Frustration abounds.............
The Cache Valley Century is normally a ride I kind of like. It's a charity ride, put on by Common Grounds Outdoor, to support those with disabilities enjoying the out of doors. A worthy cause - I believe. The reason I like this ride is to work with groups and dial-in some important skills needed to be successful at LOTOJA. I would guess that maybe 50% of these riders are LOTOJA folks themselves, and thus you get a pretty good refresher in "catch and hang on". The drawback is there are a lot of "less" skilled riders that can also cause a crash. Normally, you can get out front of the scary riders in the first 20 miles. After that, you find a group that fits your speed and tempo and the rest is academic - normally.
This morning started pretty much as planned. In the first 5 -6 miles, I had a good group on my back wheel that was willing to work together. Having been out in front long enough, I rolled out to the left to let the pellaton roll by, at which point I jumped on near the back. The "train" wasn't as well developed as I had hoped, with one guy in particular riding back and forth, left to right, coming close to wheels and pedals. I thought he would certainly take somebody down. As he drifted up to the front, he took his turn "pulling", with the rest of us in a single file line. The rest of the "train" depends on the guys upfront to give hand signals of approaching hazards - like BIG potholes. Suffice it to say, that idiot led us right through a pothole that could swallow a Buick. Both me and the guy directly behind me nailed it full blast! Luckily we didn't go down, but I knew it likely pinched my inner tubes. Sure enough, out between Dayton and Weston, my rear tire went flat first. This meant I lost my little group. After making a quick repair, I pedaled my guts out to catch one of the several groups that flew past while I was on the side of the road. I figured worst case would be catching a group at the Cornish feed zone.
Just past Cornish I managed to hookup with a guy that kept a pretty good pace. We took turns out front for several miles until we caught a larger group. Knowing my rear tire wasn't to full pressure, I figured I'd be working harder, but also figured I'd find a floor pump at the Clarkston feed zone. For some reason, I was having a harder time staying up with the group. Behold - another flat tire, but this time on the front. Again, on the side of the road with my last tube. Another quick repair and I was trying to catch a group before Clarkston. It seemed I was having to work harder than usual to catch groups. Getting into Clarkston, they didn't have a pump, nor did they have hardly any water, but they had a long line to get what water there was. Okay.........onto Mendon. Keep in mind, I didn't plan to make any stops prior to Mendon. So much for plans.
All the way to Mendon I was pushing a headwind, and couldn't seem to get comfortable behind the one or two riders I came across. I stayed with one group for a few miles, but even that seemed harder than usual. At Mendon, they did have a pump! Sure enough, my tires where somewhere around 50% of normal pressure. No wonder I was working so hard. I quickly got water and back on the road, with something like 30 miles to go. Not enough to make up what I had lost in the first 70 miles, but try anyway.
I made pretty good time getting back to Benson Marina, but was strictly on my own. They guys I caught were way too slow, so I just kept going. About 3 miles out of Amalga a quick group came along, which made for a good opportunity. They turned into Sugar Park (Amalga), so I thought I'd stop with them. Only twelve miles to go, I picked up a little water and shot some pickle juice. I didn't wait long and was back on the road. Maybe 4 miles out of Amalga, that same group caught me again. I stayed with them until we got on the highway headed back to Richmond (the finish). Something about that group made me nervous, so I let them go and waited for the next group. Unfortunately, nobody else caught me and the people I caught were simply too slow. So I finished at my own pace - almost 30 minutes off my target.
In the end, I did have to make a sprint to beat the light at highway 91, so I know I had plenty of "gas" left. I also stayed in my big ring all day - including the last heart-breaker on the west side of Richmond. I still had a lot I could apply, but being kind of defeated, I kind of mailed in the last 5 miles.
Not a great day, but good enough for an assessment. Two weeks to go and I know what needs to happen between now and then. The bike is also having a few issues, but that can be fixed - I hope. I on the other hand, have been beat up a little. This week was barely 220 miles, but they were good miles. I need to put in two hard rides next week, while trying to heal up. Getting to the holiday weekend, I'll need to move to a maintenance mode. And then..........the big day.
This variation of an original post in July seemed oddly appropriate today.
Ride Hard!
