guys up front had too much of a gap. Chris Jones pulled to the front at the bottom of Meadowview with Alex in tow and when Chris blew Alex popped around to grab third. Bailey and Mike Tripp locked in first and second respectively, with Chris Jones a forlorn fourth.

As much as I hate going up the hills it is pretty fun when you get to go down them, no other route we do sees as much variability between our high speeds (over 70kph) and our low speeds (8.6kph, no jokes. GPS verified.) and shreds the group to shrapnel.

Thanks Rhys,
See you all next week,
Jon

Finally a somewhat warm, sunny day for our Thursday nighter. Awesome, the roll out from the Bean had approximately 16 of us head towards Douro. Not a small group but, not large either. Nothing unusual here. Quite another story once we reached the Douro arena. Looks like the PCC Thursday night ride was in full swing. There must have been at least 40 riders waiting. Plenty for a three group night. Great start to the season and wonderful to have more folks out to share the load. Last few rides had seen a smaller turn out so, smiles all round with this large group. It was great to see familiar faces once more after months of no group rides and indoor training sessions.

After only a couple of minutes in the parking lot, the A group rolls out followed closely by the B group. Numbers in both groups looked similar. Perhaps 20-25 riders in each. C group…well, I’ll have to get some beta from Alan about that next time. Sorry Alan. Front of the B group bunch with Scott Patterson. Easy roll out with the A group not too far ahead. With a strong tail wind we found ourselves at the four corners sooner than later and frankly, we were soon catching up to the A group as we approached County Rd. 4. A quick turn onto 4 saw Jamie Elcombe come to the front of the B Group to slow down our pace. We didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by actually passing the A group so we decided to spread it out. You’re welcome A group.

Here is where the action started. Our usual strong man, yeah that’s you Richard Daly picked up the pace considerably as we ascended the first of a few hills that would take us into Warsaw. Here is a funny thing. The Douro Doings loop is not very long but, it is rather punchy. None of the hills are particularly long or steep and yet, there are enough of them to let you know that this ride is not going to be easy. A echelon ensues to share the ever increasing speed as we blast towards Warsaw. It is my belief that it is on this road that most of the damage is done to our group. The speed seems to remain constant whether on the flats or pointing upwards. Slowly but surely, people struggle to pull through. Some riders opt to not pull through leaving gaps that get filled by those with more mileage in their legs. All this for an early April ride. Whoa. Shrapnel. The last hill into Warsaw is fast an furious. Whether it is intentional or not, the result was a loss of weight in the group. Healthy for some, but, not for others. Personally, I held on for dear life as I knew the ride home into the wind was going to suck big time without a few riders to share the load.

A much too short reprieve was had as we screamed into Warsaw only to punch it once again out of Warsaw. In and out of the Valley of Pain. Damn you Warsaw. I love you and hate you at the same time. Post ride information was shared. Let me share it with you. Did you think the climb out of Warsaw onto 38 was a lung busting? I did, and then learned why. Our riding buddies Alex Groenke and Jamie Elcombe decided that this was another good spot to put the hammer down. Once again, trimming the fat. Alex, ahead of Jamie, hit the hill hard and was out of the saddle and off the front. Responding to this was myself, Richard Daly, Frank Ferrari, Jamie Elcombe, Chris Fleming, Mike Tripp and more riders for sure that I can’t remember as my lungs were on fire and my legs were hopefully burning as much as everyone.

The ride along 38 was our first taste of a brutal cross wind coming from the south. Riders were spreading themselves out in a wide formation to gain shelter from the wind. It was terrible to say the least. At the front, our man Jamie stayed on the pointy end for longer than I would have liked to and frankly, I was hiding in the small group that remained. My lungs were not happy and only a tremendous amount of guilt saw me move to the front to have a short pull. If our turn on 38 seemed hard, we only had a headwind into Douro to look forward to. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Quick turn onto county rd. 8 and the intensity turned out to be a bit easier than I expected. It was easier to hide behind others into a head wind than it was to be pummeled by the side wind with gusts on 38. Nevertheless, we were on the move. We started to pick up a few A group riders that had been shredded off the first group. The more the merrier. A powerful echelon constructed, we moved confidently toward Broccoli Hill. Can we still call it that since the tree has been cut down? Stump Hill? One last charge up old Stumpy and the flavour changed. A bit more maneuvering and the pace actually slows as the process of group, sprint placement begins to take form. I find myself at the front all too soon and try to decide whether to strike sooner than later. The decision is made for me as riders sprint around me and up the hill towards the infamous Fiddle sign. While I did not finish too far back, it was still too far back to really see what happened. Oh, the shame of it. Turns out that our man Frank Ferrari took the win, followed closely by Richard Daly and then our Wild Rock man, Jamie Elcombe. Good job guys and looking forward to next week. One lap of our Douro loop. Traditional, predictable, wonderful. See you next week.

Jon

After finishing up with the Tucson Bicycle Classic and only a couple short days remaining Anton, Yuri and myself decided to climb Mt. Lemmon. All 45kms to the ski valley and a little town called Summerhaven, which happens to have a small restaurant that sells the best plate sized cookies. Needless to say we bought and devoured a couple.

On Monday evening, I opened TrainingPeaks to see what my coach had prescribed for the following day. As it was my last day in the heat of southern Arizona, all he wrote was “ride for as long as possible”, so that’s what I did. I was out the door before the sun came up to catch a group ride. Returned home to grab a small lunch, before heading back to my favourite place, Mt. Lemmon to climb to mile 18. All in all, I racked up 8hrs 15min in the saddle, got in a hard group ride and a peaceful farewell 18mile climb. The perfect way to end the camp.

Wednesday saw Anton, Yuri and myself meet early to catch our flight home. On landing in Toronto we were greeted with temperatures that allowed us to see our breath, I slight change from what we had left that morning. It was definitely a shock to the system getting out for the first ride here in Peterborough. It only took me an hour to warm up, the same amount of time it took me to find all the necessary clothes for the ride. Even a couple days since being home I was still in a hot weather mindset. As usual for the past 3 months, before leaving the house to walk to the store I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I didn’t make it to many steps before turning around to find my coat. I must say though, after a few rides back home I did miss the roads here and I do not mind the chill in the air, it is a refreshing change of pace. I say this knowing it will be much warmer in a couple weeks.

The camp was a big success for all, we came back with lots of miles in the legs and everyone is excited and ready to start our season. First up is Good Friday Road Race where Jet Fuel Coffee/Norco Bicycles will be out in full force.

Until next time,

The Noble Pursuit is a team event happening on Sunday July 21st, 2013. Think of it as the greatest time you will ever have on a bicycle. Teams of 6 will depart from the Silver Bean in staged intervals. The ride will cover something like 140km-160km. The route will remain a highly guarded secret until the morning of the event, bribes of first born children and cookies will not be accepted. Teams will be self-supporting and all team riders must start and finish together.

“The Noble Pursuit personified what it meant for me to ride bikes when I first discovered how much fun it really was.” Jamie Elcombe

Last year’s Noble Pursuit challenged riders over hill and dale, gravel roads and unmaintained dirt paths. For many, the route changed how they rode a bike or considered passable for skinny tired bicycles. Some riders found strength from their team mates, some at the side of the road in the ditch, some from calling the organizers mean names. In the end, all succeeded, all triumphed and all learned something of themselves that couldn’t be learned by sitting on the couch. Last year’s was the beginning of great stories, the type that become legends; stories of nobleness and glory.

The Small Print:

+ This event costs $150/team. This event is cash only. We will accept your cash on the morning of July 21st.

+ Registration deadline is Friday June, 28th.

+ This event is limited to 12 teams.

+To register complete the attatched application in full and submit by Midnight of Friday, June 28th. All applications will be considered and the 12 best entries will be selected by our judges (probably over a couple of beers). Twelve best is not determined by strength or speed. Twelve best is determined by best overall application, with high marks going to creativity. This event is not first come first served.

+ The first team will roll out of the Silver Bean at 8am. There will be Team Captain’s meeting happening before 8am, where the route will be revealed. We will notify all Team Captain’s before July 21st, letting them know what time this will take place.

+ The Noble Pursuit ends at The Ale House, where delicious food and cold drinks will be enjoyed in earnest.

+ Teams are allowed a maximum of 1 non-Peterborough Cycling Club Member.

+ To participate in this event you must be a Peterborough Cycling Club member or be a member of another OCA affiliated club or hold a valid OCA race license.

+This event is self-supported. Meaning, whatever happens on the road you, and your team, must find a way to deal with it. There are no sag wagons, no emergency pick-ups. Please be prepared for all riding conditions

+The route will be unmarked and map reading and navigational skills are a must. A map will be provided to the team on the morning of the event

+ This event would not be possible if a few people who like to do awesome things didn’t get together one night and talk about making this happen. Many thanks to those individuals and to: The Peterborough Cycling Club, Flirtees, Wildrock, Page, The Silver Bean and The Ale House.

+ If you are a jerk (and we don’t think that you are), or ride like a jerk, or think you will be a jerk on July 21st — please don’t register. We have low tolerance for jerks. Jerks ruin fun. We like fun.

Register Here.

Let’s begin with a rough, non-verbatim transcript of emails, text messages and telephone calls that went down between four bicycle riders last night — prior to 5:30pm.

“Hey, what are you thinking about tonights ride?”

“It’s snowing”

“You wanna ride?”

“It’s wet snow”

“It’s Thursday Night, I’m going to ride”

“It’s awfully cold”

“Riding outside in any weather will be better than the trainer in the basement”

“You sound like a crazy person”

“Meet you at the Silver Bean at 6?”

“See you there”

6 brave souls turned out for the second Thursday Niter (sic) of 2013. With a small trace of flurries in the air, our motley crue headed towards Lakefield. By all accounts Lakefield to Peterborough is a short ride, but on this night, the usually benign stretch of River Rd. would prove to be a worthy adversary.

The weather took a turn for the absolute worst — Driving snow! — just short of our destination, forcing us to make a critical decision: “Do we turn around?”

“Yes”.

Easier said than done. Even in an impromptu blizzard alongside the riverbank — Brian Deleenher attacked our group and opened a gap — which was growing. Sure, we can turn around, but we can’t leave Brian dangling off the front, riding into his own cave of despair and lament.

I yelled to Brian. Zero Response.

***

Recently, I watched a documentary about a mountain climbing expedition gone wrong (Which is the narrative of 95% of all mountain climbing documentaries) and I thought back to a reconstructed scene where two climbers, in peril and losing contact with on another . . . were shouting, calling out to one another. In reality, they were within 25 feet of each other but the wind and the snow muffled their cries. This was the the beginning of the worst for them. Was this to be to the story of Brian and I?

***

Brian Deleenher could not hear me . . . The other Brian and I closed the gap, safely reeling him in and geting us all pointed in the direction home.

Elcombrocation and Elmhirst went ahead pushing hard on the pedals, escaping South.

Deleenher attacked us again. Why not?

The other Brian (Brian, I am deeply sorry if your name is Ryan) and I worked together to get back to Deleenhers wheel. Then he attacked again. As a result, our way back to Trent was fast and it was good to feel something in my heart, lungs and legs — I was no longer feeling anything in my fingers or toes.

This was the payoff. Regardless of the weather, the wind, the snow, the sleet. We were riding bicycles outside, together. This is what we love. This is what feels right even when everything appears to be so wrong.

Our group, for the most part, collected itself near Trent, in the shadow of Ron Thom’s library. We started down the Rotary trail immediately sharing stories of what we had ridden through moments before. We couldn’t wait to relive it.

The temperature dropped as the sun did the same. I was reminded of a local story I read somewhere. It was of a Preacher at the turn of the century . . . On Sunday’s he would walk to his charge, family in tow, from Ashburnham to Peterborough Proper, crossing the Otonobee. He described the bitter chill one could not escape while coming across the Hunter St Bridge. His children loathed that wind. The old Preacher embraced it, he knew it was only temporary and through winter would come spring and through spring, summer. I also thought of a guy who posts to twitter the same feelings of that Hunter St. bridge while walking home from the bar on a wintery night.

Spring is here. See you next Thursday.

For every cyclist there is always that one magical day in a season of riding when everything comes together. You don’t feel the pain in your legs, your breathing is abnormally fluid and easy and you can’t get dropped , no matter what the ass-hats throw at you

and even better….

Tom Boonen rides his bike for the rest of us who spend countless dollars, time and energy getting ready to ride, riding and then thinking about the next ride. We do it because it heals us, humbles us, and slowly turns our simple lives into tiny heroic efforts that we own. It’s all in our mind and no one can take it from us.

Sure it’s a bit flowery and fluff n’ puff, but that kind of sweet talking works on me. There is nothing like an injection of false hope to get me motivated for the early days of a season.

Our season of cycling in Peterborough is about to begin, which of course means another season of PTBO Rides getting into full swing. With a calendar full of Thursday Night Rides, Masters racing, The Noble Pursuit and who knows what else, it is a great time of year.

My only hope is that my “one magical day in a season” didn’t happen on the indoor trainer.

And that I am not an ass-hat.

The weather doesn’t look to favourable in the next week – but warmer temperatures (plus 5!!) look like they are coming our way soon. If all else fails there is a great week of bike races coming up starting on Friday and working towards Flanders and Roubaix.

Stay tuned – the good stuff is coming.

Lucky for Rhys, Charlie and I that the small group of riders that showed up for the Thursday night ride decided to swing by Wild Rock and pick us up.  Originally, the three of us did not think we were going to make the ride as it was scheduled to start at 6pm.  Well, even with a 6:15pm start, we managed to get back with plenty of daylight so no worries there.   We started the ride with seven riders and what could be described as a mixed bag of ability and experience.  Either way, it was nice to have a group of riders to share the work.  Many thanks to all that came out.  To those that rode indoors….well, I still think we had more fun than you did but hey, that’s just me and it’s no secret that I am not a fan of riding the trainer.  Frankly, most days I would rather drop a bag of hammers on my foot than ride at the gym.    Maybe you know where I am coming from.    Regardless, here are some observations from the first, official PCC Thursday night ride.   Short and sweet.  About what you would expect from a 30km ride.

Yeah, it was cold, so what?

Charlie’s fastest ride home ever?

Seven riders started, three crossed the finish line.

Mr. Jones takes the win.

Rhys charges off the front in the first hero move of 2013.

Riding outside rocked.

Getting home was nice too.

From Rhys:

Side winds were of note.

Charlie was mentioning being nervous about Wednesday nights.  I can see why.  There are some fast women in the club.

There were no gifts as there would be on Noel. Savage side winds kept all but the heartiest riders indoors.

Apparently the chorus at the gym from people was that we were nuts for going out, as per a fly on the wall. (Dad.)

There’s only so much booties can do when it is that cold out.

If there was anything, ever, in my lungs, attacking like that freed it up.

It’s also hard to want to take a slug of the water bottle when you are pretty sure it’s frozen.

STI shifting is a bit tricky without sensation in one’s digits.

So, that’s all for now.  Like I said, short and sweet.  As I write this, the weather forecast is calling for snow this coming week.   Not great.  However, if the roads are clear next week and you feel inspired, you can count on a few folks to stick it out and ride regardless.   I’ll be there.  I hope you will too.

Jonathan